Search results

AIMS: Inflammation is a key factor in atherosclerosis. The transcription factor interferon regulatory factor-5 (IRF5) drives macrophages towards a pro-inflammatory state. We investigated the role of IRF5 in human atherosclerosis and plaque stability.METHODS AND RESULTS: Bulk RNA sequencing from the Carotid Plaque Imaging Project biobank were used to mine associations between major macrophage assoc

Background & aims: Tea has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of several diseases including cardiovascular diseases, stroke, metabolic syndrome, and obesity. However, the results on the relationship between tea consumption and bladder cancer are conflicting. This research aimed to assess the association between tea consumption and risk of bladder cancer using a pooled analysis of pr

Insects are able to detect a plethora of olfactory cues using a divergent family of odorant receptors (ORs). Despite the divergent nature of this family, related species frequently express several evolutionarily conserved OR orthologues. In the largest order of insects, Coleoptera, it remains unknown whether OR orthologues have conserved or divergent functions in different species. Using HEK293 ce

This study appraised and compared the performance of process-based hydrological SWAT (soil and water assessment tool) with a machine learning-based multi-layer perceptron (MLP) models for simulating streamflow in the Upper Indus Basin. The study period ranges from 1998 to 2013, where SWAT and MLP models were calibrated/trained and validated/tested for multiple sites during 1998–2005 and 2006–2013,

Human in vitro models of neural tissue with tunable microenvironment and defined spatial arrangement are needed to facilitate studies of brain development and disease. Towards this end, embedded printing inside granular gels holds great promise as it allows precise patterning of extremely soft tissue constructs. However, granular printing support formulations are restricted to only a handful of ma

The artificial neural networks approach is applied to estimate the acoustic performance for airborne and impact sound insulation curves of different lightweight wooden floors. The prediction model is developed based on 252 standardized laboratory measurement curves in one-third octave bands (50-5000 Hz). Physical and geometric characteristics of each floor structure (materials, thickness, density,

Background: Maternal alloantibodies to human platelet antigen-1a can cause severe intracranial hemorrhage in a fetus or newborn. Although never evaluated in placebo-controlled clinical trials, most Western countries use off-label weekly administration of high-dosage intravenous immunoglobulin in all pregnant women with an obstetrical history of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. In No

To decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus, public health officials in British Columbia, Canada ordered large-scale physical distancing requirements, leading to school and business closures, banning of large gatherings, and travel restrictions. These requirements shifted people’s occupational repertoires, with vulnerable populations (e.g., those with chronic health conditions) possibly being dif

We introduce a family of stochastic optimization methods based on the Runge–Kutta–Chebyshev (RKC) schemes. The RKC methods are explicit methods originally designed for solving stiff ordinary differential equations by ensuring that their stability regions are of maximal size. In the optimization context, this allows for larger step sizes (learning rates) and better robustness compared to e.g. the p

Impairment of normal hematopoiesis and leukemia progression are 2 well-linked processes during leukemia development and are controlled by the bone marrow (BM) niche. Extracellular matrix proteins, including laminin, are important BM niche components. However, their role in hematopoiesis regeneration and leukemia is unknown. Laminin α4 (Lama4), a major receptor-binding chain of several laminins, is

L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson’s disease has been linked to oscillatory neuronal activities in the cortico-basal ganglia network. We set out to examine the pattern of cortico-basal ganglia oscillations induced by selective agonists of D1 and D2 receptors in a rat model of LID. Local field potentials were recorded in freely moving rats using large-scale electrodes targeting three moto

Background: Large-scale microelectrode recordings offer a unique opportunity to study neurophysiological processes at the network level with single cell resolution. However, in the small brains of many experimental animals, it is often technically challenging to verify the correct targeting of the intended structures, which inherently limits the reproducibility of acquired data. New method: To mit

As members of the Distinguished Reviewers Board of Scientometrics and/or as recipients of the Derek de Solla Price Medal, we wish to express our disagreement with the retraction of the paper “Predatory publishing in Scopus: evidence on cross-country differences” co-authored by Vít Macháček and Martin Srholec (Macháček & Srholec, 2021a). The retraction was discussed in the blog Retraction Watch

In sustainability science, the research is expected to go beyond disciplinary thinking and incorporate different concepts, methods, and data to explore nature–society interactions at different levels and scales. In realizing these expectations, reflexivity is often noted as an influential factor in inter- and transdisciplinary research processes in sustainability science, wherein researchers refle

The construction industry is an important societal sector and a major consumer of energy. Improved energy efficiency is important for this sector, but energy efficiency at construction sites has so far been under-researched. The aim of this article is to analyse the drivers of and barriers to improved energy efficiency at construction sites, as perceived by professional actors. The peer-reviewed r

Background: The choice of rhythm control drugs for recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) remains empirical and is based on the safety profile rather than predicted efficacy. Flecainide is recommended for prevention of AF recurrence in patients without structural heart disease however predictors of treatment success are insufficiently studied. Objective: To assess clinical characteristics associated w

The labour market consequences of early-onset or congenital disabilities have received little attention in the literature. In this paper, we study the consequences of cerebral palsy (CP), a lifelong early onset disability, and pathways through which it affects labour outcomes. We use data from multiple linked Swedish National Population Registers between 1990 and 2015 and apply both regression and

The assessment of flood vulnerability is a complex task that involves numerous uncertainties. Within this context, sensitivity analyses are crucial to better understand the variability of vulnerability index outcomes according to different input parameters. The present study sheds light on the importance of assessing the sensitivity of different criteria weights to construct flood vulnerability in

Soil moisture is an essential component for the planetary balance between land surface water and energy. Obtaining long-term global soil moisture data is important for understanding the water cycle changes in the warming climate. To date several satellite soil moisture products are being developed with varying retrieval algorithms, however with considerable missing values. To resolve the data gaps