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Breadth and depth of curriculum are important for success in science teaching and learning. Curriculum theorists recommend less breadth and more depth than overloaded, superficial science curricula. This study investigates breadth and depth in the official biology syllabi in the seventh to eighth or ninth years in four diverse jurisdictions, Kenya, South Africa, British Columbia (Canada) and Singapore. Breadth was the number of generic topics included in each syllabus. Depth comprised focus, meaning the proportion of statements devoted to each topic, and demand, meaning the complexity and abstractness of each topic. High-performing jurisdictions, British Columbia and Singapore, have contrasting profiles of breadth and depth, with British Columbia having low breadth, high focus and high demand, while Singapore has high breadth, low focus and lower demand than British Columbia. Low-performing South Africa has high breadth, some focus but lower demand than the high-performing jurisdictions. Kenya has low breadth, high focus, but low demand. Breadth, focus and demand are independent parameters of biology syllabus. High-performing jurisdictions have higher demand but not focus nor breadth than South Africa and Kenya. The British Columbia syllabus best fits the appeal for less breadth and more depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with reading disabilities generally know fewer words (breadth) with less in-depth knowledge of those words (depth) than typical students. The present study examined the effects of a "moderately rich vocabulary instruction" in which both breadth and depth of vocabulary are addressed. Nineteen U.S. 4th- and 5th-grade students with reading disabilities learned 12 words in the moderate-encounter condition, where students practiced the target words six times in the context of rich vocabulary instructional activities. The results showed that students with reading disabilities remembered more taught word definitions and understood more sentences that contained taught words than those from the control condition. The findings suggest that providing moderately rich vocabulary instruction with a moderate number of rich vocabulary practices can yield good word learning and sentence comprehension containing target words for students with reading difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first vaccine against chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was recently licensed in the U.S., Europe, and Canada (brand IXCHIQ®, referred to as VLA1553). Other pathogenic alphaviruses co-circulate with CHIKV and major questions remain regarding the potential of IXCHIQ to confer cross-protection for populations that are exposed to them. Here, we characterized the cross-neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against heterotypic CHIKV and additional arthritogenic alphaviruses in individuals at one month, six months, and one year post-IXCHIQ vaccination. We characterized nAbs against CHIKV strains LR2006, 181/25, and a 2021 isolate from Tocantins, Brazil, as well as O'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV), Mayaro virus (MAYV), and Ross River virus (RRV). IXCHIQ elicited 100% seroconversion to each virus, with the exception of RRV at 83.3% seroconversion of vaccinees, and cross-neutralizing antibody potency decreased with increasing genetic distance from CHIKV. We compared vaccinee responses to cross-nAbs elicited by natural CHIKV infection in individuals living in the endemic setting of Puerto Rico at 8–9 years post-infection. These data suggest that IXCHIQ efficiently and potently elicits cross-nAb breadth that extends to related alphaviruses in a manner similar to natural CHIKV infection, which may have important implications for individuals that are susceptible to alphavirus co-circulation in regions of potential vaccine rollout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The accurate identification of unknown human remains plays a critical role in natural disaster scenarios and medico-legal cases in forensic anthropology and forensic medicine. This study aimed to determine normal reference values for the breadth of the talus bone using ankle radiographs from a Teaching Hospital in Delta State, Nigeria. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study retrospectively reviewed 107 digital ankle radiographs from patients aged 20 to 60 years (60 males and 47 females). Ethical clearance was obtained before accessing the digital images archived in a radiological unit of a Hospital in Delta State, Nigeria. The talus breadth was measured using digital calipers and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to compare the means based on gender and age. The association of variables was done using the Pearson’s correlation test. Statistical significance was considered at P < 5%. RESULTS: The mean talus breadth was significantly larger in males (41.76 mm) than in females (38.59 mm). However, the means had no significant association with age. The right talus breadth had a strong positive correlation with the left talus breadth. CONCLUSION: The findings are useful to orthopedic surgeons managing ankle pathologies. In addition, the study reveals the potential use of the talar breadth in sex determination when other methods are inconclusive.

Monoclonal neutralizing antibodies (mAbs) are considered an important prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2 infection in at-risk populations and a strategy to counteract future sarbecovirus-induced disease. However, most mAbs isolated so far neutralize only a few sarbecovirus strains. Therefore, there is a growing interest in bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) which can simultaneously target different spike epitopes and thereby increase neutralizing breadth and prevent viral escape. Here, we generate and characterize a panel of 30 novel broadly reactive bsAbs using an efficient controlled Fab-arm exchange protocol. We specifically combine some of the broadest mAbs described so far, which target conserved epitopes on the receptor binding domain (RBD). Several bsAbs show superior cross-binding and neutralization compared to the parental mAbs and cocktails against sarbecoviruses from diverse clades, including recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. BsAbs which include mAb COVA2–02 are among the most potent and broad combinations. As a result, we study the unknown epitope of COVA2–02 and show that this mAb targets a distinct conserved region at the base of the RBD, which could be of interest when designing next-generation bsAb constructs to contribute to a better pandemic preparedness.

