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Past research on interspecies communication has shown that animals can be trained to use Augmentative Interspecies Communication (AIC) devices, such as soundboards, to make simple requests of their caretakers. The recent uptake in AIC devices by hundreds of pet owners around the world offers a novel opportunity to investigate whether AIC is possible with owner-trained family dogs. To answer this question, we carried out two studies to test pet dogs ability to recognise and respond appropriately to food-related, play-related, and outside-related words on their soundboards. One study was conducted by researchers, and the other by citizen scientists who followed the same procedure. Further, we investigated whether these behaviours depended on the identity of the person presenting the word (unfamiliar person or dogs owner) and the mode of its presentation (spoken or produced by a pressed button). We find that dogs produced contextually appropriate behaviours for both play-related and outside-related words regardless of the identity of the person producing them and the mode in which they were produced. Therefore, pet dogs can be successfully taught by their owners to associate words recorded onto soundboard buttons to their outcomes in the real world, and they respond appropriately to these words even when they are presented in the absence of any other cues, such as the owners body language.

Humans are perhaps the most curious animals on earth, but to what extent our innate motivations for discovering new information are shared with our closest relatives remain poorly understood. To shed light on this question, we presented great apes with two experimental paradigms in which they had to initially choose between an empty opaque cup and a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in study 1, or to choose between a transparent cup with rewards or a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in studies 2 and 3. We also presented young children with scenarios comparable to the second paradigm (studies 4 and 5). Notably, after the initial choice phase, we presented participants with potential alternatives providing better rewards than the previously secured options. Importantly, those alternatives shared some features with the uncertain options, giving subjects the possibility to relate both options through analogical reasoning. We found that most great apes were not curious about the uncertain options. They only explored those options after they were presented with the alternatives. Children, instead, explored the uncertain options before the alternatives were presented, showing a higher degree of curiosity than the great apes. We argue that differences between children and apes mostly lay in motivational dispositions to explore the unknown.

Citations play an important role in researchers careers as a key factor in evaluation of scientific impact. Many anecdotes advice authors to exploit this fact and cite prospective reviewers to try obtaining a more positive evaluation for their submission. In this work, we investigate if such a citation bias actually exists: Does the citation of a reviewers own work in a submission cause them to be positively biased towards the submission? In conjunction with the review process of two flagship conferences in machine learning and algorithmic economics, we execute an observational study to test for citation bias in peer review. In our analysis, we carefully account for various confounding factors such as paper quality and reviewer expertise, and apply different modeling techniques to alleviate concerns regarding the model mismatch. Overall, our analysis involves 1,314 papers and 1,717 reviewers and detects citation bias in both venues we consider. In terms of the effect size, by citing a reviewers work, a submission has a non-trivial chance of getting a higher score from the reviewer: an expected increase in the score is approximately 0.23 on a 5-point Likert item. For reference, a one-point increase of a score by a single reviewer improves the position of a submission by 11% on average.

BackgroundSurveillance of HIV-1 pre-treatment drug resistance (PDR) is essential for ensuring the success of first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART). Beside population-based surveys, sentinel surveillance of PDR and circulating HIV-1 clades in specific populations such as blood donors could efficiently inform decision-making on ART program. We therefore sought to ascertain HIV-1 residual infection, the threshold of PDR and viral diversity among recently-diagnosed blood donors in Gabon.MethodsA sentinel surveillance was conducted among 381 consenting blood donors at the National Blood Transfusion Center (NBTC) in Gabon from August 3,2020 to August, 31, 2021. In order to determine the residual risk of HIV transmission, viral load and HIV-1 Sanger-sequencing were performed at the Chantal BIYA International Reference Center (CIRCB)-Cameroon on HIV samples previously tested seronegative with ELISA in Gabon. Phylogeny was performed using MEGA X, PDR threshold>10% was considered high and data were analysed using p≤0.05 for statistical significance.ResultsFive HIV-negative blood donors had a detectable viral load indicating a high residual risk of HIV transmission. Among the samples successfully sequenced, four participants had major drug resistance mutations (DRMs), giving a threshold of PDR of 25% (4/16). By drug class, major DRMs targeting NNRTI (K103N, E138G), NRTIs (L210W) and PI/r (M46L). The most representative viral clades were CRF02_AG and subtype A1. The genetic diversity of HIV-1 had no significant effect on the residual risk in blood transfusion (CRF02_AG, P = 0.3 and Recombinants, P = 0.5).ConclusionThis sentinel surveillance indicates a high residual risk of HIV-1 transfusion in Gabon, thereby underscoring the need for optimal screening strategy for blood safety. Moreover, HIV-1 transmission goes with high-risk of PDR, suggesting suboptimal efficacy of ART. Nonetheless, the genetic diversity has limited (if any effect) on the residual risk of infection and PDR in blood donors.

IntroductionEpithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare sarcoma, marked by distinctive molecular and pathological features and with a variable clinical behavior. Its natural history is still partially understood, reliable prognostic and predictive factors are lacking and many questions are still open on the optimal management. In the context of EURACAN, a prospective registry specifically dedicated to EHE was developed and launched with the aim of providing, through high-quality prospective data collection, a better understanding of this disease.Study designRegistry-based cohort study including only new cases of patients with a pathological and molecularly confirmed diagnosis of EHE.ObjectivesTo improve the understanding of EHE natural history, validate and identify new prognostic and predictive factors, clarify the activity and efficacy of currently available treatment options, describe treatment pattern.MethodsSettings and participantsIt is an hospital-based registry established in centers with expertise in EHE including adult patients with a new pathological and molecularly confirmed diagnosis of EHE starting from the 1st December 2023. The characteristics of each patient in the facility who meets the above-mentioned inclusion criteria will be collected prospectively and longitudinally with follow-up at cancer progression and / or cancer relapse or patient death. It is a secondary use of data which will be collected from the clinical records. The data collected for the registry will not entail further examinations or admissions to the facility and/or additional appointments to those normally provided for routine patient follow-up. VariablesFull details on patients and disease features, treatment and outcome will be collected, according to common clinical practice guidelines developed and shared with all the contributing centers. In addition, data on potential confounders (e.g. comorbidity; functional status etc.) will also be collected. Statistical methodsThe data analyses will include descriptive statistics and analytical analyses. Multivariable Cox's proportional hazards model and Hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause or cause-specific mortality will be used to determine independent predictors of overall survival, recurrence and progression.ResultsThe registry has been joined by 21 sarcoma reference centers across EU and UK, covering 10 countries. Patients' recruitment started in December 2023. The estimated completion date is December 2033 upon agreement on the achievement of all the registry objectives. The already established collaboration and participation of EHE patient's associations involved in the project will help in promoting the registry and fostering accrual.

PurposeTo estimate utility values associated with visual loss using EuroQol (EQ-5D) questionnaire, the impact of low-vision (LV) device use on utilities and the contribution of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) score in patients attending vision rehabilitation (VR) services enrolled in the Italian Device & Aids Register (D.A.Re).MethodsThis is a multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study. D.A.Re. collects general and clinical information, vision-specific variables, use of electronic devices and quality of life questionnaires.ResultsA total of 442 patients (75.0±16.6 years, 275 female) were included, 88 (19.9%) used specialised electronic LV devices, and 116 (26.2%) used smartphones and tablets. Users of smartphones and tablets were younger than non-users (67.5 vs. 77.6 years, pConclusionsVisual loss is associated with loss of utilities in Italian patients attending VR services, whereas special-purpose electronic aids, and smartphone and tablet use are associated with better utility values. We found that IADL may be more sensitive to visual loss than EQ-5D and could be a valid health-related quality of life outcome in trials on VR.

