The effects of cognitive training on driving performance.

Driving is a complex task necessitating an intricate interplay of sensory, motor, and cognitive abilities. Extensive research has underscored the role of neurocognitive functions, including attention, memory, executive functions, and visuospatial skills, in driving safety and performance. Despite evidence suggesting cognitive training's potential in enhancing driving abilities, comprehensive cognitive training's impact on driving performance in young adult drivers remains unexplored. Our study aimed to fill this gap by implementing an intensive, 8-week, multidomain computerized cognitive training program and assessing its transfer effects on the driving performance of young adult drivers, using a high-fidelity simulator. The study employed a randomized controlled trial design, with passive control group. The mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a notable interaction between the time of testing and the respective participant groups concerning driving performance. Post hoc analyses showed that, compared to the control group, participants undergoing cognitive training demonstrated significantly fewer traffic infractions in the post-training evaluation. These findings suggest that cognitive training could be a useful tool for enhancing driving safety and performance in young adult drivers. Further research should aim to address the limitations posed by the absence of an active control group.

Multi-level determinants of timely routine childhood vaccinations in The Gambia: Findings from a nationwide analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Achieving the ambitious goals of the Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030) requires a deeper understanding of factors influencing under-vaccination, including timely vaccination. This study investigates the demand- and supply-side determinants influencing the timely uptake of key childhood vaccines scheduled throughout the first year of life in The Gambia. METHODS: We used two nationally-representative datasets: the 2019-20 Gambian Demographic and Health Survey and the 2019 national immunisation facility mapping. Using Bayesian multi-level binary logistic regression models, we identified key factors significantly associated with timely vaccination for five key vaccines: birth dose of hepatitis-B (HepB0), first, second, and third doses of the pentavalent vaccine (Penta1, Penta2, Penta3), and first-dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) in children aged 12-35 months. We report the adjusted Odds Ratios (aORs) and 95 % Credible Intervals (95 % CIs) in each case. RESULTS: We found that demand-side factors, such as ethnicity, household wealth status, maternal education, maternal parity, and the duration of the household's residency in its current location, were the most common drivers of timely childhood vaccination. However, supply-side factors such as travel time to the nearest immunisation clinic, availability of cold-storage and staffing numbers in the nearest immunisation clinic were also significant determinants. Furthermore, the determinants varied across specific vaccines and the timing of doses. For example, delivery in a health facility (aOR = 1.58, 95 %CI: 1.02-2.53), living less than 30 min (aOR = 2.11, 95 %CI: 1.2-8.84) and living between 30 and 60 min (aOR = 3.68, 95 %CI: 1.1-14.99) from a fixed-immunisation clinic was associated with timely HepB0, a time-sensitive vaccine that must be administered within 24 h of birth. On the other hand, children who received Penta1 and Penta2 on time were three- to five-fold more likely to receive subsequent doses on time (Penta2 and Penta3, respectively). Finally, proximity to an immunisation facility with functional vaccine cold-storage was a significant supply-side determinant of timely MCV1 (aOR = 1.4, 95 %CI: 1.09-1.99). CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide valuable insights for programme managers and policymakers. By prioritising interventions and allocating scarce resources based on these identified determinants, they can maximize their impact and ensure children in The Gambia receive timely vaccinations throughout their first year of life, contributing to IA2030 goals.

Common drivers shaping niche distribution and climate change responses of one hundred tree species.

