Linear perspective cues have a greater effect on the perceptual rescaling of distant stimuli than textures in the virtual environment.

The presence of pictorial depth cues in virtual environments is important for minimising distortions driven by unnatural viewing conditions (e.g., vergence-accommodation conflict). Our aim was to determine how different pictorial depth cues affect size constancy in virtual environments under binocular and monocular viewing conditions. We systematically removed linear perspective cues and textures of a hallway in a virtual environment. The experiment was performed using the method of constant stimuli. The task required participants to compare the size of 'far' (10 m) and 'near' (5 m) circles displayed inside a virtual environment with one or both or none of the pictorial depth cues. Participants performed the experiment under binocular and monocular viewing conditions while wearing a virtual reality headset. ANOVA revealed that size constancy was greater for both the far and the near circles in the virtual environment with pictorial depth cues compared to the one without cues. However, the effect of linear perspective cues was stronger than textures, especially for the far circle. We found no difference between the binocular and monocular viewing conditions across the different virtual environments. We conclude that linear perspective cues exert a stronger effect than textures on the perceptual rescaling of far stimuli placed in the virtual environment, and that this effect does not vary between binocular and monocular viewing conditions.

Looking through the lens of stigma: Understanding and anticipating concerns about the responsible development and use of psychiatric electroceutical interventions (PEIs).

Psychiatric electroceutical interventions (PEIs) show promise for treating depression, but few studies have examined stakeholders' views on them. Using interview data and survey data that analyzed the views of psychiatrists, patients, caregivers, and the general public, a conceptual map was created to represent stakeholders' views on four PEIs: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), and adaptive brain implants (ABIs). Stigma emerged as a key theme connecting diverse views, revealing that it is a significant factor in the acceptance and usage of PEIs. Stigma not only discourages seeking mental health services for depression but also inhibits the acceptance of PEIs. Addressing the pervasive and complex effects of stigma highlights the need to change societal attitudes toward mental illnesses and their treatments and to provide support to patients who may benefit from these interventions. The map also demonstrates the value of conceptual mapping for anticipating and mitigating ethical considerations in the development and use of PEIs.

Structural basis of HLX10 PD-1 receptor recognition, a promising anti-PD-1 antibody clinical candidate for cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapies, such as checkpoint blockade of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), represents a breakthrough in cancer treatment, resulting in unprecedented results in terms of overall and progression-free survival. Discovery and development of novel anti PD-1 inhibitors remains a field of intense investigation, where novel monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and novel antibody formats (e.g., novel isotype, bispecific mAb and low-molecular-weight compounds) are major source of future therapeutic candidates. HLX10, a fully humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody against PD-1 receptor, increased functional activities of human T-cells and showed in vitro, and anti-tumor activity in several tumor models. The combined inhibition of PD-1/PDL-1 and angiogenesis pathways using anti-VEGF antibody may enhance a sustained suppression of cancer-related angiogenesis and tumor elimination. To elucidate HLX10's mode of action, we solved the structure of HLX10 in complex with PD-1 receptor. Detailed epitope analysis showed that HLX10 has a unique mode of recognition compared to the clinically approved PD1 antibodies Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab. Notably, HLX10's epitope was closer to Pembrolizumab's epitope than Nivolumab's epitope. However, HLX10 and Pembrolizumab showed an opposite heavy chain (HC) and light chain (LC) usage, which recognizes several overlapping amino acid residues on PD-1. We compared HLX10 to Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab and it showed similar or better bioactivity in vitro and in vivo, providing a rationale for clinical evaluation in cancer immunotherapy.

Chronic hepatitis C virus infection in India: Regional demographics and distribution of viral genotypes.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects millions of people in India, few studies have assessed host, viral, and disease characteristics of chronically infected patients at national and regional levels. Such information is critical to support large scale screening and treatment initiatives for chronic HCV infection in India. METHODS: Patients with known chronic HCV infection making routine or for-cause visits to the participating study centers were enrolled in this observational study. Patients attended a single outpatient visit during which demographics and medical history were collected, a physical examination was performed, and blood and urine samples were collected for laboratory assessments. Samples were analyzed to determine HCV genotypes and subtypes, and genotypes of interferon lambda 3 (IFNL3) single nucleotide polymorphism. No therapeutic interventions were administered. RESULTS: We enrolled 500 patients at 19 centers, categorized into four geographic regions (North, South, East, and West). All patients self-identified as Indian, and most (66 %) were male. Genotype 3 was the most common genotype overall (54 %); however, its prevalence varied greatly by region, ranging from 34 % in the South to 69 % in the East. Genotypes 1 (24 %) and 4 (6 %) were the next most common, and HCV genotype could not be determined for 16 % of patients. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective survey suggests that demographics, viral, and host factors in patients with chronic HCV infection are highly variable in India and pose significant challenges for the implementation of broad-scale screening and treatment initiatives.

The 'taking place' of health and wellbeing: towards non-representational theory.

For the last two decades health geography has focused on the dynamics between health and place. Although the social constructivist perspective of much research has provided many insights into the meanings of health and health care arguably, mirroring progress in the parent discipline of human geography, there could be a far more serious engagement with non-representational theory and the 'taking place' of health and health care. To showcase the importance and potential of this broadly, the idea of wellbeing is re-approached. The paper reflects on the ways wellbeing has been treated in research primarily as a meaningful and relatively prescribed state of life, to the neglect of process. Based on this critique, a qualitative study then illustrates the most immediate and everyday ways wellbeing might arise through 'affect'; the pre-personal mobile energies and intensities that result from physical encounters within assemblages of bodies and objects. Indeed, theoretically the findings support the proposition that, at one level, wellbeing might not be taken from environment but instead might emerge as the affective environment. They certainly raise awareness of how much in health might originate at the surface, prior to meaning, within life's infinite spatial doings, and thus they launch some final thoughts on the wider challenges and opportunities for non-representational health geographies.