Monolithic U-shaped crystal design for TOF-DOI detectors: a flat top vs. a tapered top.

For brain-dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, depth-of-interaction (DOI) information is essential to achieve uniform spatial resolution across the field-of-view (FOV) by minimizing parallax error. Time-of-flight (TOF) information can enhance the image quality. In this study, we proposed a novel monolithic U-shaped crystal design that had a tapered geometry to achieve good coincidence timing resolution (CTR) and DOI resolution simultaneously.

Impact of Attached File Formats on the Performance of ChatGPT-4 on the Japanese National Nursing Examination: Evaluation Study.

This research letter discusses the impact of different file formats on ChatGPT-4's performance on the Japanese National Nursing Examination, highlighting the need for standardized reporting protocols to enhance the integration of artificial intelligence in nursing education and practice.

Cell-Based Therapies in GI Cancers: Current Landscape and Future Directions.

Cell-based therapies have become integral to the routine clinical management of hematologic malignancies. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy has demonstrated efficacy in immunogenic solid tumors, such as melanoma. However, in the GI field, evidence supporting the clinical success of cell-based therapies is still awaited.

Methyl Syringate Monoglucoside Is a Crucial Intermediate in Leptosperin Biosynthesis in (ma̅nuka).

Leptosperin (methyl syringate-4--β-d-gentiobioside) serves as a unique marker for ma̅nuka honey, derived from the ma̅nuka plant (). Despite its importance, the biosynthesis pathway of leptosperin remains unreported. This study investigates the molecular mechanism of leptosperin formation from its aglycone, methyl syringate (MSYR), in ma̅nuka plants.

Clinical Characteristics of Hospitalized Children With Coronavirus Disease 2019 After the Spread of the BA.5 Omicron Variants in Japan.

Background: The spread of the BA.5 Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has increased the number of hospitalized children. However, the impact of the spread of new omicron subvariants in children remains poorly described.

Identification of leakage sites in central serous chorioretinopathy using optical coherence tomography and the assessment of the characteristics of the biomarkers.

Purpose: To identify optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based imaging biomarkers that can localize focal leakage points without fluorescein angiography in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).

Methods: This retrospective case-control study analyzed 119 consecutive patients (123 eyes) with CSC between April 2018 and February 2024, comprising 66 eyes with focal-leakage type and 57 eyes with diffuse-leakage type. We assessed leakage sites using OCT, and the proportions of OCT findings were compared between focal- and diffuse-leakage types.

Proposed Optical Manipulation of Nanoparticles to Access and Select Emission Lines.

Optical manipulation of nanomaterials using light resonant with material excitations holds promise for enhancing optical forces and sorting particles by unique quantum properties. Conventional resonant optical sorting mainly relies on absorption and scattering forces, making it difficult to sort nanomaterials by specific emission lines. Furthermore, emission typically induces negligible force unless the material is highly anisotropic, limiting selective manipulation via emission characteristics.

Impact of Ligand Structure on Biological Activity and Photophysical Properties of NHC-Protected Au Nanoclusters.

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-protected gold nanoclusters display high stability and high photoluminescence, making them well-suited for fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapeutic applications. We report herein the synthesis of two bisNHC-protected Au nanoclusters with π-extended aromatic systems. Depending on the position of the π-extended aromatic system, changes to the structure of the ligand shell in the cluster are observed, with the ability to correlate increases in rigidity with increases in fluorescence quantum yield.

Complex and Non-sequential Current Signatures of a β-Hairpin Peptide Confined in a Nanopore.

Nanopore sensing is widely used for single-molecule detection, originally applied to nucleic acids and now extended to protein sensing. Our study focuses on the complex conformational changes of peptides in nanopores, which may have implications for peptide fingerprinting and protein identification. Specifically, we investigated the interaction of a β-hairpin peptide (SV28) within an α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopore.

Advancing efficiency in deep-blue OLEDs: Exploring a machine learning-driven multiresonance TADF molecular design.

The pursuit of boron-based organic compounds with multiresonance (MR)-induced thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) is propelled by their potential as narrowband blue emitters for wide-gamut displays. Although boron-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in MR compounds share common structural features, their molecular design traditionally involves iterative approaches with repeated attempts until success. To address this, we implemented machine learning algorithms to establish quantitative structure-property relationship models, predicting key optoelectronic characteristics, such as full width at half maximum (FWHM) and main peak wavelength, for deep-blue MR candidates.

Significance of birth in the maintenance of quiescent neural stem cells.

