bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct Oral Anticoagulants: Quick Primer on When to Use and When to Avoid
Authors: Bejjani Antoine , Bikdeli Behnood
Published: November 2024

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have transformed the landscape of antithrombotic therapy in the past two decades. However, there is uncertainty about when they should or should not be used for treatment or prevention of thromboembolic events. DOACs have largely replaced warfarin for many patients with atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism who require anticoagulant therapy. In addition to noninferior efficacy, fewer drug–drug and food–drug interactions and improved convenience; DOACs have been shown to reduce the risk of intracranial hemorrhage. They have also received new indications compared with warfarin, such as cardiovascular risk reduction in patients with stable atherosclerotic diseases. However, there are some scenarios in which DOACs are associated with inferior efficacy or worse safety compared with standard treatment, such as warfarin. These include patients with mechanical heart valves, thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome, and others. Although DOACs offer a streamlined and convenient option for the management of many patients with or at risk of thromboembolic events, their use should be avoided in certain high-risk scenarios. This minireview summarizes such conditions and those in which there is uncertainty for use of DOACs for particular diseases or particular patient subgroups.
Unpredictable Aortic Behavior in Identifying Risk Factors for Reintervention: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Eraqi Mohamed , Ghazy Tamer , Cerqueira Tiago , Leip Jennifer Lynne , Siepmann Timo , Mahlmann Adrian
Published: November 2024

Background Although advancements in the management of thoracic aortic disease have led to a reduction in acute mortality, individuals requiring postoperative reintervention experience substantially worse long-term clinical outcomes and increased mortality. We aimed to identify the risk factors for postoperative reintervention in this high-risk population.

Patients and Methods This prospective observational cohort study included patients who survived endovascular or open surgical treatment for thoracic aortic disease between January 2009 and June 2020. We excluded those with inflammatory or traumatic thoracic aortic diseases. The risk factors were identified using multivariate logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression models.

Results The study included 95 genetically tested patients aged 54.13 ± 12.13 years, comprising 67 men (70.53%) and 28 women (29.47%). Primary open surgery was performed in 74.7% and endovascular repair in 25.3% of the patients. Of these, 35.8% required one or more reinterventions at the time of follow-up (3 ± 2.5 years, mean ± standard deviation). The reintervention rate was higher in the endovascular repair group than in the open repair group. Among the potential risk factors, only residual aortic dissection emerged as an independent predictor of reintervention (odds ratio: 3.29, 95% confidence interval: 1.25–8.64).

Conclusion Reintervention after primary thoracic aortic repair remains a significant clinical issue, even in high-volume tertiary centers. Close follow-up and personalized care at aortic centers are imperative. In our cohort of patients with thoracic aortic disease undergoing open or endovascular surgery, postoperative residual dissection was independently associated with the necessity of reintervention, emphasizing the importance of intensified clinical monitoring in these patients.
Beyond homocolonialism: working towards queer decoloniality in Bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Adnan , Rahman Momin
Published: November 2024

The queer movement in Bangladesh suffered a crisis in 2016 with the murder of two activists, leading to an unwanted hyper-visibility in wider society, and a chilling effect on activism. We detail what it means to think beyond postcolonial critiques of international LGBTQ rights, briefly explaining the realities and limits of queer politics in Bangladesh, focusing on sexual health infrastructures and the emergence of legal citizenship for the “third-gender” hijra population. We argue that these dimensions of queer existence remain circumscribed, and that a public discourse of sexualities remains difficult to create as a terrain for equality. We explore whether the framing of ‘decolonial’ is useful here, conceptualized as a process of working through the postcolonial critique of western structures of financial and sexual frameworks, towards an understanding of crisis that requires reading colonialism in its later evolution in the context of nationalism, neoliberal development, and religious fundamentalism.
Ettingshausen and Madgi-Righi-Leduc effects in electron scattering by optical phonons in the low-temperature range
Authors: Malevich V. L. , Épshtein É. M.
Published: November 2024

A computation of the Madgi-Righi-Leduc and Ettingshausen effects is performed in classical magnetic fields in the case of electron scattering by optical phonons at low temperatures. It is shown that although the electron relaxation time is independent of the energy, an Ettingshausen effect is not only possible but can be considerably greater in magnitude than for other (quasi-elastic) scattering mechanisms. The Madgi-Righi-Leduc effect can also be so much greater than would follow from estimates using the relaxation time governing the electron mobility in the absence of a magnetic field.
Nanoring Tamm cavity in the telecommunications O band
Authors: Hou Huili , Dlaka David , Pugh Jon , Oulton Ruth , Harbord Edmund
Published: November 2024

