Leveraging social media and other online data to study animal behavior.

The widespread sharing of information on the Internet has given rise to ecological studies that use data from digital sources including digitized museum records and social media posts. Most of these studies have focused on understanding species occurrences and distributions. In this essay, we argue that data from digital sources also offer many opportunities to study animal behavior including long-term and large-scale comparisons within and between species.

The Application of Paclobutrazol to GA-Treated Seed Tuber Potato Fields Does Not Shorten the Growth Cycle or Mitigate Tuber Elongation.

Potato seed tubers are a valuable product in potato agriculture. Over the years, studies have been conducted to increase the fraction of mid-size tubers, which are used as a planting material, within the general pool of tuber sizes. Gibberellic acid has been a central component of such studies and has successfully increased the seed-size pool.

Reduction in Serum Carotenoid Levels Following One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass.

Given the health benefits of carotenoids, it is crucial to evaluate their levels in patients undergoing malabsorptive procedures like one anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB). This study aimed to assess serum carotenoid levels before and 6 months following OAGB. Prospectively collected data from patients who underwent primary OAGB were analyzed.

Adverse Events in Osimertinib Treatment for EGFR-Mutated Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Unveiling Rare Life-Threatening Myelosuppression.

Recent advancements in targeted therapies for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), specifically focusing on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, have revolutionized treatment strategies. Osimertinib, an approved therapy for metastatic NSCLC with EGFR mutations, highlights remarkable efficacy but also harbors the potential for severe adverse events, whose rarity or lack of precedence may mask their criticality. This article delves into the exploration of adverse events linked to osimertinib, shedding light on a rare yet life-threatening occurrence: severe myelosuppression.

Exploring the Interplay of Dataset Size and Imbalance on CNN Performance in Healthcare: Using X-rays to Identify COVID-19 Patients.

Introduction: Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) systems in healthcare are influenced by unbalanced datasets and varying sizes. This article delves into the impact of dataset size, class imbalance, and their interplay on CNN systems, focusing on the size of the training set versus imbalance-a unique perspective compared to the prevailing literature. Furthermore, it addresses scenarios with more than two classification groups, often overlooked but prevalent in practical settings.

Optimizing Distributions for Associated Entropic Vectors via Generative Convolutional Neural Networks.

The complete characterization of the almost-entropic region yields rate regions for network coding problems. However, this characterization is difficult and open. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to determine whether an arbitrary vector in the entropy space is entropic or not, by parameterizing and generating probability mass functions by neural networks.

Nonadherence to Cardiovascular Drugs Predicts Risk for Non-Arthritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy: A Large-Scale National Study.

: While patients with cardiovascular comorbidities are at a higher risk for the occurrence of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), it is unclear whether adherence to medication results in risk reduction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nonadherence to medical therapy for cardiovascular morbidity correlates with a higher risk for NAION when compared to patients with strict adherence. : A retrospective case-control study was conducted among members of Clalit Health Services in Israel from 2001 to 2022.

The Efficacy of Cannabis in Oncology Patient Care and Its Anti-Tumor Effects.

As the legalization of medical cannabis expands across several countries, interest in its potential advantages among cancer patients and caregivers is burgeoning. However, patients seeking to integrate cannabis into their treatment often encounter frustration when their oncologists lack adequate information to offer guidance. This knowledge gap is exacerbated by the scarcity of published literature on the benefits of medical cannabis, leaving oncologists reliant on evidence-based data disheartened.

Mental Health Challenges in Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Depression and Anxiety.

Advancements in cancer treatment and early detection have extended survival rates, transforming many cancers into chronic conditions. However, cancer diagnosis and treatment can trigger significant psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, impacting patient outcomes and care. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of and identify the risk factors for depression and anxiety among cancer patients.

A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Relationships between Supine Proprioception Assessments and Upright Functional Mobility.

