bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Folk Magic and the Haunting of the Second World War in Finnish Lapland
Authors: Herva Vesa-Pekka , Seitsonen Oula , Banks Iain , Moshenska Gabriel , Paphitis Tina
Published: March 2024

This article engages with certain peculiar finds and features that we have documented at former German WWII military camps in Finnish Lapland, with a particular emphasis on an excavated assemblage that has affinities to traditional ritual (sacrificial) practices. The relevant finds and features date from the post-war period, but they are meaningfully associated with WWII sites. We consider the possible connections of these finds and features to folk magic and the supernatural, especially with regard to boundaries and boundary-making. The material is interpreted in relation to the painful histories and memories of WWII in the high North, and in the broader context of northern ways of life and being and perceptions of temporally layered landscapes. More specifically, we focus on how locals have coped with the difficult and haunting presences of WWII in northern landscapes and mindscapes after the war in a particular natural, cultural and cosmological lived environment which people have long co-inhabited with various non-human and spiritual entities. We aim to contribute to the broader discussion of the folklore of WWII as a dimension in conflict heritage and memory.
Does Political Diversity Inhibit Blood Donations?
Authors: Kim Sung Eun , Pelc Krzysztof
Published: March 2024

Does political diversity affect the prevalence of selfless behavior across a society? According to a recurrent finding from the study of social capital, ethnic diversity reduces prosocial behavior. We ask whether the same applies to partisan identity, by turning to a frequently used proxy for social capital: blood donations. The question is especially timely: the United States is currently experiencing its worst blood shortage in over a decade. Using survey results covering over 275,000 individuals in the US from 2010 to 2020, and a preregistered survey of an additional 3,500 respondents, we show that not all measures of social diversity have analogous effects on prosocial behavior. We find mixed evidence for a region’s share of immigrants being linked to lower blood donation by US citizens, and no negative effect for racial diversity. By contrast, political diversity appears to be highly significant. Specifically, individuals are less likely to donate blood when their partisan position is farther from the mean political identity in their state or commuting zone, and when they perceive themselves to be political outliers in their community. Affective polarization is known to be a tax on social interaction with out-partisans; as we show, depending on an area’s partisan makeup, it can also be a tax on prosocial behavior writ large.
“In the Name of the God of All Names: Yahweh, Obatalá, Olorum”: The 1981 Quilombos Mass as an Ecumenical Pilgrimage in Brazil
Authors: Knoll Travis
Published: March 2024

On November 22, 1981, thousands of laypeople, along with bishops, priests, and theologians, gathered in Recife to celebrate the Eucharist. Offered during a military dictatorship in a period of popular insurgency, the Quilombos Mass mourned the death of millions in the African slave trade, sought pardon for the Church's past sins, and celebrated the resistance of Blacks in Brazil and beyond its borders. The acclaimed Black Brazilian pop star and activist Milton de Nascimento collaborated with an activist poet and three bishops to produce a multimedia performance; in the spirit of liberation theology, it was marked by striking visuals, dance, music, and the invocation of the sacred. This article draws on reportage, speeches and correspondence, military court and intelligence records, published interviews, and the author's interview with one of its composers. It offers a close textual analysis, with attention to Catholic theological debates, as well as an analysis of the performance itself, drawn from video recordings and bringing attention to aspects neglected by most commentators, who refer only to the album, as it was finally produced. Initially stifled by the Vatican, Milton's masterpiece, issued as an album on vinyl and performed in paid concerts, became a powerful cultural reference for activists, serving as a touchstone for a strategic alliance between Black activists and the liberationist Church.
Evidence for Kilometer‐Scale Biophysical Features at the Gulf Stream Front
Authors: Gray Patrick Clifton , Savelyev Ivan , Cassar Nicolas , Lévy Marina , Boss Emmanuel , Lehahn Yoav , Bourdin Guillaume , Thompson Kate A. , Windle Anna , Gronniger Jessica , Floge Sheri , Hunt Dana E. , Silsbe Greg , Johnson Zackary I. , Johnston David W.
Published: March 2024

Understanding the interplay of ocean physics and biology at the submesoscale and below (<30 km) is an ongoing challenge in oceanography. While poorly constrained, these scales may be of critical importance for understanding how changing ocean dynamics will impact marine ecosystems. Fronts in the ocean, regions where two disparate water masses meet and isopycnals become tilted toward vertical, are considered hotspots for biophysical interaction, but there is limited observational evidence at the appropriate scales to assess their importance. Fronts around western boundary currents like the Gulf Stream are of particular interest as these dynamic physical regions are thought to influence both productivity and composition of primary producers; however, how exactly this plays out is not well known. Using satellite data and 2 years of in situ observations across the Gulf Stream front near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, we investigate how submesoscale frontal dynamics could affect biological communities and generate hotspots of productivity and export. We assess the seasonality and phenology of the region, generalize the kilometer‐scale structure of the front, and analyze 69 transects to assess two physical processes of potential biogeochemical importance: cold shelf filament subduction and high salinity Sargasso Sea obduction. We link these processes observationally to meanders in the Gulf Stream and discuss how cold filament subduction could be exporting carbon and how obduction of high salinity water from depth is connected with high chlorophyll‐a. Finally, we report on phytoplankton community composition in each of these features and integrate these observations into our understanding of frontal submesoscale dynamics.
Modeling the Global Water Cycle—The Effect of Mg‐Sursassite and Phase A on Deep Slab Dehydration and the Global Subduction Zone Water Budget
Authors: Gies Nils Benjamin , Konrad‐Schmolke Matthias , Hermann Jörg
Published: March 2024