BACKGROUND: The accurate identification of unknown human remains plays a critical role in natural disaster scenarios and medico-legal cases in forensic anthropology and forensic medicine. This study aimed to determine normal reference values for the breadth of the talus bone using ankle radiographs from a Teaching Hospital in Delta State, Nigeria. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study retrospectively reviewed 107 digital ankle radiographs from patients aged 20 to 60 years (60 males and 47 females). Ethical clearance was obtained before accessing the digital images archived in a radiological unit of a Hospital in Delta State, Nigeria. The talus breadth was measured using digital calipers and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to compare the means based on gender and age. The association of variables was done using the Pearson's correlation test. Statistical significance was considered at P < 5%. RESULTS: The mean talus breadth was significantly larger in males (41.76 mm) than in females (38.59 mm). However, the means had no significant association with age. The right talus breadth had a strong positive correlation with the left talus breadth. CONCLUSION: The findings are useful to orthopedic surgeons managing ankle pathologies. In addition, the study reveals the potential use of the talar breadth in sex determination when other methods are inconclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the dynamic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 led to reduced efficacy in monoclonal neutralizing antibodies and emergence of immune escape, the role of bispecific antibodies becomes crucial in bolstering antiviral activity and suppressing immune evasion. This review extensively assesses a spectrum of representative bispecific antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2, delving into their characteristics, design formats, mechanisms of action, and associated advantages and limitations. The analysis encompasses factors influencing the selection of parental antibodies and strategies for incorporating added benefits in bispecific antibody design. Furthermore, how different classes of parental antibodies contribute to augmenting the broad-spectrum neutralization capability within bispecific antibodies is discussed. In summary, this review presents analyses and discussions aimed at offering valuable insights for shaping future strategies in bispecific antibody design to effectively confront the challenges posed by SARS-CoV-2 and propel advancements in antiviral therapeutic development.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate the role of breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge in reading comprehension at Debre Markos University. A quantitative approach was taken to gather and analyze the data. Out of 235 students learning at the college, 61 samples were taken randomly. To investigate their knowledge of vocabulary breadth, the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) was employed. The Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge (DVK) test was utilized to investigate the depth of vocabulary knowledge. The reading section of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOFEL) was used to determine the reading comprehension performance of the students. Pearson Product-moment correlation was used to examine the relationship between vocabulary knowledge (breadth and depth) and reading comprehension. In addition, to find out which aspect of vocabulary knowledge best explains reading comprehension, Standard Multiple Regression was employed. The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 21). The findings suggest that there was a significant strong positive relationship between knowledge of vocabulary breadth and reading comprehension (r = .73, n = 61, P, =.000

The breadth of a Lie algebra L is defined to be the maximal dimension of the image of a d x = [ x , − ] : L → L , for x ∈ L. Here, we initiate an investigation into the breadth of three families of Lie algebras defined by posets and provide combinatorial breadth formulas for members of each family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of various technologies, as measure of the breadth of Industry 4.0, offers multiple benefits that drive technological investment and enhance the competitiveness of manufacturing firms. Based on the literature, we classified the expected benefits and outcomes of Industry 4.0 into two main groups: expected benefits and outcomes related to the market(ing) and manufacturing/production domains. We then used structural equation modelling to link the expected benefits (i.e. drivers) of adoption, Industry 4.0 breadth, and the resulting outcomes with the adopted technologies, based on data for 168 Italian manufacturing firms. The results highlight the key role of market-related benefits, which positively affect the breadth of Industry 4.0 and allow outcomes to be achieved in both the marketing and production domains. Manufacturing firms driven by market factors can meet their expectations in the marketing arena, but also achieve outcomes in the production domain previously not considered for the investment choice. Theoretical and managerial implications have been presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characteristic of vocabulary learning skills is different from any other language learning skill. It requires self-willingness and experience to achieve a higher vocabulary number or specific language proficiency level. Students with higher vocabulary knowledge seem to have tremendous advantages in comprehending language sources. At the same time, their counterparts find that vocabulary is their barrier to acquiring, understanding, and even using the target language. This study aims to examine whether or not students' vocabulary learning strategies contribute to their vocabulary knowledge. The study participants were second-year students of the English Department at Khairun University. The vocabulary strategy data were obtained from a questionnaire developed by Gu and Johnson (1996), while the vocabulary knowledge used a validated version of the Vocabulary Levels Test by Schmitt et al. (2001) and the Word Associates Test (WAT) developed by Read (1993; 2004). The result revealed that students preferred indirect effective strategies to acquire new words, while indirect social cooperation was the least used strategy. However, students’ vocabulary strategy scores correlated negatively to the breadth and depth of students’ vocabulary knowledge. Students need special treatment to enhance their vocabulary knowledge.

