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Purpose: The potential influence of surgical sequence of elective hip-and-knee reconstructive surgery in relation to an infection-related procedure on postoperative infection rates is not clearly understood. Therefore, we aimed to examine the impact of surgical sequence on the incidence of postoperative infections within one-year and the longest available follow-up period in patients undergoing hip-and-knee reconstructive surgery. Methods: A case-control study with propensity matching was utilized to examine elective surgeries conducted at Sunnybrook Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic centre, Toronto, Canada between 2015 and 2018. We determined and categorized them based on their operating room (OR) sequence in relation to an infected case; the cases were those performed right after (post-infection cohort), and the controls were those performed before an infection-related procedure in the same OR (pre-infection cohort). We employed survival analysis to compare the infection incidence within one year and at the longest available follow-up among the propensity-matched cohort. Results: A total of 13,651 cases were identified during the four year period. We successfully matched 153 cases (21 post-infection and 132 pre-infection) using propensity scores. Demographic and clinical characteristics were balanced through matching. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed no significant difference in infection-free survival within one year and at a median follow-up of 2.2 years [interquartile range 0.9-5.0] between surgeries conducted before and after infected cases (both log-rank p-values = 0.4). The hazard ratios for infection within one year and the longest follow-up period were both 0.37 [95%Confidence Interval 0.03–4.09, p = 0.418], as no more events occurred after one year. Conclusion: The sequence of surgical procedures, whether or not an elective arthroplasty or lower limb reconstructive procedure occurs before or after an infection-related case in the same OR, does not significantly affect postoperative infection rates. This finding supports the efficacy of the current infection control measures and suggests a reconsideration of surgical scheduling standards. Take home message: The sequence of surgical procedures, whether performed after an infected case or not, might not affect the rate of postoperative infections within the first year and until the median follow-up time of 2.2 years after surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To memorize a sequence, one must serially bind each item to its rank order. How the brain controls a given input to bind its associated order in sequence working memory (SWM) remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the neural representations underlying SWM control using electrophysiological recordings in the frontal cortex of macaque monkeys performing forward and backward SWM tasks. Separate and generalizable low-dimensional subspaces for sensory and memory information were found within the same frontal circuitry, and SWM control was reflected in these neural subspaces' organized dynamics. Each item at each rank was sequentially entered into a common sensory subspace and, depending on forward or backward task requirement, flexibly and timely sent into rank-selective SWM subspaces. Neural activity in these SWM subspaces faithfully predicted the recalled item and order information in single error trials. Thus, compositional neural population codes with well-orchestrated dynamics in frontal cortex support the flexible control of SWM. [Display omitted] • Separate low-dimensional sensory and memory subspaces are found in the frontal cortex • Spatial items enter a shared sensory subspace and then move into memory subspaces • Neural dynamics in forward and backward tasks reflect flexible control • Neural activities in memory subspaces predict monkeys' behavior Chen et al. discovered the separable and generalizable subspaces for sensory and sequence working memory in macaque frontal neural states. The neural activities and their dynamics within these subspaces reflected the flexible control of sequence working memory in various sequence sorting tasks, predicting monkeys' behavior in single trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T lymphocytes play a vital role in the immune‐inflammatory response following a stroke. However, the specific mechanisms behind the contrasting functions of T cells in the brain and peripheral tissues after a stroke remain unclear and require further investigation. T‐cell receptors (TCRs) are essential in controlling how T lymphocytes develop and become active. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the biological function of T lymphocytes by analyzing the TCR repertoire in patients who have experienced an acute ischemic stroke (AIS). High‐throughput TCR sequencing was conducted on peripheral blood samples from 25 AIS patients and 10 healthy controls. We compared the percentage of T cells and the characteristics of the TCR repertoire, specifically focusing on the recombination of V(D)J gene fragments and the diversity of the complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) of the Vβ gene. Additionally, this study analyzed the potential biological significance of the skewed TCR repertoire in AIS patients. In patients with AIS, the proportion of circulating lymphocytes (LY%) decreased while the systemic immune‐inflammatory index (SII) increased compared to healthy controls. The average number of TCR read pairs decreased, corresponding with the presence of lymphopenia. However, the recombination of V(D)J gene fragments, the number of CDR3 clonotypes, and the diversity of CDR3 was elevated in the peripheral blood of AIS patients. Furthermore, the increased number of CDR3 amino acid or nucleotide clonotypes was negatively correlated with neurologic deficits but positively correlated with AIS patients' systemic immune condition and functional outcomes. Our findings suggest that both immunosuppression and enhanced antigen‐specific T‐cell response may exist in the periphery of the AIS patients. Further investigation into the mechanisms underlying these opposing changes may lead to the discovery of novel targets to reverse immunosuppression or mitigate the detrimental effects of T cells in the lesioned brain of AIS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to study how historical documentaries handle the development of a tale. The initial premise is that documentaries are not a mere compilation and recounting of data but rather a narration constructed based on the perspective of the audiovisual language. To understand how filmmakers create the story, we studied documentary feature-length films on the Spanish Civil War between 2000 and 2014. The sequence has been taken as the unit of analysis, and a breakdown has been made of the types of images and sounds used according to duration, order, and predominance of plot or characters. The research bears on the concept of narrative strategy, which helps to understand the format's internal mechanism, considering three issues: the production approach, the visual solution, and the narrative decision. The study of the selected corpus detected eleven narrative strategies-eleven ways to portray the same event from the past, with different purposes and intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two modal verbs of German are regularly used to express deontic possibility: können (‘can’) and dürfen (‘may’). We examine how speakers select between them, focusing on modal inquiries for permission to carry out some action (darf/kann ich das machen, ‘may/can I do this’). Our data are video-recordings of everyday face-to-face interaction, which we analyze sequentially, drawing on interactional-linguistic methods. We find that local sequential context and aspects of visible turn-design systematically enter into the accomplishment of deontic meaning. (1) Position of the modal inquiry within a course of action informs verb selection: speakers select kann to nominate an action as coming “out of the blue” and initiating a new course of action; darf to nominate an action as sequentially occasioned: a solution to an already known-in-common problem. (2) Bodily behavior (gaze, body posture) guides the interpretation of modal flavor, moving a kann-inquiry towards a deontic or a circumstantial interpretation, and moving a darf-inquiry towards a deontic or a bouletic interpretation. Overall, the study demonstrates the systematic contributions of sequential position and body behavior in the accomplishment of modal meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the distribution, linear ordering and functions of sequences of linguistic elements occurring at the left and right peripheries of discourse units across three genres of written English discourse. Based on a corpus of news reports, commentaries and personal narratives, the paper aims to account for discourse-genre-specific preferences in the use of peripheral two-part sequences such as and so, but I think or now though. The data show considerable variation across genres in terms of (i) which formal types of sequences occur at the peripheries, (ii) how peripheral elements are sequentially ordered, and (iii) which discourse-pragmatic functions left- and right-peripheral sequences fulfil in written English discourse. The observed variation in the use of peripheral sequences across news reports, commentaries and personal narratives can be explained by discourse-related factors as well as the specific communicative purposes of each genre. The present article argues for a prototype-anchored conceptualization of the internal structure of discourse units: On the one hand, the left and right peripheries are conceptualized as containing a wide range of – more and less prototypical – linguistic elements (i.e. extra-clausal constituents and adjuncts); on the other hand, the boundary between core and periphery is conceptualized as fuzzy and gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterococci, common