We study the interplay of the thermal structure within subducted oceanic slabs together with the stability fields of hydrous phases that control slab dehydration and the amount of water transported into the deeper mantle. We implement different published thermodynamic data for phase A and Mg‐sursassite into a model of 56 subduction zones and evaluate the effect of these phases on the global water budget. We modeled vertical fluid fluxes within the slab such that dehydration‐derived fluid was allowed to react with fluid‐undersaturated rocks in other parts of the slab. The effect of Mg‐sursassite on the global water budget is limited, because the Clapeyron slope of this dehydration reaction is steeper than most pressure‐temperature trajectories in subduction zones. Two sets of published thermodynamic data for phase A yield significantly different values for the amount of deeply subducted water, ranging between 8 × 108 Tg/Ma and 1.4 × 109 Tg/Ma. In some subduction zones, the differences span several orders of magnitude. The absolute modeled amount of deeply subducted water strongly depends on the depth and intensity of slab mantle hydration, but a comparison of modeled and experimental data indicates that the thermodynamic dataset that yielded higher values is more reliable and should be implemented in future thermodynamic models. Our results show that the stable phases around the choke point as well as the slope and position of the phase A‐out reaction influence the deep water release from the slab, but the slope and position of the phase A dehydration reaction mainly control the recycling of water into the deep mantle.
Loss of RNA-binding protein CELF2 promotes acute leukemia development via FAT10-mTORC1
Authors: Guo Tengxiao , Wang Yuxia , Sun Xiaolu , Hou Shuaibing , Lan Yanjie , Yuan Shengnan , Yang Shuang , Zhao Fei , Chu Yajing , Ma Yuanwu , Cheng Tao , Yu Jia , Liu Bing , Yuan Weiping , Wang Xiaomin
Published: March 2024

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are critical regulators for RNA transcription and translation. As a key member of RBPs, ELAV-like family protein 2 (CELF2) has been shown to regulate RNA splicing and embryonic hematopoietic development and was frequently seen dysregulated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the functional role(s) of CELF2 in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis has not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we showed that Celf2 deficiency in hematopoietic system led to enhanced HSCs self-renewal and differentiation toward myeloid cells in mice. Loss of Celf2 accelerated myeloid cell transformation and AML development in MLL-AF9-induced AML murine models. Gene expression profiling integrated with RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-Seq), together with biochemical experiments revealed that CELF2 deficiency stabilizes FAT10 mRNA, promotes FAT10 translation, thereby increases AKT phosphorylation and mTORC1 signaling pathway activation. Notably, combination therapy with a mTORC1 inhibitor (Rapamycin) and a MA9/DOTL1 inhibitor (EPZ-5676) reduced the leukemia burden in MLL-AF9 mice lacking Celf2 in vivo. Our study elucidated a novel mechanism by which the CELF2/FAT10-AKT/mTORC1 axis regulates the proliferation of normal blood cells and the development of AML, thus providing potential therapeutic targets for myeloid leukemia suppression.
RIPK3 cleavage is dispensable for necroptosis inhibition but restricts NLRP3 inflammasome activation
Authors: Tran Hong Tri , Kratina Tobias , Coutansais Auriane , Michalek Dominika , Hogan Benjamin M. , Lawlor Kate E. , Vince James E. , Silke John , Lalaoui Najoua
Published: March 2024

Caspase-8 activity is required to inhibit necroptosis during embryogenesis in mice. In vitro studies have suggested that caspase-8 directly cleaves RIPK1, CYLD and the key necroptotic effector kinase RIPK3 to repress necroptosis. However, recent studies have shown that mice expressing uncleavable RIPK1 die during embryogenesis due to excessive apoptosis, while uncleavable CYLD mice are viable. Therefore, these results raise important questions about the role of RIPK3 cleavage. To evaluate the physiological significance of RIPK3 cleavage, we generated Ripk3D333A/D333A mice harbouring a point mutation in the conserved caspase-8 cleavage site. These mice are viable, demonstrating that RIPK3 cleavage is not essential for blocking necroptosis during development. Furthermore, unlike RIPK1 cleavage-resistant cells, Ripk3D333A/D333A cells were not significantly more sensitive to necroptotic stimuli. Instead, we found that the cleavage of RIPK3 by caspase-8 restricts NLRP3 inflammasome activation-dependent pyroptosis and IL-1β secretion when Inhibitors of APoptosis (IAP) are limited. These results demonstrate that caspase-8 does not inhibit necroptosis by directly cleaving RIPK3 and further underscore a role for RIPK3 in regulating the NLRP3 inflammasome.
The EIF3H-HAX1 axis increases RAF-MEK-ERK signaling activity to promote colorectal cancer progression
Authors: Jin Huilin , Huang Xiaoling , Pan Qihao , Ma Ning , Xie Xiaoshan , Wei Yue , Yu Fenghai , Wen Weijie , Zhang Boyu , Zhang Peng , Chen Xijie , Wang Jie , Liu Ran-yi , Lin Junzhong , Meng Xiangqi , Lee Mong-Hong
Published: March 2024