Climate change is increasingly contributing to climatic mismatches, in which habitat suitability changes outpace the dispersal abilities of species. Climate niche models (CNM) have been widely used to assess such impacts on tree species. However, most studies have focused on either a single or a limited number of species, or have employed a fixed set of climate variables for multiple species. These limitations are largely due to the constraints of data availability, the complexity of the modeling algorithms, and integration approaches for the projections of diverse species. Therefore, whether specific climatic drivers determine the climatic niches of multiple tree species remains unclear. In this study, CNMs were developed for 100 economically and ecologically important tree species in China and were used to project their future distribution individually and collectively. Continentality was the predominant climate variable, affecting 71 species, followed by seasonal precipitation, which also significantly influenced over 50 species. Of the 100 tree species, the climate niche extent was projected to expand for 29 ("winners"), contract for 36 ("losers"), be stable for 27, and fluctuate for the remaining eight species. Principal component analysis showed that winners and losers were differentiated by geographic variables and the top five climatic variables, however, not by species type (deciduous vs. evergreen or conifer vs. broadleaf). The regions with the highest species richness were mainly distributed in the Hengduan Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot, and were predicted to increase from 5.2% to 7.5% of the total area. Areas with low species richness were projected to increase from 33.0% to 42.4%. Significant shifts in species composition were anticipated in these biodiversity-rich areas, suggesting potential disruption owing to species reshuffling. This study highlights the urgent need for proactive forest management and conservation strategies to address the impacts of climate change on tree species and preserve ecological functions by mitigating climatic mismatches. In addition, this study establishes a framework to identify the common environmental drivers affecting niche distribution and evaluates the collective patterns of multiple tree species, thereby providing a scientific reference for enhanced forestry management and climate change mitigation.

Patient-Initiated Nationwide Survey on Testing for Actionable Oncogenic Drivers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports indicated still low implementation rates of multigene testing for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Japan. METHODS: This is a retrospective study launched at the initiative of lung cancer patients. Patients with stage IV NSCLC from January 2019 to December 2022 were investigated for testing of 8 actionable oncogenic drivers with targeted therapies available as of 2022. RESULTS: A total of 15,719 patients were included. Between 2019 and 2022, the percentage of patients who were not tested for any actionable oncogenic drivers remained the same, ranging from 21.5% to 33.1%. However, since late 2021, the percentage of patients tested for five or more actionable oncogenic drivers has increased. Across hospital categories and regions, the number of actionable oncogenic drivers tested was similar. CONCLUSIONS: This patient-initiated national survey in Japan reveals the recent nationwide increase in testing rates for actionable oncogenic drivers in Advanced NSCLC.

Using the Health Belief Model to Understand Why Making Oral HIV Self-Testing Available to Truck Drivers in Kenya Had Little Impact on Six-Month Testing.

Research has found that offering HIV self-testing (HIVST) to truckers in Kenya increased testing rates at baseline but not over 6-month follow-up. We explored possible explanations based on the Health Belief Model by assessing HIV risk perception, self-efficacy, and fatalism as possible effect modifiers of the impact of offering HIVST (intervention n = 150) versus standard of care (SOC n = 155) on 6-month testing on the multiplicative and additive scales using log binomial and linear binomial regression and stratifying on significant modifiers. We found significant interaction between the intervention and fatalism on both the multiplicative (p = 0.020) and additive (p = 0.020) scales. In the stratified models, the HIVST intervention was associated with higher HIV testing among participants with low fatalism but lower testing among those with high fatalism (risk ratio [RR] = 1.30, p = 0.065 versus RR = 0.74, p = 0.072; risk difference [RD] per 100 = 14.00, p = 0.080 versus RD=-14.69, p = 0.086). Truckers in Kenya are described as being highly fatalistic, feeling lack of control over their lives and health. We found that fatalistic views negated the potential benefit of offering HIVST to truckers. For HIVST to have an impact among truckers, psychosocial interventions may be needed that address fatalistic views.

RESUMEN: Investigaciones han encontrado que ofrecer la autoprueba del VIH (AP-VIH) a los camioneros en Kenia aumentó las tasas de pruebas al inicio pero no durante el seguimiento de 6 meses. Hemos explorado posibles explicaciones basadas en el Modelo de Creencias de Salud, evaluando la percepción de riesgo para el VIH, la autoeficacia, y el fatalismo como posibles modificadores del impacto de ofrecer la AP-VIH (intervención n = 150) versus atención estándar (AE n = 155) en la probabilidad de hacer la prueba del VIH durante 6 meses de seguimiento en la escala multiplicativa y aditiva utilizando regresión log binomial y linear binomial y estratificación en modificadores significativos. Encontramos una interacción significativa entre la intervención y el fatalismo en la escala multiplicativa (p = 0,020) y aditiva (p = 0,020). En los modelos estratificados, la intervención AP-VIH se asoció con mayor índice de prueba de VIH entre participantes con bajo fatalismo, pero con menor índice de prueba entre aquellos con alto fatalismo (riesgo relativo [RR] = 1,30, p = 0,065 versus RR = 0,74, p = 0,072; diferencia de riesgo [DR] por 100 = 14.00, p = 0.080 versus DR=-14.69, p = 0.086). Los camioneros en Kenia son descritos como muy fatalistas y sienten falta de control sobre sus vidas y su salud. Encontramos que las opiniones fatalistas niegan el beneficio potencial de ofrecer la AP-VIH entre los camioneros. Para que la AP-VIH tenga un impacto positivo entre los camioneros, intervenciones psicosociales pueden ser necesarias para abordar las opiniones fatalistas.

