Search Results (2,273)

We address this question by jointly modeling the distributional dynamics of the U.S. and Canadian term premia. Our approach combines a flexible marginal specification—the Skewed Generalized Error Distribution—with a flexible bivariate copula (BB7) to capture evolving cross-market dependence. We illustrate the usefulness of this framework by examining December 2024, a period marked by a sharp rise in the U.S. term premium, and track how the forecasted joint distributions evolved throughout this episode. We document a striking change in conditional tail dependence between U.S. and Canadian term premia over this period. While term premia serve as a motivating application, our framework is applicable to a broad class of asset prices and macro-financial variables. Full article

The development of sustainable and efficient plant growth substrates is crucial for modern agriculture. This study assessed the potential of plant pellets formulated from various lignocellulosic residues, either with or without bamboo biochar (BB-char) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to support seed germination and early seedling growth. Four types of residues, including coconut coir (CO), corn cob (CC), leaves from the genus Dipterocarpus (DL), and teak leaves (TL), were combined with soil and paper waste to produce eight pellet formulations, with commercial peat pellets serving as a control. Chemical analyses revealed significant variation among the pellet types, with pH values ranging from 6.40 to 7.65, electrical conductivity (EC) from 3.64 to 11.62 mS cm⁻¹, and differences in organic matter, carbon, and nutrient contents [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K)], reflecting the influence of residue type and the addition of BB-char and AMF. Phytotoxicity screening using aqueous extracts demonstrated species-specific responses, with cucumber exhibiting high tolerance across treatments, whereas chili seeds were more sensitive. Final germination percentage (FGP) and seedling growth assays in greenhouse conditions showed that pellets derived from CC and CO, particularly when combined with BB-char and AMF (T6 and T7), enhanced shoot and root development in carrot, chili, cucumber, and tomato, approaching the performance of commercial peat pellets. In contrast, DL- and TL-based pellets resulted in lower germination and growth. These findings indicate that both the physicochemical properties of lignocellulosic wastes and the combination of BB-char and AMF are important factors influencing pellet efficacy, highlighting the potential of CC- and CO-based pellets as sustainable peat alternatives for early-stage plant cultivation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pediatric group 3 (G3) medulloblastomas (MB) are therapy resistant and have a significantly worse prognosis than the other MB subtypes. Aggressive radiation/chemotherapy improves survival, but potential long-term comorbidities include neurocognitive deficits. In previous work, we demonstrated that low-dose X-ray radiation (LDXR) acts as an immunological adjuvant. Recent studies have demonstrated that galectin-3 (Gal-3) expression in MB tumors accelerates M2 macrophage infiltration and restricts T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signaling. Immunotherapy with an agonistic anti-4-1BB monoclonal antibody (mAb) activates CD8+ T cells, promoting their survival and acquisition of potent cytolytic properties. Building on these findings, we hypothesized that immune priming via sublethal LDXR, combined with a Gal-3 inhibitor and an anti-4-1BB mAb, would boost anti-tumor effects, resulting in survival benefits. Methods: We tested this hypothesis in vitro in co-cultures of human MB cells and in vivo, in an immunocompetent G3MB mouse model (MP1). Treatment effects were assessed using Western blot, flow cytometry, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, immunofluorescence imaging, and analysis of cytokine and chemokine expression. Results: Our data demonstrated higher Gal-3 expression in MB patient-derived tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue. LDXR modulated major histocompatibility complex molecules, and, combined with a Gal-3 inhibitor and an anti-4-1BB mAb, altered T-cell/tumor-cell interactions, enhanced T-cell-mediated MB cell death, and shifted cytokine production to drive microglial polarization toward the M1 subtype. Furthermore, H&E-stained tumor sections showed a ~70% reduction in tumor size compared with untreated controls. Conclusions: These preclinical findings suggest that combining immune priming with sublethal LDXR, Gal-3 inhibition, and 4-1BB activation may be an effective treatment strategy for G3MB. Full article