Quantum and classical telecommunications require efficient sources of light. Semiconductor sources, owing to the high refractive index of the medium, often exploit photonic cavities to enhance the external emission of photons into a well-defined optical mode. Optical Tamm States (OTSs) in which light is confined between a distributed Bragg reflector and a thin metal layer have attracted interest as confined Tamm structures are readily manufactureable broadband cavities. Their efficiency is limited however by the absorption inherent in the metal layer. We propose a nanoring Tamm structure in which a nanoscale patterned annular metasurface is exploited to reduce this absorption and thereby enhance emission efficiency. To this end, we present designs for a nanoring Tamm structure optimized for the telecommunications O band and demonstrate a near doubling of output efficiency (35%) over an analogous solid disk confined Tamm structure (18%). Simulations of designs optimized for different wavelengths are suggestive of annular coupling between the Tamm state and surface plasmons. These designs are applicable to the design of single photon sources, nano-LEDs, and nanolasers for communications.
Dual-path differential perturbation sand cat swarm optimization algorithm integrated with escape mechanism
Authors: Qian Qian , Luo Wentao , Pan Jiawen , Song Miao , Feng Yong , Li Yingna
Published: November 2024

In this paper, based on the sand cat swarm optimization (SCSO) algorithm, a dual-path differential perturbation sand cat swarm optimization algorithm integrated with escape mechanism (EDSCSO) is proposed. EDSCSO aims to solve the problems of the original SCSO, such as the limited diversity of the population, low efficiency of solving complex functions, and ease of falling into a local optimal solution. First, an escape mechanism was proposed to balance the exploration and exploitation of the algorithm. Second, a random elite cooperative guidance strategy was used to utilize the elite population to guide the general population to improve the convergence speed of the algorithm. Finally, the dual-path differential perturbation strategy is used to continuously perturb the population using two differential variational operators to enrich population diversity. EDSCSO obtained the best average fitness for 27 of 39 test functions in the IEEE CEC2017 and IEEE CEC2019 test suites, indicating that the algorithm is an efficient and feasible solution for complex optimization problems. In addition, EDSCSO is applied to optimize the three-dimensional wireless sensor network coverage as well as the unmanned aerial vehicle path planning problem, and it provides optimal solutions for both problems. The applicability of EDSCSO in real-world optimization scenarios was verified.
Fourier-space Monte Carlo simulations of two-dimensional nematic liquid crystals
Authors: Tang Wentao , Chen Xiwen , Zhang Rui
Published: November 2024

Thermal fluctuations are ubiquitous in mesoscopic and microscopic systems. Take nematic liquid crystals (LCs) as an example; their director fluctuations can strongly scatter light and give rise to random motions and rotations of topological defects and solid inclusions. These stochastic processes contain important information about the material properties of the LC and dictate the transport of the immersed colloidal particles. However, modeling thermal fluctuations of the nematic field remains challenging. Here, we introduce a new Monte Carlo simulation method, namely the Fourier-space Monte Carlo (FSMC) method, which is based on the Oseen–Frank elastic distortion energy model. This method accurately models the thermal fluctuations of a nematic LC’s director field. In contrast to the traditional real-space MC method, which perturbs the director locally, the FSMC method samples different eigenmodes of the director distortions in the Fourier space, aligning with the equipartition theorem. We apply FSMC to study defect fluctuations and trajectories in a two-dimensional nematic LC confined to various geometries. Our results show that FSMC can effectively sample degenerate defect configurations and reproduce long-range elastic interactions between defects. In addition, we conduct three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulations using a coarse-grained Gay–Berne potential, which corroborates the findings from FSMC. Taken together, we have developed a new Monte Carlo method to accurately model thermal fluctuations in nematic LCs, which can be useful for searching global free-energy minimum states in nematic, smectic, and other LC mesophases and can also be helpful in modeling the thermal motions of defects and inclusions in LCs.
Spectrally decomposed denoising diffusion probabilistic models for generative turbulence super-resolution
Authors: Sardar M. , Skillen A. , Zimoń M. J. , Draycott S. , Revell A.
Published: November 2024

We investigate the statistical recovery of missing physics and turbulent phenomena in fluid flows using generative machine learning. Here, we develop and test a two-stage super-resolution method using spectral filtering to restore the high-wavenumber components of two flows: Kolmogorov flow and Rayleigh–Bénard convection. We include a rigorous examination of the generated samples via systematic assessment of the statistical properties of turbulence. The present approach extends prior methods to augment an initial super-resolution with a conditional high-wavenumber generation stage. We demonstrate recovery of fields with statistically accurate turbulence on an 8× upsampling task for both the Kolmogorov flow and the Rayleigh–Bénard convection, significantly increasing the range of recovered wavenumbers from the initial super-resolution.
Differential absorption ozone Lidar with 4H-SiC single-photon detectors
Authors: Zhao Xian-Song , Yu Chao , Wang Chong , Li Tianyi , Liu Bo , Lu Hai , Zhang Rong , Dou Xiankang , Zhang Jun , Pan Jian-Wei
Published: November 2024

