Real Conditions Research Articles

One- and five-year mortality according to first use of ticagrelor or clopidogrel at the acute stage of myocardial infarction in elderly patients: the FAST-MI 2015 registry

Abstract Background Guidelines recommend ticagrelor over clopidogrel in patients with AMI, irrespective of their age. The PLATO trial, which showed lower mortality with ticagrelor, included only few very elderly patients. Purpose To analyze one- and 5-year outcomes according to use of ticagrelor vs clopidogrel as first P2Y12-inhibitor at the acute stage of AMI, in real-life conditions in patients aged ≥80 years. Methods FAST-MI 2015 included consecutive patients with AMI in 204 centers throughout France. This analysis focused on patients ≥ 80 years of age, in whom the first P2Y12-inhibitor used was either clopidogrel or ticagrelor. Both Cox time-dependent logistic regression and propensity score (PS) matching were used. Results Among 5,291 patients, 995 (19%) were aged ≥ 80 years, of whom 721 (72%) met the inclusion criteria. Mean age was 86 ± 4 years for patients receiving clopidogrel and 84±3 for those receiving ticagrelor, 54% and 52% respectively were women, and 37% vs 54% had STEMI. Using Cox time-dependent regression, the HR (95%CI) for use of ticagrelor vs clopidogrel first was 1.11 (0.75-1.67), P=0.59 for one-year death and 0.61 (0.43-0.86), P=0.004 for death from one to 5 years. After PS matching, the two cohorts (N=231 each) were well balanced; one-year mortality was similar for the 2 medications, while 5-year survival was higher for those receiving ticagrelor first (Figure). Conclusion In this real-world population of elderly patients (mean age 85 years) with AMI, the use of ticagrelor as the first P2Y12-inhibitor was associated with similar survival at one year and improved survival at 5 years, compared with clopidogrel. The diverging one- and 5-year results suggest the possibility of unmeasured confounders. Further research is needed in older patients.Kaplan-Meir curves: survival at 5-years

Benefits of a light- intensity bout of exercise on attentional networks functioning

The effects of physical exercise on attentional performance have received considerable interest in recent years. Most of previous studies that assessed the effect of an acute bout of exercise on attentional performance have generally been approached by analysing single attentional functions in isolation, thus ignoring the functioning of other attentional functions, which characterizes the real perception-action environmental conditions. Here, we investigated the effect of two different intensities (light vs. vigorous) of acute exercise on attentional performance by using the ANTI-Vea, a behavioral task that simultaneously measures three attentional functions (phasic alertness, orienting, and cognitive control) and the executive and arousal components of vigilance. 30 young (age = 20.93; SD = 1.51 years) physically active participants (21 men and 9 women) completed three experimental sessions: the first one to assess their physical fitness and baseline performance in the ANTI-Vea, and the other two sessions (in counterbalanced order) to assess changes in attentional and vigilance performance after an acute bout of light- intensity vs. vigorous- intensity physical exercise. Beneficial effects on some accuracy scores (i.e., overall higher accuracy in the attentional sub-task and fewer false alarms in the executive vigilance sub-task) were observed in the light- intensity exercise condition compared to baseline and vigorous- intensity. Additionally, the RT score of phasic alertness was increased after the light- intensity exercise in comparison with baseline. The present findings suggest that a bout of acute exercise at light- intensity might induce some short-term beneficial effects on some aspects of attention and vigilance.

Scalable enzymatic lactate sensor for continuous monitoring in interstitial fluid