Purpose: Digital interventions, like websites, offer greater access to psychosocial treatments; however, engagement is often suboptimal. Initial use may be a target to “hook” participants. Few studies examine engagement with cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM). We tested predictors of engagement in the first week of using a CBSM website among women with breast cancer (BC). Methods: Older women (≥ 50 years) with nonmetastatic BC enrolled in an on-going trial (8/2016–4/2022, #NCT03955991) and were randomized to receive 10 synchronous, virtual CBSM group sessions immediately (n = 41) or after a 6-month waitlist (n = 34). All received simultaneous access to an asynchronous website, where supplemental videos and resources were released weekly. Engagement was tracked via breadth (features used) and depth (clicks within content). Multilevel modeling tested predictors of engagement (i.e., time, condition, age, daily stress, depression, race, ethnicity, disease stage). Results: Breadth decreased over the first week of CBSM (b = -0.93, p <.01), and women with more advanced stage disease engaged with more breadth (b = 0.52, p <.01) and depth (b = 14.06, p <.01) than women with earlier stage disease. Non-Hispanic (b = -0.59, p =.03) and White (b = -0.97, p <.01) women engaged with more features. Cancer stage and intervention timing interacted. Women with more advanced cancer stage who received CBSM later engaged with the most depth (b = -11.73, p =.04). All other characteristics did not predict engagement. Conclusions: Disease stage, race, ethnicity, and intervention timing predicted engagement with a CBSM website in older BC patients. Implications for cancer survivors: Delivering CBSM later in cancer treatment may mitigate competing demands. Fostering greater engagement in racial/ethnic minorities is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reported enterovirus A 71 (EVA71) vaccines and immunoglobin G (IgG) antibodies have no cross‐antiviral efficacy against other enterovirus A (EV‐A) which caused hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Here we constructed an IgM antibody (20‐IgM) based on our previous discovery to address the resistance encountered by IgG‐based immunotherapy. Although binding to the same conserved neutralizing epitope within the GH loop of EV‐As VP1, the antiviral breath and potency of 20‐IgM are still higher than its parental 20‐IgG1. The 20‐IgM blocks the interaction between the EV‐As and its receptors, scavenger receptor class B, member 2 (SCARB2) and Kringle‐containing transmembrane protein 1(KREMEN1) of the host cell. The 20‐IgM also neutralizes the EV‐As at the post‐attachment stages, including postattachment neutralization, uncoating and RNA release inhibition after internalization. Mechanistically, the dual blockage effect of 20‐IgM is dependent on both a conserved site targeting and high affinity binding. Meanwhile, 20‐IgM provides cross‐antiviral efficacy in EV‐As orally infected neonatal ICR mice. Collectively, 20‐IgM and its property exhibit excellent antiviral activity with a dual‐blockage inhibitory effect at both the pre‐ and post‐attachment stages. The finding enhances our understanding of IgM‐mediated immunity and highlights the potential of IgM subtype antibodies against enterovirus infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this research is to identify how and whether knowledge distance influences multinational enterprises' innovation performance. Although international business scholars have acknowledged the importance of knowledge distance, the research question is under-explored. Based on the distance approach, this study provides a theoretical foundation for knowledge distance and empirically examines its impact on the innovation performance of multinational enterprises engaging in cross-border acquisitions. Furthermore, we investigated whether internationalization breadth and depth moderate knowledge distance-innovation performance. We examined Chinese-listed firms that made international acquisitions from 2010 to 2016 and found a negative relationship between knowledge distance and innovation performance. We also discovered that internationalization breadth and depth moderate the negative relationship between knowledge distance and innovation performance. Our study contributes to international business studies by providing the theoretical foundation and empirical results of knowledge distance in the international business context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of the utmost importance to accurately estimate different ships' weights during their design stages. Additionally, lightship displacement (LD) data are not always easily accessible to shipping stakeholders, while other ships' dimensions are within hand's reach (for example, through data from the online Automatic Identification System (AIS)). Therefore, determining lightship displacement might be a difficult task, and it is traditionally performed with the help of mathematical equations developed by shipbuilders. Distinct from the traditional approach, this study offers the possibility of employing machine learning methods to estimate lightship displacement weight as accurately as possible. This paper estimates oil tankers' lightship displacement using two ships' dimensions, length overall, and breadth. The dimensions of oil tanker ships were collected from the INTERTANKO Chartering Questionnaire Q88, available online, and, because of similar block coefficients, all tanker sizes were used for estimation. Furthermore, multiple linear regression and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) machine learning methods were utilised to estimate lightship displacement. Results show that XGBoost and multiple linear regression machine learning methods provide similar results, and both could be powerful tools for estimating the lightship displacement of all types of ships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between the breadth of the curriculum which university students followed at secondary school and their degree attainment or their entry to employment is studied using a series of surveys of graduates from Scottish universities between 1960 and 2002. The relationship of the school curriculum to the later experience of students who entered university has not been extensively studied. Scotland is a useful case study for this purpose because breadth of study at school was a core feature of school-leaving assessment from the origins of modern secondary schooling in the early twentieth century until the end of the century. Breadth of learning was also a principle of the dominant university tradition in Scotland from the mid-nineteenth century onwards. The conclusion of the analysis is that breadth was associated with propensity to enter professions rather than managerial occupations, and to avoiding low-status occupations. But also, for students with relatively moderate or low attainment from school, breadth was associated with a lower chance of gaining the highest attainment at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: The measurement of leaf morphometric parameters from digital images can be time‐consuming or restrictive when using digital image analysis softwares. The Multiple Leaf Sample Extraction System (MuLES) is a new tool that enables high‐throughput leaf shape analysis with minimal user input or prerequisites, such as coding knowledge or image modification. Methods and Results: MuLES uses contrasting pixel color values to distinguish between leaf objects and their background area, eliminating the need for color threshold–based methods or color correction cards typically required in other software methods. The leaf morphometric parameters measured by this software, especially leaf aspect ratio, were able to distinguish between large populations of different accessions for the same species in a high‐throughput manner. Conclusions: MuLES provides a simple method for the rapid measurement of leaf morphometric parameters in large plant populations from digital images and demonstrates the ability of leaf aspect ratio to distinguish between closely related plant types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Premise The measurement of leaf morphometric parameters from digital images can be time‐consuming or restrictive when using digital image analysis softwares. The Multiple Leaf Sample Extraction System (MuLES) is a new tool that enables high‐throughput leaf shape analysis with minimal user input or prerequisites, such as coding knowledge or image modification. Methods and Results MuLES uses contrasting pixel color values to distinguish between leaf objects and their background area, eliminating the need for color threshold–based methods or color correction cards typically required in other software methods. The leaf morphometric parameters measured by this software, especially leaf aspect ratio, were able to distinguish between large populations of different accessions for the same species in a high‐throughput manner. Conclusions MuLES provides a simple method for the rapid measurement of leaf morphometric parameters in large plant populations from digital images and demonstrates the ability of leaf aspect ratio to distinguish between closely related plant types.

