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Structural dynamics and neural representation of wing deformation
Get PDFLocomotor control is facilitated by mechanosensory inputs that report how the body interacts with a physical medium. Effective representation of compliant wing deformations is particularly challenging due to the many degrees of freedom. Structural configurations can constrain the stimulus space, and strategic placement of sensors can simplify computation. Here, we measured and modeled wing displacement fields and characterized spatiotemporal encoding of the wing mechanosensors. Our data show how dragonfly wing architecture prescribes deformation modes consistent across models and measurements. We found that the wing’s state under normal flapping conditions is detected by the spike timing of few sensors, with additional sensors recruited under perturbation. The functional integration of wing biomechanics and sensor placement enables a straightforward solution for information transfer
Preventing drug-related deaths in Scotland:perceptions and experiences of engagement in a “shared care” model of service delivery
Get PDFEpidemiology of gender dysphoria and gender incongruence in children and young people attending primary care practices in England:retrospective cohort study
Get PDFObjective To examine trends in diagnosis of gender dysphoria and related conditions in children and young people attending primary care practices in England. Design Longitudinal analysis of electronic primary care records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database linked to hospital and Index of Multiple Deprivation data. Setting Primary care practices in England between 2011 and 2021. Participants 3782 patients aged 0–18 years with a recorded history of gender dysphoria/incongruence and matched comparators with autism spectrum conditions or eating disorder. Main outcome measures Incidence rates and prevalence of gender dysphoria/incongruence; prescribing rates for medical treatments; co-occurrence of anxiety, depression and self-harm. Results Between 2011 and 2021, incidence rates of recorded gender dysphoria/incongruence increased from 0.14 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.20) to 4.4 (95% CI 4.1 to 4.7) per 10 000 person years, and from 2014 the rate increased more rapidly in recorded females than males. There was no significant association between gender dysphoria/incongruence and area level deprivation. Of the 3782 children and young people with a record of gender dysphoria/incongruence, 176 (4.7%) were prescribed puberty suppressing hormones; 302 (8.0%) were prescribed masculinising/feminising hormones; and 1994 (52.7%) had a record of anxiety, depression or self-harm. Compared with matched comparators, those experiencing gender dysphoria/incongruence had similar recorded rates of anxiety and higher rates of depression and self-harm. Conclusions Recorded prevalence of gender dysphoria/incongruence increased substantially in children and young people between 2011 and 2021, particularly in recorded females. Levels of anxiety, depression and self-harm were high, indicating an urgent need for better prevention and treatment of mental health difficulties in these patients
Reconceptualising political influencers: an alternative means of definition and analysis
Get PDFRecent interest in online political influencers has resulted in an array of competing definitions of who counts as a political influencer. Contending the value of a more porous and resilient definition able to recognise a spectrum of online political influence, we interrogate scholarship on opinion leadership, influentials, micro-celebrities, and social media influencer studies to reveal a range of identifying traits that can characterise different types of political influencers. Introducing a new approach to categorising these varied manifestations, we discuss six key attributes: personalised communication, compensation, audience size, political topical focus, control, and formal political role. Showing how this approach can be deployed to capture different manifestations of political influencers, we aim to build understanding that is resilient to change over time and that can support comparative empirical work
Carbapenemase-producing Enterobactericeae screening: Focused patient insights
Get PDFBackground: Anti-microbial resistance (AMR) is predicted to cause 10 million deaths annually by 2050. This prediction has shaped local policies, with a focus on antimicrobial stewardship and source isolation. However, the impact of these interventions on the individual patient is often overlooked, and the patient perspective is infrequently included in AMR strategies.
Aim(s)/Objective(s): Our objective was to explore the lived patient experience through a Carbapemase Producing Enterobacterales (CPE) Outbreak. Specifically, we aimed to understand the patient's knowledge of CPE, risks associated with AMR and their experience with rectal screening and source isolation.
Method(s): Using a PPIE (public and patient involvement and engagement) framework, during a CPE outbreak, we engaged in one to one conversations with adult inpatients who had capacity, discussing the effects of AMR exposure. CPE-positive (n = 8) and CPE-negative (n = 2) participants were included. The latter had undergone > 3 CPE screens, were high-risk of AMR acquisition and in source isolation.
Results: Our one-on-one conversations revealed poor levels of patient knowledge about CPE and AMR risk, with many participants expressing concerns about the limited or lack of information provided by healthcare providers. Experiences with rectal screening was generally reported as uncomfortable, with passive acceptance for it. Opinions on source isolation were mixed, with feelings of being bored or lonely emerging as a common sentiment.