Differential absorption Lidar (DIAL) in the ultraviolet (UV) region is an effective approach for monitoring tropospheric ozone. 4H-SiC single-photon detectors (SPDs) are emergent devices for UV single-photon detection. Here, we demonstrate a 4H-SiC SPD-based ozone DIAL. We design and fabricate the 4H-SiC single-photon avalanche diode with a beveled mesa structure and optimized layer thickness. An active quenching circuit with a quenching time of 1.03 ns is developed to significantly mitigate the afterpulsing effect while enhancing the maximum count rate. After characterization, the SPD exhibits excellent performance with a photon detection efficiency of 16.6% at 266 nm, a dark count rate of 138 kcps, a maximum count rate of 13 Mcps, and an afterpulse probability of 2.7% at room temperature. Then, we apply two 4H-SiC SPDs in an ozone DIAL. The measured ozone concentrations at altitudes of 1–3.5 km agree well with the results of a commercial ozone DIAL. Our work provides an alternative solution for general UV Lidar applications.
Exploration of contact angle hysteresis mechanisms: From microscopic to macroscopic
Authors: Zhang Hongmin , Zhang Haodong , Wang Fei , Nestler Britta
Published: November 2024

Variations from equilibrium Young’s angle, known as contact angle hysteresis (CAH), are frequently observed upon droplet deposition on a solid surface. This ubiquitous phenomenon indicates the presence of multiple local surface energy minima for the sessile droplet. Previous research primarily explains CAH via considering macroscopic roughness, such as topographical defects, which alter the effective interfacial energy between the fluid phase and the solid phase, thereby shifting the global surface energy minimum. One typical example is the classic Cassie–Baxter–Wenzel theory. Here, we propose an alternative microscopic mechanism that emphasizes the complexity of molecular rearrangements at the fluid–solid interface, treating their interfacial tensions as variables, which results in multiple local surface energy minima. Our theoretical framework demonstrates that CAH can occur even on chemically homogeneous and mechanically smooth-flat substrates, aligning with previously unexplained experimental observations. In addition, we explore the interplay between macroscopic and microscopic roughness in influencing CAH and clarify the contrasting wetting behaviors—the lotus effect and the rose petal effect—on hierarchical roughness from a thermodynamic perspective. This work provides valuable insights into surface tension determination by restoring the natural physical properties of interfaces and illuminates the multifaceted mechanisms underlying the everyday occurrences of CAH.
Anisotropic magnetic critical behavior of van der Waals room-temperature ferromagnet Fe5GeTe2 identified by magnetocaloric measurements
Authors: Liang Rui , Zhou Liang , Liu Jiawei , Tang Nujiang
Published: November 2024

Due to the room-temperature Curie temperature and large saturation moment, Fe5GeTe2 is considered a highly attractive van der Waals ferromagnet. Studying its magnetic critical behavior can provide valuable information about its magnetic phase transition. Notably, compared with the conventional methods for studying magnetic critical behavior, such as the modified Arrott plot, scaling analysis based on isothermal magnetic entropy change ΔSM(T,H) has advantages in dealing with the complex magnetic system Fe5GeTe2. However, studies on its magnetic critical behavior based on this method remain completely lacking. Here, we investigate the magnetic critical behavior of Fe5GeTe2 based on its ΔSM(T,H). Through scaling analysis of its ΔSM(T,H), two sets of reliable critical exponents β, δ, and γ are obtained, which are 0.320(8), 7.99(1), and 2.24(2) for H//ab and 0.494(2), 4.28(4), and 1.62(3) for H//c. The significant difference between H//ab and H//c indicates strong anisotropy in its magnetic critical behavior. Furthermore, the fact that the obtained critical exponents for both H//ab and H//c cannot be simply described by a single universality class reveals a crossover of magnetic interactions in Fe5GeTe2.
Enhanced laser-target energy coupling through counter-propagating lasers: Insights from electron recirculation
Authors: Liu X. , Wu D. , Zhang J.
Published: November 2024

In the interaction between lasers of relativistic intensity and targets, a portion of the laser energy is carried by relativistic fast electrons, which usually cannot be deposited inside but escapes from the target. Here, we explored a method to reduce this energy waste and enhance laser-target energy coupling through counter-propagating lasers. Particle-in-cell simulation results show that high-energy fast electrons generated by the laser on one side can be re-accelerated by the laser on the other side through the synergistic effect of the reflected laser and longitudinal electric field after passing through the target, and then reflected back into the target by a potential barrier, forming an electron recirculation. Through this electron recirculation, the energy conversion efficiency of each laser is significantly improved, and the temperature of electrons and ions inside the target is effectively increased by 118 % and 29 %, respectively. We also explored the effects of laser intensity and target density through multiple sets of simulations with controlled variables, and summarized the electron recirculation model in such counter-propagating lasers configuration.
Long-range propagation of Bloch surface wave polaritons in ZnO
Authors: Henn S. , Müller A. , Grundmann M. , Sturm C.
Published: November 2024

Strongly coupled exciton-polaritons can be observed in a wide variety of systems and exhibit remarkable properties due to their small mass, compared to that of electrons, and their bosonic nature. This allows to study quantum condensates and can be exploited for photonic integrated circuits. For the latter one, the small propagation length of the polaritons in microcavities often comprises a limiting factor. By using evanescent guided modes as the photonic component instead of cavity photons, the polaritons inherit longer lifetimes. In this work, we report on the observation of propagating polaritons, consisting of interacting Bloch surface waves and excitons in ZnO, at room temperature and find energy dependent propagation lengths of up to 100 μm. These results open the path to applying Bloch polaritons in on-chip polaritonic devices requiring macroscopic propagation at or above room temperature.
An immersed boundary-regularized lattice Boltzmann method for modeling fluid–structure–acoustics interactions involving large deformation
Authors: Rajamuni Methma M. , Liu Zhengliang , Wang Li , Ravi Sridhar , Young John , Lai Joseph C. S. , Tian Fang-Bao
Published: November 2024

