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Accurate prediction of drug–target interactions is critical for advancing drug discovery. By reducing time and cost, machine learning and deep learning can accelerate this laborious discovery process. In a novel approach, BarlowDTI, we utilise the powerful Barlow Twins architecture for feature-extraction while considering the structure of the target protein. Our method achieves state-of-the-art predictive performance against multiple established benchmarks using only one-dimensional input. The use of our hybrid approach of deep learning and gradient boosting machine as the underlying predictor ensures fast and efficient predictions without the need for substantial computational resources. We also propose the use of an influence method to investigate how the model reaches its decision based on individual training samples. By comparing co-crystal structures, we find that BarlowDTI effectively exploits catalytically active and stabilising residues, highlighting the model's ability to generalise from one-dimensional input data. In addition, we further benchmark new baselines against existing methods. Together, these innovations improve the efficiency and effectiveness of drug–target interactions predictions, providing robust tools for accelerating drug development and deepening the understanding of molecular interactions. Therefore, we provide an easy-to-use web interface that can be freely accessed at https://www.bio.nat.tum.de/oc2/barlowdti. Scientific contribution: Our computationally efficient and effective hybrid approach, combining the deep learning model Barlow Twins and gradient boosting machines, outperforms state-of-the-art methods across multiple splits and benchmarks using only one-dimensional input. Furthermore, we advance the field by proposing an influence method that elucidates model decision-making, thereby providing deeper insights into molecular interactions and improving the interpretability of drug-target interactions predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The development of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) results in large spatial geodetic networks with a distinct range of accuracy. Thus, classification of the GNSS stations is needed to determine which stations are appropriate for geodetic applications. Additionally, advanced Machine Learning (ML) techniques have been proposed. However, ML algorithms may sometimes be less sensitive due to a lack of samples or anomalies in input data. Therefore, this study introduces an approach in which human-based supervision is integrated into ML processes to improve the ML model’s performance in classifying the continuous GNSS stations. The human factor influences the ML processes through two sampling strategies: “suggest-decide” and “correct-retrain”, where the accuracy of ML models will be improved via human-based corrections. The idea is that the unsupervised ML-based clustering techniques are driven by human-based supervision to create samples for training the supervised ML-based classification models. In this study, we develop a MATLAB app to automate the clustering and labeling processes. Our finding demonstrates that applying these sampling strategies can enhance the accuracy of the ML-based classification models from under 50 % up to ∼ 99 % after re-training. Also, this study categorizes almost 9000 continuous monitoring stations in the Nevada database, of which 1900 stations in Europe serve as samples for training the ML-based classification models. Furthermore, the methodologies developed in this study can be applied to warning systems, which utilize internal and external human resources to correct errors, address unusual situations, and provide timely feedback for better performance of ML-based forecasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Un-differenced (UD) ambiguity resolution (AR) is widely applied since it can avoid wrong-fixing and fix the most of ambiguities. However, in the precise orbit determination (POD) solution using ground network only, the accuracy of float estimates is not sufficient for a direct UD AR, and thus double-differenced (DD) AR must be conducted first. It is demonstrated that integrating low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites improves the accuracy of ambiguity-float solutions and consequently the improved ambiguity estimates enable successful UD AR. With more and more LEO satellites receiving Global Positioning System (GPS) observations, it is important to investigate the effect of different LEO configurations for LEO-augmented GPS UD AR. In this study, about 100 stations of the International GNSS Service (IGS), and eight LEO satellites with five orbital configurations, including two GRACE-FO, three SWARM, two SENTINEL-3, and one SENTINEL-6 satellites, are used for integrated processing of LEO satellites and ground network. The influence of different numbers of LEO satellites and orbital configurations on the performance of UD POD is investigated by analyzing the POD results of the ground network together with 35 different LEO-satellite schemes. We demonstrate that the performance of POD, in terms of GPS orbit accuracy and unsuccessful fixing in the UD AR solution, depends on the accuracy of float estimates. The number of unsuccessful fixings can be reduced by the increasing number of LEO satellites and orbital configurations. Moreover, including LEO satellites from more orbital configurations is more efficient for a given number of LEO satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of autolyzed yeast (obtained from culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in sugarcane derivatives) supplementation on diet digestibility, feeding behavior, levels of blood metabolites associated with protein and energy metabolism, and performance of Dorper × Santa Ines lambs finished in feedlot. Twenty-four non-castrated male lambs with an average age of 4 months and a body weight (BW) of 19.49 ± 3.08 kg were allocated to individual pens within a covered and elevated shed. The pens had a slatted floor without bedding suspended 1.8 m above the ground, and an area of 1.5 m2. The trial was set out in a completely randomized design with two treatments and twelve replicates each. The treatments consisted of a basal diet without yeast products (Control) or with yeast culture (Yeast, RumenYeast® at 5 g/animal/day). Lambs were fed ad libitum with a total mixed ration (TMR) composed of 400 g/kg of dry matter (DM) of Tifton 85 hay (Cynodon spp.) and 600 g/kg DM of concentrate feed, and contained 146 g/kg DM of crude protein and 2.30 Mcal/kg DM of metabolizable energy. The experiment was conducted over 84 days, with the first 14 days serving as an adaptation period. The subsequent experimental period was divided into two phases to evaluate animal performance (Days 1–63) and DM digestibility (Days 64–70). The supplementation with autolyzed yeast did not affect rumen or fecal pH, the DM digestibility, as well as the feeding behavior of lambs (the time spent on feeding, rumination, water intake, and idleness activities). In addition, yeast supplementation did not alter the serum levels of albumin, creatinine, urea, or level of plasma glucose, resulting in similar animal performance compared to the Control group. The mean values for final BW, DM intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio were 37.52 kg, 1.051 kg/day, 0.286 kg/day, and 3.74 kg DM/kg gain, respectively. In the conditions of this study, the supplementation of autolyzed yeast in TMR (5 g/animal/day) does not affect diet digestibility, feeding behavior, blood metabolites, or performance of lambs finished in feedlot. Regarding that