Search Results (300)

Background/Objectives: Hip fractures are associated with high short-term mortality in older adults. This study aimed to determine 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery and evaluate factors associated with short-term mortality, with particular attention to baseline comorbidity indices and in-hospital adverse events. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 785 patients who underwent surgery for hip fracture at University Hospital of Split, Croatia, between January 2021 and December 2022. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, including in-hospital and post-discharge deaths. Associations with mortality were examined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Baseline-only comorbidity models were constructed using the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System (ASA PS Classification), the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI). Exploratory hospital-course models additionally included in-hospital adverse events, which were interpreted as time-dependent hospital-course events rather than baseline predictors. Results: 30-day mortality was 11.0% (86/785). Older age, male sex, higher comorbidity burden, and in-hospital adverse events were associated with mortality. Mortality was 5.7% without documented adverse events, 24.2% with one adverse event, and 42.4% with two or more adverse events. Baseline-only comorbidity models showed acceptable and broadly comparable discrimination, with AUCs of 0.73–0.77. Exploratory hospital-course models showed higher discrimination, with AUCs of 0.80–0.82. Conclusions: 30-day mortality after hip fracture surgery was associated with baseline patient vulnerability and in-hospital adverse events. Baseline-only models based on the ASA PS Classification, the CCI, and the ECI provided broadly comparable short-term risk stratification. In-hospital adverse events should be viewed as markers of an adverse clinical trajectory, not evidence of causality. Full article

Recent studies have highlighted the potential of urinary bladder matrix (UBM) derived from decellularized porcine urinary bladder as a bioactive hydrogel. Despite its complex composition of over 100 proteins, Type I collagen is the primary constituent of UBM. Caco-2 cells are widely used as an in vitro model of the intestinal epithelium; however, to date, no published study has evaluated the effects of UBM on Caco-2 cells. In this study, Electric Cell–Substrate Impedance Sensing (ECIS) was used to measure Caco-2 cell attachment and wound-healing migration on UBM-coated microelectrodes. Our results demonstrate that UBM hydrogel coating at 0.2 mg/mL significantly accelerates cell attachment and enhances migration rates compared to uncoated controls. These stimulatory effects were comparable to those observed with 0.2 mg/mL Type I collagen, suggesting that UBM can function as effectively as Type I collagen. We further monitored barrier formation in Caco-2 cells cultured on UBM-coated transwell membrane inserts using TEER measurements and scanning electron microscopy. The TEER values reached 300 Ω·cm² within three days, indicating the rapid establishment of mature tight junctions. Overall, these results show that UBM hydrogel coatings are effective substrates for Caco-2 cells, performing as well as Type I collagen in all our tests. Full article

India exhibits substantial variation in neonatal mortality across regions and socioeconomic groups. This study used nationally representative survey data (2019–2021) to examine wealth-based inequalities in neonatal mortality. Socioeconomic disparities were assessed using Erreygers’ Normalized Concentration Index (ECI) and concentration curves, with subgroup analyses by residence, state development status (Empowered Action Group (EAG) vs. non-EAG), district typology, and region. Inequality was further decomposed using the Wagstaff method. Analysis of 176,843 most recent live births revealed marked rural–urban disparities, with neonatal mortality in rural areas (18.3 per 1000 live births) 1.6 times higher than in urban areas (11.5). Neonatal mortality was significantly concentrated among poorer households (ECI: −0.0123; p < 0.001), with greater inequality in urban areas, EAG states, and non-aspirational districts. Regional variation was evident, with the highest inequality in the Western and Central regions. Decomposition analysis showed that inequality was primarily driven by adverse household conditions and maternal risk factors concentrated among poorer populations. Key contributors included unclean cooking fuel, higher parity, large family size, normal delivery and inadequate antenatal care. These findings highlight the need for equality-focused strategies addressing both social determinants and gaps in access to quality maternal and newborn care. Full article