This work presents a numerical method for modeling fluid–structure–acoustics interaction (FSAI) problems involving large deformation. The method incorporates an immersed boundary method and a regularized lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) where a multi-block technique and a nonreflecting boundary condition are implemented. The von Neumann analysis is conducted to investigate the stability of the regularized LBM. It is found that the accuracy and stability of the regularized LBM can be improved when the collision operator is computed from the Hermite polynomials up to the fourth order instead of the second order. To validate the present method, four benchmark cases are conducted: the propagation of an acoustic monopole point source, the sound generated by a stationary cylinder in a uniform flow, the sound generation of a two-dimensional insect model in hovering flight, and the sound generation of a three-dimensional flapping wing. Predictions given by the current method show a good agreement with numerical simulations and analytical solutions reported in the literature, demonstrating its capability of solving FSAI problems involving complex geometries and large deformation. Finally, the method is applied in modeling sound generation in vortex-induced vibrations of a rigid cylinder and a sphere. It is found that vortex-induced vibration can enhance the acoustic intensity by approximately four times compared to that of the stationary case for a cylinder. In contrast, both vibrating and stationary spheres exhibited relatively less intense noise, primarily within the wake. Notably, the spanwise noise propagation is only observed when the sphere is vibrating.
Hybrid lattice Boltzmann method for turbulent nonideal compressible fluid dynamics
Authors: Vienne Lucien , Giauque Alexis , Lévêque Emmanuel
Published: November 2024

The development and application of a compressible hybrid lattice Boltzmann method to high Mach number supercritical and dense gas flows are presented. Dense gases, especially in Organic Rankine Cycle turbines, exhibit nonclassical phenomena that offer the possibility of enhancing turbine efficiency by reducing friction drag and boundary layer separation. The proposed numerical framework addresses the limitations of conventional lattice Boltzmann method in handling highly compressible flows by integrating a finite-volume scheme for the total energy alongside a nonideal gas equation of state supplemented by a transport coefficient model. Validations are performed using a shock tube and a three-dimensional Taylor–Green vortex flow. The capability to capture nonclassical shock behaviors and compressible turbulence is demonstrated. Our study gives the first analysis of a turbulent Taylor–Green vortex flow in a dense Bethe–Zel'dovich–Thompson gas and provides comparisons with perfect gas flow at equivalent Mach numbers. The results highlight differences associated with dense gas effects and contribute to a broader understanding of nonideal fluid dynamics in engineering applications.
Pore-scale study of droplet settling on a heterogenous surface structure
Authors: Ghasemi Shahab , Kantzas Apostolos
Published: November 2024

Equilibrium contact angle of a droplet is influenced by surface characteristics and fluid properties. In addition to increasing the solid–liquid contact line, surface roughness also alters the surface free energy, which has a significant influence on contact angle values. Droplets are more likely to impinge on vertices as surface roughness increases. Anisotropic wetting of chemically heterogeneous surfaces further controls the total surface free energy. The free energy Lattice Boltzmann method is utilized to study the effects of wettability heterogeneity and roughened surfaces. Initial model comparisons with experiments showed excellent agreement. The rough surface is modeled with different pillar shapes on a smooth wall, with surface wettability ranging from hydrophilic to neutral conditions. The length scale of surface patterns matches the droplet size, making the Cassie–Baxter and Wenzel equations inapplicable. Results indicate that droplets pin on the vertices of rectangular pillars, while frustum shapes facilitate movement. Studies cover nearly neutral wet, moderately wet, and strongly wet conditions. The effects of relative surface roughness, roughness distribution, mixed wetting surfaces, and body force on equilibrium contact angle are examined. Additionally, the interaction between fluid flow and surface roughness elements shows that smaller spacing and greater height of roughness elements enhance thermal performance, with Nusselt numbers fluctuating significantly. Findings suggest that the ratio of droplet size to pillar surface area is crucial for minimizing surface free energy. On superhydrophilic surfaces, droplet pinning at pillar edges causes the surface to behave hydrophobically. In mixed-wet rough surfaces, pillar wettability significantly influences the equilibrium contact angle.
A high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopic and computational study of TaX− (X = C, N, O)
Authors: Chen Xiaolin , Yan Shuaiting , Zhang Rui , Ning Chuangang
Published: November 2024

