bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
CYLD regulates cell ferroptosis through Hippo/YAP signaling in prostate cancer progression
Authors: Gu Yanan , Wu Shiqi , Fan Junjie , Meng Zeji , Gao Guoqiang , Liu Tianjie , Wang Qi , Xia Huayu , Wang Xinyang , Wu Kaijie
Published: January 2024

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancy in men. However, the molecular mechanism of its pathogenesis has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we demonstrated that CYLD, a novel deubiquitinating enzyme, impeded PCa development and progression via tumor suppression. First, we found that CYLD was downregulated in PCa tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with pathological grade and clinical stage. Moreover, we discovered that CYLD inhibited tumor cell proliferation and enhanced the sensitivity to cell ferroptosis in PCa in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that CYLD suppressed the ubiquitination of YAP protein, then promoted ACSL4 and TFRC mRNA transcription. Then, we demonstrated that CYLD could enhance the sensitivity of PCa xenografts to ferroptosis in vivo. Furthermore, we discovered for the first time that there was a positive correlation between CYLD expression and ACSL4 or TFRC expression in human PCa specimens. The results of this study suggested that CYLD acted as a tumor suppressor gene in PCa and promoted cell ferroptosis through Hippo/YAP signaling.
The angiosperm radiation played a dual role in the diversification of insects and insect pollinators
Authors: Peris David , Condamine Fabien L.
Published: January 2024

Interactions with angiosperms have been hypothesised to play a crucial role in driving diversification among insects, with a particular emphasis on pollinator insects. However, support for coevolutionary diversification in insect–plant interactions is weak. Macroevolutionary studies of insect and plant diversities support the hypothesis that angiosperms diversified after a peak in insect diversity in the Early Cretaceous. Here, we used the family-level fossil record of insects as a whole, and insect pollinator families in particular, to estimate diversification rates and the role of angiosperms on insect macroevolutionary history using a Bayesian process-based approach. We found that angiosperms played a dual role that changed through time, mitigating insect extinction in the Cretaceous and promoting insect origination in the Cenozoic, which is also recovered for insect pollinator families only. Although insects pollinated gymnosperms before the angiosperm radiation, a radiation of new pollinator lineages began as angiosperm lineages increased, particularly significant after 50 Ma. We also found that global temperature, increases in insect diversity, and spore plants were strongly correlated with origination and extinction rates, suggesting that multiple drivers influenced insect diversification and arguing for the investigation of different explanatory variables in further studies.
Programmable RNA base editing with photoactivatable CRISPR-Cas13
Authors: Yu Jeonghye , Shin Jongpil , Yu Jihwan , Kim Jihye , Yu Daseuli , Heo Won Do
Published: January 2024

CRISPR-Cas13 is widely used for programmable RNA interference, imaging, and editing. In this study, we develop a light-inducible Cas13 system called paCas13 by fusing Magnet with fragment pairs. The most effective split site, N351/C350, was identified and found to exhibit a low background and high inducibility. We observed significant light-induced perturbation of endogenous transcripts by paCas13. We further present a light-inducible base-editing system, herein called the padCas13 editor, by fusing ADAR2 to catalytically inactive paCas13 fragments. The padCas13 editor enabled reversible RNA editing under light and was effective in editing A-to-I and C-to-U RNA bases, targeting disease-relevant transcripts, and fine-tuning endogenous transcripts in mammalian cells in vitro. The padCas13 editor was also used to adjust post-translational modifications and demonstrated the ability to activate target transcripts in a mouse model in vivo. We therefore present a light-inducible RNA-modulating technique based on CRISPR-Cas13 that enables target RNAs to be diversely manipulated in vitro and in vivo, including through RNA degradation and base editing. The approach using the paCas13 system can be broadly applicable to manipulating RNA in various disease states and physiological processes, offering potential additional avenues for research and therapeutic development.
EGFR core fucosylation, induced by hepatitis C virus, promotes TRIM40-mediated-RIG-I ubiquitination and suppresses interferon-I antiviral defenses
Authors: Pan Qiu , Xie Yan , Zhang Ying , Guo Xinqi , Wang Jing , Liu Min , Zhang Xiao-Lian
Published: January 2024

