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Reference gene evaluation for digital PCR; applications for RNA biomarker testing in cervical precancer
Get PDFPersistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. Despite the success of cervical screening in reducing cervical cancer incidence, novel tests are required to identify patients with HPV infection who do not have clinically significant disease, minimising unnecessary diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Digital PCR (dPCR) is a technology that can support the identification and validation of mRNA biomarkers as it allows quantification with high precision. In gene expression studies, the use of reference genes is essential for accurate quantification of the target molecule. We investigated the suitability of a panel of eight reference genes (ACTB, GAPDH, RPP30, HPRT1, HMBS, MT-ATP6, UBE2D2 and GUSB) for normalisation of dPCR gene expression data in liquid-based cytology (LBC) samples representing low (CIN1) and high-grade (CIN3) cervical disease. To identify stable candidates, reference genes were compared using geNorm and NormFinder. Results of geNorm analysis indicated that inclusion of the four best performing reference genes (GAPDH, ACTB, GUSB and MT-ATP6) is optimal. GAPDH and ACTB were the most stable genes overall but were expressed at very high levels. Therefore, they may not be suitable for normalisation of dPCR data of putative biomarkers where expression levels are consistently much lower. Instead, we recommend the use of GUSB and HMBS as a stable reference gene pair. These are expressed at a suitable level for accurate normalisation of biomarker expression using dPCR
Averages of b-hadron, c-hadron, and τ-lepton properties as of 2023
No full textThis paper reports world averages of measurements of b-hadron, c-hadron, and τ-lepton properties obtained by the Heavy Flavour Averaging Group using results available before October 2023. In rare cases, significant results obtained several months later are also used. For the averaging, common input parameters used in the various analyses are adjusted (rescaled) to common values, and known correlations are taken into account. The averages include branching fractions, lifetimes, neutral meson mixing parameters, ~violation parameters, parameters of semileptonic decays, and Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements
Engineering Global Socialism: Ownership, Non-Alignment, and Corporate Culture in a Bosnian Company
No full textOn style and mere stylishness in AI-generated art
No full textThis article offers a critical reflection on the problem of pictorial style in artworks made with generative AI, in particular, so-called text-to-image models. As I understand it, there are three factors that complicate the status of style in artworks created by this means. The first problem is taxonomic, and stems from a tendency to equate artistic style with an artwork’s signature features. The second problem arises from the difficulty of translating visual qualities into words, or the ekphrastic translation problem; hence, it is one thing to describe in words ‘what’ a picture represents, but it is another thing to describe ‘how’ a picture represents. The third issue is more critical than technical. A picture generated from textual input will be ‘in a style’ and ‘show a style,’ but it will not have a style of its own. Because, I argue, a visual art style cannot be formed from words, a text-generated image will exhibit ‘mere stylishness,’ a combination of manner and signature
Sensory pollutants have negative but different effects on nestbox occupancy and breeding performance of a nocturnal raptor across Europe
Get PDFAnthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN) are expanding globally, acting as pervasive sensory pollutants that can disrupt wildlife behaviour and reproduction. While most research has focused on diurnal species, the effects of these pollutants on the ecological response of nocturnal predators remain poorly understood. Using data from nine European countries, we investigated the effects of traffic noise, ALAN, and road proximity on nestbox occupancy and reproduction in the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), a nocturnal raptor widespread across Europe. Traffic noise consistently reduced both nestbox occupancy and reproductive success regardless of road proximity. ALAN also impaired occupancy and reproduction, but its negative effect on reproduction changed based on the proximity to roads. Interestingly, the negative effect of ALAN was stronger in sites further from roads, but it attenuated in their proximity, where owls' hatching success and brood size moderately improved. This finding suggests that near roads, where prey abundance and availability are also generally high, owls may either find the prey regardless of ALAN or they may exploit it to facilitate hunting and brood provisioning. However, vicinity to roads might enhance mortality by vehicle collisions, which represents one of the greatest threats for the conservation of owls. Our findings highlight that anthropogenic noise and the co-occurrence between ALAN and roads can affect settlement decisions and breeding performance in nocturnal raptors, with potential consequences across the food chain. Mitigating anthropogenic noise and promoting nighttime-lighting systems that minimize owls' presence close to roads will represent valuable actions to improve their conservation
Numerical simulations of in-plane and transmural tear propagations in aortic dissection: possible mechanisms behind dissection progression
No full textThe early development of aortic dissections is manifested by tear propagation. The direction and extent of tear propagation are important for surgical strategy selection and outcomes, yet, the mechanism underlying early tear propagation is largely unknown. Interface damage, leading to in-plane propagation, is modeled using the cohesive zone method. Bulk material damage, causing transmural propagation, is modeled using a strain-energy-based damage criterion. The influences of geometrical parameters are examined with a double-layer finite-element model of a three-dimensional idealized aorta. With blood pressure in the true lumen fixed at a physiological value, new findings are: Critical pressures for in-plane tear propagation are well within the physiological blood pressure. Initially, in-plane propagation is more likely to propagate as the tear size increases. However, critical pressures increase when reaching geometrical thresholds of the tear. The opening mode (Mode-I) is the leading fracture mode for in-plane propagation. For transmural propagation, three representative locations are identified, and critical pressures drop monotonically with increasing tear size. In-plane propagation is more likely to occur than transmural propagation in the parameter space studied. However, as blood pressure in the true lumen increases, critical pressures for in-plane propagation increase rapidly and transmural propagation prevails. This study successfully integrates interface damage and bulk material damage methods to model tear propagations, identifying possible mechanisms behind dissection progression. The findings can help predict the outcomes of early development of aortic dissections and assist with treatment and management
