This study investigates the impact of spatial resolution on urban pluvial flood modelling, focusing on the implications of high-resolution topography data for flood inundation mapping. We employed the physically-based urban flood model, H12, to simulate a past pluvial flooding event that occurred from 6-8 December 2015 in a sub-watershed in Portland, Oregon. We compared the temporal evolution of inundation maps from a benchmark 1 m resolution model with those from coarser resolutions (ranging from 2 m to 50 m). We evaluated the accuracy of the modelling results using water depth error measures and grid-based inundation extent error metrics to investigate the main causes of the differences. Our results show that the accumulated inundated water volume significantly increases with coarser grid resolutions, leading to larger discrepancies in pluvial flood inundation maps across the modelling domain. Additionally, coarser-resolution grids result in the overprediction of inundation extents, except in the 2 m model. Accuracy metrics decrease with coarser modelling grid resolutions; the hit rate (H) and critical success index (C) both decline as resolution coarsens. Notably, H rapidly drops below 0.7 and C to 0.5 or less when the resolution exceeds 7 m. Furthermore, multi-directional flow path analyses reveal that the spatial ranges of inundation expand as grid resolution becomes coarser. On the other hand, computational efficiency improves as grid resolutions become coarser. One of the main causes of accuracy degradation is the inherent limitation of coarse-resolution data in depicting topographical details. Although there is no single optimal resolution that suits all urban conditions, it is important to note that grid resolutions must be fine enough to accurately represent major urban features, such as road networks, which affect water flows during flood events.

Brain tumor is a serious disease that can lead to fatal consequences. Moreover, there are different types of brain tumor with different progression rate and severeness. Thus, brain tumor classification is an essential task in medical diagnosis. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based deep learning methods shown great potential brain tumor classification using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans of brain. Recent development in transformer based deep learning models have shown promising outcome in image classification task. However, these models have not yet much explored in the application of brain tumor classification. In this paper, we employ seven advanced models which utilizes transformers or mimics the selfattention operation of transformers through their design, for brain tumor classification. To assess their performance for this particular task, five conventional CNN based methods have also been applied and compared with these models. To make our assessment more coherent and comprehensive we perform the comparison for four different datasets. The results indicate that transformer-based advanced models do not provide a distinct advantage over conventional CNN-based models. The CNN-based ResNet-50 performs well overall, especially with smaller datasets. For larger datasets, transformer-based models generally perform better than CNN-based models, although the difference is not significant.

Introduction:Mature teratomas are subtypes of germ cell tumors that contain tissues from endodermal, mesodermal, and ectodermal germ cell layers[1] . These tumors typically arise from gonads. Mature teratomas in the mediastinum are rare lesions; they are typically detected in the anterior mediastinum which is the most common location of extragonadal germ cell tumors [1, 2] . In addition, most teratoma tumors in the anterior mediastinum arise from the thymus or near thymus parenchyma, and intrapericardial or pericardial arising teratomas are considered extremely rare [2] .Mediastinal teratomas most frequently occur in children and young adults. Patients are usually asymptomatic, but large tumors may present with symptoms of compression [3] . Complete surgical resection is the standard treatment. When adhesion to the surrounding tissues is present, residual tissues could be retained to reduce the injury of the peripheral blood vessels and nerves [4] .Herein, we report a rare mature mediastinal teratoma with adhesions to the pericardium and discuss the diagnostic and surgical challenges.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a precarious psychiatric disorder requiring psychometrically sound instruments for accurate assessment. Due to minimal evidence demonstrating convergent validity of the self-report version of the Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD, the current study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of this instrument. Participants were 62 undergraduate university students aged 18-54 years. Corresponding instruments selected for validation included a modified version of the McLean Screening Instrument for BPD, the International Trauma Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale Short Form, the Paranoid Thoughts Scale – Revised, the Brief Dissociative Experiences Scale – Adult, three items from the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviours Interview-Revised, and the Experiences in Close Relationships – Short Form. The total score of the self-report Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD was found to demonstrate acceptable reliability and validity, however the subscales reflecting the four sectors of BPD did not demonstrate adequate internal consistency. Results of this study indicate that the total score of the self-report Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD is acceptable to assess for BPD symptomatology in non-clinical populations. A strong correlation between the Zanarini Rating Scale for BPD and the International Trauma Questionnaire, although not diagnostic of either BPD or complex post-traumatic stress disorder, may be clinically relevant.