hospital-acquired infections in immunocompromised patients, have garnered attention in clinical microbiology. To determine the clinical relevance of enterococci as food-borne pathogens, 116 fish, 90 vegetables, and 120 human diarrheal samples were tested for E. faecalis and E. faecium pathogenicity. Conventionally, 69 of 326 (21.17%) samples were positive for Enterococcus species, 52 (15.95%) of which were molecularly classified as E. faecalis and 13 (3.99%) as E. faecium. The E. faecalis contamination percentage of fresh fish (19.70%) was higher than frozen fish (4%). Cauliflower had the highest E. faecalis percentage (16.67%) when fish and vegetable samples didn't harbor the E. faecium atpA gene. 23.33% and 10.83% of participants' samples were molecularly confirmed as E. faecalis and E. faecium positive, respectively. E. faecalis isolates had all virulence genes, with gels being the most common (65.38%), while cylA and asa1 genes couldn't be detected in E. faecium isolates. E. faecalis showed the highest resistance against vancomycin and tetracycline (69.23%), whereas E. faecium extremely resisted tetracycline (76.92%) and erythromycin (69.23%) with the recognition of MDR among 44.2% of E. faecalis and 38.5% of E. faecium isolates. The great similarity of our isolates showed the clinical importance of food-borne antibiotic-resistant enterococci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of black pepper virus F (BPVF) was identified for the first time from India, and its complete genome sequence was determined using overlapping fragments obtained through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). The RNA 1 and RNA 2 of the Indian isolate of BPVF (BPVF‐IND) contained 6376 and 3340 nucleotides potentially coding for proteins of 230.7 kDa and 114 kDa respectively. Comparison of the RNA 1 sequence of BPVF‐IND with that of BPVF from Brazil (BPVF‐ BR‐PA) and China (BPVF‐ ZYP‐1) revealed an identity of 95% and 90%, respectively, while RNA 2 showed an identity of 96% and 90%. The phylogenetic analysis of the Pro‐Pol region of RNA 1 and coat protein region of RNA 2 revealed close clustering of all three BPVF isolates well separated from other species of the genus, Fabavirus. Diagnostics assays based on the RT‐PCR and RT‐recombinase polymerase amplification (RT‐RPA) were developed for the sensitive detection of the virus that will help in the identification and propagation of virus‐free black pepper plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In severe osteoporosis, the optimal approach for sequential treatment between denosumab and romosozumab is unclear. We utilised a novel overlapping strategy in three patients with very-high fracture risk despite long-term denosumab which led to greater bone density improvements than previously reported with standard approaches. Larger confirmatory prospective studies are needed. Purpose/introduction: In patients with severe osteoporosis, the optimal approach for sequential treatment between denosumab and romosozumab has not been established. The ideal strategy would maximise gains in bone mineral density (BMD) with romosozumab and effectively mitigate the risk of rebound increased bone turnover when sequencing from denosumab. Limited studies exploring the sequence from denosumab to romosozumab report only modest-to-no improvement in BMD and inadequate suppression of rebound bone turnover. Methods: We describe three patients with severe osteoporosis and multiple fragility fractures despite long-term denosumab. A novel overlapping sequential treatment approach was utilised to maximise therapeutic benefit given these patients had a very high fracture risk. Romosozumab was commenced 3 months after the last denosumab dose. Instead of waiting until completion of romosozumab, denosumab was recommenced 6 months after commencing romosozumab in response to rising bone turnover markers. Results: Patients experienced a ~ 5–22% increase in lumbar spine BMD, and one patient had an 8% increase in total hip BMD after 12 months romosozumab. Serum bone turnover markers demonstrated an anabolic effect of romosozumab occurred despite overlapping treatment with denosumab. Recommencement of denosumab suppressed an increase in bone resorption in all cases. No new vertebral fractures occurred during this treatment. Conclusions: A novel overlapping sequential treatment approach between denosumab and romosozumab produced greater improvements in lumbar spine and hip BMD than previously reported with standard approaches. Larger prospective controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish the optimal use of romosozumab in patients pre-treated with denosumab to maximise BMD gains and minimise fracture risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear complexity is an important pseudo-random measure of the key stream sequence in a stream cipher system. The 1-error linear complexity is used to measure the stability of the linear complexity, which means the minimal linear complexity of the new sequence by changing one bit of the original key stream sequence. This paper contributes to calculating the exact values of the linear complexity and 1-error linear complexity of the binary key stream sequence with two prime periods defined by Ding–Helleseth generalized cyclotomy. We provide a novel method to solve such problems by employing the discrete Fourier transform and the M–S polynomial of the sequence. Our results show that, by choosing appropriate parameters p and q, the linear complexity and 1-error linear complexity can be no less than half period, which shows that the linear complexity of this sequence not only meets the requirements of cryptography but also has good stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive and systematic examination of dengue virus (DENV) evolution is essential in Pakistan, where the virus poses a significant public health challenge due to its ability to adapt and evolve. To shed light on the intricate evolutionary patterns of all four DENV serotypes, we analyzed complete genome sequences (n = 43) and Envelope (E) gene sequences (n = 44) of all four DENV serotypes collected in Pakistan from 1994 to 2023, providing a holistic view of their genetic evolution. Our findings revealed that all four serotypes of DENV co-circulate in Pakistan with a close evolutionary relationship between DENV-1 and DENV-3. Among the genetically distinct serotypes DENV-2 and DENV-4, DENV-4 stands out as the most genetically different, while DENV-2 exhibits greater complexity due to the presence of multiple genotypes and the possibility of temporal fluctuations in genotype prevalence. Selective pressure analysis of the Envelope (E) gene revealed heterogeneity among sequences (n = 44), highlighting 46 codons in the genome experiencing selective pressure, characterized by a bias toward balancing selection, indicating genetic stability of the virus. Furthermore, our study suggested an intriguing evolutionary shift of DENV-4 toward the DENV-2 clade, potentially influenced by antibodies with cross-reactivity to multiple serotypes, providing a critical insight into the complex factors, shaping DENV evolution and contributing to the emergence of new serotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequences formed by symbols are found in diverse fields, including genome sequences, written texts and computer codes. An interesting question is whether a sequence of symbols contains correlated structures. Existing methods to characterize correlations require a numerical representation of the sequence. In this regard, mapping a sequence of text into a sequence of numerical values is a key step for assessing correlation analysis. This work proposes a methodology to study correlations in a sequence of symbols. In the first step, the sequence of symbols is mapped in a multivariate numerical sequence formed by unit vectors in a vectorial space. The main feature of such mapping is that symbols are equally weighted, thus avoiding the numerical overrepresentation of symbols. In the second step, a multivariate version of the detrended fluctuation analysis is used to quantify correlations in the numerical sequence. Genome sequences (first COVID-19), written English texts and comovements between Bitcoin and gold markets were used to illustrate the proposed methodology's performance. The results showed that the balanced numerical mapping of symbolic sequences and the multivariate DFA provides valuable insights into the correlations in a sequence of symbols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing SNP density by incorporating sequence information only marginally increases prediction accuracies of breeding values in livestock. To find out why, we used statistical models and simulations to investigate the shape of distribution of estimated SNP effects (a profile) around quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) in populations with a small effective population size (Ne). A QTN profile created by averaging SNP effects around each QTN was similar to the shape of expected pairwise linkage disequilibrium (PLD) based on Ne and genetic distance between SNP, with a distinct peak for the QTN. Populations with smaller Ne showed lower but wider QTN profiles. However, adding more genotyped individuals with phenotypes dragged the profile closer to the QTN. The QTN profile was higher and narrower for populations with larger compared to smaller Ne. Assuming the PLD curve for the QTN profile, 80% of the additive genetic variance explained by each QTN was contained in ± 1/Ne Morgan interval around the QTN, corresponding to 2 Mb in cattle and 5 Mb in pigs and chickens. With such large intervals, identifying QTN is difficult even if all of them are in the data and the assumed genetic architecture is simplistic. Additional complexity in QTN detection arises from confounding of QTN profiles with signals due to relationships, overlapping profiles with closely spaced QTN, and spurious signals. However, small Ne allows for accurate predictions with large data even without QTN identification because QTNs are accounted for by QTN profiles if SNP