We delineate the image of multilinear Lie polynomial of degree 2 evaluated on L where L is a finite-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebra over field k with dim L ′ ≤ 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, the market for patent transfers (PT) has experienced substantial growth in China, driven by the expansion of main relationship types, including inter-firm, industry-university-research (IUR), and individual-to-firm PTs. This growth raises critical questions regarding the influence of these diverse PT types on regional innovation. Utilizing data mining on 1,914,750 PT events, this study constructs panel data models for China's 31 provinces from 2011 to 2020, investigating the presence, dimensions, effect decomposition, and threshold determinations of PTs on regional innovation. Findings reveal heterogeneous impacts of PT types on innovation, with individual-to-firm PT being most effective and IUR PTs the least. Among the dimensions of impact, PT strength demonstrates the most circumscribed promotional effect, predominantly within patent inflows, and particularly hinders IUR PTs due to market frictions. The importance of PT breadth mainly appears in patent outflows, suggesting geographic expansion of PT enhances innovation remuneration, critical for sustaining innovation momentum in hub provinces. PT depth uniformly affects innovation across all PT categories irrespective of patent inflows or outflows, underscoring the significance of diversified technology transfers. A universal observation across PT types is that surpassing regional thresholds of digitalization significantly amplifies the promotion of PT on regional innovation. • Uncover how different types of patent transfer (PT) impact regional innovation. • Impact dimensions are delineated into strength, breadth, and depth to reveal the potentials and challenges of each PT type. • Individual-to-firm PT significantly boost innovation, whereas industry-university-research PT have the minimal effect. • Inbound strength, outbound breadth, and both inbound and outbound depth of PT drive regional innovation. • The single threshold effect regarding regional digitalization is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that neutralize diverse variants of a particular virus are of considerable therapeutic interest. Recent advances have enabled us to isolate and engineer these antibodies as therapeutics, but eliciting them through vaccination remains challenging, in part due to our limited understanding of how antibodies evolve breadth. Here, we analyze the landscape by which an anti-influenza receptor binding site (RBS) bnAb, CH65, evolved broad affinity to diverse H1 influenza strains. We do this by generating an antibody library of all possible evolutionary intermediates between the unmutated common ancestor (UCA) and the affinity-matured CH65 antibody and measure the affinity of each intermediate to three distinct H1 antigens. We find that affinity to each antigen requires a specific set of mutations – distributed across the variable light and heavy chains – that interact non-additively (i.e., epistatically). These sets of mutations form a hierarchical pattern across the antigens, with increasingly divergent antigens requiring additional epistatic mutations beyond those required to bind less divergent antigens. We investigate the underlying biochemical and structural basis for these hierarchical sets of epistatic mutations and find that epistasis between heavy chain mutations and a mutation in the light chain at the VH-VL interface is essential for binding a divergent H1. Collectively, this is the first work to comprehensively characterize epistasis between heavy and light chain mutations and shows that such interactions are both strong and widespread. Together with our previous study analyzing a different class of anti-influenza antibodies, our results implicate epistasis as a general feature of antibody sequence-affinity landscapes that can potentiate and constrain the evolution of breadth.

