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Aims: It is unclear whether activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) or anti‐Xa is more accurate for monitoring heparin anticoagulation in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) patients. This study investigates the relationship between aPTT and anti‐Xa in MCS patients and identifies predictors of discordance. Methods and results: aPTT and anti‐Xa were simultaneously measured in a prospective cohort of MCS patients receiving unfractionated heparin at a tertiary academic medical centre. Therapeutic aPTT and anti‐Xa levels were 60–100 s and 0.3–0.7 IU/mL, respectively, and concordance was defined as both levels being subtherapeutic, therapeutic, or supratherapeutic. To identify predictors of discordance, both a machine learning random forest model and a multivariate regression model were applied to patient demographics, device type, and 14 laboratory variables; 23 001 pairs of simultaneously measured aPTT/anti‐Xa were collected from 699 MCS patients. aPTT and anti‐Xa were concordant in 35.5% of paired observations and discordant in 64.5% (aPTT > antiXa 61.5%; aPTT < antiXa 3.0%). Discordance with a high aPTT relative to anti‐Xa (aPTT > antiXa) was associated with high INR, eGFR, and total bilirubin, as well as low platelets, haemoglobin, pre‐albumin, white blood cell count, and haptoglobin. Total artificial heart and durable ventricular assist devices were more likely to be associated with aPTT > anti‐Xa than temporary MCS devices. Conclusions: aPTT and anti‐Xa were frequently discordant in MCS patients receiving heparin anticoagulation. Clinical conditions common in MCS patients such as concurrent warfarin use, malnutrition, haemolysis, and thrombocytopenia, as well as durable type of MCS devices were associated with a high aPTT relative to anti‐Xa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary cause of noise from vehicular traffic while travelling at speeds over 30 km/h is tyre/road interaction. To reduce this noise source, tyre/road sound emissions research has been carried out using different approaches. Most of this research has been centred around track tests, leading to the development of various track and road-based methods for evaluating tyre/road noise emissions. The CPX (Close-Proximity), along with the CPB (Controlled Pass-By), the CB (Coast-By) and the SPB (Statistical Pass-By), methods are the most common ones. Nevertheless, since Reg. (EC) 1222/2009 came into force, only the CB method, defined in Reg. (EC) 117/2007, can be used to obtain tyre/road noise emission type approval values in Europe. However, current track test methods have important limitations, such as the variability of the results depending on the test track or the test vehicle, the repeatability, the influence of environmental variables or, the main aspect, the limitation of the registered magnitude in these tests, which is the sound pressure level. The Alternative Drum test method (A-DR) was developed in 2015 in order to avoid these disadvantages. However, it involves a complex and time-consuming microphone array for each test. With the purpose of improving the A-DR test method, a new methodology based on drum tests, the ISO 11819-2 and the ISO 3744 standards, was developed. This paper describes the new Alternative CPX Drum test method (A-CPX-DR) and validates it by testing several tyres according to the CB, the A-DR and the A-CPX-DR test methods and comparing their results. This research has demonstrated that all three methods have equivalent sound spectra and obtain close equivalent sound pressure levels for type approval of tyres in the EU, while drum tests have shown greater accuracy. For both reasons, the new A-CPX-DR methodology could be used for tyre/road noise emission type approval in a more precise and cheaper way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have shown a strong association between high seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients showed higher levels of anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulins M and G (IgM and IgG) when compared to healthy controls. Previously, in a rat model, we demonstrated that the progeny of mothers immunized with T. gondii lysates before gestation had behavioral and social impairments during adulthood. Therefore, we suggested that T. gondii infection can trigger autoreactivity by molecularly mimicking host brain proteins. Here, we aimed to identify the occurrence of antigenic mimicry between T. gondii epitopes and host brain proteins. Using a bioinformatic approach, we predicted T. gondii RH-88 B cell epitopes and compared them to human cell-surface proteins involved in brain development and differentiation (BrainS). Five different algorithms for B-cell-epitope prediction were used and compared, resulting in 8584 T. gondii epitopes. We then compared T. gondii predicted epitopes to BrainS proteins by local sequence alignments using BLASTP. T. gondii immunogenic epitopes significantly overlapped with 42 BrainS proteins. Among these overlapping proteins essential for brain development and differentiation, we identified HSP90 and NOTCH receptors as the proteins most likely to be targeted by the maternally generated pathogenic antibodies due to their topological overlap at the extracellular region of their sequence. This analysis highlights the relevance of pregestational clinical surveillance and screening for potential pathogenic anti-T. gondii antibodies. It also identifies potential targets for the design of vaccines that could prevent behavioral and cognitive impairments associated with pre-gestational T. gondii exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune neurological disease characterized by the recurrent appearance of demyelinating lesions and progressive disability. Currently, there are multiple disease-modifying treatments, however, there is a significant need to develop new therapeutic targets, especially for the progressive forms of the disease. This review article provides an overview of the most recent studies aimed at understanding the inflammatory processes that are activated in response to the accumulation of kynurenine pathway (KP) metabolites, which exacerbate an imbalance between immune system cells (e.g., Th1, Th2, and T reg) and promote the release of pro-inflammatory interleukins that modulate different mechanisms: membrane-receptors function; nuclear factors expression; and cellular signals. Together, these alterations trigger cell death mechanisms in brain cells and promote neuron loss and axon demyelination. This hypothesis could represent a remarkable approach for disease-modifying therapies for MS. Here, we also provide a perspective on the repositioning of some already approved drugs involved in other signaling pathways, which could represent new therapeutic strategies for MS treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is good evidence that elevated amyloid-β (Aβ) positron emission tomography (PET) signal is associated with cognitive decline in clinically normal (CN) individuals. However, it is less well established whether there is an association between the Aβ burden and decline in daily living activities in this population. Moreover, Aβ-PET Centiloids (CL) thresholds that can optimally predict functional decline have not yet been established. Methods: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses over a mean three-year timeframe were performed on the European amyloid-PET imaging AMYPAD-PNHS dataset that phenotypes 1260 individuals, including 1032 CN individuals and 228 participants with questionable functional impairment. Amyloid-PET was assessed continuously on the Centiloid (CL) scale and using Aβ groups (CL < 12 = Aβ-, 12 ≤ CL ≤ 50 = Aβ-intermediate/Aβ± , CL > 50 = Aβ+). Functional abilities were longitudinally assessed using the Clinical Dementia Rating (Global-CDR, CDR-SOB) and the Amsterdam Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (A-IADL-Q). The Global-CDR was available for the 1260 participants at baseline, while baseline CDR-SOB and A-IADL-Q scores and longitudinal functional data were available for different subsamples that had similar characteristics to those of the entire sample. Results: Participants included 765 Aβ- (61%, Mdnage = 66.0, IQRage = 61.0–71.0; 59% women), 301 Aβ± (24%; Mdnage = 69.0, IQRage = 64.0–75.0; 53% women) and 194 Aβ+ individuals (15%, Mdnage = 73.0, IQRage = 68.0–78.0; 53% women). Cross-sectionally, CL values were associated with CDR outcomes. Longitudinally, baseline CL values predicted prospective changes in the CDR-SOB (bCL*Time = 0.001/CL/year, 95% CI [0.0005,0.0024], p =.003) and A-IADL-Q (bCL*Time = -0.010/CL/year, 95% CI [-0.016,-0.004], p =.002) scores in initially CN participants. Increased clinical progression (Global-CDR > 0) was mainly observed in Aβ+ CN individuals (HRAβ+ vs Aβ- = 2.55, 95% CI [1.16,5.60], p =.020). Optimal thresholds for predicting decline were found at 41 CL using the CDR-SOB (bAβ+ vs Aβ- = 0.137/year, 95% CI [0.069,0.206], p <.001) and 28 CL using the A-IADL-Q (bAβ+ vs Aβ- = -0.693/year, 95% CI [-1.179,-0.208], p =.005). Conclusions: Amyloid-PET quantification supports the identification of CN individuals at risk of functional decline. Trial registration: The AMYPAD PNHS is registered at www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu with the EudraCT Number: 2018-002277-22. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide-related media content has preventive or harmful effects depending on the specific content. Proactive media screening for suicide prevention is hampered by the scarcity of machine learning approaches to detect specific characteristics in news reports. This study applied machine learning to label large quantities of broadcast (TV and radio) media data according to media recommendations reporting suicide. We manually labeled 2519 English transcripts from 44 broadcast sources in Oregon and Washington, USA, published between April 2019 and March 2020. We conducted a content analysis of media reports regarding content characteristics. We trained a benchmark of machine learning models including a majority classifier, approaches based on word frequency (TF-IDF with a linear SVM) and a deep learning model (BERT). We applied these models to a selection of more simple (e.g., focus on a suicide death), and subsequently to putatively more complex tasks (e.g., determining the main focus of a text from 14 categories). Tf-idf with SVM and BERT were clearly better than the naive majority classifier for all characteristics. In a test dataset not used during model training, F1-scores (i.e., the harmonic mean of precision and recall) ranged from 0.90 for celebrity suicide down to 0.58 for the identification of the main focus of the media item. Model performance depended strongly on the number of training samples available, and much less on assumed difficulty of the classification task. This study demonstrates that machine learning models can achieve very satisfactory results for classifying suicide-related broadcast media content, including multi-class characteristics, as long as enough training samples are available. The developed models enable future large-scale screening and investigations of broadcast media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cancer disparities exist for Hispanic men with prostate cancer and their caregivers that could be reduced through exercise. Exercising Together© is a six-month, evidence-based dyadic resistance training program that promotes teamwork between prostate cancer survivors and their spouses to improve physical, mental, and relational health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to elicit feedback and recommendations from stakeholders on the Exercising Together© intervention to inform the cultural adaptation of this program for Hispanic men with prostate cancer. Methods: We conducted a virtual Community Engagement Studio (V-CES) with community expert stakeholders representing the Hispanic and cancer care communities in Southern Arizona. The V-CES process included orientation, presentation of the research, guided discussion, and evaluation. The V-CES was audio recorded, transcribed, and rapidly analyzed to identify actionable feedback and contextual adaptations. Results: Nine stakeholders (6/9 male; 5/9 Hispanic) completed all V-CES activities. Through stakeholder engagement and feedback from the V-CES, adaptations to the original Exercising Together© intervention included: (1) inclusion of the cancer survivor's identified caregiver, who may not be a spouse; (2) availability in English and Spanish; (3) shortening the intervention to 3 months; (4) remote delivery of the intervention; and (5) incorporation of low burden procedures. Conclusion: Findings from our V-CES informed the adaptation of a culturally relevant dyadic progressive resistance training program for Hispanic men with prostate cancer and their caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction stir welding (FSW) produces a gradient microstructure with distinct metallurgical zones. The present study focuses on characterizing the fracture behavior during uniaxial loading across thick‐section FSW joint in nonheat‐treatable 5083 aluminum alloy. The hardness variation is linked to microstructural features across the weld zones through correlative microscopy. Notably, the heat‐affected zone (HAZ) exhibits a lower hardness of 75 HV, while the thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) and stir zones (SZ) display a hardness of around 79HV. A marginal difference in hardness in HAZ prompts strain localization in HAZ on the advancing side of the weld, resulting in offset in fracture from the SZ, which is captured through in situ monitoring of the tensile test. Further, the postdeformation analysis reveals crack propagation along the maximum shear stress plane due to the coalescence of microvoids resulting from the fracturing and debonding of second‐phase particles. Overall, this study provides valuable insight for optimizing the FSW process of AA 5083 alloy for thick‐section applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding the minimum height of reinforced concrete (RC) slabs and beams at the early stages of design is critical for efficient material use. Hence, methods are needed for determining the maximum slenderness, L/h, that are both easy to use and able to consider as many influencing factors as possible, given that deflection typically controls the design of this kind of structure. One such method is the "long method of Rangan-Scanlon," with recent advances in new closed-form solutions enabling direct calculation. This study builds on those advances, presenting a parametric study for RC beams and one-way slabs to determine the effect of key factors (compressive strength of concrete, reinforcement cover, span, tributary width, load, and boundary conditions) on the effective moment of inertia factor α and slenderness L/h. The results provide practical design tools for determining the maximum slenderness of RC one-way slabs by previously finding the α factor and directly determining the maximum slenderness for RC beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive and common type of cancer within the central nervous system (CNS). Despite the vast knowledge of its physiopathology and histology, its etiology at the molecular level has not been completely understood. Thus, attaining a cure has not been possible yet and it remains one of the deadliest types of cancer. Usually, GB is diagnosed when some symptoms have already been presented by the patient. This diagnosis is commonly based on a physical exam and imaging studies, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), together with or followed by a surgical biopsy. As these diagnostic procedures are very invasive and often result only in the confirmation of GB presence, it is necessary to develop less invasive diagnostic and prognostic tools that lead to earlier treatment to increase GB patients' quality of life. Therefore, blood-based biomarkers (BBBs) represent excellent candidates in this context. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that have been demonstrated to be very stable in almost all body fluids, including saliva, serum, plasma, urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CFS), semen, and breast milk. In addition, serum-circulating and exosome-contained miRNAs have been successfully used to better classify subtypes of cancer at the molecular level and make better choices regarding the best treatment for specific cases. Moreover, as miRNAs regulate multiple target genes and can also act as tumor suppressors and oncogenes, they are involved in the appearance, progression, and even chemoresistance of most tumors. Thus, in this review, we discuss how dysregulated miRNAs in GB can be used as early diagnosis and prognosis biomarkers as well as molecular markers to subclassify GB cases and provide more personalized treatments, which may have a better response against GB. In addition, we discuss the therapeutic potential of miRNAs, the current challenges to their clinical application, and future directions in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study grounded on computational social sciences and social psychology investigated sentiment and life domains, motivational, and temporal themes in social media discussions about robotic technologies. We retrieved text comments from the Reddit social media platform in March 2019 based on the following six robotic technology concepts: robot (N = 3,433,554), AI (N = 2,821,614), automation (N = 879,092), bot (N = 21,559,939), intelligent agent (N = 15,119), and software agent (N = 18,324). The comments were processed using VADER and LIWC text analysis tools and analyzed further with logistic regression models. Compared to the other four concepts, robot and AI were used less often in positive context. Comments addressing themes of leisure, money, and future were associated with positive and home, power, and past with negative comments. The results show how the context and terminology affect the emotionality in robotic technology conversations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is associated with left ventricle (LV) fibrosis, including the papillary muscles (PM), which is in turn linked to malignant arrhythmias. This study aims to evaluate comprehensive tissue characterization of the PM by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and its association with LV fibrosis observed by intraoperative biopsies. Methods: MVP patients with indication for surgery due to severe mitral regurgitation (n = 19) underwent a preoperative CMR with characterization of the PM: dark-appearance on cine, T1 mapping, conventional bright blood (BB) and dark blood (DB) late gadolinium enhancement (LGE). CMR T1 mapping was performed on 21 healthy volunteers as controls. LV inferobasal myocardial biopsies were obtained in MVP patients and compared to CMR findings. Results: MVP patients (54 ± 10 years old, 14 male) had a dark-appearance of the PM with higher native T1 and extracellular volume (ECV) values compared with healthy volunteers (1096 ± 78ms vs. 994 ± 54ms and 33.9 ± 5.6% vs. 25.9 ± 3.1%, respectively, p < 0.001). Seventeen MVP patients (89.5%) had fibrosis by biopsy. BB-LGE + in LV and PM was identified in 5 (26.3%) patients, while DB-LGE + was observed in LV in 9 (47.4%) and in PM in 15 (78.9%) patients. DB-LGE + in PM was the only technique that showed no difference with detection of LV fibrosis by biopsy. Posteromedial PM was more frequently affected than the anterolateral (73.7% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.039) and correlated with biopsy-proven LV fibrosis (Rho 0.529, p = 0.029). Conclusions: CMR imaging in MVP patients referred for surgery shows a dark-appearance of the PM with higher T1 and ECV values compared with healthy volunteers. The presence of a positive DB-LGE at the posteromedial PM by CMR may serve as a better predictor of biopsy-proven LV inferobasal fibrosis than conventional CMR techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hispanics and American Indians (AI) have high kidney cancer incidence and mortality rates in Arizona. This study assessed: (1) whether racial and ethnic minority patients and patients from neighborhoods with high social vulnerability index (SVI) experience a longer time to surgery after clinical diagnosis, and (2) whether time to surgery, race and ethnicity, and SVI are associated with upstaging to pT3/pT4, disease‐free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). Methods: Arizona Cancer Registry (2009–2018) kidney and renal pelvis cases (n = 4592) were analyzed using logistic regression models to assess longer time to surgery and upstaging. Cox‐regression hazard models were used to test DFS and OS. Results: Hispanic and AI patients with T1 tumors had a longer time to surgery than non‐Hispanic White patients (median time of 56, 55, and 45 days, respectively). Living in neighborhoods with high (≥75) overall SVI increased odds of a longer time to surgery for cT1a (OR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.02–2.31) and cT2 (OR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.13–4.73). Race and ethnicity were not associated with time to surgery. Among cT1a patients, a longer time to surgery increased odds of upstaging to pT3/pT4 (OR 1.95, 95% CI: 0.99–3.84). A longer time to surgery was associated with PFS (HR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.17–1.99) and OS (HR 1.63, 95% CI: 1.26–2.11). Among patients with cT2 tumor, living in high SVI neighborhoods was associated with worse OS (HR 1.66, 95% CI: 1.07–2.57). Conclusions: High social vulnerability was associated with increased time to surgery and poor survival after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a case of a 37-year-old woman who exhibited symptomatic acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) due to extrinsic compression from a giant ovarian cyst, detected during clinical examination. Doppler ultrasound confirmed a thrombus in the left iliac vein. Although surgery was initially planned to insert a vena cava filter, the absence of this resource during her 14-day hospital stay led to the decision to proceed without it. The surgery was carried out without complications, and she was discharged on the second postoperative day. A 3-month follow-up indicated favorable recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-Cr-Si-Fe-B self-fluxing alloys are commonly used in hardfacing applications; in addition, they are subjected to conditions of wear, corrosion, and high temperatures, but are not used in casting applications. In this work, gravity casting is presented as a potential manufacturing route for these alloys. Three alloys with different chemical compositions were investigated with a focus on microstructure characterization, solidification path, and strengthening mechanisms. Phases and precipitates were characterized using a field emission scanning electron microscope employing energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, wavelength dispersive spectroscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. Nano- and microhardness indentations were performed at different phases to understand their contribution to the overall hardness of the studied alloys. Hardness measurements were performed at room temperature and high temperature (650 °C). The borides and carbides were the hardest phases in the microstructure, thus contributing significantly to the overall hardness of the alloys. Additional hardening was provided by the presence of hard Ni3B eutectics; however, there was also a small contribution from the solid solution hardening of the γ-Ni dendrites in the high-alloy-grade sample. The amount and size of the different phases and precipitates depended mainly on the contents of the Cr, C, and B of the alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hispanics of Mexican descent have disproportionate rates of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The purpose of this work is to investigate the association between the traditional Mexican diet score (tMexS) and hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, two NAFLD-related clinical endpoints, in Hispanic adults of Mexican descent. Data from 280 Hispanic adults of Mexican descent (n = 102 men, 178 women) with overweight or obesity enrolled in a cross-sectional observational study were analyzed. The tMexS was calculated from 24 h dietary recalls. Hepatic steatosis and fibrosis measurements were assessed using transient elastography (Fibroscan®). Linear regression models testing the association between tMexS and hepatic steatosis and fibrosis were run individually and through the stratification of significant modifiers. Mean tMexS were 5.9 ± 2.1, hepatic steatosis scores were 288.9 ± 48.9 dB/m, and fibrosis scores were 5.6 ± 2.2 kPa. Among the US-born group, with every point increase in the tMexS, there