Integrating machine learning models for optimizing ecosystem health assessments through prediction of nitrate-N concentrations in the lower stretch of Ganga River, India.

Nitrate, a highly reactive form of inorganic nitrogen, is commonly found in aquatic environments. Understanding the dynamics of nitrate-N concentration in rivers and its interactions with other water-quality parameters is crucial for effective freshwater ecosystem management. This study uses advanced machine learning models to analyse water quality parameters and predict nitrate-N concentrations in the lower stretch of the Ganga River from the observations of six annual periods (2017 to 2022).

Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria identified by line probe assays in respiratory and non-respiratory samples in South Africa between 2015 and 2019.

In recent years, a rise in non-tuberculosis mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM-PD) has been reported in several countries. However, data for high-burden tuberculosis settings, including South Africa, is currently limited. In this study, we conducted a retrospective analysis of routine diagnostic data obtained from one diagnostic laboratory in South Africa between 2015 and 2019.

Daily executive functioning in adults with pediatric hemispherectomy.

Background And Aims: For young children with intractable epilepsy caused by congenital abnormalities or acquired cortical lesions, pediatric hemispherectomy surgery (pHS) may offer the only path to seizure remediation. Although some sensory and motor outcomes of pHS are highly predictable, the long-term cognitive and functional sequelae of pHS are far more variable. With the aim of identifying potential post-pHS intervention targets, the current study examined daily executive functioning and self-awareness in adults with pHS and broadly intact cognitive outcomes (indicated by average or above performance on intelligence tests).

Machine learning-based novel-shaped THz MIMO antenna with a slotted ground plane for future 6G applications.

This study discusses the results of using a regression machine learning technique to improve the performance of 6G applications that use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas operating at the terahertz (THz) frequency band. This research evaluates an antenna's performance using various methodologies, such as simulation and RLC equivalent circuit models. The suggested design has a broad bandwidth of 2.

Trigeminal malignant peripheral nerve-sheath tumor: Systematic review, and case report treated by proton-beam therapy.

Background: Malignant peripheral nerve-sheath tumor (MPNST) is rare, occurring in approximately 0.001% of the general population. Cases involving cranial nerves, and particularly the trigeminal nerve (V), are exceptionally rare, with only 36 cases reported in a literature review in 2013.

Computational analysis of Urolithin A as a potential compound for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neurodegenerative pathways.

Urolithin A, an active precursor derived from the metabolism of ellagitanins in rats and humans, is known for its potential health benefits, including stimulating mitophagy and promoting muscular skeletal function. While experimental studies have demonstrated Urolithin A's potential to enhance cellular health, the detailed molecular interactions through which Urolithin A exerts its effects are not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory, antioxidation and neuroprotective abilities of Urolithin A in selected targets using molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation methods.

Tbx1 haploinsufficiency leads to local skull deformity, paraflocculus and flocculus dysplasia, and motor-learning deficit in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are thought to arise from intrinsic brain abnormalities. Alternatively, they may arise from disrupted crosstalk among tissues. Here we show the local reduction of two vestibulo-cerebellar lobules, the paraflocculus and flocculus, in mouse models and humans with 22q11.

Resonance plasmonic coupling: selective enhancement of band edge emission over trap state emission of CdSe quantum dots.

The photoluminescence properties of quantum dots (QDs) are often enhanced by eliminating surface trap states through chemical methods. Alternatively, a physical approach is presented here for improving photoluminescence purity in QDs by employing frequency-specific plasmon resonance coupling. Emitter-bound plasmonic hybrids are designed by electrostatically binding negatively charged QDs in water to positively charged gold nanoparticles having a thin polymer coating.

When New Experience Leads to New Knowledge: A Computational Framework for Formalizing Epistemically Transformative Experiences.

The discovery of a new kind of experience can teach an agent what that kind of experience is like. Such a discovery can be epistemically transformative, teaching an agent something they could not have learned without having that kind of experience. However, learning something new does not always require new experience.

A high gain microwave and millimeter-wave-based balanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna with a parasitic patch and a half-spherical shaped dielectric lens.

This paper presented the design and performance analysis of a high-gain balanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna (BAVA) integrated with a parasitic patch and a half-spherical shaped dielectric lens, specifically designed for microwave and millimeter-wave applications. Constructed with a Teflon substrate (  = 2.1, tan = 0.

Associations between biomarkers and skeletal muscle function in individuals with osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Skeletal muscle dysfunction is the primary cause of functional limitations in osteoarthritis, associated biomarkers have the potential as targets for early disease identification, diagnosis, and prevention of osteoarthritis disability. This review aimed to identify associations between biomarkers and lower limb skeletal muscle function in individuals with osteoarthritis.

Methods: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science databases from inception to 8 August 2023.

The workshops on computational applications in secondary metabolite discovery (CAiSMD).