Eukaryotic initiation translation factor 3 subunit h (EIF3H) plays critical roles in regulating translational initiation and predicts poor cancer prognosis, but the mechanism underlying EIF3H tumorigenesis remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report that EIF3H is overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) and correlates with poor prognosis. Conditional Eif3h deletion suppresses colorectal tumorigenesis in AOM/DSS model. Mechanistically, EIF3H functions as a deubiquitinase for HAX1 and stabilizes HAX1 via antagonizing βTrCP-mediated ubiquitination, which enhances the interaction between RAF1, MEK1 and ERK1, thereby potentiating phosphorylation of ERK1/2. In addition, activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling induces EIF3H expression. EIF3H/HAX1 axis promotes CRC tumorigenesis and metastasis in mouse orthotopic cancer model. Significantly, combined targeting Wnt and RAF1-ERK1/2 signaling synergistically inhibits tumor growth in EIF3H-high patient-derived xenografts. These results uncover the important roles of EIF3H in mediating CRC progression through regulating HAX1 and RAF1-ERK1/2 signaling. EIF3H represents a promising therapeutic target and prognostic marker in CRC.
Immunization with V987H-stabilized Spike glycoprotein protects K18-hACE2 mice and golden Syrian hamsters upon SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Ávila-Nieto Carlos , Vergara-Alert Júlia , Amengual-Rigo Pep , Ainsua-Enrich Erola , Brustolin Marco , Rodríguez de la Concepción María Luisa , Pedreño-Lopez Núria , Rodon Jordi , Urrea Victor , Pradenas Edwards , Marfil Silvia , Ballana Ester , Riveira-Muñoz Eva , Pérez Mònica , Roca Núria , Tarrés-Freixas Ferran , Cantero Guillermo , Pons-Grífols Anna , Rovirosa Carla , Aguilar-Gurrieri Carmen , Ortiz Raquel , Barajas Ana , Trinité Benjamin , Lepore Rosalba , Muñoz-Basagoiti Jordana , Perez-Zsolt Daniel , Izquierdo-Useros Nuria , Valencia Alfonso , Blanco Julià , Guallar Victor , Clotet Bonaventura , Segalés Joaquim , Carrillo Jorge
Published: March 2024

Safe and effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are crucial to fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Most vaccines are based on a mutated version of the Spike glycoprotein [K986P/V987P (S-2P)] with improved stability, yield and immunogenicity. However, S-2P is still produced at low levels. Here, we describe the V987H mutation that increases by two-fold the production of the recombinant Spike and the exposure of the receptor binding domain (RBD). S-V987H immunogenicity is similar to S-2P in mice and golden Syrian hamsters (GSH), and superior to a monomeric RBD. S-V987H immunization confer full protection against severe disease in K18-hACE2 mice and GSH upon SARS-CoV-2 challenge (D614G or B.1.351 variants). Furthermore, S-V987H immunized K18-hACE2 mice show a faster tissue viral clearance than RBD- or S-2P-vaccinated animals challenged with D614G, B.1.351 or Omicron BQ1.1 variants. Thus, S-V987H protein might be considered for future SARS-CoV-2 vaccines development.
Aberrant non-canonical NF-κB signalling reprograms the epigenome landscape to drive oncogenic transcriptomes in multiple myeloma
Authors: Ang Daniel A. , Carter Jean-Michel , Deka Kamalakshi , Tan Joel H. L. , Zhou Jianbiao , Chen Qingfeng , Chng Wee Joo , Harmston Nathan , Li Yinghui
Published: March 2024

In multiple myeloma, abnormal plasma cells establish oncogenic niches within the bone marrow by engaging the NF-κB pathway to nurture their survival while they accumulate pro-proliferative mutations. Under these conditions, many cases eventually develop genetic abnormalities endowing them with constitutive NF-κB activation. Here, we find that sustained NF-κB/p52 levels resulting from such mutations favours the recruitment of enhancers beyond the normal B-cell repertoire. Furthermore, through targeted disruption of p52, we characterise how such enhancers are complicit in the formation of super-enhancers and the establishment of cis-regulatory interactions with myeloma dependencies during constitutive activation of p52. Finally, we functionally validate the pathological impact of these cis-regulatory modules on cell and tumour phenotypes using in vitro and in vivo models, confirming RGS1 as a p52-dependent myeloma driver. We conclude that the divergent epigenomic reprogramming enforced by aberrant non-canonical NF-κB signalling potentiates transcriptional programs beneficial for multiple myeloma progression.
Switching action modes of miR408-5p mediates auxin signaling in rice
Authors: Rong Fuxi , Lv Yusong , Deng Pingchuan , Wu Xia , Zhang Yaqi , Yue Erkui , Shen Yuxin , Muhammad Sajid , Ni Fangrui , Bian Hongwu , Wei Xiangjin , Zhou Weijun , Hu Peisong , Wu Liang
Published: March 2024

