Structural Evidence Research Articles

Unveiling the axonal connectivity between the precuneus and temporal pole: Structural evidence from the cingulum pathways.

Neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated concurrent activation of the human precuneus and temporal pole (TP), both during resting-state conditions and various higher-order cognitive functions. However, the precise underlying structural connectivity between these brain regions remains uncertain despite significant advancements in neuroscience research. In this study, we investigated the connectivity of the precuneus and TP by employing parcellation-based fiber micro-dissections in human brains and fiber tractography techniques in a sample of 1065 human subjects and a sample of 41 rhesus macaques. Our results demonstrate the connectivity between the posterior precuneus area POS2 and the areas 35, 36, and TG of the TP via the fifth subcomponent of the cingulum (CB-V) also known as parahippocampal cingulum. This finding contributes to our understanding of the connections within the posteromedial cortices, facilitating a more comprehensive integration of anatomy and function in both normal and pathological brain processes. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Our investigation delves into the intricate architecture and connectivity patterns of subregions within the precuneus and temporal pole, filling a crucial gap in our knowledge. We revealed a direct axonal connection between the posterior precuneus (POS2) and specific areas (35, 35, and TG) of the temporal pole. The direct connections are part of the CB-V pathway and exhibit a significant association with the cingulum, SRF, forceps major, and ILF. Population-based human tractography and rhesus macaque fiber tractography showed consistent results that support micro-dissection outcomes.

Host population structure and rare dispersal events drive leptospirosis transmission patterns among Rattus norvegicus in Boston, Massachusetts, US.

Leptospirosis (caused by pathogenic bacteria in the genus Leptospira ) is prevalent worldwide but more common in tropical and subtropical regions. Transmission can occur following direct exposure to infected urine from reservoir hosts, such as rats, or a urine-contaminated environment, which then can serve as an infection source for additional rats and other mammals, including humans. The brown rat, Rattus norvegicus , is an important reservoir of leptospirosis in urban settings. We investigated leptospirosis among brown rats in Boston, Massachusetts and hypothesized that rat dispersal in this urban setting influences the movement, persistence, and diversity of Leptospira . We analyzed DNA from 328 rat kidney samples collected from 17 sites in Boston over a seven-year period (2016-2022); 59 rats representing 12 of 17 sites were positive for Leptospira . We used 21 neutral microsatellite loci to genotype 311 rats and utilized the resulting data to investigate genetic connectivity among sampling sites. We generated whole genome sequences for 28 Leptospira isolates obtained from frozen and fresh tissue from some of the 59 Leptospira -positive rat kidneys. When isolates were not obtained, we attempted Leptospira genomic DNA capture and enrichment, which yielded 14 additional Leptospira genomes from rats. We also generated an enriched Leptospira genome from a 2018 human case in Boston. We found evidence of high genetic structure and limited dispersal among rat populations that is likely influenced by major roads and/or other unknown dispersal barriers, resulting in distinct rat population groups within the city; at certain sites these groups persisted for multiple years. We identified multiple distinct phylogenetic clades of L. interrogans among rats, with specific clades tightly linked to distinct rat populations. This pattern suggests L. interrogans persists in local rat populations and movement of leptospirosis in this urban rat community is driven by rat dispersal. Finally, our genomic analyses of the 2018 human leptospirosis case in Boston suggests a link to rats as the source. These findings will be useful for guiding rat control and human leptospirosis mitigation efforts in this and other urban settings.

Dimensions of Depressive Symptoms in Young Children: Factor Analysis of the Preschool Feelings Checklist-Scale.

The current study is an investigation of the dimensionality of the Preschool Feelings Checklist-Scale (PFC-S), a caregiver-report questionnaire of early childhood depressive symptom severity. Caregivers of 450 young children, ages 3-8 years (M = 5.62, SD = 0.95; 49% female; 7% Hispanic; 66% White), completed the PFC-S and questionnaires on child emotion regulation and expression and self-reported depressive symptomatology. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a one-factor structure did not adequately fit the current PFC-S data. Using exploratory factor analysis, a three-factor structure emerged as interpretable and structurally sound, yielding reliable factors related to social and behavioral anhedonia, emotional and behavioral dysregulation, and excessive guilt and sadness. This factor structure showed configural and scalar invariance across preschool-aged and early middle childhood-aged children as well as children assigned male and female sex at birth. Correlations between the three factors and constructs related to depression suggested preliminary construct validity. The current study provides initial evidence for a multidimensional structure of the PFC-S and improves our understanding of early childhood depressive symptoms.

