We used imagery from remote sensing (FORCE Time Series Analysis submodule (combining Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery)) to derive spatially distributed times series (8 years) of NDWI data to infer patterns of floodplain inundation and river-floodplain connectivity in two contrasting polders in the Lower Oder Valley National Park. The upstream Polder A (14.4 km 2) was extensively flooded for prolonged periods most winters. Wavelet analysis showed that this strong seasonality was primarily driven by winter water levels in the river Oder that could enter and leave the polder through two opened flood gates. Subsequent drainage was slow and aided by a pumping station. Inundation of the downstream Polder 10 (17.7km 2) was lower and had less marked seasonality. This reflected the impact of flood attenuation by storage in Polder A upstream, but also the greater connectivity (via 10 flood gates) to the Oder and a functional network of channels which facilitated rapid drainage after flood peaks. In Polder A, secondary periods of transient inundation could also occur in response to local intense summer rainfall. Wavelet analysis also showed that groundwater recharge in and around Polder A is primarily induced by floodwater, whilst Polder 10 also reflects the influence of local rainfall-driven recharge. The flood regimes of the two polders showed marked inter-annual variation, largely dependent on flows from the upper Oder catchment. Understanding these patterns and processes of inundation is important for both managing flows and sustaining valuable wetland habitats within the National Park. Given projected climate change in eastern Europe and possible management alterations to the flow regime of the Oder, the potential implications for these habitats needs urgent attention.

We have investigated the interplay between glycolytic oscillations and intracellular K + concentration in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Intracellular K + concentration was measured using the fluorophore PBFI. We found that K + is an essential ion for the occurrence of glycolytic oscillations and that intracellular K + concentration oscillates synchronously with other variables such as NADH, intracellular ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential. We also investigated if glycolysis and intracellular K + concentration oscillate in a number of yeast strains with mutations in K + transporters in the plasma membrane, mitochondrial membrane and in the vacuolar membrane. Most of these strains are still capable of showing glycolytic oscillations, but two strains are not: (i) a strain with a deletion in the mitochondrial Mdm38p K +/H + transporter and (ii) a strain with deletion of the late endosomal Nhx1p K +/H + (Na +/H +) transporter. In these two mutant strains intracellular K + concentration seems to be low, indicating that the two transporters may be involved in transport of K + into the cytosol. In the strain Mdm38p Δ oscillations in glycolysis could be restored by addition of the K +/H + exchange ionophore nigericin. Furthermore, in two non-oscillating mutant strain with a defective V-ATPase and deletion of the Arp1p protein the intracellular K + is relatively high, suggesting that the V-ATPase is essential for transport of K + out of the cytosol and that the cytoskeleton may be involved in binding K + to reduce the concentration of free ion in the cytosol. Analyses of the time series of oscillations of NADH, ATP, mitochondrial membrane potential and potassium concentration using data-driven modeling corroborate the conjecture that K + ion is essential for the emergence of oscillations and support the experimental findings using mutant strains.

We have read with interest the article published by Hondo N et al.1 At present, there are several minimally invasive surgical methods for the treatment of gastric cancer: Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) , Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), Laparocopy-assisted radial gastrectomy (LARG), and Robot-assisted radical gastrectomy (RARG). LARG and RARG can not only be used for early gastric cancer, but also for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer, and they have the advantage of a wide range of surgical indications. Laparoscopic surgery also has some drawbacks, including a two-dimensional surgical field of view and limited operational freedom. In order to improve the above shortcomings, the da Vinci robotic surgical system has emerged in response to the times. The da Vinci surgical robot system is currently the most advanced high-tech platform for minimally invasive surgery internationally. It solves the limitations of traditional laparoscopy in terms of field of view and operational flexibility, and breaks through the bottleneck of limited development in traditional laparoscopic surgery. Although we believe it is a very interesting topic, we would like to offer the following points for your consideration.

