Delusional Unreality and Predictive Processing.

Background: Phenomenological psychopathologists have recently highlighted how people with delusions experience multiple realities (delusional and non-delusional) and have suggested this double bookkeeping cannot be explained via predictive processing. Here, we present data from Kamin blocking and extinction learning that show how predictive processing might, in principle, explain a pervasive sense of dual reality.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved three participant groups: patients with schizophrenia (SZ; n=42), healthy participants with elevated esoteric beliefs (EEB; clairaudient psychics; n=31), and heathy controls (with neither illness nor significant delusional ideation, n=62).

In vitro Genebank of India for safe conservation of horticultural plant diversity: four decades of milestones.

India is a treasure trove of biological diversity with its plant genetic resources playing a crucial role in the crop improvement serving as the foundation for the country's sustainable food and nutritional security. India's in vitro genebank (IVG) is part of the National Genebank at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR). The IVG houses distinctive multi-crop repository that utilizes several tissue culture techniques for short- to medium-term storage in in vitro active genebank (IVAG) and cryoconservation approaches for long-term storage in in vitro base genebank (IVBG).

Ensemble deep learning and EfficientNet for accurate diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) stands as a significant global cause of vision impairment, underscoring the critical importance of early detection in mitigating its impact. Addressing this challenge head-on, this study introduces an innovative deep learning framework tailored for DR diagnosis. The proposed framework utilizes the EfficientNetB0 architecture to classify diabetic retinopathy severity levels from retinal images.

Communication About Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: An Adaptation of the SPIKES Protocol.

Background: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a common cause of premature death in children and adults with epilepsy. People with epilepsy and their caregivers prefer the risk of SUDEP to be disclosed by their clinicians; however, few tools exist to support these conversations.

Methods: We aimed to (1) characterize SUDEP communication preferences of clinicians and caregivers of children with epilepsy, and (2) leverage these preferences to develop a conversation guide to support the discussion of SUDEP risk.

Optimizing Dielectric Rod Antenna Performance with Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton-Based Feeding Method.

This study investigates the use of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) as an effective feeding mechanism for antennas functioning within the extremely high-frequency (EHF) range. A novel method is proposed for feeding a dielectric rod antenna with SSPPs, featuring a simple design made from FR-4 material with a relative permittivity of 4.3.