metabolic and performance lamb responses were not improved, the supplementation of autolyzed yeast at the tested dose is not recommended. However, it is important to note that markers related to immunity and inflammation were not evaluated in our work, and these should be considered in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aneuploidy in eggs is a leading cause of miscarriages or viable developmental syndromes. Aneuploidy rates differ between individual chromosomes. For instance, chromosome 21 frequently missegregates, resulting in Down Syndrome. What causes chromosome-specific aneuploidy in meiosis is unclear. Chromosome 21 belongs to the class of acrocentric chromosomes, whose centromeres are located close to the chromosome end, resulting in one long and one short chromosome arm. We demonstrate that acrocentric chromosomes are generally more often aneuploid than metacentric chromosomes in porcine eggs. Kinetochores of acrocentric chromosomes are often partially covered by the short chromosome arm during meiosis I in human and porcine oocytes and orient less efficiently toward the spindle poles. These partially covered kinetochores are more likely to be incorrectly attached to the spindle. Additionally, sister chromatids of acrocentric chromosomes are held together by lower levels of cohesin, making them more vulnerable to age-dependent cohesin loss. Chromosome architecture and low cohesion therefore bias acrocentric chromosomes toward aneuploidy during mammalian meiosis. Bellou et al. show that acrocentric chromosomes, such as chromosome 21, are more prone to aneuploidy in oocytes due to their unique architecture and lower cohesion levels, which lead to inefficient alignment and increased mis-segregation during meiosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For precise orbit determination (POD) and precise applications with POD products, one of the critical issues is the modeling of non-conservative forces acting on satellites. Since the official publication of Galileo satellite metadata in 2017, analytical models including the box-wing model and thermal thrust models have been established to absorb a substantial amount of solar radiation pressure (SRP) and thermal thrust. These models serve as the foundation for the best overall modeling approach, combining the analytical box-wing model and thermal thrust model with parameterization of the remaining non-conservative perturbing forces using various optimized Empirical CODE Orbit Models (ECOMs) of the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE). Firstly, we have demonstrated the significance of the second-order signals in the D direction and the first-order signals in the B direction through spectral analyses of the pure box-wing model, which are consistent with the currently recommended 7-parameter Empirical CODE Orbit Model 2 (ECOM2). In spite of this, we still found that degradation in orbit accuracy frequently occurs during deep eclipse seasons when using the ECOM2 model. We confirm a high-frequency signal existing in the fluctuating orbit overlap differences through the spectral analysis. Considering this, the ECOM2 force model should be extended to higher order and adapted to absorb the remaining effects of potential perturbing forces. After extending the ECOM2 force model to the sixth order in the Sun direction, we demonstrated the significance of fourth- and sixth-order sine terms for deep eclipses. Due to the higher-order periodic terms, the averaged RMS values of orbit overlap difference over deep eclipses can be reduced from 5.3, 10.8, and 23.8 cm to 3.2, 3.9, and 9.9 cm for in-orbit validation (IOV) satellites, from 5.0, 8.6, and 17.7 cm to 3.0, 3.0, and 7.1 cm for the first generation of full operational capability (FOC-1) satellites, and from 5.4, 8.6, and 19.0 cm to 3.6, 3.6, and 7.4 cm for the second generation of FOC (FOC-2) satellites, in the radial, cross-track, and along-track directions, respectively. Fluctuations with a peak amplitude of approximately 0.4 nm/s2 in the bias in the solar panel axis (Y) direction (Y-bias) are effectively mitigated by the higher-order terms. Due to the higher-order terms, the vertical positioning errors during kinematic precise point positioning (PPP) convergence can be improved from 42.3 to 37.1 cm at the 95.5% confidence level. Meanwhile, a low correlation level of up to 0.02 is found between the newly introduced higher-order parameters and earth rotation parameters (ERPs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study sought to quantify the risks of urinary retention following different levels or degrees of nerve preservation during parametrectomies for deep endometriosis (DE). Methods: Women undergoing laparoscopic and robotic nerve-sparing DE surgeries were studied. The cases were divided into 6 groups according to the degree of preservation of parasympathetic parametrium fibers on each side: P1 (P1 left /P1 right—Excellent preservation: presacral and pararectal fascia bilateral preservation), P2 (P1/P2 or P2/P1, P2/P2—Regular preservation: fascia violation with local fat visualization—either of both sides; and P3 (P1/P3 or P3/P1, P2/P3 or P3/P2, P3/P3)—Poor preservation: musculature and pelvic floor exposure—even if only unilateral. Results: Of a total of 151 women eligible for the study, 110 (72.8%) had excellent nerve preservation; 24 (15.8%) had regular nerve preservation, and 17 (11.2%) had poor-nerve preservation. The incidence of elevated PVR was higher in the P3 group. Thirty-five patients were catheterized post-operatively, more common in the P3 group. In four cases from the P3 group, prolonged intermittent self-catheterization after discharge was necessary. The calculated risk of needing intermittent catheterization in the P3 group was 23.1% up to 8 weeks and 7.7% up to 8 months post-surgery. Conclusion: Parametrectomy with poor-nerve preservation can lead to urinary retention, even with excellent contralateral preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mammals, oocytes are arrested in prophase of meiosis I for long periods of time. Prophase arrest is critical for reproduction because it allows oocytes to grow to their full size to support meiotic maturation and embryonic development. Prophase arrest requires the inhibitory phosphorylation of the mitotic kinase CDK1. Whether prophase arrest is also regulated at the translational level is unknown. Here, we show that prophase arrest is regulated by translational control of dormant cyclin B1 mRNAs. Using Trim-Away, we identify two mechanisms that maintain cyclin B1 dormancy and thus prophase arrest. First, a complex of the RNA-binding proteins DDX6, LSM14B and CPEB1 directly represses cyclin B1 translation through interacting with its 3'UTR. Second, cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding proteins (PABPCs) indirectly repress the translation of cyclin B1 and other poly(A)-tail-less or short-tailed mRNAs by sequestering the translation machinery on long-tailed mRNAs. Together, we demonstrate how RNA-binding proteins coordinately regulate prophase arrest, and reveal an unexpected role for PABPCs in controlling mRNA dormancy. Mammalian oocytes must be maintained in prophase long enough to grow to full size. Here, the authors identify two mechanisms that repress cyclin B1 translation to maintain prophase arrest, and reveal a new aspect of cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding proteins in controlling translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document discusses the genomic profiles and outcomes of de novo versus therapy-related core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF-AML). It highlights that therapy-related cases may have inferior outcomes due to factors like older age and treatment toxicity. The study reviewed patients to evaluate genetic profiles and outcomes, finding no significant differences in genetic profiles between de novo and therapy-related cases. The study emphasizes the importance of monitoring measurable residual disease and considering intensive therapy and stem cell transplantation based on molecular MRD results. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Die Ophthalmologie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) tropospheric delay, specifically zenith wet delay (ZWD), shows clear spatial–temporal variations and is usually modeled as RWPN (random walk process noise). However, because RWPN does not take the geographical position of GNSS stations and local weather conditions into account for precise point positioning (PPP), it may lead to biased ZWD estimates. To address the scientific problem and improve ZWD estimates, we adopt the Expectation–Maximization algorithm (EM algorithm) to validate the feasibility of estimating RWPN using only GNSS measurements. Numerical experiments reveal that using only GNSS observations is capable of determining the RWPN parameter, although it could take several days to reach a stable solution if the initial guess deviates far away from the truth. It is also shown that estimating RWPN can almost always effectively improve ZWD estimates by several millimeters in contrast with traditional PPP results. If the ambiguities are fixed to their integer values correctly, the accuracy of RWPN estimates for ZWD can be greatly reduced by 2 mm / hour . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical trials have shown that cenobamate (CNB) is an efficacious and safe anti-seizure medication (ASM) for drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Here, we analyzed one of the largest real-world cohorts, covering the entire spectrum of epilepsy syndromes, the efficacy and safety of CNB, and resulting changes in concomitant ASMs. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study investigating CNB usage in two German tertiary referral centers between October 2020 and June 2023 with follow-up data up to 27 months of treatment. Our primary outcome was treatment response. Secondary outcomes comprised drug response after 12 and 18 months, seizure freedom rates, CNB dosage and retention, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and changes in concomitant ASMs. Results: 116 patients received CNB for at least two weeks. At 6 months, 98 patients were eligible for evaluation. Thereof 50% (49/98) were responders with no relevant change at 12 and 18 months. Seizure freedom was achieved in 18.4% (18/98) at 6 months, 16.7% (11/66), and 3.0% (1/33) at 12 and 18 months. The number of previous ASMs did not affect the seizure response rate. Overall, CNB was well-tolerated, however, in 7.7% (9/116), ADRs led to treatment discontinuation. The most frequent changes of concomitant ASMs included the discontinuation or reduction of sodium channel inhibitors, clobazam reduction, and perampanel discontinuation, while brivaracetam doses were usually left unchanged. Conclusions: CNB proved to be a highly effective and generally well-tolerated ASM in patients with severe drug-resistant epilepsy, comprising a broad array of epilepsy syndromes beyond focal epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The Broström procedure is an established procedure in cases of primary lateral ankle ligament repair (LALR). To improve postoperative stability an augmentation device, InternalBrace™ (Arthrex, Naples, FL) has been introduced. This study evaluates remodelling of the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) in patients undergoing a tape augmented Broström technique as well as clinical outcomes. Methods: In this study 32 patients with chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) receiving augmented LALR were included. Clinical outcomes were evaluated at a one-time postoperative visit between 12 and 18 months. A 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was done to evaluate the morphology of the ATFL. Statistical analysis was completed with the free software and environment R version 3.6.3 (Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, USA) and P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The mean follow-up time was 15.3 ± 1.8 months with a return to sport time of 4.0 ± 2.4 months. The average AOFAS (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Score) score was 94.4 ± 7.2, the FAOS (Foot and Ankle Outcome Score) demonstrated 87.3 ± 10.4 points and the FFI (Foot Function Index – 2 scores (pain and function score)) was 22.9 ± 20.1 and 15.4 ± 10.4, respectively. The MRI findings demonstrated an average length of the ATFL of 18.6 ± 4.3 mm and the width was 3.6 ± 0.9 mm. A clear differentiation between the ATFL and the augmentation device could be shown in 28 cases. The Fisher's exact test could not depict a significant correlation between the presence of a bone marrow edema and the tension of the augmentation device with a level of significance of α = 0.05. Conclusion: An anatomical healing tendency of the ligament repair and good integrity of the augmentation device could be shown based on MRI findings. The lateral ligament repair augmented with suture tape is an effective and safe procedure regarding surgical treatment in chronic lateral ankle instability producing good clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder sintering is a low-energy, net-shape processing route for many new products in the additive manufacturing space. We advance the viewpoint that for future manufacturing, alloys should be designed from materials science principles to sinter quickly at lower temperatures and with controlled final microstructures. Specifically, we illustrate the computational design of multinary Ni-base alloys, whose chemistries permit a low-temperature solid-state sintering scheme without any pressure- or field-assistance, as well as heat-treatability after sintering. The strategy is based on sequential phase evolutions designed to occur during sintering. The reactions involve rapid reorganization of matter to full density in cycles up to just 1200 °C, while conventional Ni alloys sintered in the solid-state require about ten times longer, or more than 250 °C degrees higher temperature. Our approach yields an alloy that benefits from precipitation hardening, has an increased strength ~ 50% higher than solid-state processed commercial Ni alloys, and yet exhibits extensive plasticity beyond 35% uniaxial strain. The results point to a generalizable design scheme for many other alloys designed for solid-state powder processing that can enable greater value from additive manufacturing. In this work, the authors advance the viewpoint that powder alloys yield better processability and final properties, when they are designed from materials science principles to sinter quickly and with controlled microstructure evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, prediction techniques for the highly variable angular velocity of the Earth represented by Earth's rotation (UT1-UTC) and length-of-day (LOD) have been continuously improved. This is because many applications like navigation, astronomy, space exploration, climate studies, timekeeping, disaster monitoring, and geodynamic studies, all rely on predictions of these Earth rotation parameters. They provide early warning of changes in the Earth's rotation, allowing various industries and scientific fields to operate more precisely and efficiently. Thus, in our study, we focused on short-term prediction for UT1-UTC (dUT1) and LOD. Our prediction approach is to combine