Aberrant N-glycosylation has been implicated in viral diseases. Alpha-(1,6)-fucosyltransferase (FUT8) is the sole enzyme responsible for core fucosylation of N-glycans during glycoprotein biosynthesis. Here we find that multiple viral envelope proteins, including Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-E2, Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-G, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-Spike and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-gp120, enhance FUT8 expression and core fucosylation. HCV-E2 manipulates host transcription factor SNAIL to induce FUT8 expression through EGFR-AKT-SNAIL activation. The aberrant increased-FUT8 expression promotes TRIM40-mediated RIG-I K48-ubiquitination and suppresses the antiviral interferon (IFN)-I response through core fucosylated-EGFR-JAK1-STAT3-RIG-I signaling. FUT8 inhibitor 2FF, N-glycosylation site-specific mutation (Q352AT) of EGFR, and tissue-targeted Fut8 silencing significantly increase antiviral IFN-I responses and suppress RNA viral replication, suggesting that core fucosylation mediated by FUT8 is critical for antiviral innate immunity. These findings reveal an immune evasion mechanism in which virus-induced FUT8 suppresses endogenous RIG-I-mediated antiviral defenses by enhancing core fucosylated EGFR-mediated activation.
Phage-inducible chromosomal minimalist islands (PICMIs), a novel family of small marine satellites of virulent phages
Authors: Barcia-Cruz Rubén , Goudenège David , Moura de Sousa Jorge A. , Piel Damien , Marbouty Martial , Rocha Eduardo P. C. , Le Roux Frédérique
Published: January 2024

Phage satellites are bacterial genetic elements that co-opt phage machinery for their own dissemination. Here we identify a family of satellites, named Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Minimalist Islands (PICMIs), that are broadly distributed in marine bacteria of the family Vibrionaceae. A typical PICMI is characterized by reduced gene content, does not encode genes for capsid remodelling, and packages its DNA as a concatemer. PICMIs integrate in the bacterial host genome next to the fis regulator, and encode three core proteins necessary for excision and replication. PICMIs are dependent on virulent phage particles to spread to other bacteria, and protect their hosts from other competitive phages without interfering with their helper phage. Thus, our work broadens our understanding of phage satellites and narrows down the minimal number of functions necessary to hijack a tailed phage.
False vacuum decay via bubble formation in ferromagnetic superfluids
Authors: Zenesini A. , Berti A. , Cominotti R. , Rogora C. , Moss I. G. , Billam T. P. , Carusotto I. , Lamporesi G. , Recati A. , Ferrari G.
Published: January 2024

Metastability stems from the finite lifetime of a state when a lower-energy configuration is available but only by tunnelling through an energy barrier. It is observed in many natural situations, including in chemical processes and in electron field ionization. In classical many-body systems, metastability naturally emerges in the presence of a first-order phase transition. A prototypical example is a supercooled vapour. The extension to quantum field theory and quantum many-body systems has attracted significant interest in the context of statistical physics, protein folding and cosmology, for which thermal and quantum fluctuations are expected to trigger the transition from the metastable state (false vacuum) to the ground state (true vacuum) through the probabilistic nucleation of spatially localized bubbles. However, the long-standing theoretical progress in estimating the relaxation rate of the metastable field through bubble nucleation has not been validated experimentally. Here we experimentally observe bubble nucleation in isolated and coherently coupled atomic superfluids, and we support our observations with numerical simulations. The agreement between our observations and an analytic formula based on instanton theory confirms our physical understanding of the decay process and promotes coherently coupled atomic superfluids as an ideal platform to investigate out-of-equilibrium quantum field phenomena.
Deciphering cell states and genealogies of human haematopoiesis
Authors: Weng Chen , Yu Fulong , Yang Dian , Poeschla Michael , Liggett L. Alexander , Jones Matthew G. , Qiu Xiaojie , Wahlster Lara , Caulier Alexis , Hussmann Jeffrey A. , Schnell Alexandra , Yost Kathryn E. , Koblan Luke W. , Martin-Rufino Jorge D. , Min Joseph , Hammond Alessandro , Ssozi Daniel , Bueno Raphael , Mallidi Hari , Kreso Antonia , Escabi Javier , Rideout William M. , Jacks Tyler , Hormoz Sahand , van Galen Peter , Weissman Jonathan S. , Sankaran Vijay G.
Published: January 2024

