Nevin Manimala

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11420. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96182-5.

ABSTRACT

How do we interact with our environment and make decisions about the world around us? Empirical research using psychophysical tasks has demonstrated that our perceptual decisions are influenced by past choices, a phenomenon known as the “choice history bias” effect. This decision-making process suggests that the brain adapts to environmental uncertainties based on history. However, single-subject experiment task design is prevalent across the work on choice history bias, thus limiting the implications of the empirical evidence to individual decisions. Here, we explore the choice history bias effect using a dual-participant approach, where dyads perform a shared perceptual decision-making task. We first propose two competing hypotheses: the participants equally weigh their own and their partner’s decision history, or the participants do not weigh equally their own and their partner’s decision history. We then use a statistical modeling approach to fit generalized linear models to the choice data in a series of steps and arrive at a model that best fits the observed data. Our results indicated that the own and partner’s trial history cannot be treated independently. The findings suggest an interaction of actor and decision at 1-back, leading to a choice alternation bias after a partner’s decision in contrast to a choice repetition bias after an own decision. A similar effect is observed at 2-back, in addition to an additive choice repetition bias of similar size. The effects of actor and decision at 2-back do not depend on the properties of the 1-back trial. Together, these findings support the idea that the participants do not ignore their partner’s decisions but treat these qualitatively differently from their own.

PMID:40181067 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-96182-5

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11516. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96043-1.

ABSTRACT

Accurate estimation techniques are crucial in statistical modeling and reliability analysis, which have significant applications across various industries. The three-parameter Weibull distribution is a widely used tool in this context, but traditional estimation methods often struggle with outliers, resulting in unreliable parameter estimates. To address this issue, our study introduces a robust estimation technique for the three-parameter Weibull distribution, leveraging the probability integral transform and specifically employing the Weibull survival function for the transformation, with a focus on complete data. This method is designed to enhance robustness while maintaining computational simplicity, making it easy to implement. Through extensive simulation studies, we demonstrate the effectiveness and resilience of our proposed estimator in the presence of outliers. The findings indicate that this new technique significantly improves the accuracy of Weibull parameter estimates, thereby expanding the toolkit available to researchers and practitioners in reliability data analysis. Furthermore, we apply the proposed method to real-world reliability datasets, confirming its practical utility and effectiveness in overcoming the limitations of existing estimation methodologies in the presence of outliers.

PMID:40181061 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-96043-1

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11413. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-95640-4.

ABSTRACT

The potential of the sequence in Coronary Angiography (CA) frames for diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD) has been largely overlooked. Our study aims to reveal the “Sequence Value” embedded within these frames and to explore methods for its application in diagnostics. We conduct a survey via Amazon Mturk (Mechanical Turk) to evaluate the effectiveness of Sequence Restoration Capability in indicating CAD. Furthermore, we develop a self-supervised deep learning model to automatically assess this capability. Additionally, we ensure the robustness of our results by differently selecting coronary angiographies/modules for statistical analysis. Our self-supervised deep learning model achieves an average AUC of 80.1% across five-fold validation, demonstrating robustness against static data noise and efficiency, with calculations completed within 30 s. This study uncovers significant insights into CAD diagnosis through the sequence value in coronary angiography. We successfully illustrate methodologies for harnessing this potential, contributing valuable knowledge to the field.

PMID:40181050 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-95640-4

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11426. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-94482-4.

ABSTRACT

Greenwashing-the deliberate exaggeration or fabrication of environmental claims-undermines trust, disrupts transparency, and poses a significant barrier to genuine progress toward sustainability. This scenario-based experimental study examines whether purchasing managers, key stakeholders in organizational procurement, can reliably differentiate between greenwashed and certified sustainable products. Using three carefully designed purchasing scenarios-laptops, safety gloves, and copy paper-responses were collected from 465 purchasing managers across the EU, a region notable for its regulatory emphasis on eco-certifications. The findings reveal no statistically significant differences in willingness to pay (WTP) for products with greenwashed claims versus those backed by stringent certifications, with average WTP values varying only slightly between groups. These findings highlight a critical vulnerability to greenwashing, even among experienced professionals, raising concerns about the credibility of sustainability claims in influencing procurement decisions. The study underscores the need for systemic reforms, including the standardization of certification systems and enhanced decision-making tools, to mitigate greenwashing’s pervasive impact and foster authentic corporate sustainability.

PMID:40181012 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-94482-4

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11400. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-90987-0.

