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Investigating Aberrant Salience in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Psychosis Risk : A Cross-Group Analysis
(2025-10) Fiori Nastro, Federico; Pelle, Martina; Clemente, Alice; Corinto, Fernando; Prosperi Porta, Davide; Sonnino, Yael; Gelormini, Carmine; Di Lorenzo, Giorgio; Ribolsi, Michele; Department of Engineering
Aim: This study investigates the expression of aberrant salience (AS) in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), those at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and help-seeking individuals without formal diagnoses. Methods: Ninety-nine participants, 44 males and 55 females (age range 17–39 years), met the inclusion criteria of absence of major neurological disorders, intellectual disabilities or substance-related conditions. None were receiving antipsychotic treatment. Based on clinical evaluations, participants were categorised into three groups: ASD (n = 23), Attenuated Psychosis Syndrome (APS) (n = 27) and help-seekers (n = 49). The Aberrant Salience Inventory (ASI) was administered. Results: Significant differences were observed in ASI total and subscale scores among groups. Post hoc analyses showed significantly higher ASI scores in the ASD and APS groups compared to help-seekers, but no significant differences between ASD and APS. Conclusions: These findings suggest an overlap in AS processing between ASD and psychosis-spectrum conditions, supporting AS as a transdiagnostic construct.
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Dynamic membership management for a permissioned blockchain
(2025-10) Hjartarson, Hafsteinn; Thrastarson, Fjölnir; Islind, Anna Sigridur; Hjálmtýsson, Gísli; Department of Computer Science
Permissioned blockchains have gained prominence as a means of decentralizing trust while retaining controlled access, particularly in enterprise settings and regulated peer-to-peer environments. These systems offer advantages in scalability, performance, and security; however, challenges persist in effectively managing membership and its interaction with consensus protocols. Ethereum’s transition to Proof-of-Stake has also been a transition to managed membership, where validators are actively monitored and penalized for non-performance. This paper examines the dynamic tension between membership management and consensus protocols in permissioned blockchains, as well as the benefits of active management in improving overall system performance. In this paper, we propose a framework for dynamic membership management that includes actively admitting, monitoring, and ejecting members. Our approach decouples membership management from the underlying blockchain construction process. Our simulations confirm the potential benefits of managed membership, in part to facilitate lightweight mechanisms for improved performance and reliability. Our findings suggest that dynamic membership management is a critical area of study with significant implications for the future design of permissioned blockchains. Our contributions provide a conceptual foundation for designing dynamic membership protocols in permissioned blockchains, filling a gap in the literature and offering practical solutions to enhance blockchain performance in controlled environments.
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Whole-genome sequencing of 490,640 UK Biobank participants
(2025-09-18) The UK Biobank Whole-Genome Sequencing Consortium; Illumina; UK Biobank; Sanger (Velsera Seven Bridges); Johnson & Johnson; GSK; Amgen deCode genetics; AstraZeneca; Manuscript Writing Group; Department of Engineering
Whole-genome sequencing provides an unbiased and complete view of the human genome and enables the discovery of genetic variation without the technical limitations of other genotyping technologies. Here we report on whole-genome sequencing of 490,640 UK Biobank participants, building on previous genotyping effort1. This advance deepens our understanding of how genetics associates with disease biology and further enhances the value of this open resource for the study of human biology and health. Coupling this dataset with rich phenotypic data, we surveyed within- and cross-ancestry genomic associations and identified novel genetic and clinical insights. Although most associations with disease traits were primarily observed in individuals of European ancestries, strong or novel signals were also identified in individuals of African and Asian ancestries. With the improved ability to accurately genotype structural variants and exonic variation in both coding and UTR sequences, we strengthened and revealed novel insights relative to whole-exome sequencing2,3 analyses. This dataset, representing a large collection of whole-genome sequencing data that is available to the UK Biobank research community, will enable advances of our understanding of the human genome, facilitate the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics with higher efficacy and improved safety profile, and enable precision medicine strategies with the potential to improve global health.
Verk
Traumatic birth experience and posttraumatic stress disorder : The psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the City Birth Trauma Scale (City BiTS)
(2025-09) Sigurðardóttir, Valgerður Lísa; Lýðsdóttir, Linda Bára; Swift, Emma Marie; Department of Psychology
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Icelandic City Birth Trauma Scale (City BiTS) and assess the prevalence of childbirth related post-traumatic stress symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder in the Icelandic population. Methods: The City BiTS was translated to Icelandic and tested for face-validity (n = 6). Data was collected in 2022 in an online cross-sectional survey among mothers 6–12 weeks postpartum (n = 616). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to test the underlying factor structure. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. Convergent validity was evaluated with Spearmańs rank correlation with Birth Satisfaction Scale Revised (BSS-R) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Discriminant validity was explored through correlations with BSS-R. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test was used for assessment of group differences. Dunn's paired tests were conducted for variables with more than two groups. Results: Of 616 women, 15.6 % had traumatic birth experiences and 2.4 % fulfilled the criteria of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress. EFA showed that a two-factor model presented the best fit, comprising birth-related symptoms and general symptoms. Internal consistency of the Icelandic version of City BiTS was good; for birth-related symptoms subscale (α = 0.88, McDonald's omega = 0.91); for general symptoms subscale (α = 0.87, McDonald's omega = 0.89). Conclusions: This version of the City BiTS is the first measurement in Icelandic, assessing childbirth-related PTSD according to DSM-5 criteria and provides a two-factor model for clinical and research purpose. Subsequent research should further validate the two-factor structure across diverse populations and settings.
Verk
Stitching the Gap : Feedback as a Mechanism for Reinforcing Sustainable Fashion Consumption
(2025-09) Arnesen, Sarah Lisa; Larsen, Nils Magne; Wien, Anders Hauge; Sigurðsson, Valdimar; Department of Business and Economics
This paper examines how positive feedback can elicit pride in sustainable fashion consumption and influence two key behavioral outcomes: willingness to buy sustainable fashion products and word-of-mouth endorsement. Drawing on framing theory and existing research on pride as a motivational emotion, we conducted two experimental studies with U.S.-based participants recruited via Prolific. In the first study (N = 403), a 2 (product type: sustainable vs. non-sustainable) × 2 (feedback: positive vs. neutral) between-subjects design showed that positive feedback significantly increased pride only when the product was sustainable. The second study (N = 309) focused solely on sustainable products and confirmed that positive feedback elevated pride, which fully mediated its effects on both behavioral outcomes. These findings demonstrate that positive feedback can be used to strategically reinforce pride and offer a low-cost, scalable mechanism for promoting sustainable behavior in the fashion domain.

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