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Chromosomal Passenger Complex in complex with H3T3ph Nucleosome (Class0)
No full textSample Organism: Homo sapiens, synthetic construct, Xenopus laevis Sample: Chromosomal Passenger Complex in complex with H3T3ph Nucleosome Fitted models: 9si9 (Avg. Q-score: 0.476)Gireesh, A., Abad, M.A., Sotelo-Parrilla, P., Jeyaprakash, A.A. (2025). Chromosomal Passenger Complex in complex with H3T3ph Nucleosome (Class0) [Data set]. Worldwide Protein Data Bank. https://doi.org/10.2210/pdb9si9/pd
New information on Bonapartenykus (Alvarezsauridae: Theropoda) from the Allen Formation (middle Campanian-lower Maastrichtian) of Río Negro province, Patagonia, Argentina clarifies the Patagonykinae body plan
Get PDFAlvarezsauria is a group of morphologically distinctive, medium- to small-sized later-diverging coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs, whose record ranges from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous. This clade had a widespread distribution in Laurasia in what is now Europe, Asia, and North America, although there are also several Cretaceous taxa from Gondwana in what is now Argentina that all belong to the family Alvarezsauridae. Although alvarezsaurid taxonomic diversity and anatomical knowledge has expanded over the last decade, alvarezsaurid internal phylogenetic relationships remain highly debated. In this contribution, we describe new alvarezsaurid material and review previously reported alvarezsaurid specimens from the middle Campanian—lower Maastrichtian Allen Formation discovered at the Salitral Ojo de Agua locality in Río Negro province, Patagonia, Argentina. Although these specimens were collected at different times without precise original provenance information, here we gathered X-ray diffraction data of the associated sediments that now suggests that all of these specimens come from the same site and stratigraphic level as the holotype of the alvarezsaurid Bonapartenykus ultimus. Based on this new provenance information and the morphological similarity of the considered specimens, here we tentatively refer them to the genus Bonapartenykus. These newly referred specimens add to the record of this genus and shed light on the body plan of the alvarezsaurid clade Patagonykinae by permitting a more complete reconstruction of the neck, pectoral girdle, hindlimb, and tail
Myocardial fibroblast activation following acute myocardial infarction:A positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance study
Get PDFBackground: Myocardial fibrosis is a key healing response after myocardial infarction driven by activated fibroblasts. Gallium-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor ([ 68Ga]-FAPI) is a novel positron-emitting radiotracer that binds activated fibroblasts. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the intensity, distribution, and time-course of fibroblast activation after acute myocardial infarction. Methods: A total of 40 patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent hybrid [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 positron emission tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance and were compared with matched control subjects (n = 19) and those with chronic (>2 years) myocardial infarction (n = 20). Intensity of [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 uptake was quantified by maximum target-to-background ratio (TBR max). Burdens of fibroblast activation and scar were assessed by percent myocardial involvement of [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 uptake and late gadolinium enhancement, respectively. Results: Myocardial [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 uptake was observed in the acute infarct and peri-infarct regions that exceeded the extent of late gadolinium enhancement (burden 27.8% ± 12.4% vs 15.2% ± 10.6%; P < 0.001). One-third of patients also demonstrated right ventricular involvement. Myocardial [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 uptake was most intense at 1 and 2 weeks before declining at 4 and 12 weeks (TBR max 4.0 ± 1.1, 3.7 ± 1.0, 3.1 ± 0.8, and 2.7 ± 0.7; P < 0.001). In comparison with control subjects, increased [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 uptake was observed in chronic (7 ± 6 years ago) infarcts at lower intensity than acute infarction (TBR max 1.2 ± 0.1 vs 1.7 ± 0.5 vs 4.0 ± 1.1; P < 0.001). Baseline [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 burden correlated with lower left ventricular ejection fraction (r = −0.606), higher indexed left ventricular end-diastolic volume (r = 0.572), and higher scar burden (r = 0.871) at 1 year (P < 0.001 for all). Increased remote myocardial [ 68Ga]FAPI-46 uptake was associated with left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction. Conclusions: Myocardial fibroblast activation peaks within a week of acute myocardial infarction and extends beyond the infarct region. It declines slowly with time, persists for years, and is associated with subsequent left ventricular remodeling.</p
Lessons from the PROTECT-CH COVID-19 platform trial in care homes
