Behavioral and Electrophysiological Assessment of Central Auditory Processing in Individuals with Sickle Cell Disease.

Introduction: Sickle cell anemia has a genetic origin characterized by an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. The nervous system may be subject to vaso-occlusion and, consequently, affect the proper functioning of the central portion of hearing.

Objective: To assess central auditory skills and analyze short- and long-latency auditory evoked potentials in children with sickle cell disease.

Diagnosing Helicobacter pylori using autoencoders and limited annotations through anomalous staining patterns in IHC whole slide images.

Purpose: This work addresses the detection of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in histological images with immunohistochemical staining. This analysis is a time-demanding task, currently done by an expert pathologist that visually inspects the samples.

Metabolic rewiring in skin epidermis drives tolerance to oncogenic mutations.

Skin epithelial stem cells correct aberrancies induced by oncogenic mutations. Oncogenes invoke different strategies of epithelial tolerance; while wild-type cells outcompete β-catenin-gain-of-function (βcatGOF) cells, Hras cells outcompete wild-type cells. Here we ask how metabolic states change as wild-type stem cells interface with mutant cells and drive different cell-competition outcomes.

Disentangling Sources of Momentum Fluctuations in Xe+Xe and Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

High-energy nuclear collisions create a quark-gluon plasma, whose initial condition and subsequent expansion vary from event to event, impacting the distribution of the eventwise average transverse momentum [P([p_{T}])]. Disentangling the contributions from fluctuations in the nuclear overlap size (geometrical component) and other sources at a fixed size (intrinsic component) remains a challenge. This problem is addressed by measuring the mean, variance, and skewness of P([p_{T}]) in ^{208}Pb+^{208}Pb and ^{129}Xe+^{129}Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.

Spatial patterns of macrozoobenthos diversity on sewage-impacted intertidal rocky shores in Central Patagonia, Argentina.

The effects of untreated wastewater and shore levels on zoobenthic diversity, species accumulation, and abundance-biomass relationships were studied on intertidal rocky shores of central Patagonia, Argentina. Winter samples (2015) from two sewage-impacted and two reference sites showed that pollution disrupted macrozoobenthic diversity and zonation. A total of 83 taxa were identified, with polychaetes (31 species), mollusks (22), and crustaceans (21) being the most diverse.

Virtual airways heatmaps to optimize point of entry location in lung biopsy planning systems.

Purpose: We present a virtual model to optimize point of entry (POE) in lung biopsy planning systems. Our model allows to compute the quality of a biopsy sample taken from potential POE, taking into account the margin of error that arises from discrepancies between the orientation in the planning simulation and the actual orientation during the operation. Additionally, the study examines the impact of the characteristics of the lesion.

A new vision for American science.

America's scientific success is no accident. It has been powered by a decades-long commitment to federal investment in fundamental research that, in turn, nurtured both domestic and foreign talent and prompted the translation of breakthroughs to fuel the economy, improve health, fortify national security, and inspire awe. The world has benefited from the proliferation of this model, and partnerships between the US and other countries have resulted in game-changing discoveries, from medicines to machine learning.

Activation of α2B/2C adrenergic receptor ameliorates ocular surface inflammation through enhancing regulatory T cell function.

There is an unmet need for effectively treating dry eye disease (DED), a T cell-mediated chronic, inflammatory ocular surface disorder. Given the potential of nonneuronal adrenergic system in modulating T cell response, we herein investigated the therapeutic efficacy and the underlying mechanisms of a specific alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist (AGN-762, selective for α2B/2C receptor subtypes) in a mouse model of DED. Experimental DED was treated with the AGN-762 by oral gavage, either at disease induction or after disease establishment, and showed sustained amelioration, along with reduced expression of DED-pathogenic cytokines in ocular surface tissues, decreased corneal MHC-IICD11b cells and lymphoid Th17 cells, and higher function of regulatory T cells (Treg).

Search for the Exclusive W Boson Hadronic Decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ with the ATLAS Detector.

A search for the exclusive hadronic decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ, and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ is performed using up to 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV. If observed, these rare processes would provide a unique test bench for the quantum chromodynamics factorization formalism used to calculate cross sections at colliders. Additionally, at future colliders, these decays could offer a new way to measure the W boson mass through fully reconstructed decay products.

Longitudinal analysis of genetic and epigenetic changes in human pluripotent stem cells in the landscape of culture-induced abnormality.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are naturally equipped to maintain genome integrity to minimize genetic mutations during early embryo development. However, genetic aberration risks and subsequent cellular changes in hESCs during in vitro culture pose a significant threat to stem cell therapy. While a few studies have reported specific somatic mutations and copy number variations (CNVs), the molecular mechanisms underlying the acquisition of 'culture-adapted phenotypes' by hESCs are largely unknown.