Conservation of C4BP-binding sequence patterns in Streptococcus pyogenes M and Enn proteins

Antigenically sequence variable M proteins of the major bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (Strep A) are responsible for recruiting human C4b-binding protein (C4BP) to the bacterial surface, which enables Strep A to evade destruction by the immune system. The most sequence divergent portion of M proteins, the hypervariable region (HVR), is responsible for binding C4BP. Structural evidence points to the conservation of two C4BP-binding sequence patterns (M2 and M22) in the HVR of numerous M proteins, with this conservation applicable to vaccine immunogen design. These two patterns, however, only partially explain C4BP-binding by Strep A. Here, we identified several M proteins that lack these patterns but still bind C4BP, and determined the structures of two, M68 and M87 HVRs, in complex with a C4BP fragment. Mutagenesis of these M proteins led to identification of amino acids that are crucial for C4BP-binding, enabling formulation of new C4BP-binding patterns. Mutagenesis was also carried out on M2 and M22 proteins to refine or generate experimentally grounded C4BP-binding patterns. The M22 pattern was the most prevalent among M proteins, followed by the M87 and M2 patterns, while the M68 pattern was rare. These patterns, except for M68, were also evident in numerous M-like Enn proteins. Binding of C4BP via these patterns to Enn proteins was verified. We conclude that C4BP-binding patterns occur frequently in Strep A strains of differing M types, being present in their M or Enn proteins, or frequently both, providing further impetus for their use as vaccine immunogens.

Clinical management, pathogen spectrum and outcomes in patients with pyogenic liver abscess in a German tertiary-care hospital

Pyogenic liver abscesses (PLA) are life-threatening disorders and require immediate treatment, but structured evidence is sparse and treatment guidelines are not established. In a retrospective observational study of 221 adult PLA patients (mean age 63 years, 63% men) treated between 2013 and 2019 at the Leipzig University Medical Center, we characterized pathogen spectrum, clinical management and outcomes. Biliary malignancies (33%), cholelithiasis (23%) and ischemic biliary tract disease (16%) were most common causes of PLA. Comorbidities included malignancies (40%) and diabetes mellitus (35%). Abdominal ultrasound was the preferred initial imaging modality (58%). Enterobacterales (58%), enterococci (42%) and streptococci (18%) were identified as most frequent pathogens. 97% of patients were treated with antibiotics and 75% of patients underwent an invasive treatment procedure. The 30-day mortality was almost identical in patients with and without underlying malignancy (14.6% vs. 14.4%, p = 0.96), while the one-year outcome differed significantly (58.4% vs. 29.6%, p < 0.001). Positive blood cultures (OR 4.78, 95% CI 1.39 to 22.5, p = 0.023) and detection of Enterobacterales (OR 3.55, 95% CI 1.40 to 9.97, p = 0.010) were associated with increased 30-day-mortality. We conclude that ultrasound, extensive microbiologic diagnosis, adequate anti-infective therapy and early intervention are crucial for the management of PLA.

Whole genome resequencing of sablefish at the northern end of their range reveals genetic panmixia and large putative inversions

Abstract Sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) are a highly mobile species that support important commercial fisheries in the North Pacific Ocean. Information on the genetic stock structure of sablefish is vital for constructing management strategies that ensure the long-term viability of the species. Most previous genetic studies on sablefish have found panmixia throughout the majority of their range, but a recent study suggested that a population structure may exist. Here, we use low-coverage whole genome resequencing to investigate genetic structure in the northern end of the species’ range (from Washington State, USA to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, AK, USA). Additionally, we reanalyzed an existing genomic dataset containing 2661 markers to test specific hypotheses about genetic structure by sex. Genome resequencing data from 119 individuals screened at 7 110 228 markers revealed no evidence of population structure, and reanalysis of the existing genomic dataset supported the same conclusion. Differentiation across the genome was largely driven by variation at two putative inversions located ∼1 megabase apart, which did not display any signals of geographic differentiation. Our study further supports the conclusion of genetic panmixia in sablefish throughout its northern range.

