LDHA activation induces tumor by activating tumor proliferation, growth, invasion, and metastasis. Whether LDHA mediated tumor metabolism that upon DLBCL occur remains unknown. Here, we investigated how LDHA adopt tumor metabolism after activation to regulate DLBCL-inducible. Here, we investigated LDHA is highly expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) of DLBCL patients. Knockdown of LDHA results in an increase in the apoptosis of cells, suppression of cell growth and migration in LY1 cells. We show that LDHA gains a canonical enzyme activity to produce lactate and triggers NAD+ in DLBCL cells. Furthermore, p-STAT5 was identified as a downstream target of LDHA, and p-STAT5 protein level was significantly reduced related to decreased LDHA protein expression. Collectively, our findings identify the oncogenic role of LDHA in DLBCL and suggest that LDHA can be considered as a pivotal prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target.

Most birds are characterized by a seasonal phenology closely adapted to local climatic conditions, even in tropical habitats where climatic seasonality is slight. In order to better understand the phenologies of resident tropical birds, and how phenology may differ among species at the same site, we used ~70,000 hours of audio recordings collected continuously for two years at four recording stations in Singapore and nine custom-made machine learning classifiers to determine the vocal phenology of a panel of nine resident bird species. We detected distinct seasonality in vocal activity in some species but not others. Native forest species sang seasonally. In contrast, species which have only had breeding populations in Singapore for the last few decades exhibited seemingly aseasonal or unpredictable song activity throughout the year. Urbanization and habitat modification over the last 200 years have altered the composition of species in Singapore, which appears to have influenced phenological dynamics in the avian community. It is unclear what is driving the differences in phenology between these two groups of species, but it may be due to either differences in seasonal availability of preferred foods, or newly established populations may require decades to adjust to the local phenology. Our results highlight the ways that anthropogenic habitat modification may disrupt phenological cycles in tropical regions in addition to altering the species community.

A Case of Transanal protrusion of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in an Adult Patient Who Underwent Surgery After Multiple TraumaKimia Mirjalali1, Sarah Seyedyousefi1*Department of Surgery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IranPrevious Presentation: This material was not presented before.Previous Publication: This article was not posted before.ORCID IDs:Kimia Mirjalali: 0009-0004-6802-1681Sarah Seyedyousefi: 0000-0003-1475-9344

Cutaneous leukocytoclastic angiitis (CLA) is a condition of clinical interest, with previous studies suggesting an association with herpes virus infections. This study aimed to investigate the causal association relationship between the virus and CLA. Genetic variants linked to the virus were retrieved from the IEU open GWAS project and FinnGen database. Data on CLA were sourced from the FinnGen consortium R7. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, including the IVW, MR‐Egger, and weighted median methods, was conducted. Sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure result accuracy. Among the six viruses investigated, only human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) demonstrated a causal association with CLA(odds ratio (OR) = 1.886, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.053–3.378, p = 0.033), indicating that HHV-6 infection significantly elevates the risk of CLA. Furthermore, both IVW and MR-Egger tests for heterogeneity confirmed homogeneous MR analysis results without evidence of horizontal pleiotropy (p>0.05). No significant causal relationship was observed for other viruses, such as herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Our MR analyses provide strong support for a causal relationship between HHV-6 and CLA, shedding light on the etiology of this condition and highlighting the potential therapeutic implications of targeting HHV-6 in CLA treatment.

A document by Ijeoma Orabueze. Click on the document to view its contents.

Welcome to this Special Issue of Wiley’s Healthcare Technology Letters (HTL) journal dedicated to the 2023 edition of the Augmented Environments for Computer-Assisted Interventions (AE-CAI), Computer Assisted and Robotic Endoscopy (CARE), and Context-aware Operating Theatres (OR 2.0) joint workshop. We are pleased to present the proceedings of this exciting scientific gathering held in conjunction with the Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Interventions (MICCAI) conference on October 8th, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We hope that you will enjoy reading this Special Issue and we look forward to your continuing support and participation in future editions of the AE-CAI, CARE and OR 2.0 workshops. Their continued success demands our ongoing commitment and support, and we hope to welcome you all to the next edition of the workshop at MICCAI 2024 in Marrakesh, Marocco.