Music has been reported to facilitate motor performance. However, there is no data on the effects of different acoustic environmental stimuli on manual dexterity. The present observational study aimed at investigating the effects of background music and noise on a manual dexterity task in young, middle-aged and elderly subjects. Sixty healthy, right-handed subjects aged between 18 and 80 years were enrolled. Twenty young (mean age: 22±2 years), 20 middle-aged (mean age: 55±8 years) and 20 elderly (mean age: 72±5 years) subjects performed the Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT) in four different acoustic environments: silence (noise < 20dBA), classical music at 60dBA, rock music at 70 dBA, and a noise stimulus at 80dBA. Performance was recorded using an optical motion capture system and retro-reflective markers (SMART DX, 400, BTS). Outcome measures included the total test time and peg-grasp, peg-transfer, peg-in-hole, hand-return, and removing phases times. Normalized jerk, mean and peak of velocity during transfer and return phases were also computed. No differences were found for NHPT phases and total times, normalized jerk, peak of velocity and mean velocity between four acoustic conditions (p>0.05). Between-group differences were found for NHPT total time, where young subjects revealed better performance than elderly (p˂0.001) and middle-aged (p˂0.001) groups. Music and noise stimuli in the considered range of intensity had no influence on the execution of a manual dexterity task in young, middle-aged and elderly subjects. These findings may have implications for working, sportive and rehabilitative activities.

This study explored the influence of living settings on physical activity (PA) levels and volition in exercise and their correlation, considering sex differences. Five hundred and sixty-six university students (261 rural and 305 urban) from Calabria region (Italy) attending universities courses filled an online survey where Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and Volition in Exercise Questionnaire were administered. Rural females (RF) showed lower PA levels and self-confidence than rural males (RM) (p

Collagen-based membranes are class III-medical devices widely used in dental surgical procedures to favour bone regeneration. Here, we aimed to provide biophysical and biochemical data on this type of devices to support their optimal use and design/manufacturing. To the purpose, four commercial, non-crosslinked collagen-based-membranes, obtained from various sources (equine tendon, pericardium or cortical bone tissues, and porcine skin), were characterized in vitro. The main chemical, biophysical and biochemical properties, that have significant clinical implications, were evaluated. Membranes showed similar chemical features. They greatly differed in morphology as well as in porosity and density and showed a diverse ranking in relation to these latter two parameters. Samples highly hydrated in physiological medium (swelling-ratio values in the 2.5-6.0 range) and, for some membranes, an anisotropic expansion during hydration was, for the first time, highlighted. Rheological analyses revealed great differences in deformability (150-1500kPa G') also alerting about the marked variation in membrane mechanical behaviour upon hydration. Samples proved diverse sensitivity to collagenase, with the cortical-derived membrane showing the highest stability. Biological studies, using human-bone-derived cells, supported sample ability to allow cell proliferation and to prompt bone regeneration, while no relevant differences among membranes were recorded. Prediction of relative performance based on the findings was discussed. Overall, results represent a first wide panel of chemical/biophysical/biochemical data on collagen-based-membranes that 1) enhances our knowledge of these products, 2) aids their optimal use by providing clinicians with scientific basis for selecting products based on the specific clinical situation and 3) represents a valuable reference for optimizing their manufacturing.

Brucella abortus (Ba) is a pathogen that survives inside macrophages. Despite being its preferential niche, Ba infects other cells, as shown by the multiple signs and symptoms humans present. This pathogen can evade our immune system. Ba displays a mechanism of down-modulating MHC-I on monocytes/macrophages in the presence of IFN-γ (when Th1 response is triggered) without altering the total expression of MHC-I. The retained MHC-I proteins are located within the Golgi Apparatus (GA). The RNA of Ba is one of the PAMPs that trigger this phenomenon. However, we acknowledged whether this event could be triggered in other cells relevant during Ba infection. Here, we demonstrate that Ba RNA reduced the surface expression of MHC-I induced by IFN-γ in the human bronchial epithelium (Calu-6), the human alveolar epithelium (A-549) and the endothelial microvasculature (HMEC) cell lines. In Calu-6 and HMEC cells, Ba RNA induces the retention of MHC-I in the GA. This phenomenon was not observed in A-549 cells. We then evaluated the effect of Ba RNA on the secretion of IL-8, IL-6 and MCP-1, key cytokines in Ba infection. Contrary to our expectations, HMEC, Calu-6 and A-549 cells treated with Ba RNA had higher IL-8 and IL-6 levels compared to untreated cells. In addition, we showed that Ba RNA down-modulates the MHC-I surface expression induced by IFN-γ on human monocytes/macrophages via the pathway of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). So, cells were stimulated with an EGFR ligand-blocking antibody (Cetuximab) and Ba RNA. Neutralization of the EGFR to some extent reversed the down-modulation of MHC-I mediated by Ba RNA in HMEC and A-549 cells. In conclusion, this is the first study exploring a central immune evasion strategy, such as the downregulation of MHC-I surface expression, beyond monocytes and could shed light on how it persists effectively within the host, enduring unseen and escaping CD8+ T cell surveillance.

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is a rare disease caused by ELP1 exon 20 skipping. Here we clarify the role of RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) and chromatin on this splicing event. A slow RNAPII mutant and chromatin-modifying chemicals that reduce the rate of RNAPII elongation induce exon skipping whereas chemicals that create a more relaxed chromatin exon inclusion. In the brain of a mouse transgenic for the human FD-ELP1 we observed on this gene an age-dependent decrease in the RNAPII density profile that was most pronounced on the alternative exon, a robust increase in the repressive marks H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 and a decrease of H3K27Ac, together with a progressive reduction in ELP1 exon 20 inclusion level. In HEK 293T cells, selective drug-induced demethylation of H3K27 increased RNAPII elongation on ELP1 and SMN2, promoted the inclusion of the corresponding alternative exons, and, by RNA-sequencing analysis, induced changes in several alternative splicing events. These data suggest a co-transcriptional model of splicing regulation in which age-dependent changes in H3K27me3/Ac modify the rate of RNAPII elongation and affect processing of ELP1 alternative exon 20.

The interaction between SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein Nsp9 and the nanobody 2NSP90 was investigated by NMR spectroscopy using the paramagnetic perturbation methodology PENELOP (Paramagnetic Equilibrium vs Nonequilibrium magnetization Enhancement or LOss Perturbation). The Nsp9 monomer is an essential component of the replication and transcription complex (RTC) that reproduces the viral gRNA for subsequent propagation. Therefore preventing Nsp9 recruitment in RTC would represent an efficient antiviral strategy that could be applied to different coronaviruses, given the Nsp9 relative invariance. The NMR results were consistent with a previous characterization suggesting a 4:4 Nsp9-to-nanobody stoichiometry with the occurrence of two epitope pairs on each of the Nsp9 units that establish the inter-dimer contacts of Nsp9 tetramer. The oligomerization state of Nsp9 was also analyzed by molecular dynamics simulations and both dimers and tetramers resulted plausible. A different distribution of the mapped epitopes on the tetramer surface with respect to the former 4:4 complex could also be possible, as well as different stoichiometries of the Nsp9-nanobody assemblies such as the 2:2 stoichiometry suggested by the recent crystal structure of the Nsp9 complex with 2NSP23 (PDB ID: 8dqu), a nanobody exhibiting essentially the same affinity as 2NSP90. The experimental NMR evidence, however, ruled out the occurrence in liquid state of the relevant Nsp9 conformational change observed in the same crystal structure.

