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Abstract Achieving complete tumor resection is challenging and can be improved by real-time fluorescence-guided surgery with molecular-targeted probes. However, pre-clinical identification and validation of probes presents a lengthy process that is traditionally performed in animal models and further hampered by inter- and intra-tumoral heterogeneity in target expression. To screen multiple probes at patient scale, we developed a multispectral real-time 3D imaging platform that implements organoid technology to effectively model patient tumor heterogeneity and, importantly, healthy human tissue binding.

Abstract Mutations in MYH3, the gene encoding the developmental myosin heavy chain‐embryonic (MyHC‐embryonic) skeletal muscle‐specific contractile protein, cause several congenital contracture syndromes. Among these, recessive loss‐of‐function MYH3 mutations lead to spondylocarpotarsal synostosis (SCTS), characterized by vertebral fusions and scoliosis. We find that Myh3 germline knockout adult mice display SCTS phenotypes such as scoliosis and vertebral fusion, in addition to reduced body weight, muscle weight, myofiber size, and grip strength. Myh3 knockout mice also exhibit changes in muscle fiber type, altered satellite cell numbers and increased muscle fibrosis. A mass spectrometric analysis of embryonic skeletal muscle from Myh3 knockouts identified integrin signaling and cytoskeletal regulation as the most affected pathways. These pathways are closely connected to the mechanosensing Yes‐associated protein (YAP) transcriptional regulator, which we found to be significantly activated in the skeletal muscle of Myh3 knockout mice. To test whether increased YAP signaling might underlie the musculoskeletal defects in Myh3 knockout mice, we treated these mice with CA3, a small molecule inhibitor of YAP signaling. This led to increased muscle fiber size, rescue of most muscle fiber type alterations, normalization of the satellite cell marker Pax7 levels, increased grip strength, reduced fibrosis, and decline in scoliosis in Myh3 knockout mice. Thus, increased YAP activation underlies the musculoskeletal defects seen in Myh3 knockout mice, indicating its significance as a key pathway to target in SCTS and other MYH3‐related congenital syndromes.

Abstract Governments have attempted to increase clinical trial activity in their jurisdictions using a range of methods including simplifying the ethics review and governance process of clinical trials. This study’s objective was to systematically review the effects of government actions targeting ethics reviews or governance processes on clinical trial activity. The data sources of Pub Med, Scopus, Sage, ProQuest, Google, Google Scholar and reference lists were all searched between 9/8/20 and 6/9/20. From these sources, 1455 potentially eligible reports were reviewed and full text assessments were done for 295. Thirty-eight reports provided data on 45 interventions—13 targeting ethics review and 32 targeting governance processes—were included. There were data describing effects on a primary or secondary outcome (the number of clinical trials or expenditure on clinical trials) for 39/45 of the interventions. 23/39 (59%) reported positive effects, meaning a greater number of trials and/or expenditure on clinical trials (6/11 ethics, 17/28 governance), 7/39 (18%) reported null effects (4/11 ethics, 3/28 governance) and 9/39 (23%) reported adverse effects (1/13 ethics, 8/28 governance). Positive effects were attributable to interventions that better defined the scope of review, placed clear expectations on timelines or sought to achieve mutual acceptance of ethics review outcomes. Adverse effects were mostly caused by governance interventions that unintentionally added an extra layer of bureaucracy or were developed without full consideration of the broader clinical trial approval system. Governments have an opportunity to enhance clinical trial activity with interventions targeting ethics reviews and governance processes but must be aware that some interventions can have an adverse impact.

Abstract Bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) still remains the only licensed vaccine for TB and has been shown to provide nonspecific protection against unrelated pathogens. This has been attributed to the ability of BCG to modulate the innate immune system, known as trained innate immunity (TII). Trained innate immunity is associated with innate immune cells being in a hyperresponsive state leading to enhanced host defense against heterologous infections. Both epidemiological evidence and prospective studies demonstrate cutaneous BCG vaccine‐induced TII provides enhanced innate protection against heterologous pathogens. Regardless of the extensive progress made thus far, the effect of cutaneous BCG vaccination against heterologous respiratory bacterial infections and the underlying mechanisms still remain unknown. Here, we show that s.c. BCG vaccine‐induced TII provides enhanced heterologous innate protection against pulmonary Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. We further demonstrate that this enhanced innate protection is mediated by enhanced neutrophilia in the lung and is independent of centrally trained circulating monocytes. New insight from this study will help design novel effective vaccination strategies against unrelated respiratory bacterial pathogens.

We prove an analogue of the Lück Approximation Theorem in positive characteristic for certain residually finite rationally soluble (RFRS) groups including right-angled Artin groups and Bestvina–Brady groups. Specifically, we prove that the mod p homology growth equals the dimension of the group homology with coefficients in a certain universal division ring and this is independent of the choice of residual chain. For general RFRS groups we obtain an inequality between the invariants. We also consider a number of applications to fibring, amenable category, and minimal volume entropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Portraits of Roman emperors are traditionally recognised by their unique coiffure patterns, a method that runs the risk of ignoring portraits that do not cohere to the standardised image of the emperor. This article investigates whether it is possible to recognise and distinguish emperors using the facial features of their portraits. By using a technique called transfer learning, it utilises existing deep-learning facial recognition models, augmented with images of Roman imperial portraits, to provide a new empirical foothold in the debate of Roman emperor recognition. The results of the experiments demonstrate that by only a limited amount of training, such a so-called “pre-trained” model (i.e., InceptionResnet-V1) is able to correctly classify most images in the dataset of Roman emperors. As such, this article has made a first step towards applying facial recognition models to the study of ancient imperial portraiture.

Abstract Traffic enforcement and associated penalties are essential in any successful road safety strategy. Available literature identifies both traditional and automated traffic enforcement. Ghana employs traditional traffic enforcement involving visible police officers enforcing traffic rules and regulations on the roadways. This phenomenological study explores the perceived effectiveness of police road presence as a road safety strategy in the Ghanaian context. Data for the analysis came from in-depth interviews of 42 people recruited as a convenience sample (comprising 25 commercial drivers, 12 private drivers, and five traffic police officers of the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ghana Police Service). The study results suggest widespread driver road tactics to outwit the traffic police officers, police extortion and driver bribery (road traffic corruption), and punishment avoidance. These behaviours undermine deterrence and negate the seriousness and expected general deterrent effect of the police road presence and enforcement. This study provides an initial exploration of the effectiveness (or otherwise) of police road presence and enforcement in the context of a developing country. Additional studies are, however, needed to explore this phenomenon further.