We report the outcomes of the second session of the free online open-access workshop "Computational Applications in Secondary Metabolite Discovery (CAiSMD) 2022" that took place from 09 to 11 March 2022. The first session was held from 08 to 10 March 2021 and drew the attention of many early career scientists from academia and industry. The 23 invited speakers of this year's workshop also came from academia and industry and 222 registered participants from five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, South, and North America) took part in the workshop.

Quantitation of AAV in a dual-vector system using SV-AUC.

Sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (SV-AUC) has become the "gold standard" for characterization of the empty, partial, and full capsids of gene therapy products (e.g., AAV and Adenovirus vectors).

Adaptive behavior in primary agenesis of the corpus callosum.

Background And Aims: Primary agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is a congenital neurological disorder characterized by the absence, either partial or complete, of the corpus callosum in individuals who do not have intellectual disability and are otherwise neurologically asymptomatic. While mild to moderate neurocognitive deficits have been observed in individuals with primary ACC using neuropsychological assessments, the impact of this syndrome on adaptive behavior remains insufficiently understood.

Methods: This study used self- and informant-ratings on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition (ABAS-II) to evaluate adaptive behavior in 35 adults diagnosed with primary ACC.

COVID-19 shed light on Virchow's law of thrombosis.

Virchow's law of thrombosis states that thrombosis in a vessel occurs as a combination of the following: (i) injury to the vessel wall, (ii) stasis of blood flow, and (iii) blood hypercoagulability. Injury to the wall includes infection/inflammation and/or injury to the resident cells of the wall. We postulate that in COVID-19, the SARS-CoV-2 virus directly infects the alveolar type II cell or directly or indirectly infects/injures the pericyte, promoting inflammation and interaction with endothelial cells, thereby causing a cascade of events leading to our observation that thrombosis occurred within the walls of the pulmonary vessels and not in the lumen of the vascular circulation.

The corpus callosum and creativity revisited.

In 1969 Joseph Bogen, a colleague of Roger Sperry and the neurosurgeon who performed commissurotomy on Sperry's "split-brain" study participants, wrote an article subtitled "The Corpus Callosum and Creativity." The article argued for the critical role of the corpus callosum and hemispheric specialization in creativity. Building on a four-stage model of creativity (learning, incubation, illumination, refinement) and Sperry's innovative studies, the Bogens posited that in the intact brain, creativity relies on two opposing functions of the corpus callosum: (a) interhemispheric inhibition to facilitate simultaneous and independent activity of uniquely-specialized processing centers during and and (b) interhemispheric facilitation to support the increased bi-hemispheric integration and coordination which produces This article revisits the Bogens' theory considering scientific discoveries over the past 50 years.

Changes in walking speed following resistance training in people with multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Reduced walking ability, especially decreased gait speed, is one of the most common and disabling impairments reported by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Considering the impact of muscle strength on walking ability, resistance training may have the potential to improve walking speed in MS. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effect of lower limb resistance training on walking speed in people with MS.

Implementing changing behaviour towards aerobic and strength exercise: Results of a randomised, phase I study determining the safety, feasibility, and consumer-evaluation of an online exercise program in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Many people with MS do not meet the recommended exercise regime to elicit health benefits. This study aimed to determine the feasibility, safety, acceptability, and appropriateness of an exercise intervention delivered online to persons with MS that meets current exercise recommendations and behaviour change principles.

Methods: Seventy-two participants (age: 43.

Associations of physical activity levels with fatigue in people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases in the LIFT trial.

Objectives: The overall aim of the current study was to quantify physical activity levels in inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs) and to explore their role in fatigue.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Lessening the Impact of Fatigue in IRDs (LIFT) trial of the personalized exercise program (PEP) intervention for fatigue. Participants with IRDs were recruited from 2017 to 2019 and the current analysis used fatigue, measured by the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and accelerometer measured physical activity data collected at baseline and at the 6-month follow-up.

Longitudinal changes in brain asymmetry track lifestyle and disease.

Human beings may have evolved the largest asymmetries of brain organization in the animal kingdom. Hemispheric left-vs-right specialization is especially pronounced in our species-unique capacities. Yet, brain asymmetry features appear to be strongly shaped by non-genetic influences.

Association of bilaterally suppressed EEG amplitudes and outcomes in critically ill children.

Background And Objectives: Amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) is used to assess electrocortical activity in pediatric intensive care if (continuous) full channel EEG is unavailable but evidence regarding the meaning of suppressed aEEG amplitudes in children remains limited. This retrospective cohort study investigated the association of suppressed aEEG amplitudes in critically ill children with death or decline of neurological functioning at hospital discharge.

Methods: Two hundred and thirty-five EEGs derived from individual patients <18 years in the pediatric intensive care unit at the University Hospital Essen (Germany) between 04/2014 and 07/2021, were converted into aEEGs and amplitudes analyzed with respect to age-specific percentiles.