Abstract Elevated lactate levels have been shown to be an indicator of poor outcome in cardiovascular patients [1]. Moreover, continuous monitoring of lactate may be more clinically valuable than the absolute value of lactate for risk stratification [2]. A promising approach involves the implementation of a lactate monitoring system inspired by advanced continuous glucose monitoring [3] to provide real-time measurements of lactate in interstitial fluid (ISF) based on miniaturized lactate sensors with submillimeter dimensions. The proposed amperometric lactate sensor employs Pt electrodes (WE = 0.785 mm²) on which the enzyme lactate oxidase is immobilized to selectively detect lactate. The sensing mechanism, shown in Fig. 1a, is based on the conversion of lactate to hydrogen peroxide, which then undergoes oxidation at the electrode surface, generating a current proportional to the concentration of lactate. Amperometric measurements are performed with an applied potential of 0.5 V, a sample volume of 2 µL and a flow rate of 1 µL/min, respecting real-life conditions. The response of the sensor towards lactate is shown in Fig. 1c, demonstrating excellent reversibility, long-term stability over 8 hours and negligible cross sensitivity to glucose (G), ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA). In addition, the sensor linear range can be extended by 10x by incorporating an outer Nafion layer, acting as a diffusion-limiter. As shown in Fig. 1d, by adjusting the thickness of Nafion layer, the linear range increases up to 20 mM lactate, as per ICU specifications. The physiological challenges associated with ISF extraction prompted us to develop a minimally invasive, submillimeter-sized sensor for direct placement inside the body. To address the most critical step of miniaturization, we have successfully fabricated a three-electrode platform on a Si ribbon measuring 300x1500 µm² and a thickness of 100 µm (Fig. 2a). The sensor is also drastically scaled down, with smallest design having a total sensing area of 200x500 µm² (WE = 0.026 mm², Fig. 2b). Its response to lactate is displayed in Fig. 2c, confirming a reliable functionality. Fig. 2d presents the calibration curves obtained from sensors with different sizes, indicating that the reduction in size does not affect the sensitivity. The developed lactate sensor demonstrates excellent performance: high sensitivity, excellent reversibility, and high stability. In addition, the linear range of the sensor is tunable by integrating an outer Nafion membrane. Finally, we demonstrate the successful fabrication and characterization of submillimeter-sized sensors, opening up their potential for minimally invasive in-vivo measurements.Working principle and characterizationCharacterization miniaturized sensors

A novel spine tester TO GO.

Often after large animal experiments in spinal research, the question arises-histology or biomechanics? While biomechanics are essential for informed decisions on the functionality of the therapy being studied, scientists often choose histological analysis alone. For biomechanical testing, for example, flexibility, specimens must be shipped to institutions with special testing equipment, as spine testers are complex and immobile. The specimens must usually be shipped frozen, and, thus, biological and histological investigations are not possible anymore. To allow both biomechanical and biological investigations with the same specimen and, thus, to reduce the number of required animals, the aim of the study was to develop a spine tester that can be shipped worldwide to test on-site. The "Spine Tester TO GO" was designed consisting of a frame with three motors that initiate pure moments and rotate the specimen in three motion planes. A load cell and an optical motion tracking system controlled the applied loads and measured range of motion (ROM) and neutral zone (NZ). As a proof of concept, the new machine was validated and compared under real experimental conditions with an existing testing machine already validated employing fresh bovine tail discs CY34 (n = 10). The new spine tester measured reasonable ROM and NZ from hysteresis curves, and the ROM of the two testing machines formed a high coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.986. However, higher ROM results of the new testing machine might be explained by the lower friction of the air bearings, which allowed more translational motion. The spine tester TO GO now opens up new opportunities for on-site flexibility tests and contributes hereby to the 3R principle by limiting the number of experimental animals needed to obtain full characterization of spine units at the macroscopic, biomechanical, biochemical, and histological level.

Genetic determinism of sensitivity to environmental challenges using daily feed intake records in three lines of pigs.