Understanding the genetic basis of routinely-acquired blood tests can provide insights into several aspects of human physiology. We report a genome-wide association study of 42 quantitative blood test traits defined using Electronic Healthcare Records (EHRs) of ~50,000 British Bangladeshi and British Pakistani adults. We demonstrate a causal variant within the PIEZO1 locus which was associated with alterations in red cell traits and glycated haemoglobin. Conditional analysis and within-ancestry fine mapping confirmed that this signal is driven by a missense variant - chr16-88716656-G-TT - which is common in South Asian ancestries (MAF 3.9%) but ultra-rare in other ancestries. Carriers of the T allele had lower mean HbA1c values, lower HbA1c values for a given level of random or fasting glucose, and delayed diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Our results shed light on the genetic basis of clinically-relevant traits in an under-represented population, and emphasise the importance of ancestral diversity in genetic studies.Here, the authors used electronic healthcare records to analyse the genetic basis of variation in 42 routinely-acquired quantitative blood tests among up to 40,000 British South Asian volunteers from the Genes and Health study. By combining their results with genetic findings from UK Biobank, they explore similarities and differences between ancestries in the genetic basis of these traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is a dearth of empirical evidence on the coping strategies of UK ethnic minority (UKEM) healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic despite evidence of their increased risk of infection and less protection, disproportionate redeployment, and gross work-life imbalance. The present study explored UKEM healthcare workers' coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative design comprising individual and joint interviews, and a focus group was used. Participants were 15 UKEM healthcare workers (11 females; age range: 26–58 [43.3 ± 9.4] years). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants navigated the pandemic using three key coping strategies: problem-focused coping (active and restraint coping), emotion-focused coping (positive reframing, reflective acceptance, and religiosity/spiritual bypass), and social coping and support-seeking. They particularly underscored the importance of religiosity/spiritual bypass as a coping strategy. Conclusion: The pandemic challenged our sample of UKEM healthcare workers to deploy a variety of coping strategies. Religiosity/spiritual bypass was particularly important in navigating the challenges of the pandemic. Coping strategy enhancement interventions among UKEM healthcare workers and the UKEM community during and post hyper-precarious conditions such as pandemics may benefit from targeting the identified coping strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously described a two-component protein nanoparticle vaccine platform that displays 60 copies of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein RBD (RBD-NP). The vaccine, when adjuvanted with AS03, was shown to elicit robust neutralizing antibody and CD4 T cell responses in Phase I/II clinical trials, met its primary co-endpoints in a Phase III trial, and has been licensed by multiple regulatory authorities under the brand name SKYCovioneTM. Here we characterize the biophysical properties, stability, antigenicity, and immunogenicity of RBD-NP immunogens incorporating mutations from the B.1.351 (β) and P.1 (γ) variants of concern (VOCs) that emerged in 2020. We also show that the RBD-NP platform can be adapted to the Omicron strains BA.5 and XBB.1.5. We compare β and γ variant and E484K point mutant nanoparticle immunogens to the nanoparticle displaying the Wu-1 RBD, as well as to soluble prefusion-stabilized (HexaPro) spike trimers harboring VOC-derived mutations. We find the properties of immunogens based on different SARS-CoV-2 variants can differ substantially, which could affect the viability of variant vaccine development. Introducing stabilizing mutations in the linoleic acid binding site of the RBD-NPs resulted in increased physical stability compared to versions lacking the stabilizing mutations without deleteriously affecting immunogenicity. The RBD-NP immunogens and HexaPro trimers, as well as combinations of VOC-based immunogens, elicited comparable levels of neutralizing antibodies against distinct VOCs. Our results demonstrate that RBD-NP-based vaccines can elicit neutralizing antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants and can be rapidly designed and stabilized, demonstrating the potential of two-component RBD-NPs as a platform for the development of broadly protective coronavirus vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional radiography (CR) is primarily utilized for fracture diagnosis. Artificial intelligence (AI) for CR is a rapidly growing field aimed at enhancing efficiency and increasing diagnostic accuracy. However, the diagnostic performance of commercially available AI fracture detection solutions (CAAI-FDS) for CR in various anatomical regions, their synergy with human assessment, as well as the influence of industry funding on reported accuracy are unknown. Peer-reviewed diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) studies were identified through a systematic review on Pubmed and Embase. Diagnostic performance measures were extracted especially for different subgroups such as product, type of rater (stand-alone AI, human unaided, human aided), funding, and anatomical region. Pooled measures were obtained with a bivariate random effects model. The impact of rater was evaluated with comparative meta-analysis. Seventeen DTA studies of seven CAAI-FDS analyzing 38,978 x-rays with 8,150 fractures were included. Stand-alone AI studies (n = 15) evaluated five CAAI-FDS; four with good sensitivities (> 90%) and moderate specificities (80–90%) and one with very poor sensitivity (< 60%) and excellent specificity (> 95%). Pooled sensitivities were good to excellent, and specificities were moderate to good in all anatomical regions (n = 7) apart from ribs (n = 4; poor sensitivity / moderate specificity) and spine (n = 4; excellent sensitivity / poor specificity). Funded studies (n = 4) had higher sensitivity (+ 5%) and lower specificity (-4%) than non-funded studies (n = 11). Sensitivity did not differ significantly between stand-alone AI and human AI aided ratings (p = 0.316) but specificity was significantly higher the latter group (p < 0.001). Sensitivity was significant lower in human unaided compared to human AI aided respectively stand-alone AI ratings (both p ≤ 0.001); specificity was higher in human unaided ratings compared to stand-alone AI (p < 0.001) and showed no significant differences AI aided ratings (p = 0.316). The study demonstrates good diagnostic accuracy across most CAAI-FDS and anatomical regions, with the highest performance achieved when used in conjunction with human assessment. Diagnostic accuracy appears lower for spine and rib fractures. The impact of industry funding on reported performance is small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining which attitudes and behaviours predict household energy consumption can help accelerate the low-carbon energy transition. Conventional approaches in this domain are limited, often relying on survey methods that produce data on individuals’ motivations and self-reported activities without pairing these with actual energy consumption records, which are particularly hard to collect for large, nationally representative samples. This challenge precludes the development of empirical evidence on which attitudes and behaviours influence patterns of energy consumption, thus limiting the extent to which these can inform energy interventions or conservation programs. This study demonstrates a novel methodology for estimating energy consumption in the absence of