density is sufficient to saturate the segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We determined the dengue virus (DENV) serotypes and genotypes in archived serum samples that were collected during the 2014–2016 and 2021 dengue outbreaks in Dire Dawa City and the Somali region in Ethiopia. DENV serotype 1 (DENV-1) was predominant followed by DENV serotype 2 (DENV-2). Thirteen of the DENV-1 strains were assigned to Genotype-I, while the remaining two were found to be Genotype-III. All three DENV-2 strains were assigned the Cosmopolitan Genotype. The DENV strains responsible for the outbreaks are genetically closely related to the DENV strains that circulated in neighboring and Asian countries. The findings also showed continued local transmission of a monophyletic lineage and a co-circulation of DENV-1 and DENV-2 during the outbreaks. There is a need to strengthen DENV genomic surveillance capacity for the early detection of circulating serotypes, and prevent devastating consequences of future outbreaks due to the co-circulation of different serotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How should consumers sequence the different stimuli they consume: cluster each stimulus together, or intermix them to break things up? Surprisingly, prior literature has provided little insight into this question, even though consumers face it on a regular basis. We propose that clustering each stimulus type together can prolong enjoyment (vs. intermixing the types). Six studies confirm that clustering slows hedonic decline, and process evidence shows this happens because clustering leads people to attend more to the different details offered by a stimulus during repeated exposures. We also establish two boundary conditions for this effect: clustering does not slow hedonic decline in the presence of regular intervening distractions, or for impoverished stimuli lacking rich details. The present work is among the first to examine the interplay of consumption sequence and hedonic decline, and the findings provide consumers and firms with practical guidance on how to consider sequencing experiences to enjoy them longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rift Valley fever (RVF), a mosquito-borne transboundary zoonosis, was first confirmed in Rwanda's livestock in 2012 and since then sporadic cases have been reported almost every year. In 2018, the country experienced its first large outbreak, which was followed by a second one in 2022. To determine the circulating virus lineages and their ancestral origin, two genome sequences from the 2018 outbreak, and thirty-six, forty-one, and thirty-eight sequences of small (S), medium (M), and large (L) genome segments, respectively, from the 2022 outbreak were generated. All of the samples from the 2022 outbreak were collected from slaughterhouses. Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian-based phylogenetic analyses were performed. The findings showed that RVF viruses belonging to a single lineage, C, were circulating during the two outbreaks, and shared a recent common ancestor with RVF viruses isolated in Uganda between 2016 and 2019, and were also linked to the 2006/2007 largest East Africa RVF outbreak reported in Kenya, Tanzania, and Somalia. Alongside the wild-type viruses, genetic evidence of the RVFV Clone 13 vaccine strain was found in slaughterhouse animals, demonstrating a possible occupational risk of exposure with unknown outcome for people working in meat-related industry. These results provide additional evidence of the ongoing wide spread of RVFV lineage C in Africa and emphasize the need for an effective national and international One Health-based collaborative approach in responding to RVF emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given experience in cluttered but stable visual environments, our eye‐movements form stereotyped routines that sample task‐relevant locations, while not mixing‐up routines between similar task‐settings. Both dopamine signaling and mindfulness have been posited as factors that influence the formation of such routines, yet quantification of their impact remains to be tested in healthy humans. Over two sessions, participants searched through grids of doors to find hidden targets, using a gaze‐contingent display. Within each session, door scenes appeared in either one of two colors, with each color signaling a differing set of likely target locations. We derived measures for how well target locations were learned (target‐accuracy), how routine were sets of eye‐movements (stereotypy), and the extent of interference between the two scenes (setting‐accuracy). Participants completed two sessions, where they were administered either levodopa (dopamine precursor) or placebo (vitamin C), under double‐blind counterbalanced conditions. Dopamine and trait mindfulness (assessed by questionnaire) interacted to influence both target‐accuracy and stereotypy. Increasing dopamine improved accuracy and reduced stereotypy for high mindfulness scorers, but induced the opposite pattern for low mindfulness scorers. Dopamine also disrupted setting‐accuracy invariant to mindfulness. Our findings show that mindfulness modulates the impact of dopamine on the target‐accuracy and stereotypy of eye‐movement routines, whereas increasing dopamine promotes interference between task‐settings, regardless of mindfulness. These findings provide a link between non‐human and human models regarding the influence of dopamine on the formation of task‐relevant eye‐movement routines and provide novel insights into behavior‐trait factors that modulate the use of experience when building adaptive repertoires. Using a double‐blind L‐Dopa intervention with healthy participants, we show that dopamine interacts with an individual's level of mindfulness to influence routine formation and cognitive control. These findings are the first empirical test of the theoretical suggestion that mindfulness and dopamine operate on the same underlying mechanisms that support task learning and habit formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic flow on highways is a dynamic process in which characteristics of road segments vary in time and space. Traffic congestion is the adverse effect caused dby an increase in travel time which is unprecedented by time and space. Temporal and spatial information of traffic flow is an integral component in the assessment of highway traffic flow. The spatial–temporal traffic flow dependency on highways can be well assessed when temporal traffic information in preceding time instances is sequenced. Thus, the SCAE-LSTM network is proposed considering time and space. This study investigates the estimation of traffic flow on highways based on spatial and temporal traffic sequences. Sequencing highway traffic information has motivated the authors to propose the method. The performance of the method is experimented on State Highways SH 49 and SH 49-A of Chennai Metropolitan City, Tamil Nadu, India. The computational complexity of the method is analyzed empirically. The significant outcome of the proposed method is reported in the experimental study. The traffic flow estimated using the proposed method has shown reduced complexity compared to other baseline methods. Finally, research directions to work in future are presented towards the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane brown rust (SCBR), caused by Puccinia melanocephala, is a destructive fungal disease that has extensively spread in the sugarcane-cultivating regions across the world. Early monitoring plays an important role in predicting the P. melanocephala epidemic and managing SCBR. However, accurately identifying SCBR based on symptoms and urediniospore morphology at the initial stage is a challenge. Further, it is tedious, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and requires expensive equipment to detect P. melanocephala using PCR-based methods. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology is renowned for its speed, simplicity, and low equipment requirements for specifically and sensitively identifying many pathogens. Therefore, in this study, a novel and highly sensitive LAMP assay was developed for the specific detection of P. melanocephala in sugarcane. Here, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence of P. melanocephala was selected as the target gene for LAMP primer design. Based on the color change of SYBR Green I and gel electrophoresis, specific LAMP primers were screened. Further, the optimal reaction conditions for the LAMP assay were determined at 63 °C for 60 min. The LAMP assay showed a high degree of specificity for the detection of P. melanocephala in sugarcane, with no cross-reactivity with other fungal pathogens. The established LAMP protocol was highly sensitive and can be used to detect as low as 1 pg/μL of P. melanocephala plasmid DNA, which is comparable to that of nested PCR and ~100 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. Finally, the detection rate of the LAMP method was higher than that of conventional and nested PCR in field samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we investigated the prevalence of respiratory viruses in four Hybrid Converter Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) farms in Egypt. The infected birds displayed severe respiratory signs, accompanied by high mortality rates, suggesting viral infections. Five representative samples from each farm were pooled and tested for H5 & H9 subtypes of avian influenza viruses (AIVs), Avian Orthoavulavirus-1 (AOAV-1), and turkey rhinotracheitis (TRT) using real-time RT-PCR and conventional RT-PCR. Representative tissue samples from positive cases were subjected to histopathology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: The PCR techniques confirmed the presence of AOAV-1 and H5 AIV genes, while none of the tested samples were positive for H9 or TRT. Microscopic examination of tissue samples revealed congestion and hemorrhage in the lungs, liver, and intestines with leukocytic infiltration. IHC revealed viral antigens in the lungs, liver, and intestines. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that H5 HA belonged to 2.3.4.4b H5 sublineage and AOAV-1 belonged to VII 1.1 genotype. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for proper monitoring of hybrid converter breeds for viral diseases, and the importance of vaccination programs to prevent unnecessary losses. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the isolation of AOAV-1 and H5Nx viruses from Hybrid Converter Turkeys in Egypt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Diffusion-weighted images (DWI) obtained by echo-planar imaging (EPI) are frequently degraded by susceptibility artifacts from air-soft tissue interfaces at complicated structures in the paranasal sinus, oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. It has been suggested that DWI obtained by fast advanced spin-echo (FASE) or reconstructed with deep learning reconstruction (DLR) could be useful for image quality improvements. The purpose of this investigation using in vitro and in vivo studies was to determine the influence of sequence difference and application of DLR for DWI on image quality, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) evaluation, and differentiation of malignant from benign head and neck tumors. In comparison with the EPI sequence, the FASE sequence and DLR can improve image quality and image distortion of DWIs without significantly influencing ADC measurements or the capability to differentiate malignant from benign head and neck tumors. Background: Diffusion-weighted images (DWI) obtained by echo-planar imaging (EPI) are frequently degraded by susceptibility artifacts. It has been suggested that DWI obtained by fast advanced spin-echo (FASE) or reconstructed with deep learning reconstruction (DLR) could be useful for image quality improvements. The purpose of this investigation using in vitro and in vivo studies was to determine the influence of sequence difference and of DLR for DWI on image quality, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) evaluation, and differentiation of malignant from benign head and neck tumors. Methods: For the in vitro study, a DWI phantom was scanned by FASE and EPI sequences and reconstructed with and without DLR. Each ADC within the phantom for each DWI was then assessed and correlated for each measured ADC and standard value by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. For the in vivo study, DWIs obtained by EPI and FASE sequences were also obtained for head and neck tumor patients. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and ADC were then determined based on ROI measurements, while SNR of tumors and ADC were compared between all DWI data sets by means of Tukey's Honest Significant Difference test. Results: For the in vitro study, all correlations between measured ADC and standard reference were significant and excellent (0.92 ≤ ρ ≤ 0.99, p < 0.0001). For the in vivo study, the SNR of FASE with DLR was significantly higher than that of FASE without DLR (p = 0.02), while ADC values for benign and malignant tumors showed significant differences between each sequence with and without DLR (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In comparison with EPI sequence, FASE sequence and DLR can improve image quality and distortion of DWIs without significantly influencing ADC measurements or differentiation capability of malignant from benign head and neck tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K. pneumoniae, which produces carbapenemases is of public health importance because of its resistance to antimicrobials. This study was conducted in the laboratories of the Biology Department in the College of Science. K. Pneumoniae is identified phenotypically by its large pink mucus appearance on MacConkey agar because of lactose fermentation and by bacteriological, microscopic, and biochemical tests using the VITK 2 device. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion. Klebsiella pneumoniae represented 5.3% (n = 16). It is highly resistant to antibiotics used to treat wound infections and shows the highest rate of resistance with cefepime 11 (68.8%), followed by Ertapenem 9 (56.3%), Doripenem and Imipenem 7 (43.8%), and meropenem 6 (37.5%). Carbapenemases resistance was identified by phenotype through the Hodge test and also detection of carbapenemases genes by polymerase chain reaction. The results showed the presence of the bla SHV 16 gene (100%) in K. pneumoniae isolates. The results showed that there were 4 isolates (25%) positive for the bla AMPC gene. The results also showed the presence of the bla KPC gene in two isolates (12.5%). The bla GES gene was not found in K. pneumoniae isolates. In general, the isolates were resistant to carbapenem and cefepime antibiotics. Five random samples were examined by publishing the results of the sequence analysis by BLAST in (NCBI) and the Mega 7 polymorphism detection program: it was found that there was no difference between the sequences, but rather the match was with the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networks are a useful mathematical tool for capturing the complexity of the world. In a previous behavioral study, we showed that human adults were sensitive to the high-level network structure underlying auditory sequences, even when presented with incomplete information. Their performance was best explained by a mathematical model compatible with associative learning principles, based on the integration of the transition probabilities between adjacent and nonadjacent elements with a memory decay. In the present study, we explored the neural correlates of this hypothesis via magnetoencephalography (MEG). Participants (N = 23, 16 females) passively listened to sequences of tones organized in a sparse community network structure comprising two communities. An early difference (~150 ms) was observed in the brain responses to tone transitions with similar transition probability but occurring either within or between communities. This result implies a rapid and automatic encoding of the sequence structure. Using time-resolved decoding, we estimated the duration and overlap of the representation of each tone. The decoding performance exhibited exponential decay, resulting in a significant overlap between the representations of successive tones. Based on this extended decay profile, we estimated a long-horizon associative learning novelty index for each transition and found a correlation of this measure with the MEG signal. Overall, our study sheds light on the neural mechanisms underlying human sensitivity to network structures and highlights the potential role of Hebbian-like mechanisms in supporting learning at various temporal scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, fiber stacks are extensively used in the aircraft and structural component manufacturing industries. It is mainly due to their excellent mechanical and physiochemical performances. The different stacking sequences of fiber materials expand the structural properties due to high-strength carbon fiber and low-cost glass fiber. The fragile and anisotropic conduct of Carbon (Cf) and Glass (Gf) laminates generates different types of complex machining issues. This article focuses on the Drilling test of Carbon/glass fiber hybrid composites using different stacking sequences. The effect of varying stacking orders is explored in this study to identify a feasible composite. The control of varying constraints, namely, spindle speed (N), feed rate (f), and stacking sequence (SS) of carbon (Cf) and glass fiber (Gf) reinforcement, is performed to achieve the optimal parametric condition. The finding reveals that sample A (C4G4) stacking sequence provides an acceptable value for thrust force 59.05 N and delamination 1.0001 for high drilling efficiency. The stacking technique of carbon/glass layers can be endorsed to the manufacturing sector for cost-effective composite development and a defect-free machining environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the common issues in production scheduling is the flow shop sequencing issue. A specific type of manufacturing process follows a predetermined linear structure in a flow shop. To solve a flow shop problem in a static workshop, the goal of this study is to determine the shortest possible total processing time (make-span) for a sequence of 'n' tasks on 'm' machines. The suggested method is based on how each work slopes as it moves from the first to the last machine. This method is contrasted with four popular heuristics (Palmer, CDS, Dannenbring, NEH). The findings of the study for 'n' x 'm' flow shop sequencing problems show that the proposed method is effective and shows a promising amount of progress when compared to the other four heuristic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Genetic molecular testing is starting to become part of standard clinical practice for dogs with cancer as it can assist veterinarians with diagnosis, provide information about prognosis and aid with selection of therapeutic options. In this review, we consider the different body fluids and tissues from which tumour cells, DNA, RNA and the relevant proteins can be isolated, and what methods are currently used for characterising the molecular profile of cancer in dogs. We also consider new methods that are currently being developed and look promising. The aim is to provide an overview of molecular technologies for veterinarians without previous experience in molecular biology. Genetic molecular testing is starting to gain traction as part of standard clinical practice for dogs with cancer due to its multi-faceted benefits, such as potentially being able to provide diagnostic, prognostic and/or therapeutic information. However, the benefits and ultimate success of genomic analysis in the clinical setting are reliant on the robustness of the tools used to generate the results, which continually expand as new technologies are developed. To this end, we review the different materials from which tumour cells, DNA, RNA and the relevant proteins can be isolated and what methods