In pig breeding, environmental challenges can affect the welfare and productivity of animals. Resilient animals have the capacity to be minimally affected by these environmental challenges. Understanding the genetic basis of sensitivity to these environmental challenges is crucial for selecting more resilient animals, thereby enhancing welfare and productivity. The aims of this study were to: (1) estimate the probability of the occurrence of an unrecorded environmental challenge at a given day using daily feed intake (DFI) data, and (2) evaluate the genetic determinism of environmental sensitivity in three pig lines bred in real selection conditions. Data comprised of 100,799, 186,247, and 304,826 DFI records from 1,618, 2,517, and 3,788 Landrace (LA), Large White (LW) and Piétrain (PI) male pigs, respectively. The pedigree included 3,730, 5,649, and 9,293 animals for LA, LW, and PI, respectively. The probabilities of the occurrence of an unrecorded environmental challenge at a given day were estimated via a mixture model. The probabilities (p) of being "high CV days" were then taken as reference and used in genetic analysis as an environmental descriptor to describe the environment. DFI records were analysed using two linear models: a linear reaction norm animal model (RNAM) and the animal model. (Co)variance components were estimated using average-information restricted maximum likelihood (AI-REML). The means of the probabilities of the occurrence of an environmental challenge for LA, LW, and PI were 0.24, 0.10, and 0.22, respectively, indicating that the probability of an environmental challenge was low for most of the days. The genetic correlations between the intercept and the slope obtained from the RNAM for LA, LW, PI were -0.52, 0.06, and -0.36, respectively. These findings suggest that selecting hypothetically for decreased DFI in non-stressful conditions would result in pigs with increased DFI in stressful conditions in the LA and PI lines, whereas it would have a minor impact on the environmental sensitivity of LW. The proportion of resilient animals for LA, LW, and PI was 75.0, 74.2, and 72.2%, respectively, implying that most of the animals were resilient. The study demonstrated that the slope of DFI is heritable and can effectively be used as an indicator of sensitivity to environmental challenges. These results are valuable in improving the resilience of livestock species to environmental challenges through genetic selection.

Numerical simulation of the main stage of a lightning

We present a numerical model of the main stage of a lightning discharge. Within the framework of the developed model, evolution of parameters of the current channel upon the return stroke (the lightning main stage) is described by the system of equations governing conservation of mass, momentum, total energy, along with the transmission-line equations for determining the electric potential and the total current in each channel cross section. The main characteristics of lightning at the stage of the return stroke detectable experimentally, such as gas heating in the channel to temperatures in the range of 10–40 kK, the fundamental possibility of propagation of the potential-gradient wave at a speed varying from several hundredth to several tenths of the speed of light, and the possibility of the return-stroke wave propagating a relatively long distance without substantial attenuation, are demonstrated numerically. The conclusion that the developed physical and numerical model of the lightning discharge describes physical processes that occur under real conditions qualitatively correctly can be drawn based on the results on simulation of lightning discharges of various intensity.

Deep learning networks-based tomato disease and pest detection: a first review of research studies using real field datasets

Recent advances in deep neural networks in terms of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have enabled researchers to significantly improve the accuracy and speed of object recognition systems and their application to plant disease and pest detection and diagnosis. This paper presents the first comprehensive review and analysis of deep learning approaches for disease and pest detection in tomato plants, using self-collected field-based and benchmarking datasets extracted from real agricultural scenarios. The review shows that only a few studies available in the literature used data from real agricultural fields such as the PlantDoc dataset. The paper also reveals overoptimistic results of the huge number of studies in the literature that used the PlantVillage dataset collected under (controlled) laboratory conditions. This finding is consistent with the characteristics of the dataset, which consists of leaf images with a uniform background. The uniformity of the background images facilitates object detection and classification, resulting in higher performance-metric values for the models. However, such models are not very useful in agricultural practice, and it remains desirable to establish large datasets of plant diseases under real conditions. With some of the self-generated datasets from real agricultural fields reviewed in this paper, high performance values above 90% can be achieved by applying different (improved) CNN architectures such as Faster R-CNN and YOLO.

Optimizing rehabilitation strategies in Parkinson’s disease: a comparison of dual cognitive-walking treadmill training and single treadmill training

Dual cognitive-walking treadmill training (DTT), designed to replicate real-life walking conditions, has shown promise effect in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aims to compare the effects of DTT versus single treadmill training (STT) on cognitive and walking performance under both single and dual task conditions, as well as on fall, patients’ subjective feeling, and quality of life. Sixteen individuals with PD were randomly assigned to DTT or STT group and underwent 8 weeks of training. The DTT group received treadmill training with cognitive loads, while the STT group received treadmill training without cognitive load. Outcome measures included gait parameters (speed, step length) and cognitive performance (reaction time, accuracy, composite score) under both single and dual task conditions. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-part III (UPDRS-III), Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) were also measured. Both DTT and STT groups showed increased comfortable walking speed and step length. Only the DTT group demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive composite score under both single and dual task conditions, as well as UPDRS-III, FES, and PDQ-39(p < 0.05). DTT can enhance cognitive function without compromising walking ability and also have real-world transferability.