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play fundamental roles in many developmental and physiological processes in eukaryotes. MiRNAs in plants generally regulate their targets via either mRNA cleavage or translation repression; however, which approach plays a major role and whether these two function modes can shift remains elusive. Here, we identify a miRNA, miR408-5p that regulates AUXIN/INDOLE ACETIC ACID 30 (IAA30), a critical repressor in the auxin pathway via switching action modes in rice. We find that miR408-5p usually inhibits IAA30 protein translation, but in a high auxin environment, it promotes the decay of IAA30 mRNA when it is overproduced. We further demonstrate that IDEAL PLANT ARCHITECTURE1 (IPA1), an SPL transcription factor regulated by miR156, mediates leaf inclination through association with miR408-5p precursor promoter. We finally show that the miR156-IPA1-miR408-5p-IAA30 module could be controlled by miR393, which silences auxin receptors. Together, our results define an alternative auxin transduction signaling pathway in rice that involves the switching of function modes by miR408-5p, which contributes to a better understanding of the action machinery as well as the cooperative network of miRNAs in plants.
Toward sub-second solution exchange dynamics in flow reactors for liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy
Authors: Merkens Stefan , Tollan Christopher , De Salvo Giuseppe , Bejtka Katarzyna , Fontana Marco , Chiodoni Angelica , Kruse Joscha , Iriarte-Alonso Maiara Aime , Grzelczak Marek , Seifert Andreas , Chuvilin Andrey
Published: March 2024

Liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy is a burgeoning experimental technique for monitoring nanoscale dynamics in a liquid environment, increasingly employing microfluidic reactors to control the composition of the sample solution. Current challenges comprise fast mass transport dynamics inside the central nanochannel of the liquid cell, typically flow cells, and reliable fixation of the specimen in the limited imaging area. In this work, we present a liquid cell concept – the diffusion cell – that satisfies these seemingly contradictory requirements by providing additional on-chip bypasses to allow high convective transport around the nanochannel in which diffusive transport predominates. Diffusion cell prototypes are developed using numerical mass transport models and fabricated on the basis of existing two-chip setups. Important hydrodynamic parameters, i.e., the total flow resistance, the flow velocity in the imaging area, and the time constants of mixing, are improved by 2-3 orders of magnitude compared to existing setups. The solution replacement dynamics achieved within seconds already match the mixing timescales of many ex-situ scenarios, and further improvements are possible. Diffusion cells can be easily integrated into existing liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy workflows, provide correlation of results with ex-situ experiments, and can create additional research directions addressing fast nanoscale processes.
p53 regulates diverse tissue-specific outcomes to endogenous DNA damage in mice
Authors: Hill Ross J. , Bona Nazareno , Smink Job , Webb Hannah K. , Crisp Alastair , Garaycoechea Juan I. , Crossan Gerry P.
Published: March 2024

DNA repair deficiency can lead to segmental phenotypes in humans and mice, in which certain tissues lose homeostasis while others remain seemingly unaffected. This may be due to different tissues facing varying levels of damage or having different reliance on specific DNA repair pathways. However, we find that the cellular response to DNA damage determines different tissue-specific outcomes. Here, we use a mouse model of the human XPF-ERCC1 progeroid syndrome (XFE) caused by loss of DNA repair. We find that p53, a central regulator of the cellular response to DNA damage, regulates tissue dysfunction in Ercc1-/- mice in different ways. We show that ablation of p53 rescues the loss of hematopoietic stem cells, and has no effect on kidney, germ cell or brain dysfunction, but exacerbates liver pathology and polyploidisation. Mechanistically, we find that p53 ablation led to the loss of cell-cycle regulation in the liver, with reduced p21 expression. Eventually, p16/Cdkn2a expression is induced, serving as a fail-safe brake to proliferation in the absence of the p53-p21 axis. Taken together, our data show that distinct and tissue-specific functions of p53, in response to DNA damage, play a crucial role in regulating tissue-specific phenotypes.
Squeezing formaldehyde into C60 fullerene
Authors: Vyas Vijyesh K. , Bacanu George R. , Soundararajan Murari , Marsden Elizabeth S. , Jafari Tanzeeha , Shugai Anna , Light Mark E. , Nagel Urmas , Rõõm Toomas , Levitt Malcolm H. , Whitby Richard J.
Published: March 2024

The cavity inside fullerene C60 provides a highly symmetric and inert environment for housing atoms and small molecules. Here we report the encapsulation of formaldehyde inside C60 by molecular surgery, yielding the supermolecular complex CH2O@C60, despite the 4.4 Å van der Waals length of CH2O exceeding the 3.7 Å internal diameter of C60. The presence of CH2O significantly reduces the cage HOMO-LUMO gap. Nuclear spin-spin couplings are observed between the fullerene host and the formaldehyde guest. The rapid spin-lattice relaxation of the formaldehyde 13C nuclei is attributed to a dominant spin-rotation mechanism. Despite being squeezed so tightly, the encapsulated formaldehyde molecules rotate freely about their long axes even at cryogenic temperatures, allowing observation of the ortho-to-para spin isomer conversion by infrared spectroscopy. The particle in a box nature of the system is demonstrated by the observation of two quantised translational modes in the cryogenic THz spectra.
Mutational scanning pinpoints distinct binding sites of key ATGL regulators in lipolysis
Authors: Kohlmayr Johanna M. , Grabner Gernot F. , Nusser Anna , Höll Anna , Manojlović Verina , Halwachs Bettina , Masser Sarah , Jany-Luig Evelyne , Engelke Hanna , Zimmermann Robert , Stelzl Ulrich
Published: March 2024