The larynx undergoes significant age and sex-related changes in structure and function across the lifespan. Emerging evidence suggests that laryngeal microbiota influences immunological processes. Thus, there is a critical need to delineate microbial mechanisms that may underlie laryngeal physiological and immunological changes. As a first step, the present study explored potential age and sex-related changes in the laryngeal microbiota across the lifespan in a murine model. We compared laryngeal microbial profiles of mice across the lifespan (adolescents, young adults, older adults and elderly) to determine age and sex-related microbial variation on 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Measures of alpha diversity and beta diversity were obtained, along with differentially abundant taxa across age groups and biological sexes. There was relative stability of the laryngeal microbiota within each age group and no significant bacterial compositional shift in the laryngeal microbiome across the lifespan. There was an abundance of short-chain fatty acid producing bacteria in the adolescent group, unique to the laryngeal microbiota; taxonomic changes in the elderly resembled that of the aged gut microbiome. There were no significant changes in the laryngeal microbiota relating to biological sex. This is the first study to report age and sex-related variation in laryngeal microbiota. This data lays the groundwork for defining how age-related microbial mechanisms may govern laryngeal health and disease. Bacterial compositional changes, as a result of environmental or systemic stimuli, may not only be indicative of laryngeal-specific metabolic and immunoregulatory processes, but may precede structural and functional age-related changes in laryngeal physiology.

We study the relationship between reflectance and the degree of linear polarization of radiation that bounces off the surface of an unvarnished oil painting. We design a VNIR-SWIR (400 nm to 2500 nm) polarimetric reflectance imaging spectroscopy setup that deploys unpolarized light and allows us to estimate the Stokes vector at the pixel level. We observe a strong negative correlation between the S0 component of the Stokes vector (which can be used to represent the reflectance) and the degree of linear polarization in the visible interval (average -0.81), while the correlation is weaker and varying in the infrared range (average -0.50 in the NIR range between 780 and 1500 nm, and average -0.87 in the SWIR range between 1500 and 2500 nm). By tackling the problem with multi-resolution image analysis, we observe a dependence of the correlation on the local complexity of the surface. Indeed, we observe a general trend that strengthens the negative correlation for the effect of artificial flattening provoked by low image resolutions.

IntroductionPoor comprehension and medication adherence are common in older people, especially after hospitalizations, in case of changes or prescriptions of new therapeutic regimes. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated approach in improving older individuals' adherence to medical recommendations after hospital discharge.MethodsData from an expected sample of 360 older inpatients (and their caregivers) will be collected. Medical recommendations' understanding will be tested before and after the routine explanation received by in-charge physicians. Participants will be randomized in the control (usual care) and intervention group. The intervention consists of educational training by a multidisciplinary team (occupational therapist, dietician, and physician, in consultation with a pharmacologist) at hospital discharge and, after hospital discharge, receiving a phone recall checking for therapy adherence and having the possibility to contact the study team for potential related concerns. After 7 days, medication adherence will be assessed through structured phone interviews comparing ongoing and prescribed medications and by administering the 4-item validated Morisky, Green, Levine scale and the Medication adherence report scale (MARS-5). At 30 and 90 days from discharge, data on medication adherence, falls, rehospitalizations, and vital status will be collected through phone interviews and hospital records.Trial registrationRegistration: NCT05719870 (clinicaltrial.gov). https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05719870.

PurposeRecent literature has highlighted the overlapping contribution of demographic characteristics and spatial factors to urban-rural disparities in SARS-CoV-2 transmission and outcomes. Yet the interplay between individual characteristics, hospitalisation, and spatial factors for urban-rural disparities in COVID-19 mortality have received limited attention.MethodsTo fill this gap, we use national surveillance data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and we fit a generalized linear model to estimate the association between COVID-19 mortality and the individuals' age, sex, hospitalisation status, population density, share of the population over the age of 60, and pandemic wave across urban, intermediate and rural territories.FindingsWe find that in what type of territory individuals live (urban-intermediate-rural) accounts for a significant difference in their probability of dying given SARS-COV-2 infection. Hospitalisation has a large and positive effect on the probability of dying given SARS-CoV-2 infection, but with a gradient across urban, intermediate and rural territories. For those living in rural areas, the risk of dying is lower than in urban areas but only if hospitalisation was not needed; while for those who were hospitalised in rural areas the risk of dying was higher than in urban areas.ConclusionsTogether with individuals' demographic characteristics (notably age), hospitalisation has the largest effect on urban-rural disparities in COVID-19 mortality net of other individual and regional characteristics, including population density and the share of the population over 60.

Although behavioural defensive responses have been recorded several times in both laboratory and natural habitats, their neural mechanisms have seldom been investigated. To explore how chemical, water-borne cues are conveyed to the forebrain and instruct behavioural responses in anuran larvae, we conditioned newly hatched agile frog tadpoles using predator olfactory cues, specifically either native odonate larvae or alien crayfish kairomones. We expected chronic treatments to influence the basal neuronal activity of the tadpoles' mitral cells and alter their sensory neuronal connections, thereby impacting information processing. Subsequently, these neurons were acutely perfused, and their responses were compared with the defensive behaviour of tadpoles previously conditioned and exposed to the same cues. Tadpoles conditioned with odonate cues differed in both passive and active cell properties compared to those exposed to water (controls) or crayfish cues. The observed upregulation of membrane conductance and increase in both the number of active synapses and receptor density at the postsynaptic site are believed to have enhanced their responsiveness to external stimuli. Odonate cues also affected the resting membrane potential and firing rate of mitral cells during electrophysiological patch-clamp recordings, suggesting a rearrangement of the repertoire of voltage-dependent conductances expressed in cell membranes. These recorded neural changes may modulate the induction of an action potential and transmission of information. Furthermore, the recording of neural activity indicated that the lack of defensive responses towards non-native predators is due to the non-recognition of their olfactory cues.

Where sea urchin harvest has been so intense that populations have drastically regressed, concerns have arisen about the effectiveness of harvesting management. According to the theory of phase transition in shallow rocky reefs between vegetated and barren habitats, sea urchin recruitment, a key population structuring process, seems hampered by some stabilizing feedback despite an end to local human harvest of sea urchins. To shed a light on predation effects on sea urchin recruits, a 27-day field experiment was conducted using mega-predator exclusion cages (40x40x40 cm, 1 cm in mesh size) in barren and turf substrates. To facilitate this, 672 recruits (1.1 ± 0.02 cm in size) reared under control conditions were positioned in groups of 42 in each experimental unit (n = 4). Exclusion of mega-predators had a significant effect regardless the substrate, since a higher number of recruits was found under cages both in turf and barren. However, the results showed that in uncaged treatments the size of recruits that survived was larger in turf than in barren, as in the former substrate predation had reduced the abundance of the smallest recruits, highlighting that mega-predator presence affects differently the size of the recruits that had survived depending on the substrate. Overall, these results provide valuable information to address restocking actions of sea urchin populations in overharvested areas, where algal turfs are widespread, and assist studies on habitat stability mechanisms.

