bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nursing discharge teaching of hospitalized postpartum women in China: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Li Sen , Liu Yan , Liu Guoli
Published: November 2023

Background

Postpartum women encounter a diverse array of physiological challenges following childbirth, and they may also contend with issues such as a lack of self-care knowledge childcare knowledge, and childcare experience. This study aimed to explore the quality of discharge teaching for hospitalized postpartum women.

Methods

A total of 292 parturients who gave birth in a tertiary hospital were selected using the convenience sampling method and surveyed using a general data questionnaire and discharge teaching quality scale.

Results

The total score for the quality of discharge teaching was 111.95 ​± ​28.64. In bivariate analysis, significant differences were identified between postpartum women with differences in postpartum complications, ambulation time, wound pain, infant health status, and infant feeding methods (p ​< ​0.05). Wound pain and infant feeding methods were significant factors in a multiple linear regression model (p ​< ​0.05).

Conclusions

Nursing staff should focus on psychological nursing care and give more personalized teaching to postpartum women with severe wound pain and who bottle feed their newborns.
t-Design Curves and Mobile Sampling on the Sphere
Authors: Ehler Martin , Gröchenig Karlheinz
Published: November 2023

In analogy to classical spherical t-design points, we introduce the concept of t-design curves on the sphere. This means that the line integral along a t-design curve integrates polynomials of degree t exactly. For low degrees, we construct explicit examples. We also derive lower asymptotic bounds on the lengths of t-design curves. Our main results prove the existence of asymptotically optimal t-design curves in the Euclidean

$2$

-sphere and the existence of t-design curves in the d-sphere.
The founder as the microfoundation of slack resource and firms’ R&D investment
Authors: Teng Da , Li Chengchun , Sun Xiangdong , Tanna Sailesh
Published: November 2023

This paper studies the relationship between slack and research and development (R&D) investment by addressing the role of the founder as the ‘microfoundation’ among Chinese newly listed firms. We propose a contingent approach to understanding the slack-R&D investment relationship by examining the influence of the founder’s human capital and social ties, which is distinguished into political and managerial ties. Our results show that the founder’s human capital, measured by its educational level, strengthens the relationship between absorbed and unabsorbed slack resources and R&D investment. We also find that the founder’s managerial ties strengthen the relationship between resource slack and R&D intensity, whereas political ties weaken that link. Our results demonstrate the founder’s crucial role in underpinning resource utilization in newly listed firms and emphasise the importance of social ties in driving firms’ R&D activities in emerging economies.
ECONOMIC PROGRESS AND ADAM SMITH’S DILEMMA
Authors: Coyle Diane
Published: November 2023

Adam Smith saw the division of labour and specialisation as the driver of ‘universal opulence’, a process limited by the scope of the market. He also believed that competition was essential to ensure growth benefited the public. Yet eventually there could be a trade-off between these two mechanisms. In today’s era of global production networks, the markets at certain links in supply chains may support just one specialised supplier; and in winner-take-all digital markets there is a single supplier even at global scale. When the scope of the market is global, there may be a trade-off between specialisation and competition.
Governing Global Tax Dodgers: The “Group of Four” and the Taxation of Multinational Corporations, 1970s–1980s
Authors: Ogle Vanessa
Published: November 2023

During the 1970s, governments increasingly expressed concerns about the loss of revenue through the use of tax havens by both individuals and corporations. This article explores a covert international working group (the Group of Four) set up between France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 1969 in response to such concerns. At regular meetings, officials exchanged information gathered by their respective tax authorities in auditing multinational companies. In the 1980s, under increasing pressure from governments in a now much more hostile climate to tax authorities, the Group’s work shifted away from multinationals and toward more general, technical questions. The history of the Group of Four illustrates the importance of the 1960s and 1970s as a period for regulating economic actors and the impact of broader circumstances on the success or failure of anti-tax avoidance measures.
A statistical method to standardize and interpret the activity data generated by wireless biosensors in dairy cows
Authors: Lee Wang-Hee , Lee Mingyung , Lee Dae-Hyun , Jung Jae-Min , Cho Hyunjin , Seo Seongwon
Published: November 2023

Activity biosensors have been used recently to measure and diagnose the physiological status of dairy cows. However, owing to the variety of commercialized activity biosensors available in the market, activity data generated by a biosensor need to be standardized to predict the status of an animal and make relevant decisions. Hence, the objective of this study was to develop a standardization method for accommodating activity measurements from different sensors. Twelve Holstein dairy cows were monitored to collect 12 862 activity data from four types of sensors over five months. After confirming similar cyclic activity patterns from the sensors through correlation and regression analyses, the gamma distribution was employed to calculate the cumulative probability of the values of each biosensor. Then, the activity values were assigned to three levels (i.e., idle, normal and active) based on the defined proportion of each level, and the values at each level from the four sensors were compared. The results showed that the number of measurements belonging to the same level was similar, with less than a 10% difference at a specific threshold value. In addition, more than 87% of the heat alerts generated by the internal algorithm of three of the four biosensors could be assigned to the active level, suggesting that the current standardization method successfully integrated the activity measurements from different biosensors. The developed probability-based standardization method is expected to be applicable to other biosensors for livestock, which will lead to the development of models and solutions for precision livestock farming.
Biologics versus functional endoscopic sinus surgery for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: a literature review
Authors: Alshatti Asmaa , Webb Christopher
Published: November 2023

Objective

To review the literature comparing functional endoscopic sinus surgery to dupilumab for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, in terms of symptom control, cost-effectiveness and complications.