RfaH is a two-domain metamorphic protein involved in transcription regulation and translation initiation. To carry out dual functions, RfaH relies on two coupled structural changes: domain dissociation and fold switching. In the free state, the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RfaH adopts an all- α fold and is tightly associated with the N-terminal domain (NTD). Upon binding to RNA polymerase (RNAP), the domains dissociate and the CTD completely transforms into an all- β fold, while the NTD remains largely, but not entirely, unchanged. We test the idea that a change in the conformation of an extended β-hairpin ( β3- β4) located on the NTD, helps trigger domain dissociation. To this end, we use homology modelling to construct a structure, H 1 , which is similar to free RfaH but with a remodeled β3- β4 hairpin. We then use an all-atom physics-based model enhanced with a dual-basin structure-based potential to simulate domain separation driven by thermal unfolding of the CTD with NTD in a fixed, folded conformation. We apply our model to both free RfaH and H 1 . For H 1 we find, in line with our hypothesis, that the CTD exhibits a lower stability and the domains dissociate at a lower temperature ( T), as compared to free RfaH. We do not, however, observe complete refolding to the all- β state in these simulations, suggesting that a change in β3- β4 orientation aid in, but is not sufficient for, domain dissociation. In addition, we study the reverse fold switch in which RfaH returns from a domain-open all- β state to its domain-closed all- α state. We observe a T-dependent transition rate; fold switching is slow at low T, where the CTD tend to be kinetically trapped in its all- β state, and at high- T, where the all- α state becomes unstable. Consequently, our simulations suggest an optimal T at which fold switching is most rapid. At this T, the stabilities of both folds are reduced. Overall, our study suggests that both inter-domain interactions and conformational changes within NTD may be important for proper functioning of RfaH.

In this paper, we study the initial-boundary value problem of three-dimensional viscous, compressible, and heat conductive magnetohydrodynamic equations. Local existence and uniqueness of strong solutions is established with any such initial data that the initial compatibility conditions do not be required. The analysis is based on some suitable prior estimates for the strong coupling term u·∇ H and strong nonlinear term curl H × H . Our proof of the existence and uniqueness of solutions is in the Lagrangian coordinates first and then transformed back to the Euler coordinates.

The Influence Maximization problem has garnered significant research interest since its introduction. In 2014, the problem was further extended to include signed social networks, resulting in the positive influence maximization problem and negative influence maximization problem. However, current solutions mainly rely on greedy algorithms that suffer from the Inefficient shortcoming, which do not leverage deep reinforcement learning. This paper introduces a novel approach to maximize the number of positively activated nodes by applying deep reinforcement learning to signed networks. Specifically, we extend SDGNN model for network representation learning and design a DQN-based seed node selection algorithm. The extensive experimental results on two real-world networks demonstrate our proposed model outperforms greedy algorithm and CELF algorithm,in terms of both time efficiency and influence spread quality. To our knowledge,this work is the first to leverage deep reinforcement learning to solve influence maximization problem in signed social networks.

Bipolar plates in the fuel cells are mechanical components chiefly responsible for power variation and even distribution of fuel and oxidant at the membrane exchange assembly. To ensure the fuel cell optimal performance and longevity of the membrane the flow field pressures need to be in the optimum range. In this study, a combination of existing and new designs of bipolar plate flow Fields for 100 × 100mm area membrane exchange assembly Size have been modelled and studied with the help of computational fluid dynamics. A total of six variant designs have been analyzed. An attempt is made to understand the most efficient channel design which results in a good flow field & low-pressure drop. The simulation studies indicate that the serpentine channel with two channels-opposite inlets-outlets provides the most uniform pressure drop and the best fuel distribution and is 10% better than the serpentine conventional single-channel bipolar plate Flow fields.

A document by Wendy Huerta. Click on the document to view its contents.