Cybercrime is a major challenge facing the world, with estimated costs ranging from the hundreds of millions to the trillions. Despite the threat it poses, cybercrime is somewhat an invisible phenomenon. In carrying out their virtual attacks, offenders often mask their physical locations by hiding behind online nicknames and technical protections. This means technical data are not well suited to establishing the true location of offenders and scholarly knowledge of cybercrime geography is limited. This paper proposes a solution: an expert survey. From March to October 2021 we invited leading experts in cybercrime intelligence/investigations from across the world to participate in an anonymized online survey on the geographical location of cybercrime offenders. The survey asked participants to consider five major categories of cybercrime, nominate the countries that they consider to be the most significant sources of each of these types of cybercrimes, and then rank each nominated country according to the impact, professionalism, and technical skill of its offenders. The outcome of the survey is the World Cybercrime Index, a global metric of cybercriminality organised around five types of cybercrime. The results indicate that a relatively small number of countries house the greatest cybercriminal threats. These findings partially remove the veil of anonymity around cybercriminal offenders, may aid law enforcement and policymakers in fighting this threat, and contribute to the study of cybercrime as a local phenomenon.

The study of spatial (paleo)ecology in mammals is critical to understand how animals adapt to and exploit their environment. In this work we analysed the 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O and δ13C isotope composition of 65 moose bone and antler samples from Sweden from wild-shot individuals dated between 1800 and 1994 to study moose mobility and feeding behaviour for (paleo)ecological applications. Sr data were compared with isoscapes of the Scandinavian region, built ad-hoc during this study, to understand how moose utilise the landscape in Northern Europe. The 87Sr/86Sr isoscape was developed using a machine-learning approach with external geo-environmental predictors and literature data. Similarly, a δ18O isoscape, obtained from average annual precipitation δ18O values, was employed to highlight differences in the isotope composition of the local environment vs. bone/antler. Overall, 82% of the moose samples were compatible with the likely local isotope composition (n = 53), suggesting that they were shot not far from their year-round dwelling area. 'Local' samples were used to calibrate the two isoscapes, to improve the prediction of provenance for the presumably 'non-local' individuals. For the latter (n = 12, of which two are antlers and ten are bones), the probability of geographic origin was estimated using a Bayesian approach by combining the two isoscapes. Interestingly, two of these samples (one antler and one bone) seem to come from areas more than 250 km away from the place where the animals were hunted, indicating a possible remarkable intra-annual mobility. Finally, the δ13C data were compared with the forest cover of Sweden and ultimately used to understand the dietary preference of moose. We interpreted a difference in δ13C values of antlers (13C-enriched) and bones (13C-depleted) as a joint effect of seasonal variations in moose diet and, possibly, physiological stresses during winter-time, i.e., increased consumption of endogenous 13C-depleted lipids.

Understanding how environmental factors affect species distribution is crucial for the conservation and management of marine organisms, especially in the face of global changes. Whiting (Merlangius merlangus) is a demersal cold-temperate fish, considered a 'relict species' in the Adriatic Sea. Despite its significance to commercial fisheries in the region, the specific drivers behind its spatial and temporal patterns have not been thoroughly examined. Here, we fitted a set of Generalized Linear Mixed Effects Models to data collected in the Northern and Central Adriatic from 1999 to 2019 during the Mediterranean International Trawl Survey to investigate the potential influence of depth, seafloor temperature and seafloor dissolved oxygen on the annual biomass density and spatial distribution of whiting in the spring-summer season. Our results showed that depth, and to a lesser degree temperature and oxygen, are important predictors of whiting distribution in this period, with preferences for depths of ~ 45 m, temperature of ~ 15.4°C and dissolved oxygen > 5.5 ml L-1. We predicted a persistent core area of distribution in front of the Po River Delta, in the Northern Adriatic Sea, while the density progressively declined towards the Central and Southern Adriatic Sea along the Italian coast. Additionally, the temporal trend exhibited high fluctuations over the years, occurring in cycles of 3 to 4 years. Finally, by comparing the biomass density estimates obtained under optimal conditions with those derived from the actual values for each variable, our analysis revealed that temperature had a pronounced and general impact on biomass density in the northern survey area (predictions revealed a density reduction of approximately two-thirds), while oxygen displayed a minor and more localized influence. This work deepens the current knowledge about the ecology of whiting in the Adriatic Sea and provides support for the conservation and management of this species.

Over the past few decades, a growing body of evidence has emerged regarding the positive impact of boardgames in promoting life skills and well-being in various settings including health, education, and military schooling. However, the use of boardgames with inmates for cultural and educational purposes is still an unexplored and fragmented area of research. Incorporating boardgames into correctional settings can be a complex challenge for correctional stakeholders who seek to identify innovative tools to enhance inmate education and promote integration into society after incarceration. This article outlines our scoping review protocol designed to map and evaluate published and grey literature on the motivational, psychological, and pedagogical considerations involved in the design and use of boardgames as an innovative approach to promoting life skills and well-being among inmates.

This paper applies Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) to understand the diverse behavior of municipal governments in Ecuador to find common elements that influence the well-being of citizens in the short and long term. Information gathering was conducted in two stages: in the first one, a group of 16 national experts was consulted to develop the initial FCM; in the second stage, local experts from 220 municipalities were interviewed to collect information on the general validity of initial FCMs and specific values given to concepts and relationships in their municipalities. Results show the importance of certain concepts for long-term municipal performance, such as the need for a competitive entrepreneurial sector, improving human resources in the municipality, and, particularly, having a competent mayor with leadership skills and a forward-looking vision that enables the development of municipal projects required to reach an efficient and equitable coverage of goods and services throughout the city. Through the application of genetic algorithms, the FCM was calibrated to ascertain the long-term dynamics of municipal development and the optimal values of the concepts that would optimize the attainment of the set objectives. The derived outcomes suggest the desirability of the maintenance of, in principle, unwanted structures like financial transfers from the central government and the need to exploit natural resources to attain urban development.

The pulse arrival time (PAT) has been considered a surrogate measure for pulse wave velocity (PWV), although some studies have noted that this parameter is not accurate enough. Moreover, the inter-beat interval (IBI) time series obtained from successive pulse wave arrivals can be employed as a surrogate measure of the RR time series avoiding the use of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Pulse arrival detection is a procedure needed for both PAT and IBI measurements and depends on the proper fiducial points chosen. In this paper, a new set of fiducial points that can be tailored using several optimization criteria is proposed to improve the detection of successive pulse arrivals. This set is based on the location of local maxima and minima in the systolic rise of the pulse wave after fractional differintegration of the signal. Several optimization criteria have been proposed and applied to high-quality recordings of a database with subjects who were breathing at different rates while sitting or standing. When a proper fractional differintegration order is selected by using the RR time series as a reference, the agreement between the obtained IBI and RR is better than that for other state-of-the-art fiducial points. This work tested seven different traditional fiducial points. For the agreement analysis, the median standard deviation of the difference between the IBI and RR time series is 5.72 ms for the proposed fiducial point versus 6.20 ms for the best-performing traditional fiducial point, although it can reach as high as 9.93 ms for another traditional fiducial point. Other optimization criteria aim to reduce the standard deviation of the PAT (7.21 ms using the proposed fiducial point versus 8.22 ms to 15.4 ms for the best- and worst-performing traditional fiducial points) or to minimize the standard deviation of the PAT attributable to breathing (3.44 ms using the proposed fiducial point versus 4.40 ms to 5.12 ms for best- and worst-performing traditional fiducial points). The use of these fiducial points may help to better quantify the beat-to-beat PAT variability and IBI time series.

