Search Results (272)

The Roman public library of Timgad (Algeria) constituted the study object of several extensive research works, particularly during the French colonial era. Following a virtual restitution-focused research work, this investigation aims to quantitatively characterize the daylighting conditions inside Timgad Public Library. Here, it must be remembered that the luminous environment inside libraries is a main design parameter and a main environmentalfactor. In addition, it must be highlighted that the Timgad region’s luminous climate differs from where Rome’s designers and builders practiced. Hence, at a first step, a comparison is carried out between the precepts of Vitruvius, the pioneer of ancient Roman architecture, and the outcomes of previous studies related to Roman libraries. Then, as a second step, a double approach combining both 3D geometric modeling and numerical simulation using Radiance (2.0Beta) software. These simulations are mainly elaborated for the case of the large reading room, including most of the building’s main activities—consulting, reading, and storing books. Finally, this inner luminous environment’s characterization highlights that the Timgad Roman antic library was not uniformly daylit and suggests that its use varied spatially and temporally with respect to this environmental parameter. Full article

In 3D virtual environments, effective information presentation relies on clear label layouts to annotate complex objects. As label density increases, structured and adaptive layouts become critical to prevent visual clutter and maintain clarity. However, existing label layout methods often overlook the issue of double vision between labels caused by binocular disparity. Additionally, discrete update strategies in 3D label layouts struggle to maintain layout quality during viewpoint changes due to their limited real-time adaptability. To address these issues, this paper presents a binocular 3D dynamic label layout method based on a continuous updating strategy within a force-based framework, generating real-time binocular layouts to minimize visual confusion. Computational evaluation and a user study demonstrate that the proposed method significantly reduces double vision, as quantified by a reduction in double vision degree of up to 15.74%, along with label overlap and leader line crossings. The results further indicate that our approach surpasses existing methods in clarity, aesthetics, adaptability, and user satisfaction, while reducing label reading time and alleviating users’ physical and effort demands, particularly in high-density label environments. Full article

In this article, we analyse durational variation for inherently long consonants in Italian. Productions by 40 speakers of four regional varieties were elicited via a read-aloud task containing target words with inherently long consonants in the post-consonantal vs. intervocalic position. The analysis of acoustic durations revealed variation. Overall, we found that /ts/, /dz/ and /ʎ/ were considerably longer intervocalically than post-consonantally, although by smaller ratios than those reported in the literature for contrastive geminates; the effect was smaller for /ʃ/ and barely detectable for /ɲ/. We also detected a trend to lengthen /dz/ and /ʃ/ after a morphemic boundary. In terms of regional variation, north-eastern speakers were found to diverge from the others, with shorter durations and less consistent durational patterns. Additionally, we verified the existence of lengthening induced by double letters for /ts/ (vizi—vizzi) and /dz/ (Gaza—gazza), and only found it for /dz/, particularly for north-eastern speakers. We argue that this may originally have been an orthographic effect due to the acquisition of Italian at school via the written form by past generations, which has been lost for /ts/ but preserved for /dz/ under the influence of loanwords spelled with <z> and pronounced as short intervocalically. Full article

Rubus is a genus of small berry-producing shrubs, valued for their medicinal properties and as a food source. This genus is a large, globally distributed group that includes over 700 species. Despite numerous plastid and nuclear genomes having been reported for Rubus, there is a notable lack of research on its mitogenomes. We utilized PMAT to assemble the mitogenomes of six Rubus species according to long-read HiFi reads and annotated them through homologous alignment. Subsequently, we compared their characteristic differences within Rubus mitogenomes. The complete mitogenomes of R. parviflorus, R. spectabilis, R. idaeus, R. armeniacus, and R. caesius all exhibit master circle structures, with lengths ranging from 360,869 bp to 447,754 bp. However, R. chamaemorus displays a double-circle structure composed of two small circular molecules, spanning 392,134 bp. These mitogenomes encode a total of 54–61 genes, including 33–34 PCGs, 17–24 tRNAs, and 3 rRNA genes. Compared to the other five Rubus species, R. chamaemorus has fewer sequence repeats. These six species exhibit similar codon usage patterns. A large number of gene transfers were detected between organellar genomes of six Rubus species. Additionally, two phylogenetic trees were constructed using 31 mitogenomes and 94 chloroplast genomes, revealing a minor conflict within Rubus. Overall, this study clarifies the mitogenome characteristics of Rubus and provides valuable insights into the evolution of the genus. Full article