actual energy records by using a large, publicly available data set of energy consumption in the UK. We develop a predictive model using the Smart Energy Research Laboratory (SERL) data portal (with records from nearly 13,000 UK households) and then use this model to predict energy consumption (both electric and gas) for a sample of 1,000 UK householders for which we separately collect over 200 variables relating to climate change attitudes and practices. Our approach uses a set of over 50 independent variables that are shared between the data sets, allowing us to train a model on the SERL data and use it to analyse the relationship between energy consumption and the opinions, motivations, and daily practices of survey respondents. Results show that electricity consumption is influenced by a broader range of factors compared to gas. Household energy use is best explained by physical dwelling characteristics, socio-demographic variables, and certain behavioural and attitudinal measures. Notably, pro-environmental attitudes, frugality, and conscientiousness correlate with lower energy use, while income and consumerism are linked to higher consumption. We discuss how these findings can inform efforts to decarbonise home energy use in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe and compare the incidence and propensity of head acceleration events (HAEs) using instrumented mouthguards (iMG) by playing position in a season of English elite-level men's and women's rugby union matches. Methods: iMG data were collected for 255 men and 133 women from 1,865 and 807 player-matches, respectively, and synchronised to video-coded match footage. Head peak resultant linear acceleration (PLA) and peak resultant angular acceleration (PAA) were extracted from each HAE. Mean incidence and propensity values were calculated across different recording thresholds for forwards and backs in addition to positional groups (front row, second row, back row, half backs, centres, back three) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) estimated. Significance was determined based on 95% CI not overlapping across recording thresholds. Results: For both men and women, HAE incidence was twice as high for forwards than backs across the majority of recording thresholds. HAE incidence and propensity were significantly lower in the women's game compared to the men's game. Back-row and front-row players had the highest incidence across all HAE thresholds for men's forwards, while women's forward positional groups and men's and women's back positional groups were similar. Tackles and carries exhibited a greater propensity to result in HAE for forward positional groups and the back three in the men's game, and back row in the women's game. Conclusion: These data offer valuable benchmark and comparative data for future research, HAE mitigation strategies, and management of HAE exposure in elite rugby players. Positional-specific differences in HAE incidence and propensity should be considered in future mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Understanding and recognizing basketball offensive set plays, which involve intricate interactions between players, have always been regarded as challenging tasks for untrained humans, not to mention machines. In this study, our objective is to propose an artificial intelligence model that can automatically recognize offensive plays using a novel self-supervised learning approach. Methods: The dataset was collected by SportVU from 632 games during the 2015–2016 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with a total of 90,524 possessions. A multi-agent motion prediction pretraining model was built on the basis of axial-attention transformer and trained with different masking strategies: motion prediction (MP), motion reconstruction (MR), and MP + MR joint strategy. A downstream play-level classification task and similarity search were used to evaluate the models' performance. Results: The results showed that the MP + MR joint masking strategy maximized the ability of the model compared with individual masking strategies. For the classification task, the joint strategy achieved a top-1 accuracy of 81.5% and top-3 accuracy of 97.5%. In the similarity search evaluation, the joint strategy attained a top-5 accuracy of 76% and top-10 accuracy of 59%. Additionally, with the same MP + MR joint masking strategy, our HoopTransformer model outperformed the two baseline models in the classification task and similarity search. Conclusion: This study presents a self-supervised learning model and demonstrates the effectiveness and potential of the model in accurately comprehending and capturing player movements and complex interactions during offensive plays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independently, both prolonged uninterrupted sitting and the onset of menopause negatively impact markers of cardiovascular risk. Whether their combination augment these responses additively remains unknown. This study assessed whether prolonged uninterrupted sitting causes greater central and peripheral cardiovascular dysfunction in post-menopausal women compared to pre-menopausal women. To address this, 23 healthy women (13 pre-menopausal [43.77 ± 4.30 years] and 10 post-menopausal [57.20 ± 8.55 years]) sat uninterrupted for 2-h. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), pulse wave analysis (PWA), lower limb venous pooling (HHb), and calf circumference were assessed pre-and post-sitting using general linear mixed models, with age as a covariate. Changes in MAP over time (both between and within groups) was assessed using a two-way repeated-measures-ANOVA. There were no significant interactions for any outcome measures. However, for cf-PWV, there was a significant main effect of group (Δ = 0.854 ± 0.354 m s−1; p = 0.026, ηp2 = 0.707). For PWA, only heart rate (HR) and pressure forwards (Pf) showed significant main effects 13 of time [Δ = 6 ± 1 bts-min−1, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.861] and group [Δ = 3.893 ± 1.450 mmHg, p = 0.016, ηp2 = 0.271], respectively. Both HHb (Δ = 2.737 ± 0.952, p = 0.009, ηp2 = 0.742) and calf circumference (Δ = 0.812 ± 0.128 cm, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.863) significantly increased over time. Whilst post-menopausal women demonstrated greater overall arterial stiffness (increased cf-PWV at baseline), there was no difference in cardiovascular response (central or peripheral) to 2-h of prolonged sitting between the pre- and post-menopausal women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, often persisting into adulthood. Aims: To investigate the levels of functionality and quality of life (QoL) in adult patients newly diagnosed with ADHD and to compare with those without an ADHD diagnosis. Methods: Consecutive patients who were referred to and assessed in a tertiary adult ADHD clinic enrolled in the study. Diagnosis of ADHD was based on DSM-5 criteria. Functionality was measured using the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF). QoL was assessed with the Adult ADHD Quality of Life Questionnaire (AAQoL). Results: Three-hundred and forty participants were recruited, 177 (52.1%) females. Of them 293 (86.2%) were newly diagnosed with ADHD. Those with ADHD had significant lower functionality as it was measured with the WFIRS and GAF, and worse QoL (AAQoL) compared to those without. In addition, a significant correlation between GAF and WFIRS was found. Conclusions: The results show that adults with ADHD have decreased functionality and worse QoL when compared against those presenting with a similar symptomatology, but no ADHD diagnosis. ADHD is not just a behavioural disorder in childhood, but a lifelong condition with accumulating problems that can lead to lower QoL and impaired functioning throughout adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress reconstruction based on experimentally acquired full-field strain measurements is computationally