We report on the high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy of diatomic molecules TaX− (X = C, N, O) anions using a cryogenic ion trap combined with the slow electron velocity imaging (cryo-SEVI) method. We determined the electron affinities of TaC, TaN, and TaO to be 2.098(2), 1.576(2), and 1.069(2) eV, respectively. In addition, the electron affinities of TaX molecules were calculated using the CCSD(T) method with the complete basis sets. To interpret the complicated photoelectron spectra, we predicted the excited states of TaX molecules using the MRCI + Q method, accounting for the spin–orbit coupling effects. Several new excited states of these molecules were observed.
Numerical characterization of a hyperloop propelling nozzle and its adaption to an experimental wind tunnel
Authors: Galindo J. , Dolz V. , Navarro R. , Pallás B.
Published: November 2024

Hyperloop systems, where a pod travels at high speed within a tube under rarefied conditions, have a maximum speed limit due to the Kantrowitz effect. One solution to overcome this limit is to include a circuit with a fan that can also assist the pod's propulsion through a nozzle at the vehicle's rear. This paper focuses on analyzing the propulsive efficiency of these coaxial jets within a tube at low-pressure conditions. The paper's objective is to use a computational fluid dynamics tool to design an experiment in a wind tunnel with a steady tube and vehicle that could reproduce the actual operation of a stationary tube and a moving vehicle. Several issues are dealt with. First, the effect of the vehicle's front design on the coaxial jets, which resulted be negligible. Additionally, the increase in temperature in the compressor circuit can be neglected, simplifying the experimental arrangement. Third, scaling the wind tunnel prototype shows that the difference in size can be compensated by setting the test pressure at ambient conditions. Finally, considering steadiness in the vehicle in the test leads to a different velocity pattern in the coaxial jets. Several changes in the tube's geometry are proposed and analyzed to address this problem. The results demonstrate that it is possible to replicate the actual coaxial jets in steady conditions with a small tapered section in the tube. Furthermore, this modification can be used over a relatively large range of operating conditions and for different rear pod designs.
Insurance and climate risks: Policy lessons from three bounding scenarios
Authors: Kousky Carolyn , Treuer Galen , Mach Katharine J.
Published: November 2024

Climate change poses complex risks without precedent that challenge established planning and risk management tools, including property insurance. The nature and timing of transitions in markets and institutions in response to growing climate risks will shape prospects for future socioeconomic well-being. As property insurance markets in the United States face higher levels of turmoil, policymakers are weighing various interventions to stabilize not only insurance but also housing and mortgage markets. We identify policy lessons based on the investigation of three bounding scenarios designed to address the question of how near-term (1 to 3 y) policy and regulatory choices surrounding insurance markets in Florida could influence medium-term (3 to 15 y) risk levels, disaster recovery, housing markets, and local economic outcomes. Since our policy choices today have a profound impact on future outcomes, careful consideration of the longer-term impacts of today’s policy choices is required to secure more effective and equitable adaptation decisions and pathways.
Genetic and linguistic comparisons reveal complex sex-biased transmission of language features
Authors: Pichkar Yakov , Surowiec Alexandra , Creanza Nicole
Published: November 2024

The history of people’s movements and interactions shapes both genetic and linguistic variation. Genes and languages are transmitted separately and their distributions reflect different aspects of human history, but some demographic processes can cause them to be similarly distributed. In particular, forms of societal organization, including movements in and out of a community, may have shaped the transmission of both genes and languages. If children were more likely to learn their mother’s language than their father’s when their parents were from populations that spoke different languages or dialects, then language variation might show a closer association with maternally transmitted genetic markers than autosomal ones; this association could be further reinforced if children reside with predominantly maternal kin. We analyze the worldwide relationship between linguistic and genomic variation, leveraging the sex-biased transmission of X chromosomes to assess whether language has tended to be preferentially transmitted along the male or female line. In addition, we measure the effects of postmarital residence with female kin, matrilineal descent, and endogamy on the covariation of mitochondrial DNA and languages, using mtDNA because genomic data were available for very few populations with these ethnographic traits. We find that while there is little evidence for a consistent or widespread sex bias in the transmission of language, such biased transmission may have occurred locally in several parts of the world and might have been influenced by population-level ethnographic characteristics, such as female-based descent or residence patterns. Our results highlight the complex relationships between genes, language, ethnography, and geography.
Social tolerance and success-biased social learning underlie the cultural transmission of an induced extractive foraging tradition in a wild tool-using primate
Authors: Coelho Camila Galheigo , Garcia-Nisa Ivan , Ottoni Eduardo B. , Kendal Rachel L.
Published: November 2024

The last two decades have seen great advances in the study of social learning (learning from others), in part due to efforts to identify it in the wild as the basis of behavioral traditions. Theoretical frameworks suggest that both the dynamics of social tolerance and transmission biases (or social learning strategies) influence the pathways of information diffusion in social groups. Bearded capuchins (
Sapajus libidinosus
) inhabiting the semiarid seasonal caatinga biome of the Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) form highly tolerant societies that possess the largest “tool-kit” described for monkeys, a feat likely facilitated by social learning. Here, we used social network analysis and an open diffusion experiment using an extractive foraging task to identify the occurrence of social learning and describe the pathways of social transmission of information in two wild primate populations. The dynamics of social tolerance outside of task introductions predicted opportunities for social learning, but it was tolerance during task introductions that predicted the actual pathways of social information diffusion. Our results also indicated that the capuchins mainly learned from others via direct observation and naïve individuals exhibited an observation bias toward successful males. This study supports the claims of cultural transmission in robust capuchins and empirically supports the role of social tolerance and social learning strategies in human and nonhuman primate cultural evolution.
Increasing phosphorus loss despite widespread concentration decline in US rivers
Authors: Zhi Wei , Baniecki Hubert , Liu Jiangtao , Boyer Elizabeth , Shen Chaopeng , Shenk Gary , Liu Xiaofeng , Li Li
Published: November 2024