Landing on a small tropical island: Wide in-situ diversification of an urban-dwelling bat

Island endemic bats are a considerable cause of conservation concerns, as islands are vulnerable ecosystems facing natural and anthropogenic threats such as growing urbanization. Here, we studied the Reunion free-tailed bat (Mormopterus francoismoutoui), an endemic species to Reunion Island that has adapted to urban settings. We investigated the evolutionary history of Mormopterus at a regional scale, as well as on Reunion Island sex-specific and seasonal patterns of genetic structure. We used an extensive spatio-temporal sampling including 1136 individuals from 18 roosts and three biological seasons (non-reproductive/winter, pregnancy/summer, and mating), with additional samples of Mormopterus species from neighbouring islands (M. jugularis from Madagascar and M. acetabulosus from Mauritius). Complementary information gathered from both microsatellite and mitochondrial markers revealed high genetic diversity but no signal of spatial genetic structure and weak evidence of female philopatry. Regional analysis suggests a single colonization event for M. francoismoutoui, dated around 175,000 years ago, and followed by in-situ diversification and the evolution of divergent ancestral lineages, which today form a large metapopulation. Population expansion was relatively ancient (55,000 years ago) and thus not linked to human colonization and the availability of human-constructed day-roost sites. Discordant structure between mitochondrial and microsatellite markers suggests the presence of yet-unknown mating sites, or the recent evolution of putative ecological adaptations. Our study illustrates the challenge of detailed genetic studies to provide critical insights to insular ecology and evolutionary history, and the importance of both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA in exploring in-situ diversification of an urban-dwelling bat, endemic to a small island.

Alternatively Connected Corrole‐Porphyrin Multimetallic Complexes: Synthesis, Structure, and Properties

AbstractSynthetic multimetallic porphyrinoids are potential candidates in catalysis, molecular magnetism and as modern optoelectronic materials. Introducing electronic heterogenity in these multi‐porphyrinoids shall bring in novel electronic and redox characteristics. In this direction, herein we report four discrete Corrole‐Porphyrin‐Corrole C[10] ⋅ P[5,15] ⋅ C[10] hybrids that have both corrole and porphyrin units covalently connected together. Metal ions in diverse oxidation states have been incorporated into respective cores to achieve homo and heterotrinuclear metal complexes. Selective metalation at the porphyrin and corrole cores was achieved by step‐wise insertion of Zn(II)/Cu(II), Zn(II)/Ga(III) and Cu(II)/Cu(II) ions to suit the dianionic and trianionic pockets, respectively. Single crystal X‐ray diffraction studies reveal the solid‐state structural evidence for both homo‐, and hetero‐trinuclear metal complexes. The Zn(II) and Ga(III) moieties have two distinct geometries in the molecular assembly. The geometry of Zn(II) at the porphyrin core is a perfect square planar, whereas the Ga(III) geometry at the corrole is square pyramidal with pyridine as an axial ligand. In case of homotrinuclear Cu(II) complex, the Cu(II) ions adopt square planar geometry irrespective of the core. Similar to all porphyrin trimers, C[10] ⋅ P[5,15] ⋅ C[10] trimers exhibit significant excitonic coupling between corrole and porphyrin units in the absorption spectra. The cyclic voltametric investigations also reveal electronic coupling between the individual chromophores despite the non‐coplanar arrangement amongst the individual macrocycles.

Anatomy-Guided Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks (AG-STGCNs) for Modeling Functional Connectivity Between Gyri and Sulci Across Multiple Task Domains.