In the N$\nu$DEx collaboration, a high-pressure gas TPC is being developed to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay. The use of electronegative ⁸²SeF₆ gas mandates an ion-TPC. The reconstruction of the z coordinate is to be realized by exploiting the feature of multiple species of charge carriers. As the initial stage of the development, we studied the properties of the ${\mathrm{SF}}_6$ gas, which is non-toxic and has a similar molecular structure to ${\mathrm{SeF}}_6$. In the paper, we present the measurement of drift velocities and mobilities of the majority and minority negative charge carriers found in ${\mathrm{SF}}_6$ at a pressure of 750 Torr, slightly higher than the local atmospheric pressure. The reduced fields range between 3.0 and 5.5 Td. This was performed using a laser beam to ionize the gas inside a small TPC, with a drift length of 3.7 cm. A customized charge-sensitive amplifier was developed to read out the anode signals induced by the slowly drifting ions. The closure test of the reconstruction of the z coordinate using the difference in the velocities of the two carriers was also demonstrated. Full article

This paper investigates how the layout strategies of Xuanying’s Yiqiejing yinyi (mid-7th c.), the earliest surviving Chinese Buddhist glossary, evolved across manuscripts, Buddhist Canon editions, and Qing-era scholarly reprints from the 7th to 19th centuries. While Xuanying’s work serves as the central case due to its breadth of preservation and representativeness, this study also references Huiyuan’s glossary (early-8th c.) to highlight broader patterns of reception and adaptation, particularly in late imperial China. Through a usability–production efficiency framework, the study identifies a continuum from the flexible manuscript layouts to the standardized double-line format used in Buddhist woodblock printing, and later to Qing-era adaptations that integrated Buddhist glossaries into evidential studies. It argues that layout decisions were influenced not merely by practical considerations of use and production but also by changing conceptions of textual function and authority. It also highlights the unintended effects of layout standardization, which at times introduced new interpretive complexities. By demonstrating how layout actively influenced the reproduction and reception of Buddhist glossaries, this study offers a new perspective on the intersection of materiality, textual transmission, and reading practices in pre-modern China. Full article

This opinion article refers to the “double rib contour sign” and to the rib index (DRCS and RI), to their reliability study results in the chest radiographs of a control group and to their validity study results. These two parameters were introduced by the first author in this report. The introduction of the Segmental Rib Index (SRI) and its relation to spinal deformity is also discussed. The RI has been confirmed to be a strong surrogate for scoliometric readings in idiopathic scoliosis (IS). The clinical applications of the RI are analyzed for the following: (a) the documentation of deformity; (b) the assessment of physiotherapy outcomes (PSSEs); (c) the documentation of the outcomes of brace treatment; (d) the documentation of the pre- and post-operative assessment of thoracic deformity correction in different types of instrumentation; (e) its usage in prognosticating accelerated deterioration in skeletally mature adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) curves of 40–50 degrees; and (f) its usage in the recognition of the proper rib level for thoracoplasty/costoplasty. The emerging etiological–scoliogenic implications from the use of the DRCS and RI are described. The rotation of the trunk and vertebral bodies as interrelated, but distinct parameters are finally analyzed. Full article

