Chiba University

Evidence suggests an association between interoceptive processing, which originates from feelings in the body, and mental health-related status, such as anxiety. We assessed heartbeat interoceptive accuracy, interoceptive sensibility, and awareness among 26 adults who stutter (AWS) and 26 those who do not stutter (AWNS) as controls. Heartbeat perception accuracy was measured via a heartbeat-tracking task in which participants counted their heartbeats in six trials of varying durations. Interoceptive sensibility was assessed via interoception questionnaires, which included the Body Perception Questionnaire and Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness. The area under the curve (AUC) in the heartbeat-discrimination task, in which participants judged the synchronization of their heartbeat and 10 tones with synchronized/not synchronized timing, was used to calculate interoceptive awareness. Interoceptive trait prediction error (ITPE) was also calculated via the Z-score differences between behavioral accuracy and self-reported sensibility. Our findings revealed significant differences in the interoception questionnaire scores (p=.013), which indicated a unique interoceptive pattern in AWS. Although no significant differences were observed in heartbeat-tracking performance (p=.188) and AUC (p=.131), a significant difference was observed in ITPE (p=.013), which suggested that AWS exhibited superior heartbeat perception accuracy compared with AWNS. Our study, the first to investigate multidimensional interoception in AWS, revealed distinct interoceptive patterns. These patterns were not explained by participants' age, co-occurring disorders scores, or stuttering severity, which indicated the need for further research to understand the relevance of interoception in stuttering mechanisms, anticipation, and treatment.

Coronal shear fracture (CSF) of the distal humerus is rare, accounting for approximately 1% of elbow fractures; cases combined with olecranon fracture are even rarer. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between surgical methods and clinical outcomes in this uncommon injury. Between 2017 and 2025, we retrospectively reviewed 8 patients (8 elbows) with CSF associated with olecranon fracture who underwent open reduction and internal fixation in a multicenter case series and were followed for more than 6 months. Patient demographics, fracture classifications, surgical methods, postoperative complications, additional surgeries, elbow range of motion, and Mayo Elbow Performance Score at the final follow-up were analyzed descriptively. The mean age was 64 years (range, 51-79 years), and the mean follow-up was 27 months (range, 10-96 months). Dubberley classification was type 2A in 2 cases, type 3A in 2, and type 3B in 4. A posterolateral extended approach was used in 6 patients and a combined lateral-posterior approach in 2. Postoperative complications included elbow release in 2 cases and ulnar neuropathy in 2. At final follow-up, the mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score was 92.5 (range, 75-100), and the mean range of motion was -21°/121.3°. Outcomes of CSF with concomitant olecranon fracture appeared to depend on CSF severity, and complications were more frequent than in isolated CSF. Given the small sample size and observational design, these findings should be regarded as preliminary and hypothesis-generating rather than definitive evidence favoring any particular method.

Identifying reproducible neurobiological markers for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) remains challenging due to methodological heterogeneity across neuroimaging studies. Functional connectome (FC) uniqueness, an individual-level metric derived from brain fingerprinting, quantifies the distinctiveness of intrinsic connectivity patterns and may offer a robust framework for biomarker discovery. We analyzed multi-site resting-state fMRI data from healthy controls (HC) and patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), aged 19-37years. Individual functional connectomes were constructed using 300 regions of interest grouped into 14 canonical networks. FC uniqueness was defined as the ratio of self-similarity (calculated as Pearson correlation between connectomes from the same individual across different time points) to similarity-to-others (calculated as Pearson correlations between an individual's connectome and those of other participants at the next timepoint). An FC uniqueness index greater than one indicates successful individual identification, referred to as fingerprinting accuracy. Replicating prior studies, fingerprinting accuracy was highest at the whole-brain level, followed by the default mode and frontoparietal networks. MDD patients exhibited significantly lower FC uniqueness with pronounced reductions in frontoparietal and sensorimotor networks. Notably, reduced FC uniqueness was associated with higher PHQ-9 and BDI-II scores in this study. Comorbidity and age distribution differences may have introduced confounding effects. Reduced FC uniqueness in frontoparietal and sensorimotor networks corelate with neurobiological organization in MDD and represents a reproducible, clinically interpretable neuroimaging marker with potential utility for diagnosis and stratification.

Abstract Virus discovery using RNA-seq data from wildlife and livestock offers a powerful strategy for identifying unknown pathogens with pandemic potential. However, conventional approaches rely on homology-based searches that have limited sensitivity for highly divergent viruses, are computationally intensive at scale, and cannot distinguish true infections from contamination. Viral infection induces interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), key components of the frontline antiviral defense, and their expression serves as a robust indicator of viral infection. Here, we developed a host-response–based virus discovery framework that rapidly quantifies ISG expression and predicts viral infection status. Applying this framework to ∼210,000 RNA-seq data sets from diverse mammalian and avian species, we identified hidden viral infections across diverse hosts, including those caused by highly divergent viruses missed by a conventional approach. Our framework complements existing virus discovery strategies by adding host innate immune response context and enabling computationally efficient prescreening for scalable viral surveillance. Highlights Host response–based virus discovery in wildlife and livestock RNA-seq data Quantify interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression and predict viral infection Analysis of ∼210,000 RNA-seq data sets reveals hidden viral infections Detects highly divergent viruses and scalable viral surveillance through rapid prescreening

Abstract. The glacier ablation areas in the mid-latitude mountains have a dark surface due to abundant light-absorbing impurities (LAIs) (mineral dust, organic matter of microbial origin, black carbon). Conversely, the development of weathering crust on the bare ice surface increases the surface albedo. During the summers of 2022 to 2024, field observations were conducted on the Potanin Glacier in Mongolia. In this study, we defined the low-density surface layer within the weathering crust as the weathering granular ice layer. Here, we clarify the relationship between broad-band albedo (BB albedo), the thickness of surface granular ice, and LAI content within the granular ice layer. In situ measurements of the BB albedo showed a significant positive correlation with the thickness of the granular ice layer, but a relatively strong negative correlation with organic matter. It was also revealed that higher concentrations of LAIs inhibited the thickening of the weathering crust layer. Furthermore, the observed variability in correlation strength across different impurity concentrations, together with evidence from previous studies, suggests that mineral particles, whether exposed within the glacier or deposited onto the glacier surface from the atmosphere, support the growth of microorganisms living on the ice. The subsequent proliferation of these microorganisms and the production of humic-like substances are considered to increase surface adhesiveness, thereby facilitating the adsorption of black carbon.

This special edition presents a modern perspective on the development, performance, processing technologies, and applications of modern engineering materials within the context of sustainability in machinery and civil engineering. We hope this issue will provide valuable insights for researchers, engineers, and practitioners, encouraging the development of next-generation materials and structures that meet today's both technical and environmental challenges.