Instrument for Evaluation and Training of Decision Making in Dual Tasks in Soccer: Validation and Application

Training in team sports such as soccer requires advanced technical and tactical skills for effective decision-making, particularly when executing a shot. This study validates an innovative instrument, a training platform (TP), designed to measure and enhance decision-making in dual-task scenarios. The TP aims to improve visual–motor reactions in multitask environments that simulate real game conditions. Equipped with an LED panel, main circuitry, ball sensor, and targets, the TP challenges players to kick the ball in response to the illumination of the final LED array on the panel while hitting a designated target. The study evaluated three parameters: reaction time (RT), ball speed (BS) and accuracy. To validate the TP against a gold standard (GS), we conducted correlation analyses. The results exhibited very strong correlations for both RT (r = 0.997) and BS (r = 0.994). The mean differences between TP and GS measurements were 13 ± 15 ms for RT and 0.1 ± 0.5 km/h for BS. Bland–Altman plots revealed trend lines obtained by a simple linear regression of r = −0.507, p = 0.307 for RT and r = 0.134, p = 0.077 for BS. The TP effectively simulates game scenarios, offering advantages such as low-cost components, installation flexibility, test variability, instant feedback, and integration of physical and cognitive components of sports performance.

Molecular dynamics and small-angle x-ray scattering: a comparison computational and experimental approaches to studying the structure of biological complexes

The results of studying DNA-protein complexes using two independent structural methods – molecular dynamics (MD) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) – are compared. MD is a computational method that allows visualization of macromolecule behavior in real environmental conditions based on the laws of physics but suffers from numerous simplifications. SAXS is an X-ray method that allows the reconstruction of the three-dimensional structure of an object in solution based on the one-dimensional profile of small-angle scattering, which presents the problem of ambiguity in solving inverse problems. The use of structural characteristics of complexes obtained by the SAXS method for validating 3D structural models obtained in MD experiments has significantly reduced the ambivalence of theoretical predictions and demonstrated the effectiveness of combining MD and SAXS methods for solving structural biology problems.

Parasiticidal Properties of Nanoemulsion-Based Plant Essential Oil Formulations for Controlling Poultry Ectoparasites in Farm Conditions

Nanoemulsion-based plant essential oil formulations (NEOFs) have shown remarkable parasiticidal properties in laboratory settings, suggesting the potential for practical farm applications. This study investigates the efficacy of NEOFs—comprising clove and cinnamon essential oils (EOs)—in controlling poultry ectoparasites under real farm conditions. We evaluated the impact of NEOFs on ectoparasite populations, egg-laying performance, egg quality, leukocyte profiles in chicken blood, and potential insecticide residues in eggs. Conducted across various poultry farms, the results revealed that NEOFs achieved an over 95% ectoparasite eradication after two treatments, compared to significantly higher ectoparasite populations in untreated control groups. Egg production was notably higher in NEOF-treated flocks, and the feed conversion ratio was improved. No significant differences in leukocyte profiles were observed between the treated and control groups. In contrast, cypermethrin residues were detectable in eggs for more than eight weeks post-treatment. NEOFs achieved an over 97% ectoparasite extermination within seven days post-treatment, with farmer satisfaction averaging 4.83 out of 5.00. These findings position NEOFs as a highly effective, environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pesticides for managing poultry ectoparasites, offering a viable solution for sustainable poultry farming.

Fermentative and Enological Features of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Populations Generated Through Adaptive Laboratory Evolution

Adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) is a non-GMO technique utilized for the amelioration of wine yeast strains. Employing two-step ALE strategies, we recently acquired six evolved Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations with improved fermentative abilities compared to their parental strains in synthetic broths. Herein, we evaluated the qualities of the abovementioned evolved populations under real winemaking conditions, using the grape musts Assyrtiko and Roditis. The ethanol-tolerant populations evolved solely with glucose delayed to complete the fermentation due to slow fructose assimilation, albeit showing improved ethanol yields, compared to their parental strains. The volatile compounds of the evolved populations were significantly different from those of parental strains. Statistically significant differences were observed in the organoleptic profiles between the evolved populations’ and parental strains’ wines. Notably, wine from one evolved population (BLR200) was rated higher in overall aroma and quality. This study supports the magnitude of ALE strategies for the generation of novel wine yeasts.