Method

A literature review was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect and Cochrane databases. Data were extracted manually.

Results

A total of six papers relevant to the main objective were found.

Conclusion

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps has a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. Both functional endoscopic sinus surgery and dupilumab achieve comparable disease control and result in good symptom relief. Dupilumab is far more expensive than functional endoscopic sinus surgery and is not considered cost-effective for the time being. This is expected to change after 10 years when the drug patent expires. More research is needed to compare the complications of both treatment modalities.
Meta-learned models of cognition
Authors: Binz Marcel , Dasgupta Ishita , Jagadish Akshay K. , Botvinick Matthew , Wang Jane X. , Schulz Eric
Published: November 2023

Psychologists and neuroscientists extensively rely on computational models for studying and analyzing the human mind. Traditionally, such computational models have been hand-designed by expert researchers. Two prominent examples are cognitive architectures and Bayesian models of cognition. Although the former requires the specification of a fixed set of computational structures and a definition of how these structures interact with each other, the latter necessitates the commitment to a particular prior and a likelihood function that – in combination with Bayes' rule – determine the model's behavior. In recent years, a new framework has established itself as a promising tool for building models of human cognition: the framework of meta-learning. In contrast to the previously mentioned model classes, meta-learned models acquire their inductive biases from experience, that is, by repeatedly interacting with an environment. However, a coherent research program around meta-learned models of cognition is still missing to date. The purpose of this article is to synthesize previous work in this field and establish such a research program. We accomplish this by pointing out that meta-learning can be used to construct Bayes-optimal learning algorithms, allowing us to draw strong connections to the rational analysis of cognition. We then discuss several advantages of the meta-learning framework over traditional methods and reexamine prior work in the context of these new insights.
Investigation of BAK, BAX and MAD2L1 gene expression in human aneuploid blastocysts
Authors: Ahmed M. , Aytacoglu H. , Coban O. , Tulay P.
Published: November 2023

Maintaining genomic stability is crucial for normal development. At earlier stages of preimplantation development, as the embryonic genome activation is not fully completed, the embryos may be more prone to abnormalities. Aneuploidies are one of the most common genetic causes of implantation failure or first-trimester miscarriages. Apoptosis is a crucial mechanism to eliminate damaged or abnormal cells from the organism to enable healthy growth. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between the expression levels of genes involved in apoptosis in human aneuploid and euploid blastocysts. In total, 32 human embryos obtained from 21 patients were used for this study. Trophectoderm biopsies were performed and next-generation screening was carried out for aneuploidy screening. Total RNA was extracted from each blastocyst separately and cDNA was synthesized. Gene expression levels were evaluated using RT-PCR. The statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the gene expression level variations in the euploid and aneuploid embryos, respectively. The expression level of the BAX gene was significantly different between the aneuploid and euploid samples. BAX expression levels were found to be 1.5-fold lower in aneuploid cells. However, the expression levels of BAK and MAD2L1 genes were similar in each group. This study aimed to investigate the possible role of genes involved in apoptosis and aneuploidy mechanisms. The findings of this investigation revealed that the BAX gene was expressed significantly differently between aneuploid and euploid embryos. Therefore, it is possible that the genes involved in the apoptotic pathway have a role in the aneuploidy mechanism.
Multi‐Decadal Record of Sensible‐Heat Polynya Variability From Satellite Optical and Thermal Imagery at Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica
Authors: Savidge Elena , Snow Tasha , Siegfried Matthew R.
Published: November 2023

Open ocean areas surrounded by sea ice and maintained by ocean heat, or sensible‐heat polynyas, are linked to key ice‐sheet processes, such as ice‐shelf basal melt and ice‐shelf fracture, when they occur near ice‐shelf fronts. However, the lack of detailed multi‐year records of polynya variability prevent assessing coupling between polynya and frontal dynamics. Here, we present the first multi‐decadal polynya area record (2000–2022) at Pine Island Glacier (PIG), West Antarctica, from thermal and optical satellite imagery. We found substantial interannual variability in polynya area, with consistencies in the timing of polynya opening, maximal extent, and closing. Furthermore, the largest polynya in our record (269 km2) occurred at PIG's western margin just 68 days before iceberg B‐27 calved, suggesting that polynya size and position may influence rifting dynamics. Our new data set provides a pathway to assess coevolving polynya and frontal dynamics, demonstrating the importance of building long‐term, year‐round polynya variability records.
DDR2-regulated arginase activity in ovarian cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes collagen production and tumor progression
Authors: Akinjiyan Favour A. , Ibitoye Zainab , Zhao Peinan , Shriver Leah P. , Patti Gary J. , Longmore Gregory D. , Fuh Katherine C.
Published: November 2023