ATGL is a key enzyme in intracellular lipolysis and plays an important role in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. ATGL is tightly regulated by a known set of protein-protein interaction partners with activating or inhibiting functions in the control of lipolysis. Here, we use deep mutational protein interaction perturbation scanning and generate comprehensive profiles of single amino acid variants that affect the interactions of ATGL with its regulatory partners: CGI-58, G0S2, PLIN1, PLIN5 and CIDEC. Twenty-three ATGL amino acid variants yield a specific interaction perturbation pattern when validated in co-immunoprecipitation experiments in mammalian cells. We identify and characterize eleven highly selective ATGL switch mutations which affect the interaction of one of the five partners without affecting the others. Switch mutations thus provide distinct interaction determinants for ATGL’s key regulatory proteins at an amino acid resolution. When we test triglyceride hydrolase activity in vitro and lipolysis in cells, the activity patterns of the ATGL switch variants trace to their protein interaction profile. In the context of structural data, the integration of variant binding and activity profiles provides insights into the regulation of lipolysis and the impact of mutations in human disease.
A concise and scalable chemoenzymatic synthesis of prostaglandins
Authors: Yin Yunpeng , Wang Jinxin , Li Jian
Published: March 2024

Prostaglandins have garnered significant attention from synthetic chemists due to their exceptional biological activities. In this report, we present a concise chemoenzymatic synthesis method for several representative prostaglandins, achieved in 5 to 7 steps. Notably, the common intermediate bromohydrin, a radical equivalent of Corey lactone, is chemoenzymatically synthesized in only two steps, which allows us to complete the synthesis of prostaglandin F2α in five steps on a 10-gram scale. The chiral cyclopentane core is introduced with high enantioselectivity, while the lipid chains are sequentially incorporated through a cost-effective process involving bromohydrin formation, nickel-catalyzed cross-couplings, and Wittig reactions. This cost-efficient synthesis route for prostaglandins holds the potential to make prostaglandin-related drugs more affordable and facilitate easier access to their analogues.
Risk prediction and interaction analysis using polygenic risk score of type 2 diabetes in a Korean population
Authors: Song Minsun , Kwak Soo Heon , Kim Jihyun
Published: March 2024

Joint modelling of genetic and environmental risk factors can provide important information to predict the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Therefore, to predict the genetic risk of T2D, we constructed a polygenic risk score (PRS) using genotype data of one Korean cohort, KARE (745 cases and 2549 controls), and the genome-wide association study summary statistics of Biobank Japan. We evaluated the performance of PRS in an independent Korean cohort, HEXA (5684 cases and 35,703 controls). Individuals with T2D had a significantly higher mean PRS than controls (0.492 vs. − 0.078, p$$\approx 0$$

≈
0

). PRS predicted the risk of T2D with an AUC of 0.658 (95% CI 0.651–0.666). We also evaluated interaction between PRS and waist circumference (WC) in the HEXA cohort. PRS exhibited a significant sub-multiplicative interaction with WC (ORinteraction 0.991, 95% CI 0.987–0.995, pinteraction = 4.93 × 10–6) in T2D. The effect of WC on T2D decreased as PRS increased. The sex-specific analyses produced similar interaction results, revealing a decreased WC effect on T2D as the PRS increased. In conclusion, the risk of WC for T2D may differ depending on PRS and those with a high PRS might develop T2D with a lower WC threshold. Our findings are expected to improve risk prediction for T2D and facilitate the identification of individuals at an increased risk of T2D.
A short-term forecasting method for photovoltaic power generation based on the TCN-ECANet-GRU hybrid model
Authors: Xiang Xiuli , Li Xingyu , Zhang Yaoli , Hu Jiang
Published: March 2024

Due to the uncertainty of weather conditions and the nonlinearity of high-dimensional data, as well as the need for a continuous and stable power supply to the power system, traditional regression analysis and time series forecasting methods are no longer able to meet the high accuracy requirements of today's PV power forecasting. To significantly improve the prediction accuracy of short-term PV output power, this paper proposes a short-term PV power forecasting method based on a hybrid model of temporal convolutional networks and gated recurrent units with an efficient channel attention network (TCN-ECANet-GRU) using the generated data of an Australian PV power station as the research object. First, temporal convolutional networks (TCNs) are used as spatial feature extraction layers, and an efficient channel attention network (ECANet) is embedded to enhance the feature capture capability of the convolutional network. Then, the GRU is used to extract the timing information for the final prediction. Finally, based on the experimental validation, the TCN-ECANet-GRU method generally outperformed the other baseline models in all four seasons of the year according to three performance assessment metrics: the normalized root mean square error (RMSE), normalized mean absolute error (MAE) and coefficient of determination (R2). The best RMSE, MAE and R2 reached 0.0195, 0.0128 and 99.72%, respectively, with maximum improvements of 11.32%, 8.57% and 0.38%, respectively, over those of the suboptimal model. Therefore, the model proposed in this paper is effective at improving prediction accuracy. Using the proposed method, this paper concludes with multistep predictions of 3, 6, and 9 steps, which also indicates that the proposed method significantly outperforms the other models.
3D geological and petrophysical modeling of Alam El-Bueib Formation using well logs and seismic data in Matruh Field, northwestern Egypt
Authors: Ali Walaa A. , Deaf Amr S. , Mostafa Taher
Published: March 2024