Title: A 24-year-old patient with testicular benign capillary hemangioma :A rare Case Report.Hasan Haydar a,+ ,Mouhammed Sleiaya, Sliman Marina b , Abdulrahman Haydar c, Mohammed Alqreea d , Bauthaina Alomar a, Mohamad Yasin Lutfie, Simon Youssef fa Faculty of Medicine, Hama University, Hama, Syrian Arab Republic.b Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic.c Faculty of Dentistry, Arab private university for science and technology, Hama, Syrian Arab Republic.d Orthopedic surgery Department ; Faculty of medicine ; Damascus University  ;Damascus Syrian Arab Republic.e Hama National Hospital,Urology Department, Hama, Syrian Arab Republic.f Hama National Hospital,pathology Department,  Hama, Syrian Arab Republic.*Corresponding author: Hasan Haydar, Faculty of Medicine, Hama University, Hama, Syrian Arab Republic. email: hasanhaydar458@gmail.com+ Hasan Haydar ,Mouhammed Sleiay, Sliman Marina , Abdulrahman Haydar, Mohammed Alqreea, Bauthaina Alomar, , Mohamad Yasin Lutfi, Simon Youssef are co-first authors. All contributed equally in this paper \RLEmails & ORCID:Hasan Haydar: hasanhaydar458@gmail.comORCID: 0000-0002-7335-2096Mouhammed Sleiay:abdmouh1234mouhmouh@gmail.comORCID: 0009-0003-8887-0739slimanmarina12@gmail.comAbdulrahman Haydar : abdulrahmanhaydar8@gmail.comMohammed Alqreea : abokhaledqreea@gmail.comBauthaina Alomar :BauthainaAlomar2@gmail.comMohamad Yasin Lutfi: Doctor85yasen@gmail.comSimon Youssef:   simon.youssef.1978@gmail.com

Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) presented a diagnostic dilemma in a 54-year-old woman with metastatic colon cancer. A large mass on the tricuspid valve initially suggested tumoral invasion. However, prompt anticoagulation led to complete resolution, indicating NBTE. This case highlights the challenges of differentiating NBTE from metastatic disease in high-risk patients. While transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TTE and TEE) raised suspicion of tumor spread, anticoagulant therapy achieved successful resolution, potentially offering an alternative management approach. The case report proposes considering novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) like apixaban for such scenarios.

Background: Epidemiological data on seasonal coronaviruses (sCoVs) may provide insight on transmission patterns and demographic factors that favour coronaviruses (CoVs) with greater disease severity. This study describes the incidence of CoVs in several high-risk groups in Ottawa, Canada from October 2020 to March 2022. Methods: Serological assays quantified IgG and IgM antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, and HCoV-229E. Incident infections were compared between four population groups: individuals exposed to children, transit users, immunocompromised, and controls. Associations between antibody prevalence indicative of natural infection and demographic variables were assessed using regression analyses. Results: Transit users and those exposed to children were at no greater risk of infection compared to the control group. Fewer infections were detected in the immunocompromised group (p=0.03). SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was greater in individuals with low income and within ethnic minorities. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that non-pharmaceutical interventions intended to reduce SAR-CoV-2 transmission protected populations at high risk of exposure. The re-emergence of sCoVs and other common respiratory viruses alongside SARS-CoV-2 may alter infection patterns and increase the risk in vulnerable populations.

Since Blue and Humpback whales are classified as endangered, understanding their migration patterns is essential for developing effective conservation and management plans, thereby maintaining a balanced ecosystem across the oceans. This paper investigates the migration patterns of blue and Humpback whales along the western coast of North America by leveraging a comprehensive dataset on longitude, latitude, change in path direction, magnetic inclination, declination change, and date. To account for directional changes in whale paths, a mixture of von Mises-Fisher distributions is considered for appropriate reasons. Our investigation suggests that the nature of the directional changes exhibited by the blue and Humpback whales can be characterized by a mixture of nine von Mises-Fisher distributions, providing evidence for the existing variation across the whales' directional migration. Furthermore, a novel circular-circular regression is considered to explore how the directional changes of the whales are associated with various environmental factors, such as magnetic inclination, declination, Sun, Moon position, and ocean currents. Almost all of our hypothesis test results reveal a statistically significant non-zero correlation between the directional changes of the blue and Humpback whales and the considered environmental factors. Based on the table, it's evident that the correlation between Solar position and Geomagnetic changes has the most pronounced effect on both types of Whales.