machine learning (ML) technique with efficient evolutionary computation (EC) algorithms to achieve reliable and improved predictions. Gaussian process regression (GPR) is used as the ML technique with genetic algorithm (GA) as the EC algorithm. GA is used for hyperparameter optimization of GPR model as selecting appropriate values for hyperparameter are essential to ensure that the prediction model can accurately capture the underlying patterns in the data. We conducted some experiments with our prediction approach to thoroughly test its capabilities. Moreover, two forecasting strategies were used to assess the performance in both hindcast and operational settings. In most of the experiments, the data used are the multi-technique combinations (C04) generated by International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). In one of the experiments, we also investigated the performance of our prediction model on dUT1 and LOD from four different products obtained from IERS EOP 20 C04, DTRF20, JTRF20 and USNO. The prediction products are evaluated with real estimates of the EOP product with which the model is trained. The combined excitations of the atmosphere, oceans, hydrology, and sea level (AAM + OAM + HAM + SLAM) are used as predictors because they are highly correlated to the input data. The results depict the highest performance of 0.412 ms in dUT1 and 0.092 ms/day in LOD, on day 10 of predictions. It is worth noting that the later predictions were obtained by incorporating the uncertainty of the input data as weights in the prediction model, which was a novel approach tested in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support real-time global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) precise applications, satellite clock corrections need to be precisely estimated at a high-rate update interval, which remains a challenge due to the rapid development of multi-GNSS constellations. In this study, we developed an undifferenced (UD) ambiguity resolution (AR) procedure to improve both the accuracy and computational efficiency for real-time multi-GNSS clock estimation realized by a square root information filter. In the proposed method, UD ambiguities are resolved after correcting the simultaneously estimated uncalibrated phase delays (UPD) and the fixed UD ambiguity parameters are eliminated immediately from the filter, so that the computational burden is significantly reduced. Moreover, based on the linear relationship between double-differenced (DD) and UD ambiguities, we investigated the difference between DD and UD AR in clock estimation. We found that the major reason why DD AR contributes little to the clock estimation while UD AR can speed up the convergence remarkably is that UD AR additionally provides a stable clock datum compared with DD AR. GNSS observations from about 100 globally distributed stations were processed with the proposed method to generate simulated real-time clocks and UPDs for GPS, Galileo, and BDS satellites over a one-month period. The results show that the percentage of wide-lane (WL) UPD residuals within ± 0.25 cycles and narrow-lane (NL) UPD residuals within ± 0.15 cycles are over 97.0% and 90.0%, respectively, which contributes to an ambiguity fixing rate of more than 90% for three systems. The mean daily standard deviation (STD) of the clocks of the UD-fixed solution with respect to Center for Orbit Determination in Europe 30 s final products is 0.021, 0.020, and 0.035 ns for GPS, Galileo, and BDS satellite, respectively, which is improved by 78.1%, 58.3%, and 79.8% compared to the float solution. Benefiting from the removal of fixed ambiguities, the average computation time per epoch was reduced from 3.88 to 1.05 s with a remarkable improvement of 72.9%. The quality of the satellite clock and UPD products was also evaluated by the performance of kinematic precise point positioning (PPP). The results show that fast and reliable multi-GNSS PPP-AR can be achieved with the derived UD-fixed clocks and UPDs, which outperforms that using DD-fixed clock and off-line UPD products with an average improvement of 7.9% and 19.9% in terms of convergence time and positioning accuracy, respectively. Furthermore, we demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed UD AR method through a 7-day real-time clock estimation experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous study setting, climatotherapy programme consisted of six sessions – four in the mid-mountain area and two in a flat park. For all sessions, the subjects underwent climatotherapy in the morning under slightly cool conditions. During each session, the subjects' blood pressure, pulse rate, skin temperature, blood lactate, salivary cortisol and mood profile were recorded, and meteorological data were collected at the sites. We hypothesised that exercise habits, changes in mood profile and effective temperatures during the session, and physical exertion during the climatic terrain cure would affect salivary cortisol levels. Subjects were 30 (spring) and 29 (autumn). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the determinants of the change in salivary cortisol levels. In the mountain setting, salivary cortisol was elevated, even though the sessions took place in the descending phase of the circadian salivary cortisol variation; however, the post-session cortisol increase was not significant. Increased post-session salivary cortisol was significantly associated with female gender, older age, higher BMI, lower body fat, less daily physical activity, increased blood lactate, increased 'Tension-Anxiety' and 'Depression-Dejection' moods, and decreased 'Anger-Hostility' mood. The increase in cortisol may have been due to older age, a predominance of females, and the increased blood lactate due to the mountainous terrain. In the flat park, the significant decrease in postsession salivary cortisol was related to the descending circadian phase of circadian cortisol variation and the low physical demands of the sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The strength of materials depends on the rate at which they are tested, as defects, for example dislocations, that move in response to applied strains have intrinsic kinetic limitations1–4. As the deformation strain rate increases, more strengthening mechanisms become active and increase the strength4–7. However, the regime in which this transition happens has been difficult to access with traditional micromechanical strength measurements. Here, with microballistic impact testing at strain rates greater than 106 s−1, and without shock conflation, we show that the strength of copper increases by about 30% for a 157 °C increase in temperature, an effect also observed in pure titanium and gold. This effect is counterintuitive, as almost all materials soften when heated under normal conditions. This anomalous thermal strengthening across several pure metals is the result of a change in the controlling deformation mechanism from thermally activated strengthening to ballistic transport of dislocations, which experience drag through phonon interactions1,8–10. These results point to a pathway to better model and predict materials properties under various extreme strain rate conditions, from high-speed manufacturing operations11 to hypersonic transport12.Microballistic impact testing at strain rates greater than 106 s−1 shows that pure metals, including copper, gold and titanium, become stronger with increasing temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uncovering of several recent corporate scandals has brought to light unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) in organizations. A growing body of research has provided