The human blood system is maintained through the differentiation and massive amplification of a limited number of long-lived haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)1. Perturbations to this process underlie diverse diseases, but the clonal contributions to human haematopoiesis and how this changes with age remain incompletely understood. Although recent insights have emerged from barcoding studies in model systems2–5, simultaneous detection of cell states and phylogenies from natural barcodes in humans remains challenging. Here we introduce an improved, single-cell lineage-tracing system based on deep detection of naturally occurring mitochondrial DNA mutations with simultaneous readout of transcriptional states and chromatin accessibility. We use this system to define the clonal architecture of HSCs and map the physiological state and output of clones. We uncover functional heterogeneity in HSC clones, which is stable over months and manifests as both differences in total HSC output and biases towards the production of different mature cell types. We also find that the diversity of HSC clones decreases markedly with age, leading to an oligoclonal structure with multiple distinct clonal expansions. Our study thus provides a clonally resolved and cell-state-aware atlas of human haematopoiesis at single-cell resolution, showing an unappreciated functional diversity of human HSC clones and, more broadly, paving the way for refined studies of clonal dynamics across a range of tissues in human health and disease.
Effects of eccentric loading on performance of concrete columns reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer bars
Authors: Shakouri Mahmoudabadi Nasim , Bahrami Alireza , Saghir Saba , Ahmad Afaq , Iqbal Muhammad , Elchalakani Mohamed , Özkılıç Yasin Onuralp
Published: January 2024

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcements are superior to traditional steel bars in concrete structures, particularly in vertical elements like columns, and offer significant advantages over conventional steel bars when subjected to axial and eccentric loadings. However, there is limited experimental and numerical research on the behavior of GFRP-reinforced concrete (RC) columns under eccentric loading having different spacing of stirrups. In this study, six specimens were cast under three different values of eccentricities (25 mm, 50 mm, and 75 mm) with two groups of stirrups spacing (50 mm and 100 mm). The experimental results showed that by increasing the eccentricity value, there was a reduction in the load-carrying capacity of the specimens. The finite element ABAQUS software was used for the numerical investigation of this study. The results from the finite element analysis (FEA) were close to the experimental results and within the acceptable range. The maximum difference between the experimental and FEA results was 3.61% for the axial load and 12.06% for the deformation.
Expression levels and clinical significance of ferroptosis-related genes in patients with myocardial infarction
Authors: Huang Lei , Wang Xiaoyang , Hu Bin , Rong Shuling
Published: January 2024

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the most serious type of cardiovascular disease and the leading cause of cardiac death.Ferroptosis is one of the newly discovered programmed cell death modes in MI, but its mechanism of action in MI has not been clarified.In this study, we analyzed the expression changes of ferroptosis-related genes in MI and explored the potential mechanisms of ferroptosis-related functions in myocardial infarction. Public data sets GSE19339, GSE97320 and GSE141512 were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Datasets public database. After data preprocessing, differentially expressed genes were screened, and differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes associated with myocardial infarction were obtained. The biological function and signaling pathway enrichment analysis were performed to establish the PPI interaction network specific to heart tissue, and the differential diagnosis significance of differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes associated with myocardial infarction was analyzed by ROC curve and decision tree model.A total of 317 genes showed significant changes in expression levels in patients with myocardial infarction, including 205 down-regulated genes and 112 up-regulated genes.Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and functional classification of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathways showed that these genes were mainly involved in signaling pathways or biological functions related to inflammation and apoptosis.Five differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes (SLC2A3, EPAS1, HMOX1, ATM, FANCD2) were obtained, all of which played key biological functions in cardiac tissue function. SLC2A3, EPAS1, HMOX1, ATM and FANCD2 genes all had good diagnostic value for myocardial infarction (P < 0.05). The increase of SLC2A3, EPAS1 and HMOX1 are risk factors for myocardial infarction, while ATM and FANCD2 are protective factors.Decision tree analysis showed that SLC2A3, HMOX1, ATM, FANCD2 gene had higher net yield in diagnosing myocardial infarction. In summary, the mechanism of ferroptosis is involved in the occurrence and progression of myocardial infarction. In this study, five differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes associated with myocardial infarction were retrieved, which may be good biomarkers of ferroptosis after MI.These findings also suggest that the differential expression of ferroptosis-related genes associated with myocardial infarction has significant diagnostic significance for myocardial infarction.
Impacts of sugarcane industrial effluent as an alternate source of irrigation on growth, chlorophyll contents and antioxidants of different canola varieties
Authors: Ullah Hafeez , Elahi Nosheen Noor , Imtiaz Muhammad , Shah Muhammad Nadeem , Asiri Mohammed , Alshahrani Mohammad Y.
Published: January 2024