Birth is one of the most important life events for animals. However, its significance in the developmental process is not fully understood. Here, we found that birth-induced alteration of glutamine metabolism in radial glia (RG), the embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs), is required for the acquisition of quiescence and long-term maintenance of postnatal NSCs.

Creating coveted bioluminescence colors for simultaneous multi-color bioimaging.

Bioluminescence, an optical marker that does not require excitation by light, allows researchers to simultaneously observe multiple targets, each exhibiting a different color. Notably, the colors of the bioluminescent proteins must sufficiently vary to enable simultaneous detection. Here, we aimed to introduce a method that can be used to expand the color variation by tuning dual-acceptor bioluminescence resonance energy transfer.

Distributed representations of temporally accumulated reward prediction errors in the mouse cortex.

Reward prediction errors (RPEs) quantify the difference between expected and actual rewards, serving to refine future actions. Although reinforcement learning (RL) provides ample theoretical evidence suggesting that the long-term accumulation of these error signals improves learning efficiency, it remains unclear whether the brain uses similar mechanisms. To explore this, we constructed RL-based theoretical models and used multiregional two-photon calcium imaging in the mouse dorsal cortex.

Development of compositionality through interactive learning of language and action of robots.

Humans excel at applying learned behavior to unlearned situations. A crucial component of this generalization behavior is our ability to compose/decompose a whole into reusable parts, an attribute known as compositionality. One of the fundamental questions in robotics concerns this characteristic: How can linguistic compositionality be developed concomitantly with sensorimotor skills through associative learning, particularly when individuals only learn partial linguistic compositions and their corresponding sensorimotor patterns? To address this question, we propose a brain-inspired neural network model that integrates vision, proprioception, and language into a framework of predictive coding and active inference on the basis of the free-energy principle.

Effects of clinical stage, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and living arrangement on social distance towards people with dementia.

Background: Dementia presents significant challenges, including social exclusion, which can be exacerbated by public stigma. This study aimed to clarify how social distances, a common measure of public stigma, towards people living with dementia and its associated factors vary with clinical stage, presence of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), and living arrangements.

Methods: The study involved 2,589 Japanese participants aged 40 to 90 years.

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

Diving into Unknown Waters: Water-Soluble Clickable Au Nanoclusters Protected with N-Heterocyclic Carbenes for Bio-Medical Applications.

The use of gold nanoclusters in biomedical applications has been steadily increasing in recent years. However, water solubility is a key factor for these applications, and water-soluble gold nanoclusters are often difficult to isolate and susceptible to exchange or oxidation in vivo. Herein, we report the isolation of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-protected atomically precise gold nanoclusters functionalized with triethylene glycol monomethyl ether groups.

Effects of sodium bicarbonate on 200 m time trial performance and physiological responses in swimmers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) supplementation on 200 m time trial performance and physiological responses in swimmers, following PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search across five databases identified eligible randomized controlled trials comparing NaHCO₃ with placebo. Outcomes were 200 m time, blood bicarbonate, blood lactate, and blood pH.

Gel-Based Sample Fractionation with SP3-Purification for Top-Down Proteomics.

Precise prefractionation of proteome samples is a potent method for realizing in-depth analysis in top-down proteomics. PEPPI-MS (Passively Eluting Proteins from Polyacrylamide gels as Intact species for MS), a gel-based sample fractionation method, enables high-resolution proteome fractionation based on molecular weight by highly efficient extraction of proteins from polyacrylamide gels after SDS-PAGE separation. Thereafter it is essential to effectively remove contaminants such as CBB and SDS from the PEPPI fraction prior to mass spectrometry.

Heteroarene-Fused Benzo[b]arsoles: Structure, Photophysical Properties, and Effects of the Bridging Element.

Heteroarene-fused heteroles have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique electronic and photophysical properties. The bridging element plays a crucial role in determining the electronic characteristics of the resulting π-conjugated molecules. In this study, we synthesized a series of heteroarene-fused benzo[b]arsoles and investigated their structures and photophysical properties.

Depressive Symptoms and Amyloid Pathology.

Importance: Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive decline in older individuals. Uncertainty about underlying mechanisms hampers diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. This large-scale study aimed to elucidate the association between depressive symptoms and amyloid pathology.

Insights into balloon pulmonary angioplasty and the WHO functional class of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients: findings from the CTEPH AC registry.

Advances in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) treatment have improved prognosis, shifting focus towards symptom management. This study aimed to identify factors influencing the World Health Organization functional class (WHO-FC) in CTEPH patients. The CTEPH AC registry is a prospective, multicenter database from 35 Japanese institutions, analyzing data from August 2018 to July 2023.