Fourth-generation immunoassays are widely used for HIV and syphilis screening; however, false-reactive results may increase confirmatory testing and operational burden in high-throughput laboratories. This study evaluated the comparative performance of automated chemiluminescent immunoassays (MAGLUMI^® HIV Ab/Ag Combi (Snibe Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China), VITROS^® ECiQ HIV Combo (Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, Raritan, NJ, USA), MAGLUMI^® Syphilis (Snibe Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, China), and ARCHITECT^® Syphilis TP (Abbott Diagnostics, Abbott Park, IL, USA) within a routine diagnostic algorithm, incorporating antibody differentiation immunoassays (INNO-LIA^® HIV I/II Score (Fujirebio Europe N.V., Ghent, Belgium) and HIV-1 RNA PCR where applicable. A total of 240 archived serum samples for HIV testing and 180 for syphilis testing were analyzed. Agreement-based performance measures including sensitivity, specificity, overall percent agreement (OPA), and Cohen’s kappa (κ) were calculated as comparator-based estimates reflecting concordance within the routine diagnostic algorithm rather than absolute diagnostic accuracy against a universal reference standard. For comparisons with HIV-1 RNA PCR, positive and negative concordance rates are reported to reflect agreement between assays detecting different biological targets. Among samples with definitive (positive or negative) results, the MAGLUMI^® HIV Ab/Ag Combi assay showed complete agreement with INNO-LIA^® HIV I/II Score (κ = 1.00) and high agreement with PCR within the ARCHITECT^® HIV Ag/Ab Combo-reactive subset (κ = 0.90). The VITROS^® ECiQ HIV Combo assay demonstrated high agreement with INNO-LIA^® HIV I/II Score (κ = 0.916) and substantial agreement with PCR (κ = 0.715), with a lower negative concordance rate with PCR observed in the ARCHITECT-reactive subset. A parallel five-modality analysis of 11 discordant samples applying the CDC 2014 algorithm demonstrated that all three immunoassay platforms successfully detected confirmed HIV-seropositive individuals with controlled viremia despite negative PCR, while MAGLUMI^® HIV Ab/Ag Combi produced fewer false-reactive results than both ARCHITECT^® and VITROS^® in this discordant subset. Additionally, two cases showed INNO-LIA^® indeterminate results with positive PCR, consistent with acute HIV infection during the early seroconversion stage; all three immunoassay platforms produced signals above the non-reactive threshold in both cases. For syphilis testing, both MAGLUMI^® Syphilis and ARCHITECT^® Syphilis TP assays showed complete agreement with INNO-LIA^® Syphilis Score among samples with definitive results (κ = 1.00). In contrast, the RPR assay showed reduced positive predictive value (49.4%) and moderate agreement with INNO-LIA^® Syphilis Score (κ = 0.52). Automated chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) platforms demonstrated high agreement within a structured diagnostic algorithm in a high-throughput screening setting. Differences in assay performance were observed across platforms, particularly with respect to discordant results in the ARCHITECT-reactive PCR-evaluated subset for HIV and non-treponemal concordance for syphilis. These platforms may support more efficient laboratory workflows; however, findings should be interpreted within the context of comparator-based classification rather than absolute diagnostic accuracy. Full article

This study enhances the knowledge base by providing an empirical inquiry into the asymmetric sensitivity of economic complexity (ECI) to changes in financial development (FD), using data from 30 African countries for the period of 1995–2023. To deliver robust estimates in the face of econometric pitfalls, this study employs estimators such as Hatemi-J data decomposition procedures, robust standard-error regression of Driscoll and Kraay, Feasible Generalised Least Squares, Lewbel’s IV-Two-Stage Least Squares, and Quantile regression via moments. The findings from the linear model indicate that FD enhances ECI upgrades in Africa. The findings provide robust evidence of asymmetric structures in ECI’s sensitivity to changes in FD. It highlights that both positive and negative change components (financial sector expansionary and contractionary policies, respectively) in the FD significantly contribute to ECI upgrades. These findings reveal the obscure aspects of how FD change components contribute differently to ECI upgrades in African countries. These findings highlight that expansionary financial sector policies aid the development of knowledge-based productivity, technology diffusion, and manufacturing capabilities, enabling the production of a chain of high-tech, high-quality, and globally competitive products for export. On the other hand, contractionary financial sector policies in African countries spur cumulative reductions in the channelling of financial resources and other technical support to ECI-impeding initiatives, thereby making more resources available to fund ECI-enhancing initiatives that aid the manufacturing of quality, competitive products for exports. This study draws and outlines relevant policy implications of the findings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Multiplex and point-of-care (POC) diagnostics require each probe to detect one intended target while rejecting many closely related sequences under shared room-temperature conditions. The conventional focus on mismatch count is incomplete: two alignments with the same number of matches and mismatches can have very different off-target risks depending on whether mismatches are clustered or distributed. We introduce a simple visual heuristic that scores mismatch placement rather than mismatch count alone. Methods: Effective complementary island (ECI) score retained matched continuity after subtracting one base for each mismatch- or gap-exposed edge. The score is S_ECI = Σ_i ECI_i^2, and the design margin is ΔS_ECI = S_ECI (intended) − S_ECI (highest-scoring non-intended alignment by ECI). ECI is not a thermodynamic model; thermodynamics (ΔG37) is used separately to verify an adequate sensitivity floor. We retrospectively applied ECI to a fixed 39-target HPV capture-probe benchmark and to a public Affymetrix dataset contrasting clustered versus distributed mismatches at identical or near-identical mismatch counts. Results: In the HPV benchmark, ECI separated intended from off-target in 32/39 panels; ΔG37 favored the intended duplex in 31/39 panels; both layers were concordant in 36/39 panels. In the Affymetrix dataset (n = 8 probes, 2–4 mismatches), S_ECI correlated with reported log2 hybridization intensity (Pearson r = 0.92, p = 0.0014). Within the strict three-mismatch subset (n = 5), S_ECI remained correlated with intensity (r = 0.96; p = 0.010), while ΔG37 was uncorrelated (r = −0.04; p = 0.95), supporting the narrower claim that mismatch placement can affect signal even when mismatch count is fixed. Conclusions: ECI is not a replacement for thermodynamics, BLAST, target-accessibility analysis, empirical optimization, or machine-learning prediction. It adds one actionable readout: where to shift, shorten, or place a limited intentional mismatch so that intended retained continuity stays above the assay floor while the highest-scoring off-target island by ECI is fragmented. We provide a bench-ready workflow for multiplex, room-temperature, and POC probe design. Full article