Systemic AA-amyloidosis is a protein-misfolding disease characterized by fibril deposition of serum amyloid-A protein (SAA) in several organs in humans and many animal species. Fibril deposits originate from abnormally high serum levels of SAA during chronic inflammation. A high prevalence of AA-amyloidosis has been reported in captive cheetahs and a horizontal transmission has been proposed. In domestic cats, AA-amyloidosis has been mainly described in predisposed breeds but only rarely reported in domestic short-hair cats. Aims of the study were to determine AA-amyloidosis prevalence in dead shelter cats. Liver, kidney, spleen and bile were collected at death in cats from 3 shelters. AA-amyloidosis was scored. Shedding of amyloid fibrils was investigated with western blot in bile and scored. Descriptive statistics were calculated. In the three shelters investigated, prevalence of AA-amyloidosis was 57.1% (16/28 cats), 73.0% (19/26) and 52.0% (13/25), respectively. In 72.9% of cats (35 in total) three organs were affected concurrently. Histopathology and immunofluorescence of post-mortem extracted deposits identified SAA as the major protein source. The duration of stay in the shelters was positively associated with a histological score of AA-amyloidosis (B = 0.026, CI95% = 0.007-0.046; p = 0.010). AA-amyloidosis was very frequent in shelter cats. Presence of SAA fragments in bile secretions raises the possibility of fecal-oral transmission of the disease. In conclusion, AA-amyloidosis was very frequent in shelter cats and those staying longer had more deposits. The cat may represent a natural model of AA-amyloidosis.

BackgroundApproximately two-thirds of Argentine adults are overweight or obese, and 11% have diabetes. Over the last two decades, all population groups have increased their consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). We aimed to estimate the disease burden-deaths, events, and costs to the health system-attributed to SSB consumption in Argentina.MethodsWe used a comparative risk assessment framework to estimate the health and economic impacts that would be avoided in a scenario without sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. We calculated the direct effects on diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and BMI, and then estimated the effects of BMI on disease incidence. Finally, we applied the population attributable factor to calculate the health and economic burden avoided in Argentina in 2020.ResultsOur model estimated that about 4,425 deaths, 110,000 healthy life years lost to premature death and disability, more than 520,000 cases of overweight and obesity in adults, and 774,000 in children and adolescents would be attributed to SSB Consumption in Argentina. This disease burden corresponds to 23% of type-2 diabetes cases and other significant proportions of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The overweight and obesity costs attributable to SSB totaled approximately $47 million in adults and $15 million in children and adolescents.ConclusionA significant number of disease cases, deaths, and health care costs could be attributed to SSB consumption in Argentina. Implementing measures to reduce the sugar content in beverages is a pending debt for the country and could lead to measurable improvements in population health, especially among children and adolescents.

Invasive alien species are a major threat to native insular species. Eradicating invasive mammals from islands is a feasible and proven approach to prevent biodiversity loss. We developed a conceptual framework to identify globally important islands for invasive mammal eradications to prevent imminent extinctions of highly threatened species using biogeographic and technical factors, plus a novel approach to consider socio-political feasibility. We applied this framework using a comprehensive dataset describing the distribution of 1,184 highly threatened native vertebrate species (i.e. those listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered on the IUCN Red List) and 184 non-native mammals on 1,279 islands worldwide. Based on extinction risk, irreplaceability, severity of impact from invasive species, and technical feasibility of eradication, we identified and ranked 292 of the most important islands where eradicating invasive mammals would benefit highly threatened vertebrates. When socio-political feasibility was considered, we identified 169 of these islands where eradication planning or operation could be initiated by 2020 or 2030 and would improve the survival prospects of 9.4% of the Earths most highly threatened terrestrial insular vertebrates (111 of 1,184 species). Of these, 107 islands were in 34 countries and territories and could have eradication projects initiated by 2020. Concentrating efforts to eradicate invasive mammals on these 107 islands would benefit 151 populations of 80 highly threatened vertebrates and make a major contribution towards achieving global conservation targets adopted by the worlds nations.

This study investigated how the presence of others and anticipated distributions for self influence children's fairness-related decisions in two different socio-moral contexts. In the first part, three- and five-year-old children (N = 120) decided between a fair and an unfair wheel of fortune to allocate resources (procedural justice). In the second part, they directly chose between two distributions of resources (distributive justice). While making a decision, each child was either observed by the affected group members (public), alone (private), or no others were introduced (non-social control). Children choose the fair option more often when others were affected (independently of their presence) only in the procedural justice task. These results suggest that using a fair procedure to distribute resources allows young preschoolers to overcome selfish tendencies.

In order to develop a statistical model for complex interactions among factors affecting early childhood caries development (ECC), 234 children from the "XXXX oral growth longitudinal study" were analysed at ages 3, 4 and 5. A questionnaire for children's parents (clinical history, nutritional and oral hygiene habits) and clinical oral examinations were recorded each year. The probabilistic dependence structure on the most significant factors was modelled with an Undirected Graphical Model (UGM or Markov random fields) which provides a probabilistic reasoning approach for the establishment of multi-way associations. The best fitting UGM was estimated through the maximum likelihood principle and two-way factor associations were verified through Fisher's exact statistical hypothesis tests for count data. The effect of sugar intake on caries incidence is mediated by oral hygiene; for caries incidence, oral hygiene quality is more relevant than toothbrushing time; the effect of pacifier on caries incidence is statistically significant only when considered in combination with breastfeeding time. Among behavioural ECC risk factors, the quality of oral hygiene, and not the toothbrushing frequency, is a primary factor that modulates the sugar intake in his primary role of the ECC developer. School-based oral health programs for ECC prevention should be improved with supervised toothbrushing program. UGM analysis could improve the school-based oral health programs with more effective and efficient prevention strategies based on the hierarchical interactions among the ECC risk factors. Oral hygiene plays a pivotal role in early childhood caries and can modulate positively or negatively their development. Supervised toothbrushing is a crucial intervention to be included in the daily educational and clinical practice and in the school-based oral health promotion programs. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration number: NCT02798809.

Citations play an important role in researchers' careers as a key factor in evaluation of scientific impact. Many anecdotes advice authors to exploit this fact and cite prospective reviewers to try obtaining a more positive evaluation for their submission. In this work, we investigate if such a citation bias actually exists: Does the citation of a reviewer's own work in a submission cause them to be positively biased towards the submission? In conjunction with the review process of two flagship conferences in machine learning and algorithmic economics, we execute an observational study to test for citation bias in peer review. In our analysis, we carefully account for various confounding factors such as paper quality and reviewer expertise, and apply different modeling techniques to alleviate concerns regarding the model mismatch. Overall, our analysis involves 1,314 papers and 1,717 reviewers and detects citation bias in both venues we consider. In terms of the effect size, by citing a reviewer's work, a submission has a non-trivial chance of getting a higher score from the reviewer: an expected increase in the score is approximately 0.23 on a 5-point Likert item. For reference, a one-point increase of a score by a single reviewer improves the position of a submission by 11% on average.