was a statistically significant 5.7 lower hepatic steatosis point (95% CI: −10.9, −0.6, p-value = 0.07). Higher adherence to a traditional Mexican diet was associated with lower hepatic steatosis in US-born Hispanics of Mexican descent. Findings from the current work may serve to inform future culturally relevant interventions for NAFLD prevention and management in individuals of Mexican descent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wealth of text data generated by social media has enabled new kinds of analysis of emotions with language models. These models are often trained on small and costly datasets of text annotations produced by readers who guess the emotions expressed by others in social media posts. This affects the quality of emotion identification methods due to training data size limitations and noise in the production of labels used in model development. We present LEIA, a model for emotion identification in text that has been trained on a dataset of more than 6 million posts with self-annotated emotion labels for happiness, affection, sadness, anger, and fear. LEIA is based on a word masking method that enhances the learning of emotion words during model pre-training. LEIA achieves macro-F1 values of approximately 73 on three in-domain test datasets, outperforming other supervised and unsupervised methods in a strong benchmark that shows that LEIA generalizes across posts, users, and time periods. We further perform an out-of-domain evaluation on five different datasets of social media and other sources, showing LEIA's robust performance across media, data collection methods, and annotation schemes. Our results show that LEIA generalizes its classification of anger, happiness, and sadness beyond the domain it was trained on. LEIA can be applied in future research to provide better identification of emotions in text from the perspective of the writer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Friction stir additive manufacturing (FSAM) is a sheet-lamination based additive manufacturing technique. In addition to the traditional factors that govern the friction stir process-structure-property relationship, the processing history is convoluted by the in-plane raster pattern and repeated thermal cycling from subsequent layers. This can lead to complex thermal gradients within the workpiece and reprocessing of material. This work aims to understand the impact of raster pattern spacing and direction on the microstructure and properties during friction stir additive manufacturing of Al-5083. Control of the raster spacing can lead to an increase in hardness of up to 18% from the base material and defect-free joining. These results are then directly demonstrated at the component-scale for FSAM of Al-5083. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate representation of non-European ancestry populations in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has limited opportunities to isolate functional variants. Fine-mapping in multi-ancestry populations should improve the efficiency of prioritizing variants for functional interrogation. To evaluate this hypothesis, we leveraged ancestry architecture to perform comparative GWAS and fine-mapping of obesity-related phenotypes in European ancestry populations from the UK Biobank (UKBB) and multi-ancestry samples from the Population Architecture for Genetic Epidemiology (PAGE) consortium with comparable sample sizes. In the investigated regions with genome-wide significant associations for obesity-related traits, fine-mapping in our ancestrally diverse sample led to 95% and 99% credible sets (CS) with fewer variants than in the European ancestry sample. Lead fine-mapped variants in PAGE regions had higher average coding scores, and higher average posterior probabilities for causality compared to UKBB. Importantly, 99% CS in PAGE loci contained strong expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) in adipose tissues or harbored more variants in tighter linkage disequilibrium (LD) with eQTLs. Leveraging ancestrally diverse populations with heterogeneous ancestry architectures, coupled with functional annotation, increased fine-mapping efficiency and performance, and reduced the set of candidate variants for consideration for future functional studies. Significant overlap in genetic causal variants across populations suggests generalizability of genetic mechanisms underpinning obesity-related traits across populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social restrictions and vaccination seem to have shaped the pandemic development in Europe, but the influence of geographical position is still debated. This study aims to verify whether the pandemic spread through Europe following a particular direction, during the period between the start of the pandemic and November 2021. The existence of a spatial gradient for epidemic intensity is also hypothesized. Methods: Daily COVID-19 epidemiological data were extracted from Our World in Data COVID-19 database, which also included vaccination and non-pharmacological interventions data. Latitude and longitude of each country's centroid were used as geographic variables. Epidemic periods were delimited from epidemic surge data. Multivariable linear and Cox's regression models were performed for each epidemic period to test if geographical variables influenced surge dates. Generalized additive models (GAM) were used to test the spatial gradient hypothesis with three epidemic intensity measures. Results: Linear models suggest a possible west-east shift in the first epidemic period and features a significant association of NPIs with epidemic surge delay. Neither latitude nor longitude had significant associations with epidemic surge timing in both second and third periods. Latitude displays strong negative associations with all epidemic intensity measures in GAM models. Vaccination was also negatively associated with intensity. Conclusions: A longitudinal spread of the pandemic in Europe seems plausible, particularly concerning the first wave. However, a recurrent trend was not observed. Southern Europe countries may have experienced increased transmissibility and incidence, despite climatic conditions apparently unfavourable to the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a notable gap in empirical research regarding how Latino men define and demonstrate machismo, masculinity, and manhood as well as the behavioral consequences associated with these concepts. In our study, we employed a phenomenological thematic approach to analyze 20 semi-structured individual interviews conducted with Latino men residing in South Florida. Our primary objectives were twofold: to examine (1) how do Latino men ages 35 to 60 years describe what it means to be a man and (2) what are the attributes that these men seek to show others that demonstrate their character, cultural values, and gender identity. Findings suggest that Latino men understood expectations associated with machismo and explained that fulfillment of their role as provider, protector, and head of the family was important to their perception of self. While some participants reported a desire to embody characteristics associated with traditional machismo, others strived to demonstrate character, familism, and respect and to provide financial and other instrumental support to their families. Participants reported that their transition into middle age was accompanied by a shift in their perspectives on gender roles, moving away from rigid patriarchal views. Exposure to a more fluid and flexible approach to manhood offered relief from the pressures associated with inflexible manifestations of machismo, which can have negative social, behavioral, and physical health implications. The implications of our research extend to the conceptualization of gender ideals, highlighting the need to incorporate intersectionality, role strain, precarious manhood, and culturally specific notions of manhood as foundational elements in this discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Objectives: Various studies have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and related traits, including ones located in or near the LYPLAL1, GCKR, PPP1R3B, TM6SF2, MBOAT7, and PNPLA3 genes. However, these SNPs were identified primarily in populations of European ancestry. This