In order to effectively guide the selection of scaffold in the designing of cantilever scaffold, a comprehensive analysis of three typical scaffold supporting systems (including fully cantilever, bottom-supporting cantilever and pull-up cantilever) is carried out. The calculation formulas for the internal force of the three scaffold supporting systems are proposed by theoretical analysis methods, which are verified by finite element method (FEM). In addition, the force mechanism and benefits of the three scaffold supporting systems are compared and analyzed combined with actual engineering. The results indicate that there are high calculating accuracy for the proposed internal force and deflection calculation formulas about the scaffold supporting systems. According to the distribution uniformity of the internal force and controlling of the deformation of the main girder, the bottom-supporting cantilever load-bearing system is the best choice. While the pull-up cantilever supporting system is the best choice considering the aspects of cost, construction period and social benefits, which can be popularized in engineering practice.

Inhibition is an important component of cognitive control that encompasses multiple processes, such as interference control, inhibition of prepotent responses and suppression of ongoing responses. Frontal and temporoparietal regions of the cortex are implicated differently in inhibitory functions. The Stroop-matching/stop-signal task is a recent task that uses Stroop stimuli and stop-signals to create conditions that allow the investigation of the three forms of inhibition aforementioned. The task provides a way to distinguish the effect of these inhibitions as well as their interactions using a single task. The present study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess frontal and temporoparietal activations during the Stroop-matching/stop-signal task. The main objective was to investigate which cortical regions each inhibitory function would recruit during this task. Fifty-two young adults (mean age = 21.4, SD = 3.44) participated. Performance results indicated the effects previously found in the Stroop-matching/stop-signal task. FNIRS results showed that the left inferior frontal cortex (IFC) and the bilateral intraparietal sulcus (IPS) are involved in interference control; the left IFC also showed activation in inhibition of prepotent responses; and the right IFC was involved in the suppression of ongoing responses. The interaction between suppression of responses and the other two forms of inhibition lead to deactivation of frontal and parietal areas. Thus, each form of inhibition demanded by the Stroop-matching/stop-signal task seems to recruit specific cortical regions, supporting the distinction between inhibitory components at the neurophysiological level.

A comparative protein profile of bat wing-tissue samples for three feeding categories of bats such as Insectivorous, Hipposiderous speoris; Carnivorous Megaderma lyra - and Frugivorous Cynopterus sphinx was studied. All the samples were analyzed using two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry. Totally, 38 protein spots were paired across all the three categories of samples and 5 differentially expressed proteins were identified. In the present study, it is reported that proteomics-based analysis for three feeding categories reveal the presence of five candidate proteins namely 1) Hemoglobin subunit beta; 2) V(D)J Recombination activating protein 1; 3) Olfactory receptor; 4) Lysozyme and 5) Brain-derived neurotrophic factor were identified. Among them, 3 proteins such as Olfactory receptor; Lysozyme and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor were up- regulated in M. lyra and C. sphinx compared to H. speoris. Gene ontology analysis reveals three different functional properties of the identified protein such as biological process, cellular component, and molecular function. The present study will shed more light on the importance of chiropteran fauna in proteomics and long- term conservation planning of bat populations of the study area. KEYWORDS : protein profile, three feeding categories, mass spectrometry, Gene ontology

Stylized animation is often adored for its innovative and daring visual creativity. Due to the strong visual impact and color contrast inherent in woodcut style design, it has been applied in animation and comics. However, traditional woodcuts, hand-drawn, and previous computer-aided methods have yet to address the issues of dwindling design inspiration, lengthy production times, and complex adjustment procedures. To tackle these challenges, we propose a novel network framework, the Woodcut-style Design Assistant Network (WDANet). Notably, our research is the first to utilize diffusion models to streamline the woodcut-style design process. We curate the Woodcut-62 dataset, which features works from 62 renowned historical artists, to train WDANet in absorbing and learning the aesthetic nuances of woodcut prints, offering users a wealth of design references. Our WDANet integrates text and woodcut-style image features based on a denoising network. WDANet allows users to input or slightly modify a text description to quickly generate accurate, high-quality woodcut-style designs, saving time and offering flexibility. As confirmed by user studies, quantitative and qualitative analyses show that WDANet outperforms the current state-of-the-art in generating woodcut-style images and proves its value as a design aid.