Ovarian cancer has poor survival outcomes particularly for advanced stage, metastatic disease. Metastasis is promoted by interactions of stromal cells, such as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), with tumor cells. CAFs play a key role in tumor progression by remodeling the TME and extracellular matrix (ECM) to result in a more permissive environment for tumor progression. It has been shown that fibroblasts, in particular myofibroblasts, utilize metabolism to support ECM remodeling. However, the intricate mechanisms by which CAFs support collagen production and tumor progression are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the fibrillar collagen receptor, Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2), promotes collagen production in human and mouse omental CAFs through arginase activity. CAFs with high DDR2 or arginase promote tumor colonization in the omentum. In addition, DDR2-depleted CAFs had decreased ornithine levels leading to decreased collagen production and polyamine levels compared to WT control CAFs. Tumor cell invasion was decreased in the presence CAF conditioned media (CM) depleted of DDR2 or arginase-1, and this invasion defect was rescued in the presence of CM from DDR2-depleted CAFs that constitutively overexpressed arginase-1. Similarly, the addition of exogenous polyamines to CM from DDR2-depleted CAFs led to increased tumor cell invasion. We detected SNAI1 protein at the promoter region of the arginase-1 gene, and DDR2-depleted CAFs had decreased levels of SNAI1 protein at the arginase-1 promoter region. Furthermore, high stromal arginase-1 expression correlated with poor survival in ovarian cancer patients. These findings highlight how DDR2 regulates collagen production by CAFs in the tumor microenvironment by controlling the transcription of arginase-1, and CAFs are a major source of arginase activity and L-arginine metabolites in ovarian cancer models.
SIRT1 regulates hepatocyte programmed cell death via GSDME - IL18 axis in human and mouse liver transplantation
Authors: Kadono Kentaro , Kojima Hidenobu , Yao Siyuan , Kageyama Shoichi , Nakamura Kojiro , Hirao Hirofumi , Ito Takahiro , Dery Kenneth J. , Farmer Douglas G. , Kaldas Fady M. , Li Xiaoling , Kupiec-Weglinski Jerzy W.
Published: November 2023

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a histone/protein deacetylase in the cellular response to inflammatory, metabolic, and oxidative stressors. We previously reported that myeloid SIRT1 regulates the inflamed liver’s canonical pyroptosis cell death pathway. However, whether/how hepatocyte SIRT1 is engaged in programmed cell death in the cold-stressed liver remains uncertain. Here, we undertook translational studies in human and mouse orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) to interrogate the significance of hepatocyte-specific SIRT1 in cold-stored donor livers and liver grafts after reperfusion. In the clinical arm of sixty human OLT patients, hepatic SIRT1 levels in cold-preserved donor livers correlated with the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression. After reperfusion, improved OLT function was accompanied by hepatic SIRT1 levels negatively associated with cleaved caspase-3 expression. In the experimental arm, we compared FLOX-control with hepatocyte-specific SIRT1-KO livers after orthotopic transplantation into WT mouse recipients, parallel with primary murine hepatocyte cultures subjected to cold activation with/without knockdown of SIRT1, GSDME, and IL18Rβ. Indeed, hepatocyte SIRT1 deficiency upregulated apoptosis and GSDME-mediated programmed cell death, deteriorating hepatocellular function and shortening OLT survival. Augmented GSDME processing, accompanied by increased secretion of IL18 by stressed hepatocytes, was prominent in SIRT1-deficient, cold-stored livers. Hepatocyte SIRT1 expression regulated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2/XIAP proteins, suppressed cold stress-triggered apoptosis, and mitigated GSDME licensing to release IL18. Notably, consistent with the ability of IL18 to depress hepatocyte SIRT1 and Bcl-2/XIAP in vitro, IL18 neutralization in vivo prevented hepatocellular damage and restored the anti-apoptotic phenotype in otherwise injury-prone SIRT1-deficient OLTs. In conclusion, this translational study identifies a novel hepatocyte SIRT1-IL18 molecular circuit as a therapeutic target in the mechanism underpinning hepatocyte death pathways in human and mouse liver transplantation.
Molecular EPISTOP, a comprehensive multi-omic analysis of blood from Tuberous Sclerosis Complex infants age birth to two years
Authors: Huschner Franz , Głowacka-Walas Jagoda , Mills James D. , Klonowska Katarzyna , Lasseter Kathryn , Asara John M. , Moavero Romina , Hertzberg Christoph , Weschke Bernhard , Riney Kate , Feucht Martha , Scholl Theresa , Krsek Pavel , Nabbout Rima , Jansen Anna C. , Petrák Bořivoj , van Scheppingen Jackelien , Zamecnik Josef , Iyer Anand , Anink Jasper J. , Mühlebner Angelika , Mijnsbergen Caroline , Lagae Lieven , Curatolo Paolo , Borkowska Julita , Sadowski Krzysztof , Domańska-Pakieła Dorota , Blazejczyk Magdalena , Jansen Floor E. , Janson Stef , Urbanska Malgorzata , Tempes Aleksandra , Janssen Bart , Sijko Kamil , Wojdan Konrad , Jozwiak Sergiusz , Kotulska Katarzyna , Lehmann Karola , Aronica Eleonora , Jaworski Jacek , Kwiatkowski David J.
Published: November 2023