study examined the associations of these previously identified SNPs with hepatic steatosis in a sample of Mexican-origin adults living in Southern Arizona. Materials and Methods: A total of 307 Mexican-origin adults between the ages of 18 and 64 with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or higher were genotyped at the following SNPs: rs12137855 (LYPLAL1), rs1260326 (GCKR), rs4240624 (PPP1R3B), rs58542926 (TM6SF2), rs641738 (MBOAT7), and rs738409 (PNPLA3). Hepatic steatosis was assessed by transient elastography (FibroScan-) with controlled attenuation parameter. Regression models examined the association between each of the six SNPs and hepatic steatosis. BMI was examined as a potential modifier of the genetic associations. Results: Participants were, on average, 45 years old and mostly female (63%) with an overall mean hepatic steatosis of 288.1 dB/m. Models showed no associations between LYPLAL1, GCKR, PPP1R3B, TM6SF2, or MBOAT7 and hepatic steatosis. Only PNPLA3 was statistically significantly associated with hepatic steatosis in both unadjusted and adjusted models (p<0.01). There was no effect modification observed with BMI. Conclusions: SNPs associated with NAFLD in populations of European descent did not strongly contribute to hepatic steatosis in individuals of Mexican-origin, except for rs738409 (PNPLA3). Further efforts are necessary to explore additional SNPs that may be associated with NAFLD in this high-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voltage-gated calcium channels (CaV) conduct Ca2+ influx promoting neurotransmitters and hormone release. CaV are finely regulated by voltage-dependent and independent pathways either by G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) or intramembrane lipids, respectively, in neurons and glands. Interestingly, pancreatic β-cells are abundantly innervated by both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons, while a variety of high-voltage activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels are present in these cells. Thus, autonomic system seems to exert a tonic inhibition on HVA Ca2+ channels throughout GPCRs, constitutively preventing hormone secretion. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate noradrenergic and cholinergic inhibition of HVA Ca2+ channels in pancreatic β-cells. Experiments were conducted in pancreatic β-cells of rat by using patch-clamping methods, immunocytochemistry, pharmacological probes, and biochemical reagents. A voltage-clamp protocol with a strong depolarizing prepulse was used to unmask tonic inhibition. Herein, we consistently find a basal tonic inhibition of HVA Ca2+ channels according to a GPCRs regulation. Facilitation ratio is enhanced by noradrenaline (NA) according to a voltage-dependent regulation and a membrane-delimited mechanism, while no facilitation changes are observed with carbachol or phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2). Furthermore, carbachol or intramembrane lipids, such as PIP2, do not change facilitation ratio according to a voltage-independent regulation. Together, HVA Ca2+ channels of pancreatic β-cells are constitutively inhibited by GPCRs, suggesting a natural brake preventing cells from exhaustive insulin secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endothelium in the coronary arteries is subject to wall shear stress and vessel wall strain, which influences the biology of the arterial wall. This study presents vessel-specific fluid–structure interaction (FSI) models of three coronary arteries, using directly measured experimental geometries and boundary conditions. FSI models are used to provide a more physiologically complete representation of vessel biomechanics, and have been extended to include coronary bending to investigate its effect on shear and strain. FSI both without- and with-bending resulted in significant changes in all computed shear stress metrics compared to CFD (p = 0.0001). Inclusion of bending within the FSI model produced highly significant changes in Time Averaged Wall Shear Stress (TAWSS) + 9.8% LAD, + 8.8% LCx, − 2.0% RCA; Oscillatory Shear Index (OSI) + 208% LAD, 0% LCx, + 2600% RCA; and transverse wall Shear Stress (tSS) + 180% LAD, + 150% LCx and + 200% RCA (all p < 0.0001). Vessel wall strain was homogenous in all directions without-bending but became highly anisotropic under bending. Changes in median cyclic strain magnitude were seen for all three vessels in every direction. Changes shown in the magnitude and distribution of shear stress and wall strain suggest that bending should be considered on a vessel-specific basis in analyses of coronary artery biomechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-victimization, understood as the suffering of aggressions through electronic media, is undoubtedly the greatest concern of socio-educational communities. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of cyber-victimization in adolescents and to analyze the relationship between cyber-victimization and several demographic variables. We administered the Cyber-Victimization Questionnaire and an ad hoc demographic questionnaire to a sample of 866 Compulsive Secondary Education (CSE) students aged 12 to 16 years (M = 13.81, SD = 1.25). The data revealed a percentage of cyber-victimization of 22.18% with a greater presence of verbal-written cyber-victimization. Among the most common actions of cyber-victimization are receiving calls with the intention of annoying or making fun of the victim and sending unpleasant photos or videos through mobile phone or the Internet. Likewise, the variance and post hoc analysis show that personal (gender), family (type of family) and school variables (type of center, course, and academic record) are statistically significant risk factors in cyber-victimization. In conclusion, this study identifies relevant personal, family and school variables to help structure prevention and intervention strategies in cyber-victimization from educational communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Indirect carotid–cavernous fistulas (iCCFs) are shunts between meningeal branches of the internal carotid and/or the external carotid arteries and the cavernous sinus. They account for 83% of all carotid–cavernous fistulas (CCFs). Symptomatic iCCFs and those with increased risk of hemorrhage should be treated. Transvenous endovascular treatment is the preferred treatment modality. However, in complex cases, a combination of transarterial and transvenous approaches (multimodal treatment) is required. Methods A middle-aged woman presented with signs of increased intraocular pressure, blurry vision, diplopia, left proptosis, chemosis, conjunctival injection, ptosis, and cranial nerve VI palsy. Imaging confirmed the presence of a Barrow type D and Thomas type 4 iCCF with cortical venous reflux (CVR). Results The patient underwent transarterial and transvenous onyx embolization of the shunt, achieving a complete obliteration of the fistula. No complications occurred and the patient had a satisfactory postprocedural evolution. Conclusion Multimodal onyx embolization is an effective option for the treatment of a complex symptomatic iCCF. If CVR is identified, these lesions should be promptly treated to prevent hemorrhage secondary to rupture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Points: Question: Is greater intake of sugar-sweetened beverages associated with greater risk of liver cancer or chronic liver disease mortality? Findings: In 98 786 postmenopausal women followed up for a median of 20.9 years, compared with consuming 3 servings or less of sugar-sweetened beverages per month, women consuming 1 or more servings per day had significantly higher rates of liver cancer (18.0 vs 10.3 per 100 000 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.85) and chronic liver disease mortality (17.7 vs 7.1 per 100 000 person-years; adjusted HR, 1.68). Meaning: Compared with 3 or fewer sugar-sweetened beverages per month, consuming 1 or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day was associated with a significantly higher incidence of liver cancer and death from chronic liver diseases. Importance: Approximately 65% of adults in the US consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily. Objective: To study the associations between intake of sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and incidence of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants: A prospective cohort with 98 786 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative from 1993 to 1998 at 40 clinical centers in the US and were followed up to March 1, 2020. Exposures: Sugar-sweetened beverage intake was assessed based on a food frequency questionnaire administered at baseline and defined as the sum of regular soft drinks and fruit drinks (not including fruit juice); artificially sweetened beverage intake was measured at 3-year follow-up. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were (1) liver cancer incidence, and (2) mortality due to chronic liver disease, defined as death from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, alcoholic liver diseases, and chronic hepatitis. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for liver cancer incidence and for chronic liver disease mortality, adjusting for potential confounders including demographics and lifestyle factors. Results: During a median follow-up of 20.9 years, 207 women developed liver cancer and 148 died from chronic liver disease. At baseline, 6.8% of women consumed 1 or more sugar-sweetened beverage servings per day, and 13.1% consumed 1 or more artificially sweetened beverage servings per day at 3-year follow-up. Compared with intake of 3 or fewer servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per month, those who consumed 1 or more servings per day had a significantly higher risk of liver cancer (18.0 vs 10.3 per 100 000 person-years [P value for trend =.02]; adjusted HR, 1.85 [95% CI, 1.16-2.96]; P =.01) and chronic liver disease mortality (17.7 vs 7.1 per 100 000 person-years [P value for trend <.001]; adjusted HR, 1.68 [95% CI, 1.03-2.75]; P =.04). Compared with intake of 3 or fewer artificially sweetened beverages per month, individuals who consumed 1 or more artificially sweetened beverages per day did not have significantly increased incidence of liver cancer (11.8 vs 10.2 per 100 000 person-years [P value for trend =.70]; adjusted HR, 1.17 [95% CI, 0.70-1.94]; P =.55) or chronic liver disease mortality (7.1 vs 5.3 per 100 000 person-years [P value for trend =.32]; adjusted HR, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.49-1.84]; P =.88). Conclusions and Relevance: In postmenopausal women, compared with consuming 3 or fewer servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per month, those who consumed 1 or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day had a higher incidence of liver cancer and death from chronic liver disease. Future studies should confirm these findings and identify the biological pathways of these associations. This observational study evaluated incidence of liver cancer and death from chronic liver disease among postmenopausal women by comparing intake of 3 or fewer servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per month vs intake of 1 or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient data sharing is hampered by an array of organizational, ethical, behavioral, and technical challenges, slowing research progress and reducing the utility of data generated by clinical research studies on neurodegenerative diseases. There is a particular need to address differences between public and private sector environments for research and data sharing, which have varying standards, expectations, motivations, and interests. The Neuronet data sharing Working Group was set up to understand the existing barriers to data sharing in public-private partnership projects, and to provide guidance to overcome these barriers, by convening data sharing experts from diverse projects in the IMI neurodegeneration portfolio. In this policy and practice review, we outline the challenges and learnings of the WG, providing the neurodegeneration community with examples of good practices and recommendations on how to overcome obstacles to data sharing. These obstacles span organizational issues linked to the unique structure of cross-sectoral, collaborative research initiatives, to technical issues that affect the storage, structure and annotations of individual datasets. We also identify sociotechnical hurdles, such as academic recognition and reward systems that disincentivise data sharing, and legal challenges linked to heightened perceptions of data privacy risk, compounded by a lack of clear guidance on GDPR compliance mechanisms for public-private research. Focusing on real-world, neuroimaging and digital biomarker data, we highlight particular challenges and learnings for data sharing, such as data management planning, development of ethical codes of conduct, and harmonization of protocols and curation processes. Cross-cutting solutions and enablers include the principles of transparency, standardization and co-design – from open, accessible metadata catalogs that enhance findability of data, to measures that increase visibility and trust in data reuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess associations of various content areas of Twitter posts with help-seeking from the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and with suicides. Methods: We retrieved 7,150,610 suicide-related tweets geolocated to the United States and posted between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2018. Using a specially devised machine-learning approach, we categorized posts into content about prevention, suicide awareness, personal suicidal ideation without coping, personal coping and recovery, suicide cases and other. We then applied seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average analyses to assess associations of tweet categories with daily calls to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and suicides on the same day. We hypothesized that coping-related and prevention-related tweets are associated with greater help-seeking and potentially fewer suicides. Results: The percentage of posts per category was 15.4% (standard deviation: 7.6%) for awareness, 13.8% (standard deviation: 9.4%) for prevention, 12.3% (standard deviation: 9.1%) for suicide cases, 2.4% (standard deviation: 2.1%) for suicidal ideation without coping and 0.8% (standard deviation: 1.7%) for coping posts. Tweets about prevention were positively associated with Lifeline calls (B = 1.94, SE = 0.73, p = 0.008) and negatively associated with suicides (B = −0.11, standard error = 0.05, p = 0.038). Total number of tweets were negatively associated with calls (B = −0.01, standard error = 0.0003, p = 0.007) and positively associated with suicide, (B = 6.4 × 10−5, standard error = 2.6 × 10−5, p = 0.015). Conclusion: This is the first large-scale study to suggest that daily volume of specific suicide-prevention-related social media content on Twitter corresponds to higher daily levels of help-seeking behaviour and lower daily number of suicide deaths. Preregistration: As Predicted, #66922, 26 May 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically marginalized populations are disproportionately affected by many diseases that commonly affect the retina, yet they have been traditionally underrepresented in prospective clinical trials. This study explores whether this disparity affects the clinical trial enrollment process in the retina field and aims to inform future trial recruitment and enrollment. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, preferred language, insurance status, social security number (SSN) status, and median household income (estimated using street address and zip code) for patients referred to at least one prospective, retina-focused clinical trial at a large, urban, retina-based practice were retrospectively extracted using electronic medical records. Data were collected for the 12-month period from 1 January 2022, through 31 December 2022. Recruitment status was categorized as Enrolled, Declined, Communication (defined as patients who were not contacted, were contacted with no response, were waiting for a follow-up, or were scheduled for screening following a clinical trial referral.), and Did Not Qualify (DNQ). Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to determine significant relationships between the Enrolled and Declined groups. Among the 1477 patients, the mean age was 68.5 years old, 647 (43.9%) were male, 900 (61.7%) were White, 139 (9.5%) were Black, and 275 (18.7%) were Hispanic. The distribution of recruitment status was: 635 (43.0%) Enrolled, 232 (15.7%) Declined, 290 (19.6%) Communication, and 320 (21.7%) DNQ. In comparing socioeconomic factors between the Enrolled and Declined groups, significant odds ratios were observed for age (p < 0.02, odds ratio (OR) = 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.97, 1.00]), and between patients who preferred English versus Spanish (p = 0.004, OR = 0.35, 95% CI [0.17, 0.72]. Significant differences between the Enrolled and Declined groups were also observed for age (p < 0.05), ethnicity (p = 0.01), preferred language (p < 0.05), insurance status (p = 0.001), and SSN status (p < 0.001). These factors may contribute to patient participation in retina-focused clinical trials. An awareness of these demographic and socioeconomic disparities may be valuable to consider when attempting to make clinical trial enrollment an equitable process for all patients, and strategies may be useful to help address these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medical literature emphasizes the increasing role of cultural c onsiderations for improved health education among Latinos. Research in Latino culture reveals the inherent function of figurative language devices, such as dichos, in individual expression and cultural norm transmission. Increased understanding of dichos may provide unique insight into the dynamic relationship between collective cultural knowledge and individual health perceptions. Dichos related to health and diabetes among Latinos, however, remain entirely unexplored. The present study represents a secondary qualitative analysis of the perspectives on diabetes and health of Mexican-origin males that identified inadequate understanding of disease processes and cultural customs as barriers to health. Spanish language transcriptions from the original study were content analyzed by two Latino researchers fluent in English and Spanish to identify the use of dichos by the participants to convey their perspectives on health and diabetes. The results reveal four major categorizations of dichos: religiosity, familism, formation, and individuality. Findings from this study provide insight on the utility of dichos for the identification of health-related perspectives. Dichos may also serve clinicians and health educators as culturally relevant vehicles of communication for encouraging and transformative health discussions. Future diabetes interventions should incorporate dichos to explore quantifiable outcomes of culturally tailored programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myocardial feature tracking (FT) provides a comprehensive analysis of myocardial deformation from cine balanced steady‐state free‐precession images (bSSFP). However, FT remains time‐consuming, precluding its clinical adoption. Purpose: To compare left‐ventricular global radial strain (GRS) and global circumferential strain (GCS) values measured using automated DeepStrain analysis of short‐axis cine images to those calculated using manual commercially available FT analysis. Study Type: Retrospective, single‐center. Population: A total of 30 healthy subjects and 120 patients with cardiac disease for DeepStrain development. For evaluation, 47 healthy subjects (36 male, 53 ± 5 years) and 533 patients who had undergone a clinical cardiac MRI (373 male, 59 ± 14 years). Field Strength/Sequence: bSSFP sequence at 1.5 T (Phillips) and 3 T (Siemens). Assessment: Automated DeepStrain measurements of GRS and GCS were compared to commercially available FT (Circle, cvi42) measures obtained by readers with 1 year and 3 years of experience. Comparisons were performed overall and stratified by scanner manufacturer. Statistical Tests: Paired t‐test, linear regression slope, Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Results: Overall, FT and DeepStrain measurements of GCS were not significantly different (P = 0.207), but measures of GRS were significantly different. Measurements of GRS from Philips (slope = 1.06 [1.03 1.08], r = 0.85) and Siemens (slope = 1.04 [0.99 1.09], r = 0.83) data showed a very strong correlation and agreement between techniques. Measurements of GCS from Philips (slope = 0.98 [0.98 1.01], r = 0.91) and Siemens (slope = 1.0 [0.96 1.03], r = 0.88) data similarly showed a very strong correlation. The average analysis time per subject was 4.1 ± 1.2 minutes for FT and 34.7 ± 3.3 seconds for DeepStrain, representing a 7‐fold reduction in analysis time. Data Conclusion: This study demonstrated high correlation of myocardial GCS and GRS measurements between freely available fully automated DeepStrain and commercially available manual FT software, with substantial time‐saving in the analysis. Evidence Level: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer survivors' (BCSs') sexual health (SH) clinical conversations are rarely studied from a dyadic perspective let alone from a triadic perspective. Using a triadic approach, we evaluated BCSs' comfort discussing SH with partners present and identified factors that can contribute to their comfort level. Qualitative approach using in-depth interviews. 93 BCSs, partners, and providers involved in BCS care. In-depth interviews with BCSs, partners, and providers explored triadic perspectives to understand factors informing BCSs' comfort level. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data. Four themes characterize potential benefits of partner presence: 1) partner facilitates information exchange, 2) partner realizes BCS's SH concerns are "a real thing," 3) partner better understands SH challenges, and 4) partner presence encourages relational communication about SH. Five themes illustrate potential complications of partner presence: 1) partner feels/becomes embarrassed, 2) partner is/becomes defensive, 3) partner presence constrains BCS's agency in clinical conversations, 4) partner presence threatens partner's view of BCS as a sexual being, and 5) partner presence increases partner burden. Providers should (1) initiate conversations about BCS comfort with partner presence, (2) be aware of the interaction between BCS primary and secondary goals, (3) consider how BCS/partner goal conflicts obstruct BCS agency and sexual/relational health, and (4) offer opportunities to clarify goals and expectations, and coordinate therapeutic options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SET is a multifunctional histone-binding oncoprotein that regulates transcription by an unclear mechanism. Here we show that SET enhances estrogen-dependent transcription. SET knockdown abrogates transcription of estrogen-responsive genes and their enhancer RNAs. In response to 17ß-estradiol (E2), SET binds to the estrogen receptor a (ERa) and is recruited to ERa-bound enhancers and promoters at estrogen response elements (EREs). SET functions as a histone H2 chaperone that dynamically associates with H2A.Z via its acidic C-terminal domain and promotes H2A.Z incorporation, ERa, MLL1, and KDM3A loading and modulates histone methylation at EREs. SET depletion diminishes recruitment of condensin complexes to EREs and impairs E2-dependent enhancer-promoter looping. Thus, SET boosts E2-induced gene expression by establishing an active chromatin structure at ERa-bound enhancers and promoters, which is essential for transcriptional activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergency calls are defined by an ever-expanding utilisation of information and sensing technology, leading to extensive volumes of spatio-temporal high-resolution data. The spatial and temporal character of the emergency calls is leveraged by authorities to allocate resources and infrastructure for an effective response, to identify high-risk event areas, and to develop contingency strategies. In this context, the spatio-temporal analysis of emergency calls is crucial to understanding and mitigating distress situations. However, modelling and predicting crime-related emergency calls remain challenging due to their heterogeneous and dynamic nature with complex underlying processes. In this context, we propose a modelling strategy that accounts for the intrinsic complex space–time dynamics of some crime data on cities by handling complex advection, diffusion, relocation, and volatility