Trichoderma asperellum and T. asperelloides are two cryptic species that have potential for use as biocontrol and biofertilizer (B&B) agents. Comparison of the reference genomes of the two species revealed that each species had seven chromosomes, but Trichoderma asperellum has about 1000 more genes than T. asperelloides. The number of genes coding for chitinases, cellulases, xylanases, secreted proteases, and genes involved in soil and plant health was slightly greater in T. asperellum than in T. asperelloides. Moreover, T. asperellum had five more genes than T. asperelloides involved in the synthesis of secondary metabolites like peptaibols and siderophores. The B&B genes were distributed on all the chromosomes. No duplicate genes were found for any of the enzymes searched. The investigation also revealed that T. asperellum had 15 copies of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA compared to only seven copies in T. asperelloides. Further transcriptomic, proteomic, and efficacy studies are needed to determine the impact of the missing genes in T. asperelloides on its B&B activities compared to those of T. asperellum. The search for B&B genes in T. asperelloides was hindered by the lack of annotation for the genome. Thus, comparison only involves B&B genes searched in T. asperellum and whether homologs to the genes were available or missing in T. asperelloides. A comparison between additional strains of the two species is essential to show whether the data in this study apply to all intraspecies strains of the two species. Full article

This work investigates a hardware-aware, circuit-level emulation of BB84-like circuit primitives on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) processors. The motivation is to evaluate whether BB84-like basis sifting and intercept–resend-induced QBER behavior remain observable when selected BB84 operations are mapped to parallel single-qubit circuits on gate-based devices. The proposed mapping represents Alice’s preparation, optional Eve intercept–resend emulation, and Bob’s measurement as processor-internal circuit layers; it is therefore an on-chip emulation and not an end-to-end optical QKD implementation. Experiments combine real IBM superconducting processors with Qiskit, Cirq, and Azure/Q# simulator-based or noise-modeled evaluations. Baseline QBER was first calibrated for each backend, and intercept–resend experiments then produced a clear QBER separation from the no-eavesdropper condition. The observed sifted-bit utilization was close to the expected 50% BB84 basis-matching reference, while the constant-depth circuit structure supported scalable raw/sifted-bit generation before any classical post-processing. These observations are treated as implementation-level consistency checks and backend-dependent experimental metrics, rather than as new BB84 protocol-level results. Finite-shot uncertainty, calibration drift, and backend-specific noise are treated as limitations of the proposed QBER-based evaluation rule rather than as deployment-level security guarantees. Because the study does not implement a physical quantum channel, authenticated classical communication, error correction, privacy amplification, finite-key security analysis, or general QKD attack models, the reported metrics should be interpreted as raw/sifted-bit experimental metrics and QBER-based disturbance evaluation for BB84-like NISQ emulation, not as secure key rates, secure throughput, or practical QKD deployment results. Full article

People living with neurological disorders frequently experience gait impairments that substantially reduce mobility, independence, and quality of life. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and preliminary functional outcomes of integrating the EksoNR robotic exoskeleton (Ekso Bionics, San Rafael, CA, USA) into outpatient neurorehabilitation practice in individuals with chronic neurological impairments. Over an eight-month period, five participants with heterogeneous neurological conditions (two spinal cord injuries, one cerebellar ataxia, one ischemic stroke, and one spastic paraparesis) completed a four-week robotic gait training program consisting of 15 intervention sessions. Functional outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention using standardized clinical tests. Cardiovascular endurance was evaluated using the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), while physical and psychological well-being were assessed with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Barthel Index, in addition to the WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL) and EQ-5D-5L questionnaires. Mobility and balance were evaluated using the Timed Up and Go (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury II (WISCI II), where applicable. In addition, device-recorded gait parameters, including step count, step length, walking distance, and walking duration, were analyzed. Significant improvements were observed in several device-derived gait parameters, including the number of steps performed with the exoskeleton (p < 0.001), step length (p = 0.003), walking distance (p = 0.002), and walking duration (p < 0.05). Significant improvements were also identified in balance performance (BBS: p = 0.006; Tinetti POMA: p = 0.001), cardiovascular endurance (6MWT: p = 0.017), and EQ-5D-5L scores (p = 0.038). Functional independence measures (FIM and BI), TUG performance, and WHOQOL domains did not demonstrate statistically significant changes. No serious adverse events or device-related injuries occurred during the intervention period. Due to the small and clinically heterogeneous sample, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary exploratory results. Nevertheless, the study supports the feasibility and potential clinical utility of EksoNR-assisted gait rehabilitation and provides a basis for larger controlled investigations. Full article

