Removal of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (HABs) from contaminated local park lake using mycelial pellets.

Eutrophication and hypereutrophication in lakes foster harmful blue-green algal blooms, which pose a significant threat to the ecological health of freshwater reservoirs. This study investigated the effectiveness of the bio-flocculation approach using the fungus strain BGF4A1 to remove these harmful blooms, specifically targeting cyanobacterial species like PCC-7914. Key flocculation parameters, cyanobacterial concentrations, adsorption kinetics, and pellet morphology were explored in this research.

Predictive equation derived from 6,497 doubly labelled water measurements enables the detection of erroneous self-reported energy intake.

Nutritional epidemiology aims to link dietary exposures to chronic disease, but the instruments for evaluating dietary intake are inaccurate. One way to identify unreliable data and the sources of errors is to compare estimated intakes with the total energy expenditure (TEE). In this study, we used the International Atomic Energy Agency Doubly Labeled Water Database to derive a predictive equation for TEE using 6,497 measures of TEE in individuals aged 4 to 96 years.

Effect of virtual interactions through avatar agents on the joint Simon effect.

The joint Simon effect refers to inhibitory responses to spatially competing stimuli during a complementary task. This effect has been considered to be influenced by the social factors of a partner: sharing stimulus-action representation. According to this account, virtual interactions through their avatars would produce the joint Simon effect even when the partner did not physically exist in the same space because the avatars are intentional agents.

Association of the interaction between daily step counts and frailty with disability in older adults.

The differences in the association of objectively measured physical activity with disability between frail and non-frail older adults remain unclear. We (1) evaluated the dose-dependent relationship between daily steps and disability in older adults with and without frailty and (2) examined the interaction between steps and frailty status in relation to the risk of disability. This prospective study used data from 4065 adults aged ≥ 65 years from the Kyoto-Kameoka Study, Japan.

Acceleration of acute lung inflammation by IL-1α released through cell death of alveolar macrophages upon phagocytosis of fine Asian sand dust particles.

Asian sand dust (ASD), a significant desert sand dust, contains sub-2.5 µm fine particles and adversely affects human health, particularly exacerbating respiratory diseases. Despite this, the intricate physiological responses triggered by inhaled ASD particles remain incompletely understood.

Raman microscopy of cryofixed biological specimens for high-resolution and high-sensitivity chemical imaging.

Raman microscopy is an emerging molecular imaging technology, yet its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in measurements of biological specimens is severely limited because of the small cross section of Raman scattering. Here, we present Raman imaging techniques of cryofixed specimens to overcome SNR limitations by enabling long exposure of specimens under highly stabilized low-temperature conditions. The observation of frozen specimens in a cryostat at a constant low temperature immediately after rapid freezing enabled the improvement of SNR and enhanced the spatial and spectral resolution.

Does the presence of a friend reduce cardiovascular response to stress even over a screen?

Although meeting close friends through video calls has become common, less is known about its stress-buffering effect. This study aims to examine whether cardiovascular responses to stress are decreased when the presence of a friend on a monitor compared to the presence of a friend in person or alone. Forty-six undergraduate students completed a stress task while in the room with a friend (1) in person (in-person condition), (2) on Zoom (online condition), or (3) alone (alone condition).

Multitemporal monitoring of forest indicator species using UAV and machine learning image recognition.

In natural restoration, it is important to improve the efficiency of monitoring. Remote sensing using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms plays a major role in improving monitoring efficiency. UAV platforms are particularly suited for monitoring long-term, multitemporal changes.

Aphasia in Alzheimer's disease: Frequency and characteristics.

Aphasia is frequently observed in Alzheimer's disease, with its prevalence increasing as the disease progresses. This study highlights the importance of recognizing early language impairments in Alzheimer's disease, and suggests that comprehensive language assessments are crucial for early diagnosis and effective communication interventions.

Current status of MSI research in Japan to measure the localization of natural products in plants.

To understand biological functions in organisms, it is important to investigate what is happening in different locations in cells and tissues. The conventional approach is to extract compounds from whole tissue, and then to measure their concentrations or other characteristics using equipment tailored to the different molecules. Recent advances in mass spectrometry have made it possible to measure trace amounts of compounds.

Determinant of factors associated with water requirement measured using the doubly labelled water method among older Japanese adults.

Objective: Water is an essential nutrient for all organisms and is important for maintaining life and health. We aimed to develop a biomarker-calibrated equation for predicting water turnover (WT) and pre-formed water (PW) using the doubly labelled water (DLW) method.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Fulleride superconductivity tuned by elastic strain due to cation compositional disorder.

Dynamical fluctuations of the elastic strain in strongly correlated systems are known to affect the onset of metal-to-insulator or superconducting transitions. Here we report their effect on the properties of a family of bandwidth-controlled alkali-intercalated fullerene superconductors. We introduce elastic strain through static local structural disorder in a systematic and controllable way in the fcc-structured K Cs C (with potassium content, 0.

Effects of muscle quantity, muscle quality, and phase angle on whole-body reaction time in 5164 adults aged 20-91 years.

Purpose: Muscle quantity, defined as appendicular lean mass (ALM); muscle quality, defined as the ratio of muscle strength to ALM; and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA)-derived phase angle (PhA) are determinants of physical performance. We examined whether muscle quality indices were significant predictors of the whole-body reaction time (WBRT) in healthy female and male adults aged 20-91 years.

Methods: Data from 5164 adults (2869 women and 2295 men; mean age ± standard deviation, 60.

Developing probabilistic ensemble machine learning models for home-based sleep apnea screening using overnight SpO2 data at varying data granularity.

Purpose: This study aims to develop sleep apnea screening models with overnight SpO2 data, and to investigate the impact of the SpO2 data granularity on model performance.

Methods: A total of 7,718 SpO2 recordings from the SHHS and MESA datasets were used. Probabilistic ensemble machine learning was employed to predict sleep apnea status at three AHI cutoff points: ≥ 5, ≥ 15, and ≥ 30 events/hour.

Enhanced accuracy with Segmentation of Colorectal Polyp using NanoNetB, and Conditional Random Field Test-Time Augmentation.

Colonoscopy is a reliable diagnostic method to detect colorectal polyps early on and prevent colorectal cancer. The current examination techniques face a significant challenge of high missed rates, resulting in numerous undetected polyps and irregularities. Automated and real-time segmentation methods can help endoscopists to segment the shape and location of polyps from colonoscopy images in order to facilitate clinician's timely diagnosis and interventions.

A novel fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)-based screening identified ATG14, the gene required for pexophagy in the methylotrophic yeast.

Pexophagy is a type of autophagy that selectively degrades peroxisomes and can be classified as either macropexophagy or micropexophagy. During macropexophagy, individual peroxisomes are sequestered by pexophagosomes and transported to the vacuole for degradation, while in micropexophagy, peroxisomes are directly engulfed by the septated vacuole. To date, some autophagy-related genes (ATGs) required for pexophagy have been identified through plate-based assays performed primarily under micropexophagy-induced conditions.

Effects of Sound Interventions on the Mental Stress Response in Adults: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Background: Sound therapy methods have seen a surge in popularity, with a predominant focus on music among all types of sound stimulation. There is substantial evidence documenting the integrative impact of music therapy on psycho-emotional and physiological outcomes, rendering it beneficial for addressing stress-related conditions such as pain syndromes, depression, and anxiety. Despite these advancements, the therapeutic aspects of sound, as well as the mechanisms underlying its efficacy, remain incompletely understood.