Music, body, and machine: gesture-based synchronization in human-robot musical interaction.

Musical performance relies on nonverbal cues for conveying information among musicians. Human musicians use bodily gestures to communicate their interpretation and intentions to their collaborators, from mood and expression to anticipatory cues regarding structure and tempo. Robotic Musicians can use their physical bodies in a similar way when interacting with fellow musicians.

SARTAB, a scalable system for automated real-time behavior detection based on animal tracking and Region Of Interest analysis: validation on fish courtship behavior.

Methods from Machine Learning (ML) and Computer Vision (CV) have proven powerful tools for quickly and accurately analyzing behavioral recordings. The computational complexity of these techniques, however, often precludes applications that require real-time analysis: for example, experiments where a stimulus must be applied in response to a particular behavior or samples must be collected soon after the behavior occurs. Here, we describe SARTAB (Scalable Automated Real-Time Analysis of Behavior), a system that achieves automated real-time behavior detection by continuously monitoring animal positions relative to behaviorally relevant Regions Of Interest (ROIs).

Approximate nearest neighbor graph provides fast and efficient embedding with applications for large-scale biological data.

Dimension reduction (DR or embedding) algorithms such as t-SNE and UMAP have many applications in big data visualization but remain slow for large datasets. Here, we further improve the UMAP-like algorithms by (i) combining several aspects of t-SNE and UMAP to create a new DR algorithm; (ii) replacing its rate-limiting step, the K-nearest neighbor graph (K-NNG), with a Hierarchical Navigable Small World (HNSW) graph; and (iii) extending the functionality to DNA/RNA sequence data by combining HNSW with locality sensitive hashing algorithms (e.g.

Accuracy deficits during robotic time-constrained reaching are related to altered prefrontal cortex activity in children with cerebral palsy.

Background: The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an important node for action planning in the frontoparietal reaching network but its role in reaching in children with cerebral palsy (CP) is unexplored. This case-control study combines a robotic task with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to concurrently assess reaching accuracy and PFC activity during time-constrained, goal-directed reaching in children with CP. We hypothesized that reaching accuracy in children with CP would be lower than in typically developing children and would be related to PFC activity.

Effects of vagus nerve stimulation on daily function and quality of life in markedly treatment-resistant major depression: Findings from a one-year, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Depression treatments aim to minimize symptom burden and optimize quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial function.

Objective: Compare the effects of adjunctive versus sham vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on QoL and function in markedly treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 493 adults with TRD and ≥4 adequate but unsuccessful antidepressant treatment trials (current episode) were randomized to active (n = 249) or sham (n = 244) VNS (plus treatment as usual) over a 12-month observation period.

Microengineered in vitro CAR T cell screens and assays.

Established and emergent microengineered in vitro systems enable the evaluation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell product purity, avidity, and functionality. Here, we describe such systems and how they have been used to optimize CAR T cell products by selecting highly viable cells, eliminating off-target cells, and tailoring avidity to balance efficacy and safety. The future of CAR T cell therapy development and manufacturing is expected to be anchored in a cyclical process that integrates multiple high-throughput and patient-centered techniques for identifying, enriching, and evaluating T cell subtypes.

Consistent frontal-limbic-occipital connections in distinguishing treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Background And Hypothesis: Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TR-SZ) and non-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (NTR-SZ) lack specific biomarkers to distinguish from each other. This investigation aims to identify consistent dysfunctional brain connections with different atlases, multiple feature selection strategies, and several classifiers in distinguishing TR-SZ and NTR-SZ.

Study Design: 55 TR-SZs, 239 NTR-SZs, and 87 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited from the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.

Eleven Grand Challenges for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics and Genomics.

The past 2 decades have witnessed extraordinary advances in our understanding of the genetic factors influencing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), providing a foundation for the approaching era of genomic medicine. On behalf of the NIDDK IBD Genetics Consortium, we herein survey 11 grand challenges for the field as it embarks on the next 2 decades of research utilizing integrative genomic and systems biology approaches. These involve elucidation of the genetic architecture of IBD (how it compares across populations, the role of rare variants, and prospects of polygenic risk scores), in-depth cellular and molecular characterization (fine-mapping causal variants, cellular contributions to pathology, molecular pathways, interactions with environmental exposures, and advanced organoid models), and applications in personalized medicine (unmet medical needs, working toward molecular nosology, and precision therapeutics).

Multiple Strategies Enhance 7-Dehydrocholesterol Production from Kitchen Waste by Engineered .

7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) is an important precursor of vitamin D. The microbial synthesis of 7-DHC has attracted substantial attention. In this study, multiple strategies were developed to create a sustainable green route for enhancing 7-DHC yield from kitchen waste by engineered .

Single Cell RNA Sequencing Before and After Light Chain Escape Reveals Intra-patient Multiple Myeloma Subpopulations with Divergent Osteolytic Gene Expression.

High-risk multiple myeloma (MM) is genomically unstable, comprised of heterogeneous populations of tumor cells that evolve over time. Light chain escape (LCE) is a clinical phenomenon observed when light chains rise separately from M-spike values, implying divergent tumor evolution. We sought to understand LCE by performing high depth transcriptomic and phenotypic studies.