The joint probabilistic modeling of environmental variables is essential for the design and analysis of offshore structures, as it enables the representation of dependence between parameters and the realistic estimation of combined events. This article presents a comparative evaluation between the Conditional Modeling Approach (CMA) and eight families of parametric copulas (Gaussian, Student’s t, Gumbel, Clayton, Frank, Joe, BB1, and Plackett) for the joint modeling of significant wave height ($H_s$) and peak period ($T_p$). Three datasets from the Brazilian coast were analyzed, encompassing a broad spectrum of dependence coefficient levels (Pearson’s coefficient, Kendall’s tau, and Spearman’s rho), ranging from high values to near-zero, including a scenario with domain-varying dependence across the $T_p$ domain. The results demonstrate that the CMA is the most robust model across all regimes, with some limitations only in the domain-varying scenario and in rank-domain residuals at low dependence coefficients. Parametric copulas perform satisfactorily solely in scenarios with high and moderate-high magnitude dependence coefficients, with the Gaussian copula standing out. At low dependence magnitudes, all copulas produce structures close to statistical independence, which shows that low dependence coefficients do not characterize the full dependence structure between $H_s$ and $T_p$. Full article

Background/Objectives: Thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) often results from structural degeneration of the aortic wall. Traditional management focuses on hemodynamic control using beta-blockers (BB) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), originally developed for diabetes and weight management, may offer additional vascular protective benefits through anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and matrix-stabilizing mechanisms. However, their role in reducing mortality and thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) risk in patients with TAA has not been evaluated in human populations. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between GLP-1 RA use and the risks of mortality and thoracic aortic dissection. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults diagnosed with TAA between 2018 and 2024 across three Mayo Clinic sites. Patients receiving GLP-1 RAs were compared with non-users using 1:1 propensity score matching. Outcomes included all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and incident TAD. Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed. Results: A total of 32,279 patients with TAA, with a median age of 68.0 [IQR: 59.0–76.0] and 70.7% male, were included in a 1:1 propensity score match. This yielded a balanced cohort of 588 GLP-1 RA users and 588 non-users. Through a median follow-up of 4.1 (2.2, 5.9) years, GLP-1 RA use was associated with significantly lower 5-year cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality (5.0% vs. 14.5%, HR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.19–0.50; p < 0.001), cardiovascular mortality (1.9% vs. 5.5%, HR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.13–0.70; p = 0.005), and TAD (0.9% vs. 4.0%, HR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.06–0.60; p < 0.0004). Conclusions: GLP-1 RAs are associated with reduced incidence of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and TAD incidence in patients with TAA. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate effects on aneurysm progression. Full article