We present here MADaM (Multiplexed Amplicon Data Miner), an original algorithm designed to de-novo genotyping of small sequencing reads that do not require assembly step. It performs a classification of the reads based on an original set of features using t-SNE’s and clustering with the DBSCAN algorithm. The algorithm is applied to three different approaches and datasets showing that this software is fully suitable for fastly genotyping highly variable regions such as MHC-HLA exons 2 without any priors such as SNP positions or already known alleles.

An online updated data-driven linear power flow (LPF) model based on regression learning is proposed in this paper. We obtain a quadratic power flow model through regression learning first, and then derive the normal and incremental forms of LPF models by Taylor expansion. The parameters of LPF model are updated online, which improves the generalization ability. After only one initial regression learning, the proposed data-driven LPF model avoids model retraining when updated. The new parameter of the proposed model is simply calculated according to the real-time measurement data. Therefore, the LPF model we proposed is accurate, generalizable, and greatly minimizes the data consumption and running time. Performance analysis verifies the superiority of the proposed method.

INTRODUCTIONRhabdomyolysis (RML) is a condition characterized by the acute or subacute necrosis and breakdown of muscle tissue, resulting in the destruction of skeletal muscle cell membranes and the release of cellular contents into the bloodstream[1] . The typical clinical manifestations include myalgia (observed in 23% of patients), muscle weakness (observed in 12% of patients), and dark urine (observed in 10% of patients). However, the majority of patients present with atypical clinical symptoms and solely exhibit myalgia, which may result in a missed diagnosis[2] . The causes of RML are diverse, including trauma, substance abuse, metabolic disorders, alcohol and infection. Especially in critically ill patients, the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis is insidious and fatal.Acute hepatic failure is severe liver damage caused by multiple factors, resulting in severe dysfunction or decompensation of synthetic, detoxifying, metabolic and biotransforming functions. Here we report the therapeutic process of a young male patient with acute traumatic hepatic failure who suffered from RML and leading to severe compartment syndrome during hospitalization.CASE PRESENTATION A 20-year-old young male patient experienced abdominal pain and distension due to the impact of the robotic arm. Abdominal CT confirmed that the patient suffered from acute liver rupture and had massive hemoperitoneum. We promptly conducted an exploratory laparotomy on the patient, during which we removed the damaged liver and performed meticulous hemostasis. The patient continued to exhibit postoperative confusion and intermittent lethargy. However, there was a progressive deterioration in the patient’s liver function. We actively provide symptomatic supportive treatment, while also using artificial liver support therapy. On the 6th day of hospitalization, the patient suffered from acute hemorrhagic shock again, with a heart rate of 160-170bpm, blood pressure of 80/40 mmHg, hemoglobin of 50.00 g/L, and urine output reduced to 30ml/h. The patient underwent another exploratory laparotomy and partial hepatectomy, but remained in critical condition with postoperative liver failure. On the 11th day of hospitalization, the patient underwent orthotopic liver transplantation. After surgery, he received hormonal sequential anti-rejection therapy and immunosuppressive therapy, and the patient’s liver function gradually restored.After undergoing liver transplantation, the patient developed acute kidney injury, with obvious pitting edema in both lower limbs and anuria. We performed blood purification and closely monitored changes in renal function and urine output. Intermittent plasma exchange was performed to eliminate macromolecular substances and protected renal function. The patient’s bilateral lower limb edema symptoms relieved after treatment. On the 4th day after liver transplantation surgery, the patient complained of limited dorsiflexion of both ankle joints. Further physical examination revealed that the patient’s bilateral hip and knee flexion strength was grade 2, and the ankle dorsal extensor strength was grade 1. Ultrasound examination showed normal blood perfusion in the lower limbs, while decreased sensation in both lower limbs. On the 10th day after surgery, the patient experienced severe pain in both lower legs, accompanied by squeezing pain. The pressure of the intermuscular compartment of both lower legs increased significantly (Figure 1A). The ultrasonic manifestations of lower limbs musculature were thickening, reduction of ultrasonic echo intensity and blurred muscle texture (Figure 1B). And the blood perfusion in the lower limbs is normal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lower back and lower limbs showed muscular edema and peri-muscular effusion (Figure 1C & D).