Sounds following a cue or embedded in a periodic rhythm are processed more effectively than sounds that are part of an aperiodic rhythm. One might also expect that a sound embedded in a periodic rhythm is processed more effectively than a sound following a single temporal cue. Such a finding would follow the theory that the entrainment of neural rhythmic activity by periodic stimuli renders the prediction of upcoming stimuli more efficient. We conducted a psychophysical experiment in which we tested the behavioral elements of this idea. Targets in periodic and aperiodic rhythms, if they occurred, always appeared at the same moment in time, and thus were fully predictable. In a first condition, participants remained unaware of this. In a second condition, an explicit instruction on the temporal location of the targets embedded in rhythms was provided. We assessed sensitivity and reaction times to the target stimuli in a difficult temporal detection task, and contrasted performance in this task to that obtained for targets temporally cued by a single preceding cue. Irrespective of explicit information about target predictability, target detection performance was always better in the periodic and temporal cue conditions, compared to the aperiodic condition. However, we found that the mere predictability of an acoustic target within a periodic rhythm did not allow participants to detect the target any better than in a condition where the target's timing was predicted by a single temporal cue. Only when participants were made aware of the specific moment in the periodic rhythm where the target could occur, did sensitivity increase. This finding suggests that a periodic rhythm is not automatically sufficient to provide perceptual benefits compared to a condition predictable yet not rhythmic condition (a cue). In some conditions, as shown here, these benefits may only occur in interaction with other factors such as explicit instruction and directed attention.

BackgroundIn 2020 Globocan reported nearly 1.4 million new cases of gynaecology cancer worldwide. Cancer related fatigue has been identified as a symptom that can be present for gynaecology cancer patients many years after treatment. The current evidence around the management of this symptom suggests that exercise has the most positive outcome. However, some ambiguity remains around the evidence and whether it can address all areas of fatigue effectively. More recently, other interventions such as mindfulness have begun to show a favourable response to the management of symptoms for cancer patients. To date there has been little research that explores the feasibility of using both these interventions together in a gynaecology cancer population. This study aims to explore the feasibility of delivering an intervention that involves mindfulness and mindfulness and exercise and will explore the effect of this on fatigue, sleep, mood and quality of life.Methods/designThis randomised control trial will assess the interventions outcomes using a pre and post design and will also include a qualitative process evaluation. Participants will be randomised into one of 2 groups. One group will undertake mindfulness only and the other group will complete exercise and mindfulness. Both groups will use a mobile application to complete these interventions over 8 weeks. The mobile app will be tailored to reflect the group the participants have drawn during randomisation. Self-reported questionnaire data will be assessed at baseline prior to commencing intervention and at post intervention. Feasibility will be assessed through recruitment, adherence, retention and attrition. Acceptability and participant perspective of participation (process evaluation), will be explored using focus groups.DiscussionThis trial will hope to evidence and demonstrate that combination of two interventions such as mindfulness and exercise will further improve outcomes of fatigue and wellbeing in gynaecology cancer. The results of this study will be used to assess (i) the feasibility to deliver this type of intervention to this population of cancer patients using a digital platform; (ii) assist this group of women diagnosed with cancer to manage fatigue and other symptoms of sleep, mood and impact their quality of life.Trial registrationNCT05561413.

ObjectiveWe sought to evaluate the variability of HIV-1 and its effect on immuno-virological response among adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV (APHI).MethodsA cohort study was conducted from 2018-2020 among 311 APHI receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Cameroon. Sequencing of protease and reverse transcriptase regions was performed for participants experiencing virological failure, VF, (Plasma viral load, PVL ≥ 1000 RNA copies/ml). HIV-1 subtypes were inferred by phylogeny; immuno-virological responses were monitored at 3-time points (T1-T3). Cox regression modeling was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of progression to: CD4 < 250, and PVL > 5log10, adjusted for acquired drug resistance, gender, ART line, adherence, and duration on treatment; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOf the 141 participants in VF enrolled, the male-female ratio was 1:1; mean age was 15 (±3) years; and median [IQR] duration on ART was 51 [46-60] months. In all phases, 17 viral clades were found with a predominant CRF02_AG (58.2%, 59.4%, and 58.3%). From T1-T3 respectively, there was an increasing CD4 count (213 [154-313], 366 [309-469], and 438 [364-569] cells/mm3) and decline log10 PVL (5.23, 4.43, and 4.43), similar across subtypes. Among participants with CRF02_AG infection, duration of treatment was significantly associated with both rates of progression to CD4 < 250, and PVL > 5log10, aHR = 0.02 (0.001-0.52), and aHR = 0.05 (0.01-0.47) respectively. Moreover, four potential new HIV-1 recombinants were identified (CRF02_AG/02D, CRF02_AG/02A1F2, D/CRF02_AG, and AF2/CRF02_AG), indicating a wide viral diversity.ConclusionAmong APHI in settings like Cameroon, there is a wide genetic diversity of HIV-1, driven by CRF02_AG and with potential novel clades due to ongoing recombination events. Duration of treatment significantly reduces the risk of disease progression.

The Iron Age is characterized by an extended interweaving of movements by Celts in Europe. Several waves of Celts from Western and Central Europe migrated southeast and west from the core area of the La Téne culture (between Bourgogne and Bohemia). Through the analysis of non-metric dental traits, this work aims to understand the biological relationship among Celtic groups arrived in Italy and the Carpathian Basin, as well as between local populations and Celtic newcomers. A total of 10 non-metric dental traits were analyzed to evaluate biological affinities among Celts (Sopron-Krautacker and Pilismarót-Basaharc) and Scythians-related populations from Hungary (Tápiószele), Celts from continental Europe (Switzerland and Austria), two Iron Age Etruscan-Celtic sites from northern Italy (Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele), 13 Iron Age central-southern Italic necropolises, and the northern Italian Bronze Age necropolis of Scalvinetto. Strontium isotopes were measured on individuals from the necropolis of Monte Bibele to infer their local or non-local origin. Results highlight the existence of statistically significant differences between Celts and autochthonous Italian groups. Celtic groups from Hungary and Italy (i.e., non-local individuals of Monterenzio Vecchio and Monte Bibele) share a similar biological background, supporting the historical records mentioning a common origin for Celts migrated to the eastern and southern borders of today's Europe. The presence of a supposed Steppean ancestry both in Celts from Hungary and Celts from northern Italy corroborates the hypothesis of the existence of a westward migration of individuals and genes from the Steppe towards northern Italy during the Bronze and Iron Age, which contributed to the biological variability of pre-Celtic and later Celtic populations, respectively. Conversely, individuals from central-southern Italy show an autochthonous pre-Iron Age background. Lastly, this work supports the existence of Celtic migratory routes in northern Italy, as shown by biological and cultural admixture between Celts and Italics living together.