are available for interrogating their molecular profile, including analysis of the genetic alterations (both somatic and germline), transcriptional changes and epigenetic modifications (including DNA methylation/acetylation and microRNAs). We also look to the future and the tools that are currently being developed, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify genetic mutations from histomorphological criteria. In summary, we find that the molecular genetic characterisation of canine neoplasms has made a promising start. As we understand more of the genetics underlying these tumours and more targeted therapies become available, it will no doubt become a mainstay in the delivery of precision veterinary care to dogs with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The diagnosis and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection can make a significant influence to the prevention of the dangerous consequences of toxoplasmosis, particularly in immunocompromised people. Objective: The aim of this investigation was to assess the frequency and genotyping of T. gondii in blood samples of patients with hemodialysis. Materials and methods: In the current investigation, a total of 379 blood samples were taken from subjects with hemodialysis who were referred to teaching hospital of Ahvaz in the southwest of Iran. The samples were evaluated using the Nested PCR by targeting the B1 gene, and then, sequencing and phylogenetic tree were constructed. Results: T. gondii DNA was found in 112 (29.55%) of the blood samples by Nested PCR. Amplicons from T. gondii revealed high identity with GenBank sequences. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that all sequences were closely related to Type I of T. gondii. Conclusion: Because of the high incidence of toxoplasmosis with type I prevalent in hemodialysis patients, we recommend a systematic screening for toxoplasmosis to carry out for monitoring the possible dissemination of toxoplasmosis during hemodialysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separable striatal circuits have unique functions in Pavlovian and instrumental behaviors but how these roles relate to performance of sequences of actions with and without associated cues are less clear. Here, we tested whether dopamine transmission and neural activity more generally in three striatal subdomains are necessary for performance of an action chain leading to reward delivery. Male and female Long‐Evans rats were trained to press a series of three spatially distinct levers to receive reward. We assessed the contribution of neural activity or dopamine transmission within each striatal subdomain when progression through the action sequence was explicitly cued and in the absence of cues. Behavior in both task variations was substantially impacted following microinfusion of the dopamine antagonist, flupenthixol, into nucleus accumbens core (NAc) or dorsomedial striatum (DMS), with impairments in sequence timing and numbers of rewards earned after NAc flupenthixol. In contrast, after pharmacological inactivation to suppress overall activity, there was minimal impact on total rewards earned. Instead, inactivation of both NAc and DMS impaired sequence timing and led to sequence errors in the uncued, but not cued task. There was no impact of dopamine antagonism or reversible inactivation of dorsolateral striatum on either cued or uncued action sequence completion. These results highlight an essential contribution of NAc and DMS dopamine systems in motivational and performance aspects of chains of actions, whether cued or internally generated, as well as the impact of intact NAc and DMS function for correct sequence performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

s t r i n g U t i l s. c o n v e r t A b s t r a c t M a t h H t m l (formulaUtilTools.convertMathHtml( s t r i n g U t i l s. c o n v e r t M m l (!article.abstractinfoEn)),'en') The recommendation of the next Point of Interest (POI) has attracted significant attention within the domain of POI recommendations in recent years. Existing methods for next POI recommendation are built on the original check-in sequences of users. Despite effectiveness, the original check-in sequences mix the influences of different contextual factors, which inevitably weakens the model ability of learning user preferences from the complex contextual information. To overcome this issue, we propose a novel Multi-Contextual Sequence-based Attention Network (MCSAN) for next POI recommendations. MCSAN first develops a new con-textual influence-based sampling strategy, which can transform the original check-in sequences into a series of contextual information-aware subsequences. Moreover, the constructed subsequences meticulously capture the impacts of various contextual information from the original check-in sequences. Then, MCSAN leverage the attention-based neural network to learn the representations of POIs from the generated subsequences. Finally, MCSAN develops a new feature fusion method that extracts user preferences from the learned POI presentations adaptively. Extensive experiments conducted on real-world datasets indicate the effectiveness of our proposed MCSAN for the next POI recommendation task, compared to recent representative methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cochlear implants (CIs) were noncompatible with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) initially; however, recently, implants have become available that are compatible with MRI without the need for magnet removal or bandage fixation. The images produced by MRI scans are sometimes deteriorated by artifacts and are not clinically useful. In this study, we discussed the size differences of such artifacts with respect to the imaging modality and sequences with their clinical validity. We performed a head MRI, using a head bandage and without magnet removal in five patients who underwent cochlear implantation at our department and analyzed the MRI findings. Without magnet removal, diffusion-weighted images and T2 star-weighted images had larger artifacts and less useful images. T1-weighted images, T2-weighted images (T2WIs), T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (T2-FLAIR) images, and heavy T2WIs could evaluate the unimplanted side and middle of the head but had limited applicability on the CI side. The characteristic features of MRI scan images vary with the method used as well as with the sequence, suggesting that the choice of MRI is largely determined on the basis of clinical feasibility and the requirement. Accordingly, we need to judge well in advance of imaging whether the images would be clinically relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Egypt, poultry farms are still experiencing pressure from the avian influenza viruses H5N1, H5N8, and H9N2, as well as economic losses from direct viral infection or sharing other diseases that increase respiratory complications. Despite the administration of multiple vaccines against these viruses, protective immunity cannot develop due to frequent virus mutation and changes due to immunological pressure or genetic mixing. In this study, a six-weeks-old flock of Pekin ducks showed sudden mortality without any symptoms, while the still survived birds showed depression, mild to severe respiratory and/or nervous symptoms and greenish diarrhea. The mortality rate reached 25.4% in two weeks. Postmortem lesion included severely congested organs, tracheitis, pneumonia, massive hemorrhages on coronary fat and heart muscles, thymic hyperplasia, necrosis, and hemorrhages on pancreas. Liver samples were H5 positive by PCR, and sequences identified two isolates with the accession numbers MW917155 and MW917160. The phylogenetic analysis and identity table of the obtained two isolates demonstrated their relationship to the clade 2.3.4.4.1, which includes Egyptian isolates from ducks, goose, and chickens from 2017 to 2019. Our results showed clinical manifestation as well as molecular techniques to support the diagnosis of ducks infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. Furthermore, our findings revealed a link between our isolates and earlier local and worldwide isolates, as well as a match with the vaccines used in Egypt. Further coordinated national investigations on the prevalence and variations of HPAI virus infection in Egyptian poultry farms as well as the efficacy of used vaccinations are advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious diseases of young and adult birds with respiratory syndrome are a significant deterrent to the development of industrial poultry farming due to decreased productivity and significant mortality. The only effective method of combating viral diseases is timely and targeted vaccination, which largely depends on laboratory diagnostic results. Aim: This article aims to study the real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, (RT-PCR) which has the prospect of more effective diagnosis of vaccine strains of chicken infectious bronchitis and Newcastle disease. Methods: The fastest and most accurate method for the differential diagnosis of pathogens in an associative viral infection is RT-PCR. The method proposed in the article for selecting primers for amplification made it possible to use this method for the simultaneous interspecies differential diagnosis of two or more viral agents, significantly accelerating their diagnosis. Results: The correlation of the nucleotide sequence obtained from sequencing to a specific virus strain is complicated by the lack of a single nomenclature mechanism for separating genetic groups. Conclusion: The results of this study will allow easy and fast typing of sequences into known and databased virus strains and avoid further confusion in the nomenclature of genetic groups in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is becoming increasingly important in managing metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). However, the optimal timing of SRT in relation to systemic treatment remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to