Regional-scale disturbances drive long-term decline of inshore coral reef fish assemblages in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Anthropogenic pressure is increasing the variety and frequency of environmental disturbance events, limiting recovery and leading to long-term declines in wild plant and animal populations. Coral reefs and associated fish assemblages are inherently dynamic due to their susceptibility to a host of disturbances, but regional-scale nuances in the drivers of long-term change frequently remain poorly resolved. Here, we examine the effects of multiple potential drivers of change in coral reef fish assemblages across 4 inshore regions of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP), Australia, over 12-14 years (2007-2021). Each region had a unique disturbance history, in conjunction with long-term changes in physical and habitat variables. Phases of recovery were apparent in the years between disturbance events at all locations, but these were not long enough to prevent substantial declines in reef fish density (by 33%-72%) and species richness (by 41%-75%) throughout the study period. The main drivers of change in fish assemblages varied among regions; however, the most rapid changes followed cyclone and flood events. Limited recovery periods resulted in temporal shifts in fish species composition from typically coral-associated to algae-associated. Most trophic groups declined in density except farmers, grazers, omnivores and parrotfish. No-take marine reserves (NTMRs) had small and inconsistent effects on total fish assemblages, but delivered benefits for fishery-targeted piscivores. Our findings suggest that coral reef responses to local stressors and cumulative escalating climate change impacts are highly variable at regional scales, and that small NTMRs are unlikely to mitigate the impacts of increasingly frequent climatic disturbances. Nearshore coral reefs worldwide are high-value habitats that are either already degraded or vulnerable to degradation and the loss of important fish groups. Global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be coupled with effective local management that can support the functioning and adaptive capacity of coral reefs.

Validation of the European Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening (EUROSAS) in Professional Male Drivers.

(1) Background: The European Union Driver License Committee recently developed a questionnaire as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), named the European Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening (EUROSAS) questionnaire for drivers. The aim of the current study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of the EUROSAS to predict risk of OSA in professional male drivers. (2) Methods: Fifty-eight drivers were included in the current study. All participants were asked to fill out the EUROSAS before an overnight polysomnography (PSG) in the hospital. OSA was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 5 events/hour on the PSG. (3) Results: Out of 58 participants, the EUROSAS correctly identified 39 (67.2%) cases as having high-risk OSA and one patient as having low-risk OSA, using AHI ≥ 5 events/h. The results indicated that the EUROSAS has a sensitivity of 67.2%, a specificity of 33.3%, a positive predictive value of 94.8%, and a negative predictive value of 5.2%. Similar results were obtained using AHI cut-offs of 15 and 30 events/h. (4) Conclusions: The EUROSAS provides a moderate level of accuracy for the screening of OSA in the professional male drivers. It seems that the diagnostic performance of the EUROSAS is not promising as an alternative questionnaire to identify professional drivers with OSA, probably due to participant response bias. Despite its limited evidence, the EUROSAS might have potential as a clinical screening tool in the general population.

An investigation into the role of driver characteristics in driving behaviours and subsequent clustering of Indian bus drivers.