Immune escape and immunosuppression are the main reasons that affect the efficacy of lung cancer treatment. This study mainly explored the mechanism of polystyrene nanoparticles-mediated astragalus polysaccharides (APS-PSNPs) in improving immune function of mice with lung cancer. APS-PSNPs were constructed and a lung cancer mouse model was established to observe tumor volume and mass, and pathological changes by HE staining. Levels of TNF-a/IFN-γ/IL-2/IL-6 in mouse spleen tissue were detected by ELISA, the lymphocyte CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ apoptosis levels were tested along with analysis of the expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB. (1) APS-PSNPs were successfully constructed. (2) APS-PSNPs had a good tumor suppressor effect on lung cancer, inhibited IL-2 expression, and improved immune function of lung cancer mice. (3) TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB levels in lung cancer mice were upregulated, and MyD88 and NF-κB levels decreased after inhibiting TLR4 expression with improved pathological changes of lung. (4) APS-PSNPs effectively reduced TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB levels. The levels of TNF-a/IFN-γ/IL-2/IL-6 decreased in APS-PSNPs+TAK-242 group, the apoptosis of spleen lymphocyte subsets CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ was significantly weakened, and the degree of fibrosis of lung tumor tissue was significantly lower. APS-PSNPs, with good anti-lung cancer value, can improve immune function, inhibit lung tissue lesions, and inhibit tumor progression to a certain extent. This process is related to reducing TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB activity and down-regulating IL-2, etc.

[Objective] This study aimed to define a new subtype of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and identify prognostic biomarkers; [Method] We obtained the required raw data from the TCGA and GEO database. Through gene set variation analysis (GSVA) analysis, the gene expression matrix was transformed into a gene set expression matrix. Then, the “Cancersubtypes” package in R software was used to convert the samples into different subtypes, and a LUAD-related prognosis model was established based on the differentially expressed gene sets (DEGSs) between each subtype. Finally, functional and pathway enrichment analysis, as well as a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis, were performed on prognosis-related DEGSs; [Result] We obtained 63 DEGSs and constructed a prognostic model based on 4 significantly prognosis-related DEGSs; [Conclusion] This study has developed a new classification method for LUAD and identified 4 prognosis related DEGSs and 15 core protein, which could provide relevant theoretical basis and guidance for the update of cancer treatment methods and the development of new drugs.

The goal of this note is to study the spectrum of a self-adjoint convolution operator in L 2 ( R d ) with an integrable kernel that is perturbed by an essentially bounded real-valued potential tending to zero at infinity. We show that the essential spectrum of such operator is the union of the spectrum of the convolution operator and of the essential range of the potential. Then we provide several sufficient conditions for the existence of a countable sequence of discrete eigenvalues. For operators having non-connected essential spectrum we give sufficient conditions for the existence of discrete eigenvalues in the corresponding spectral gaps.

Objective: To investigate whether prior COVID-19 infection and time interval after infection affect the in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Design: A prospective observational cohort. Setting: Reproductive center in China. Population: Participants recovered from COVID-19 and healthy controls. Methods: All participants received normal IVF treatment. The oocyte and embryo quality as well as pregnancy outcome data were collected and analyzed. Main outcome measure: Oocytes and embryo quality, clinical pregnancy outcomes. Results: The oocyte and embryo quality were comparable between the two groups, including the number of oocytes, 2PN zygotes, fertilization rate, cleavage embryos, day 3 good-quality embryos, blastocyst formation rate, and good-quality blastocysts. Nevertheless, the study group exhibited more degenerated oocytes (0.15±0.40 vs. 0.10±0.33, P=0.035). Further regression analysis indicated that prior COVID-19 infection is positively related to the number of degenerated oocytes (Adjusted β: 0.06, 95% confidential interval (CI): 0 -0.10, P=0.032). No significant differences were observed in clinical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, early miscarriage rate, ectopic pregnancy rate, and ongoing pregnancy rate. Similarly, we observed no difference in oocyte and embryo quality as well as pregnancy outcomes across various post-infection time intervals. Conclusions: Preceding COVID-19 could increase the number of degenerated oocytes. However, it does not affect subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Additionally, post-infection time interval plays no significant role in IVF outcomes.