insights into employees' UPB and its antecedents. However, our understanding of leader UPB and its effects remains limited. In this study, we develop and test a theoretical model that explains employees' responses to their leader UPB. By drawing on the theory of motivated reasoning and the trust literature, we posit that, in general, leader UPB is linked to unfavorable responses from employees such as a lower perception of leaders' trustworthiness, which, in turn, reduces the citizenship behaviors of employees. However, our model also shows that these effects do not emerge automatically but depend on a crucial boundary condition—followers' outcome favorability, or the extent to which followers personally benefit from leader UPB. Specifically, we contend that negative responses to leader UPB arise mainly when followers' outcome favorability is low but decrease significantly when followers' outcome favorability is high. The results of two multi-wave, multi-source field studies support our hypothesized model. These findings offer a new, instrumental perspective on followers' responses to unethical leader behaviors, with valuable theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classification of tumors is essential in the diagnosis and clinical management of patients with malignant neoplasms. The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a globally applicable classification scheme of neoplasms and it was updated several times. In this review, we briefly outline the cornerstones of the upcoming 5th edition of the World Health Organization Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours on lymphoid neoplasms. As is adopted throughout the 5th edition of the WHO classification of tumors of all organ systems, entities are listed by a hierarchical system. For the first time, tumor-like lesions have been included in the classification, and modifications of nomenclature for some entities, revisions of diagnostic criteria or subtypes, deletion of certain entities, and introduction of new entities are presented along with mesenchymal lesions specific to the stroma of lymph nodes and the spleen. In addition to specific outlines on constitutional and somatic genetic changes associated with given entities, a separate chapter on germline predisposition syndromes related to hematologic neoplasms has been added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Heart failure represents a major challenge for healthcare systems worldwide. Rehabilitation is recommended as an important pillar of therapy for these patients, especially for those with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction). Methods: The data collected in this multi-center project provide information on the rates of patients with HFrEF who were treated in five German rehabilitation facilities and whether the patients adhered to drug therapy at 3-/6-month follow-up. The project was supported by an unrestricted grant from Novartis-Pharma-GmbH. Results: The mean age of the 234 patients included was 63.4 ± 10.6 years and 78% were male. The mean LVEF was 31 ± 8% at admission and 36 ± 10% at discharge. Only 20.6% of the patients were assigned to rehabilitation with the main indication HF. The most frequent main indication was acute coronary syndrome (46.6%). A high proportion of patients was already on the recommended drug therapy upon admission (94% beta blockers, 100% angiotensin-effective drugs, 70% mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, etc.). This was optimized, in particular by a higher proportion of patients treated with sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (35% admission vs. 45% discharge) and sacubitril/valsartan (49% admission vs. 64% discharge), which was further optimized during the 6-month follow-up (e.g., 50% SGLT2 inhibitors, 67% sacubitril/valsartan). Discussion: These data illustrate the effect of rehabilitation in terms of optimizing drug therapy, which stabilized over the course of 6 months. Furthermore, only a few patients with the main diagnosis HFrEF are referred for cardiac rehabilitation, although it is an essential part of guideline-based therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Project “Saptarshi” was initiated by the National Centre for Geodesy, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to set up the modern space geodetic infrastructure in the country. This project primarily focuses on the establishment of an Indian Geodetic VLBI network. The purpose of this paper is to anticipate the potential impact of the geodetic VLBI network in India to the national and international scientific products. Saptarshi proposes to establish three VLBI stations along with a correlator at one facility. In this work, we investigate how adding proposed Indian VLBI antennas will affect terrestrial and celestial reference frames as well as Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP). Additionally, we shortly demonstrate scenario of VLBI observations of one of the Indian regional navigation satellite system called Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) to determine its orbit. Two VLBI networks were simulated to observe the NAVIC satellite along with quasars to check how well the orbit of this satellite can be recovered from VLBI observations. To investigate the impact on the terrestrial reference frame, three types of 24-h sessions, IVS-R1 (legacy), IVS-VGOS (next generation VLBI), and IVS-AOV (Asia Oceania VLBI), were studied to examine the gain in precision of geodetic parameters when adding the proposed Indian VLBI antennas. IVS-type Intensive sessions were also investigated with the proposed Indian antennas to assess the improvement in the estimation of dUT1 as one important VLBI product. Furthermore, the u-v coverage of some radio sources of the southern hemisphere was compared utilizing observing networks with and without the proposed Indian antennas. Apart from that, we briefly discuss other benefits of the establishment of Indian geodetic VLBI in the scientific fields of atmosphere, metrology, and space missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The movement of the Earth's surface mass, including the atmosphere and oceans, as well as hydrology and glacier melting, causes the redistribution of surface loads, deformation of the solid Earth, and fluctuations in the gravity field. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide useful information about the movement of the Earth's surface mass. The impact of surface loading deformation over 145 GNSS sites in Africa was investigated using vertical height time series analysis. The study investigates and quantifies the impact of surface loading on the GNSS coordinates utilizing GNSS Precise Point Positioning (PPP) approach. The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) EPOS.P8 software was used to process and analyze eleven years of GPS data from all the stations, as well as dedicated hydrological and atmospheric loading correction models given by the Earth System Modeling group at Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (ESMGFZ). The results of the hydrological loading corrections arising from the surface-deformation were analysed to determine the extent of station improvements. The results revealed about 40% of the stations showed improvement with an average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) residual of 7.3 mm before the application of the hydrological loading corrections and 7.1 mm Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) after the application of the hydrological loading corrections. Similarly, the atmospheric loading corrections gave an improvement of about 57%. Furthermore, the amplitude values decreased from 