In tropical forests, trees strategically balance growth patterns to optimize fitness amid multiple environmental stressors. Wind poses the primary risk to a tree’s mechanical stability, prompting developments such as thicker trunks to withstand the bending forces. Therefore, a trade-off in resource allocation exists between diameter growth and vertical growth to compete for light. We explore this trade-off by measuring the relative wind mortality risk for 96 trees in a tropical forest in Panama and testing how it varies with tree size, species and wind exposure. Surprisingly, local wind exposure and tree size had minimal impact on wind mortality risk; instead, species wood density emerged as the crucial factor. Low wood density species exhibited a significantly greater wind mortality risk, suggesting a prioritization of competition for light over biomechanical stability. Our study highlights the pivotal role of wind safety in shaping the life-history strategy of trees and structuring diverse tropical forests.

Power system stability characteristics are typically evaluated in terms of small- and large-signal (transient) stability. Access to the time-varying A-matrix of a state-space-based power systems model during transient conditions can be utilized to apply Linear Time-Varying (LTV) system concepts for large-signal stability analysis. In LTV system analysis, the differential Riccati equation (DRE) plays a vital role when the power system is subjected to a severe disturbance. The Möbius transformation is proposed in this paper to solve the DRE with singularity issues. It is shown that the solution of the DREs follows a specific mathematical pattern when the power system is stable but does not follow this pattern when the system progresses toward instability. The proposed method can be used in large-signal stability analysis to predict instability and make the stability analysis more efficient. Additionally, the vector-differential Riccati equation (V-DRE) is proposed to generalize the index in a large-scale power system. Results show that analyzing the corresponding Riccati equation’s behavior can help researchers predict a power system’s performance and improve the control and management of the system.

We propose a two-mode OPS architecture using an optical multiport MDM DFT-based label generator and processor. By combining optical labels on two modes, we exponentially increase the number of labels. Beat noise effects significantly increase the label error rate, particularly when multimode crosstalk is maximum. This impairment can be mitigated by time shifting the optical labels of the two modes by half of the label length.

Euonymus fangdingianus, a new species from southwestern China and northern Vietnam, is described and illustrated. This species differs from its congeners mainly in having large thick leave blade, abaxial black-punctate blade, impressed and abaxial prominent veins, cauliflorous inflorescences, dark purple flower in 5-merous, and obovoid capsules with angles and grooves. A photograph image and conservation assessment for the new species are provided. In addition, the cauliflory in E. fangdingianus, an unusual flowering pattern in Euonymus, is described preliminarily.

A document by Abdulmumin Ibrahim. Click on the document to view its contents.

Title:A Rare Case of Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis associated with Extrahepatic Biliary Neuroendocrine TumorAuthor:Nargiz Gasimova, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Overlook Medical Centre, Summit, 07901, NJ, USANargiz.gasimova@atlantichealth.orgCorresponding author:Sharon John, Medical Student, Education-Medical department, Overlook Medical Centre, Summit, 07901, NJ, USASharon.john@atlantichealth.orgAuthor contribution:Conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology, resources, software, validation, visualization, writing original draft, writing-review & editingAcknowledgement:The authors express their gratitude to the Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at Overlook Medical CenterEthical statement:Because this was a retrospective report, we have obtained the written consent from the patient and her family before publication of relevant data. Additionally, because this was a retrospective report, our group presumed that no registration was necessary. It was clearly stated that only clinical information will be shared in research, without mentioning any personal details at any part of the article. Informed consent from the patient was considered sufficient.Funding:This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Disclosure Statement:The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding this paper’s publication.Data availability statement:The data supporting this study’s findings are available in the supplementary material of this article.Key Clinical Message:This case report demonstrates the importance of thorough investigation and vigilance in managing primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), particularly due to its association with various hepatic and extrahepatic malignancies. The discovery of a neuroendocrine tumor (NET) within the extrahepatic bile ducts in a patient with PSC highlights the need for heightened awareness and comprehensive evaluation. This case underscores the complexity of the diagnostic and therapeutic approach when managing PSC, especially when complicated by the presence of additional neoplastic lesions such as NETs.