OBJECTIVES: Aberrant driving behaviours among bus drivers cause serious concerns to safety on the road. The present study aimed to measure the effects of driver characteristics on aberrant and positive driving behaviours among bus drivers and to group drivers accordingly. The study was carried out among bus drivers of the government-owned road transport corporation in Kerala, India. METHODS: A total of 1120 drivers took part in the survey, out of which 617 drivers returned the forms with all questions answered (response rate = 55.1%). SPSS version 27.0 was used for analysis. RESULTS: Structural equation modelling proved the predictive nature of driver characteristics on driving behaviours. K-means cluster analysis revealed clusters such as violating and angry drivers (cluster 1), knowledgeable drivers with positive driving behaviours (cluster 2), healthy and stress-free drivers (cluster 3), erroneous and stressed drivers (cluster 4) and calm drivers with positive driving behaviours (cluster 5). CONCLUSION: Positive relationships of anger and stress on aberrant driving behaviours and higher number of drivers in clusters 1 and 4 reveal concerns of safety. The study points towards the necessity of organizational commitment for improving driver characteristics for better driver behaviours and safer roads.

Validation of the European visual field standards for driving: A driving simulator-based study.

PURPOSE: To determine whether we could establish evidence-based pass/fail criteria for perimetry in the context of the European visual field standards for driving. METHODS: This two-centre, cross-sectional study included participants with binocular visual field loss that had led to revocation of a group-1 driving licence. The participants underwent cognitive and binocular visual testing, including the European Driving Test (EDT), a perimetry algorithm that adheres to the European visual field standards. We used a high-fidelity driving simulator to compare the driving ability of these participants with healthy controls. Two driving instructors classified each driving test as passed or failed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and area under the curve (AUC) determined the ability of perimetry to discriminate between passed and failed driving tests. RESULTS: The study included 70 participants with visual field loss and 37 controls. A non-significantly higher proportion of controls passed the driving test (75% vs. 63%; p = 0.22). In ROC analysis, contrast sensitivity performed best (AUC of 0.73), followed by NEI VFQ-25 (AUC of 0.64). Peripheral visual field (AUC of 0.56) and central visual field (AUC of 0.47) performed weaker. Combining the central and peripheral visual field, and their interaction, increased AUC to 0.63. CONCLUSION: Perimetry was a poor predictor of simulator-based driving test result, and we could not establish appropriate pass/fail criteria for the European visual field standards. Because perimetry is not an accurate diagnostic tool for fitness to drive, a practical driving assessment should be performed in case of doubt.

Perception, Practice and Cost Burden of Medical Tourism Among Physicians in Public Tertiary Health Facilities in Oyo State, South-West, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Physicians are key to the clinical decision-making of their clients. Their perception and practice of medical tourism could influence their clients' uptake of the same. This study assessed the perceptions about medical tourism among physicians practising in public tertiary health facilities in Oyo state. We then assessed its practice and cost burden among physicians who had ever engaged in medical tourism. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study conducted in 2019 involved 360 physicians working in two public tertiary health facilities in Oyo State, selected via a two-stage simple random sampling technique. Quantitative data was collected using a semi-structured pre-tested self-administered tool. Data collected was analysed using STATA 17.0 with statistical significance inferred at p<0.05. FINDINGS: The physicians' mean score on knowledge of medical tourism was 4.0±0.8 of 5 marks obtainable. Organ transplant was the most commonly known reason for engaging in medical tourism. Destination country hospital facilities and equipment ranked highest and cost considerations ranked least of perceived factors promoting it. Twenty-four (6.7%) of the physicians studied ever engaged in medical tourism, while 258 (71.7%) intend to if the need arose. The most popular destination country was India. The mean direct cost of engaging in medical tourism was $3,351±$4,357. The mean indirect cost was $2,389±$774, while the mean total cost was $5,739.6±$4,841.8. The majority of the 24 physicians (83.3%) who engaged in medical tourism suffered catastrophic health spending from it. CONCLUSION: High burden of medical tourism on the physicians. Funds spent on medical tourism by them could be used to strengthen the delivery of health services, such as ensuring children are fully immunised.