ABSTRACT

The role of sodium supplements and sex in the occurrence of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) remains controversial. This study investigated hydration status in ultrarunners (19 males and 9 females) who completed seven marathons over seven consecutive days. Due to the limited number of female participants, no statistical comparison between sexes was performed. Plasma sodium concentration ([Na⁺]) and multiple hydration markers were assessed before, during, and after the race. Reported sodium supplement consumption showed no association with plasma [Na⁺]. An overall decline in plasma [Na⁺] was observed in females (regression slope = -1.278, p = 0.02) across the event, whereas no significant change was detected in males (slope = -0.325, p = 0.57). Additionally, no significant associations were found between plasma [Na⁺] and other monitored variables, including sodium supplement intake, pre-race hydration strategy, body mass, total body water, plasma osmolality, hematocrit, hemoglobin, urine specific gravity, urinary [Na⁺], thirst rating, or fluid intake reported pre-, during, and post-stage. No cases of symptomatic or asymptomatic hyponatremia were identified, suggesting that total fluid and sodium intake were adequate to maintain fluid-electrolyte balance and prevent EAH in both sexes.

PMID:40181011 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-90987-0

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11519. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-89744-0.

ABSTRACT

The use of multimodal analgesia is a common practice in clinical settings, where a combination of drugs with different mechanisms of action is used to enhance the effectiveness of an analgesic and reduce its adverse effects. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of concurrent ibuprofen and paracetamol with alternate administration in the management of postoperative pain after the surgical removal of impacted mandibular third molars. A single-center, double-masked, parallel-group, randomized controlled clinical trial involved 56 patients undergoing scheduled surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars. Patients were randomly assigned to either Group A (Control), where they were instructed to take one tablet of ibuprofen 400 mg and two tablets of paracetamol 500 mg together every 8 h for 48 h, or Group B (Study), where they were instructed to take one tablet of ibuprofen 400 mg and two tablets of paracetamol 500 mg alternatively every 4 h for 48 h. The primary outcome measure was the intensity of postoperative pain, which was evaluated using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10. The secondary outcome measure was the timing of the onset of the analgesic effect, the duration of pain relief, the frequency of rescue drug administration, and the time interval between taking the recommended medication and the need for rescue medication. Investigators involved in analyzing the patients’ responses were blinded to the pain control regime used by the participants. Pain intensity during the first 48 h after the extractions showed that most participants experienced “some pain,” including 50% in Group A and 35.7% in Group B. The percentage of patients reporting “no pain” was higher in group B than in group A, although the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.495). More than half of the participants (53%) in group A reported needing an extra dose in the 48-hour follow-up period, while 85% in group B reported pain relief (p = 0.002). When correlating the mean pain score to the complexity level, in patients with moderate complexity of extraction, higher pain scores were recorded in group B. The findings of this study show that the combination of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen are well-tolerated and effective option for post operative pain after surgical removal of mandibular third molars. Use of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen alternatively in the first 48 h showed a more effective pain control compared to concurrent use of these medications. However given the small sample size and patients recruited from a single center, multicenter studies with a bigger sample size and stratified complexity groups would enhance the generalizability of the findings.This trial protocol was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Registration No: NCT06514222 dated 23/07/2024).

PMID:40181005 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-89744-0

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11449. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-94591-0.

ABSTRACT

To explore whether Methamphetamine-related disorders (MRDs) will cause the risk of cardiomyopathy in the future. This study used Taiwan’s Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database (LGTD) to conduct a 1:4 paired analysis of sex, age, and inclusion year. 17,071 patients with MRDs and 153 patients with cardiomyopathy were selected; 68,264 patients without MRDs and 274 patients with cardiomyopathy were also selected. This study used SPSS 22 statistical software to conduct Cox regression analysis. Patients with MRDs had a 3.421-folds higher risk of cardiomyopathy than patients without MRDs. Men have a 0.735-fold lower risk of developing cardiomyopathy than women. In terms of age group, aged 50-64 and ≧ 65 have a 1.145- and 1.332-folds higher risk of cardiomyopathy, respectively, compared to those aged 20-49. For each one-point increase in Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), the risk of cardiomyopathy rises by 58.3%. Specifically, for three types of Methamphetamines (Methamphetamine and other psychostimulant dependence, Methamphetamine or related acting sympathomimetic abuse, Methamphetamine psychosis), the HR for cardiomyopathy in patients with MRDs was 3.864 (p < 0.001), 2.916 (p < 0.001), and 2.295 (p = 0.016) times higher, respectively, compared to patients without MRDs. The Kaplan-Meier log-rank test was used to calculate the cumulative risk of MRDs, showing a significant difference in the cumulative cardiomyopathy incidence between the MRDs and non-MRDs groups (long-rank test, p < 0.001). MRDs will increase the risk of cardiomyopathy. Women are more susceptible to cardiomyopathy than men, and the risk escalates for individuals aged 50-64 and those 65 years or older, compared to the 20-49-year age group. Additionally, an increase in the CCI correlates with a heightened risk of cardiomyopathy. There are important differences between these groups in terms of duration, frequency, and severity of use, with longer exposure and more frequent use increasing the risk of dependence and psychosis, but individual susceptibility, dose, and use patterns also play key roles.