The increasing prevalence of sedentary behavior among adolescents raises concerns about its impact on academic engagement. This study examines the association between negative and positive sedentary behavior and behavioral, emotional, and cognitive school engagement in adolescents. A total of 270 students aged 10 to 18 from southern Spain participated. Sedentary behavior was assessed via self-report, and school engagement was measured using the School Engagement Measure (SEM). ANCOVA and binary logistic regression were applied, adjusting for age, BMI, and maternal education level. The findings indicate that low negative sedentary behavior is associated with higher cognitive engagement (p = 0.009), while high positive sedentary behavior correlates with greater behavioral (p = 0.018) and cognitive engagement (p = 0.008). Moreover, high negative sedentary behavior more than doubles the risk of low cognitive engagement, and low positive sedentary behavior significantly increases the likelihood of low behavioral and cognitive engagement. These results suggest that while some sedentary behaviors may hinder academic engagement, structured activities like reading and studying can positively contribute to school performance. Encouraging active learning strategies, structured study habits, and responsible screen use may help to maximize school engagement. Future research should explore longitudinal effects and intervention strategies to optimize adolescent learning and well-being. Full article

Cathepsin B is a member of the cysteine protease family and plays an important role in the innate immunity of aquatic invertebrates. A previous study identified that Cathepsin B-like (CTSB-l) may be involved in the response of alkali treatment in Macrobrachium nipponense. The present study aims to identify the potential regulatory roles of CTSB-l in the response of alkali treatment in M. nipponense through performing the quantitative real-time PCR analysis (qPCR), in situ hybridization (ISH) analysis, and RNA interference (RNAi) analysis. The full length of the MnCTSB-l cDNA was 1272 bp with an open reading frame of 987 bp, encoding 328 amino acids. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that the amino acid sequence of MnCTSB-l is highly homologous to those of crustacean cathepsin B-like. qPCR analysis showed that MnCTSB-l mRNA is expressed in all tested tissues with the highest level of expression in hepatopancreas in both male and female prawns. The expressions of MnCTSB-l were significantly stimulated in gills under the alkali concentration of both 5 mmol/L and 10 mmol/L, predicting that this gene may be involved in the response of alkali treatment in M. nipponense, which was consistent with the previous study. ISH showed that MnCTSB-l signals were mainly observed in the hemolymph vessels and membranes of gills, as well as in the basement membranes of hepatopancreas, in both male and female prawns. RNAi analysis revealed that the injection of double-stranded RNA of CTSB (dsCTSB) resulted in a significant decrease in MnCTSB-l expressions. In addition, prawn cumulative mortality was significantly higher in the dsCTSB-injected group, compared to that of dsGFP-injected group, under alkali treatments of both 5 mmol/L and 10 mmol/L, indicating CTSB-l plays an essential role in regulating alkalinity acclimation in M. nipponense. The present study identifies the regulatory functions of CTSB-l in the response of alkali treatment in M. nipponense, promoting the survival rate and aquaculture of this species in a water environment with high alkalinity. Full article

Emerging applications like deep neural networks require high off-chip memory bandwidth and low dynamic loaded Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR) latency. However, under the stringent physical constraints of chip packages and system boards, it is extremely expensive to further increase the bandwidth and reduce the dynamic loaded latency of off-chip memory in terms of DDR devices. To address the latency issues in DDR subsystems, this paper presents a novel architecture aiming at achieving latency optimization through a use case sensitive controller. We propose a reevaluation of conventional decoupling mechanisms and quasi-static arbitration methods in the DDR scheduling architecture. The adaptive scheduling algorithms offer significant advantages in various real-world scenarios. The research methodology involves implementing a rank-level timing aware read/write turnaround arbiter and setting read/write queue thresholds and read/write turnaround settings based on observed patterns. By implementing the arbiter and dynamically adjusting these parameters, the proposed architecture aims to optimize the performance of the DDR subsystem. To validate the effectiveness of the architecture, we conduct multiple experiments. These experiments evaluate the performance of the DDR subsystem under various workloads and configurations. The results demonstrate that the adaptive scheduling algorithms have advantages in achieving DDR performance attributes for workloads and improving system performance. The experimental results provide evidence of the architecture’s effectiveness in reducing latency by around 10% to 50% in various real-world scenarios. Full article