With the widespread adoption of smartphones, location-based services have become increasingly important. Consequently, accurate and reliable global satellite navigation system positioning on smartphones has become essential. However, achieving accurate positioning in urban areas remains challenging because of the inherent limitations of smartphones and severe multipath effects. To address this issue, this study proposes two methods to improve positioning accuracy using contextual information. First, an environmental context indicator was used to refine the C/N₀-based observation covariance model. Second, normalized C/N₀ and code-pseudorange residuals were used to detect non-line-of-sight satellites and adjust the observation covariance. Experiments were conducted in both open and urban areas, and performance was evaluated using circular error probable (CEP) and distance root mean square (DRMS). The experimental results showed that, in open areas, the proposed method achieved submeter to decimeter-level horizontal accuracy and precision. In semi-urban areas, CEP95, CEP50, and DRMS decreased by approximately 8, 2, and 4 m, respectively. In urban canyons, CEP95, CEP50, and DRMS decreased by approximately 15, 2, and 5 m, respectively. Full article

The paradigm for managing emerging contaminants is shifting from static concentration control toward dynamic risk forecasting. However, this transition is hindered by the lack of mechanistic models that can link nonlinear environmental processes to holistic risk prioritisation. Here, we present an integrated modelling framework that resolves driver collinearity, integrates multimedia risks, and apportions pollution sources. The framework combines three novel components: an Environmental Condition Index (ECI) to quantify synergistic environmental influences on contaminant release, an extended dual-media Toxicological Priority Index (ToxPi) for holistic risk integration, and an enhanced Positive Matrix Factorisation model (PMF-DMC) for spatially resolved source attribution. Applied to a complex watershed in the Pearl River Basin, the framework revealed a critical risk priority reversal: bisphenol AP (BPAP) emerged as the top-priority control pollutant, contrary to concentration-centric assessments that identified bisphenol A (BPA). This reversal underscores the inherent limitations of concentration-centric regulation and demonstrates the necessity of adopting dynamic, process-informed frameworks for managing emerging contaminants. The framework’s transferable design establishes it as a predictive and adaptive tool for risk governance, offering a methodological advance for ecological modelling in non-stationary environments. Full article

Beyond its function as a carrier of hereditary information, recent research has uncovered novel properties of extracellular DNA, including its role in the adaptation to the environment when released from plants. The secreted DNA has been shown to exert insecticidal effects against insect pests, which play an adaptive role in plant-insect interactions, particularly in regulating populations of economically important sap-feeding insects. The molecular mechanisms underlying this insecticidal effect are underinvestigated and remain largely unknown. Therefore, there is a need for more efforts to uncover these mechanisms to better understand plant–pest interactions, which would provide new insights into natural pest control strategies and inspire biotechnological applications. In the current study, we show that Pittosporum tobira (P. tobira) secretes single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) that exerts an insecticidal effect on Coccus hesperidum (C. hesperidum). We collected extracellular DNA from P. tobira leaves and tested its potential insecticidal effect by applying it to C. hesperidum, which is a well-known pest that causes damage to P. tobira. Our results revealed that the outermost layer of the leaf cuticle of P. tobira predominantly contains ssDNA of approximately 100 nt in length, originating from both chloroplast and nuclear genomes. This DNA exhibited pronounced insecticidal activity against C. hesperidum, with chloroplast-derived sequences significantly enriched compared to the total DNA in intact plant cells. These findings suggest that the microevolution of the P. tobira nucleome and plastome contributed to the formation of extracellular DNA with insecticidal properties (eci-DNA), which is part of its defense strategy against insect pests. Moreover, in this article, for the first time, we show that antisense DNA (illustrated with oligonucleotide insecticide Coccus-11) is capable of activating insect retrotransposons and upregulating their RT-RNase H, a crucial enzyme for the DNA containment mechanism and successful action of oligonucleotide insecticides. Notably, the laboratory-developed ssDNA-based ‘genetic zipper’ technology, designed for sustainable pest management, possesses characteristics similar to eci-DNA found in nature, highlighting a potential natural parallel to this biotechnological approach for sustainable pest management. Full article