Long-duration bedrest impairs upright postural and locomotor control, prompting the need for assessment tools to predict the effects of deconditioning on post-bedrest outcome measures. We developed a tilt board mounted vertically with a horizontal air-bearing sled as a potential supine assessment tool for a future bedrest study. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the association between supine proprioceptive assessments on the tilt board and upright functional mobility.

ARE/Nrf2 Transcription System Involved in Carotenoid, Polyphenol, and Estradiol Protection from Rotenone-Induced Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress in Dermal Fibroblasts.

Skin aging is associated with the increased production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) due to mitochondrial dysfunction, and various phytonutrients and estrogens have been shown to improve skin health. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine damage to dermal fibroblasts by chemically induced mitochondrial dysfunction and to study the mechanism of the protective effects of carotenoids, polyphenols, and estradiol. Rotenone, a Complex I inhibitor, caused mitochondrial dysfunction in human dermal fibroblasts, substantially reducing respiration and ATP levels, followed by increased mitochondrial and cytosolic ROS, which resulted in apoptotic cell death, an increased number of senescent cells, increased matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1) secretion, and decreased collagen secretion.

Share If You Believe, Comment If You Doubt: The Effect of Source of Information, Trust, and Belief in Conspiracy Theories on Engagement with Facebook Posts.

This study examines the effect of one of three sources of information: a politician (authority figure), a physician (expert), and an ordinary person (non-expert) who appeared in a personal story related to a controversial issue (COVID-19 vaccination) on Facebook, on the willingness to engage with it. Using a between-subjects experiment (N = 848) conducted among Israeli adults (18 and older), we found a higher likelihood of sharing the story in interpersonal conversations than in other types of communications, regardless of the source that appeared in the story. However, respondents with high levels of institutional trust preferred sharing a politician's story, while conspiracy believers tended to comment on an ordinary person's story.

Revealing cis- and trans-regulatory elements underlying nuclear distribution and function of the Arabidopsis histone H2B.8 variant.

The H2B.8 variant has been diverged from other variants by its extended N-terminal region that possesses a conserved domain. We generated transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing H2B.

Expression Analysis of SSTR 1, 2 and 3 in Small-cell Lung Cancer Patients as Targets for Future Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy.

Background/aim: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is noted for its high proliferative rate, and while treatable, relapse is common. SCLC is known to potentially express somatostatin receptors (SSTRs). Somatostatin possesses antineoplastic activity through cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis, and angiogenesis inhibition.

Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Autologous Glueless Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation in Unilateral Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency: 12-Month Outcome of the First Clinical Cases.

Purpose: Surgical treatment of unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is based on limbal stem cell transplantation. Glueless simple limbal epithelial transplantation (G-SLET) technique implements several limbal micrografts harvested from the healthy eye of the same patient into the peripheral corneal tunnels without the use of fibrin glue and human amniotic membrane.

Methods: A novel customized algorithm and software for a low-energy femtosecond laser (FSL) were developed and tested using 5 pairs of isolated porcine eyes.

Effectiveness of a two-tiered trauma team activation system at a level I trauma center.

Purpose: Many trauma patients who are transported to our level I trauma center have minor injuries that do not require full trauma team activation (FTTA). Thus, we implemented a two-tiered TTA system categorizing patients into red and yellow code alerts, indicating FTTA and Limited TTA (LTTA) requirements, respectively. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of this triage tool by evaluating its diagnostic parameters (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), undertriage and overtriage) and comparing injury severity between the two groups.

Microbead-Encapsulated Luminescent Bioreporter Screening of via Its Secreted Quorum-Sensing Molecules.

is an opportunistic Gram-negative bacterium that remains a prevalent clinical and environmental challenge. Quorum-sensing (QS) molecules are effective biomarkers in pinpointing the presence of . This study aimed to develop a convenient-to-use, whole-cell biosensor using reporters individually encapsulated within alginate-poly-L-lysine (alginate-PLL) microbeads to specifically detect the presence of bacterial autoinducers.