Empirical Evaluation of the Replacement of Conventionally Powered Vehicles with Hybrid and Electric Vehicles on the Example of the Poznań Agglomeration

From the collected data of the Central Register of Vehicles, an average of 15,000 vehicles were registered per month in the Greater Poland region in 2020–2022. It should be borne in mind that most of them were conventionally powered cars-spark-ignition or compression-ignition engines, the daily operation of which negatively affects the environment. Institutions responsible for regulating the homologation of passenger vehicles are introducing increasingly stringent emission standards to reduce the harmful effects of vehicles on the environment. In addition, more and more public campaigns are being conducted on the use of cars equipped with alternative propulsion systems, e.g., electric, full-hybrid or increasingly popular hydrogen-powered vehicles. The publication presents forecasts for the replacement of vehicles equipped with spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines with cars equipped with hybrid propulsion systems or electric systems. Tests of vehicles in real operating conditions were carried out in the Poznań agglomeration in an urban area, where the number of vehicles per area is higher than in the case of a nonurban zone. The research objects were both cars equipped with a conventional drivetrain and a hybrid system. The research made it possible to draw up a hybridization index, which was then applied to the number of vehicles registered over the past few years.

Treatment regimens for laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a "real life" multicenter study of 2307 patients.

This retrospective multicenter study aimed to evaluate surgical versus conservative treatment in patients with hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer under real world conditions. This study included 2307 patients diagnosed with hypopharyngeal or laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in five German tertiary head and neck centers between 01/2004 and 12/2014. Overall, 783 patients with advanced SCC consecutively underwent laryng(opharyng)ectomy (L(P)E). Patient chart data regarding age, sex, tumor location, TNM status, grading, indication for L(P)E, treatment modalities, R status, postoperative complications, and hospitalization time were analyzed. Patients with lacking data and incomplete staging and those who refused treatment or did not comply with the recommended treatment were excluded from survival analysis. A slight but significant increase was observed in L(P)E, referring to an increasing rate of tumor recurrence. While T1/2N0M0 laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer patients showed comparable overall survival (OS) for surgical and conservative treatment, surgery showed significantly better OS in lymph node-positive individuals and locally advanced tumor stages. Tumor recurrence occurred in more than one-third of the cases. In particular, in early glottic cancer recurrence, L(P)E represents a curative and safe treatment option, whereas in supraglottic and hypopharyngeal cancer, L(P)E was associated with reduced survival rates. Notably, 36% of patients with supraglottic cancer and 59% of patients with hypopharyngeal cancer recurrence could only be treated with palliative care. Comparable survival rates were demonstrated for cT1/2N0M0 laryngeal and hypopharyngeal SCC compared with primary chemo-/radiotherapy and larynx-preserving surgery. Better OS was achieved after surgery in nodal-positive patients and in those with locally advanced disease. Tumor recurrence should be anticipated in up to 39% of cases. Glottic cancer recurrence can be successfully and safely treated with L(P)E, whereas OS is reduced in hypopharyngeal cancer and possibly in supraglottic cancer.

Conceptualization and First Realization Steps for a Multi-Camera System to Capture Tree Streamlining in Wind

Forests and trees provide a variety of essential ecosystem services. Maintaining them is becoming increasingly important, as global and regional climate change is already leading to major changes in the structure and composition of forests. To minimize the negative effects of storm damage risk, the tree and stand characteristics on which the storm damage risk depends must be known. Previous work in this field has consisted of tree-pulling tests and targets attached to selected branches. They fail, however, since the mass of such targets is very high compared to the mass of the branches, causing the targets to influence the tree’s response significantly, and because they cannot model dynamic wind loads. We, therefore, installed a multi-camera system consisting of nine cameras that are mounted on four masts surrounding a tree. With those cameras acquiring images at a rate of 10 Hz, we use photogrammetry and a semi-automatic feature-matching workflow to deduce a 3D model of the tree crown over time. Together with motion sensors mounted on the tree and tree-pulling tests, we intended to learn more about the wind-induced tree response of all dominant aerial tree parts, including the crown, under real wind conditions, as well as dampening processes in tree motion.