Carnitine plays an essential role in fatty acid metabolism, and its biosynthesis is tightly regulated by γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase (BBOX), an Fe(II)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase. BBOX is the target of mildronate (THP), a clinically used drug for treating ischemic heart diseases. However, the detailed mechanisms of BBOX-catalyzed hydroxylation and the atypical oxidative rearrangement underlying THP inhibition remain elusive. In this study, we employed combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) methods to systematically elucidate these mechanisms at the atomic level. Our calculations reveal that the hydroxylation of γBB proceeds via a classical three-step mechanism in the quintet state, with hydrogen atom abstraction as the rate-determining step. Remarkably, substitution of the C4 methylene group in γBB with an amino group in THP redirects the reaction pathway, as the lone pair electrons on the adjacent nitrogen atom render N-N bond cleavage kinetically favored over hydroxyl rebound, thereby blocking carnitine synthesis. Through systematic evaluation of possible rearrangement pathways, we rule out the previously proposed direct 1,2-H migration and suggest a revised mechanism featuring imine-mediated hydrogen transfer, hydroxyl rebound preceding C-C bond formation, and final radical coupling. This work provides a detailed atomic-level understanding of both the catalytic and inhibitory mechanisms of BBOX, revealing how substrate electronic effects dictate reaction outcomes. The elucidated mechanistic insights offer a theoretical foundation for understanding the catalytic versatility of the αKG-dependent dioxygenase family and provide valuable guidance for the rational design of novel BBOX inhibitors. Full article

Background and Objectives: Discharge planning after hip-related fracture surgery may depend on both the surgical method and functional recovery achieved during convalescent rehabilitation. This single-center retrospective cohort study aimed to determine whether discharge pathways differed according to surgical procedure and whether functional recovery patterns differed according to surgical procedure and discharge pathways among patients admitted for convalescent rehabilitation after hip-related fracture surgery. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the EMRs of patients admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation hospital between January 2021 and June 2025 after hip-related fracture surgery. Surgical groups were hip hemiarthroplasty (HA), total hip arthroplasty (THA), and internal fixation (IF). Discharge pathways were classified into three categories: home discharge, transfer to an acute-care hospital, and transfer to a long-term care hospital. In this study, home discharge was operationally defined as discharge to the patient’s home or transfer to a nursing hospital. Functional outcomes included the functional ambulation category (FAC), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); complete-case analysis was applied for functional outcomes. Results: In the overall postoperative cohort (N = 445), discharge pathway distributions differed across surgical groups. In the complete-case traumatic hip-related fracture cohort (N = 243), all groups showed significant improvements from admission to discharge in FAC, BBS, MBI, and MMSE. Between-group comparisons of change scores by surgical method were generally modest. In contrast, discharge pathways showed clearer associations with recovery. Patients achieving home discharge demonstrated greater improvements in FAC, BBS, and MBI measures than those transferred to acute care or nursing homes. Conclusions: Functional recovery was observed across all surgical groups during convalescent rehabilitation. Discharge disposition appeared to be more closely associated with recovery in gait, balance, and ADL performance than with surgical method alone; however, this finding should be interpreted cautiously because discharge decisions may also be influenced by patient and social factors. Full article

Background/Objectives: To evaluate the effect of detector architecture and dataset characteristics on intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) subtype localization on noncontrast head CT, with emphasis on bidirectional cross-dataset generalization. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed two publicly available datasets: the Brain Hemorrhage Extended (BHX) dataset and the RSNA 2019+ dataset. Models were trained and internally validated on one dataset and externally tested on the other dataset in both directions: BHX-to-RSNA+ and RSNA+-to-BHX. Six representative deep learning detectors, including CNN-based one-stage and two-stage detectors and a Swin Transformer-based RT-DETR (Swin-RT-DETR) variant, were evaluated. Localization performance was assessed using mean average precision at a bounding-box intersection-over-union threshold of 0.5 (mAP@50), bounding-box Dice similarity coefficient (BB-DSC), and bounding-box intersection-over-union (BB-IoU). Image-level and patient-level analyses were performed, with Bonferroni correction applied for statistical comparisons. Dataset characterization analyses were performed to compare subtype prevalence, bounding-box geometry, lesion burden, annotation density, and spatial distribution. Results: Under internal validation, Swin-RT-DETR achieved competitive or superior performance across several ICH subtypes, but its advantage was subtype-dependent rather than uniform. Faster R-CNN with a ResNeXt101 backbone achieved comparable IVH performance and higher IPH BB-DSC and BB-IoU, whereas Swin-RT-DETR performed better for SAH, SDH, and EDH. External validation showed substantial performance degradation across architectures, subtypes, and validation directions. Absolute BB-DSC reductions for Swin-RT-DETR ranged from approximately 0.54–0.79 in the BHX-to-RSNA+ direction and 0.17–0.74 in the RSNA+-to-BHX direction. Similar degradation patterns were observed at the patient level. Statistical comparisons showed fewer significant model-level differences under external validation, suggesting attenuation of architecture-specific advantages under domain shift. Dataset characterization analysis demonstrated differences in subtype distribution, bounding-box geometry, lesion burden, annotation density, and spatial localization patterns between BHX and RSNA+. Conclusions: ICH subtype localization performance is strongly influenced by dataset characteristics, annotation heterogeneity, and domain shift. Although Transformer-based hierarchical feature extraction showed subtype-dependent advantages under internal validation, these advantages diminished under bidirectional external validation. These findings highlight the need for dataset characterization, external validation, patient-level evaluation, and task-specific clinical benchmarks before automated ICH localization models can be considered for real-world clinical integration. Full article