The cerebral cortex is folded as gyri and sulci, which provide the foundation to unveil anatomo-functional relationship of brain. Previous studies have extensively demonstrated that gyri and sulci exhibit intrinsic functional difference, which is further supported by morphological, genetic, and structural evidences. Therefore, systematically investigating the gyro-sulcal (G-S) functional difference can help deeply understand the functional mechanism of brain. By integrating functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with advanced deep learning models, recent studies have unveiled the temporal difference in functional activity between gyri and sulci. However, the potential difference of functional connectivity, which represents functional dependency between gyri and sulci, is much unknown. Moreover, the regularity and variability of the G-S functional connectivity difference across multiple task domains remains to be explored. To address the two concerns, this study developed new anatomy-guided spatio-temporal graph convolutional networks (AG-STGCNs) to investigate the regularity and variability of functional connectivity differences between gyri and sulci across multiple task domains. Based on 830 subjects with seven different task-based and one resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) datasets from the public Human Connectome Project (HCP), we consistently found that there are significant differences of functional connectivity between gyral and sulcal regions within task domains compared with resting state (RS). Furthermore, there is considerable variability of such functional connectivity and information flow between gyri and sulci across different task domains, which are correlated with individual cognitive behaviors. Our study helps better understand the functional segregation of gyri and sulci within task domains as well as the anatomo-functional-behavioral relationship of the human brain.

First evidence of vampyromorph cephalopod jaw structures from the Sinemurian, Lower Jurassic of Dorset

A new specimen of the Coleoidea from the Charmouth Mudstone Formation of the Dorset Coast has been identified as Loligosepia bucklandi (Voltz, 1840). The specimen includes the gladius and jaw fragments, which represent one of few records of its kind, but the head area, arms, hooks and suckers are not discernible. It can be favourably compared to other L. bucklandi fossils in the Natural History Museum in London and the J.F. Jackson Collection in the National Museum Wales in Cardiff. The range of L. bucklandi is determined to be from the Turneri Zone, Brooki Subzone to the Obtusum Zone, Stellare Subzone of the lower Sinemurian, with the new specimen stratigraphically a little older than the precisely located specimens in the J.F. Jackson Collection.

Initial validation of the expectancies for Benzodiazepine Analgesia Scale.

Chronic pain populations exhibit greater prevalence of benzodiazepine (BZD) prescription (vs. the general population) and greater likelihood of BZD use not as prescribed and dependence symptoms. Individuals report taking BZDs for pain relief, potentially contributing to maintenance/escalation of BZD use and hazardous couse with prescription opioids. Identifying cognitive factors underlying pain-BZD use relations represents a critical step toward understanding the role of pain in BZD use trajectories. Outcome expectancies for substance-related analgesia have been implicated in pain-substance use comorbidity (e.g., alcohol), and there is reason to believe these processes may extend to BZD use. The present study aimed to examine psychometric properties of a newly adapted Expectancies for Benzodiazepine Analgesia (EBA) scale and probe associations between EBA scores and prescription opioid use behaviors. Participants were 306 adults (38.9% females) endorsing chronic pain and current BZD prescription who completed an online survey. Results provided initial support for psychometric validity of the EBA: evidence of single-factor structure with good model fit (Bollen-Stine bootstrap p = .101), excellent internal consistency (α = .93), and evidence of concurrent validity via correlations with pain variables, likelihood of BZD use not as prescribed, BZD dependence symptoms, and self-reported BZD use for pain relief. Exploratory findings among participants prescribed opioids indicated positive covariation between EBA scores and behaviors associated with higher risk opioid use. This is, to our knowledge, the first study to assess analgesia expectancies for BZD use. BZD analgesic expectancies warrant further study as a treatment target in comorbid pain and BZD use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Fire in the rainforest: A 3200‐year history of fire in a West Kalimantan, Indonesia, tropical rainforest

