Benchmarking the negatives: Effect of negative data generation on the classification of miRNA-mRNA interactions.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. In animals, this regulation is achieved via base-pairing with partially complementary sequences on mainly 3' UTR region of messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Computational approaches that predict miRNA target interactions (MTIs) facilitate the process of narrowing down potential targets for experimental validation.

Decomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals distinct and coherent genetic programs.

Unraveling the phenotypic and genetic complexity of autism is extremely challenging yet critical for understanding the biology, inheritance, trajectory, and clinical manifestations of the many forms of the condition. Here, we leveraged broad phenotypic data from a large cohort with matched genetics to characterize classes of autism and their patterns of core, associated, and co-occurring traits, ultimately demonstrating that phenotypic patterns are associated with distinct genetic and molecular programs. We used a generative mixture modeling approach to identify robust, clinically-relevant classes of autism which we validate and replicate in a large independent cohort.

Switchable molecular electrocatalysis.

We demonstrate a switchable electrocatalysis mechanism modulated by hydrogen bonding interactions in ligand geometries. By manipulating these geometries, specific electrochemical processes at a single catalytic site can be selectively and precisely activated or deactivated. The α geometry enhances dioxygen electroreduction (ORR) while inhibiting protium redox processes, with the opposite effect seen in the β geometry.

A multilayered infection control intervention on carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii acquisition: An interrupted time series.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) causes life-threating hospital-acquired. Due to a limited number of Intensive-Care-Unit (ICU) beds, these patients are often treated in high-dependency (HD) non-ICUs within internal-medicine wards (IMW) in Israel. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a multilayered infection-control intervention on CRAB infection rate in IMWs, especially in its HD non-ICUs with ongoing CRAB transmission.

Optimizing carbon sources on performance for enhanced efficacy in single-stage aerobic simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal via biofloc technology.

Bioflocs can efficiently achieve simultaneous nitrate and phosphate removal through a single-stage aerobic process, provided they are continuously supplemented with an organic carbon source. This study investigated the effects of different carbon sources on this process. Results revealed that phosphate removal rate in the glucose group was 0.

The Abbreviated Methacholine Challenge Test is Safe for Children.

Objective: To evaluate the safety of an abbreviated methacholine challenge test (MCT) protocol in children.

Study Design: This prospective, observational study enrolled children aged 6 through 18 years referred for the MCT. The abbreviated protocol was initiated with a methacholine dose of 0.

Machine learning approaches to detect hepatocyte chromatin alterations from iron oxide nanoparticle exposure.

This study focuses on developing machine learning models to detect subtle alterations in hepatocyte chromatin organization due to Iron (II, III) oxide nanoparticle exposure, hypothesizing that exposure will significantly alter chromatin texture. A total of 2000 hepatocyte nuclear regions of interest (ROIs) from mouse liver tissue were analyzed, and for each ROI, 5 different parameters were calculated: Long Run Emphasis, Short Run Emphasis, Run Length Nonuniformity, and 2 wavelet coefficient energies obtained after the discrete wavelet transform. These parameters served as input for supervised machine learning models, specifically random forest and gradient boosting classifiers.

Using Formal Knowledge to Support Episodic Evidence-Based Nursing Care.

Applying evidence-based medicine prevents medical errors highlighting the need for applying Clinical Guidelines (CGs) to improve patient care by nurses. However, nurses often face challenges in utilizing CGs due to patient-specific needs. Developing a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) can provide real-time context-sensitive CG-based recommendations.

Unravelling large-scale patterns and drivers of biodiversity in dry rivers.

More than half of the world's rivers dry up periodically, but our understanding of the biological communities in dry riverbeds remains limited. Specifically, the roles of dispersal, environmental filtering and biotic interactions in driving biodiversity in dry rivers are poorly understood. Here, we conduct a large-scale coordinated survey of patterns and drivers of biodiversity in dry riverbeds.

Radiological signs supporting idiopathic intracranial hypertension in symptomatic patients with lumbar puncture opening pressure < 250 mm.

Lumbar puncture opening pressure (LPOP) exceeding 250mmHO is key in diagnosing idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), per revised Friedman's criteria. Some patients do not meet LPOP criteria (with or without papilledema), despite having IIH-related symptoms and neuroimaging findings. This study aimed to investigate the radiological findings and clinical symptoms in patients suspected of having IIH without meeting the LPOP criteria.