Get PDFBackground: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was associated with significant mortality and morbidity in care homes in 2020–21. Repurposed antiviral drugs might reduce morbidity and mortality through reducing viral transmission, infection, replication and inflammation. We aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of potential antiviral drugs in care home residents.Methods: We designed a cluster-randomised open-label blinded-endpoint platform-trial to test drugs in a post-exposure prophylaxis paradigm. Participants aged 65+ years from UK care homes with or without nursing, were eligible for participation. Care homes were to be allocated at random by computer to administer 42 days of antiviral agent (ciclesonide or niclosamide) plus standard care versus standard care to residents. The primary outcome at 60 days after randomisation comprised the most serious outcome defined as all-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalisation, SARS-CoV-2 infection or no infection. Analysis would be by intention-to-treat using ordinal logistic regression. Other outcomes included individual components of the primary outcome, transmission, plus health economic and process evaluation outcomes. The planned sample size was 300 care homes corresponding to 9,600 residents. With ~40% of care homes predicted to develop an outbreak during the trial, we needed to recruit 750 homes/24,000 residents.Results: We initiated the trial including protocol, approvals, insurance, website, database, data algorithms, intervention selection and training materials. We built a network of principal investigators and staff (91) and care homes (299) to support the trial. However, we never contracted care homes or general practitioners (GPs) since the trial was stopped in September 2021, as vaccination in care homes had significantly reduced infections. Multiple delays significantly delayed the start date: i) reduced prioritisation of pandemic trials in 2021; ii) cumbersome mechanisms for choosing the investigational medicinal products (IMPs); iii) contracting between NIHR and the IMP manufacturers; iv) publicising the IMPs; v) identification of sufficient numbers of care homes; vi) identification and contracting with several thousand GPs; vii) limited research nurse availability; and viii) identification of adequate insurance to cover care homes for research. Generic challenges including working across the four home nations with their different structures and regulations.Limitations: The feasibility of contracting between the sponsor and the PIs, GPs and care homes; screening, consent and treatment of care home residents; data acquisition and the potential benefit of post-exposure prophylaxis were never tested.Conclusions: The success of vaccination meant that the role of post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in care home residents was not tested. Significant progress was made in developing the infrastructure and expertise necessary for a large scale Clinical Trial of IMPs in UK care homes.Future work: The role of post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in care home residents remains undefined. Significant logistical barriers to conducting research in care homes need to be removed urgently before future studies are possible. Further work is required to develop the infrastructure for clinical trials of investigational medicinal products in care homes. Serious consideration should be given to building and then hibernating a pandemic-ready platform trial suitable for care home research.Registration: EudraCT 2021-000185-15.Funding: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) XP programme (NIHR133443) and will be published in XXX Journal: Vol. XX, No. XX. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.<br/
Limited sex differences in spatial language in parent-child dyads
Get PDFBackground: There is a complex pattern of sex differences in spatial abilities, yet there is limited knowledge of sex differences in children's exposure to, and children's use of, spatial language. The aim of this study was to directly compare mother-child and father-child interactions to investigate differences by child and parent sex in spatial language. Methods: The first 3-min of mother-child and father-child DUPLO® play sessions were coded for spatial language when the child was 24 months (N = 187 families; 105:82 boys:girls) and two years later at 48 months (N = 115 families; 66:49 boys:girls). Results: There were no sex differences in children's or parents' spatial language use at 24 months or 48 months. Regardless of socioeconomic status or parent talkativeness, parents showed more variety of spatial language (quality) with their daughters than their sons, but a similar quantity of spatial language with their daughters and sons. Associational analyses revealed a concurrent association between parent and child spatial language use at 48 months, but parent spatial language at 24 months did not predict child spatial language 2 years later. No direct sex effects were observed for cross-sectional or longitudinal associational analyses. Conclusions: Higher spatial language quality with daughters could reflect a higher (perceived) need to provide conceptual support to daughters than sons. Beyond this, we found limited evidence of sex effects. Our findings represent an important contribution, demonstrating comparable levels of exposure to spatial language to sons and daughters, and comparable elicitation of spatial language from young boys and girls.</p
Spinning the wheel:The effectiveness of gamification in service recovery