Plants host diverse assemblages of fungi on their foliar tissues, both in internal compartments and on exterior surfaces. When plant distributions shift, they can move with their fungal associates (i.e. co-introduction) or acquire new associates present in the novel environment (host-jumping). The fungal communities that plants acquire influence a plant’s ability to establish and spread in this new environment. Here, we aimed to assess whether invasive Cenchrus ciliaris hosts similar groups of fungi in its native and introduced ranges and to evaluate community overlap of fungi associated with foliar tissue of C. ciliaris and native and non-native plants within the introduced range. In the introduced range, C. ciliaris associated with a majority of novel OTUs, although 3.2% of OTUs were common to both ranges. Of these shared OTU, 77.6% were found on co-occurring natives and non-natives in the introduced range, whereas 22.4% were completely unique to C. ciliaris indicating a possible co-introduction. Fungal communities within the introduced range contain a higher proportion of generalist symbionts and an increase in heterogeneity of foliar communities than in its native range. Within the introduced range, host phylogenetic distance explained more variation in foliar communities than native status. Our findings provide evidence that non-natives acquire fungi opportunistically from their environment, although host and environmental filtering is present suggesting that successful invasive plants may be able to limit the effect of poor symbionts and select for better ones. Future experimental work will be needed to confirm the occurrence of host selection and identify its mechanisms.

A document by Daniel Campos. Click on the document to view its contents.

A document by zhi wen. Click on the document to view its contents.

Background: Pathologic changes of the fetlock joint are well documented in thoroughbreds but little information is available describing the common radiographic findings in western performance horses with fetlock lameness. Objectives: Describe radiographic findings in western performance horses with lameness localized to the fetlock. It was hypothesized degree of lameness would correlate with severity of radiographic findings. Study design: Retrospective case series Methods: A retrospective review (2012-2022) of horses with lameness isolated to the fetlock joint via intra-articular analgesia and corresponding fetlock radiographs were included. Signalment, lameness, flexion and effusion grades were recorded. Radiographs were evaluated for presence, severity, and location of pathology. Subjective radiographic severity scores were assigned. Correlations between outcome parameters were evaluated with Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Statistically significant changes in mean lameness grades for each radiographic abnormality were determined using Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. Results: Ninety cases met inclusion criteria. Radiographic lesions were identified in 96.7% of cases. Distal cannon bone sclerosis, periarticular osteophytes, increased soft tissue, proximal phalanx (P1) sclerosis, and subchondral bone (SCB) defects were most common. Horses with P1 sclerosis, SCB cysts, and P1 fissures had significantly higher lameness grades. No significant correlation was established between overall radiographic score and lameness grade . Main limitations: Outcome parameters were not captured for every horse due to retrospective design. Diagnostic analgesia has inherent limitations with specificity and interpretation of results. The use of multiple clinicians may have led to inconsistencies in grading of lameness, flexion response and improvement after diagnostic analgesia. Conclusions: Horses in this study demonstrated changes associated with chronic exercise-induced remodelling and degenerative joint disease. While degree of lameness did not correlate with overall radiographic score, certain radiographic findings- P1sclerosis SCB cysts, and P1 fissures- were correlated with higher degree of lameness.

Reliable tools for the identification of genetic sex are invaluable in many fields of biology, but their design requires knowledge of sex-linked sequences, which is lacking in many taxa. Restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) is widely used to identify sex-linked markers, but multiple distinct strategies are employed, and it is often not obvious which is most suitable. In this study we compare two approaches for using RADseq to identify sex-linked markers. We use the common newt, Lissotriton vulgaris, as our study system, providing a challenging combination of homomorphic sex chromosomes and an exceptionally large genome. We attempt an associative approach, sequencing 60 adult newts of known-sex individuals, and compare this to a linkage mapping approach utilizing a family of 146 offspring with unknown sex. After optimization for a highly paralogous genome, the associative approach identifies five Y-chromosome linked markers in L. vulgaris and we design a robust PCR protocol for molecular sexing of four more related species. Via the linkage approach we construct a high-density map featuring 10,763 markers, matching the observed karyotype of L. vulgaris and showing broad synteny with the Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl). However, without incorporating the markers identified via the association-based approach, we cannot confidently distinguish a sex-determining region in the linkage map, either by analyzing marker density or by identifying clusters of paternal markers. We conclude that linkage mapping alone is unlikely to yield sex-linked markers in organisms with very small sex-determining regions, however association-based RADseq can still be effective under these conditions.

In the era of big data, young patients are overwhelmed by artificial intelligence-based tools, such as chatbots. Five clinical experts were asked to evaluate the performance of four of the most currently used chatbots at providing information on a rare cancer affecting young people, such as rhabdomyosarcoma. In general, despite their high performance at giving general information about the disease, these chatbots were considered by the experts inappropriate at providing suggestion on cancer treatments and specialized centers, also lacking of "sensitivity". Efforts are envisioned by the pediatric oncology community to improve the quality of data used to train these tools.