CONTEXTE: Les médecins jouent un rôle clé dans la prise de décision clinique de leurs patients. Leur perception et leur pratique du tourisme médical pourraient influencer l'adoption de cette pratique par leurs patients. Cette étude a évalué les perceptions concernant le tourisme médical parmi les médecins exerçant dans des établissements de santé tertiaires publics de l'État d'Oyo. Nous avons ensuite évalué sa pratique et son coût parmi les médecins ayant déjà eu recours au tourisme médical. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Cette étude transversale menée en 2019 a impliqué 360 médecins travaillant dans deux établissements de santé tertiaires publics de l'État d'Oyo, sélectionnés par une technique d'échantillonnage aléatoire simple en deux étapes. Des données quantitatives ont été recueillies à l'aide d'un outil semi-structuré pré-testé et auto-administré. Les données collectées ont été analysées à l'aide de STATA 17.0, avec une signification statistique déduite à p<0,05. RÉSULTATS: Le score moyen des médecins en termes de connaissance du tourisme médical était de 4,0±0,8 sur 5 points possibles. La greffe d'organes était la raison la plus souvent citée pour recourir au tourisme médical. Les infrastructures et équipements hospitaliers du pays de destination étaient les facteurs les plus influents, tandis que les considérations de coût étaient les moins perçues. Vingt-quatre (6,7 %) des médecins étudiés avaient déjà eu recours au tourisme médical, tandis que 258 (71,7 %) avaient l'intention de le faire en cas de besoin. Le pays de destination le plus populaire était l'Inde. Le coût direct moyen du recours au tourisme médical était de 3 351 $±4 357 $. Le coût indirect moyen était de 2 389 $±774 $, tandis que le coût total moyen était de 5 739,6 $±4 841,8$. La majorité des 24 médecins (83,3 %) ayant eu recours au tourisme médical ont subi des dépenses de santé catastrophiques à cause de cela. CONCLUSION: Le fardeau du tourisme médical sur les médecins est élevé. Les fonds dépensés pour le tourisme médical pourraient être utilisés pour renforcer la prestation des services de santé, comme assurer que les enfants soient entièrement vaccinés. MOTS CLÉS: Tourisme médical, Connaissance, Pratique, Fardeau des coûts, Services de santé, Dépenses de santé catastrophiques, Facteurs déterminants du tourisme médical, Touristes médicaux.

Proximate and ultimate drivers of norms and norm change.

We describe a formal model of norm psychology that can be applied to better understand norm change. The model integrates several proximate drivers of normative behavior: beliefs and preferences about a) material payoffs, b) personal norms, c) peer disapproval, d) conformity, and e) authority compliance. Additionally, we review interdisciplinary research on ultimate foundations of these proximate drivers of normative behavior. Finally, we discuss opportunities for integration between the proposed formal framework and several psychological sub-fields.

Harnessing conformational drivers in drug design.

This review article explores the pivotal role of conformational drivers in the discovery of drug-like molecules and illustrates their significance through real-life examples. Understanding molecular conformation is paramount to drug hunting as it can impact on- and off-target potency, metabolism, permeability, and solubility. Each conformational driver or effector is described and exemplified in a separate section. The final section is dedicated to NMR spectroscopy and illustrates its utility as an essential tool for conformational design.

Fuel for collective action: A SWOT analysis to identify social barriers and drivers for a local woody biomass supply chain in an Italian alpine valley.

The role of woody biomass in the clean energy transition is substantial in the EU. Forest residues are one of the main biomass sources that can be used for energy production, but their use to support the energy transition is still limited for several reasons. Research has shown that the use of forest residues in energy production can be effectively stimulated through collective actions that aim to develop short and local supply chains. This study aims to identify the barriers and drivers for the development of a local supply chain for forest residues in an Italian alpine valley, gathering and analysing the perspectives of all involved local actors, that is, (i) suppliers - the communities that own the forest resources, (ii) intermediaries - the forest professionals providing extension and advice services to owners and the harvesting companies; and (iii) the final consumers, in this case the local municipalities and hospitality enterprises. Data are analysed using a SWOT analysis. The results show that the suppliers identified opportunities especially, while the final consumers focused more on strengths, weaknesses, and threats. The SWOT categories in terms of the number of different factors were weaknesses (37 %), strengths (27 %), threats (18 %), and opportunities (17 %). Opportunities and strengths were considered as drivers, while threats and weaknesses were barriers. Several drivers emerged, such as a general predisposition toward the development of a local supply chain for forest residues, social homogeneity in terms of knowledge and management of the land, and common challenges. Barriers also emerged in the form of limited know-how on the supply chain potential, but also in limited availability to concede control between different forest owners over their property. The SWOT results are useful to design strategies to support the development of the supply chain: four possible strategies, amongst which flexible cooperation processes between different categories of stakeholders, and the organisation of a buying group of the hospitality enterprises, were suggested.