4.1–8.1 mm to 3.5–6.2 mm after atmospheric loading corrections. This finding presupposes that applying loading corrections to the derived time series reduces amplitude in some African regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain boundary solute segregation influences most bulk material properties, and understanding solute thermodynamics at grain boundaries is critical for engineering them. However, the vast grain boundary space in polycrystals is challenging to evaluate due to its size, especially for the intrinsically hard-to-compute segregation excess entropy. Here data science methods are used to generate a database of site-wise grain boundary segregation entropy spectra for 155 dilute binary alloys within the harmonic approximation. The spectral framework allows scale bridging between the calculated atomistic site-wise energy-entropy spectra and macroscopic segregation entropy estimates. The results affirm that macroscopic averaging is not sufficient: a spectral treatment of grain boundary segregation is needed to accurately model bulk temperature dependence of grain boundary solute segregation. The calculated spectral entropy database and thermodynamic framework can be applied for both understanding segregation experiments and alloy design exercises, paving the way to a finite-temperature grain boundary genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atypical parkinsonism (AP) is a group of complex neurodegenerative disorders with marked clinical and pathophysiological heterogeneity. The use of systems biology tools may contribute to the characterization of hub-bottleneck genes, and the identification of its biological pathways to broaden the understanding of the bases of these disorders. A systematic search was performed on the DisGeNET database, which integrates data from expert curated repositories, GWAS catalogues, animal models and the scientific literature. The tools STRING 11.0 and Cytoscape 3.8.2 were used for analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The PPI network topography analyses were performed using the CytoHubba 0.1 plugin for Cytoscape. The hub and bottleneck genes were inserted into 4 different sets on the InteractiveVenn. Additional functional enrichment analyses were performed to identify Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways and gene ontology for a described set of genes. The systematic search in the DisGeNET database identified 485 genes involved with Atypical Parkinsonism. Superimposing these genes, we detected a total of 31 hub-bottleneck genes. Moreover, our functional enrichment analyses demonstrated the involvement of these hub-bottleneck genes in 3 major KEGG pathways. We identified 31 highly interconnected hub-bottleneck genes through a systems biology approach, which may play a key role in the pathogenesis of atypical parkinsonism. The functional enrichment analyses showed that these genes are involved in several biological processes and pathways, such as the glial cell development, glial cell activation and cognition, pathways were related to Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease. As a hypothesis, we highlight as possible key genes for AP the MAPT (microtubule associated protein tau), APOE (apolipoprotein E), SNCA (synuclein alpha) and APP (amyloid beta precursor protein) genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While regarded as a secondary sign of pediatric appendicitis, the frequency of physiologic intra-abdominal fluid in children with suspected but absent appendicitis is unknown. Ex vivo: to assess the validity of US/MRI measurements of free fluid. In vivo: in suspected pediatric appendicitis, to assess the amount of abdominal fluid by US and MRI, determine performance characteristics of US in fluid detection and identify fluid volume ranges in confirmed appendicitis. Methods: Ex vivo: criterion validity of US and MRI for fluid volume measurements was tested using tissue-mimicking phantoms filled with different volumes of distilled water. In vivo: all participants from a previous prospective study of suspected appendicitis were evaluated by US; MRI was performed after equivocal USs. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of abdominal fluid and correlation of fluid presence with appendicitis were performed. Results: Ex vivo: no difference was found between phantom-fluid amount and measured volume using the formula for volume of an ellipsoid for US (P=0.19) or MRI (P=0.08). In vivo: intra-abdominal fluid was present in 212/591 (35.9%) patients; 75/212 patients with fluid (35.4%) had appendicitis, 60 (28.3%) had alternate diagnoses, and 77 (36.3%) had physiologic fluid. Sensitivity and specificity of US for fluid detection were 84% (95% CI 71–93) and 65% (95% CI 52–77), respectively. In children with versus without appendicitis, the respective ranges of fluid volume were 0.7–1148.8 ml and 0.8–318 ml. Conclusion: The volume of an ellipsoid formula is a valid method for quantifying intra-abdominal fluid. The sole presence of intra-abdominal fluid on US does not support the diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orbit prediction (OP) recently tends to be a very crucial step for supporting real-time GNSS orbit services due to the dynamic stability of navigation satellite orbits. The OP performance depends on the length of the predicted orbits and the accuracy of precise orbit determination (POD) as basis. Considering this, a new automatic processing engine is established for improving the multiple global navigation satellite systems (multi-GNSS) constellation OP performance. From the architecture-oriented high-performance parallel processing perspective, the multi-node and multi-core computer sources are fully exploited to implement the hourly update of the current multi-GNSS POD. For MEO-type satellites (e.g., Galileo satellites), the accuracy of predicted orbits is improved from 3.8 cm, 6.5 cm, and 12.3 cm to 3.5 cm, 4.3 cm, and 6.3 cm, in the radial, cross, and along directions, respectively, compared to the three-hour POD update. Despite the shortened OP length, the OP performance of regional navigation satellite system (RNSS) satellites is still limited due to their regional observability. The BDS-IGSO and QZSS-IGSO satellitesexhibit radial directional orbital errors of up to 36.9 cm and 28.9 cm, respectively. Therefore, an orbit fitting (OF) processing method with orbit reconstruction is implemented into the processing engine. By utilizing this method, the radial orbital errors for BDS-IGSO and QZSS-IGSO satellites can be reduced to 7.0 cm and 10.4 cm, respectively. The mean real-time positioning errors are thus reduced from 28.3 to 18.4 cm and from 24.4 to 18.2 cm in the horizontal and vertical components, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International GNSS Service (IGS) provides combined satellite and station clock products, which are generated from the individual clock solutions produced by the analysis centers (ACs). Combinations for GPS and GLONASS are currently available, but there is still a lack of combined products for the new constellations such as Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS. This study presents a combination framework based on least squares variance component estimation using the ACs' aligned clock solutions. We present the various alignments required to harmonize the solutions from the ACs, namely the radial correction derived from the differences of the associated orbits, the alignment of the AC clocks to compensate for different reference clocks within each AC solution, and the inter-system bias (ISB) alignment to correct for different AC ISB definitions when multiple constellations are used. The