In plants, the R2R3-MYB transcription factors are one of the largest MYB gene families. These MYB transcription factors are very important for regulating plant growth and development. RcMYB114, RcbHLH, and RcWD40 promote anthocyanin accumulation by forming the MBW (MYB-bHLH-WD40) complex and determine the rose flower’s color. RcMYB114 genomic sequences differ between the red petal and white varieties. Two non-synonymous substitutions were found in the open reading frame. It leads to a change in amino acids. Here, the anthocyanin content showed that there was no anthocyanin in white petals, while the anthocyanin content in red petals increased firstly at stage 2, decreased slightly at stage 4, and then increased again at stage 5. The spatiotemporal expression pattern analysis showed that RcMYB114 was not expressed in all petals and tissues of white petals at different flower development stages. In red petal varieties, RcMYB114 was highly expressed in petals, followed by styles, and not expressed in stems, young leaves, and stage 1 of flower development. However, RcMYB114 has the highest expression level at the blooming stage. The RcMYB114 sequence contains 9 SNPs in the coding region, 7 of which were synonymous substitutions that had no effect on the translation product and 2 of which were non-synonymous substitutions that resulted in amino acid alteration at positions 116 and 195, respectively. The RcMYB114 gene in red rose was named RcMYB114a, and in white rose was RcMYB114b. RcMYB114c was mutated into leucine via artificial mutation; it was valine at position 116 of RcMYB114a, and Glycine mutated into Arginine at position 195 of RcMYB114a was RcMYB114d. RcMYB114b was the double mutation at positions 116 and 195 of RcMYB114a. The results of yeast two-hybrid experiments showed that RcMYB114a and its missense mutations RcMYB114b, RcMYB114c, and RcMYB114d could both interact with RcbHLH and RcWD40 to form the MYB-bHLH-WD40 complex. A transient transformation experiment in tobacco confirmed that RcMYB114a and its missense mutations RcMYB114b, RcMYB114c, and RcMYB114d could significantly promote the high expression of related structural genes in tobacco, together with the RcbHLH gene, which led to the accumulation of anthocyanins and produced the red color of the leaves. The RcMYB114a gene and its missense mutations RcMYB114b, RcMYB114c, and RcMYB114d interacted with the RcbHLH gene and significantly regulated the accumulation of anthocyanins. The two non-synonymous mutations of RcMYB114 do not affect the function of the gene itself, but the content of the anthocyanins accumulated was different. This study should provide clues and references for further research on the molecular mechanism underlying the determination of rose petal color. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vascular aging is associated with increased arterial stiffness and changes in the wall structure, leading to a loss of elasticity. Silicon is abundant in arteries and plays a key role in the synthesis and stabilization of elastin fibers. In animal models of accelerated cardiovascular aging, a specific nutritional supplement based on silicon-enriched spirulina (SpSi) has been shown to have beneficial effects on vascular function. The present study, designed as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this SpSi supplement on aging-related changes in vascular function among healthy older adults. Methods: Here, 120 healthy volunteers aged 60–75 years were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the SpSi group (n = 60) or placebo group (n = 60). Over 6 months, the participants received either 3.5 g of specific 1% silicon-enriched spirulina (SpSi group) or placebo tablets daily. The primary outcome was the assessment of arterial wall pressure waveforms, which included blood pressure (BP) readings and the determination of the aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV). Secondary outcomes included the vasomotor endothelial function through post-ischemic vasorelaxation, measured using the reactive hyperemia index (RHI), and carotid intima–media thickness. Results: When considering the entire sample, none of the studied parameters differed between the placebo and SpSi groups. However, when focusing on individuals with high–normal blood pressure (i.e., systolic BP between 130 and 150 mmHg) and aPWV levels above cutoff values (>10 m/s), the BP decreased by 8% (p < 0.001) and aPWV decreased by 13.5% (p < 0.0001) in subjects receiving SpSi. In individuals with BP and aPWV levels below the cutoff values, no effect was observed. Conclusions: In healthy elderly individuals, SpSi supplementation improved high–normal blood pressure and aortic pulse wave velocity, suggesting an enhanced vascular function. Full article