Enhanced wave attenuation through inertial amplification in periodic beam-rigid body structure
No full textWe address the fundamental challenge of achieving low-frequency wave attenuation in periodic structures without increasing system mass - a critical limitation in current design of metastructures. Traditionally, low-frequency attenuation has been achieved through the use of local resonators, which can be tuned to a specific low-frequency range by increasing their mass. To overcome this trade-off, we investigate the influence of two inertial amplifiers with distinct configurations: one with auxiliary masses connected to both beam and main mass and another with auxiliary masses suspended between the main mass and a fixed support. The transfer matrix method, combined with the spectral element method, is employed to analyze how design parameters influence the dispersion properties of each system. Our findings show that purposeful structural design of these inertial amplifiers can lead to as much as 50% broader attenuation bands across both high and low-frequency ranges. We also demonstrate near-coupling phenomena between local resonance and Bragg scattering mechanisms, which result in an ultra-wide low-frequency band gap. This study provides a method for robust wave control in periodic structures made of elastic and rigid segments such as buildings and bridges, particularly for low-frequency, lightweight acoustic and seismic isolation
The impact of psychological interventions on functioning in the context of borderline personality disorder features for adolescents and young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textObjective:
Adolescents recruited from clinical samples with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often experience significant functional impairment across multiple domains. Evidence indicates that borderline personality features emerging before adulthood can predict long-term difficulties and may worsen over time. However, the role of assessment methods and the impact of psychological interventions on functional outcomes remain unclear.
Methods:
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the impact of psychological interventions on functioning in adolescents and young adults with BPD features. Four databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Embase and CINAHL) were searched up to June 2023.
Results:
From 1859 identified studies, seven trials (N = 657) met the inclusion criteria. Across studies, psychological interventions were associated with improvements in functioning from baseline to both post-treatment and final follow-up. However, when comparing specialised psychological interventions to generalist treatment as usual (TAU), differences were not statistically significant. Effect sizes were small at post-treatment (SMD = 0.13, 95% CI = [−0.05, 0.31]) and remained small at final follow-up (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI = [−0.08, 0.33]). Substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies, and risk of bias was noted in several trials, with only two studies rated as low risk.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest that both specialised psychological interventions and generalist interventions yield similar outcomes in terms of functional improvement. These results have implications for clinical service design and underscore the importance of addressing the needs of this underrepresented population. More high-quality, large-scale trials are needed to strengthen the evidence base
Intelligent condition monitoring of power cables using advanced machine learning models
Get PDFPower cables are susceptible to ageing phenomena, which can lead to unexpected failures and catastrophic damage. Consequently, investigating the degradation of power cables and predicting their health condition is crucial for avoiding irreversible destruction, power delivery stoppage, and power quality problems in power systems. This paper offers an intelligent health monitoring framework that uses advanced machine learning (ML) techniques for various power cables, which is trained and validated on a new dataset of 15 kV and 20 kV cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) power cables, incorporating features such as partial discharge, age, visual inspection, and neutral corrosion. To identify the most effective algorithm, 18 ML techniques were systematically benchmarked, with hyperparameters for each model tuned via Bayesian optimisation to ensure a fair comparison. The results indicate that boosting-based models consistently outperform linear, tree-based, and neural network-based models, achieving accuracies higher than 98%. Furthermore, the framework's generalisation capabilities are tested on a new dataset of a different cable, i.e., 138 kV ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) power cables, showcasing high F1-scores exceeding 98% in identifying health indexes. Finally, to evaluate its robustness under realistic imperfections, the framework was subjected to challenging stress test scenarios—including multi-feature missing measurements and severe class imbalance—demonstrating the CatBoost model‘s high resilience with accuracies consistently above 95% for XLPE and above 75% for EPR power cables. The proposed framework forms the core of intelligent, automated systems for condition-based asset management in modern electric network. By predicting a reliable health index for both new and existing assets, it serves as a robust tool for optimising capital-intensive expansion planning, network reconfiguration, and maintenance scheduling. Ultimately, this validated framework could serve as the foundation for developing a digital twin for power cables, enabling a shift from reactive maintenance to predictive, intelligent asset management
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