We present a comprehensive multi-omic analysis of the EPISTOP prospective clinical trial of early intervention with vigabatrin for pre-symptomatic epilepsy treatment in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), in which 93 infants with TSC were followed from birth to age 2 years, seeking biomarkers of epilepsy development. Vigabatrin had profound effects on many metabolites, increasing serum deoxycytidine monophosphate (dCMP) levels 52-fold. Most serum proteins and metabolites, and blood RNA species showed significant change with age. Thirty-nine proteins, metabolites, and genes showed significant differences between age-matched control and TSC infants. Six also showed a progressive difference in expression between control, TSC without epilepsy, and TSC with epilepsy groups. A multivariate approach using enrollment samples identified multiple 3-variable predictors of epilepsy, with the best having a positive predictive value of 0.987. This rich dataset will enable further discovery and analysis of developmental effects, and associations with seizure development in TSC.
Stabilizing lattice oxygen redox in layered sodium transition metal oxide through spin singlet state
Authors: Wang Xuelong , Yin Liang , Ronne Arthur , Zhang Yiman , Hu Zilin , Tan Sha , Wang Qinchao , Song Bohang , Li Mengya , Rong Xiaohui , Lapidus Saul , Yang Shize , Hu Enyuan , Liu Jue
Published: November 2023

Reversible lattice oxygen redox reactions offer the potential to enhance energy density and lower battery cathode costs. However, their widespread adoption faces obstacles like substantial voltage hysteresis and poor stability. The current research addresses these challenges by achieving a non-hysteresis, long-term stable oxygen redox reaction in the P3-type Na2/3Cu1/3Mn2/3O2. Here we show this is accomplished by forming spin singlet states during charge and discharge. Detailed analysis, including in-situ X-ray diffraction, shows highly reversible structural changes during cycling. In addition, local CuO6 Jahn-Teller distortions persist throughout, with dynamic Cu-O bond length variations. In-situ hard X-ray absorption and ex-situ soft X-ray absorption study, along with density function theory calculations, reveal two distinct charge compensation mechanisms at approximately 3.66 V and 3.99 V plateaus. Notably, we observe a Zhang-Rice-like singlet state during 3.99 V charging, offering an alternative charge compensation mechanism to stabilize the active oxygen redox reaction.
Microscopic theory, analysis, and interpretation of conductance histograms in molecular junctions
Authors: Mejía Leopoldo , Cossio Pilar , Franco Ignacio
Published: November 2023

Molecular electronics break-junction experiments are widely used to investigate fundamental physics and chemistry at the nanoscale. Reproducibility in these experiments relies on measuring conductance on thousands of freshly formed molecular junctions, yielding a broad histogram of conductance events. Experiments typically focus on the most probable conductance, while the information content of the conductance histogram has remained unclear. Here we develop a microscopic theory for the conductance histogram by merging the theory of force-spectroscopy with molecular conductance. The procedure yields analytical equations that accurately fit the conductance histogram of a wide range of molecular junctions and augments the information content that can be extracted from them. Our formulation captures contributions to the conductance dispersion due to conductance changes during the mechanical elongation inherent to the experiments. In turn, the histogram shape is determined by the non-equilibrium stochastic features of junction rupture and formation. The microscopic parameters in the theory capture the junction’s electromechanical properties and can be isolated from separate conductance and rupture force (or junction-lifetime) measurements. The predicted behavior can be used to test the range of validity of the theory, understand the conductance histograms, design molecular junction experiments with enhanced resolution and molecular devices with more reproducible conductance properties.
3D reconstructions of parasite development and the intracellular niche of the microsporidian pathogen Encephalitozoon intestinalis
Authors: Antao Noelle V. , Lam Cherry , Davydov Ari , Riggi Margot , Sall Joseph , Petzold Christopher , Liang Feng-Xia , Iwasa Janet H. , Ekiert Damian C. , Bhabha Gira
Published: November 2023

Microsporidia are an early-diverging group of fungal pathogens with a wide host range. Several microsporidian species cause opportunistic infections in humans that can be fatal. As obligate intracellular parasites with highly reduced genomes, microsporidia are dependent on host metabolites for successful replication and development. Our knowledge of microsporidian intracellular development remains rudimentary, and our understanding of the intracellular niche occupied by microsporidia has relied on 2D TEM images and light microscopy. Here, we use serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) to capture 3D snapshots of the human-infecting species, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, within host cells. We track E. intestinalis development through its life cycle, which allows us to propose a model for how its infection organelle, the polar tube, is assembled de novo in developing spores. 3D reconstructions of parasite-infected cells provide insights into the physical interactions between host cell organelles and parasitophorous vacuoles, which contain the developing parasites. The host cell mitochondrial network is substantially remodeled during E. intestinalis infection, leading to mitochondrial fragmentation. SBF-SEM analysis shows changes in mitochondrial morphology in infected cells, and live-cell imaging provides insights into mitochondrial dynamics during infection. Our data provide insights into parasite development, polar tube assembly, and microsporidia-induced host mitochondria remodeling.
The Mla system of diderm Firmicute Veillonella parvula reveals an ancestral transenvelope bridge for phospholipid trafficking
Authors: Grasekamp Kyrie P. , Beaud Benyahia Basile , Taib Najwa , Audrain Bianca , Bardiaux Benjamin , Rossez Yannick , Izadi-Pruneyre Nadia , Lejeune Maylis , Trivelli Xavier , Chouit Zina , Guerardel Yann , Ghigo Jean-Marc , Gribaldo Simonetta , Beloin Christophe
Published: November 2023