The European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the most widespread forest trees in Europe whose distribution and intraspecific diversity has been largely shaped by repeated glacial cycles. Previous studies, mainly based on palaeobotanical evidence and a limited set of chloroplast and nuclear genetic markers, highlighted a complex phylogeographic scenario, with southern and western Europe characterized by a rather heterogeneous genetic structure, as a result of recolonization from different glacial refugia. Despite its ecological and economic importance, the genome of this broad-leaved tree has only recently been assembled, and its intra-species genomic diversity is still largely unexplored. Here, we performed whole-genome resequencing of nine Italian beech individuals sampled from two stands located in the Alpine and Apennine mountain ranges. We investigated patterns of genetic diversity at chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes and we used chloroplast genomes to reconstruct a temporally-resolved phylogeny. Results allowed us to test European beech differentiation on a whole-genome level and to accurately date their divergence time. Our results showed comparable, relatively high levels of genomic diversity in the two populations and highlighted a clear differentiation at chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. The molecular clock analysis indicated an ancient split between the Alpine and Apennine populations, occurred between the Günz and the Riss glaciations (approximately 660 kyrs ago), suggesting a long history of separation for the two gene pools. This information has important conservation implications in the context of adaptation to ongoing climate changes.

BackgroundWith a case-fatality-risk ranging from 3.0 to >20.0% and life-long sequelae, West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) is the most dangerous outcome of West Nile virus (WNV) infection in humans. As no specific prophylaxis nor therapy is available for these infections, focus is on preventive strategies. We aimed to find variables associated with WNND diagnosis, hospitalisation or death, to identify high-risk sub-groups of the population, on whom to concentrate these strategies.MethodsWe used data from The European Surveillance System-TESSy, provided by National Public Health Authorities, and released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). In two Firth-penalised logistic regression models, we considered age, sex, clinical criteria, epidemiological link to other cases (epi-link), calendar year, and season as potential associated variables. In one model we considered also the rural/urban classification of the place of infection (RUC), while in the other the specific reporting country.FindingsAmong confirmed West Nile Virus cases, 2,916 WNND cases were registered, of which 2,081 (71.4%), and 383 (13.1%) resulted in the hospitalisation and death of the patient, respectively. Calendar year, RUC/country, age, sex, clinical criteria, and epi-link were associated with WNND diagnosis. Hospitalisation was associated with calendar year and RUC/country; whereas death was associated with age, sex and country.InterpretationOur results support previous findings on WNND associated variables (most notably age and sex); while by observing the whole population of WNND cases in the considered area and period, they also allow for stronger generalizations, conversely to the majority of previous studies, which used sample populations.

The "Sterile Insect Technique" (SIT), a promising method to control Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito, is gaining increasing interest. Recently, the role of microbiota in mosquito fitness received attention, but the link between microbiota and larval diet in mass rearing programs for SIT remains largely unexplored. We characterized the microbiota of four larval instars, pupae and eggs of non-wild (NW) lab-reared Ae. albopictus fed with a diet based on Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae powder and fish food KOI pellets. We compared it with wild (W) field-collected individuals and the bacterial community occurring in rearing water-diet (DIET). A total of 18 bacterial classes with > 0.10% abundance were found overall in the samples, with seven classes being especially abundant. Overall, the microbiota profile significantly differed among NW, W and DIET. Verrucomicrobiae were significantly more abundant in W and DIET, Bacteroidia were more abundant in NW and DIET, and Gammaproteobacteria were only more abundant in W than in DIET. W-eggs microbiota differed from all the other groups. Large differences also appeared at the bacterial genus-level, with the abundance of 14 genera differing among groups. Three ASVs of Acinetobacter, known to have positive effects on tiger mosquitoes, were more abundant in NW than in W, while Serratia, known to have negative or neutral effects on another Aedes species, was less abundant in NW than in W. The bacterial community of W-eggs was the richest in species, while dominance and diversity did not differ among groups. Our data show that the diet based on Black soldier fly powder and fish food KOI influences the microbiota of NW tiger mosquito immature stages, but not in a way that may suggest a negative impact on their quality in SIT programs.

Detection of subgenomic (sg) SARS-CoV-2 RNAs are frequently used as a correlate of viral infectiousness, but few data about correlation between sg load and viable virus are available. Here, we defined concordance between culture isolation and E and N sgRNA quantification by ddPCR assays in 51 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from SARS-CoV-2 positive hospitalized patients. Among the 51 samples, 14 were SARS-CoV-2 culture-positive and 37 were negative. According to culture results, the sensitivity and specificity of E and N sgRNA assays were 100% and 100%, and 84% and 86%, respectively. ROC analysis showed that the best E and N cut-offs to predict positive culture isolation were 32 and 161 copies/mL respectively, with an AUC (95% CI) of 0.96 (0.91–1.00) and 0.96 (0.92–1.00), and a diagnostic accuracy of 88% and 92%, respectively. Even if no significant correlations were observed between sgRNA amount and clinical presentation, a higher number of moderate/severe cases and lower number of days from symptoms onset characterized patients with sgRNA equal to or higher than sgRNA cut-offs. Overall, this study suggests that SARS-CoV-2 sgRNA quantification could be helpful to estimate the replicative activity of SARS-CoV-2 and can represent a valid surrogate marker to efficiently recognize patients with active infection. The inclusion of this assay in available SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics procedure might help in optimizing fragile patients monitoring and management.

ObjectivesTo investigate which infertile men with semen parameters above WHO reference limits at first semen analysis deserve a second semen test.Materials and methodsData from 1358 consecutive infertile men were analysed. Patients underwent two consecutive semen analyses at the same laboratory. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression models tested the association between clinical variables and semen parameters. A new predicting model was identified through logistic regression analysis exploring potential predictors of semen parameters below WHO reference limits after a previously normal one. Diagnostic accuracy of the new model was compared with AUA/ASRM and EAU guidelines. Decision curve analyses (DCA) tested their clinical benefit.ResultsOf 1358, 212 (15.6%) infertile men had semen parameters above WHO reference limits at first analysis. Of 212, 87 (41.0%) had a second semen analysis with results above WHO reference limits. Men with sperm parameters below reference limits at second analysis had higher FSH values, but lower testicular volume (TV) (all pConclusionsApproximately 60% of infertile men with a first semen analysis above WHO limits have a second analysis with results below limits. The newly identified risk model might be useful to select infertile men with initial semen results above WHO limits who deserve a second semen analysis.

Objective This systematic review aims to update the evidence on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in Italy, describing the epidemiology, quality of life (QoL) of patients and caregivers, treatment adherence, and economic impact of DMD. Methods Systematic searches were conducted in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science up to January 2023. Literature selection process, data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021245196). Results Thirteen studies were included. The prevalence of DMD in the general population is 1.7–3.4 cases per 100,000, while the birth prevalence is 21.7–28.2 per 100,000 live male births. The QoL of DMD patients and caregivers is lower than that of healthy subjects, and the burden for caregivers of DMD children is higher than that of caregivers of children with other neuromuscular disorders. The compliance of real-world DMD care to clinical guidelines recommendations in Italy is lower than in other European countries. The annual cost of illness for DMD in Italy is € 35,000–46,000 per capita while, adding intangible costs, the total cost amounts to € 70,000. Conclusion Although it is a rare disease, DMD represents a significant burden in terms of quality of life of patients and their caregivers, and economic impact.