Dynamics of Spike-Specific Neutralizing Antibodies Across Five-Year Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Reveal Conserved Epitopes that Protect Against Severe COVID-19.

Since early 2020, several SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) continue to emerge, evading waning antibody mediated immunity produced by the current Spike-alone based COVID-19 vaccines. This caused a prolonged and persistent COVID-19 pandemic that is going to enter its fifth year. Thus, the need remains for innovative next generation vaccines that would incorporate protective Spike-derived B-cell epitopes that resist immune evasion.

Combination of Searches for Higgs Boson Pair Production in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector.

This Letter presents results from a combination of searches for Higgs boson pair production using 126-140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector. At 95% confidence level (CL), the upper limit on the production rate is 2.9 times the standard model (SM) prediction, with an expected limit of 2.

Studies of the Energy Dependence of Diboson Polarization Fractions and the Radiation-Amplitude-Zero Effect in WZ Production with the ATLAS Detector.

This Letter presents the first study of the energy dependence of diboson polarization fractions in WZ→ℓνℓ^{'}ℓ^{'}(ℓ,ℓ^{'}=e,μ) production. The dataset used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector. Two fiducial regions with an enhanced presence of events featuring two longitudinally polarized bosons are defined.

Rigid crosslinking of the CD3 complex leads to superior T cell stimulation.

Functionally bivalent non-covalent Fab dimers (Bi-Fabs) specific for the TCR/CD3 complex promote CD3 signaling on T cells. While comparing functional responses to stimulation with Bi-Fab, F(ab')2 or mAb specific for the same CD3 epitope, we observed fratricide requiring anti-CD3 bridging of adjacent T cells. Surprisingly, anti-CD3 Bi-Fab ranked first in fratricide potency, followed by anti-CD3 F(ab')2 and anti-CD3 mAb.

Insights from therapeutic strategies in superior canal dehiscence syndrome: is there anything beyond surgical treatment?

Introduction: Superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome (SCDS) is a clinical syndrome that can cause instability, vertigo, fullness, tinnitus, autophony, hearing loss (HL), Tullio phenomenon, or Hennebert's sign. Historically, surgery has been the primary treatment reported in the literature, although some medical treatments may also be proposed. This study aims to comprehensively characterize SCDS in a large series of patients from clinical, auditory, and vestibular perspectives, and explore medical alternatives to conventional surgical treatments by comparing their results and evolution.

The Auditory Steady-State Response and the Relationship between Electrophysiological and Behavioural Thresholds.

Background: This study examined the relationship between behavioural thresholds as measured by pure tone audiometry and electrophysiological thresholds measured by the Auditory Steady-State Response (ASSR) in children with normal hearing and sensorineural hearing loss.

Materials And Methods: After being assessed, 45 children of both sexes, ranging in age from 5 to 15, were split into four groups: 10 with moderate to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss (G2M); 10 with steeply sloping sensorineural hearing loss (G2D); 10 with profound and severe sensorineural hearing loss (G2S); and 15 with normal hearing (G1). ASSR, tympanometry, acoustic reflex testing, pure tone audiometry, and speech audiometry (SRT and SDT) were performed.

Statistical Combination of ATLAS Run 2 Searches for Charginos and Neutralinos at the LHC.

Statistical combinations of searches for charginos and neutralinos using various decay channels are performed using 139  fb^{-1} of pp collision data at sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Searches targeting pure-wino chargino pair production, pure-wino chargino-neutralino production, or Higgsino production decaying via standard model W, Z, or h bosons are combined to extend the mass reach to the produced supersymmetric particles by 30-100 GeV. The depth of the sensitivity of the original searches is also improved by the combinations, lowering the 95% C.

Low evolutionary potential for blue-green egg colouration in a wild bird population.

Exploring the evolutionary architecture of female sexual traits and their potential evolvability is important to understand their possible role as postmating sexual signals. Egg colouration has been proposed to be one of these postmating sexual signals, honestly advertising female quality in birds, especially in blue-green laying species. In this study, we used an animal model in a Bayesian framework to estimate the evolvability of multiple descriptors of blue-green egg colouration and egg size in a wild long-term monitored population of spotless starlings (Sturnus unicolor).

Approach to interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis-A survey to pulmonologists and rheumatologists in Colombia.

Introduction: Interstitial lung disease is a leading cause of mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis. Currently, there is a lack of consensus regarding screening, rescreening, diagnosis, and follow-up practices in interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis (SSc-ILD) in Colombia.

Methods: A structured survey focused on clinical practices in patients with SSc-ILD was conducted.