E. coli and most other diderm bacteria (those with two membranes) have an inner membrane enriched in glycerophospholipids (GPLs) and an asymmetric outer membrane (OM) containing GPLs in its inner leaflet and primarily lipopolysaccharides in its outer leaflet. In E. coli, this lipid asymmetry is maintained by the Mla system which consists of six proteins: the OM lipoprotein MlaA extracts GPLs from the outer leaflet, and the periplasmic chaperone MlaC transfers them across the periplasm to the inner membrane complex MlaBDEF. However, GPL trafficking still remains poorly understood, and has only been studied in a handful of model species. Here, we investigate GPL trafficking in Veillonella parvula, a diderm Firmicute with an Mla system that lacks MlaA and MlaC, but contains an elongated MlaD. V. parvula mla mutants display phenotypes characteristic of disrupted lipid asymmetry which can be suppressed by mutations in tamB, supporting that these two systems have opposite GPL trafficking functions across diverse bacterial lineages. Structural modelling and subcellular localisation assays suggest that V. parvula MlaD forms a transenvelope bridge, comprising a typical inner membrane-localised MCE domain and, in addition, an outer membrane ß-barrel. Phylogenomic analyses indicate that this elongated MlaD type is widely distributed across diderm bacteria and likely forms part of the ancestral functional core of the Mla system, which would be composed of MlaEFD only.
SLC35D3 promotes white adipose tissue browning to ameliorate obesity by NOTCH signaling
Authors: Wang Hongrui , Yu Liang , Wang Jin’e , Zhang Yaqing , Xu Mengchen , Lv Cheng , Cui Bing , Yuan Mengmeng , Zhang Yu , Yan Yupeng , Hui Rutai , Wang Yibo
Published: November 2023

White adipose tissue browning can promote lipid burning to increase energy expenditure and improve adiposity. Here, we show that Slc35d3 expression is significantly lower in adipose tissues of obese mice. While adipocyte-specific Slc35d3 knockin is protected against diet-induced obesity, adipocyte-specific Slc35d3 knockout inhibits white adipose tissue browning and causes decreased energy expenditure and impaired insulin sensitivity in mice. Mechanistically, we confirm that SLC35D3 interacts with the NOTCH1 extracellular domain, which leads to the accumulation of NOTCH1 in the endoplasmic reticulum and thus inhibits the NOTCH1 signaling pathway. In addition, knockdown of Notch1 in mouse inguinal white adipose tissue mediated by orthotopic injection of AAV8-adiponectin-shNotch1 shows considerable improvement in obesity and glucolipid metabolism, which is more pronounced in adipocyte-specific Slc35d3 knockout mice than in knockin mice. Overall, in this study, we reveal that SLC35D3 is involved in obesity via NOTCH1 signaling, and low adipose SLC35D3 expression in obesity might be a therapeutic target for obesity and associated metabolic disorders.
Regulation of the physiology and virulence of Ralstonia solanacearum by the second messenger 2′,3′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate
Authors: Li Xia , Yin Wenfang , Lin Junjie Desmond , Zhang Yong , Guo Quan , Wang Gerun , Chen Xiayu , Cui Binbin , Wang Mingfang , Chen Min , Li Peng , He Ya-Wen , Qian Wei , Luo Haibin , Zhang Lian-Hui , Liu Xue-Wei , Song Shihao , Deng Yinyue
Published: November 2023

Previous studies have demonstrated that bis-(3',5')-cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (bis-3',5'-c-di-GMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger employed by bacteria. Here, we report that 2',3'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (2',3'-cGMP) controls the important biological functions, quorum sensing (QS) signaling systems and virulence in Ralstonia solanacearum through the transcriptional regulator RSp0980. This signal specifically binds to RSp0980 with high affinity and thus abolishes the interaction between RSp0980 and the promoters of target genes. In-frame deletion of RSp0334, which contains an evolved GGDEF domain with a LLARLGGDQF motif required to catalyze 2',3'-cGMP to (2',5')(3',5')-cyclic diguanosine monophosphate (2',3'-c-di-GMP), altered the abovementioned important phenotypes through increasing the intracellular 2',3'-cGMP levels. Furthermore, we found that 2',3'-cGMP, its receptor and the evolved GGDEF domain with a LLARLGGDEF motif also exist in the human pathogen Salmonella typhimurium. Together, our work provides insights into the unusual function of the GGDEF domain of RSp0334 and the special regulatory mechanism of 2',3'-cGMP signal in bacteria.
Stabilizing non-iridium active sites by non-stoichiometric oxide for acidic water oxidation at high current density
Authors: Zhou Lingxi , Shao Yangfan , Yin Fang , Li Jia , Kang Feiyu , Lv Ruitao
Published: November 2023