The loss of phosphorous (P) from the land to aquatic systems has polluted waters and threatened food production worldwide. Systematic trend analysis of P, a nonrenewable resource, has been challenging, primarily due to sparse and inconsistent historical data. Here, we leveraged intensive hydrometeorological data and the recent renaissance of deep learning approaches to fill data gaps and reconstruct temporal trends. We trained a multitask long short-term memory model for total P (TP) using data from 430 rivers across the contiguous United States (CONUS). Trend analysis of reconstructed daily records (1980–2019) shows widespread decline in concentrations, with declining, increasing, and insignificantly changing trends in 60%, 28%, and 12% of the rivers, respectively. Concentrations in urban rivers have declined the most despite rising urban population in the past decades; concentrations in agricultural rivers however have mostly increased, suggesting not-as-effective controls of nonpoint sources in agriculture lands compared to point sources in cities. TP loss, calculated as fluxes by multiplying concentration and discharge, however exhibited an overall increasing rate of 6.5% per decade at the CONUS scale over the past 40 y, largely due to increasing river discharge. Results highlight the challenge of reducing TP loss that is complicated by changing river discharge in a warming climate.
Ecology and life history predict avian nest success in the global tropics
Authors: Smart Zachariah Fox , Downing Philip A. , Austin Suzanne H. , Greeney Harold F. , Londoño Gustavo A. , Nahid Mominul I. , Robinson W. Douglas , Riehl Christina
Published: November 2024

Nest predation rates critically influence avian biodiversity and evolution. In the north temperate zone, increased nest failure along edges of forest fragments is hypothesized to play a major role in the disappearance of bird species from disturbed landscapes. However, we lack comprehensive syntheses from tropical latitudes, where biodiversity is highest and increasingly threatened by habitat fragmentation and disturbance. We assembled data from five decades of field studies across the global tropics (1,112 populations of 661 species) and used phylogenetic models to evaluate proposed predictors of nest success. We found significant effects of several traits, including adult body mass and nest architecture. Contrary to results from many temperate locations, anthropogenic habitat disruption did not consistently reduce nest success; in fact, raw nest success rates were lower in large tracts of primary forest than in disturbed or fragmented landscapes. Follow-up analyses within species, using a subset of 76 species for which we had estimates of nest survival in habitats with different levels of disruption, confirmed that neither disturbance nor fragmentation significantly influenced nest success. These results suggest that nest predation alone cannot explain observed declines in avian biodiversity in tropical forest fragments, raising new questions about the demographic processes that drive extinction in the tropics.
Frontotemporal network contribution to occluded face processing
Authors: Noroozi Jalaledin , Rezayat Ehsan , Dehaqani Mohammad-Reza A.
Published: November 2024

Primates are known for their exceptional ability to recognize faces. However, we still have much to learn about how their brains process faces when they are partially hidden. When we cover parts of a face, it affects how our brains respond, even though we still perceive the face as a whole. This suggests that complex brain networks are at work in understanding partially hidden faces. To explore this further, we studied two brain regions, the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and the inferior temporal cortex (ITC), while showing primate images of faces with parts occluded. We found that vlPFC neurons were more active when faces were partially covered, while ITC neurons preferred fully visible faces. Interestingly, the ITC seemed to process occluded faces in a separate phase after the vlPFC responded. Our research revealed a coordinated effort between these brain regions based on the level of facial obstruction. Specifically, the vlPFC seemed to play a crucial role, driving the representation of occluded faces in the later phase of ITC processing. Importantly, we also found that the brain processes occluded faces differently from those that are fully visible, suggesting specialized mechanisms for handling these situations. These findings highlight the importance of feedback from the vlPFC in understanding occluded faces in the ITC region of the brain. Understanding these neural processes not only enhances our understanding of how primates perceive faces but also provides insights into broader aspects of visual cognition.
Eels’ individual migratory behavior stems from a complex syndrome involving cognition, behavior, physiology, and life history
Authors: De Russi Gaia , Lanzoni Mattia , Bisazza Angelo , Domenici Paolo , Castaldelli Giuseppe , Bertolucci Cristiano , Lucon-Xiccato Tyrone
Published: November 2024