expensive when using conventional implicit stress integration algorithms. The computational burden associated with repetitive stress reconstruction is particularly relevant when inversely characterizing plastic material behaviour via inverse methods, like the nonlinear Virtual Fields Method (VFM). Spatial and temporal down-sampling of the available full-field strain data is often used to mitigate the computational effort. However, for metals subjected to non-linear strain paths, temporal down-sampling of the strain fields leads to erroneous stress states biasing the identification accuracy of the inverse method. Hence, a significant speedup factor of the stress integration algorithm is required to fully exploit the experimental data acquired by Digital Image Correlation (DIC). To this end, we propose an explicit stress integration algorithm that is independent on the number of images (i.e. strain fields) taken into account in the stress reconstruction. Theoretically, the proposed method eliminates the need for spatial and temporal down-sampling of the experimental full-field data used in the nonlinear VFM. Finally, the proposed algorithm is also beneficial in the emerging field of real-time DIC applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usutu virus (USUV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are two closely related emerging mosquito-borne flaviviruses. Their natural hosts are wild birds, but they can also cause severe neurological disorders in humans. Both viruses are efficiently suppressed by type I interferon (IFN), which interferes with viral replication, dissemination, pathogenesis and transmission. Here, we show that the replication of USUV and WNV are inhibited through a common set of IFN–induced genes (ISGs), with the notable exception of ISG20, which USUV is resistant to. Strikingly, USUV was the only virus among all the other tested mosquito-borne flaviviruses that demonstrated resistance to the 3′–5′ exonuclease activity of ISG20. Our findings highlight that the intrinsic resistance of the USUV genome, irrespective of the presence of cellular or viral proteins or protective post-transcriptional modifications, relies on a unique sequence present in its 3′ untranslated region. Importantly, this genomic region alone can confer ISG20 resistance to a susceptible flavivirus, without compromising its infectivity, suggesting that it could be acquired by other flaviviruses. This study provides new insights into the strategy employed by emerging flaviviruses to overcome host defense mechanisms. Here, the authors identify in the 3′ untranslated region of the genome of Usutu virus, an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus, a sequence that confers a unique capacity to resist degradation by the ISG20 exonuclease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have demonstrated considerable potential in tissue repair and the treatment of immune-related diseases, but there are problems with homing efficiency during MSCs transplantation. Exercise, as an intervention, has been shown to have an important impact on the properties of MSCs. This review summarizes the effects of exercise on the properties (including proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and homing) of bone marrow-derived MSCs and adipose-derived MSCs. Studies indicated that exercise enhances bone marrow-derived MSCs proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, and homing while reducing adipogenic differentiation. For adipose-derived MSCs, exercise enhances proliferation and reduces adipogenic differentiation. In addition, studies have investigated the therapeutic effects of combined therapy of MSCs transplantation with exercise on diseases of the bone, cardiac, and nervous systems. The combined therapy improves tissue repair by increasing the homing of transplanted MSCs and cytokine secretion (such as neurotrophin 4). Furthermore, MSCs transplantation also has potential for the treatment of obesity. Although the effect is not significant in weight loss, MSCs transplantation shows effects in controlling blood glucose, improving dyslipidemia, reducing inflammation, and improving liver disease. Finally, the potential role of combined MSCs transplantation and exercise therapy in addressing obesity is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To highlight a detailed analysis of aesthetic and functional rhinoplasty outcomes utilizing the most recent highly validated Standardized Cosmesis Health Nasal Outcomes Survey (SCHNOS) for Middle Eastern crooked nose patients. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study scrutinizing preoperative rhinoplasty patients' satisfaction retrospectively and their postoperative outcomes prospectively. The patients fulfilled the Arabic SCHNOS during postoperative follow-up. Preoperative and postoperative responses were recorded and then reviewed and analyzed. Results: This study included 41 patients with a mean age of 27.8 years. Females represented 41.5% of patients. About 73% of patients had a history of trauma. 90% of patients underwent primary procedures for crooked nose correction. Twelve patients (29.3%) underwent surgery for functional reasons, and twenty-six (63.4%) had it for both aesthetic and functional issues. There was a statistically significant difference regarding changes in SCHNOS regarding nasal obstruction scores (SCHNOS-O) and nasal cosmesis scores (SCHNOS-C) (p < 0.001). These findings coincided with a substantial reduction of all SCHNOS items postoperatively (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant relationship between changes in (SCHNOS-O) or (SCHNOS-C) pre-and postoperatively and either age, sex, history of trauma, or type of surgery. However, a statistically significant difference was detected when assessing the relationship between changes in SCHNOS-O and the reason for surgery. Conclusion: A thorough knowledge of three-dimensional pathology and time-associated changes is required to achieve optimal aesthetic and functional outcomes for crooked nose patients. The use of highly validated questionnaires like SCHNOS in clinical practice is highly encouraged to modify and trace surgical techniques to the most appropriate and successful ones for the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to develop an evidence-based clinical imaging guideline for teeth suspected with vertical root fractures. Methods: An adaptation methodology based on the Korean Clinical Imaging Guidelines (K-CIG) was used in the guideline development process. After searching for guidelines using major databases such as Ovid-Medline, Elsevier-Embase, National Guideline Clearinghouse, and Guideline International Network, as well as domestic databases such as KoreaMed, KMbase, and KoMGI, two reviewers analyzed the retrieved articles. The retrieved articles were included in this review using well-established inclusion criteria. Results: Twenty articles were identified through an online search, of which three were selected for guideline development. Based on these three guidelines, this study developed specific recommendations concerning the optimal imaging modality for diagnosing teeth suspected of vertical root fractures. Conclusions: Periapical radiography is the preferred method for assessing teeth with mastication-related pain and suspected vertical root fractures. However, if intraoral radiographs do not provide sufficient information about root fractures, a small FOV CBCT may be considered. However, the use of CBCT in endodontically treated teeth is significantly constrained by the presence of artificial shading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess whether basal septal wall thickness (BSWT), anterior (AML) and posterior (PML) mitral leaflet length, or sex were associated with remaining left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO) in patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) undergoing alcohol septal ablation (ASA). One hundred fifty-four patients who underwent ASA at the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, between 2009 and 2021, were included retrospectively. Anatomical and hemodynamic parameters were collected from invasive catheterization before and during ASA, and from echocardiography (ECHO) examinations before, during, and at 1-year follow-up after ASA. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between sex, BSWT, AML, PML, and outcome, which was defined as the remaining LVOTO (≥ 30 mmHg) after ASA. The median follow-up was 364 days (interquartile range 334–385 days). BSWT ≥ 23 mm (n = 13, 12%) was associated with remaining LVOTO at follow-up (p = 0.004). Elongated mitral valve leaflet length (either AML or PML) was present in 125 (90%) patients. Elongated AML (> 24 mm) was present in 67 (44%) patients, although AML length was not associated with remaining LVOTO at follow-up. Elongated PML (> 14 mm) was present in 114 (74%) patients and was not associated with remaining LVOTO at follow-up. No significant sex differences were observed regarding the remaining LVOTO. ECHO measurement of BSWT can be effectively used to select patients for successful ASA and identify those patients with a risk of incomplete resolution of LVOTO after ASA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well-known Rule07 is a simple thus efficient way to compare available technologies for IR imaging detectors in terms of dark current. The noise is then often estimated using a shot noise approximation on the dark current. Both II–VI and III–V communities use this rule of thumb as a reference for well-performing IR photodiodes. For HOT applications, a dark current close to this rule07 is considered a necessary condition but not a sufficient one to obtain a high-performance IR imager. Indeed, when limited by shot noise, rule07 describes well the noise behavior of the considered device. However, when considering low-frequency noise, it fails to describe the expected performances. In this paper, we focus on another figure-of-merit, dedicated to detector low-frequency noise rather than dark current. Systemic 1/f noise investigation in an IR detector was first reported by Tobin et al. in 1980. There is today a relative consensus on the fact that measured 1/f noise is proportional to the dark current. The ratio between the amplitude of the 1/f noise and the dark current of the same devices may therefore be used as a figure-of-merit for a given technology. This ratio (called the Tobin factor α T ) therefore appears adequate to compare different technologies as a figure-of-merit qualifying 1/f noise properties. This dimensionless ratio can also be very useful for optimizing a particular technology or process. However, in order to be relevant, this figure-of-merit must be estimated carefully as it appears, for instance, pixel pitch-dependent. Different examples of Tobin coefficient extraction are presented in this paper. We show that, depending on the technologies, the values of the Tobin coefficient can spread over several orders of magnitude. However, only low values result in high-quality IR imagers. Today, the best results we obtained show that α T = 10 - 5 is a state-of-art value to be compared with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abundant low-grade nickel sulfide ore reserves hold potential as nickel resources but are hindered by high magnesium silicate content, limiting efficient utilization. The authors investigated the possibility of extracting nickel from a low-grade ultramafic nickel sulfide concentrate into ferronickel alloy. The nickel extraction study involved thermal upgrading and physical separation. Thermal upgrading efficiently concentrated nickel values from ultramafic concentrate into ferronickel alloy, achieving over 90 pct extraction with more than 40 pct nickel grade and a characteristic particle size of d80=100 µm. The presence of magnesium silicate gangues in the concentrate adversely impacted the thermal extraction of nickel. Multiple thermal treatment variables have been studied to improve nickel extraction efficiency, including metallic iron addition rate, heating duration, temperature, additives, and atmosphere. The proposed solid-state thermal upgrading method avoided smelting of materials and generation of sulfur dioxide. Magnetic separation recovered approximately 85 pct of nickel in the thermal treatment products into a ferronickel concentrate at 20 pct nickel grade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the quality of high dynamic range (HDR) images has emerged as a challenging and contemporary topic with the proliferation of HDR content. In this work, a new HDR compression (HDRC) database is proposed, aiming to provide a benchmark for the development of full-reference HDR image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms when facing the latest HDR compression distortions. In particular, the proposed HDRC database is the first HDR-IQA database to incorporate Versatile Video Coding (VVC) compression distortions, closely associated with practical application scenarios. Furthermore, the proposed HDRC database is currently the largest HDR-IQA database, including 80 reference images and 400 distorted images. Extensive experiments are conducted by studying the performance compared to existing HDR-IQA databases when evaluating three HDR-specific IQA models and nine IQA models prevalent for low dynamic range (LDR) content, revealing the challenges the proposed HDRC database brings. The results indicate that the existing IQA models demonstrate noticeable decreases in accuracy when assessing new compression distortions, underscoring the need for the development of novel HDR-IQA models. Consequently, the suggested HDRC database can serve as a potential database for HDR-IQA research, fostering a comprehensive exploration of the associated fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curious skink, Carlia ailanpalai Zug, occurs in the main group of the Admiralty Islands of Papua New Guinea but has also successfully invaded Guam, the Marianas, Yap, and Kosrae. A single coccidian, Eimeria zugi McAllister, Duszynski, Fisher, & Austin, 2013 was described from C. ailanpalai from Papua New Guinea. No additional coccidians are known from this host. Fourteen C. ailanpalai were collected from Cocos Island (Islan Dåno), Guam, U.S. Territory, and their feces examined for coccidians. A single skink (7%) was found to be passing oöcysts of a new species of Choleoeimeria. Oöcysts of Choleoeimeria cocosensisn. sp. are ellipsoidal to ovoidal with a bi-layered wall, measure (L × W) 21.1 × 12.9 µm, and have a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.6; a micropyle and an oocyst residuum were absent but fragmented polar granule(s) was present. Sporocysts are ovoidal and measure 8.6 × 6.3 µm, L/W 1.4; Stieda, sub-Stieda, and para-Stieda bodies were absent. Sporocyst residuum was typically a loose aggregate of various-sized granules between and across the sporozoites but sometimes a dense irregular mass between and across the sporozoites. Sporozoites were elongate, with a centrally located nucleus and a large spheroidal to subspheroidal posterior refractile body, but without an anterior refractile body. The new species can be differentiated from all other choleoeimerians from skinks by possessing one of the smallest oöcysts known from the host family. We also provide an updated summation of the choleoeimerians from skinks of the world. This article was registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) as urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6EFDF027-0A92-43C4-9AD0-E555252E7741. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass die-offs, reduced species richness and local extinctions of freshwater mussels have resulted from river drying events, which often co-occur with high ambient temperatures. These events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity under the influence of climate change. We aimed to identify the desiccation tolerance of two freshwater mussel species (the river mussel Alathyria jacksoni and the floodplain mussel Velesunio ambiguus) across a range of temperatures by simulating river drying events in laboratory conditions. Freshwater mussels were buried in sediment heated to 29, 32, 35, 38 and 41°C. Lethal times and lethal temperatures at which 50% mortality occurred were used to infer species-specific tolerances. The lethal time for 50% of mussels to reach mortality at 29°C was shorter for A. jacksoni (14 days) than V. ambiguus (58 days) but did not differ markedly at higher temperatures. Lethal temperatures were also similar between species over short durations (e.g. 39–40°C at 1 day). Our results suggest that the difference in desiccation tolerance between species diminishes toward their upper thermal limit. Management interventions aimed at reducing sediment temperatures, such as providing shade via riparian vegetation and wetting from environmental flows, could help alleviate the impact of drying events and climate change on both freshwater mussel species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construct of game experience encompasses two distinct dimensions: experience within a video game and experience with a video game. For the purposes of this study, the authors focused on prior experience with video games. The construct of prior video gaming experience has been typically defined in terms of time spent playing and operationalized in two distinctly different ways: 1) an estimate of overall time spent playing video games (e.g., single-item measure); or 2) a cumulative estimate of time spent playing split by video game genre (e.g., multiple-item measure). Despite these extant measurement perspectives, a search of the literature did not reveal a rationale for the disparate granularity with which the prior video game experience construct is captured. However, these variations in approach to measuring prior video game experience may impact the findings of game-based research. This study was conceptualized to begin a methodological conversation centering on how construct operationalization could influence study outcomes. A common scale adaptation process was applied to examine whether prior gaming experience measured by a single-item compared to a multiple-item instrument impacted the predicted likelihood of game-based outcomes. Results demonstrated that while both overall and genre-based measures of prior video game experience measures are tenable in game-based research, genre-based measures appear to yield more clarity for both task-specific and outcome-based research questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second biggest cause of blindness globally, with roughly 60 million cases documented worldwide in 2010. Glaucoma is a disease that, if left untreated, may cause irreparable damage to the optic nerve, ultimately resulting in blindness. Examining the optic nerve head, which includes the assessment of the cup-to-disc ratio, is regarded as one of the most important ways of structural diagnosis of the illness in its early stages. Optic Disc (OD) segmentation is a critical stage in analyzing the colour fundus image. In this work, the DRISHTI-GS and LAG images are resized and normalized as part of the preprocessing process. The optic disc is segmented using the trained UNET. Cropping is done to the optic disc following segmentation. Take segmented images and extract the statistical and edge characteristics. The optic image is then classified as normal or glaucoma using the trained KNN classifier. This work achieves an accuracy of 0.997, a sensitivity of 0.986, a specificity of 0.982 for the Drishti-GS, an accuracy of 0.987, and a sensitivity of 0.972 and a specificity of 0.992 for the LAG databases, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressing global energy and industrial system decarbonization into less than three decades creates unique social, technical, financial and political risks. Here we introduce 'off-ramps' as one potential approach to manage these whilst still driving rapid emissions reductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing (AM) applications are rapidly expanding across multiple domains and are not limited to prototyping purposes. However, achieving flawless parts in medical, aerospace, and automotive applications is critical for the widespread adoption of AM in these industries. Since AM is a complex process consisting of multiple interdependent factors, deep learning (DL) approaches are adopted widely to correlate the AM process physics to the part quality. Typically, in AM processes, computer vision-based DL is performed by extracting the machine's sensor data and layer-wise images through camera-based systems. This paper presents an overview of computer vision-assisted patch-wise defect localization and pixel-wise segmentation methods reported for AM processes to achieve error-free parts. In particular, these deep learning methods localize and segment defects in each layer, such as porosity, melt-pool regions, and spattering, during in situ processes. Further, knowledge of these defects can provide an in-depth understanding of fine-tuning optimal process parameters and part quality through real-time feedback. In addition to DL architectures to identify defects, we report on applications of DL extended to adjust the AM process variables in closed-loop feedback systems. Although several studies have investigated deploying closed-loop systems in AM for defect mitigation, specific challenges exist due to the relationship between inter-dependent process parameters and hardware constraints. We discuss potential opportunities to mitigate these challenges, including advanced segmentation algorithms, vision transformers, data diversity for improved performance, and predictive feedback approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus (Catostomidae) is a freshwater fish native to North America that is known for its longevity. During the 1970s, the bigmouth buffalo was recorded as declining in Canada, Minnesota, and North Dakota and became a protected species in Canada. In the USA, population declines are exacerbated by wasteful recreational bowfishing, lack of fisheries management, and overall lack of knowledge. However, recent studies have revealed the exceptional lifespan of bigmouth buffalo, their negligible senescence, slow growth, delayed maturity, and episodic recruitment. Yet little is known about the spawning phenology of bigmouth buffalo, nor their age demographics in east central Minnesota. In this 2021–2023 study of bigmouth buffalo from Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge we found that 99.7% (389 of 390) of the extant population hatched prior to 1972 despite annual spawning in Rice Lake. Moreover, recruitment success declined significantly since water control measures were established (1953). We found males arrive to spawning grounds with females but depart later, that both the midpoint and duration of spawn significantly vary across years, and that more massive females of the same age range invest disproportionately more in ovaries. Extensive post-spawn seining revealed bigmouth buffalo young-of-the-year in low numbers, but by mid-to-late summer they were no longer evident having likely succumbed to predation. Overall, these findings thoroughly reveal one of the oldest populations of vertebrate currently known (median age of 79 years as of 2024) and expose the stark vulnerability of a bigmouth buffalo population for which substantial recruitment has not occurred for more than six decades. Multiple lines of evidence indicate that the long-lived bigmouth buffalo is vulnerable, that a precautionary approach is immediately needed, and that the unlimited and unregulated kill-fishery be closed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the succession of chemical processes with high specificity in complex systems is advantageous for widespread applications, from biomedical research to drug