We examine how perturbations off the Poisson manifold affect chimeras and traveling waves (TWs) in Kuramoto models with two sub-populations. Our numerical study is based on simulations on invariant manifolds, which contain von Mises probability distributions. Our study demonstrates that chimeras and TWs off the Poisson manifold always "breathe", and the effect of breathing is more pronounced further from the Poisson manifold. On the other side, TWs arising in similar models on the sphere always breathe moderately, no matter if the dynamics take place near the Poisson manifold or far away from it.

Aquatic animals and consumers of aquatic animals are exposed to increasingly complex mixtures of known and as-yet-unknown chemicals with dioxin-like toxicities in the water cycle. Effect- and cell-based bioanalysis can cover known and yet unknown dioxin and dioxin-like compounds as well as complex mixtures thereof but need to be standardized and integrated into international guidelines for environmental testing. In an international laboratory testing (ILT) following ISO/CD 24295 as standard procedure for rat cell-based DR CALUX un-spiked and spiked extracts of drinking-, surface-, and wastewater were validated to generate precision data for the development of the full ISO-standard. We found acceptable repeatability and reproducibility ranges below 36 % by DR CALUX bioassay for the tested un-spiked and spiked water of different origins. The presence of 17 PCDD/Fs and 12 dioxin-like PCBs was also confirmed by congener-specific GC-HRMS analysis. We compared the sum of dioxin-like activity levels measured by DR CALUX bioassay (expressed in 2,3,7,8-TCDD Bioanalytical Equivalents, BEQ) with the obtained GC-HRMS chemical analysis results converted to toxic equivalents (TEQ; van den Berg et al., 2013).

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) represents an important public health problem in Europe. We analyzed the epidemiology of TBE based on data from humans, animals, and Ixodes ricinus ticks in endemic regions of continental Croatia. In the period from 2017 to 2023, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples of 684 patients with neuroinvasive diseases, 2240 horse serum samples, and 300 sheep serum samples were tested for TBEV. In addition, 8751 I. ricinus ticks were collected. CSF samples were tested using RT-PCR. Serological tests (serum, CSF) were performed using commercial ELISA, with confirmation of cross-reactive samples by a virus neutralization test. Eighty-four autochthonous human TBEV cases were confirmed. The majority of patients were in the age group of 40–69 years (58.3%) with a male predominance (70.2%). TBE showed a bimodal seasonality with a large peak in April–August and a small one in October–November. In addition to humans, TBEV IgG antibodies were found in 12.2% of horses and 9.7% of sheep. Seasonal tick abundance corresponds to the reported number of human infections. Continental Croatia is still an active natural focus of TBE. Continuous monitoring of infections in humans, sentinel animals, and ticks is needed for the implementation of preventive measures.

Efficiently mapping quantum circuits onto hardware is integral for the quantum compilation process, wherein a circuit is modified in accordance with a quantum processor’s connectivity. Many techniques currently exist for solving this problem, wherein SWAP-gate overhead is usually prioritized as a cost metric. We reconstitute quantum circuit mapping using tools from quantum information theory, showing that a lower bound, which we dub the lightcone bound, emerges for a circuit executed on hardware. We also develop an initial placement algorithm based on graph similarity search, aiding us in optimally placing circuit qubits onto a device. 600 realistic benchmarks using the IBM Qiskit compiler and a brute-force method are then tested against the lightcone bound, with results unambiguously verifying the veracity of the bound, while permitting trustworthy estimations of minimal overhead in near-term realizations of quantum algorithms. This work constitutes the first use of quantum circuit uncomplexity to practically-relevant quantum computing.

Aim This study provides a comprehensive review of the current literature on the use of ChatGPT, a generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool, in neurosurgery. The study examines potential benefits and limitations of ChatGPT in neurosurgical practice and education. Methods The study involved a systematic review of the current literature on the use of AI in neurosurgery, with a focus on ChatGPT. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed to ensure a comprehensive and transparent review process. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The data extracted from the included studies were analysed and synthesized to provide an overview of the current state of research on the use of ChatGPT in neurosurgery. Results The ChatGPT showed a potential to complement and enhance neurosurgical practice. However, there are risks and limitations associated with its use, including question format limitations, validation challenges, and algorithmic bias. The study highlights the importance of validating machine-generated content for accuracy and addressing ethical concerns associated with AI technologies. The study also identifies potential benefits of ChatGPT, such as providing personalized treatment plans, supporting surgical planning and navigation, and enhancing large data processing efficiency and accuracy. Conclusion The integration of AI technologies into neurosurgery should be approached with caution and careful consideration of ethical and validation issues. Continued research and development of AI tools in neurosurgery can help us further understand their potential benefits and limitations.

Aim To investigate the correlations between tumour characteristics, symptoms, intraoperative findings, and outcomes in patient with meningioma. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 86 surgically treated patients at Department of Neurosurgery of Cantonal Hospital Zenica from 2010 to 2020. Patients with intracranial meningiomas underwent neurological evaluation and MRI scans to analyse tumour characteristics, including volume (TV), peritumoral brain oedema (PTBE) and oedema index (EI). Surgical treatment was performed, followed by postoperative MRI and outcome assessment. Intraoperatively, the tumour's relationship with cortex, pial membrane, skull bones, and sinuses was evaluated, and the extent of tumour resection was graded. Meningioma samples underwent histopathological analysis to assess the grade and regularity of borders, and Ki-67 labelling index was determined using immunohistochemistry. Results Significant correlations were found between PTBE and Ki67 expression (p<0.001), PTBE and vomiting/nausea (p=0.002), cognitive impairment (p=0.047), venous compression (p=0.001), cortical, pial and dural invasion (p<0.05), and the postoperative presence of oedema (p=0.002). Venous compression, cortical, pial, dural and bone invasion positively correlated with Ki-67 expression (p<0.001). Grade and tumour border positively correlated with Ki-67 expression (p<0.001). Oedema persistence postoperatively showed a positive correlation with Ki-67 expression (p<0.001). Conclusion The study revealed significant correlations between Ki-67 expression and PTBE, with notable associations with clinical symptoms, tumour characteristics, and postoperative oedema presence.

UBASH3A and UBASH3B are protein families of atypical protein tyrosine phosphatases that function as regulators of various cellular processes during mammalian development. As UBASH3A has only mild phosphatase activity, its regulatory effects are based on the phosphatase-independent mechanisms. On the contrary, UBASH3B has strong phosphatase activity, and the suppression of its receptor signalling is mediated by Syk and Zap-70 kinases. The regulatory functions of UBASH3A and UBASH3B are particularly evident in the lymphoid tissues and kidney development. These tyrosine phosphatases are also known to play key roles in autoimmunity and neoplasms. However, their involvement in mammalian development and its regulatory functions are largely unknown and are discussed in this review.