AbstractDespite its perceived historical rarity, fire is an important disturbance in tropical rainforests. Very large rainforest fires have been observed multiple times in recent decades, often during years of strong El Niño‐Southern Oscillation droughts. Fire in rainforest has major short‐term consequences for humans and wildlife by converting forest to fire‐prone fern, shrub, and grass, but the long‐term effects remain to be seen. Borneo's indigenous groups have been using fire to clear land for centuries, yet the prevalence and spatial patterns of premodern fire across forest types in Borneo are not well understood. This research set out to reconstruct fire in a 1500‐ha primary rainforest spanning 800 m of elevation in Indonesian Borneo with the goal of elucidating the role humans have played in rainforest fire. We found that humans played an important role in the occurrence of fire in recent centuries. Evidence of fire—charcoal &gt;2 mm—is more abundant in forest types where humans would be more likely to live and/or practice swidden agriculture. However, pyrogenic material is ubiquitous across the study area, showing that all forest types have experienced fire. A set of 50 radiocarbon dates showed that in lowland areas—where human‐caused fire is most likely—fire occurred throughout the last 3200 years, peaking 1300–1600 ce. The upland areas lacked evidence of fire before 1250 ce but otherwise had a similar pattern to the lowlands. The period of high fire coincides with regional demographic changes as well as regional droughts documented elsewhere in Southeast Asia. In upland areas, fires likely burned only under regional drought when fires could more easily spread upslope. Although forest plot studies at this site show little structural evidence of past fires, tree diversity is lower than expected in the most burned areas (alluvial benches). Thus, our results suggest that land clearance was a major source of fire, but the current intact state of these rainforests indicates that they were largely resilient to fires and land use hundreds of years ago. Recent fires mirror patterns of fire spread that occurred hundreds of years ago, though their severity and extent are likely much greater.

Evidence of a Rod-like Structure for Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Samples in Aqueous Solution.

Because hydroxypropyl cellulose (HpC) is a popular polymeric material that forms a liquid crystalline phase in solutions with various kinds of solvents, including water, it is commonly thought that HpC has a typical rod-like structure in solution. In this study, the structures of commercial HpC samples in aqueous solution with average molar substitution numbers (MS) ranging from 3.6 to 3.9 and weight-average molar masses (Mw) ranging from 36 to 740 kg mol-1 were investigated in detail. We first used multiple techniques, including standard static and dynamic light scattering (SLS and DLS), neutron and X-ray scattering experiments, and viscometric measurements, to obtain clear evidence of rod-like structures quantitatively. The dependence of excess scattering intensities for HpC samples under dilute conditions on the magnitude of the scattering vector over a wide range from 8.9 × 10-3 to 3.0 × 10 nm-1 was reasonably described by the form factor of rod particles with length (L) and diameter (d). Although the determined L value was close to the contour length (lc) calculated from the Mw values in the lower Mw range, L became obviously less than lc with increasing Mw. The radius of gyration (Rg) determined via SLS measurements was proportional to L by a factor of approximately 3.5 ∼ √12 over the Mw range examined. These observations revealed that the conformation of HpC molecules changes from an elongated single chain to a certain folded structure, maintaining the shape of the rod-shaped particles. Moreover, the Mw dependencies of the intrinsic viscosities and translational diffusion coefficients of the HpC samples resulting from DLS measurements were reasonably described with a theoretical rod-like particle model, assuming that L and d are identical to those resulting from the scattering behaviors.

Spanish Adaptation of the D70 – The Dark Core of Personality in Spanish-Speaking Countries

Abstract: Socially aversive (“dark”) personality traits (e.g., Psychopathy, Narcissism, Machiavellianism, etc.) share many features which led Moshagen et al. (2018) to conceptualize D, the common core between them. This work aims to establish internal structure evidence for the validation of the Spanish version of its measure (D70) and to demonstrate measurement invariance across sex and country based on a total of 12,356 participants from six countries (Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru). Item analysis, reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis following a bifactor structure were performed in each sample in order to assess the psychometric properties of the test, following tests of measurement invariance regarding sex and country. Results showed that the Spanish version of the D70 is an essentially unidimensional and reliable measure, and further supported invariance across sex and countries. This gives cross-cultural researchers a new tool for studying the common core of dark personality in Spanish-speaking countries, and the applied psychologist the possibility to assess socially aversive personalities from the dark factor model.