Wheat Fusarium crown rot (FCR), mainly caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum, is one of the most important diseases. Some mycoviruses are reported to have a hypovirulence trait and considered as a biocontrol agent for plant fungal diseases. In most cases, mycovirus biological effects have not been explored clearly. In this study, we identified and characterized a novel isolate of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) mycovirus, Fusarium graminearum dsRNA mycovirus 4 (FgV4), from a new host, an isolate WC9-2 of F. pseudograminearum. The genome of FgV4-WC9-2 includes two dsRNA segments of 2194 bp and 1738 bp. FgV4-WC9-2 dsRNA1 contains a single open reading frame (ORF1), which encodes a protein of 675 amino acids (aa) and has a conserved RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain. FgV4-WC9-2 dsRNA2 contains two discontinuous ORFs (ORF2-1 and ORF2-2) that code for hypothetical proteins with unknown function. Biological characteristics research has shown that FgV4-WC9-2 infection did not change the colony morphology, but it could significantly decrease colony growth rate. FgV4-WC9-2 could also reduce the sporulation ability, change the conidia size and reduce the pathogenicity of the host to a certain extent. This study is the first to describe a hypovirulence-associated orthocurvulavirus infecting F. pseudograminearum, which has the potential to assist with FCR disease biological management. Full article

Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to evaluate whether artificial intelligence integrated into breast cancer screening work strategies could help resolve some diagnostic issues that still remain. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were consulted. The literature research was updated to 28 May 2024. The PRISMA method of selecting articles was used. The articles were classified according to the type of publication (meta-analysis, trial, prospective, and retrospective studies); moreover, retrospective studies were based on citizen recruitment (organized screening vs. spontaneous screening and a combination of both). Results: Meta-analyses showed that AI had an effective reduction in the radiologists’ reading time of radiological images, with a variation from 17 to 91%. Furthermore, they highlighted how the use of artificial intelligence software improved the diagnostic accuracy. Systematic review speculated that AI could reduce false negatives and positives and detect subtle abnormalities missed by human observers. DR with AI results from organized screening showed a higher recall rate, specificity, and PPV. Data from opportunistic screening found that AI could reduce interval cancer with a corresponding reduction in serious outcome. Nevertheless, the analysis of this review suggests that the study of breast density and interval cancer still requires numerous applications. Conclusions: Artificial intelligence appears to be a promising technology for health, with consequences that can have a major impact on healthcare systems. Where screening is opportunistic and involves only one human reader, the use of AI can increase diagnostic performance enough to equal that of double human reading. Full article

Background/Objectives: T cell receptor fusion constructs (TRuCs), a next generation engineered T cell therapy, hold great promise. To accelerate the clinical development of these therapies, improving patient selection is a crucial pathway forward. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 23 mesothelioma patients (85 target tumors) treated in a phase 1/2 single arm clinical trial (NCT03907852). Five imaging sites were involved, the settings for the evaluations were Blinded Independent Central Reviews (BICRs) with double reads. The reproducibility of 3416 radiomics and delta-radiomics (Δradiomics) was assessed. The univariate analysis evaluated correlations at the target tumor level with (1) tumor diameter response; (2) tumor volume response, according to the Quantitative Imaging Biomarker Alliance; and (3) the mean standard uptake value (SUV) response, as defined by the positron emission tomography response criteria in solid tumors (PERCISTs). A random forest model predicted the response of the target pleural tumors. Results: Tumor anatomical distribution was 55.3%, 17.6%, 14.1%, and 10.6% in the pleura, lymph nodes, peritoneum, and soft tissues, respectively. Radiomics/Δradiomics reproducibility differed across tumor localizations. Radiomics were more reproducible than Δradiomics. In the univariate analysis, none of the radiomics/Δradiomics correlated with any response criteria. With an accuracy ranging from 0.75 to 0.9, three radiomics/Δradiomics were able to predict the response of target pleural tumors. Pivotal studies will require a sample size of 250 to 400 tumors. Conclusions: The prediction of responding target pleural tumors can be achieved using a machine learning-based radiomics/Δradiomics analysis. Tumor-specific reproducibility and the average values indicated that using tumor models to create an effective patient model would require combining several target tumor models. Full article