Stabilizing active sites of non-iridium-based oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts is crucial, but remains a big challenge for hydrogen production by acidic water splitting. Here, we report that non-stoichiometric Ti oxides (TiOx) can safeguard the Ru sites through structural-confinement and charge-redistribution, thereby extending the catalyst lifetime in acid by 10 orders of magnitude longer compared to that of the stoichiometric one (Ru/TiO2). By exploiting the redox interaction-engaged strategy, the in situ growth of TiOx on Ti foam and the loading of Ru nanoparticles are realized in one step. The as-synthesized binder-free Ru/TiOx catalyst exhibits low OER overpotentials of 174 and 265 mV at 10 and 500 mA cm−2, respectively. Experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations confirm that TiOx stabilizes the Ru active center, enabling operation at 10 mA cm−2 for over 37 days. This work opens an avenue of using non-stoichiometric compounds as stable and active materials for energy technologies.
Position error-free control of magnetic domain-wall devices via spin-orbit torque modulation
Authors: Lee Seong-Hyub , Kim Myeonghoe , Whang Hyun-Seok , Nam Yune-Seok , Park Jung-Hyun , Kim Kitae , Kim Minhwan , Shin Jiho , Yu Ji-Sung , Yoon Jaesung , Chang Jun-Young , Kim Duck-Ho , Choe Sug-Bong
Published: November 2023

Magnetic domain-wall devices such as racetrack memory and domain-wall shift registers facilitate massive data storage as hard disk drives with low power portability as flash memory devices. The key issue to be addressed is how perfectly the domain-wall motion can be controlled without deformation, as it can replace the mechanical motion of hard disk drives. However, such domain-wall motion in real media is subject to the stochasticity of thermal agitation with quenched disorders, resulting in severe deformations with pinning and tilting. To sort out the problem, we propose and demonstrate a new concept of domain-wall control with a position error-free scheme. The primary idea involves spatial modulation of the spin-orbit torque along nanotrack devices, where the boundary of modulation possesses broken inversion symmetry. In this work, by showing the unidirectional motion of domain wall with position-error free manner, we provide an important missing piece in magnetic domain-wall device development.
Epidermal–dermal coupled spheroids are important for tissue pattern regeneration in reconstituted skin explant cultures
Authors: Lei Mingxing , Jiang Jingwei , Wang Mengyue , Wu Wang , Zhang Jinwei , Liu Wanqian , Zhou Wei , Lai Yung-Chih , Jiang Ting-Xin , Widelitz Randall B. , Harn Hans I-Chen , Yang Li , Chuong Cheng-Ming
Published: November 2023

Tissue patterning is critical for the development and regeneration of organs. To advance the use of engineered reconstituted skin organs, we study cardinal features important for tissue patterning and hair regeneration. We find they spontaneously form spheroid configurations, with polarized epidermal cells coupled with dermal cells through a newly formed basement membrane. Functionally, the spheroid becomes competent morphogenetic units (CMU) that promote regeneration of tissue patterns. The emergence of new cell types and molecular interactions during CMU formation was analyzed using scRNA-sequencing. Surprisingly, in newborn skin explants, IFNr signaling can induce apical-basal polarity in epidermal cell aggregates. Dermal-Tgfb induces basement membrane formation. Meanwhile, VEGF signaling mediates dermal cell attachment to the epidermal cyst shell, thus forming a CMU. Adult mouse and human fetal scalp cells fail to form a CMU but can be restored by adding IFNr or VEGF to achieve hair regeneration. We find different multi-cellular configurations and molecular pathways are used to achieve morphogenetic competence in developing skin, wound-induced hair neogenesis, and reconstituted explant cultures. Thus, multiple paths can be used to achieve tissue patterning. These insights encourage more studies of “in vitro morphogenesis” which may provide novel strategies to enhance regeneration.
Few-shot prediction of amyloid β accumulation from mainly unpaired data on biomarker candidates
Authors: Yada Yuichiro , Naoki Honda
Published: November 2023

The pair-wise observation of the input and target values obtained from the same sample is mandatory in any prediction problem. In the biomarker discovery of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), however, obtaining such paired data is laborious and often avoided. Accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) in the brain precedes neurodegeneration in AD, and the quantitative accumulation level may reflect disease progression in the very early phase. Nevertheless, the direct observation of Aβ is rarely paired with the observation of other biomarker candidates. To this end, we established a method that quantitatively predicts Aβ accumulation from biomarker candidates by integrating the mostly unpaired observations via a few-shot learning approach. When applied to 5xFAD mouse behavioral data, the proposed method predicted the accumulation level that conformed to the observed amount of Aβ in the samples with paired data. The results suggest that the proposed model can contribute to discovering Aβ predictability-based biomarkers.
Community forest governance and synergies among carbon, biodiversity and livelihoods
Authors: Fischer Harry W. , Chhatre Ashwini , Duddu Apurva , Pradhan Nabin , Agrawal Arun
Published: November 2023

Forest landscape restoration has emerged as a key strategy to sequester atmospheric carbon and conserve biodiversity while providing livelihood co-benefits for indigenous peoples and local communities. Using a dataset of 314 forest commons in human-dominated landscapes in 15 tropical countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, we examine the relationships among carbon sequestered in above-ground woody biomass, tree species richness and forest livelihoods. We find five distinct clusters of forest commons, with co-benefits and trade-offs on multiple dimensions. The presence of a formal community management association and local participation in rule-making are consistent predictors of multiple positive outcomes. These findings, drawn from a range of contexts globally, suggest that empowered local forest governance may support multiple objectives of forest restoration. Our analysis advances understanding of institutional aspects of restoration while underscoring the importance of analysing the interconnections among multiple forest benefits to inform effective interventions for multifunctional tropical forests.
Defensive behavior is linked to altered surface chemistry following infection in a termite society
Authors: Esparza-Mora M. Alejandra , Mazumdar Tilottama , Jiang Shixiong , Radek Renate , Thiem Julian N. , Feng Linshan , Petrašiūnaitė Vesta , Banasiak Ronald , Golian Marek , Gleske Melanie , Lucas Christophe , Springer Andreas , Buellesbach Jan , McMahon Dino P.
Published: November 2023