Physicians found an interactive tool displaying structured evidence summaries for multiple comparisons understandable and useful: a qualitative user testing study

ObjectivesTo evaluate and improve “Making Alternative Treatment Choices Intuitive and Trustworthy” (MATCH-IT)—a digital, interactive decision support tool displaying structured evidence summaries for multiple comparisons—to help physicians interpret and apply evidence from network meta-analysis (NMA) for their clinical decision-making. Study Design and SettingWe conducted a qualitative user testing study, applying principles from user-centered design in an iterative development process. We recruited a convenience sample of practicing physicians in Norway, Belgium, and Canada, and asked them to interpret structured evidence summaries for multiple comparisons—linked to clinical guideline recommendations—displayed in MATCH-IT. User testing included (a) introduction of a clinical scenario, (b) a think-aloud session with participant–tool interaction, and (c) a semistructured interview. We video recorded, transcribed, and analyzed user tests using directed content analysis. The results informed new updates in MATCH-IT. ResultsDistributed across 5 development cycles we tested MATCH-IT with 26 physicians. Of these, 24 (94%) reported either no or sparse prior experience with interpretation of NMA. Physicians perceived MATCH-IT as easy to interpret and navigate, and appreciated its ability to provide an overview of the evidence. Visualization of effects in pictograms and inclusion of information on burden of treatment (“practical issues”) were highlighted as potentially useful features in interacting with patients. We also identified problems, including undiscovered functionalities (drag and drop), suboptimal tutorial, and cumbersome navigation of the tool. In addition, physicians wanted definition/explanation of key terms (eg, outcomes and “certainty”), and there were concerns that overwhelming evidence from a large NMA would complicate applicability to clinical practice. This led to several updates with development of a new start page, tutorial, updated user interface for more efficient maneuvering, solutions to display definition of key terms and a “frequently asked questions” section. To facilitate interpretation of large networks, we improved categorization of results using color coding and added filtering functionality. These modifications allowed physicians to focus on interventions of interest and reduce information overload. ConclusionThis study provides proof of concept that physicians can use MATCH-IT to understand NMA evidence. Key features of MATCH-IT in a clinical context include providing an overview of the evidence, visualization of effects, and the display of information on burden of treatments. However, unfamiliarity with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation concepts, time constraints, and accessibility at the point of care may be challenges for use. To what extent our results are transferable to real-world clinical contexts remains to be explored.

Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Tetradentate-Ligand-Based Chiral MOFs: Structural Evidence of Chirality Inversion

Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Tetradentate-Ligand-Based Chiral MOFs: Structural Evidence of Chirality Inversion

Clinical Features Post Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Associated with Structural Alterations in Corticospinal Tract.

Structural evidence for corticospinal tract (CST) abnormality between patients with ACLR and healthy controls, and the relationships between CST structure and clinical features of the patients (e.g., objective sensorimotor outcomes, postoperative duration) are lacking. To investigate whether the structural features of CST 1) differ between patients with ACLR and healthy controls, and 2) were associated with clinical features in patients following ACLR. Cross-sectional study. Sports medicine laboratory. Twenty-six patients who had undergone ACLR and twenty-six healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional investigation. Using the CST as the region of interest, we performed diffusion tensor imaging to measure the microstructure of white matter tracts. Between-group comparisons and correlation analyses with clinical features in patients with ACLR were performed. The patients with ACLR showed significant, moderate lower fractional anisotropy (FA, Cohen's d = -0.666, 95% CIs -1.221 to -0.104), lower axial diffusivity (AD, Cohen's d = -0.526, 95% CIs -1.077 to 0.030), and higher radial diffusivity (RD, Cohen's d = 0.514, 95% CIs -0.042 to 1.064) when compared to that of healthy controls, with the RD values being significantly correlated with the postoperative duration (r = 0.623, p < 0.001) after controlling the age, sex, and BMI in patients with ACLR. This study revealed that patients with ACLR have impaired integrity (lower FA values and higher RD values) in the CST contralateral to the ACLR injured limb in comparison with healthy controls. Decreased integrity (higher RD) of the CST in patients was significantly associated with longer postoperative duration, which hinted that impaired structural integrity of the CST may be a maladaptive process of neuroplasticity in ACLR.