Inborn errors of immunity, including primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs), comprise a heterogeneous group of genetic conditions characterized by immune system dysfunction. One such rare PID is CD137 deficiency, which results from TNFRSF9 mutations. CD137, also known as 4-1BB, plays a pivotal role in immune system regulation and co-stimulation. This literature review explores CD137 deficiency and its implications, emphasizing its association with EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease and potential therapeutic targets. We present the case of a 21-year-old female patient with CD137 deficiency who experienced recurrent infections, autoimmunity, and lymphoma. Genetic analysis revealed that the patient had a homozygous TNFRSF9 variant. The patient subsequently developed severe Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphoproliferative disease, which is one of the clinical manifestations associated with CD137 deficiency. Additionally, this review discusses similar cases in the literature and details the clinical manifestations and immune abnormalities associated with CD137 deficiency. Understanding the genetic complexity of CD137 deficiency and the immune system dysregulation it causes provides insights into potential therapeutic interventions for affected individuals. This review highlights the role of CD137 as a crucial regulator of immune homeostasis and a potential target for immunotherapy in autoimmune diseases and malignancies. Full article

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is prone to oxidative degradation during storage, especially after opening, when exposure to oxygen and light accelerates the depletion of antioxidants and promotes the formation of oxidation products, including hydroperoxides and C₇–C₉ aldehydes associated with rancidity. Packaging materials play a critical role in preserving EVOO quality in real-use conditions. This study comparatively evaluated the effectiveness of three widely used packaging materials: green polyethylene terephthalate (PET), bag-in-box (BB), and chrome-plated tin (CPT) in preserving regulatory, sensory, and health-related qualities of EVOO under simulated household use and storage conditions. Methods: PET, BB, and CPT containers (3 L) were totally filled with the same EVOO and stored at 25 °C under a 12 h light/dark cycle, with 75 mL withdrawn daily for 40 days to mimic consumer use. Every 10 days, regulatory quality indices (free acidity (FA), peroxide value (PV), K₂₃₂, and K₂₇₀), antioxidants, volatile compounds, and sensory attributes were evaluated. Results: Free acidity, K₂₃₂, and K₂₇₀ increased slightly in EVOOs across all containers, while EVOO stored in PET showed a sharp rise in PV, exceeding the legal limit after 30 days. Antioxidant depletion was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) more pronounced in the EVOO stored in PET (44% α-tocopherol and 26% total phenols, respectively) than in BB (1% and 11%) and CPT (5% and 12%). The EVOO stored in PET also showed a reduction in C₅–C₆ aldehydes (−26% and −24% compared to BB and CPT, respectively), alongside an accumulation in C7–C9 aldehydes (+8% and +5%), exhibiting higher loss of C₅–C₆ aldehydes and of C₇–C₉ aldehydes, which is responsible for fruity–green notes and rancid defect, respectively, compared to BB and CPT. Conclusions: Overall, the EVOOs stored in BB, followed by CPT, showed higher oxidative stability than those stored in PET, resulting in prolonged “extra virgin” classification and improved preservation of antioxidant content, volatility profile, and sensory quality during consumer-level storage. Full article