PMID:40180980 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-94591-0

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 3;15(1):11465. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91871-7.

ABSTRACT

The biological processes involved in diseases like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) require extensive research, particularly when both diseases occur together. This piece of research delves to explore a new fractional-order mathematical model that examines the co-dynamics of HIV and TB, taking into account the treatment effects. Although no definitive vaccine or cure for HIV exists, antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slow disease spread and prevent subsequent complications. The basic properties of the fractional model in the Caputo sense, including existence, uniqueness, positivity, and boundedness, are proved using crucial mathematical tools. The disease-free and endemic equilibria are determined for the co-infection model, along with the basic reproduction numbers [Formula: see text] for TB and [Formula: see text] for HIV, using the next-generation matrix technique. A comprehensive analysis is conducted to determine the local and global stability of the disease-free equilibrium point by applying the Routh-Hurwitz criteria and constructing a Lyapunov function, respectively. The stability of the disease-free state is also verified graphically by considering different initial conditions and observing the convergence of the curves to the disease-free equilibrium point. Furthermore, the model is examined under different scenarios by varying the reproduction numbers, specifically when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], and when [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Using actual data from the USA from 1999 to 2022, crucial parameters are estimated. The final fitting of the model with real data demonstrates how effectively the model framework aligns with the data. Finally, computational simulations are performed for different cases to illustrate the behavior of the model solutions by varying the fractional order derivative, as well as examining the solution’s behavior with respect to the stability points.

PMID:40180970 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-025-91871-7

Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 3;16(1):2921. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57940-1.

ABSTRACT

Escherichia coli is the most widely studied microbe in history, but the population structure and evolutionary trends of its extrachromosomal elements known as plasmids remain poorly delineated. Here we used long-read technology to high-resolution sequence the entire plasmidome and the corresponding host chromosomes from an unbiased longitudinal survey covering two decades and over 2000 E. coli isolates. We find that some plasmids have persisted in lineages even for centuries, demonstrating strong plasmid-lineage associations. Our analysis provides a detailed map of recent vertical and horizontal evolutionary events involving plasmids with key antibiotic resistance, competition and virulence determinants. We present genomic evidence of both chromosomal and plasmid-driven success strategies adopted by distant lineages by independently inheriting the same genomic elements. Further, we use in vitro experiments to verify the importance of key bacteriocin-producing plasmids for clone success. Our study has general implications for understanding plasmid biology and bacterial evolutionary strategies.

PMID:40180894 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-57940-1

Pain Pract. 2025 Apr;25(4):e70031. doi: 10.1111/papr.70031.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pain from musculoskeletal pain conditions is often persistent, bothersome, and negatively impacts physical function. Individuals with musculoskeletal pain report difficulty with walking and regular activities. For some, this may be related to overly negative pain cognitions, such as pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia. In a geographically and racially diverse sample, we examined relationships between pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and multimodal physical function (i.e., self-report, performance-based, objective).

METHODS: Participants were sedentary adults with ≥3 months of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Participants completed self-report measures of pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), and physical function (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Scale 2.0). Performance-based physical function was assessed in-clinic with the Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Physical function was objectively measured with ≥4 days of ActiGraph wear outside the clinic. We conducted descriptive, correlation, and linear regression statistics in SPSS.

RESULTS: Higher levels of pain catastrophizing (β = 0.42) and kinesiophobia (β = 0.25) were significantly associated with worse self-reported physical function. Neither pain catastrophizing nor kinesiophobia were related to performance-based or objectively measured physical function. The direction and significance of relationships between pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and physical function measures were consistent in unadjusted and adjusted regression models.

CONCLUSIONS: Pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia are associated with an individual’s perceived physical functioning. Behavioral interventions designed to enhance physical function may benefit from including cognitive restructuring to challenge catastrophic thoughts about pain, as well as thoughts about injuring oneself or worsening pain with movement. More work is needed to understand why neither pain catastrophizing nor kinesiophobia were significantly associated with performance-based or objective assessment of physical function. It is possible that other pain-related cognitions, for example self-efficacy for pain control, or variables (e.g., in vivo pain catastrophizing, mood, stress, sleep) assessed closer in time to performance-based or objective measures of physical function are more relevant.

PMID:40180886 | DOI:10.1111/papr.70031