A new continental hydrogen play in Damara Belt (Namibia).

Serpentinization is commonly presented as the main source of natural hydrogen (H2) in the continental domains. However, recent works in Australia and Brazil showed that Archean-Paleoproterozoic banded iron formations could be another natural source of H2 gas. Although the reaction that produces hydrogen is similar (Fe2+ oxidation-H2O reduction process), the iron content may be higher in banded iron formations than in mafic igneous lithologies, potentially generating H2 more efficiently. Here, we present structural evidence that reported H2 emissions from Waterberg Basin, Namibia are associated with underlying Neoproterozoic banded iron formations-the Chuos Formation. Magnetite, a known H2-generating mineral, is ubiquitous and accompanied by other suspected H2-generating minerals (biotite and siderite) in Chuos Formation. Magnetite occurs either as pervasive cm to dm continuous metamorphic laminations in foliation and fractures planes and/or diffusely disseminated in metachert and metacarbonate levels. From this, we infer that metamorphism does not negatively affect the Fe2+ content that is required to generate hydrogen. H2 seepages in Waterberg Basin suggest that an active H2-generating system may exist at depth and that the presence of potential traps and reservoirs is likely based on field observations.

AAPM&R consensus guidance on spasticity assessment and management.

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) conducted a comprehensive review in 2021 to identify opportunities for enhancing the care of adult and pediatric patients with spasticity. A technical expert panel (TEP) was convened to develop consensus-based practice recommendations aimed at addressing gaps in spasticity care. To develop consensus-based practice recommendations to identify and address gaps in spasticity care. The Spasticity TEP engaged in a 16-month virtual meeting process, focusing on formulating search terms, refining research questions, and conducting a structured evidence review. Evidence quality was assessed by the AAPM&R Evidence, Quality and Performance Committee (EQPC), and a modified Delphi process was employed to achieve consensus on recommendation statements and evidence grading. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) guided the rating of individual studies and the strength of recommendations. The TEP approved five recommendations for spasticity management and five best practices for assessment and management, with one recommendation unable to be graded due to evidence limitations. Best practices were defined as widely accepted components of care, while recommendations required structured evidence reviews and grading. The consensus guidance statement represents current best practices and evidence-based treatment options, intended for use by PM&R physicians caring for patients with spasticity. This consensus guidance provides clinicians with practical recommendations for spasticity assessment and management based on the best available evidence and expert opinion. Clinical judgment should be exercised, and recommendations tailored to individual patient needs, preferences, and risk profiles. The accompanying table summarizes the best practice recommendations for spasticity assessment and management, reflecting principles with little controversy in care delivery.

The Hyper Suprime-Cam extended Point Spread Functions and applications

Abstract We present extended point spread function (PSF) models for the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program Public Data Release 3 (HSC-SSP PDR3) in all g,r,i,Z and Y-bands. Due to its 8.2m primary mirror and long exposure periods, HSC combines deep images with wide-field coverage. Both properties make HSC one of the most suitable observing facilities for low surface brightness (LSB) studies, which are particularly sensitive to the PSF. By applying a median stacking technique of point-like sources with different brightness, we show how to construct the HSC-SSP PDR3 PSF models to an extent of R ∼ 5.6 arcmin. These models are appropriate for the HSC-PDR3 intermediate-state data which do not have applied the final aggressive background subtraction. The intermediate-state data is especially stored for users interested in large extended objects, where our new PSFs provide them with a crucial tool to characterise LSB properties at large angles. We demonstrate that our HSC PSFs behave reasonably in two scenarios. In the first one, we generate 2-D models of a bright star, showing no evidence of residual structures across the five bands. In the second scenario, we recreate the PSF-scattered light on mock images with special consideration of the effect of this additional flux on LSB measurements. We find that, despite the well-behaved nature of the HSC-PDR3 PSFs, there is a non-negligible impact on the faint light present in the mock images. This impact could lead to incorrect LSB measurements if a proper star subtraction is not applied.