Over the past century, the field of antibody discovery has undergone significant evolution, excluding the current exploration stage of AI-based antibody generation and the often overlooked non-animal sourced antibody discovery, which typically requires mature in vitro affinity and the selection of high-quality antigen formulations. This journey has traversed various stages, from methods involving serum-based antibody acquisition, the isolation of B cells capable of perpetual antibody production through hybridoma technology, to the in-depth exploration of genetic material using the phage display system, and the current stage involving diverse single B cell screening techniques. Additionally, the emergence of machine learning has brought impressive scientific and technological breakthroughs across research domains, proving to be a powerful application in the field of antibody discovery. However, each technique comes with its limitations, such as variability and control challenges in serum-based acquisition, lengthy and difficult hybridoma-derived antibody development, potential limitations in sequence and epitope diversity due to immunization biases in phage display techniques, and costly single B cell screening. Protein mass spectrometry sequencing, with shorter acquisition time and lower costs, is seen as a shortcut by diagnostic companies, impacting traditional antibody development. In diagnostic antibody development, methodological differences in downstream assays and the impact of constant regions outside the Fv core are often neglected. This paper deeply analyzes challenges, proposing innovative strategies for the next generation of diagnostic antibody development. Aimed at moving closer to the gold standard of antibody discovery, these strategies enhance the competitiveness of diagnostic reagent products.

Uncertainties arising from future decisions driving the makeup of the energy system globally affect multiple sectors in the human-Earth system on diverse spatiotemporal scales. The complex interplay between sectors requires a thorough examination of these uncertainties, usually conducted through large scenario ensembles encompassing a wide range of potential futures. However, previous efforts have overlooked the methodological choice of aggregation measures across the ensemble, despite potential consequences. In this study, we leverage a large ensemble dataset that captures the uncertainties associated with the energy system generated using the Global Change Analysis Model. Using the ensemble, we first explore how energy-related uncertainties are propagated to both the global and regional water-energy-food sectors. We then conduct a rank correlation analysis across diverse cross-ensemble aggregation measures that are used to aggregate ensemble members for further analysis and highlight the potential downsides arising from relying on a single measure. Our results highlight that the influences that arise from low-carbon transitions can increase the uncertainties of all sectors at the end of the century, each with its unique dynamic. Moreover, the most severe outcomes in the majority of regions take place under scenarios with extreme socioeconomic assumptions in combination with low-carbon transitions. Our findings emphasize that threshold-based classification measures that have been frequently adopted to identify critical outcomes in multisectoral systems may overlook the dynamics embedded in the scenario ensemble. As an alternative, using appropriate cross-ensemble aggregation measures in order to derive robust insights from the outcomes holds promise.

The Rough Set (RS) theory is an effective method for reducing input dimensionality and managing vagueness and uncertainty in datasets. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the interest and application of rough set theory within artificial intelligence and cognitive sciences. This heightened interest encompasses various research domains, including machine learning, intelligent systems, inductive reasoning, pattern recognition, data preprocessing, knowledge discovery, decision analysis, and expert systems. This paper explores the fundamental concepts of rough set theory and highlights several research directions and applications that utilize this theory. Additionally, it reviews the application of rough set theory in different machine learning techniques, such as clustering, feature selection, and rule induction.

Ultra-rush venom immunotherapy protocols have shown to be a safe and effective approach to prevent the occurrence of systemic reactions after hymenoptera stings. The aim was to describe our experience with two ultra-rush protocols – a five-step with 1 µg starting dose and a six-step with 0.1 µg starting dose, as well as to compare their safety profile. This is a retrospective study of all the patients who underwent VIT with honey bee or wasp venom between January 2008 and December 2021, in our department. A total of 110 patients was included, with 109 patients (99%) completing the protocol. A total of 63 (57%) patients had no local or systemic reactions. Most systemic reactions occurred with 20 µg or higher doses (24, 83%). There were no documented grade IV systemic reactions (Mueller grading). No differences were found in local or systemic reactions regarding sex, atopy, β-blocker medication, the severity of the index reaction, ID test positivity, levels of total IgE, specific IgE and tryptase (all p>0.05). Younger age, treatment with bee VIT or being a beekeeper were associated with more systemic reactions (p=0.035, 0.006 and 0.047, respectively). No statistical differences in the number of local and systemic reactions were found when comparing both protocols (p=1.000). Ultra-rush protocols are safe and effective, but systemic reactions are to be expected, especially with honeybee. Our data supports that ACE inhibitors do not compromise safety. Beginning with 1 µg is safe and can save time and resources.