There are several productive petroleum fields in the North Western Desert (WD) of Egypt, which received extensive investigations regarding their petroleum potential. However, a few studies tackled the Matruh Oil Field, which contains the oil prolific Early Cretaceous Alam El-Bueib Formation (AEB Fm) reservoir. The reservoir intervals of the AEB Fm show substantial lithological variations across the basin. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the vertical and lateral distributions in terms of their lithological and petrophysical properties. To achieve this objective, wireline logs of four wells and 20-2D seismic lines were used to construct a depth-structure contour map for the studied part of the field. This map was used to build the field’s structure model and to identify the fault patterns in the basin through several seismic lines. Analyses of well logs data and lithology were used to estimate the petrophysical properties of AEB sandstone units AEB-1, AEB-3A, AEB-3C, and AEB-6. Results show that the AEB-6 Unit is the most promising hydrocarbon-bearing unit. It has a net pay of 20–160 feet, a shale volume of 5–20%, an effective porosity of 14–20%, and a hydrocarbon saturation of 70–88%. The structure-depth maps indicate a number of normal faults with two principal NE-SW and NW–SE trends, which probably act as structural traps in the Matruh Oil Field. The constructed structure-depth maps and calculated petrophysical parameters were used to build a three-dimensional reservoir model. A blind well was used to validate the accuracy and reliability of the facies, porosity, and saturation models for the AEB Fm units, ensuring a good match between log-derived data and built models. The AEB Fm shows regional heterogeneous variations in its petrophysical characteristics. It exhibits unconventional reservoir characteristics in a N–S direction and conventional reservoir characteristics in an E–W direction. This observed heterogeneity shows the need to carry out further investigations to comprehensively assess the hydrocarbon potential of AEB Fm in different areas of the Matruh Basin.
Interface engineering for facile switching of bulk-strong polarization in Si-compatible vertical superlattices
Authors: Kumar Pawan , Lee Jun Hee
Published: March 2024

Ferroelectric thin films incorporating different compositional layers have emerged as a promising approach for enhancing properties and performance of electronic devices. In recent years, superlattices utilizing various interactions between their constituent layers have been used to reveal unusual properties, such as improper ferroelectricity, charged domain walls, and negative capacitance in conventional ferroelectrics. Herein, we report a symmetry scheme based on the interface engineering in which the inherent cell-doubling symmetry allowed atomic distortions (phonons) in any vertically aligned superlattice activate novel interface couplings among atomic distortions of different symmetries and fundamentally improve the ferroelectric properties. In a materialized case, the ionic size difference between Hf4+ and Ce4+ in the HfO2/CeO2 (HCO) ferroelectric/paraelectric superlattice leads to these couplings. These couplings mitigate the phase boundary between polar and non-polar phases, and facilitate polarization switching with a remarkably low coercive field ($${E}_{c}$$

E
c

) while preserving the original magnitude of the bulk HfO2 polarization and its scale-free ferroelectric characteristics. We show that the cell-doubled distortions present in any vertical superlattice have unique implications for designing low-voltage ferroelectric switching while retaining bulk-strong charge storing capacities in Si-compatible memory candidates.
The unveiling of a dynamic duo: hydrodynamic cavitation and cold plasma for the degradation of furosemide in wastewater
Authors: Verdini Federico , Abramova Anna , Boffa Luisa , Calcio Gaudino Emanuela , Cravotto Giancarlo
Published: March 2024

The degradation in water of furosemide (FUR), a widely used diuretic drug, was herein reported. The method entails an integrated approach based on the hybridisation of hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) with electrical discharge (ED) plasma technology. This dynamic duo could increase the production of oxidising compounds in water, in particular hydroxyl radicals (OH radicals), by triggering the rapid homolytic decomposition of water molecules and avoiding the addition of external oxidants. This study clearly emphasises the effectiveness of an integrated approach to improve the degradation of pollutants in wastewater originating from active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The results of HC/ED-assisted FUR degradation in the presence of radical scavengers highlight the predominant role of the radical oxidation mechanism at the gas–liquid interface of the cavitation bubble during HC/ED treatment. A comparative analysis of the three technologies—HC alone, HC/ED and UV alone—emphasised the promising potential of hybrid HC/ED as a scalable industrial technology. This is demonstrated by the higher degradation rates (100%, 10 min) when treating large volumes (5L) of wastewater contaminated with FUR (50 mg/L), even in the presence of other APIs.
Alteration in kynurenine pathway metabolites in young women with autoimmune thyroiditis
Authors: Krupa Anna , Łebkowska Agnieszka , Kondraciuk Marcin , Kaminski Karol Adam , Kowalska Irina
Published: March 2024

The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan degradation includes several compounds that reveal immunomodulatory properties. The present study aimed to investigate the alteration in KP metabolites in young women with autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) and their associations with thyroid function. The thyroid function tests, antithyroid antibodies measurement and ultrasonography of the thyroid gland have been performed in 57 young women with AIT and 38 age-matched healthy controls. The serum levels of tryptophan, kynurenine (KYN) and its metabolites were determined, and the activity of KP enzymes was calculated indirectly as product-to-substrate ratios. KP was activated and dysregulated in AIT, along with significantly elevated levels of KYN and anthranilic acid (AA), at the expense of the reduction of kynurenic acid (KYNA), which was reflected by the increase in the AA/KYNA ratio (p < 0.001). In univariate and multiple regression analyses, peripheral deiodinase (SPINA-GD) activity in AIT was positively associated with KYNA, AA, and quinolinic acid (QA). The merger of AA, AA/KYNA ratio, QA and SPINA-GD exhibited the highest sensitivity and specificity to predict AIT (p < 0.001) in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. In conclusion, the serum KYN metabolite profile is dysregulated in young women with AIT and could serve as a new predictor of AIT risk.
The immune regulation and therapeutic potential of the SMAD gene family in breast cancer
Authors: Chen Zhuo , Wang Yu , Lu Xiaodi , Chen Hong , Kong Yiran , Rong Liwei , Wang Guonian
Published: March 2024