Neuromechanical Circuits of the Spinal Motor Apparatus.

The evolution of mechanisms for terrestrial locomotion has resulted in multi-segmented limbs that allow navigation on irregular terrains, changing of direction, manipulation of external objects, and control over the mechanical properties of limbs important for interaction with the environment, with corresponding changes in neural pathways in the spinal cord. This article is focused on the organization of these pathways, their interactions with the musculoskeletal system, and the integration of these neuromechanical circuits with supraspinal mechanisms to control limb impedance. It is argued that neural pathways from muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs form a distributive impedance controller in the spinal cord that controls limb impedance and coordination during responses to external disturbances.

Occurrence, Fate, and Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Small- and Large-Scale Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities in the United States.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) could be conduits of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminants in the environment. This study investigated the fate of 40 PFAS compounds across nine municipal WWTPs with varying treatment capacity and processes. High concentrations of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids (PFSAs) were detected in wastewater, with the ratio of their total concentrations (∑PFCAs/∑PFSAs) always greater than one.

Atmospheric Exposure Triggers Light-Induced Degradation in 2D Lead-Halide Perovskites.

Quasi-2D perovskites have been pivotal in recent efforts to stabilize perovskite solar cells. Despite the stability boost provided when these materials are introduced in perovskite solar cells, little is known about the intrinsic light and environmental stability of quasi-2D perovskites. In this study, we characterize the photostability of exfoliated quasi-2D perovskite single crystals in air using photoluminescence, infrared, X-ray fluorescence, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

Fracture Dynamics in Silicon Anode Solid-State Batteries.

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) with silicon anodes could enable improved safety and energy density compared to lithium-ion batteries. However, degradation arising from the massive volumetric changes of silicon anodes during cycling is not well understood in solid-state systems. Here, we use X-ray computed microtomography to reveal micro- to macro-scale chemo-mechanical degradation processes of silicon anodes in SSBs.

Informing Near-Airport Satellite NO Retrievals Using Pandora Sky-Scanning Observations.

Airports are a large and growing source of NO . Tracking airport-related emissions is especially difficult, as a portion of emissions are elevated above the surface. While satellite-based NO observations show hot-spots near airports, near-source retrievals often have large biases related to uncertainties in the NO vertical distribution and resultant air mass factors (AMF).

In Situ Scanning Electron Microscopy Crack Characterization and Resistance Evolution in Cyclically-Strained Ag Nanoflake-Based Inks.

The reliability of nanocomposite conductive inks under cyclic loading is the key to designing robust flexible electronics. Although resistance increases with cycling and models exist, the exact degradation mechanism is not well understood and is critical for developing inks. This study links cracking behavior to changes in electrical resistance by performing in situ cyclic stretch experiments in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with synchronized resistance measurements.

A new chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of Cryptosporidium meleagridis.

Cryptosporidium spp. are medically and scientifically relevant protozoan parasites that cause severe diarrheal illness in infants, immunosuppressed populations and many animals. Although most human Cryptosporidium infections are caused by C.

Active and passive organic carbon fluxes during a bloom in the Southern Ocean (South Georgia).

The Controls Over Mesopelagic Interior Carbon Storage (COMICS) cruise DY086 took place aboard the RRS Discovery in the South Atlantic during November and December, 2017. Physical, chemical, biogeochemical and biological data were collected during three visits to ocean observatory station P3, off the coast of South Georgia, during an austral spring bloom. A diverse range of equipment including CTD-rosette, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), net deployments, marine snow catchers (MSCs), Stand Alone Pump System (SAPS) and PELAGRA Sediment Traps were used to produce a comprehensive, high-quality dataset.

Adverse drug events associated with metreleptin administration: a real-world pharmacovigilance study from 2014 to 2024 using the FAERS database.

Background: This study analyzed adverse drug event (ADE) signals associated with metreleptin using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to provide insights for safe clinical use.

Research Design And Methods: Data from 1 January 2014, to 31 March 2024, were extracted. Signal intensity for adverse events was assessed using reporting odds ratio (ROR), Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN), and Multi-item Gamma Poisson Shrinker (MGPS) methods.

Randomized Study Comparing Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Capillary Glucose Testing in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes After Hospital Discharge.

Objective: The benefits of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in managing hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have been documented in observation and intervention clinical studies. However, the benefits of CGMs after hospital discharge in improving the care of patients with T2D remain unknown.

Methods: This pilot randomized clinical trial aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of using the FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM versus capillary point-of-care (POC) glucose testing (standard of care) in insulin-treated patients with T2D for up to 12 weeks after hospital discharge.

Heme promotes venetoclax resistance in multiple myeloma through MEK-ERK signaling and purine biosynthesis.

We previously demonstrated that reduced intrinsic electron transport chain (ETC) activity predicts and promotes sensitivity to the BCL-2 antagonist, venetoclax (Ven) in multiple myeloma (MM). Heme, an iron-containing prosthetic group, and metabolite is fundamental to maintaining ETC activity. Interrogation of the CD2 subgroup of MM from the CoMMpass trial (NCT01454297), which can be used as a proxy for Ven-sensitive MM (VS MM), shows reduced expression of the conserved heme biosynthesis pathway gene signature.