Key Clinical MessageA shrined soft glans syndrome is expected in patients with penile implantation. We sought to remind surgeons how to prevent soft glans penis. Although avoiding prosthesis extrusion was recommended earlier, inadvertent ignorance is persistent, so the appropriate cylinder position and novel enhancement of the glans penis were reiterated. 

Purpose:  This case report discusses the safe delivery of total body irradiation (TBI) to a patient with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). This treatment required radiation-dose determinations and consequential reductions for the heart, LVAD, and an external controller connected to the LVAD.Methods:  The patient was treated using a traditional 16MV anterior posterior (AP)/posterior anterior (PA) technique at a source to surface distance (SSD) of 515cm for 400cGy in two fractions. A 3cm thick Cerrobend block was placed on the spoiler to reduce dose to the heart and LVAD to 150cGy. The external controller was placed in a 1cm thick plastic box to reduce neutron dose and positioned as far away as possible, just outside the treatment fields. In vivo measurements were made using optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) placed inside the box at distances of 2cm, 8.5cm, and 14cm from the field edge, and on the patient along the central axis and centered behind the LVAD block. Further ion chamber measurements were made using a solid water phantom to more accurately estimate the dose delivered to the LVAD.Results:  The total estimated dose to the controller ranged from 135.3cGy to 91.5cGy. The LVAD block reduced the surface dose to the patient to 271.6cGy (68.1%). The block transmission factors of the 3cm Cerrobend block measured in the phantom were 45% at 1cm depth and decreased asymptotically to around 30% at 3cm depth. Applying these transmission factors to the in vivo measurements yielded a dose of 120cGy to the implanted device.Conclusion: Physical limitations of the controller made it impossible to completely avoid dose. Shielding is recommended. The block had limited dose reduction to the surface, due to secondary particles, but appropriately reduced the dose at 3cm and beyond. More research on LVADs dose limits is required.IntroductionThere is no cure for end stage heart failure. Currently, the only viable long-term treatment is a heart transplant. Among the absolute contraindications for a heart transplant is the presence or history of cancer (most types) within the previous 5 years due to concerns about active disease. An further complicating issue is the known cardiotoxicities of cancer therapies, including radiation, chemotherapy, and immunobiologics, all exacerbated by pre-existing cardiac morbidities1,2. Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) help to improve survival rates in cases of heart failure and can be used as a bridge to transplant candidacy and ultimately receiving a transplant. An LVAD is an implanted mechanical pump which is directly attached to the left ventricle of the heart. The pump continuously pushes blood out of the ventricle to the aorta and the rest of the body. The LVAD consists of the mechanical pump as well as an external controller attached by a short driveline cable, 100cm in total length. Generally, the pump is powered by batteries located externally to the patient. The device can also be directly plugged into an electric outlet, if needed. As LVAD technology improves, more patients are having them implanted and survival rates with them are increasing. This leads to a growing number of patients concomitantly afflicted with cancer. To bridge patients to transplant candidacy, radiation is frequently used as part of the multidisciplinary approach to treatment.Radiation is well known to damage electronics. While the effect of radiation on other cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIED), including pacemakers and defibrillators, has been well studied, there remains limited data on radiation to LVAD3-7. Much of the existing radiation data is in the form of in-vitro studies and case reports8-15. None of these studies considered the radiation sensitivity of the LVAD external controller. Here, we report the first case of dose delivered to the controller and the first reported case of total body irradiation (TBI) to a patient with an LVAD.The nature of TBI treatments makes this an especially challenging case. The goal of the TBI is to eliminate the leukemia cells within the bone marrow, as well as suppress the immune system in order to decrease the potential for transplanted hematopoietic stem cell rejection. Traditional TBI techniques use opposing fields, AP/PA or laterals, to deliver a therapeutic dose. This does not allow for the same level of precise dose delivery as more advanced treatment techniques for localized cancers. This creates a tradeoff between limiting dose to the LVAD while ensuring sufficient dose to the surrounding bone marrow. In addition, these TBI treatments utilize large open radiation fields with sufficient flash to cover the entire patient. This is quite different from the majority of case reports in localized radiotherapy where the LVAD controller is usually far away from the radiation field. Even outside of the direct radiation field, there is out-of-field dose to consider from scatter dose and linear accelerator leakage. As a result, the external controller cannot be completely removed from all radiation. This report details the treatment approach used to manage this complex patient.Furthermore, accurately assessing the dose delivered to the LVAD during a TBI poses unique challenges. In-scatter, back-scatter, and electron contamination all contribute to uncertainty in dose calculations16,17.  