processes. This study presents a predictive framework capable of assimilating data and providing confidence estimates on the predictions. By analysing the dynamics of the weekly number of emergency calls in Valencia, Spain, for ten years (2010–2020), we aim to understand and forecast the spatio-temporal behaviour of emergency calls in an urban environment. We include putative geographical variables, as well as distances to relevant city landmarks, into the spatio-temporal point process modelling framework to measure the effect deterministic components exert on the intensity of emergency calls in Valencia. Our results show how landmarks attract or repel offenders and act as proxies to identify areas with high or low emergency calls. We are also able to estimate the weekly average growth and decay in space and time of the emergency calls. Our proposal is intended to guide mitigation strategies and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A landmark collaboration shows that Facebook’s news feed filters partisan political news to users with the same views. But changing the feed algorithm to reduce exposure to like-minded content does not reduce political polarization.The effects of social-media feed algorithms on political polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and prognosis of neurodegenerative diseases. One field of extensive clinical use of MRI is the accurate and automated classification of degenerative disorders. Most of current classification studies either do not mirror medical practice where patients may exhibit early stages of the disease, comorbidities, or atypical variants, or they are not able to produce probabilistic predictions nor account for uncertainty. Also, the spatial heterogeneity of the brain alterations caused by neurodegenerative processes is not usually considered, despite the spatial configuration of the neuronal loss is a characteristic hallmark for each disorder. In this article, we propose a classification technique that incorporates uncertainty and spatial information for distinguishing between healthy subjects and patients from four distinct neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, and Multiple Sclerosis. We introduce a spatially informed Bayesian neural network (SBNN) that combines a three‐dimensional neural network to extract neurodegeneration features from MRI, Bayesian inference to account for uncertainty in diagnosis, and a spatially informed MRI image using hidden Markov random fields to encode cerebral spatial information. The SBNN model demonstrates that classification accuracy increases up to 25% by including a spatially informed MRI scan. Furthermore, the SBNN provides a robust probabilistic diagnosis that resembles clinical decision‐making and can account for the heterogeneous medical presentations of neurodegenerative disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data science (digitalisation and artificial intelligence) became more than an important facilitator for many domains in fundamental and applied sciences as well as industry and is disrupting the way of research already to a large extent. Originally, data sciences were viewed to be well-suited, especially, for data-intensive applications such as image processing, pattern recognition, etc. In the recent past, particularly, data-driven and physics-inspired machine learning methods have been developed to an extent that they accelerate numerical simulations and became directly usable for applications related to the nuclear waste management cycle. In addition to process-based approaches for creating surrogate models, other disciplines such as virtual reality methods and high-performance computing are leveraging the potential of data sciences more and more. The present challenge is utilising the best models, input data and monitoring information to integrate multi-chemical-physical, coupled processes, multi-scale and probabilistic simulations in Digital Twins (DTw) able to mirror or predict the performance of its corresponding physical twins. Therefore, the main target of the Topical Collection is exploring how the development of DTw can benefit the development of safe, efficient solutions for the pre-disposal and disposal of radioactive waste. A particular challenge for DTw in radioactive waste management is the combination of concepts from geological modelling and underground construction which will be addressed by linking structural and multi-physics/chemistry process models to building or tunnel information models. As for technical systems, engineered structures a variety of DTw approaches already exist, the development of DTw concepts for geological systems poses a particular challenge when taking the complexities (structures and processes) and uncertainties at extremely varying time and spatial scales of subsurface environments into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birthplace, as a proxy for environmental exposures (e.g., diet), may influence metabolomic profiles and influence risk of cancer. This secondary analysis investigated metabolomic profile differences between foreign and U.S.-born Mexican-origin (MO) Hispanic men to shed light on potential mechanisms through which foreign- and U.S.-born individuals experience differences in cancer risk and risk factors. Plasma samples from MO Hispanic men (N = 42) who participated in a previous lifestyle intervention were collected pre-and post-intervention. Metabolomic profiles were characterized from samples using ultra performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF). Models were visualized using supervised orthogonal projections to latent structures–discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). Progenesis QI was used for peak integration and metabolite identification. Plasma metabolomic profiles differed between foreign- and U.S.-born pre-intervention (R2 =.65) and post-intervention (R2 =.62). Metabolomic profiles differed pre- versus post-intervention (R2 =.35 and R2 =.65) for the foreign- and U.S.-born group, respectively. Both endogenous metabolites and dietary components characterized differences between foreign- and U.S.-born participants pre- and post-intervention. Plasma metabolomic profiles from MO Hispanic men differed by birthplace. These results advance our understanding of relevant exposures that may affect cancer risk among MO Hispanic men born abroad or in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Returning universities to full on-campus operations while the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is ongoing has been a controversial discussion in many countries. The risk of large outbreaks in dense course settings is contrasted by the benefits of in-person teaching. Transmission risk depends on a range of parameters, such as vaccination coverage and efficacy, number of contacts, and adoption of nonpharmaceutical intervention measures. Owing to the generalized academic freedom in Europe, many universities are asked to autonomously decide on and implement intervention measures and regulate on-campus operations. In the context of rapidly changing vaccination coverage and parameters of the virus, universities often lack sufficient scientific insight on which to base these decisions. Methods To address this problem, we analyzed a calibrated, data-driven agent-based simulation of transmission dynamics among 13 284 students and 1482 faculty members in a medium-sized European university. Wed use a colocation network reconstructed from student enrollment data and calibrate transmission risk based on outbreak size distributions in education institutions. We focused on actionable interventions that are part of the already existing decision process of universities to provide guidance for concrete policy decisions. Results Here we show that, with the Omicron variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, even a reduction to 25% occupancy and universal mask mandates are not enough to prevent large outbreaks, given the vaccination coverage of about 85% reported for students in Austria. Conclusions Our results show that controlling the spread of the virus with available vaccines in combination with nonpharmaceutical intervention measures is not feasible in the university setting if presence of students and faculty on campus is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]