Modified Easley formula for elastic critical global shear buckling stress of corrugated steel webs considering real boundary conditions

The real juncture between corrugated steel webs (CSWs) and flanges follows a multi-segmented line, distinct from that of flat steel webs. Classic methods may yield significant deviations in predicting the elastic global shear buckling capacity of CSWs of various scales due to their failure to consider real boundary constraints. Therefore, a universally applicable formula for calculating the elastic critical global shear buckling stress of CSWs, which accounts for real boundary conditions, is proposed. This formula is pertinent to both large-scale engineering CSWs and small-scale testing CSWs. This study commenced with a comprehensive reassessment of the elastic global shear buckling calculation method. Subsequently, the influence of geometric parameter ratios on the elastic critical global buckling stress was examined. The primary parameter was identified and employed to improve the global buckling coefficient. The proposed calculation method was validated using different corrugation configurations, including 1000-type, 1200-type, 1600-type, 1800-type, and 2000-type CSWs, as well as other CSWs used in experimental settings. These results were compared with those obtained from other reference methods. Findings indicate that the accuracy of the classic theoretical method is affected by variations in both boundary conditions and geometric dimensions due to the constraint effect of real boundary conditions. Under the real boundary conditions, the elastic critical global shear buckling stress of CSWs with simply supported boundary conditions is close to that of CSWs with consolidated boundary conditions. The ratio of web height to corrugation depth primarily affects the elastic global shear buckling capacity, which decreases as the ratio increases. The Easley formula can be modified based on the web height to corrugation depth ratio. Comparisons of numerous numerical and theoretical results reveal that the proposed calculation method exhibits commendable computational precision. In comparison to alternative formulas, the proposed method demonstrates enhanced consistency for calculating CSWs with varying geometric dimensions and boundary conditions, thereby demonstrating its favorable applicability. These conclusions provide valuable reference for the shear design of CSWs.

Sulphate influence on strength development of cemented paste backfill with superplasticizer under field-like curing conditions

This study investigates the impact of sulphate on the strength development of cemented paste backfill (CPB) with polycarboxylate ether-based superplasticizers (PES) under curing conditions mimicking real field environments. These conditions include thermal (T, non-isothermal field temperature), hydraulic (H, drainage), mechanical (M, overburden stress), and chemical (C, PES, sulphate ions) factors. CPB samples with varying sulphate and PES contents were examined through mechanical and microstructural tests under these THMC conditions. The findings reveal that traditional methods for assessing sulphate influence on CPB strength, typically under standard lab conditions, do not adequately capture the mechanical response of CPB structures to sulphate in field scenarios. Real field curing conditions such as temperature, drainage, and stress significantly affect CPB’s mechanical response to sulphate. CPB samples incorporating PES and sulphate show notable improvements in early-age strength, emphasizing the beneficial role of elevated temperatures and the complex relationship between drainage, sulphate, and strength development. Elevated curing temperatures counterbalance sulphate's negative effects, boosting initial strength, while drainage conditions play a critical role in strength development by facilitating the removal of sulphate ions and reducing capillary water. Additionally, stress application at the start of curing aids solid particle rearrangement, promoting the release of free water and enhancing mechanical strength. The competitive adsorption between sulphate ions and PES on the cementitious matrix influences the dispersion of particles and strength development. This research offers crucial technical insights for designing durable CPB mixes suited to various on-site curing conditions, particularly enhancing initial strength across diverse field curing scenarios.

Visual imagination can influence visual perception - towards an experimental paradigm to measure imagination.