manufacturing. Despite synthetic advances in bioorthogonal and photochemical methodologies, there is a need for generic chemical approaches that can universally modulate photodynamic reactivity in organic photosensitizers. Herein we present a strategy to fine-tune the production of singlet oxygen in multiple photosensitive scaffolds under the activation of bioresponsive and bioorthogonal stimuli. We demonstrate that the photocatalytic activity of nitrobenzoselenadiazoles can be fully blocked by site-selective incorporation of electron-withdrawing carbamate moieties and restored on demand upon uncaging with a wide range of molecular triggers, including abiotic transition-metal catalysts. We also prove that this strategy can be expanded to most photosensitizers, including diverse structures and spectral properties. Finally, we show that such advanced control of singlet oxygen generation can be broadly applied to the photodynamic ablation of human cells as well as to regulate the release of singlet oxygen in the semi-synthesis of natural product drugs. Generic chemical approaches that can universally modulate photodynamic reactivity in organic photosensitizers are of high interest. Here, the authors present a strategy to fine-tune the production of singlet oxygen in multiple photosensitive scaffolds under the activation of bioresponsive and bioorthogonal stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The matched filter hypothesis proposes a close match between senders and receivers and is supported by several studies on variation in signal properties and sensory-processing mechanisms among species and populations. Importantly, within populations, individual variation in sensory processing may affect how receivers perceive signals. Our main goals were to characterize hearing sensitivity of Pacific treefrogs (Pseudacris regilla), assess patterns of individual variation in hearing sensitivity, and evaluate how among-individual variation in hearing sensitivity and call frequency content affect auditory processing of communication signals. Overall, males and females are most sensitive to frequencies between 2.0 and 2.5 kHz, which matches the dominant frequency of the call, and have a second region of high sensitivity between 400 and 800 Hz that does not match the fundamental frequency of the call. We found high levels of among-individual variation in hearing sensitivity, primarily driven by subject size. Importantly, patterns of among-individual variation in hearing differ between males and females. Cross-correlation analyses reveal that among-individual variation in hearing sensitivity may lead to differences on how receivers, particularly females, perceive male calls. Our results suggest that individual variation in sensory processing may affect signal perception and influence the evolution of sexually selected traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the incidence of covert and overt postpartum urinary retention after vaginal delivery and the associated risk factors for postpartum urinary retention. To determine how well clinical examination by abdominal palpation correlates with ultrasound findings of urinary retention. Methods: Patients after delivery were screened with ultrasound and examined clinically to check for retention of urine after voiding. Results: A total of 822 of women were recruited in the study of which 86 (10.5%) women had significant post-void residue of urine. 33 (38.4%) had overt retention, while 53 (61.6%) had covert retention. Duration of labour and an increased VAS score were found to be significantly higher among those with urinary retention. Using clinical examination to diagnose postpartum urinary retention had a sensitivity of 66.1%, specificity of 88.6%, positive predictive value of 76.5% and negative predictive value of 82.3%. Conclusions: Clinical examination by abdominal palpation is not a very sensitive test in diagnosing PPUR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The active stabilization of heave/pitch motions and parametric roll resonance of nonlinear ship dynamics is crucial for various maritime applications to ensure the safe operation of vessels under high sea conditions. This paper highlights a new model-based control synthesis to mitigate dynamic instability associated with parametric resonance in a container ship model presented in descriptor form, ensuring safety and efficiency in maritime transport. A novel control strategy has solved the peak phenomena of sliding variables and the hardship in suppressing displacement/angle and velocity, especially in pitch motion. The adaptive fractional-order super-twisting algorithm is realized by guaranteeing several potential advantages over other approaches, such as non-overestimating adaptive gains, smooth control action with chattering reduction, stability, and robustness against disturbances. The Lyapunov theory proves the robust stability of the proposed control algorithm. The effectiveness of the new ship controller is verified via numerical simulation tests. Finally, an active control mechanism guarantees the safe maneuvering of large container ships on heavy seas with big waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The satellite images have been employed in building extraction to aid urban planning, tax assessment, disaster management, etc. The number of buildings and building types is huge in urban areas, which puts more burden on human experts to extract buildings in satellite images. Hence, building extraction from satellite images using deep learning (DL) has become an emerging research domain in recent decades. The performance of the DL model depends on training parameters, the depth of the model, and the memory required to preserve the model. In this work, a Memory-Efficient Residual Dilated Convolutional Network (MRDCN) has been proposed to extract buildings effectively with reduced number of training parameters and with lesser memory consumption. The model is trained using the Massachusetts buildings dataset and implemented using PyTorch in Kaggle platform. The trained model has been tested using both Massachusetts and AIRS Dataset. The simulation results prove that the proposed model uses 31.64% less memory than the existing dilated residual network. It is evident from the results that the MRDCN is able to extract the buildings with better accuracy and an Intersection of Union with minimal memory consumption than the existing standard UNet, SegNet, ResUNet, and Dilated ResUNet models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of childhood schizophrenia was widely employed in the U.S. from the 1930s to the late 1970s. In this paper I will provide a history of the diagnosis. Some of the earliest publications on childhood schizophrenia outlined the notion that childhood schizophrenia had different types. I will outline the development of these types, outlining differing symptoms and causes associated with various types. I outline how different types of childhood schizophrenia were demarcated from one another primarily on age of onset and the type of psychosis which was believed to be present. I will outline how various child psychiatrists viewed the types of childhood schizophrenia posited by other child psychiatrists. I will outline the process of abandoning childhood schizophrenia. I use my history to challenge what I believe are misconceptions about childhood schizophrenia. Also, I will use my history to draw lessons for thinking about modern notions of autism. It shows potential problems around formulating psychiatric diagnoses around causes and how compromises might be needed to prevent those problems. Additionally, childhood schizophrenia shows that psychiatrists could formulate subtypes that are not based upon functioning levels and that we can conceive of subtypes as dynamic whereby someone can change which subtype they exhibit over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Maternal Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is