The care-kill response determines whether a sick individual will be treated or eliminated from an insect society, but little is known about the physiological underpinnings of this process. We exploited the stepwise infection dynamics of an entomopathogenic fungus in a termite to explore how care-kill transitions occur, and identify the chemical cues behind these shifts. We found collective responses towards pathogen-injected individuals to vary according to severity and timing of pathogen challenge, with elimination, via cannibalism, occurring sooner in response to a severe active infection. However, injection with inactivated fungal blastospores also resulted in increased albeit delayed cannibalism, even though it did not universally cause host death. This indicates that the decision to eliminate an individual is triggered before pathogen viability or terminal disease status has been established. We then compared the surface chemistry of differently challenged individuals, finding increased amounts of long-chained methyl-branched alkanes with similar branching patterns in individuals injected with both dead and viable fungal blastospores, with the latter showing the largest increase. This coincided with the highest amounts of observed cannibalism as well as signs of severe moribundity. Our study provides new mechanistic insight into the emergent collective behaviors involved in the disease defense of a termite society.
Complete chloroplast genomes of six neotropical palm species, structural comparison, and evolutionary dynamic patterns
Authors: Francisconi Ana Flávia , Marroquín Jonathan Andre Morales , Cauz-Santos Luiz Augusto , van den Berg Cássio , Martins Kauanne Karolline Moreno , Costa Marcones Ferreira , Picanço-Rodrigues Doriane , de Alencar Luciano Delmodes , Zanello Cesar Augusto , Colombo Carlos Augusto , Hernández Brenda Gabriela Díaz , Amaral Danilo Trabuco , Lopes Maria Teresa Gomes , Veasey Elizabeth Ann , Zucchi Maria Imaculada
Published: November 2023

The Arecaceae family has a worldwide distribution, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. We sequenced the chloroplast genomes of Acrocomia intumescens and A. totai, widely used in the food and energy industries; Bactris gasipaes, important for palm heart; Copernicia alba and C. prunifera, worldwide known for wax utilization; and Syagrus romanzoffiana, of great ornamental potential. Copernicia spp. showed the largest chloroplast genomes (C. prunifera: 157,323 bp and C. alba: 157,192 bp), while S. romanzoffiana and B. gasipaes var. gasipaes presented the smallest (155,078 bp and 155,604 bp). Structurally, great synteny was detected among palms. Conservation was also observed in the distribution of single sequence repeats (SSR). Copernicia spp. presented less dispersed repeats, without occurrence in the small single copy (SSC). All RNA editing sites were C (cytidine) to U (uridine) conversions. Overall, closely phylogenetically related species shared more sites. Almost all nodes of the phylogenetic analysis showed a posterior probability (PP) of 1.0, reaffirming the close relationship between Acrocomia species. These results elucidate the conservation among palm chloroplast genomes, but point to subtle structural changes, providing support for the evolutionary dynamics of the Arecaceae family.
The effects of precipitation change on urban meadows in different design models and substrates
Authors: Jiang Yarong , Yuan Tao
Published: November 2023

Climate change, such as temperature and precipitation changes, is becoming increasingly obvious, and in this context, planting designs need to urgently consider future climate change in advance. A field experiment was conducted in Beijing, China, where the future precipitation is predicted to increase, and extra irrigation was used to simulate the future precipitation increase. The species richness of sown meadows, including spontaneous plants and sown plants, and the adaptive strategies of the communities were recorded under different types of design models and substrates. The results showed that precipitation increased the diversity of sown plants and resource-demanding spontaneous plants but had no significant effect on the dry matter content of the entire community of species. Moreover, the interactions among precipitation and substrate, especially the design models, were significant. Of the models, the three-layer model had the highest species richness and least invasive plants. In addition, increased precipitation significantly changed the functional strategy of the plant community away from ruderals and towards competitor-stress tolerant species. This study provides guidance for the design and management of naturalistic plant communities under climate change.
PTPRC functions as a prognosis biomarker in the tumor microenvironment of cutaneous melanoma
Authors: Li Xuemei , Yue Zhanghui , Wang Dan , Zhou Lu
Published: November 2023