Retrospective quality review of Department of Transportation (DOT) commercial drivers medical examination forms.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of completion among both drivers and medical examiners in filling out Commercial Driver's (CD) Medical Examination Report Forms. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study of abstracted data from the year 2019. CD Medical Examination Report Forms, collected from a single nationally-based employer and initially reviewed by corporate medical directors, were evaluated by the study team for completeness of documentation provided by both drivers and medical examiners (MEs). Relevant findings included unanswered questions, inconsistency between responses, and lack of necessary elaboration for positive responses. RESULTS: Among 1603 examinations, MEs completed the Medical Examination Report Form incompletely or incorrectly in 30% of examinations (n = 484). Drivers inconsistently filled out their health history with elaborations 38.7% of the time. Most commonly, they failed to elaborate on positive health history responses in 28.7% of examinations, but other types of errors were noted as well. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable proportion of drivers or examiners (n = 890, 55%) failed to adequately or correctly complete CD Medical Examination Report forms.

Understanding health needs of professional truck drivers to inform health services: a pre-implementation qualitative study in a Canadian Province.

OBJECTIVES: Long-haul truck drivers experience multiple challenges, including increased health risks. A large percentage of professional truck drivers (PTDs) suffer from numerous chronic physical health conditions such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, sleep disorders, etc.) as well as poor mental health and social challenges. Furthermore, this population experiences numerous barriers related to accessing health care services including primary care and resources to improve their health. PTDs living in rural and remote areas are at higher risk. The objective of this study is to understand the views of PTDs and the trucking industry on health and personalized healthcare interventions and services. METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-six individuals with contextual knowledge and experience in the trucking ecosystem, to better understand the needs, expectations, and preferences of PTDs based in New Brunswick (Canada), related to their health (physical, mental, and social). Analysis of the audiotape recording was conducted using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: Three major themes emerged from the qualitative analysis describing PTDs' health needs, existing health and preventive services, as well as recommendations for personalized healthcare interventions and services to be implemented: (1) "My life as a trucker!" Understanding needs and challenges, (2) "Taking care of myself, do you think it is easy while you're on the road?" Describing drivers and motivators for better health, and (3) "Can you hear what we need?" Translating needs into recommendations for tailored health services and preventative services. CONCLUSION: A highly demanding work environment and lack of timely access to integrated primary care negatively affect PTDs' health. Results of this study shed light on how to tailor primary care to improve its responsiveness and adequacy to PTDs' needs and realities. PTDs-sensitive integrated services, including multicomponent interventions (health education, coaching for lifestyle changes, and social support), are still lacking within the New Brunswick health system.

A Shift in Approach to Addressing Public Health Inequities and the Effect of Societal Structural and Systemic Drivers on Social Determinants of Health.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that influence health outcomes, and structural and systemic drivers of health (SSD) are the social, cultural, political, and economic contexts that create and shape SDOH. With the integration of constructs from previous examples, we propose an SSD model that broadens the contextual effect of these driving forces or factors rooted in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's SDOH framework. Our SSD model (1) presents systems and structures as multidimensional, (2) considers 10 dimensions as discrete and intersectional, and (3) acknowledges health-related effects over time at different life stages and across generations. We also present an application of this SSD model to the housing domain and describe how SSD affect SDOH through multiple mechanisms that may lead to unequal resources, opportunities, and consequences contributing to a disproportionate burden of disease, illness, and death in the US population. Our enhanced SDOH framework offers an innovative and promising model for multidimensional, collaborative public health approaches toward achieving health equity and eliminating health disparities.