Interspecific competition occurs when two sympatric species utilize the same limited supply of a basic resource, such as food; the degree of diet overlap is an essential metric for examining potential competition between the species. The Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus) is a relative newcomer to the island of Cyprus, where it is sympatric with the larger Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata), a potential competitor for both food and space (nesting territories). We studied the diet of the Long-legged Buzzard in the 2005, 2006, and 2018 nesting seasons through analysis of pellets and prey remains collected at 38 sites. The most abundant prey class was mammals (68.8% frequency, 58.9% biomass), followed by reptiles (16.8% frequency, 36.3% biomass), and birds (4.3% frequency, 4.6% biomass). The most numerous prey species were black rats (Rattus rattus), starred agamas (Stellagama stelio), house mice (Mus musculus), and large whip snakes (Dolichophis jugularis), but in terms of biomass, the most important prey items were black rats, large whip snakes, long-eared hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus dorotheae), and starred agamas. We compared the diet of the Long-legged Buzzard to that of the Bonelli's Eagle, whose diet was dominated by birds (62.1% frequency, 76.1% biomass) and to a lesser degree by mammals (29.5% frequency, 21.9% biomass). The mean prey biomass for the Long-legged Buzzard was estimated as 167 g, compared to 350 g for the Bonelli's Eagle; this difference reflected the almost two-fold difference in mass between females of the two species. Diet overlap measured with Pianka's index was <0.5, suggesting an intermediate niche overlap mainly due to utilization of an abundant prey resource, such as the black rat. Niche breadth for the Long-legged Buzzard measured using Levins' index ranged from 0.485 in 2005 to 0.081 in 2018. This decrease in niche breadth over time in a generalist species can occur when there is a superabundance of a particular prey. The mean Levins' index for the Bonelli's Eagle was also low, 0.271 (1999–2001). Based on the diet comparison, we concluded that there was no evidence for interspecific competition in terms of food. La competencia interespecífica ocurre cuando dos especies simpátricas utilizan el mismo suministro limitado de un recurso básico, como por ejemplo la comida; el grado de solapamiento de la dieta es una métrica esencial para examinar la competencia potencial entre las especies. Buteo rufinus es una especie relativamente nueva en la isla de Chipre, donde se presenta en simpatría con Aquila fasciata, de mayor tamaño, un competidor potencial tanto por comida como por espacio (territorios de nidificación). Estudiamos la dieta de B. rufinus en las temporadas de cría de 2005, 2006 y 2018 mediante el análisis de egagrópilas y restos de presas recolectados en 38 sitios. Las presas más abundantes fueron los mamíferos (68,8% de frecuencia, 58,9% de biomasa), seguido de los reptiles (16,8% de frecuencia, 36,3% de biomasa) y las aves (4,3% de frecuencia, 4,6% de biomasa). Las especies de presa más numerosas fueron Rattus rattus, Stellagama stelio, Mus musculus y Dolichophis jugularis, si bien en términos de biomasa las presas más importantes fueron R. rattus, D. jugularis, Hemiechinus auritus dorotheae y S. stelio. Comparamos la dieta de B. rufinus con la de A. fasciata, cuya dieta estaba dominada por aves (62,1% de frecuencia, 76,1% de biomasa) y en menor medida por mamíferos (29,5% de frecuencia, 21,9% de biomasa). La biomasa de la presa promedio para B. rufinus se estimó en 167 g, en comparación con 350 g para A. fasciata; esta disparidad reflejó la diferencia de masa de casi el doble entre las hembras de las dos especies. El solapamiento de dieta medido con el índice de Pianka fue <0,5, lo que sugiere un solapamiento de nicho intermedio debido principalmente a la utilización de un recurso de presa abundante como R. rattus. La amplitud de nicho para B. rufinus, medido con el índice de Levins, fluctuó entre 0,485 en 2005 y 0,081 en 2018. Esta disminución en la amplitud de nicho a lo largo del tiempo en una especie generalista puede ocurrir cuando hay una sobreabundancia de una presa en particular. El índice de Levins medio para A. fasciata también fue bajo, 0,271 (1999–2001). Basados en la comparación de la dieta, concluimos que no hubo evidencia de competencia interespecífica en términos de alimentación. [Traducción del equipo editorial] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In gaining word knowledge, children's semantic representations are initially imprecise before becoming gradually refined. We developed and tested a framework for a digital receptive vocabulary assessment that captured varied levels of representation as children learn words. At pre-test and post-test, children selected one of four images to match a word's meaning: a correct target, a conceptually-related foil, a thematically-related foil, and a phonologically-similar foil. We expected that selecting a conceptually related foil would indicate that the word is understood at a deeper level than selecting a phonologically similar foil. Indeed, selection of phonological foils decreased from pre- to post-test, while selection of more advanced thematic and conceptual foils increased. These results demonstrate that this assessment tool probed semantic knowledge that might be characterized as intermediate word knowledge. The current paper presents a novel and sensitive way to capture the incremental process of word learning. Applications for vocabulary interventions are discussed.