determine whether waiting response evaluation to first-line systemic therapy (FLST) before considering local SRT treatment could exclude poorer prognosis progressive tumor that may not benefit from SRT. We compared survival data for 50 patients locally treated before or within 90 days of initiating FLST (early SRT), with 49 patients treated at least 90 days after initiating FLST (late SRT). In patients receiving conventional chemotherapy, late SRT resulted in significantly better survival outcomes compared to early SRT. For patients receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), there was no difference between late and early SRT. These results suggest that delaying SRT treatment may be less necessary when ICI is administered in mNSCLC Stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) is gaining increasing importance in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) management. The optimal sequence of tumor irradiation relative to systemic treatment remains unclear. If waiting response evaluation to first-line systemic therapy (FLST) before considering local treatment may allow for the exclusion of poorer prognosis progressive tumors that may not benefit from SRT, performing irradiation near immune check point inhibitor (ICI) first administration seems to improve their synergic effect. Herein, we aimed to determine whether delaying SRT after response evaluation to FLST would result in better prognosis. We compared overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and time to first subsequent therapy (TFST) for 50 patients locally treated before or within 90 days of initiating FLST (early SRT), with 49 patients treated at least 90 days after initiating FLST (late SRT). Patients treated with conventional chemotherapy alone exhibited significantly poorer median OS, PFS, and TFST in the early SRT arm: (in months) 16.5 [8.33-NR] vs. 58.3 [35.05-NR] (p = 0.0015); 4.69 [3.57–8.98] vs. 8.20 [6.66–12.00] (p = 0.017); and 6.26 [4.82–11.8] vs. 10.0 [7.44–21.8] (p = 0.0074), respectively. Patient receiving ICI showed no difference in OS (NR [25.2-NR] vs. 36.6 [35.1-NR], p = 0.79), PFS (7.54 [6.23-NR] vs. 4.07 [2.52-NR], p = 0.19), and TFST (13.7 [9.48-NR] vs. 10.3 [3.54-NR], p = 0.49). These results suggest that delaying SRT treatment in order to filter a rapidly growing tumor may be less necessary when ICI is administered in mNSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardamom mosaic virus (CdMV; genus Macluravirus), which causes mosaic (katte) disease in cardamom, is a highly variable member of the family Potyviridae. So far, the complete genome sequence of one isolate from Karnataka (KS) has been reported. In the present study, we determined the complete genome sequence of a CdMV isolate from Kerala (KI) and the complete CP gene sequences of nine isolates of CdMV from Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, India. The complete genome of CdMV (KI) consists of 8255 nucleotides (nt) with two open reading frames (ORFs). The large ORF, potentially coding for a polyprotein of 2638 amino acids (aa), is further processed into nine mature proteins at eight cleavage sites. The second ORF, PIPO (pretty interesting Potyviridae ORF) starting with a C(A)6 motif, encodes a small protein of 56 aa. The viral genome contains an additional 13 nt in the 5′ untranslated region (UTR) and 6 nt in the CP gene, as well as a deletion of 13 nt at the 3′ UTR in comparison to the KS isolate of CdMV. The complete viral genome and polyprotein share 76% and 85% sequence identity with the KS isolate of CdMV, indicating that the present isolate is highly divergent from the KS isolate. Sequencing and analysis of the CP sequences of 16 CdMV isolates from different regions revealed high heterogeneity among them, suggesting that they should be considered members of more than one species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using large French retrospective study cohort of chemotherapy-naïve metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients (mCRPC; n = 10,308) in 2014-2018, we described treatment patterns in the 2 years following initiation abiraterone and enzalutamide. Our study suggested similar patterns between abiraterone and enzalutamide initiation: 54% of 65% respectively continued the initial treatment, 14.5% both discontinued active treatments, and about 10% prematurely died. Purpose: Using large French retrospective study cohort of chemotherapy-naïve metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients (mCRPC; n = 10,308) comparing survival between patients who initiated abiraterone (ABI; 64%) and those initiating enzalutamide (ENZ; 36%), the present objective was to describe treatment patterns in the 2 years following initiation. Method: Using the national health data system (SNDS) from 2014 to 2018, we first explored the number of treatment lines, and secondly, patterns of patient management using state sequence analysis; cluster analyses were performed on the 0 to 12 month and 13 to 24 month periods. Age, Charlson score, and duration of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) were obtained for each cluster in the first year of follow-up. Results: Patients with only 1 treatment line accounted for 52%. In the 0 to 12 month sequence analysis, the main clusters among ABI/ENZ new users involved patients who continued the initial treatment (54% of 65% respectively) and discontinued active treatment (14.5% for both). Less than 2 years exposure to ADT prior to ABI/ENZ initiation was frequently observed for noncontrolled mCRPC, as shown in the death and switch from ABI/ENZ to docetaxel clusters. The clusters for a switch ABI/ENZ to ENZ/ABI involved 6% to 11% of the patients. Conclusion: Our study suggested fairly similar patterns between ABI and ENZ initiation. The cluster of patients with active treatment discontinuation needs to be further investigated, as well as factors influencing therapeutic choice. Better understanding for the use of second-generation hormone therapy in mCRPC in real life, could improve its implementation by clinicians in the early stages of prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social, political, and economic change sometimes occurs during relatively brief periods in which previously relatively stable institutions are transformed and new approaches established. Historical institutionalists refer to these as critical junctures. Processes of incremental revision and evolution are also important, but if critical junctures sometimes produce enduring legacies, then these processes of rapid institutional change are an important topic for research and theory development. Planning history offers many examples of such relatively short periods of significant change that produced lasting and distinct outcomes in different jurisdictions. The study of critical junctures has been a major theme of comparative historical analysis and historical institutionalism for three decades. This has contributed to the development of robust conceptual frameworks detailing the structure and mechanisms of such change processes and associated research methods that are valuable for planning history and comparative urban research. This paper reviews this research, develops a conceptual framework relevant to planning history and urban governance, and points to processes of rapid institutional change characteristic of cities, suggesting that planning and urban institutions are particularly prone to critical junctures because of multi-level governance contexts, urban complexity, the impacts of urban disasters, and the challenges presented by urbanization and technological and social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Messenger RNA (mRNA) has an essential role in the protein production process. Predicting mRNA expression levels accurately is crucial for understanding gene regulation, and various models (statistical and neural network-based) have been developed for this purpose. A few models predict mRNA expression levels from the DNA sequence, exploiting the DNA sequence and gene features (e.g., number of exons/introns, gene length). Other models include information about long-range interaction molecules (i.e., enhancers/silencers) and transcriptional regulators as predictive features, such as transcription factors (TFs) and small RNAs (e.g., microRNAs - miRNAs). Recently, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model, called Xpresso, has been proposed for mRNA expression level prediction leveraging the promoter sequence and mRNAs’ half-life features (gene features). To push forward the mRNA level prediction, we present miREx, a CNN-based tool that includes information about miRNA targets and expression levels in the model. Indeed, each miRNA can target specific genes, and the model exploits this information to guide the learning process. In detail, not all miRNAs are included, only a selected subset with the highest impact on the model. MiREx has been evaluated on four cancer primary sites from the genomics data commons (GDC) database: lung, kidney, breast, and corpus uteri. Results show that mRNA level prediction benefits from selected miRNA targets and expression information. Future model developments could include other transcriptional regulators or be trained with proteomics data to infer protein levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most life activities in organisms are regulated through protein complexes, which are mainly controlled via Protein–Protein Interactions (PPIs). Discovering new interactions between proteins and revealing their biological functions are of great significance for understanding the molecular mechanisms of biological processes and identifying the potential targets in drug discovery. Current experimental methods only capture stable protein interactions, which lead to limited coverage. In addition, expensive cost and time consuming are also the obvious shortcomings. In recent years, various computational methods have been successfully developed for predicting PPIs based only on protein homology, primary sequences of protein or gene ontology