A document by Alberto Acebes-de-Pablo. Click on the document to view its contents.

Contemporary population genomic studies typically involve mapping raw reads to a reference genome and analyzing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data obtained from variant calling. Despite the widespread use of the genotype caller GATK for variant calling, its design primarily for human data poses limitations in non-human species. Recently, ATLAS has emerged as a promising alternative caller, exhibiting superior performance with lower false positive and negative rates, significantly impacting phylogenomic inferences. However, the extent to which ATLAS versus GATK influences downstream population genomic analyses remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we conducted a population genomic study on five Pterocarya species using GATK and ATLAS, alongside two reference genomes, P. stenoptera and P. macroptera. Analyzing four datasets, we evaluated mapping depth, coverage rate, linkage disequilibrium (LD), nucleotide diversity (π), population structure, and demographic history. Notably, using P. stenoptera as the reference genome resulted in less depth and coverage rate variation across species compared to P. macroptera. ATLAS consistently identified more SNPs, higher nucleotide diversity, and lower LD for both reference genomes. Population structure results were more sensitive to the choice of reference genome than callers, while both reference genomes and callers significantly influenced population demography inference. Our study emphasizes the critical impact of genotype caller and reference genome selection on downstream analyses. Based on current evidence, selecting a closely related reference genome and employing ATLAS for SNP calling are recommended to enhance the accuracy and reliability of population genomic studies.

E3 ligases constitute an important component of proteostasis machinery which plays a critical role in the survival of malaria parasite through post-translational modifications of its protein-substrates. In contrast to humans, parasite E3 ligases have not been extensively studied. Here, we characterize a unique Plasmodium E3 ligase that has both RING and HECT-like features with zinc-coordinating domains. Plasmodium encodes a single RING-between-RING (RBR) E3 ligase that has evolutionarily diverged from human and other intracellular parasites. This RBR-E3 ligase is expressed throughout the erythrocytic phase of P. falciparum lifecycle. Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that Pf RBR-E3 ligase catalyzes K6, K11, K48 and K63 mediated polyubiquitination hinting towards its diverse biological roles (DNA repair, proteasomal degradation, mitochondrial quality control). We observed that Pf RBR-E3 ligase interacts with UBCH5 and UBC13 family of E2-conjugating enzymes. Through mutational analysis, we identified residues in RING1 and RING2 domains that are critical for ubiquitination activity and protein stability of Pf RBR-E3 ligase. Our experiments showed that Pf RBR-E3 ligase participates in maintenance of organellar homeostasis and exhibits differences in immunofluorescence profile upon exposure of parasite to different genotoxic (MMS) and proteotoxic (MG132, FCCP and artemisinin derivative) stress. Our study opens up avenues for exploring the client substrates of Pf RBR-E3 ligase and using this knowledge to design substrate-specific protein degradation based alternative intervention strategies for malaria.

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening disease. Relapsed/refractory disease is the main cause of death. This study is aimed to determine the prognostic indicators for relapsed/refractory disease in childhood HLH (R/R HLH). Procedure: Infants and children under 18 years of age who were diagnosed with HLH according to HLH-2004 criteria, MAS-HLH criteria for rheumatologic diseases, or H-score undergoing treatment in Chiang Mai University hospital between 2010 – 2022 were included. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, and laboratory parameters were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Out of 86 childhood HLH cases, 30 patients (34.9%) experienced R/R HLH. All patients with primary HLH developed R/R HLH. The most common form of secondary HLH was infection-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (IAHS), comprising 43 cases. Of these, 37.2% had relapsed or refractory disease. Univariable analysis identified several potential risk factors for R/R HLH, including younger age, severe disease status, higher HLH-2004 criteria scores, higher H-scores, overt DIC, higher pSOFA scores, and increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and direct bilirubin. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that a pSOFA score of ≥ 8 and age < 3 years were independent risk factors for R/R HLH, with adjusted odds ratios of 6.35 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18 – 34.19; p = 0.032) and 3.62 (95% CI, 1.04 – 12.63; p = 0.044), respectively. Conclusions: Children with HLH who have a pSOFA score of ≥ 8, or are younger than 3 years, are at a higher risk of relapsed or refractory disease. Further evaluation of management strategies in this context is warranted.