Breast cancer is a serious threat to human health. The transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway is an important pathway involved in the occurrence and development of cancer. The SMAD family genes are responsible for the TGF-β signaling pathway. However, the mechanism by which genes of the SMAD family are involved in breast cancer is still unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the biological roles of the SMAD family genes in breast cancer. We downloaded the gene expression data, gene mutation data, and clinical pathological data of breast cancer patients from the UCSC Xena database. We used the Wilcox test to estimate the expression of genes of the SMAD family in cancers. And the biological functions of SMAD family genes using the DAVID website. The Pearson correlation method was used to explore the immune cell infiltration and drug response of SMAD family genes. We conducted in biological experiments vitro and vivo. In this study, we integrated the multi-omics data from TCGA breast cancer patients for analysis. The expression of genes of SMAD family was significantly dysregulated in patients with breast cancer. Except for SMAD6, the expression of other SMAD family genes was positively correlated. We also found that genes of the SMAD family were significantly enriched in the TGF-β signaling pathway, Hippo signaling pathway, cell cycle, and cancer-related pathways. In addition, SMAD3, SMAD6, and SMAD7 were lowly expressed in stage II breast cancer, while SMAD4 and SMAD2 were lowly expressed in stage III cancer. Furthermore, the expression of genes of the SMAD family was significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration scores. Constructing a xenograft tumor mouse model, we found that SMAD3 knockdown significantly inhibited tumorigenesis. Finally, we analyzed the association between these genes and the IC50 value of drugs. Interestingly, patients with high expression of SMAD3 exhibited significant resistance to dasatinib and staurosporine, while high sensitivity to tamoxifen and auranofin. In addition, SMAD3 knockdown promoted the apoptosis of BT-549 cells and decreased cell activity, and BAY-1161909 and XK-469 increased drug efficacy. In conclusion, genes of the SMAD family play a crucial role in the development of breast cancer.
Exploring water-absorbing capacity: a digital image analysis of seeds from 120 wheat varieties
Authors: Khan Tooba , Jamil Muhammad , Ali Aamir , Rasheed Sana , Irshad Asma , Maqsood Muhammad Faisal , Zulfiqar Usman , Chaudhary Talha , Ali M. Ajmal , Elshikh Mohamed S.
Published: March 2024

Wheat is a staple food crop that provides a significant portion of the world's daily caloric intake, serving as a vital source of carbohydrates and dietary fiber for billions of people. Seed shape studies of wheat typically involve the use of digital image analysis software to quantify various seed shape parameters such as length, width, area, aspect ratio, roundness, and symmetry. This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the water-absorbing capacity of seeds from 120 distinct wheat lines, leveraging digital image analysis techniques facilitated by SmartGrain software. Water absorption is a pivotal process in the early stages of seed germination, directly influencing plant growth and crop yield. SmartGrain, a powerful image analysis tool, was employed to extract precise quantitative data from digital images of wheat seeds, enabling the assessment of various seed traits in relation to their water-absorbing capacity. The analysis revealed significant transformations in seed characteristics as they absorbed water, including changes in size, weight, shape, and more. Through statistical analysis and correlation assessments, we identified robust relationships between these seed traits, both before and after water treatment. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) were employed to categorize genotypes with similar trait patterns, providing insights valuable for crop breeding and genetic research. Multiple linear regression analysis further elucidated the influence of specific seed traits, such as weight, width, and distance, on water-absorbing capacity. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of seed development, imbibition, and the crucial role of water absorption in wheat. These insights have practical implications in agriculture, offering opportunities to optimize breeding programs for improved water absorption in wheat genotypes. The integration of SmartGrain software with advanced statistical methods enhances the reliability and significance of our findings, paving the way for more efficient and resilient wheat crop production. Significant changes in wheat seed shape parameters were observed after imbibition, with notable increases in area, perimeter, length, width, and weight. The length-to-width ratio (LWR) and circularity displayed opposite trends, with higher values before imbibition and lower values after imbibition.
Clinical and histopathological characteristics of primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in Turkish adults
Authors: Kurultak Ilhan , Gungor Ozkan , Ozturk Savas , Dirim Ahmet Burak , Eren Necmi , Yenigün Ezgi , Dal Elbis Ahbab , Dincer Mevlut Tamer , Bora Feyza , Akgur Suat , Sumnu Abdullah , Dursun Belda , Sipahi Savas , Cetinkaya Hakki , Sahin Idris , Sahin Garip , Yilmaz Murvet , Vatansever Bulent , Aydın Emre , Ulu Memnune Sena , Gundogdu Ali , Ustundag Sedat , Sayarlioglu Hayriye , Kumru Gizem , Elcioglu Omer C. , Aydın Zeki , Selcuk Nedim Yılmaz , Onal Guclu Ceren , Oruc Meric , Kucuk Mehmet , Aktas Nimet , Derici Ulver , Suleymanlar Gultekin
Published: March 2024