Variability within species is key for adaptability and biological evolution. To understand individualities in the context of animal movement, we focused on one of the most remarkable migrations—the journey of the endangered European eel from their birthplace in the Sargasso Sea to freshwater environments. Laboratory observations unveiled a continuum of diverse phenotypes of migrating eels: Some displayed a heightened tendency to swim against a constant water flow, while others a greater propensity to climb obstacles. Looking for the biological underpinnings of this migratory diversity, we characterized the eels’ individual differences in traits of four key domains: life history, physiology, behavior, and cognition, among which we found significant variance and interconnectedness. Upon reducing this variance to its primary multivariate axes, we found that these predict the migratory types. Eels with 1) low exploration, high activity, low boldness, and high lateralization; 2) strong lateralization, enhanced quantitative abilities, short problem-solving time, high boldness, and low growth rates; or 3) enhanced problem-solving, reduced spatial learning, high cognitive flexibility, and shorter time to solve the cognitive tasks were more likely to display the climbing migratory type. Field sampling revealed how specific traits’ combinations seemed to influence the distribution of eels once they begin to settle in the freshwater environment. Our study underscores the impressive diversity of individuals during this critical migration, emphasizing an intrinsic connection to multidomain trait variance. Preserving this diversity becomes paramount, as it likely contributes to the resilience and adaptability of endangered migratory species.
Magnetic soft microrobots for erectile dysfunction therapy
Authors: Wang Shuting , Wang Zhenqing , Shen Zongshan , Zhang Min , Jin Dongdong , Zheng Ke , Liu Xuemin , Chai Muyuan , Wang Zhenxing , Chi Ani , Ostrovidov Serge , Wu Hongkai , Shao Dan , Liu Guihua , Wu Kai , Leong Kam W. , Shi Xuetao
Published: November 2024

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a major threat to male fertility and quality of life, and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising therapeutic option. However, therapeutic outcomes are compromised by low MSC retention and survival rates in corpus cavernosum tissue. Here, we developed an innovative magnetic soft microrobot comprising an ultrasoft hydrogel microsphere embedded with a magnetic nanoparticle chain for MSC delivery. This design also features phenylboronic acid groups for scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). With a Young’s modulus of less than 1 kPa, the ultrasoft microrobot adapts its shape within narrow blood vessels, ensuring a uniform distribution of MSCs within the corpus cavernosum. Our findings showed that compared with traditional MSC injections, the MSC delivery microrobot (MSC-Rob) significantly enhanced MSC retention and survival. In both rat and beagle ED models, MSC-Rob treatment accelerated the repair of corpus cavernosum tissue and restored erectile function. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) revealed that MSC-Rob treatment facilitates nerve and blood vessel regeneration in the corpus cavernosum by increasing the presence of regenerative macrophages. Overall, our MSC-Rob not only advances the clinical application of MSCs for ED therapy but also broadens the scope of microrobots for other cell therapies.
Symmetry engineering in 2D bioelectronics facilitating augmented biosensing interfaces
Authors: Wu Yizhang , Liu Yihan , Li Yuan , Wei Ziquan , Xing Sicheng , Wang Yunlang , Zhu Dashuai , Guo Ziheng , Zhang Anran , Yuan Gongkai , Zhang Zhibo , Huang Ke , Wang Yong , Wu Guorong , Cheng Ke , Bai Wubin
Published: November 2024

Symmetry lies at the heart of two-dimensional (2D) bioelectronics, determining material properties at the fundamental level. Breaking the symmetry allows emergent functionalities and effects. However, symmetry modulation in 2D bioelectronics and the resultant applications have been largely overlooked. Here, we devise an oxidized architectural MXene, referred to as oxidized MXene (OXene), that couples orbit symmetric breaking with inverse symmetric breaking to entitle the optimized interfacial impedance and Schottky-induced piezoelectric effects. The resulting OXene validates applications ranging from microelectrode arrays, gait analysis, active transistor matrix, and wireless signaling transmission, which enables high-fidelity signal transmission and reconfigurable logic gates. Furthermore, OXene interfaces were investigated in both rodent and porcine myocardium, featuring high-quality and spatiotemporally resolved physiological recordings, while accurate differentiated predictions, enabled via various machine learning pipelines.
TLR priming licenses NAIP inflammasome activation by immunoevasive ligands
Authors: Grayczyk James P. , Liu Luying , Egan Marisa S. , Aunins Emily , Wynosky-Dolfi Meghan A. , Canna Scott W. , Minn Andy J. , Shin Sunny , Brodsky Igor E.
Published: November 2024