information. Computational efficiency and data complexity are still the main bottlenecks for the algorithm generalization. In this study, we proposed a novel computational framework, HNSPPI, to predict PPIs. As a hybrid supervised learning model, HNSPPI comprehensively characterizes the intrinsic relationship between two proteins by integrating amino acid sequence information and connection properties of PPI network. The experimental results show that HNSPPI works very well on six benchmark datasets. Moreover, the comparison analysis proved that our model significantly outperforms other five existing algorithms. Finally, we used the HNSPPI model to explore the SARS-CoV-2-Human interaction system and found several potential regulations. In summary, HNSPPI is a promising model for predicting new protein interactions from known PPI data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: To evaluate and compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences that could potentially be used in the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and methods: Included in the study were 42 patient who underwent thorax computed tomography (CT) for COVID-19 pneumonia and thorax MRI for any reason within 24 h after CT. The T2-weighted fast spin echo periodically rotated overlapping parallel lines with enhanced reconstruction (PROPELLER) (T2W-FSE-P), fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition, T2 fat-saturated FSE, axial T1 liver acquisition with volume acceleration (LAVA) and single-shot FSE images were compared in terms of their ability to show COVID-19 findings. Results: The mean age of the patients was 47.2 ± 24 years. Of the patients, 22 were male (52.4%) and 20 (47.6%) were female. The interobserver intraclass coefficient (ICC) for the image quality score was the highest in the T2W-FSE-P sequence and lowest in the T1 LAVA sequence. All of the lesion-based evaluations of the interobserver agreement were statistically significant, with the kappa value varying between 0.798 and 0.998. Conclusion: All 5 sequences evaluated in the study were successful in showing the parenchymal findings of COVID-19. Since the T2WFSE-P sequence had the best scores in both interobserver agreement and ICC for the image quality score, it was considered that it can be included in thorax MRI examinations to assist the diagnosis of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare between two archwire (AW) sequences in terms of alignment speed and root resorption (RR). Materials and methods: Fifty-four patients (14 males, 40 females) requiring orthodontic treatment were randomly allocated into two groups; in group A (mean age 18.3) treatment started with 0.014″ nickel titanium (NiTi) followed by 0.019″×0.025″ NiTi AW while group B (mean age 18.9) the AW sequence was 0.014″ NiTi, 0.018″ NiTi, 0.016″×0.022″ NiTi, 0.019″×0.025″ NiTi. The primary outcome was to compare the alignment speed of the crowded upper and lower teeth between the two different AW sequences. The secondary outcome was to assess the magnitude of upper and lower incisors' root resorption (RR) measured by digital periapical radiographs taken at the start of treatment and 1 month after the placement of the working AW. t-test was used to compare the alignment speed and RR between the two groups. Statistical significance was predetermined at the P ≤ 0.05 level for all tests. Results: The 54 patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either group. Seven patients were excluded and complete data were obtained for 47 patients; 24 and 23 patients in group A and group B, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the alignment speed in the lower arch (P>0.05, mean difference=−0.44, 95% CI=−0.9 to 0.03) and root resorption (P>0.05). Alignment of upper arch was faster in group A (P < 0.0001, mean difference= − 0.9, 95% CI =−1.4 to −0.5). Conclusions: There is no significant difference between the two groups in the alignment speed in the lower arch and incisors' RR. Upper arch alignment was faster in group A. Trial registration: Not registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mouse ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) contain predictable sequential structures like bird songs and speech. Neural representation of USVs in the mouse primary auditory cortex (Au1) and its plasticity with experience has been largely studied with single-syllables or dyads, without using the predictability in USV sequences. Studies using playback of USV sequences have used randomly selected sequences from numerous possibilities. The current study uses mutual information to obtain context-specific natural sequences (NSeqs) of USV syllables capturing the observed predictability in male USVs in different contexts of social interaction with females. Behavioral and physiological significance of NSeqs over random sequences (RSeqs) lacking predictability were examined. Female mice, never having the social experience of being exposed to males, showed higher selectivity for NSeqs behaviorally and at cellular levels probed by expression of immediate early gene c-fos in Au1. The Au1 supragranular single units also showed higher selectivity to NSeqs over RSeqs. Social-experience-driven plasticity in encoding NSeqs and RSeqs in adult females was probed by examining neural selectivities to the same sequences before and after the above social experience. Single units showed enhanced selectivity for NSeqs over RSeqs after the social experience. Further, using two-photon Ca21 imaging, we observed social experience-dependent changes in the selectivity of sequences of excitatory and somatostatin-positive inhibitory neurons but not parvalbumin-positive inhibitory neurons of Au1. Using optogenetics, somatostatin-positive neurons were identified as a possible mediator of the observed social-experiencedriven plasticity. Our study uncovers the importance of predictive sequences and introduces mouse USVs as a promising model to study context-dependent speech like communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/aim: The international standard for patients with large inoperable stage III NSCLC is durvalumab consolidation after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT). In this single centre observational study based on individual data, we prospectively evaluated the role of concurrent/sequential versus sequential immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). Methods and patients: In total, 39 stage III NSCLC patients were prospectively enrolled, 11 (28%) patients were treated with simultaneous and consolidation therapy with PD-1 inhibition (nivolumab) (SIM-cohort) and 28 (72%) patients received PD-L1 inhibition (durvalumab) as consolidation treatment up to 12 months after the end of CRT (SEQ-cohort). Results: For the entire cohort, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 26.3 months and median survival (OS), locoregional recurrence-free survival and distant metastasis-free survival were not reached. For the SIM-cohort, median OS was not reached and PFS was 22.8 months, respectively. In the SEQ-cohort, neither median PFS nor OS were reached. After propensity score matching, PFS at 12/24 months were 82/44% in the SIM-cohort and 57/57% in the SEQ-cohort (p = 0.714), respectively. In the SIM-cohort, 36.4/18.2% of patients showed grade II/III pneumonitis; in the SEQ-cohort 18.2/13.6% after PSM (p = 0.258, p = 0.55). Conclusion: Both concurrent/sequential and sequential ICI show a favorable side effect profile and promising survival in treated patients with inoperable large stage III NSCLC. Concurrent ICI showed a numerical non-significant improvement regarding 6- and 12-months PFS and distant control compared to sequential approach in this small study. However, concurrent ICI to CRT was associated with a non-significant moderate increase in grade II/III pneumonitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The BoLA class II DQA and DQB genes in crossbred cattle were studied using PCR-RFLP, cloning, and sequencing techniques. Seventy-two crossbred cattle (Vrindavani) were used in the current study. HaeIII and XbaI restriction enzymes digested DQA exon 2-3, revealing seven (HaeIII-A-G) and three (XbaI A-C) motifs, respectively. The BoLA-DQB gene was analyzed using PCR-RFLP with PstI and TaqI restriction enzymes, yielding five restriction motifs for each restriction enzyme (PstI-A-E and TaqI-A-E). In crossbred cattle, addition, deletion, and substitutions were observed in distinct sequences, resulting in variations in overall gene length. Changes in nucleotides at positions 64–80, 110–200, and 207–264 were largely responsible for polymorphism in DQA exon 2. The phylogenetic analysis predicted a high degree of nucleotide and amino acid changes in DQA exon 2-3 and DQB exon 2. DQA genes had a nucleotide dissimilarity of 0.3–25.4 percent, while DQB genes had a nucleotide dissimilarity of 1.5–14.3 percent. We cloned and sequenced 20 genotypes based on PCR-RFLP of the DQA and DQB genes. The current study observed variation in the DQA and DQB genes and will serve as a foundation for future research on the BoLA DQA and DQB genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recurrent neural network (RNN) can generate a sequence of patterns as the temporal evolution of the output vector. This paper focuses on a continuous-time RNN model with a piecewise-linear activation function that has neither external inputs nor hidden neurons, and studies the problem of finding the parameters of the model so that it generates a given sequence of bipolar vectors. First, a sufficient condition for the model to generate the desired sequence is derived, which is expressed as a system of linear inequalities in the parameters. Next, three approaches to finding solutions of the system of linear inequalities are proposed: One is formulated as a convex quadratic programming problem and others are linear programming problems. Then, two types of sequences of bipolar vectors that can be generated by the model are presented. Finally, the case where the model generates a periodic sequence of bipolar vectors is considered, and a sufficient condition for the trajectory of the state vector to converge to a limit cycle is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Radium-223 is a bone-targeted radiopharmaceutical that has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) and reduce bone pain in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of radium-223 in patients with mCRPC who had received prior treatment with enzalutamide or abiraterone. We found that patients who received enzalutamide prior to radium-223 had a significantly longer median OS (25.1 months vs. 14.8 months) than those who received abiraterone. We also found that patients who received more than five doses of radium-223 had a longer median OS than those who received fewer doses. These findings suggest that the use of enzalutamide prior to radium-223 and the number of doses of radium-223 received may impact OS in patients with mCRPC. Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a progressive stage of prostate cancer that often spreads to the bone. Radium-223, a bone-targeting radiopharmaceutical, has been shown to improve the overall survival in mCRPC in patients without visceral metastasis. However, the impact of prior systemic therapy on the treatment outcome of mCRPC patients receiving radium-223 remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the optimal choice of systemic therapy before radium-223 in mCRPC patients. The study included 41 mCRPC patients who received radium-223 therapy, with 22 receiving prior enzalutamide and 19 receiving prior abiraterone. The results showed that the median overall survival was significantly longer in the enzalutamide group than in the abiraterone group (25.1 months vs. 14.8 months, p = 0.049). Moreover, the number of patients requiring blood transfusion was higher in the abiraterone group than in the enzalutamide group (9.1% vs. 26.3%, p = 0.16). The study also found that the number of doses of Radium-223 received was significantly associated with overall survival (≥5 vs. <5, HR 0.028, 95%CI 0.003–0.231, p = 0.001). Our study provides insights into the optimal treatment choice for mCRPC prior to radium-223, indicating that enzalutamide prior to radium-223 administration may have better outcomes compared to abiraterone in mCRPC patients without visceral metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are protozoan parasites found in humans and many animal species worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and genotypes of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in cats and to evaluate the zoonotic potential of these agents. The animal material of the study consisted of a total of 40 cats brought to the Veterinary Faculty. Fresh fecal samples taken from the cats were placed in individual sample containers. All samples were examined under the microscope by Kinyoun Acid Fast staining for Cryptosporidium spp. and by the native-Lugol method for Giardia duodenalis. Nested PCR and sequence analyses were then performed. As a result of microscopic and nested PCR analyses for Cryptosporidium spp., no positivity was found in any sample. The prevalence of Giardia duodenalis was 2.5% in both microscopic examination and nested PCR analyses. When the DNA sequences of the β-Giardin gene obtained in the study were compared with the database in NCBI Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, it was determined that one sample overlapped with Assemblage B samples. As a result of this study, the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in cats was determined and the presence of Assemblage B was revealed. It is recommended that repetitive studies should be carried out as much as possible to determine the possible role of these parasites in the transmission of these parasites to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synonymous variants, traditionally regarded as silent mutations due to their lack of impact on protein sequence, structure and function, have been the subject of increasing scrutiny. This commentary explores the emerging evidence challenging the notion of synonymous variants as functionally inert. Analysis of the activity of 70 synonymous variants in the HIV Tat transcription factor revealed that 50% of the variants exhibited significant deviations from wild-type activity. Our analysis supports previous work and raises important questions about the broader impact of non-silent synonymous variants in human genes. Considering the potential functional implications, the authors propose classifying such variants as "synonymous variants of uncertain silence" (sVUS), highlighting the need for cautious interpretation and further investigations in clinical and genetic testing settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entropies are widely applied in measuring the degree of uncertainties existing in frame of discernment. However, all of these entropies regard the frame as a whole that has already been determined, which does not conform to actual situations. In real life, everything comes in a sequence. So, how to measure uncertainties of the dynamic process of determining sequence of propositions contained in a frame of discernment is still an open issue, and no related research has been proceeded. Therefore, a novel ordinal entropy to measure uncertainty of frame of discernment considering the order of propositions is proposed in this paper. Compared with other traditional entropies, it manifests effects on degree of uncertainty brought by orders of propositions. For example, assume there exist three propositions, for ordinal belief entropy, the potential categories of situations are C 3 1 C 2 1 C 1 1 , which illustrates that the proposed entropy is able to measure more complex environment and more matches actual circumstances. But for other entropies, they have only one certain value for descriptions of actual situations and the ability of measuring environment is limited. In a general rule, if number of propositions is n, then there are ∏ k = 1 n C k 1 categories of description of situations with respect to ordinal belief entropy. Besides, some numerical examples are provided to verify the correctness and validity of the proposed entropy in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal therapeutic sequence for metastatic castrate-resistance prostate cancer is still debated. We included all consecutive chemo-naive mCRPC patients who have received first-line ART in two hospitals in France. In the first-line setting, there was no significant difference between abiraterone and enzalutamide. In the second-line setting, taxanes was superior to androgen-receptor therapy (HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.96, P = .034). Background: The optimal therapeutic sequence for metastatic castrate-resistance prostate cancer (mCRPC) is still debated. This study aimed to compare activity of taxanes (TAX) versus that of androgen-receptor therapy (ART) in men with mCRPC treated with first-line ART. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study included all consecutive chemo-naive mCRPC patients who have received first-line ART treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between patients treated with second-line ART or TAX. Results: Overall, 175 patients treated with first-line enzalutamide (ENZA, n = 75) or abiraterone (ABI, n = 100) were evaluated. Among them, 69 (39%) and 30 (17%) patients received second-line TAX and ART, respectively, while 76 (43%) patients did not receive further treatment. From the start of first-line therapy, the median PFS and OS were 13 months (95% CI: 11-15) and 34 months (95% CI: 29-39), respectively, without any significant difference between ENZA and ABI. From the start of second-line therapy, the median PFS and OS were 6 months (95% CI: 5-7) and 18 months (95% CI: 14-21), respectively. Compared with ART, docetaxel was associated with significantly higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA, = 50%) (29% vs. 0%, P < .001) and radiological responses (21% vs. 0%, P < .001). PFS was longer in TAX than in ART (6.7 months vs. 4 months, HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.41-0.96, P = .034), but there was no significant difference in OS (19 months vs. 12 months, P = .1). After propensity score adjustment, PFS (P = .2) and OS (P = .1) were similar between second-line TAX and ART. Conclusion: In the second-line setting, TAX provides higher PSA and radiological responses than does ART for mCRPC patients who received first-line ART, but the PFS and OS are similar. This study provides new elements to help deciding the best treatment sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV)is serious and may lead to death. Venous blood samples were collected from HCV-infected patients (n=60) and from people without infection (n=60) as controls. These patients visited the Digestive System and Liver Disease Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, during the period from 1st February to 1st November 2021. The results revealed no significant difference between males (31; 50.8%) and females (29; 49.2%) HCV-infected patients. The highest infection rate (55.6%) was observed among the 50–78 years age group, then 53.7% among the 25–49 years age group, then 36.7% among the 5–24 years age group with a significant difference(P=0.2). A highly significant difference was observed in the mean glutamic-pyruvic transaminase levels between HCV-infected patients (25.56±12.45) and the controls (17.86±4.91) (P=0.01), and a significant difference was observed in the mean glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase levels between HCV-infected patients (21.70±8.63) and the controls (15.93±4.35) (P=0.02). A highly significant difference was demonstrated in mean alkaline phosphatase levels between HCV-infected patients (362.15±113.60) and controls (197.81±34.70) (P=0.001). Overall, we found that blood markers could aid in disease diagnosis and prognosis rather than mutations within the nonstructural 5A.1 hot spot. The frequency of mutations within this site was found to be very low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]