combination scheme is tested with IGS MGEX and repro3 products. The RMS computed between the combined product and the aligned ACs' solutions differ for each constellation, where the lowest values are obtained for Galileo and GPS with on average below 45 psec (13 mm) and reaching more than 150 psec (45 mm) for QZSS. The same behavior is repeated when the process is performed with the repro3 products. A clock and orbit combination validation is done using precise point positioning (PPP) that shows ionosphere-free phase residuals below 10 mm for all constellations, comparable with the AC solutions that are in the same level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurable residual disease (MRD) monitoring independently predicts long-term outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Of the various modalities available, multiparameter flow cytometry–based MRD analysis is widely used and relevant for patients without molecular targets. In the transplant (HCT) setting, the presence of MRD pre-HCT is associated with adverse outcomes. MRD-negative remission status pre-HCT was also associated with longer overall (OS) and progression-free survival and a lower risk of relapse. We hypothesize that the combination of disease risk and MRD at the time of first complete remission (CR1) could identify patients according to the benefit gained from HCT, especially for intermediate-risk patients. We performed a retrospective analysis comparing the outcomes of HCT versus non-HCT therapies based on MRD status in AML patients who achieved CR1. Time-dependent analysis was applied considering time-to-HCT as a time-dependent covariate and compared HCT versus non-HCT outcomes according to MRD status at CR1. Among 336 patients assessed at CR1, 35.1% were MRD positive (MRDpos) post-induction. MRDpos patients benefitted from HCT with improved OS and relapse-free survival (RFS), while no benefit was observed in MRDneg patients. In adverse-risk patients, HCT improved OS (HR for OS 0.55; p = 0.05). In intermediate-risk patients, HCT benefit was not significant for OS and RFS. Intermediate-risk MRDpos patients were found to have benefit from HCT with improved OS (HR 0.45, p = 0.04), RFS (HR 0.46, p = 0.02), and CIR (HR 0.41, p = 0.02). Our data underscore the benefit of HCT in adverse risk and MRDpos intermediate-risk AML patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recommendation from healthcare personnel (HCP) is a strong predictor of vaccination. This study aimed to measure how HCP vaccine attitudes and recommendations changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. HCP were surveyed in January 2023 using a double opt-in network panel. Survey responses were summarized and stratified by HCP type and COVID-19 booster status. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted. Comparisons were made to a September 2021 survey, with differences tested for significance (p < 0.05) using Pearson's χ2 Test. Nearly 82% of the 1207 HCP surveyed had received a COVID-19 booster, most commonly pediatricians (94%), followed by family medicine doctors (87%), pharmacists (74%), and nurses (73%) (p < 0.01). HCP with high trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had nearly 6 times the odds (OR: 5.5; 95%CI: 3.9–7.7) of being boosted compared to HCP with low trust. From September 2021 to January 2023, the proportion of HCP recommending vaccines (COVID-19 and routine) to their patients decreased substantially for nearly all vaccines and patient populations specified. Trust in CDC also decreased (from 79 to 73%, p < 0.01), as did support for HCP COVID-19 vaccine mandates (from 65 to 46%, p < 0.01). HCP interest in additional online resources to improve their vaccine discussions with patients increased from 46 to 66% (p < 0.01). Additional regularly updated online resources from trusted medical sources that clarify progressing science and address dynamic public concerns are needed to improve vaccine confidence among HCP and help them support their patients' decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chilling tolerance in crops can increase resilience through longer growing seasons, drought escape, and nitrogen use efficiency. In sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), breeding for chilling tolerance has been stymied by coinheritance of the largest-effect chilling tolerance locus, qSbCT04.62, with the major gene underlying undesirable grain proanthocyanidins, WD40 transcriptional regulator Tannin1. To test if this coinheritance is due to antagonistic pleiotropy of Tannin1, we developed and studied near-isogenic lines (NILs) carrying chilling tolerant haplotypes at qCT04.62. Whole-genome sequencing of the NILs revealed introgressions spanning part of the qCT04.62 confidence interval, including the Tannin1 gene and an ortholog of Arabidopsis cold regulator CBF/DREB1G. Segregation pattern of grain tannin in NILs confirmed the presence of wildtype Tannin1 and the reconstitution of a functional MYB-bHLH-WD40 regulatory complex. Low-temperature germination did not differ between NILs, suggesting that Tannin1 does not modulate this component of chilling tolerance. Similarly, NILs did not differ in seedling growth rate under either of two contrasting controlled environment chilling scenarios. Finally, while the chilling tolerant parent line had notably different photosynthetic responses from the susceptible parent line – including greater non-photochemical quenching before, during, and after chilling – the NIL responses match the susceptible parent. Thus, our findings suggest that tight linkage drag, not pleiotropy, underlies the precise colocalization of Tan1 with qCT04.62 and the qCT04.62 quantitative trait nucleotide lies outside the NIL introgressions. Breaking linkage at this locus should advance chilling tolerance breeding in sorghum and the identification of a novel chilling tolerance regulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accelerated climatotherapy programme was evaluated for use with busy people in mid-mountain and flat lowland areas. A total of 43 urban residents participated in this climatotherapy programme. Participants' blood pressure, pulse rate, peripheral skin temperature and levels of salivary amylase, salivary cortisol and blood lactate were measured, and they completed the Profile of Mood Status questionnaire. In the mid-mountain area, which had a cooler environment and long uphill paths, participants' percentage of maximum pulse rate (70.01%) to estimated maximum heart rate was higher than that (59.67%) of participants in the flat lowland area, suggesting that the mid-mountain area was suitable for endurance training. At both sites, the decrease in peripheral skin temperature during the climatic terrain cure suggested that our programme was properly implemented with a cool body surface in accordance with our purpose. Negative moods improved quickly, suggesting that the forest environment and the fresh-air rest cure may have relaxed participants. In late spring and early autumn, the mood of approximately 25% of participants improved to an Iceberg profile, which is associated with positive mental states and athletic peak performance, after climatotherapy. On the other hand, the weather in early spring and late autumn was more likely to facilitate maintenance of a cool body surface during the climatic terrain cure. With the support of individualized feedback provided after the climatotherapy sessions, three participants developed regular exercise habits, serving as a good example of the effectiveness of our climatotherapy programme to elicit behavioural change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced Therapies are a class of innovative complex