Cutaneous melanoma is one of the most malignant types of skin cancer, with an extremely poor prognosis. Immune cells infiltrated in the tumor microenvironment (TME) affects melanoma initiation, progression, prognosis and immunotherapy strategies in melanoma. The potential utility of TME-related genes as a prognostic model for melanoma and as a predictor of immunotherapeutic response merits further exploration. In this study, we determined that an immune-related gene, protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type C (PTPRC), was positively correlated with the positive prognosis of melanoma patients. Integration of this gene with TNM classification created a predictive model that showed better performance in determining overall survival than others. PTPRC expression was positively correlated with the levels of immune checkpoint molecules, and PTPRC knockdown significantly enhanced the migration, invasion, and proliferation of melanoma cells. Finally, immunohistochemical results from HPA and Real-time quantitative PCR of clinical tissues confirmed that PTPRC expression was higher in melanoma than in normal skin. In conclusion, PTPRC served as a potential predictor of survival and response to immunotherapy in melanoma patients. The risk model combining the PTPRC and TNM classifications holds the potential to be a promising tool for prognostic prediction of cutaneous melanoma. This will help in the effective clinical management of melanoma patients.
Proximate composition of Vitex doniana and Saba comorensis fruits
Authors: Charles Dominic , Mgina Clarence
Published: November 2023

The wild fruits of Vitex doniana and Saba comorensis were randomly collected from Pwani and Tanga regions. Laboratory analysis was done using the methods described by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists AOAC (1995 and 2000). The amount of protein was 7.13 ± 0.04% and 21.73 ± 0.02% in V. doniana fruits while the fat contents were 2.4 ± 0.00% and 1.9 ± 0.10% in V. doniana fruits. The amount of fats in S. comorensis fruits ranged from 0.00 to 0.01% for the fruit samples from both Pwani and Tanga regions, however the differences was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The amounts of carbohydrates in V. doniana 23.98 ± 0.20% and in S. comorensis fruit samples (23.81 ± 0.38%) from Pwani Region were not statistically difference. The differences can be attributed to environmental and soil factors. S. comorensis fruit samples from Tanga had ash 4.20 ± 0.01% and moisture content 70.97 ± 0.04%. These values were higher than those observed for S. comorensis fruit samples from Pwani. The amount of ash is indicative of potential elements like sodium and potassium which are beneficial in human health for the development of bones. These fruits have significant amounts of carbohydrate and protein and hence healthy for consumption as part of human diet.
Computer-aided diagnosis of keratoconus through VAE-augmented images using deep learning
Authors: Agharezaei Zhila , Firouzi Reza , Hassanzadeh Samira , Zarei-Ghanavati Siamak , Bahaadinbeigy Kambiz , Golabpour Amin , Akbarzadeh Reyhaneh , Agharezaei Laleh , Bakhshali Mohamad Amin , Sedaghat Mohammad Reza , Eslami Saeid
Published: November 2023

Detecting clinical keratoconus (KCN) poses a challenging and time-consuming task. During the diagnostic process, ophthalmologists are required to review demographic and clinical ophthalmic examinations in order to make an accurate diagnosis. This study aims to develop and evaluate the accuracy of deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models for the detection of keratoconus (KCN) using corneal topographic maps. We retrospectively collected 1758 corneal images (978 normal and 780 keratoconus) from 1010 subjects of the KCN group with clinically evident keratoconus and the normal group with regular astigmatism. To expand the dataset, we developed a model using Variational Auto Encoder (VAE) to generate and augment images, resulting in a dataset of 4000 samples. Four deep learning models were used to extract and identify deep corneal features of original and synthesized images. We demonstrated that the utilization of synthesized images during training process increased classification performance. The overall average accuracy of the deep learning models ranged from 99% for VGG16 to 95% for EfficientNet-B0. All CNN models exhibited sensitivity and specificity above 0.94, with the VGG16 model achieving an AUC of 0.99. The customized CNN model achieved satisfactory results with an accuracy and AUC of 0.97 at a much faster processing speed compared to other models. In conclusion, the DL models showed high accuracy in screening for keratoconus based on corneal topography images. This is a development toward the potential clinical implementation of a more enhanced computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for KCN detection, which would aid ophthalmologists in validating the clinical decision and carrying out prompt and precise KCN treatment.
Long-term continuous cultivation of Kenyan infant fecal microbiota using the host adapted PolyFermS model
Authors: Rachmühl Carole , Lacroix Christophe , Cabrera Paula Momo , Geirnaert Annelies
Published: November 2023

Appropriate in vitro models to investigate the impact of novel nutritional strategies on the gut microbiota of infants living in rural Africa are scarce. Here, we aimed to develop such a continuous gut fermentation model based on the PolyFermS platform, which allows controlled and stable long-term cultivation of colon microbiota in conditions akin the host. Nine immobilized Kenyan infant fecal microbiota were used as inoculum for continuous PolyFermS colon models fed with medium mimicking the weaning infant diet. Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) supplementation (1, 4 and 8 g/L) and cultivation pH (5.8 and 6.3) were investigated stepwise. Conditions providing a close match between fecal and in vitro microbiota (pH 5.8 with 1 g/L FOS) were selected for investigating long-term stability of four Kenyan infant PolyFermS microbiota. The shared fraction of top bacterial genera between fecal and in vitro microbiota was high (74–89%) and stable during 107 days of continuous cultivation. Community diversity was maintained and two distinct fermentation metabolite profiles of infant fecal microbiota were observed. Three propiogenic and one butyrogenic metabolite profile of infant fecal microbiota established from day 8 onwards and stayed stable. We present here the first rationally designed continuous cultivation model of African infant gut microbiota. This model will be important to assess the effect of dietary or environmental factors on the gut microbiota of African infants with high enteropathogen exposure.