We assessed SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in samples from 89 acute COVID-19 patients, utilizing blood samples collected during the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy. The goal of the study was to examine correlations between SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in the early phase comparing mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19 disease outcomes. T cell responses to the spike (S) and non-S proteins were measured in a combined activation-induced marker (AIM) and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) assay. Early CD4+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 S correlated with milder disease by both AIM and IFNγ ICS readouts. The correlation of S-specific CD4+ T cell responses with milder disease severity was most striking within the first two weeks of symptom onset compared to later time points. Furthermore, donors with milder disease were associated with polyantigenic CD4+ T cell responses that recognized more prominently non-S proteins in addition to S, while severe acute COVID-19 was characterized by lower magnitudes of CD4+ T cell responses and a narrower repertoire. In conclusion, this study highlights that both the magnitude and breadth of early SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses correlated with milder disease outcomes in acute COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how experience-induced adaptations that affect the breadth of an ongoing activity affect performance. The research on organizational learning suggests that accumulating experience, both from repetition and adaptation at the activity level, improves outcomes. Yet, findings on the effects of increasing breadth—the number of different processes making up an activity—are mixed. Greater breadth exposes organizations to diverse activities. It also generates an additional need for coordination that may undermine performance. We examine the joint effect of experience and breadth on waste reduction for U.S. manufacturing facilities managing their toxic waste from 1991 to 2014. These facilities manage toxic waste on a chemical by chemical basis. We find a detrimental effect of breadth on performance that is highest for facilities with low experience; however, this effect is moderated by experience with the waste management activity. Because most facilities manage toxic waste from several chemicals, we also see spillovers—in terms of both learning benefits and the costs of increasing breadth. When a facility expands waste management breadth anywhere, performance decreases for the focal chemical. Yet, this spillover effect of breadth decreases for activities where the facility has accrued more experience. Our research clarifies when facilities should consider adding breadth to a routine activity and why performance in the proximate period may falter as the organization learns and improves in the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove that the length of any gap in the differential grading of the Khovanov homology of any quasi-alternating link is one. As a consequence, we obtain that the length of any gap in the Jones polynomial of any such link is one. This establishes a weaker version of Conjecture 2.3 in (Topol Appl 264:1–11, 2019). Moreover, we obtain a lower bound for the determinant of any such link in terms of the breadth of its Jones polynomial. This establishes a weaker version of Conjecture 3.8 in (Algebr Geom Topol 15:1847–1862, 2015). The main tool in obtaining this result is establishing the Knight Move Conjecture [(Algebr Geom Topol 2:337-370, 2002), Conjecture 1] for the class of quasi-alternating links. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is of the utmost importance to accurately estimate different ships’ weights during their design stages. Additionally, lightship displacement (LD) data are not always easily accessible to shipping stakeholders, while other ships’ dimensions are within hand’s reach (for example, through data from the online Automatic Identification System (AIS)). Therefore, determining lightship displacement might be a difficult task, and it is traditionally performed with the help of mathematical equations developed by shipbuilders. Distinct from the traditional approach, this study offers the possibility of employing machine learning methods to estimate lightship displacement weight as accurately as possible. This paper estimates oil tankers’ lightship displacement using two ships’ dimensions, length overall, and breadth. The dimensions of oil tanker ships were collected from the INTERTANKO Chartering Questionnaire Q88, available online, and, because of similar block coefficients, all tanker sizes were used for estimation. Furthermore, multiple linear regression and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) machine learning methods were utilised to estimate lightship displacement. Results show that XGBoost and multiple linear regression machine learning methods provide similar results, and both could be powerful tools for estimating the lightship displacement of all types of ships.

Monoclonal neutralizing antibodies (mAbs) are considered an important prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2 infection in at-risk populations and a strategy to counteract future sarbecovirus-induced disease. However, most mAbs isolated so far neutralize only a few sarbecovirus strains. Therefore, there is a growing interest in bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) which can simultaneously target different spike epitopes and thereby increase neutralizing breadth and prevent viral escape. Here, we generate and characterize a panel of 30 novel broadly reactive bsAbs using an efficient controlled Fab-arm exchange protocol. We specifically combine some of the broadest mAbs described so far, which target conserved epitopes on the receptor binding domain (RBD). Several bsAbs show superior cross-binding and neutralization compared to the parental mAbs and cocktails against sarbecoviruses from diverse clades, including recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. BsAbs which include mAb COVA2-02 are among the most potent and broad combinations. As a result, we study the unknown epitope of COVA2-02 and show that this mAb targets a distinct conserved region at the base of the RBD, which could be of interest when designing next-generation bsAb constructs to contribute to a better pandemic preparedness.