Characteristics of unsuccessful reactive responses to lateral loss of balance in people with stroke.

Purpose: The effectiveness of reactive responses to a sudden loss of balance is a critical factor that determines whether a fall will occur. We examined the strategies and kinematics associated with successful and unsuccessful balance recovery following lateral loss of balance in people with stroke (PwS).

Methods: Eleven PwS were included in the analysis.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE-ENHANCED ANALYSIS OF RETINAL VASCULATURE IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

Purpose: To investigate associations between quantitative vascular measurements derived from intravenous fluorescein angiography (IVFA) and baseline characteristics on optical coherence tomography (OCT) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients.

Methods: The authors prospectively recruited patients with active choroidal neovascularization secondary to AMD over 50 years old, presenting to a single center in Toronto, Canada from 2017 to 2023. Ultra-widefield IVFA images were processed using the artificial intelligence RETICAD FAassist system to extract quantitative information on blood flow, perfusion, and blood-retinal-barrier (BRB) permeability.

Age-corrected development of preterm children: a population-based study.

Background: The standard practice to account for expected developmental lags in preterm children is calculating their age as if born on their expected delivery date. We aimed to assess the accuracy of standard age correction in a large and diverse population.

Methods: Routine surveillance data was extracted from a national network of mother-child clinics covering over 70% of the Israeli population.

Behavioral plasticity shapes population aging patterns in a long-lived avian scavenger.

Studying the mechanisms shaping age-related changes in behavior ("behavioral aging") is important for understanding population dynamics in our changing world. Yet, studies that capture within-individual behavioral changes in wild populations of long-lived animals are still scarce. Here, we used a 15-y GPS-tracking dataset of a social obligate scavenger, the griffon vulture (), to investigate age-related changes in movement and social behaviors, and disentangle the role of behavioral plasticity and selective disappearance in shaping such patterns.

The potential longevity-promoting hypoxic-hypercapnic environment as a measure for radioprotection.

Many biological mechanisms of aging well converge with radiation's biological effects. We used scientific insights from the field of aging to establish a novel hypoxic-hypercapnic environment (HHE) concept for radioprotection. According to this concept, HHE which possesses an anti-aging and longevity-promoting potential, should also act as a radiomitigator and radioprotector.

Enhanced algorithm for predictive maintenance to detect turbocharger overspeed in diesel engine rail vehicles.

The reliability and safety of locomotives is crucial for efficient train operation. Repeated turbocharger failures in Israel Railways locomotive fleet have raised serious safety concerns. An investigation into the failures revealed that the uncontrolled acceleration and overspeed transients of the turbocharger shaft occurred before the failure.

Predicting habitat suitability of the critically endangered Be'er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard.

Anthropogenic changes, such as land use, are the main drivers causing climate change and biodiversity loss, with hundreds of thousands of species lacking sufficient habitats for their populations to persist and likely to go extinct within decades. Endemic species are more susceptible to habitat changes and are at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis. We used species distribution models to generate a relative habitat suitability map and identified the habitat requirements of the critically endangered and endemic Be'er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard ().

One Standard for All: Uniform Scale for Comparing Individuals and Groups in Hierarchical Bayesian Evidence Accumulation Modeling.

In recent years, a growing body of research uses Evidence Accumulation Models (EAMs) to study individual differences and group effects. This endeavor is challenging because fitting EAMs requires constraining one of the EAM parameters to be equal for all participants, which makes a strong and possibly unlikely assumption. Moreover, if this assumption is violated, differences or lack thereof may be wrongly found.

A Matter of Charge: Electrostatically Tuned Coassembly of Amphiphilic Peptides.

Coassembly of peptide biomaterials offers a compelling avenue to broaden the spectrum of hierarchically ordered supramolecular nanoscale structures that may be relevant for biomedical and biotechnological applications. In this work coassemblies of amphiphilic and oppositely charged, anionic and cationic, β-sheet peptides are studied, which may give rise to a diverse range of coassembled forms. Mixtures of the peptides show significantly lower critical coassembly concentration (CCC) values compared to those of the individual pure peptides.