Silicon (Si) accumulation is a widespread anti-herbivore defence in grasses, yet little is known about how insects counteract silicification, including via compensatory feeding, or whether Si-mediated changes in plant stoichiometry also influence herbivore performance. We examined how Si supplementation alters foliar Si, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in two grasses with contrasting accumulation strategies, Brachypodium distachyon (high accumulator) and Lolium arundinaceum (moderate accumulator), and the consequences for growth and feeding by Helicoverpa armigera. Plants were grown hydroponically with or without Si, and herbivore relative growth rate (RGR), relative consumption (RC), and Efficiency of Conversion of Ingested food (ECI) were measured. Si supplementation had stronger effects on herbivore performance in B. distachyon compared with L. arundinaceum. RGR declined by 126% on B. distachyon compared with 40% on L. arundinaceum. Herbivores increased RC on Si-supplemented L. arundinaceum, with RC positively correlated with foliar Si concentrations, but no compensatory feeding occurred on B. distachyon. N and P concentrations were positively correlated with RGR in L. arundinaceum and ECI in B. distachyon. In conclusion, the degree of Si accumulation in grasses influences both plant stoichiometry and has contrasting impacts on herbivore feeding strategies. Full article

Germplasm characterization can enhance the management and utilization of plant germplasm conserved in genebanks worldwide. This study was conducted to characterize 774 diverse soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] accessions, mainly conserved at Plant Gene Resources of Canada (PGRC), through a laboratory seedling vigor test under polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced dehydration stress and 72 selected accessions through a greenhouse salinity test. The PEG-based test identified 95 accessions that showed vigorous seedling growth in Petri dishes containing 20% (w/v) PEG 6000 solution. The salinity test revealed 58 accessions that produced total seed yields per plant ranging from 0.03 g to 1.47 g under severe salinity stress (EC_i 16.1 dS m⁻¹). Six accessions originating from five countries displayed higher salt tolerance than the Canadian salt-tolerant cultivar OAC Ayton, but the latter still had the highest seed yield. One unique accession, CN29789, originating from China and named ‘Hei Nung No.18’, consistently showed high tolerance to both dehydration and salinity stresses and had vigorous root growth under severe salinity stress. These findings are significant, as they not only provide useful germplasm for soybean genetic improvement for abiotic stress tolerance but also demonstrate the value of characterizing plant germplasm conserved in a genebank for better utilization. Full article

To address the challenges associated with identifying causal relationships among event mentions in the event causality identification (ECI) task, ECI has emerged as a pivotal area of research for comprehending event structures. Recent studies have leveraged Transformer-based models, augmented by auxiliary components, to develop effective contextual representations for causality prediction. A critical step in ECI models involves transforming intricate event context representations into causal label representations, thereby facilitating the logical score calculations necessary for both training and inference. However, existing models frequently depend on simplistic feedforward networks for this transformation process, which often struggle to bridge the semantic gap between complex event contexts and target causal labels, particularly in linguistically nuanced scenarios. To address these limitations, we propose Contrastive Learning for Event Causality Identification (CLECI), an innovative ECI framework that enhances representation learning through the integration of contrastive learning techniques, a generator-discriminator mechanism with causal label embeddings. In contrast to traditional direct transformation methods, CLECI generates latent causal label embeddings that filter out irrelevant information while aligning with potential label representations. By incorporating contrastive learning principles, CLECI further augments the discriminative capability of event representations by constructing positive and negative pairs of events. Experimental evaluations conducted on the EventStoryLine (ESL), Causal-TimeBank (CTB), and MECI datasets demonstrate that CLECI achieves competitive performance, with F1-score improvements of 4.3%, 7.9%, and 2.5%, respectively, compared with the strongest baseline methods, while maintaining strong robustness in complex and noisy multilingual event contexts. Full article