Impedance Characteristics of Microfluidic Channels and Integrated Coplanar Parallel Electrodes as Design Parameters for Whole-Channel Analysis in Organ-on-Chip Micro-Systems.

Microfluidics have revolutionized cell culture by allowing for precise physical and chemical environmental control. Coupled with electrodes, microfluidic cell culture can be activated or have its changes sensed in real-time. We used our previously developed reliable and stable microfluidic device for cell growth and monitoring to design, fabricate, and characterize a whole-channel impedance-based sensor and used it to systematically assess the electrical and electrochemical influences of microfluidic channel boundaries coupled with varying electrode sizes, distances, coatings, and cell coverage.

Visual interpretability of image-based classification models by generative latent space disentanglement applied to in vitro fertilization.

The success of deep learning in identifying complex patterns exceeding human intuition comes at the cost of interpretability. Non-linear entanglement of image features makes deep learning a "black box" lacking human meaningful explanations for the models' decision. We present DISCOVER, a generative model designed to discover the underlying visual properties driving image-based classification models.

AAO2 impairment enhances aldehyde detoxification by AAO3 in Arabidopsis leaves exposed to UV-C or Rose-Bengal.

Among the three active aldehyde oxidases in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves (AAO1-3), AAO3, which catalyzes the oxidation of abscisic-aldehyde to abscisic-acid, was shown recently to function as a reactive aldehyde detoxifier. Notably, aao2KO mutants exhibited less senescence symptoms and lower aldehyde accumulation, such as acrolein, benzaldehyde, and 4-hydroxyl-2-nonenal (HNE) than in wild-type leaves exposed to UV-C or Rose-Bengal. The effect of AAO2 expression absence on aldehyde detoxification by AAO3 and/or AAO1 was studied by comparing the response of wild-type plants to the response of single-functioning aao1 mutant (aao1S), aao2KO mutants, and single-functioning aao3 mutants (aao3Ss).

Interictal blood-brain barrier dysfunction in piriform cortex of people with epilepsy.

Objective: The piriform cortex is considered to be highly epileptogenic. Its resection during epilepsy surgery is a predictor for postoperative seizure freedom in temporal lobe epilepsy. Epilepsy is associated with a dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier.

Tunable Emissive CsPbBr/CsPbBr Quantum Dots Engineered by Discrete Phase Transformation for Enhanced Photogating in Field-Effect Phototransistors.

Precise control of quantum structures in hybrid nanocrystals requires advancements in scientific methodologies. Here, on the design of tunable CsPbBr/CsPbBr quantum dots are reported by developing a unique discrete phase transformation approach in CsPbBr nanocrystals. Unlike conventional hybrid systems that emit solely in the green region, this current strategy produces adjustable luminescence in the blue (450 nm), cyan (480 nm), and green (510 nm) regions with high photoluminescence quantum yields up to 45%, 60%, and 85%, respectively.

Knowledge of the Serological Response to the Third BNT162b2 Vaccination May Influence Compliance of Healthcare Workers to Booster Dose.

Background: Previous studies showed that the fourth SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose has a protective effect against infection, as well as against severe disease and death. This study aimed to examine whether knowledge of a high-level antibody after the third dose may reduce compliance to the fourth booster dose among healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study among HCWs vaccinated with the first three doses at Rambam Healthcare Campus, a tertiary hospital in northern Israel.

Deep desert aquifers as an archive for Mid- to Late Pleistocene hydroclimate: An example from the southeastern Mediterranean.

Many efforts have been made to illuminate the nature of past hydroclimates in semi-arid and arid regions, where current and future shifts in water availability have enormous consequences on human subsistence. Deep desert aquifers, where groundwater is stored for prolonged periods, might serve as a direct record of major paleo-recharge events. To date, groundwater-based paleoclimate reconstructions have mainly focused on a relatively narrow timescale (up to ∼40 kyr), limited by the relatively short half-life of the widely used radiocarbon (5.