biological products used for therapeutic purposes, encompassing cell therapy, tissue engineering, and gene therapy products. These are promising therapeutic strategies for several complex diseases with low or non-existent therapeutic alternatives. The proper transposition of basic research in this area into medicinal products must comply with regulatory requirements. Here we review the main regulatory recommendations, emphasizing on the Brazilian regulation. The critical points are the manufacturing process, challenges in characterizing the product, development of non-clinical trials, lack of adequate animal models representative of the clinical situation, and absence of valid and measurable therapeutic endpoints. Based on that, we propose a framework for strategic planning of pre-clinical studies in this field. The detailed example involves producing a nonviral vector-based gene editing product, but the regulations and methods may be extrapolated for developing different types of advanced therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crustal motions throughout Germany have not yet been fully understood because the research scope of previous studies often focuses only on some active grabens. Thus, we investigate it in detail to identify the neotectonic motion characteristics and specific deformation-ongoing regions. High accuracy for monitoring and data analyses is required because the expected crustal deformation in Germany is small. For this reason, we use high-precision GNSS time series processing techniques and interdisciplinary data to reflect actual motions and determine the causes of deformation. Also, an advanced technique of discontinuity correction is introduced to unify the fragments of the GNSS coordinate time series for better velocity field reliability. Our findings show that the crustal motions in Germany tend to increase at a maximum speed of +1.0 mm/year. Meanwhile, local subsidence of around - 0.8 mm/year is concentrated in the river basins (e.g., the Rhine, Ems, Elbe, Northern Oder, and Danube) and extensive mining regions. The Earth's crust here also behaves with noticeable compressions. The intra-plate motion in Germany is ∼ 0.8 mm/year. A special region with an extension rate of +4.3 nstrain/year is observed along the North–South trending Regensburg-Leipzig-Rostock shear zone. Machine Learning clusters the 3D plate velocity field in Germany into three distinct regions with increasing speeds: Northwest, East, and Southwest. Significant surface deformations are detected mainly in the Upper Rhine graben, Eifel volcanic field, and Thuringian-Vogtland slate mountains. The harmonic motions of the Earth's crust in Germany have an amplitude of ∼ 4.7 mm, in which the surface loads contribute half to this type of motion. The findings will contribute to the overall picture of neotectonics here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are increasingly recognized as reservoirs of emerging zoonotic pathogens. Egyptian rousette bats (ERBs) are the known reservoir of Marburg virus (MARV), a filovirus that causes deadly Marburg virus disease (MVD) in humans. However, ERBs harbor MARV asymptomatically, likely due to a coadapted and specific host immunity-pathogen relationship. Recently, we measured transcriptional responses in MARV-infected ERB whole tissues, showing that these bats possess a disease tolerant strategy that limits pro-inflammatory gene induction, presumably averting MVD-linked immunopathology. However, the host resistant strategy by which ERBs actively limit MARV burden remains elusive, which we hypothesize requires localized inflammatory responses unresolvable at bulk-tissue scale. Here, we use dexamethasone to attenuate ERB pro-inflammatory responses and assess MARV replication, shedding and disease. We show that MARV-infected ERBs naturally mount coordinated pro-inflammatory responses at liver foci of infection, comprised of recruited mononuclear phagocytes and T cells, the latter of which proliferate with likely MARV-specificity. When pro-inflammatory responses are diminished, ERBs display heightened MARV replication, oral/rectal shedding and severe MVD-like liver pathology, demonstrating that ERBs balance immunoprotective tolerance with discreet MARV-resistant pro-inflammatory responses. These data further suggest that natural ERB immunomodulatory stressors like food scarcity and habitat disruption may potentiate viral shedding, transmission and therefore outbreak risk.The authors show pro-inflammatory responses are needed for Marburg virus control in its natural bat reservoir, and that if reduced, humanlike disease and shedding results, suggesting that natural immunomodulatory stressors may increase spillover risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the monitoring of atmospheric water vapor content changes through ZTD (Zenith Total Delay) estimates using GPS data during the abnormal summer rain in the year 2008 over the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. Heavy rainfall from 14 to 21 March 2008 caused unusually higher ZTD values compared to previous and subsequent years. Sudden and unusual increase of water vapor in the atmosphere during the initial phase of summer could be explained by additional ocean water evaporation caused by geodynamic effects, over the normal solar evaporation, in the Arabian Sea Triple Junction (ASTJ) in the northwest boundary of the Indian lithosphere plate. ASTJ, located NW of Lakshadweep Islands, experienced a 5.3 magnitude earthquake on 3 March 2008 and significant swarm activity during the following month, perhaps associated with the volcanic activity in a submarine ridge setting. The vertical movements of magma that create seismic events lead to release of huge energy and volcanic materials, gaseous and ash, into the surrounding ocean and atmosphere. Higher sea surface temperature was noticed during the 3 March 2008 earthquake, which supports the above assumptions. Such a high temperature system could produce high and faster evaporation in the region and thus lead to increased supply of water into the atmosphere. We infer the movement of such an atmospheric system of high water vapor content to farther distances toward Lakshadweep Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 42,000 years ago, anatomically modern humans appeared in Western Europe to the detriment of indigenous Neanderthal groups. It is during this period that new techno-cultural complexes appear, such as the Châtelperronian that extends from northern Spain to the Paris Basin. The Grotte du Renne (Arcy-sur-Cure) is a key site for discussing the biological identity of its makers. This deposit has yielded several Neanderthal human remains in its Châtelperronian levels. However, the last inventory of the paleoanthropological collection attributed to this techno-complex allowed the identification of an ilium belonging to a neonate (AR-63) whose morphology required a thorough analysis to assess its taxonomic attribution. Using geometric morphometrics, we quantified its morphology and compared it to that of 2 Neanderthals and 32 recent individuals deceased during the perinatal period to explore their morphological variation. Our results indicate a morphological distinction between the ilia of Neanderthals and anatomically modern neonates. Although AR-63 is slightly outside recent variability, it clearly differs from the Neanderthals. We propose that this is due to its belonging to an early modern human lineage whose morphology differs slightly from present-day humans. We also explore different hypotheses about the presence of this anatomically modern neonate ilium among Neanderthal remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]