As modern power markets integrate more renewable generation, day-ahead energy clearing remains the central procurement step, while flexibility products are procured to ensure that the cleared energy schedule can be operated securely. This paper proposes a closed-loop framework linking the Power Exchange (PX) and the Independent System Operator (ISO) to bridge energy-market settlement and network-feasible operation. The PX performs staged day-ahead clearing with energy settled first, followed by aAutomatic generation control (AGC) and spinning reserve (SR) procured from the residual headroom of committed (energy-awarded) units. The ISO then validates the cleared schedule using an equivalent current injection (ECI)-based screening. This paper uses a single-period (single-hour) IEEE 30-bus case setting; multi-period scheduling and intertemporal constraints are not modeled. When congestion is detected, power-flow tracing identifies the main contributors and guides a minimal-change redispatch. The ISO-feasible dispatch is then sent back to the PX for re-clearing, aligning prices and welfare with an executable operating point. The resulting nonconvex clearing problems with valve-point effects and prohibited operating zones are solved by Artificial Protozoa Optimizer with Social Learning (APO–SL) and evaluated against representative metaheuristic baselines. IEEE 30-bus studies show that off-peak and average-load cases pass ISO screening directly, whereas the peak case tightens reserve headroom (SR capped at 39.08 MW) and triggers congestion. After ISO feedback and energy re-clearing, line loadings return within limits. The ISO-feasible dispatch changes the marginal accepted offer and lifts the MCP (3.73 → 4.38 $/MWh). The welfare value reported here follows the paper’s settlement-based definition (purchase total minus accepted offer cost), and it increases accordingly (113.77 → 190.17 $/h). Full article

Background: Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal mitochondria, a high rate of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations, and altered oxidative metabolism. There are no existing circulating biomarkers to distinguish metastatic ChRCC from clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods: High-throughput plasma proteomic profiling using the SomaScan platform was performed in 18 ChRCC (including 16 metastatic ChRCC) and 197 metastatic ccRCC patients. Data were harmonized to generate a unified 7K-protein matrix. Results: Differential expression analysis was performed using limma (version 3.62.2). Of 7272 quantified human plasma proteins, 209 were differentially expressed between ChRCC and ccRCC. Upregulated proteins in ChRCC included essential β-oxidation enzymes such as ECH1 (enoyl-CoA hydratase 1) and ECI1 (enoyl-CoA delta-isomerase 1), suggesting increased long-chain fatty acid degradation. Creatine and energy-buffering pathways were also represented, with increased CKMT1A (Creatine Kinase, Mitochondrial 1A) in ChRCC. KIM-1 (Kidney Injury Molecule-1) and leptin were lower in ChRCC, consistent with the known upregulation of these proteins in ccRCC. Pathway enrichment analyses revealed an overrepresentation of mitochondrial protein degradation, fatty acid β-oxidation, and respiratory electron transport in ChRCC, suggesting that ChRCC sheds a unique mitochondrial signature into the peripheral circulation. A bootstrap-based LASSO logistic regression restricted to upregulated mitochondrial proteins in ChRCC vs. ccRCC consistently selected ECI1 and CKMT1A. The LASSO model achieved an AUROC of 0.964. Conclusions: Compared to ccRCC, the plasma proteome of metastatic ChRCC is dominated by mitochondrial metabolic enzymes, revealing a systemic metabolic phenotype strikingly aligned with the known histologic accumulation of abnormal mitochondria in ChRCC cells. Full article

Brucella is a neglected foodborne pathogen, which contaminates milk, dairy products, meat, and meat products of infected animals. However, the role of the Brucella putative effector (BPE) protein family, which relies on the type IV secretion system (T4SS) in Brucella abortus, remains unclear. We demonstrated that BPE159 mediates the regulation of host nuclei in autophagy. The host-interacting protein Eci1 was screened using yeast two-hybridization, molecular docking, and immunoprecipitation, and BPE159-deleted (ΔBPE159) and complementary (ΔBPE159-C) strains were constructed by homologous recombination. We evaluated their growth, survival, and replication and measured the expression of autophagy-related cytokine mRNAs in macrophages. BPE159 was localized in the nucleus of host cells and interacted with Eci1 to downregulate the expression of macrophage autophagy factors, thereby inhibiting host autophagy and enabling the persistence of Brucella. These findings highlight the critical role of BPE159 in mediating autophagy through Eci1 in host cells to promote Brucella survival in host cells. Full article