In addition, there is a lack of information on out-of-field doses in treatments with extended SSDs such as TBI treatments18. Therefore, direct measurements are necessary to estimate dose to the LVAD and the external controller.Methods and MaterialsPatient BackgroundThe patient in this case study is a 36-year-old male, with a history of acute myeloblastic leukemia. Chemotherapy is believed to have caused cardiomyopathy leading to cardiogenic shock with an ejection fraction of 18% and the subsequent need for a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). To bridge the gap to transplant candidacy, the patient was implanted with an Abbot HeartMate 3 LVAD approximately 5 months prior to radiation treatment19,20.TBI SimulationThe patient was simulated and treated using a traditional 16 MV anterior posterior (AP)/posterior anterior (PA) technique. High energy x-rays (>10MV) produce less dose variation form the central axis17. However, known neutron contamination in high energy x-rays is detrimental to electronics21,22.  At the time of treatment, alternative TBI treatments using 6MV were not commissioned in our clinic. As such, the patient was classified as high-risk and associated recommendations made in the report of AAPM Task Group 203 were followed, including having members of the cardiology team present for every treatment4.During simulation, the patient laid on their left side facing the treatment machine. A 2.54cm thick acrylic beam spoiler was placed in front of the patient near the skin surface to increase the surface dose in the build-up region at a source-to-surface distance of 500 cm, simulating the AP treatment. The patient was then positioned such that the distance from the spoiler to their umbilicus was 15cm. Measurements of the patient’s thickness were acquired at the umbilicus, head, neck, shoulder, mediastinum, hip, mid-thigh, knee, and ankle. The midline separation was measured to be 26cm. Off-axis distances and the spoiler-to-patient separation were also measured for each anatomical landmark. Planar imaging was done with 16MV beams and film in this position to ascertain the position of the heart and LVAD within the patient. This entire process was repeated with the patient on their right side facing away from the machine to simulate the PA treatment. The PA simulation setup of the patient is shown in Figure 1AThe patient was prescribed 400cGy to the midline in two 200cGy daily fractions, with the AP and PA fields equally weighted.After careful discussion about the patient’s safety, the area encompassing the LVAD and heart was prescribed a reduced total dose of 150cGy (37.5% prescription), which was the minimum that would be achievable due to scatter dose from behind the Cerrobend block. The size and shape of the Cerrobend was determined by the physician based on the planar imaging acquired during simulation. An in-house TBI calculator was used to calculate the necessary thickness of lead compensators to optimize dose homogeneity at each anatomical site measured and the required thickness of Cerrobend to block the heart and LVAD (LVAD block). From this, the LVAD block was calculated to be 3 cm thick. Lead compensators were fabricated out of 1.69mm thick lead sheets to be attached to the gantry mount.TreatmentBoth treatment fields were 40x12cm2 with the collimator set to 90 degrees. The LVAD was switched from battery power to external power to minimize the chance of power disruption during the treatment. As shown in Figure 1B, the external controller for the LVAD was placed inside a 1cm thick plastic box to reduce neutron dose and positioned outside the treatment field above the patient such that the field edge was approximately coincident with bottom of the box. The controller could not be moved any further out of the field due to the finite length of the driveline cable connecting it to the rest of the LVAD. High-Z shielding was not used due to the concern of creating secondary particles. The appropriate LVAD block was placed on the beam spoiler for each treatment field. Figure 1B shows the placement of the AP block. Planar film imaging was used to confirm the position of the block. If necessary, the position of the block was adjusted, and imaging was repeated. For the first fraction, in vivo measurements were obtained by placing two Landauer nanoDot optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) on the patient for each treatment field to measure the entrance dose along the central axis and directly behind the LVAD block. In addition, OSLDs were placed on the inside the box with the controller at distances of 2cm, 8.5cm, and 14cm from the field edge, as shown in Figure 1C. In the figure, the OSLDs are placed on the outside of the box for ease of visualization. The OSLDs were not placed directly on the controller to minimize the handling of the controller and to help expedite the treatment process. Before, during, and after each treatment, the LVAD was interrogated by the cardiology team to monitor the operational parameters of the LVAD. Before, during, and after each treatment, the LVAD was interrogated by the cardiology team to monitor the operational parameters of the LVAD.Dose EstimationIn addition to the in vivo measurements taken during treatment, a series of phantom-based measurements were acquired to estimate the dose more accurately to the LVAD at depth. First, ion chamber measurements in solid water were made to estimate the depth dose behind the LVAD block. An Exradin A12 ion chamber (Standard Imaging, Middleton, WI), with a radius of 0.61 was used for all measurements. The overall size of the solid water phantom was kept constant at 30x30cm2 and a 24cm thickness. The thickness of the phantom was chosen to match the patient thickness, while the height and width were limited by the size of the solid water available. However, the size was deemed sufficiently large to account for scatter. The phantom was placed 15cm from the spoiler, centered behind the LVAD block location. To acquire a depth dose curve, ion chamber measurements were taken at depths of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, and 15cm. The effective point of measurement for each of these points was shifted upstream by 0.6 multiplied by the chamber radius upstream, as recommended for cylindrical ion chamber dosimetry23,24. These measurements were first taken with the LVAD block placed on the spoiler identical to the treatment setup and the process was repeated with no LVAD block in place. The ratios of these two measurements determined a depth-dependent transmission factor of the LVAD block. To estimate the transmission factor at the surface, an OSLD was placed on the surface of the phantom to measure the dose with and without the LVAD block present. The