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) has become one of the most pressing issues in public health. To control VOCs, it is important to know which COVID-19 convalescent sera have cross-neutralizing activity against VOCs and how long the sera maintain this protective activity. Methods: Sera of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from March 2020 to January 2021 and admitted to Hyogo Prefectural Kakogawa Medical Center were selected. Blood was drawn from patients at 1-3, 3-6, and 6-8 months post onset. Then, a virus neutralization assay against SARS-CoV-2 variants (D614G mutation as conventional strain; B.1.1.7, P.1, and B.1.351 as VOCs) was performed using authentic viruses. Results: We assessed 97 sera from 42 patients. Sera from 28 patients showed neutralizing activity that was sustained for 3-8 months post onset. The neutralizing antibody titer against D614G significantly decreased in sera of 6-8 months post onset compared to those of 1-3 months post onset. However, the neutralizing antibody titers against the three VOCs were not significantly different among 1-3, 3-6, and 6-8 months post onset. Discussion: Our results indicate that neutralizing antibodies that recognize the common epitope for several variants may be maintained for a long time, while neutralizing antibodies having specific epitopes for a variant, produced in large quantities immediately after infection, may decrease quite rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper we show that a stem finite p -group G has size bounded by min ⁡ (p (8 d − 2 log 2 ⁡ d + b − 4) (b + 1) / 2 , p b (3 b + 4 d − 1) / 2) where b is the breadth of G and p d is the maximum character degree of G. As a consequence there are only finitely many finite stem p -groups having breadth b and maximum character degree p d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Human characteristics like stature and gender identification on basis of human remains is a crucial element of any medicolegal investigation and is especially important in the field of forensic anthropometry. Thus, this study was undertaken with the aim of determining stature and gender by using thumb indices in the Indian population. Material & Methods: 568 adults (294 males and 274 females) belonging age between 18-25 years participated in the present study. Thumb length, breadth, thickness and circumference were measured by time to time calibrated measuring tape and digital vernier caliper. Unpaired 't' test, Person Correlation Coefficient, Linear and Logistic regression methods used to analyze the data. Results: This study showed significant correlation of thumb indices with stature & gender. Conclusion: The stature and gender identification models are helpful to forensic experts and crime scene authorities to determine the stature and gender of an isolated thumb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) has become one of the most pressing issues in public health. To control VOCs, it is important to know which COVID-19 convalescent sera have cross-neutralizing activity against VOCs and how long the sera maintain this protective activity.MethodsSera of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from March 2020 to January 2021 and admitted to Hyogo Prefectural Kakogawa Medical Center were selected. Blood was drawn from patients at 1-3, 3-6, and 6-8 months post onset. Then, a virus neutralization assay against SARS-CoV-2 variants (D614G mutation as conventional strain; B.1.1.7, P.1, and B.1.351 as VOCs) was performed using authentic viruses.ResultsWe assessed 97 sera from 42 patients. Sera from 28 patients showed neutralizing activity that was sustained for 3-8 months post onset. The neutralizing antibody titer against D614G significantly decreased in sera of 6-8 months post onset compared to those of 1-3 months post onset. However, the neutralizing antibody titers against the three VOCs were not significantly different among 1-3, 3-6, and 6-8 months post onset.DiscussionOur results indicate that neutralizing antibodies that recognize the common epitope for several variants may be maintained for a long time, while neutralizing antibodies having specific epitopes for a variant, produced in large quantities immediately after infection, may decrease quite rapidly.

In this paper, we give a characterization of finite-dimensional nilpotent Lie algebras of breadth 3 over finite fields of odd characteristic. This characterization parallels to the one for finite p -groups of breadth 3 given earlier in [5]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the expected benefits of organized activity involvement (e.g., sports, clubs), inconsistencies in associations between activity involvement and internalizing and externalizing problems may be explained in part by limitations of measurements and variations between individuals. To address these gaps, a latent variable of organized activity participation was tested as a predictor of internalizing and externalizing problems, and initial child adjustment was tested as a moderator of the outcomes from activity participation. Participants included 431 adolescents (52.2% female; ages 12–13 in seventh grade) from the Child Development Project. Adolescents self-reported activity involvement (seventh grade) and internalizing problems (seventh and ninth grades); mothers reported on adolescents' externalizing problems (seventh and eighth grade). Structural equation models showed that an activity involvement latent variable predicted lower internalizing problems. The interaction between activity involvement and initial level of externalizing problems predicted externalizing problems. Specifically, higher levels of activity involvement predicted lower levels of externalizing problems at initially lower levels of externalizing problems. However, at higher levels of initial externalizing problems, higher levels of activity involvement predicted higher levels of externalizing problems. The results suggest that activity involvement reduces risk for subsequent internalizing problems but could increase or decrease risk for subsequent externalizing problems depending on initial levels of externalizing problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-specific antibodies (Abs) can reduce viral burden by blocking new rounds of infection or by destroying infected cells via activation of effector cells through Fc–FcR interaction. This latter process, referred to as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), has been associated with viral control and improved clinical outcome following both HIV and SIV infections. Here we describe an HIV viral-like particle (VLP)-based sorting strategy that led to identification of HIV-specificmemory B cells encoding Abs that mediate ADCC froma subtype A-infected Kenyan woman at 914 days post-infection. Using this strategy, 12 HIV-envelope-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were isolated and three mediated potent ADCC activitywhen compared to well-characterized ADCC mAbs. The ADCC-mediating Abs also mediated antibody-dependent cell-mediated virus inhibition (ADCVI), which provides a net measure of Fc receptor-triggered effects against replicating virus. Two of the three ADCC-mediating Abs targeted a CD4-induced (CD4i) epitope also bound by the mAb C11; the third antibody targeted the N-terminus of V3. Both CD4i Abs identified here demonstrated strong cross-clade breadth with activity against 10 of 11 envelopes tested, including those from clades A, B, C, A/D and C/D, whereas the V3-specific antibody showed more limited breadth. Variants of these CD4i, C11-like mAbs engineered to interrupt binding to FcγRs inhibited a measurable percentage of the donor's ADCC activity starting as early as 189 days post-infection. C11-like antibodies also accounted for between 18–78% of ADCC activity in 9 chronically infected individuals from the same cohort study. Further, the two CD4i Abs originated from unique B cells, suggesting that antibodies targeting this epitope can be commonly produced. Taken together, these data provide strong evidence that CD4i, C11-like antibodies develop within the first 6 months of infection and they can arise fromunique B-cell lineages in the same individual. Further, thesemAbsmediate potent plasma IgG-specificADCC breadth and potency and contribute to ADCC activity in other HIV-infected individuals.