Get PDFThis research offers insights into the efficacy of gamification in a failure-recovery context, that is, providing recovery through a gamified experience. Using one field study and three online experiments across different contexts (i.e., retail, restaurant, gym, and hotel), we show that a gamified recovery (i.e., compensation offered through a spin-the-wheel game) can have a positive effect on recovery satisfaction. This effect is mediated by the perceived enjoyment of the game and is moderated by customer choice, failure severity, compensation level, and time pressure. Specifically, we find that gamification has a positive recovery effect when customers are offered a choice, when the failure is mild, when customers receive full compensation or overcompensation (i.e., when they experience a sense of winning), and when they do not face time pressure. However, gamification can backfire and have a negative effect when a failure is severe, when customers receive only partial compensation (i.e., when they experience a sense of loss), and when they face time pressure. Finally, a single-paper meta-analysis provides aggregated evidence of these effects. For managers, our findings provide initial evidence of the usefulness of this recovery strategy and explain how it should be implemented
Travelling knick-knacks and picturesque points of view:Reverend James Plumptre’s Narrative of a Pedestrian Journey […] to the Highlands of Scotland […] in the Summer of the Year 1799
Get PDFThis essay revisits later eighteenth-century picturesque aesthetics in Britain as they were articulated in theory, applied in practice, and reproduced in travel literature and art. It considers the sometimes congruent, at other times contested, relationship between the natural landscape, written descriptions of that landscape, and its pictorial representation. Focusing on unpublished extracts from Reverend James Plumptre’s manuscript travel journal, Narrative of a Pedestrian Journey […] to the Highlands of Scotland […] in the Summer of the Year 1799, it argues for an original interpretation of the pedestrian picturesque as a suite of practices which entailed travelling by foot, viewing the landscape with a range of hand-held implements or ‘knick-knacks’, and representing nature ‘as seen’ without remedial artistic correction or improvement. According to this account, ‘people, places, and things’ becomes a useful rubric for conceptualising Plumptre’s 1799 pedestrian tour of Scotland which included visits to the Edinburgh studios of artists Alexander Nasmyth, Henry Raeburn, and Hugh William Williams
Self-care in social work:An imperative or beyond reach?
No full textIn recent years, the self-care of social workers has become a focus for research and practice in recognition of the demands of the social work role. As part of a research project to explore ways to embed self-care into a social work degree programme at a Scottish university, a narrative literature review was undertaken to examine existing research on self-care for social work students and practitioners. This article reports on the findings from this review, including the multiplicity of ways in which self-care is defined and conceptualized, how it is practised by social work students and practitioners, and the evidence base for identified approaches to self-care. Broader conceptualizations of self-care are explored, which encompass philosophical constructions of the ‘self’ and the impact of social and cultural norms on self-identity. It is argued that a cultural shift is required in the conceptualization and practice of self-care in social work to include collective and political approaches alongside individual strategies thereby promoting the social justice and anti-oppressive aims of the social work profession. Connections between self-care and ethical practice are highlighted, and further reinforce the need for self-care to be an imperative in social work
Competitive pricing using model-based bandits
No full textThe use of learning algorithms for automatic price adjustments in markets is on the rise. However, these algorithms often assume that reward distributions for actions are uncorrelated and stationary, a condition that does not hold in competitive pricing environments.In this paper, we introduce a pricing environment, find conditions under which a unique Nash equilibrium exists and verify the assumptions numerically. Then, we propose a bandit algorithm that approximates the structure of the environment and extend it to accommodate non-stationary settings. We perform numerical tests in both stationary and competitive pricing environments, analysing the potential benefits and drawbacks of incorporating the structure of the environment within learning algorithms. While modelling the stationary environment improves the algorithm's performance in a stationary setting, it does not offer an advantage in pricing competitions between non-stationary learning agents
In defence of normic de minimis expected utility theory
No full textIn a recent paper, Björn Lundgren and H. Orri Stefánsson (forthcoming) present three objections to normic de minimis expected utility theory (NDEUT) – a decision theoretic framework defended in Smith (2024). In this paper, I respond to these objections and outline some possible ways in which NDEUT might be modified or further developed. Like any de minimis framework, NDEUT employs a risk threshold to sort possibilities into those that must be considered when making a decision, and those that can be legitimately ignored – the so-called ‘de minimis risks’. While this threshold would usually take the form of a probability value, in NDEUT the de minimis risks are identified instead on the basis of their abnormality. In the first section I will set up some of the formalism used in NDEUT and consider Lundgren and Stefánsson’s first objection – which is essentially formal in nature. In the second section I will delve further into the interpretation of NDEUT and consider the second and third objections, which turn on particular examples
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