final dose estimate to the LVAD motor was based on CT imaging taken subsequently to the TBI treatment. This imaging was used to ascertain the depth of the LVAD motor from the AP and PA directions. From this, the dose to the motor was estimated.ResultsThe imaging from the AP and PA simulation and treatment of the patient’s chest can be seen in Figure 2. The treatment images include the LVAD blocks. Daily interrogation of the LVAD showed no transient effects during or immediately after radiation. A 15-month follow up reported no ill adverse effects from his TBI conditioning regimen from a cardiac perspective. In fact, the ejection fraction had recovered to 65%, and LVAD team is considering removal and disconnection of LVAD. It appears the risk of damage or injury to the LVAD device, and heart from the neutron contamination or radiation exposure were well reduced. As shown in Table 1, the in vivo OSLD measurements showed good agreement between the expected dose of 100cGy and measured dose to the central axis. The AP and PA doses were 103.45 and 102.20cGy, respectively. The OSLDs behind the LVAD block measured 66.49 and 73.61cGy for the same treatment fields. This equates to an average surface dose of 70.05cGy behind the block and a relative transmission factor of 68.1%.Figure 3 shows the amount of radiation to the controller box and the percentage of the prescribed dose to the central axis, excluding imaging dose. In this region, the out-of-field dose dropped perfectly linearly (R2 = 1.000), ranging from 33.83% (135.30cGy) to 22.87% (91.46cGy) at 2cm and 14.5cm, respectively. Extrapolating the results, the dose at the field edge is estimated to be 35.6% of the prescription (142.5cGy). The dose decreased away from the field edge at 0.91% (3.65cGy) per centimeter. Based on the location of the controller, average dose to the controller is estimated to be 27.5% (110cGy) for the course of the entire treatment.The result of the transmission factor measurements can be seen in Figure 4. The OSLD based transmission factor at the surface is 67.9%. This agrees very well with the in vivo measurements taken. Below the surface, the relative transmission drops until leveling out around 30% at a depth around three centimeters. Starting at a depth of eight centimeters, the dose ratio slowly increased, reaching 31% at a depth of 15cm. The higher values in the region upstream of 3cm can be attributed to a couple factors: in-scatter from the beam spoiler and secondary particles from the LVAD block. The slight increase at the distal edge of the measurements is likely a result of backscatter from the wall beyond the phantom setup and in-scatter from other surfaces in the treatment room. Beam hardening beyond the block may also have contributed to this increase.The chest CT of the treated patient was used to localize the LVAD motor within the patient. Based on this imaging, the motor, including the housing, was estimated to have a width of 5.7 cm. From the AP direction the motor had a depth ranging from 6.3 to 12.0 cm. From the PA direction, the depth was 7.1 to 12.8 cm. These values fall within the flat region of Figure 4, where the LVAD block transmission was measured around 30%. Based on the estimated total of 200cGy delivered by each field, the final estimated dose to the LVAD motor is 120cGy. However, this estimate has some caveats, was noted in the Discussion section.DiscussionBased on the measurements acquired, much of the LVAD pump within the patient is estimated to have received around 120cGy. However, a couple factors complicate this estimate. The high-Z titanium shell of the LVAD pump causes attenuation and backscatter. The amount of dose penetrating the titanium to the distal end of the pump itself is likely less than the estimated 30%. However, the dose deposition to the proximal region would have been slightly elevated. These elements would slightly offset, the extent of which is challenging to determine.Multiple case studies have reported on patients with LVADs receiving external beam radiation6-15. All these studies looked at directed radiation, with none involving a patient receiving TBI or LVAD controller dose. These studies looked at multiple generations of devices as new models are commonly being released19,24. The case studies suggest a dose tolerance of as much as 7500 cGy11. However, one case study identified a patient who received stereotactic body radiation therapy to the lung who later had very significant ventricular tachycardia burden following treatment which was not accurately recorded by their device12. This failure may be a result of radiation damage. Data around other implanted cardiac devices, defibrillators and pacemakers, has shown a large degree of variability in dose sensitivity in these devices26. This is likely the case with LVADs, as well.Most of the studies on LVAD radiation sensitivity have been limited to treatments using low energy photons (<10 MV). X-ray treatments produce neutrons above when photon energies exceed 10 MV, which is associated with malfunctions of contemporary implantable cardiac devices23. It is reasonable to assume a similar correlation with LVADs. Gossman et al found that LVADs (n = 2) did not have any changes in pump operation during radiation with 18 MV X-rays dosed 64-75 Gy14. More studies are required to fully determine the effect of neutrons on these devices.We can be optimistic for this patient’s future, although the cardiovascular disease in stem cell transplant survivors remains a concern27.ConclusionThis case documents the total body irradiation administered to a patient with a HeartMate 3 LVAD and concomitant cancer. Despite direct radiation to the patient’s LVAD motor and scatter radiation to the controller, no inappropriate device function was found during device interrogations performed throughout treatment or within 6 months following treatment. The current literature on the effects of radiation on LVADs is limited. As an increasing number of cardiac device-dependent patients will need cancer treatment, it is imperative to understand the best treatment approaches that can be safely offered to this unique population. Further research to address the safety of radiation therapy in patients with LVADs devices is needed.