An interpretable deep learning framework identifies proteomic drivers of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading neurodegenerative pathology in aged individuals, but many questions remain on its pathogenesis, and a cure is still not available. Recent research efforts have generated measurements of multiple omics in individuals that were healthy or diagnosed with AD. Although machine learning approaches are well-suited to handle the complexity of omics data, the models typically lack interpretability. Additionally, while the genetic landscape of AD is somewhat more established, the proteomic landscape of the diseased brain is less well-understood. Here, we establish a deep learning method that takes advantage of an ensemble of autoencoders (AEs) - EnsembleOmicsAE-to reduce the complexity of proteomics data into a reduced space containing a small number of latent features. We combine brain proteomic data from 559 individuals across three AD cohorts and demonstrate that the ensemble autoencoder models generate stable latent features which are well-suited for downstream biological interpretation. We present an algorithm to calculate feature importance scores based on the iterative scrambling of individual input features (i.e., proteins) and show that the algorithm identifies signaling modules (AE signaling modules) that are significantly enriched in protein-protein interactions. The molecular drivers of AD identified within the AE signaling modules derived with EnsembleOmicsAE were missed by linear methods, including integrin signaling and cell adhesion. Finally, we characterize the relationship between the AE signaling modules and the age of death of the patients and identify a differential regulation of vimentin and MAPK signaling in younger compared with older AD patients.

Seasonal dynamics of chemistry in an Arctic glacier-fed river.

Arctic rivers, intricately linked to fjord systems, wield significant influence over the geochemical and biological dynamics of the upper Arctic Ocean, providing it with freshwater, nutrients, suspended particles, and potentially harmful pollutants. To comprehend the full picture of the Arctic ecosystem, it is crucial to understand how these rivers vary across regions and seasons, especially considering ongoing climate changes. However, comprehensive studies that address long-term observations and seasonal variations in Arctic rivers' geochemical composition remain scarce. In this study, we present comprehensive long-term investigations of the seasonal variations in elemental concentrations in Bayelva, a high Arctic glacier-fed river. By analyzing 224 surface water samples, collected during different seasons between 2011 and 2020, we elucidate the diverse influences of marine, geological and atmospheric factors on the river chemistry. Our findings underscore the importance of marine-influenced snowmelt in the early flow season, which leads to elevated concentrations of marine and trace elements in the runoff water at the onset of melting, with concentrations subsequently decreasing as the snow melting continues. Glacial meltwater dominates the river chemistry during the peak flow season, during which elemental concentrations are at their lowest. Late flow season exhibits high elemental concentrations, primarily driven by weathering processes. Additionally, heavy rain and freezing events play a crucial role in sudden alterations in river chemistry. We highlight the dynamic response of Arctic river systems to such environmental drivers as key players in transporting essential micro- and macro-nutrients, as well as potentially harmful pollutants to adjacent fjord systems. Given their susceptibility to climate change, continuous monitoring is essential for understanding future changes. This study provides data for a better foundation for accurate climate modeling of biogeochemical systems in the Arctic environment.

Province-Level Decarbonization Potentials for China's Road Transportation Sector.

Decarbonizing road transportation is an important task in achieving China's climate goals. Illustrating the mitigation potentials of announced policies and identifying additional strategies for various vehicle fleets are fundamental in optimizing future control pathways. Herein, we developed a comprehensive analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from on-road vehicles as well as their mitigation potentials based on real-world databases and up-to-date policy scenarios. Total CO2 emissions of China's road transportation are estimated to be 1102 million tons (Mt) in 2022 and will continue to increase if future strategies are implemented as usual. Under current development trend and announced policy controls (i.e., integrated scenario), annual CO2 emissions are estimated to peak at 1235 Mt in 2025 and then decline to approximately 200 Mt around 2050. The scenario analysis indicates that electrification of passenger vehicles emerges as the most imperative decarbonization strategy for achieving carbon peak before 2030. Additionally, fuel economy improvement of conventional vehicles is identified to be effective for CO2 emission reduction for trucks until 2035 while new energy vehicle promotion shows great mitigation potentials in the long term. This study provides insight into heterogeneous low-carbon transportation transition strategies and valuable support for achieving China's dual-carbon goals.