NLR family, apoptosis inhibitory proteins (NAIPs) detect bacterial flagellin and structurally related components of bacterial type III secretion systems (T3SS), and recruit NLR family CARD domain containing protein 4 (NLRC4) and caspase-1 into an inflammasome complex that induces pyroptosis. NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome assembly is initiated by the binding of a single NAIP to its cognate ligand, but a subset of bacterial flagellins or T3SS structural proteins are thought to evade NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome sensing by not binding to their cognate NAIPs. Unlike other inflammasome components such as NLRP3, AIM2, or some NAIPs, NLRC4 is constitutively present in resting macrophages and not known to be induced by inflammatory signals. Here, we demonstrate that Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling up-regulates NLRC4 transcription and protein expression in murine macrophages, which licenses NAIP detection of evasive ligands. In contrast, TLR priming in human macrophages did not up-regulate NLRC4 expression, and human macrophages remained unable to detect NAIP-evasive ligands even following priming. Critically, ectopic expression of either murine or human NLRC4 was sufficient to induce pyroptosis in response to immunoevasive NAIP ligands, indicating that increased levels of NLRC4 enable the NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome to detect these normally evasive ligands. Altogether, our data reveal that TLR priming tunes the threshold for the murine NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome to enable inflammasome responses against immunoevasive or suboptimal NAIP ligands. These findings provide insight into species-specific TLR regulation of NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome activation.
The global spread of Oriental Horses in the past 1,500 years through the lens of the Y chromosome
Authors: Radovic Lara , Remer Viktoria , Rigler Doris , Bozlak Elif , Allen Lucy , Brem Gottfried , Reissman Monika , Brockmann Gudrun A. , Ropka-Molik Katarzyna , Stefaniuk-Szmukier Monika , Kalinkova Liliya , Kalashnikov Valery V. , Zaitev Alexander M. , Raudsepp Terje , Castaneda Caitlin , von Butler-Wemken Ines , Patterson Rosa Laura , Brooks Samantha A. , Novoa‐Bravo Miguel , Kostaras Nikos , Abdurasulov Abdugani , Antczak Douglas F. , Miller Donald C. , Lopes Maria Susana , da Câmara Machado Artur , Lindgren Gabriella , Juras Rytis , Cothran Gus , Wallner Barbara
Published: November 2024

Since their domestication, horses have accompanied mankind, and humans have constantly shaped horses according to their needs through stallion-centered breeding. Consequently, the male-specific portion of the Y chromosome (MSY) is extremely uniform in modern horse breeds. The majority of stallions worldwide carry MSY haplotypes (HT) attributed to an only ~1,500-y-old, so-called, “Crown” haplogroup. The predominance of the Crown in modern horse breeds is thought to represent a footprint of the vast impact of stallions of “Oriental origin” in the past millennium. Here, we report the results of a fine-scaled MSY haplotyping of large datasets of patrilines comprising 1,517 males of 189 modern horse breeds, covering a broad phenotypic and geographic spectrum. We can disentangle the multilayered influence of Oriental stallions over the last few hundred years, exposing the intense linebreeding and the wide-ranging impact of Arabian, English Thoroughbred, and Coldblood sires. Iberian and New World horse breeds contain a wide range of diversified Crown lineages. Their broad HT spectrum illustrates the spread of horses of Oriental origin via the Iberian Peninsula after the Middle Ages, which is commonly referred to as the “Spanish influence.” Our survey also revealed a second major historical dissemination of horses from Western Asia, attributed to the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. Our analysis shows that MSY analysis can uncover the complex history of horse breeds and can be used to establish the paternal ancestry of modern horse breeds.
There is no horizontal gravity force in geopotential coordinates
Authors: McWilliams James C.
Published: November 2024

In response to a recent challenge to the longstanding practice in modeling large-scale circulations in the atmosphere and ocean that neglects any horizontal component of Earth’s gravity-rotation force, this paper demonstrates that a coordinate transformation into geopotential coordinates has no such horizontal force. This framework should be understood as the justification for and, if warranted, the basis for making further refinements to such geophysical models.
In vivo photoreceptor base editing ameliorates rhodopsin-E150K autosomal-recessive retinitis pigmentosa in mice
Authors: Du Samuel W. , Newby Gregory A. , Salom David , Gao Fangyuan , Menezes Carolline Rodrigues , Suh Susie , Choi Elliot H. , Chen Paul Z. , Liu David R. , Palczewski Krzysztof
Published: November 2024

Rhodopsin, the prototypical class-A G-protein coupled receptor, is a highly sensitive receptor for light that enables phototransduction in rod photoreceptors. Rhodopsin plays not only a sensory role but also a structural role as a major component of the rod outer segment disc, comprising over 90% of the protein content of the disc membrane. Mutations in
RHO
which lead to structural or functional abnormalities, including the autosomal recessive E150K mutation, result in rod dysfunction and death. Therefore, correction of deleterious rhodopsin mutations could rescue inherited retinal degeneration, as demonstrated for other visual genes such as
RPE65
and
PDE6B.
In this study, we describe a CRISPR/Cas9 adenine base editing strategy to correct the E150K mutation and demonstrate precise in vivo editing in a
Rho
-E150K mouse model of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and the G-protein activation assay, we characterized wild-type rhodopsin and rhodopsin variants containing bystander base edits. Subretinal injection of dual-adeno-associated viruses delivering our base editing strategy yielded up to 44%
Rho
correction in homozygous
Rho
-E150K mice. Injection at postnatal day 15, but not later time points, restored rhodopsin expression, partially rescued retinal function, and partially preserved retinal structure. These findings demonstrate that in vivo base editing can restore the function of mutated structural and functional proteins in animal models of disease, including rhodopsin-associated RP and suggest that the timing of gene-editing is a crucial determinant of successful treatment outcomes for degenerative genetic diseases.