The paper deals with the security control stabilization problem of uncertain Markov jump power systems with input dead zone under stochastic denial-of-service (DoS) attack. DoS attack is modeled as a discrete-time Markov process. Dual hidden Markov models are respectively used to detect the modes of the original power systems and the one under DoS attack. Based on the detected modes and neural networks (NNs), adaptive NN-based security asynchronous control strategies are proposed, where both state feedback and output feedback are studied simultaneously. With the developed control laws, all trajectories of the closed-loop systems are bounded stable in the stochastic setting. Simulation results demonstrate the correctness and usefulness of the proposed techniques.

We have custom-engineered dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) by eliminating spacers and holes, fabricating hole-free spacer-free (HF-SF) DSCs with 96% active area to total area ratio. These newly engineered HF-SF dye cells provide better scalability, lower cost, and improved aesthetics with enhanced device performance delivering more than 30% efficiency under indoor/ambient illumination. Two serially interconnected HF-SF DSCs fabricated using D35:XY1b co-sensitized organic dyes and [Cu (I/II)(dmp) 2] electrolyte were able to autonomously power an indoor temperature and humidity monitoring unit free of batteries at realistic indoor illumination intensities below 200 lux.

Climate change is implicated as a leading cause of insect declines. One way that insects respond to the warming climate is by advancing phenology and increasing voltinism (adding generations). However, if earlier phenology changes cue-response relationships, then late season generations might lack time or resources to complete development before winter and insects attempt doomed “lost generations”. Using 27 years of monitoring of 30 butterfly species, we find the opposite, as added generations increase population growth rates of multivoltine butterflies. We find lost generations are rare and occur at cooler sites in years with cold winters or early frosts. Overall, long-term population trends are positively correlated with increasing voltinism over time, suggesting additional generations as one mechanism by which species adapt to the changing climate. Long-term monitoring programs can test mechanistic hypotheses about biotic responses to warming while simultaneously tracking if population consequences match the predicted outcomes.