During visual imagination, a perceptual representation is activated in the absence of sensory input. This is sometimes described as seeing with the mind's eye. A number of physiological studies indicate that the brain uses more or less the same neural resources for visual perception of sensory information and visual imagination. The intensity of visual imagination is typically assessed with questionnaires, while more objective measures are missing. Aim of the present study was, to test a new experimental paradigm that may allow to objectively quantify imagination. For this, we used priming and adaptation effects during observation of ambiguous figures. Our perception of an ambiguous stimulus is unstable and alternates spontaneously between two possible interpretations. If we first observe an unambiguous stimulus variant (the conditioning stimulus), the subsequently presented ambiguous stimulus can either be perceived in the same way as the test stimulus (priming effect) or in the opposite way (adaptation effect) as a function of the conditioning time. We tested for these conditioning effects (priming and adaptation) using an ambiguous Necker Cube and an ambiguous Letter /Number stimulus as test stimuli and unambiguous variants thereof as conditioning stimuli. In a second experimental condition, we tested whether the previous imagination of an unambiguous conditioning stimulus variant - instead of its observation - can have similar conditioning effects on the subsequent test stimulus. We found no systematic conditioning effect on the group level, neither for the two stimulus types (Necker Cube stimuli and Letter /Number stimuli) nor for the two conditions (Real and Imaginary). However, significant correlations between effects of Real and Imaginary Condition were observed for both stimulus types. The absence of conditioning effects at the group level may be explained by using only one conditioning time, which may fit with individual priming and adaptation constants of some of our participants but not of others. Our strong correlation results indicate that observers with clear conditioning effects have about the same type (priming or adaptation) and intensity of imaginary conditioning effects. As a consequence, not only past perceptual experiences but also past imaginations can influence our current percepts. This is further confirmation that the mechanisms underlying perception and imagination are similar. Our post-hoc qualitative observations from three self-defined aphantasic observers indicate that our paradigm may be a promising objective measure to identify aphantasia.

Rigor and Reproducibility of Digital Spatial Profiling on Clinically Sourced Human Tissues.

Spatial transcriptomic profiling enables precise quantification of gene expression with simultaneous localization of expression profiles onto tissue structures. This new technology promises to improve our understanding of the disease mechanisms. Therefore, there is intense interest in applying these methods in clinical trials or as laboratory developed tests to aid in diagnosis of disease. Before these technologies can be more broadly deployed in clinical research and diagnostics, it is necessary to thoroughly understand their performance in real world conditions. In this study, we vet technical reproducibility, data normalization methods and assay sensitivity focusing predominantly on one widely used spatial transcriptomic methodology, digital spatial profiling. Using clinically sourced human tissue specimens, we find that digital spatial profiling exhibits high rigor and reproducibility. Our approach lays the foundation for incorporation of digital spatial profiling methods into clinical workflows.

Evaluation of the Antecedent Saturation and Rainfall Conditions on the Slope Failure Mechanism Triggered by Rainfalls

The stability analysis of rainfall-induced slope failures considers a number of factors including the characteristics of the rainfall, vegetation, geometry of the slope, unsaturated soil characteristics, infiltration capacity, and saturation degree variations. Amongst all these factors, this study aims to investigate the effects of the antecedent rainfall and saturation conditions. A numerical modeling study was conducted using finite difference code software on a representative slope geometry with two different soil types. Two scenarios were followed: The first involved the application of three different rainfall intensities for varying initial saturation levels between 40% and 60%, representing the antecedent saturation conditions. The second scenario involved modeling successive rainfalls for a typical initial saturation degree of 50%. The impact of antecedent rainfall was assessed by determining the time required for failure during the application of a main extreme rainfall after a preceding rainfall of varying durations. Consequently, a zone of susceptible time for failure was suggested for use as a criterion in hazard management, allowing for the tracking of rainfall and its duration through the proposed chart for potential failures. Once the anticipated critical rainfall intensities have been determined through a meteorological analysis, a risk assessment for a specific slope can be conducted using the proposed practical procedure. Accordingly, a control mechanism may be established to detect the potential for a natural hazard. Furthermore, the proposed procedure was applied to a case study, whose modeling insights were in harmony with the real conditions of the slope failure. Thus, this demonstrated the significance of the antecedent conditions in modeling landslides triggered by rainfalls.