The high spatial and temporal resolution of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) can improve the diagnostic accuracy of breast cancer screening in patients who have dense breasts or are at high risk of breast cancer. However, the spatiotemporal resolution of DCE-MRI is limited by technical issues in clinical practice. Our earlier work demonstrated the use of image reconstruction with enhancement-constrained acceleration (ECA) to increase temporal resolution. ECA exploits the correlation in k-space between successive image acquisitions. Because of this correlation, and due to the very sparse enhancement at early times after contrast media injection, we can reconstruct images from highly under-sampled k-space data. Our previous results showed that ECA reconstruction at 0.25 seconds per image (4 Hz) can estimate bolus arrival time (BAT) and initial enhancement slope (iSlope) more accurately than a standard inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) when k-space data is sampled following a Cartesian based sampling trajectory with adequate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In this follow-up study, we investigated the effect of different Cartesian based sampling trajectories, SNRs and acceleration rates on the performance of ECA reconstruction in estimating contrast media kinetics in lesions (BAT, iSlope and Ktrans) and in arteries (Peak signal intensity of first pass, time to peak, and BAT). We further validated ECA reconstruction with a flow phantom experiment. Our results show that ECA reconstruction of k-space data acquired with 'Under-sampling with Repeated Advancing Phase' (UnWRAP) trajectories with an acceleration factor of 14, and temporal resolution of 0.5 s/image and high SNR (SNR ≥ 30 dB, noise standard deviation (std) < 3%) ensures minor errors (5% or 1 s error) in lesion kinetics. Medium SNR (SNR ≥ 20 dB, noise std ≤ 10%) was needed to accurately measure arterial enhancement kinetics. Our results also suggest that accelerated temporal resolution with ECA with 0.5 s/image is practical.

Humans are perhaps the most curious animals on earth, but to what extent our innate motivations for discovering new information are shared with our closest relatives remain poorly understood. To shed light on this question, we presented great apes with two experimental paradigms in which they had to initially choose between an empty opaque cup and a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in study 1, or to choose between a transparent cup with rewards or a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in studies 2 and 3. We also presented young children with scenarios comparable to the second paradigm (studies 4 and 5). Notably, after the initial choice phase, we presented participants with potential alternatives providing better rewards than the previously secured options. Importantly, those alternatives shared some features with the uncertain options, giving subjects the possibility to relate both options through analogical reasoning. We found that most great apes were not curious about the uncertain options. They only explored those options after they were presented with the alternatives. Children, instead, explored the uncertain options before the alternatives were presented, showing a higher degree of curiosity than the great apes. We argue that differences between children and apes mostly lay in motivational dispositions to explore the unknown.

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) expanded its distribution in Europe over the last few decades. To better understand the extent to which wolves could re-occupy their historical range, it is important to test if anthropization can affect their fitness-related traits. After having accounted for ecologically relevant confounders, we assessed how anthropization influenced i) the growth of wolves during their first year of age (n = 53), ii) sexual dimorphism between male and female adult wolves (n = 121), in a sample of individuals that had been found dead in Italy between 1999 and 2021. Wolves in anthropized areas have a smaller overall variation in their body mass, during their first year of age. Because they already have slightly higher body weight at 3-5 months, possibly due to the availability of human-derived food sources. The difference in the body weight of adult females and males slightly increases with anthropization. However, this happens because of an increase in the body mass of males only, possibly due to sex-specific differences in dispersal and/or to "dispersal phenotypes". Anthropization in Italy does not seem to have any clear, nor large, effect on the body mass of wolves. As body mass is in turn linked to important processes, like survival and reproduction, our findings indicates that wolves could potentially re-occupy most of their historical range in Europe, as anthropized landscapes do not seem to constrain such of an important life-history trait. Wolf management could therefore be needed across vast spatial scales and in anthropized areas prone to social conflicts.

The article aims to understand the process through which scientific experts gain and maintain remarkable media visibility. It has been analysed a corpus of 213,875 articles published by the eight most important Italian newspapers across the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. By exploring this process along the different phases of the management of the emergency in Italy, it was observed that some scientific experts achieve high media visibility-and sometimes notwithstanding their low academic reputation-thus becoming a sort of "media star". Scientific literature about the relationship between experts and media is considerable, nonetheless we found a lack of theoretical models able to analyse under which conditions experts are able to enter and to remain prominent in the media sphere. A Media Experts Evolutionary Model (MEEM) is proposed in order to analyze the main conditions under which experts can acquire visibility and how they can "survive" in media arena. We proceeded by analysing visibility of experts during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and considering both their individual credentials previously acquired and the media environment processes of selection; MEEM acts hence as a combination of these two levels. Regarding the credentials, we accounted for i) institutional role/position, ii) previous media visibility, and iii) matches between scientific credentials and media competence. In our analysis, we collected evidence that high visibility in newspapers can be seen as evolutionary in the sense that some profiles-i.e. a particular configuration of credentials-are more adapt to specific media environments.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents 85% of all new lung cancer diagnoses and presents a high recurrence rate after surgery. Thus, an accurate prediction of recurrence risk in NSCLC patients at diagnosis could be essential to designate risk patients to more aggressive medical treatments. In this manuscript, we apply a transfer learning approach to predict recurrence in NSCLC patients, exploiting only data acquired during its screening phase. Particularly, we used a public radiogenomic dataset of NSCLC patients having a primary tumor CT image and clinical information. Starting from the CT slice containing the tumor with maximum area, we considered three different dilatation sizes to identify three Regions of Interest (ROIs): CROP (without dilation), CROP 10 and CROP 20. Then, from each ROI, we extracted radiomic features by means of different pre-trained CNNs. The latter have been combined with clinical information; thus, we trained a Support Vector Machine classifier to predict the NSCLC recurrence. The classification performances of the devised models were finally evaluated on both the hold-out training and hold-out test sets, in which the original sample has been previously divided. The experimental results showed that the model obtained analyzing CROP 20 images, which are the ROIs containing more peritumoral area, achieved the best performances on both the hold-out training set, with an AUC of 0.73, an Accuracy of 0.61, a Sensitivity of 0.63, and a Specificity of 0.60, and on the hold-out test set, with an AUC value of 0.83, an Accuracy value of 0.79, a Sensitivity value of 0.80, and a Specificity value of 0.78. The proposed model represents a promising procedure for early predicting recurrence risk in NSCLC patients.

Molecular dynamics simulations, at different scales, have been exploited for investigating complex mechanisms ruling biologically inspired systems. Nonetheless, with recent advances and unprecedented achievements, the analysis of molecular dynamics simulations requires customized workflows. In 2018, we developed Morphoscanner to retrieve structural relations within self-assembling peptide systems. In particular, we conceived Morphoscanner for tracking the emergence of β-structured domains in self-assembling peptide systems. Here, we introduce Morphoscanner2.0. Morphoscanner2.0 is an object-oriented library for structural and temporal analysis of atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations written in Python. The library leverages MDAnalysis, PyTorch and NetworkX to perform the pattern recognition of secondary structure patterns, and interfaces with Pandas, Numpy and Matplotlib to make the results accessible to the user. We used Morphoscanner2.0 on both simulation trajectories and protein structures. Because of its dependencies on the MDAnalysis package, Morphoscanner2.0 can read several file formats generated by widely-used molecular simulation packages such as NAMD, Gromacs, OpenMM. Morphoscanner2.0 also includes a routine for tracking the alpha-helix domain formation.