Pollinator diversity is critical for optimal ecosystem service and function. While bees are frequently the most efficient pollinators, they represent only a small fraction of pollinator diversity. Non-bee pollinators have received little recognition for their role in commercial agricultural pollination despite representing 95% of flower visitor diversity. Many non-bee pollinators are more resilient to land-use intensification and climate change due to their nomadic life-history and tolerance of inclement weather. Our research characterizes non-bee pollinator communities, their foraging preferences, and floral fidelity in strawberry crops. We caught 608 non-bee flower visitors, across three field sites, during three months of the flowering period (May–August) of day-neutral strawberries in southern Ontario. DNA metabarcoding provided species-level identifications of the non-bee flower visiting community. Diptera (64%) and Hymenoptera (22%) (primarily bee species) were the most abundant flower visitors; Coleoptera and Hemiptera were also collected from flowers. Metabarcoding of pollen identified pollen from 110 genera representing 48 different families. Species with a high floral fidelity (flower constancy) for visiting strawberries were likely to be more effective pollinators (vectors of conspecific pollen between reproductively receptive strawberry plants). Additionally, small amounts of pollen from other plant genera suggested that insects are active and mobile, rather than staying stationary on a single flower.

The ongoing expansion of wolf (Canis lupus) populations has led to a growing demand for up-to-date abundance estimates. Non-invasive genetic sampling (NGS) is now widely used to monitor wolves, as it allows individual identification and abundance estimation without physically capturing individuals. However, NGS is resource-intensive, partly because of the wolf elusive behaviour and wide distribution, but also because of the cost of DNA analyses. Optimization of sampling strategies is therefore a requirement for the long-term sustainability of wolf monitoring programs. Using data from the 2020-2021 Italian Alpine wolf monitoring, we investigate how (i) reducing the number of samples genotyped, (ii) reducing the number of transects, and (iii) reducing the number of repetitions of each search transect, impacted spatial capture-recapture population size estimates. Our study revealed that a 25% reduction in the number of transects or, alternatively, a 50% reduction in the maximum number of repetitions yielded abundance estimates comparable to those obtained using the entire dataset. These modifications would result in a 2,046 km reduction in total transect length and 19,628 km reduction in total distance searched. Further reducing the number of transects resulted in up to 15% lower and up to 17% less precise abundance estimates. Reducing only the number of genotyped samples led to higher (5%) and less precise (20%) abundance estimates. Randomly subsampling genotyped samples reduced the number of detections per individual, whereas subsampling search transects resulted in a less pronounced decrease in both the total number of detections and individuals detected. Our work shows how it is possible to optimise wolf monitoring by reducing search effort while maintaining the quality of abundance estimates, by adopting a modelling framework that uses a first survey dataset. We further provide general guidelines on how to optimise sampling effort when using spatial capture-recapture in large-scale monitoring programmes.

A document by Viet Hoang. Click on the document to view its contents.

Delving into the intricate complexities of naming and categorizing the visual evocation of abstract concepts, this paper brings to light the limitations of relying on binary thinking to tackle these inherently intricate “wicked problems.” As computer vision applications rapidly expand, the pressing challenge of accurately labeling these abstract concepts in visual media comes into focus, necessitating a close examination of the interplay between visual data, nuanced cultural meanings, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). This work discusses the role these concepts play in automatic visual indexing, as well as the ways in which they expose how binary frameworks curtail technical performance and perpetuate power dynamics. To address this, the paper draws upon insights from recent cognitive neuroscience research and advocates for a more comprehensive, queer, and situated understanding of these concepts. This approach highlights the significance of humanistic and ethical perspectives in shaping the trajectory of AI development.

Human fibroblast growth factor 7 (hFGF7) is a member of the paracrine-acting FGF family and mediates various reactions such as wound healing, tissue homeostasis, and liver regeneration. These activities make it a plausible candidate for pharmaceutical applications as a drug. However, the low expression level and stability of the recombinant hFGF7 were known to be major hurdles for further applications. Here, we attempted to improve the expression level and stability of hFGF7 by changing the order of amino acids through circular permutation (CP), thereby expecting an alternative fate according to N-end rules. CP-hFGF7 variants were constructed systematically by using putative amino acid residues in the loop region that avoided the disruption of the structural integrity especially in the functional motif. Among them, cp-hFGF7115-114 revealed a relatively higher expression level in the soluble fraction than the wild-type hFGF7 and was efficiently purified to apparent homogeneity by three consecutive steps. Approximately, 7 mg of the purified protein was obtained from a 1 L culture and showed a comparable activity to that of the wild type hFGF7. In addition, the spectral properties related to the apparent structure of cp-hFGF7115-114 were quite similar to those of the wild type hFGF7. Therefore, CP could be an alternative tool for the functional expression of hFGF7 in Escherichia coli.