Purpose of reviewThis review highlights recent developments in HIV-1 antibody engineering and discusses the effects of increased polyreactivity on serum half-lives of engineered antibodies.Recent findingsRecent studies have uncovered a wealth of information about the relationship between the sequences and efficacies of anti-HIV-1 antibodies through a combination of bioinformatics, structural characterization and in vivo studies. This knowledge has stimulated efforts to enhance antibody breadth and potency for therapeutic use. Although some engineered antibodies have shown increased polyreactivity and short half-lives, promising efforts are circumventing these problems.SummaryAntibodies are desirable as therapeutics due to their ability to recognize targets with both specificity and high affinity. Furthermore, the ability of antibodies to stimulate Fc-mediated effector functions can increase their utility. Thus, mAbs have become central to strategies for the treatment of various diseases. Using both targeted and library-based approaches, antibodies can be engineered to improve their therapeutic properties. This article will discuss recent antibody engineering efforts to improve the breadth and potency of anti-HIV-1 antibodies. The polyreactivity of engineered HIV-1 bNAbs and the effect on serum half-life will be explored along with strategies to overcome problems introduced by engineering antibodies. Finally, advances in creating bispecific anti-HIV-1 reagents are discussed.

Over the past two decades, several broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that confer protection against diverse influenza strains have been isolated. Structural and biochemical characterization of these bnAbs has provided molecular insight into how they bind distinct antigens. However, our understanding of the evolutionary pathways leading to bnAbs, and thus how best to elicit them, remains limited. Here, we measure equilibrium dissociation constants of combinatorially complete mutational libraries for two naturally isolated influenza bnAbs (CR9114, 16 heavy-chain mutations; CR6261, 11 heavy-chain mutations), reconstructing all possible evolutionary intermediates back to the unmutated germline sequences. We find that these two libraries exhibit strikingly different patterns of breadth: while many variants of CR6261 display moderate affinity to diverse antigens, those of CR9114 display appreciable affinity only in specific, nested combinations. By examining the extensive pairwise and higher order epistasis between mutations, we find key sites with strong synergistic interactions that are highly similar across antigens for CR6261 and different for CR9114. Together, these features of the binding affinity landscapes strongly favor sequential acquisition of affinity to diverse antigens for CR9114, while the acquisition of breadth to more similar antigens for CR6261 is less constrained. These results, if generalizable to other bnAbs, may explain the molecular basis for the widespread observation that sequential exposure favors greater breadth, and such mechanistic insight will be essential for predicting and eliciting broadly protective immune responses.

We assessed SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in samples from 89 acute COVID-19 patients, utilizing blood samples collected during the first wave of COVID-19 in Italy. The goal of the study was to examine correlations between SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell responses in the early phase comparing mild, moderate, or severe COVID-19 disease outcomes. T cell responses to the spike (S) and non-S proteins were measured in a combined activation-induced marker (AIM) and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) assay. Early CD4+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 S correlated with milder disease by both AIM and IFNγ ICS readouts. The correlation of S-specific CD4+ T cell responses with milder disease severity was most striking within the first two weeks of symptom onset compared to later time points. Furthermore, donors with milder disease were associated with polyantigenic CD4+ T cell responses that recognized more prominently non-S proteins in addition to S, while severe acute COVID-19 was characterized by lower magnitudes of CD4+ T cell responses and a narrower repertoire. In conclusion, this study highlights that both the magnitude and breadth of early SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T cell responses correlated with milder disease outcomes in acute COVID-19 patients.

Wideness and specification are two words that are called to judge its context, either by widening; Being not specific to a specific domain or specifically, to restrict it to a fully-related affair, its breadth was allocated to the intended delivery, taking into account the need in the language. One of the technologies has a broad meaning in its ruling on the general and common, including what is specified in a presumption stating a restriction or an allocation of the broad meaning; The verbal indication of amplitude differs from it in the definition, as the semantic widening does not make the text semantic and messy of understanding, but the text is a definite source, a determinant of the future, and a determinant of meaning, but the definition of meaning does not stop the group of interpretations chasing it. The widening of the significance and its identification are among the goals that are used to communicate the intended, taking into account the necessity of the situation, and the officer who surrounds the significance is codified according to the context and the choice of the signifier's form of expressing the meaning is broad or specific, and these are among the characteristics that characterize the Qur'anic language and are largely related to the Qur'anic context; Some of the technologies achieve a broad meaning in its ruling on the general and common, and some of them are presented specifically with a presumption stating a restriction or an allocation of the broad meaning. The verbal indication of amplitude differs from it in the limitation, as there are factors such as the condition and the attribute ... that lead in turn to restriction and allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]