Discussion and/or Conclusion(s): These discussions underscore the necessity for improved patient education and communication surrounding CPE and antibiotic resistance, specifically tailored to meet the needs of frailer populations. This study also highlights the critical role of healthcare staff in consistently providing clear information to patients. It is vital patient empowerment is encouraged, and focused efforts made to close this knowledge gap and enhance the patient experience
It Matters Who Is Behind The Wheel: Driver Monitoring Feature Analysis Using Explainable AI
Get PDFThis work-in-progress examines how gaze-based features and individual driver characteristics influence takeover performance prediction in partially automated vehicles. We present preliminary findings from a driving simulator study (N=33) that used a decision-tree (XGBoost) machine learning model and explainable AI techniques (permutation feature importance and SHAP analysis). Results show that driver profile features—particularly professional training, experience, and age—emerged as highly predictive of takeover readiness alongside traditional gaze metrics like fatigue indicators. While current Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) approaches and regulatory recommendations focus on universal gaze thresholds, our preliminary analysis reveals that individual driver characteristics may be more important for predicting takeover performance. These findings suggest potential for developing adaptive automotive interfaces that adjust based on driver profiles rather than one-size-fits-all approaches. The preliminary results highlight the need for careful consideration when designing driver monitoring systems and automotive interfaces for partially automated vehicles
Associations between openness, as a personality trait, and low-calorie sweeteners acceptance and benefit perception
No full textFamilial NSD1 exon 3 deletion associated with phenotypic and epigenetic variability
Get PDFBackground: Germline pathogenic variants in NSD1 cause Sotos syndrome, a developmental disorder characterised by overgrowth, intellectual disability, macrocephaly, developmental anomalies, and, in some cases, tumour development. Familial cases of Sotos syndrome are rare and genotype–phenotype correlations are not well described. NSD1, a lysine-specific histone methyltransferase, is an important epigenetic regulator and pathogenic variants in NSD1 are associated with a distinctive blood DNA methylation pattern (episignature). We described a family with an NSD1 exon 3 deletion and an atypical clinical phenotype. Methods: DNA episignature profiling was undertaken with a next generation sequencing-based approach. Results: Within the family, the three affected individuals showed clinical variability with the proband being most severely affected, although none showed unequivocal macrocephaly or the characteristic facial features of Sotos syndrome. DNA methylation profiling was performed in the three affected family members, eight individuals with Sotos syndrome, and compared to control samples. The eight individuals with Sotos syndrome displayed genome-wide hypomethylation as previously described. DNA hypomethylation was also apparent in the three family members with the NSD1 exon 3 deletion with the proband being most similar to the episignature observed in confirmed Sotos syndrome patients. The two more mildly affected relatives had less pronounced DNA hypomethylation. Conclusions: A familial germline exon 3 NSD1 deletion was associated with mild Sotos syndrome phenotype with variable expressivity and a DNA methylation episignature that was less marked in milder cases than in individuals with classical Sotos syndrome. These findings support the use of methylation episignature analysis to explore intrafamilial variability in chromatin disorders
The role of cadherin 17 (CDH17) in cancer progression via Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Get PDFCadherin 17 (CDH17) is a cell adhesion glycoprotein essential for epithelial integrity. It is frequently overexpressed in various cancers, where it is associated with aggressive behaviour. While evidence indicates that CDH17 functions as an upstream regulator of Wnt/β-catenin signalling, findings are inconsistent across tumour types, limiting the assessment of CDH17 as a biomarker or therapeutic target for Wnt pathway in cancer. In this study, we systematically review and meta-analyse the relationship between CDH17 and Wnt/β-catenin signalling in human cancers and evaluate whether CDH17 modulation affects tumour behaviour through Wnt-related mechanisms. Our search of Medline, Web of Science and Scopus identified five studies examining CDH17 expression in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in vitro and in vivo. All five studies identified CDH17 as a key driver of canonical Wnt signalling, directly influencing cancer progression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), gastric cancer (GC), and colorectal cancer (CRC). Meta-analysis (MA) showed that CDH17 inhibition consistently reduced Wnt/β-catenin downstream T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer-binding factor (TCF/LEF) transcriptional activity (MD = −1.32, 95% CI: −1.64 to −0.99, p < 0.00001). Narrative synthesis found that CDH17 suppression decreased total and nuclear β-catenin, phosphorylated glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), and cyclin D1 while increasing tumour suppressors, retinoblastoma (Rb) and p53/p21. These changes were associated with reduced proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion and cell cycle arrest. In vivo, CDH17 suppression resulted in 80–95% tumour growth suppression (Mean Difference (MD) = −96.67, 95% CI: [−144.35, −48.98], p < 0.0001), with immunohistochemistry confirming cytoplasmic β-catenin sequestration and lower cyclin D1 levels. Collectively, these findings show CDH17 as a critical upstream effector sustaining Wnt/β-catenin signalling, cancer progression, tumour proliferation, stem cell properties, and metastasis, and support CDH17 inhibition as a promising therapeutic target across multiple cancer types
Subtle potentials as emancipatory forces? Recasting the micropolitics of risk and disaster management
Get PDFDrawing on the philosophy of movement and processes, the theory of attention and critical disaster and risk studies, this paper explores how the ways of dealing with alterity such as volcanic toxicity involve enacting the emergence of subtle potentials. These subtle potentials are moments of pure transformation in which alternatives to an inescapable and homogeneous future are realised while their subtle nature brings them into the periphery of our collective and personal attention. Influenced by the work of cultural theorist Yves Citton, the paper argues that subtle potentials are activated through a modality of free-floating attention that allows those confronted with hazards and risk to reorient their focus through different rhythmic processes that distort the fatality of permanent volcanic emissions (PVEs). Building on these conceptual relations, the paper draws on three interrelated rhythmic tales that help us understand how these subtle potentials emerge and are intertwined in the wider fabric of a micropolitics of spatio-temporal displacement, which in turn helps us recast those seen as vulnerable to PVEs as vibrant political actors of the everyday. The paper concludes by highlighting the relevance of subtle potentials when working with communities affected by hazards and risk and argues for a more complex understanding of the processes involved in shaping the micropolitics of risk and disaster management
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