An improved model predictive control (MPC) with Luenberger state observer is proposed in this article for LC-coupling hybrid active power filter (LC-HAPF). Generally, the implementation of MPC for LC-HAPF requires additional sensors for measuring coupling capacitor voltage, which increases the system cost and reduces reliability. To relax these problems, both continuous and discrete models are deduced first. Then, the Luenberger observer is utilized based on the discrete model to mitigate the steady-state error without additional sensors. In addition, the delay compensation is given for the digital control delay. Finally, the effectiveness of the improved MPC for LC-HAPF is verified by experiment results, indicating that the proposed method has fast dynamic response and low steady-state error.

The world’s diverse and complex climates pose significant challenges in ecological and evolutionary studies, frequently resulting in climatic characterizations that overlook the significance of transitional climates. This study examines the nature and distribution of the transitions between climatic regions worldwide and evaluates their impact for inferring the past and present climatic preferences of the Asian Palmates, a highly diverse and climatically complex lineage of Araliaceae. We find consistent geographic patterns of transitions worldwide and extraordinarily heterogeneous climates in the transitions between the temperate and tropical climates in Eurasia. Notably, many current genera of the Asian Palmates and their early ancestors have strong affinities for transitional zones, suggesting an initial diversification under such climates. Such results emphasize the significance of transitional climates in understanding niche diversity and evolutionary patterns and calls for a (re)evaluation of the role of transitional areas in promoting biodiversity across the Tree of Life.

We present notable distributional updates for 13 species from western Ecuador (six amphibians amphand seven reptiles). Our findings include the northernmost confirmed sighting of of Pristimantis kuri (Yánez-Muñoz et al. 2016) and the southernmost documented appearance of Imantodes inornatus (Boulenger 1896) and and Lepidoblepharis buchwaldi (Werner 1910). Additionally, we document new records and notes of distribution range of of Agalychnis spurrelli (Boulenger 1913), 1913), Hyloscirtus alytolylax (Duellman 1972), 1972), Engystomops montubio (Ron et al. 2004), 2004), Pristimantis nyctophylax (Lynch 1976), 1976), Pristimantis walkeri (Lynch 1974), 1974), Chironius flavopictus (Werner 1909), 1909), Chironius grandisquamis (Peters 1869), 1869), Dendrophidion graciliverpa (Cadle 2012), 2012), Ninia atrata (Hallowell 1845), and and Urotheca fulviceps (Cope 1886). These observations significantly contribute to filling information gaps in our understanding of these species’ distributions. The data, derived from samples collected across diverse forested areas in the western region of Ecuador (provinces of Cañar, Guayas, El Oro, and Los Rios), provide valuable insights into the ecology and conservation of these species.

In this letter, we focus on the problem of direct position determination (DPD) for moving targets. Compared with the traditional two-step localization methods, the DPD methods is more robust at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, to guarantee the optimal location results the computational complexity of DPD with grid search is too high, especially for moving targets. Therefore, we propose a new DPD method for moving targets with low computational complexity. First, using a proposed cost function, we obtain the position information from the received array signals directly. Second, we use the method of successional difference which averages the difference result of position over time to extract the velocity. It avoids the multi-dimensional parameters grid search and reduces the the computational complexity greatly. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms other methods in a wide range of scenarios, especially at low SNR.

”Waldmann’s Disease: Primary Intestinal Lymphangiectasia Diagnosed by 99mTc-labeled Albumin Macroaggregate Scintigraphy - A Case Report in an Adult Patient.”Alex Castellón Méndez A1, Allan Bodán Campbell A1, Mohammed Zahran1, Victor Rosales Obregón2.Department of Internal Medicine, Manolo Morales Peralta Hospital, Managua, Nicaragua.Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nora Astorga National Radiotherapy Center, Managua, Nicaragua.