well known to affect the size and function of multiple fetal organ systems, effects on developing heart chamber function remain difficult to assess. We sought to determine the independent impact of maternal DM on fetal cardiac function in middle pregnancy. We prospectively recruited mothers with all categories of DM and non-diabetic healthy controls (NDC). Echocardiograms were optimized for chamber quantification and strain analysis. Left atrial area (LAA), LA strain (LAS), right atrial strain (RAS), global longitudinal ventricular strain (GLS) and Right ventricular free wall strain (RV FWS) were evaluated by 2 blinded operators. After excluding 9 mothers with poor fetal image quality, images from 104 mothers with DM and 47 NDC were analyzed. Mothers with DM and NDCs were well matched for age, blood pressure, smoking prevalence, and gestational age. Fetal heart rate (FHR) was significantly higher in fetuses of mothers with DM compared to NDC (147 ± 10 bpm vs. 144 ± 8, p = 0.04). LAA in fetuses of mothers with DM trended towards being larger in size (1.68 ± 0.4cm2 vs. 1.56 ± 0.4cm2, p = 0.08). Fetal septal diameters were larger in maternal DM compared to NDC (2.7 ± 0.5 cm vs. 2.5 ± 0.5 cm, p = 0.001). GLS was similar between the groups. Fetal LAS was lower in maternal DM (28.8 ± 8.8% vs. 33.3 ± 10.4%, p = 0.007) and was independently associated with maternal DM after adjusting for GLS and FHR. Fetal RAS was lower in maternal DM (27.7 ± 10.4% vs. 31.8 ± 10.3%, p = 0.007), however only determinates were estimated fetal weight and RV FWS. Maternal DM independently impairs fetal LA function in mid pregnancy. These early functional changes in the developing heart warrant future studies investigating impact on cardiovascular health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mycoprotein is a high-fibre food previously shown to reduce postprandial glucose concentrations when ingested within a mixed-meal. We applied a dual stable isotope tracer approach to determine whether this is due to a reduced rate of appearance of glucose, in participants of ranging BMI. Methods: Twenty-four adults (F = 8, BMI 30 ± 6 kg·m−2) attended 2 trials in a double-blind, randomised, cross-over design. Participants ingested two energy and macronutrient matched milk-based drinks (enriched with 1000 mg [U-13C6] glucose in a subset of 12 participants), containing 50 g glucose and either 0 (CON) or 20 g (MYC) mycoprotein. A primed continuous intravenous infusion of D-[6,6-2H2] glucose determined plasma glucose kinetics over 6 h. Postprandial time-course, and AUC, of glucose and insulin concentration, rate of disappearance (RdT) and appearance of exogenous (RaEx), endogenous (EGP), and total (RaT) plasma glucose were assessed using two- and one-way ANOVA. Results: Drink ingestion increased blood glucose and serum insulin concentrations (P < 0.05) and were comparable between conditions (P > 0.05). Both RaT and RdT were higher with MYC compared with CON over 6 h (mean 6 h glucose appearance and disappearance increased by 5 and 9%, respectively, P < 0.05). RaEx was not affected by MYC ingestion over 6 h (P > 0.05). The mean contribution of EGP to total glucose appearance was 15% greater with MYC, with a trend towards significance (P = 0.05). There was no relationship between BMI and the response to MYC ingestion for any of the variables (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The ingestion of mycoprotein within a mixed-meal impacted postprandial glucose kinetics, but not blood glucose or serum insulin concentrations, in individuals of ranging BMI. Clinical trial registry number and website: This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04084639 and can be accessed at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04084639. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asia's elderly Baby Boomer demographic (born between 1946 and 1964) faced a huge problem during the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased all-cause mortality. We aimed to provide a unique Taiwan situation regarding the impact of Baby Boomers on excess mortalities from all causes relative to non-Baby Boomers throughout distinct times of SARS-CoV-2 mutations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used the Poisson time series design with a Bayesian directed acyclic graphic approach to build the background mortality prior to the COVID-19 pandemic between 2015 and 2019. It was then used for predicting the expected all-cause deaths compared to the reported figures during the COVID-19 pandemic period based on Taiwan residents, an Omicron-naïve cohort. Results: Baby Boomers experienced a 2% negative excess mortality in 2020 (Wuhan/D614G) and a 4% excess mortality in 2021 (Alpha/Delta) with a rising background mortality trend whereas non-Baby Boomers showed the corresponding figures of 4% negative excess and 1% excess with a stable trend. Baby Boomer and non-Baby Boomer excess mortality soared to 9% (95% CI: 7-10%) and 10% (95% CI: 9-11%), respectively, during the epidemic Omicron period from January to June 2022. Surprisingly, Baby Boomers aged 58–76 experienced the same 9% excess mortality as non-Baby Boomers aged 77 and beyond. Non-COVID-19 deaths were more prevalent among Baby Boomers than non-Baby Boomers (33% vs. 29%). Conclusion: Baby Boomers were more likely to die from COVID-19 in early pandemic and had more non-COVID-19 deaths in late pandemic than older non-Baby Boomers demonstrated in Taiwan Omicron-naïve cohort. For this vulnerable population, adequate access to medical care and medical capacity require more consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More has yet to be indicated on how micronutrients may affect maize (Zea mays L.) growth and yield production in the calcareous soils of arid and semi-arid areas. The single and interactive effects of iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) on maize growth and yield production in the calcareous soils of Kashan, Isfahan province, Iran were tested. A two-year field experiment, as a factorial on the basis of a complete randomized block design, comprising 12 treatments with three replicates was conducted in 2016 and 2017. The single and the combined foliar application of FeSO4 (0 (Fe1), 2 (Fe2) and 5 (Fe3) mgL− 1), ZnSO4 (0 (Zn1) and 5 (Zn2) mgL− 1), and MnSO4 (0 (Mn1) and 5 (Mn2) mgL− 1)), at V8 and tasseling growth stages, were tested. Different maize growth parameters and yield components were determined. The Fe + Zn treatment had the highest impact on different corn parameters including tasseling height (49.0 cm), cob length (21.8 cm), number of grains per row (38.9), cob weight (303.7 g) and grain yield (2045 kgha− 1). The Fe treatments were the most effective ones significantly increasing maize yield and yield components, followed by the Zn and Mn treatments, which may be due to high deficiency of Fe in the calcareous soils. The high number of presented trustworthy data, can be confidently used for the development of micronutrient fertilization recommendations including Fe (especially 2 mgL− 1) or/and Fe + Zn or/and Fe + Zn + Mn for corn production in the calcareous soils of arid and semi-arid areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The p -ary linear code C k n , q is defined as the row space of the incidence matrix A of k -spaces and points of PG n , q . It is known that if q is square, a codeword of weight q k q + O q k - 1 exists that cannot be written as a linear combination of at most q rows of A . Over the past few decades, researchers have put a lot of effort towards proving that any codeword of smaller weight does meet this property. We show that if q ⩾ 32 is a composite prime power, every codeword of C k n , q up to weight O q k q is a linear combination of at most q rows of A . We also generalise this result to the codes C j , k n , q , which are defined as the p -ary row span of the incidence matrix of k-spaces and j-spaces, j < k . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]