In power systems, the combined approach of security-constrained unit commitment (SCUC) and economic dispatch (ED) to achieve security-constrained unit commitment and dispatch (SCUCD) is crucial for enhancing the safety, stability, and economic efficiency of power system operations. Traditional methods based on mathematical programming techniques and evolutionary algorithms often fail to ensure solution quality. Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP) methods, such as Branch-and-Bound (B&B) and solvers like Gurobi and CPLEX, may not converge to an optimal solution within a specified time due to the large scale of the SCUCD problem. Deep learning models that predict unit start-up or dispatch plans cannot consider the satisfaction of problem constraints during decision-making. Reinforcement learning-based methods face the dilemma of exploration and exploitation, often struggling to converge quickly. To address these challenges, we propose an end-to-end model called a Spatial-Temporal Attention Graph Convolutional Network (STAGCN), constructed based on power grid topology. This model aims to deeply capture the spatial-temporal dependencies between bus loads and unit dispatch in the power grid. The BC-ERPG algorithm is used for hierarchical training, ensuring rapid convergence and compliance with various system operation and safety constraints. This approach offers a novel and effective method for solving the SCUCD problem. The proposed method was validated on the IEEE 30-BUS and IEEE 118-BUS datasets, demonstrating competitive performance across the evaluated metrics and effective constraint satisfaction under the tested benchmark systems. As the problem scale increased, our method achieved a speedup of approximately 38.5× compared with Gurobi on the IEEE 118-BUS system, while maintaining comparable performance on the IEEE 30-BUS system, highlighting its effectiveness and computational advantage in the tested cases. This method provides a novel tool for addressing SCUCD problems and offers significant insights for further research in this domain. Full article

MYB transcription factors (TFs) serve pivotal regulatory functions in plant pigmentation; however, the composition of the MYB family in Bougainvillea spp. and the regulatory mechanisms underlying bract coloration have not yet been systematically examined. Here, 163 BbMYB TFs were detected from the Bougainvillea genome through bioinformatic methods and categorized into three subfamilies: 1R-MYB (13 members), R2R3-MYB (144 members), and 3R-MYB (six members). Phylogenetic analysis further assigned the BbMYB proteins to 15 subgroups. Conserved motif analysis showed that most BbMYB proteins contained conserved motifs at the N-termini and that the R2 and R3 repeat regions of R2R3-MYB proteins collectively possessed five highly conserved tryptophan residues. Gene structure analysis demonstrated that BbMYB genes contained 0 to 12 introns and exhibited conserved intron distribution patterns within the same subgroups. Promoter cis-acting element analysis revealed 54 total elements, classified into four categories: hormone-responsive, stress-responsive, development-related, and light-responsive elements. According to transcriptomic data and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation, BbMYB6, BbMYB8, and BbMYB10 were significantly upregulated in yellow bracts, whereas BbMYB69, BbMYB89, and BbMYB148 were significantly upregulated in red bracts. Virus-induced gene silencing experiments further demonstrated that silencing BbMYB6 caused fading in yellow bracts and a significant reduction in flavonoid content, whereas silencing BbMYB69 caused fading in red bracts and a significant decrease in betacyanin content, suggesting that these two genes are involved in positively regulating the coloration of yellow and red bracts, respectively. This work comprehensively analyzed the MYB gene family in Bougainvillea, pinpointed essential candidate genes linked to bract coloration, and established a theoretical basis, along with genetic resources, for molecular breeding of bract color in Bougainvillea. Full article