The data regarding primary FSGS (pFSGS) from different parts of the world differ. While the prevalence of pFSGS has been increasing in Western countries like the USA, it follows an inconsistent trend in Europe and Asia and a decreasing trend in Far Eastern countries such as China in the last two decades. There are undetermined factors to explain those national and geographic discrepancies. Herein, we aimed to reveal the current prevalence with clinical and histopathological characteristics of pFSGS in Turkish adults. This study includes the biopsy-proven pFSGS patients data recorded between 2009 and 2019, obtained from the national multicenter primary glomerulonephritis registry system of the Turkish Society of Nephrology Glomerular Diseases (TSN-GOLD) database. 850 of the 3875 primer glomerulonephritis patients(21.9%) have pFSGS. The mean age is 40.5 ± 14.2 and 435 (51.2%) of patients are male. Nephrotic syndrome is the most common biopsy indication (59.2%). 32.6% of patients have hematuria, 15.2% have leukocyturia and 7.8% have both. Serum creatinine, albumin, and proteinuria are 1.0 mg/dL (IQR = 0.7–1.4) mg/dl, 3.4 ± 0.9 g/dl, 3400 mg/day(IQR, 1774–5740), respectively. Females have lower mean arterial pressure (− 2.2 mmHg), higher eGFR (+ 10.0 mL/min/1.73 m2), and BMI (+ 1.6 kg/m2) than males. Thickened basal membrane(76.6%) and mesangial proliferation (53.5%) on light microscopy are the major findings after segmental sclerosis. IgM (32.7%) and C3 (32.9%) depositions are the most common findings on immunofluorescence microscopy. IgM positivity is related to lower eGFR, serum albumin, and higher proteinuria. The prevalence of pFSGS is stable although slightly increasing in Turkish adults. The characteristics of the patients are similar to those seen in Western countries.
Explainable machine learning for early predicting treatment failure risk among patients with TB-diabetes comorbidity
Authors: Peng An-zhou , Kong Xiang-Hua , Liu Song-tao , Zhang Hui-fen , Xie Ling-ling , Ma Li-juan , Zhang Qiu , Chen Yong
Published: March 2024

The present study aims to assess the treatment outcome of patients with diabetes and tuberculosis (TB-DM) at an early stage using machine learning (ML) based on electronic medical records (EMRs). A total of 429 patients were included at Chongqing Public Health Medical Center. The random-forest-based Boruta algorithm was employed to select the essential variables, and four models with a fivefold cross-validation scheme were used for modeling and model evaluation. Furthermore, we adopted SHapley additive explanations to interpret results from the tree-based model. 9 features out of 69 candidate features were chosen as predictors. Among these predictors, the type of resistance was the most important feature, followed by activated partial throm-boplastic time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), platelet distribution width (PDW), and prothrombin time (PT). All the models we established performed above an AUC 0.7 with good predictive performance. XGBoost, the optimal performing model, predicts the risk of treatment failure in the test set with an AUC 0.9281. This study suggests that machine learning approach (XGBoost) presented in this study identifies patients with TB-DM at higher risk of treatment failure at an early stage based on EMRs. The application of a convenient and economy EMRs based on machine learning provides new insight into TB-DM treatment strategies in low and middle-income countries.
Thermal vulnerability of sea turtle foraging grounds around the globe
Authors: Goudarzi Forough , Doxa Aggeliki , Hemami Mahmoud-Reza , Mazaris Antonios D.
Published: March 2024

Anticipating and mitigating the impacts of climate change on biodiversity requires a comprehensive understanding on key habitats utilized by species. Yet, such information for high mobile marine megafauna species remains limited. Here, we compile a global database comprising published satellite tracking data (n = 1035 individuals) to spatially delineate foraging grounds for seven sea turtle species and assess their thermal stability. We identified 133 foraging areas distributed around the globe, of which only 2% of the total surface is enclosed within an existing protected area. One-third of the total coverage of foraging hotspots is situated in high seas, where conservation focus is often neglected. Our analyses revealed that more than two-thirds of these vital marine habitats will experience new sea surface temperature (SST) conditions by 2100, exposing sea turtles to potential thermal risks. Our findings underline the importance of global ocean conservation efforts, which can meet climate challenges even in remote environments.
Endothelial gene regulatory elements associated with cardiopharyngeal lineage differentiation
Authors: Aurigemma Ilaria , Lanzetta Olga , Cirino Andrea , Allegretti Sara , Lania Gabriella , Ferrentino Rosa , Poondi Krishnan Varsha , Angelini Claudia , Illingworth Elizabeth , Baldini Antonio
Published: March 2024

Endothelial cells (EC) differentiate from multiple sources, including the cardiopharyngeal mesoderm, which gives rise also to cardiac and branchiomeric muscles. The enhancers activated during endothelial differentiation within the cardiopharyngeal mesoderm are not completely known. Here, we use a cardiogenic mesoderm differentiation model that activates an endothelial transcription program to identify endothelial regulatory elements activated in early cardiogenic mesoderm. Integrating chromatin remodeling and gene expression data with available single-cell RNA-seq data from mouse embryos, we identify 101 putative regulatory elements of EC genes. We then apply a machine-learning strategy, trained on validated enhancers, to predict enhancers. Using this computational assay, we determine that 50% of these sequences are likely enhancers, some of which are already reported. We also identify a smaller set of regulatory elements of well-known EC genes and validate them using genetic and epigenetic perturbation. Finally, we integrate multiple data sources and computational tools to search for transcriptional factor binding motifs. In conclusion, we show EC regulatory sequences with a high likelihood to be enhancers, and we validate a subset of them using computational and cell culture models. Motif analyses show that the core EC transcription factors GATA/ETS/FOS is a likely driver of EC regulation in cardiopharyngeal mesoderm.