Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences最新文献

To address the challenge that existing lung nodule segmentation algorithms face in balancing high accuracy with a lightweight design, we propose LLNS-Net, a compact yet effective lung nodule segmentation network. In the feature-mining encoder, convolutional residual blocks operating at multiple scales extract both shallow and deep nodule information from CT images, while an efficient multiscale attention mechanism enriches semantic representations. A subsequent feature enhancement module explores and leverages correlations among the outputs of the encoder's submodules. Within this module, we introduce an enhanced mixed local channel attention (E-MLCA) mechanism and a reinforced multiscale feature module to further strengthen cross-scale feature learning. The decoder aggregates features from four decoding layers and applies subchannel enhancement to refine the segmentation map. This design improves boundary smoothness and more accurately preserves the true morphology of nodule regions. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared with mainstream methods such as HmsUnet, MSA-Unet, and H-vmunet, the intersection over union of LLNS-Net improves by 1.86%, 0.27%, and 7.62%, respectively. Additionally, the generated feature maps exhibit smoother boundaries and superior visual quality compared to those produced by leading medical image segmentation algorithms.

High myopia is a serious global health issue, with particularly significant impacts on the central nervous system. However, the role of glymphatic system dysfunction and associated neural alterations in high myopia remains largely unexplored, and the underlying brain-eye pathological interactions are poorly understood. Our multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study integrates diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS), choroid plexus volumetry, and regional homogeneity (ReHo) analyses to evaluate glymphatic function and neural activity changes in high myopia. Compared to controls, patients exhibited significantly reduced DTI-ALPS indices, enlarged choroid plexus volumes, and distinct ReHo alterations, including increased activity in the superior frontal gyrus, but decreased activity in the calcarine fissure and surrounding cortex, as well as the superior temporal gyrus. Notably, the DTI-ALPS index correlated positively with refractive error but negatively with axial length, whereas choroid plexus volume showed the opposite pattern. Furthermore, glymphatic dysfunction correlated with abnormal ReHo in key brain regions. These findings indicate a pathological cascade linking axial elongation, impaired glymphatic clearance, and disrupted neural synchronization-a pathophysiological state that may underlie the broader neurological risks associated with high myopia. This framework integrates multimodal evidence to elucidate brain-eye interactions, incorporating complementary insights derived from structural, diffusion, and functional MRI methodologies.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia is associated with marked disruptions in resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (rsEEG) rhythms, particularly in the periodic alpha band (8-12 Hz), suggesting impaired vigilance regulation. In contrast, the aperiodic rsEEG component, reflecting global cortical arousal, has been reported to remain unchanged. This exploratory study examined periodic and aperiodic EEG activity in patients with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (ADMCI) during transitions from quiet wakefulness to light sleep. EEG datasets (∼30 min) from 19 ADMCI patients and 18 matched cognitively unimpaired older adults (control) were analyzed. Vigilance stages were scored using a reduced version of Hori's system, distinguishing the alpha-dominant wakefulness stage and the theta-dominant light sleep (ripples) stage. EEG spectra were parameterized using the specparam algorithm. ADMCI participants showed reduced reactivity of individual alpha power between the wakefulness and ripples stages compared to the control group. Conversely, both groups exhibited comparable increases in fronto-central theta power and steepening of the aperiodic slope and offset. No group differences emerged in aperiodic exponent and offset, although statistical power was limited by modest sample size. Overall, EEG alpha rhythms reflecting vigilance regulation are disrupted in prodromal AD, while periodic and aperiodic signatures of sleep onset are relatively preserved, suggesting selective vulnerability of attentional thalamocortical systems.

Western music notation, a language of symbols representing various parameters in music, can be used to describe and analyze existing musical performances. Rhythmic elements such as periodicity and categorical rhythm have been studied in sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) codas, which are short click sequences produced in social interaction. As a case study in the applicability of music notation for animal communication, we transcribed human music, randomly generated rhythms, and sperm whale codas in Western music notation. Music notation categorizes sound elements into a metric hierarchy based on the perception of an isochronous beat in nonisochronous rhythms, a difficult comparison when we cannot know the rhythm perception of nonhuman animals. In accuracy and complexity, the transcriptions of codas showed similar statistics to the human rhythm samples. We demonstrated two modes of musical analysis on the transcriptions of sperm whale codas: tempo variation and motivic variation, and explored how they could be applied in ways that mitigate the subjective nature of interpreting beats. Our sample size was small, and our tools were time-consuming, so a streamlined approach is needed to fully test the applicability of these tools on a large scale.