Germline genetic testing can aid in difficult diagnostic workups but may reveal variants of unknown significance (VUS), which do not alter patient management or provide definitive diagnoses and may worsen stress on patients and families. VUS are more prevalent in underrepresented populations given their absence in large scale genomic studies. We describe seven pediatric hematology/oncology patients seen in the highly diverse Bronx County in New York City in which VUS or novel pathogenic variant identification influenced clinical management and outcomes. These cases highlight the importance of incorporating underrepresented populations into genomic databases to improve variant characterization and address healthcare disparities.

This paper presents an innovative method for enhance the comprehensibility of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), making it accessible to individuals without specialized clinical knowledge. Our approach entails predicting medical professionals’ impressions, identifying intricate medical terminol- ogy, and clarifying these complex terms. To achieve this, we fine-tuned GPT-3 for predicting doctors’ impressions and integrated the Chain Of Thought (COT) prompting technique to identify and elucidate intricate medical terms. The assessment was conducted using Rouge scores and cosine similarity scores. The outcomes reveal that our proposed approach yields a cosine similarity score surpassing 75, indicative of the model’s exceptional performance. The comparative analysis demonstrates the superiority of our approach concerning doctors’ impressions, detection of complex terminology, and provision of explanations. Furthermore, this work is pioneering in addressing and resolving intricate terminology in EHRs, marking a novel contribution to the field.

In this paper, based on thin film integrated passive device (TF-IPD) technology, compact ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter (BPF) and dual-band bandpass filter (DBBPF) with equal inductance configuration are proposed. The configuration of equal inductance in a circuit contributes to reducing variables, simplifying the physical structure, and shortening the debugging time in the TF-IPD design process. Despite all the inductors being equal in value, wide passband can still be achieved. The measured results show that the center frequency of UBW BPF is 11.43 GHz, the 3-dB fractional bandwidth (FBW) is 133% (3.87 GHz-18.99 GHz). And the 3-dB FBWs of DBBPF centered at 6.5 GHz and 16.2 GHz are 92% (3.51-9.49 GHz) and 35% (13.33-18.98 GHz), respectively. The stopband of UBW BPF and DBBPF can be extended to 47.7 GHz and 44.8 GHz in sizes of 321 um × 856 um and 235 um × 846 um, respectively (excluding measuring pads).

Introduction:Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary artery disease (MINOCA) is a group of conditions that share common characteristics and is characterized by the absence of ≥50% stenosis of coronary arteries and without any evidence of atherosclerotic plaque rupture [1]. A study conducted by Waller et al. reported that 4% to 7% of all patients diagnosed with AMI, do not have underlying atherosclerotic coronary disease on autopsy or angiography [2].Coronary artery embolism is a rare and important non-atherosclerotic cause of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and the first case of AMI secondary to coronary embolism was reported in 1856 by Rudolf Virchow and was classified initially as a precipitating factor for type-II MI, now recognized as one of the cause of MINOCA [3]. Coronary embolism (CE) is more frequently reported in infective endocarditis patients and it mainly involves the left main coronary artery system due to flow characteristics and aortic morphology [4, 5]. CE may also originate from mural thrombus within the left-sided cardiac chambers, but it has rarely been reported in the literature [6]. Most cases of coronary embolism in the literature have been reported secondary to infective endocarditis, valvular heart diseases, and atrial fibrillation [7-9]. Here, we are reporting a case of a 74-year-old female, who had a chronic history of atrial fibrillation on anticoagulation with questionable compliance and was admitted with sepsis and takotasubo cardiomyopathy and later developed AMI secondary to coronary embolism to the left anterior descending artery.