The sugarcane industry often utilizes effluent for irrigation purposes; however, its intricate composition and elevated metal contaminants pose a potential risk of soil and crop contamination. Consequently, it is imperative to employ effective strategies to ensure the safe utilization of this resource for crop cultivation. One such strategy involves the dilution of sugarcane industry effluent. Dilution is a practical approach to mitigate its toxicity, minimizing its adverse impact on soil and crop health. That’s why the current study explored the best dilution of sugarcane industrial effluent (SW) for cultivating canola varieties. A total of 15 canola varieties were cultivated 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% SW. Results showed that 60% SW Faisalabad Canola and Punjab Canola improved germination, shoot length, root length, shoot fresh and dry weight, root fresh and dry weight, and chlorophyll contents compared to other treatments and control. AARI Canola and CON-III showed poor growth and chlorophyll contents under 60%SW. Dunkled and Oscar cultivars showed moderate improvement in growth and chlorophyll contents under 60SW. The 60% SW can be recommended for maximum growth benefits in canola cultivars, specifically Faisalabad Canola and Punjab Canola. At 20SW, the root dry weight of Faisalabad Canola increased by 2.7%, while Punjab Canola increased by 3.4%. Canola showed the highest increase in POD activity compared to the control, with a 55.45% increase, followed by Sandal Canola, with a 43.26% increase. However, additional field-level experiments are needed to determine the best cultivars suitable for optimal growth under 80SW and 60SW irrigation conditions.
Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism related to gynecologic cancers: a nationwide population-based cohort study
Authors: Leung John Hang , Wang Shyh-Yau , Leung Henry W. C. , Yu Teng-Shun , Chan Agnes L. F.
Published: January 2024

The purpose of this study was to assess the risks of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism related to gynecological cancers. Population-based retrospective cohort study. We conducted a cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to explore hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism associated with site-specific gynecologic cancers in women from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2018. The examined gynecologic cancers included endometrial (EC), uterine corpus cancer (UC), and ovarian cancer (OC). The incidence and hazard ratios were quantified using Cox proportional hazards models. The incidence of developing gynecological (Gyn) cancers in the hyperthyroid and hypothyroid women was 0.29 and 0.44 per 1000 person-years, which was 0.86 fold lower and 1.13 fold higher than that in the comparison cohort (p < 0.001). Compared with patients aged 20–40 years, patients in older age groups had a lower and higher risk of developing Gyn cancers (for hyperthyroid, 40–65 years: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.82; > 65 years: aHR = 0.94; for hypothyroid, adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.26; > 65 years: aHR = 1.38). Compared with the non-hypothyroid women and non-hyperthyroid women beyond 6 years of follow-up, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid women showed decreased risk of Gyn cancers. Medication treatment for hyperthyroid and hypothyroid disease did not showed significant association in subgroup analyses (aHR = 0.99 and 0.80, respectively). Our results show that women with hyperthyroidism have a significantly reduced risk of gynecological cancers, whereas women with hypothyroidism have a slightly increased risk of gynecological cancers suggesting an association between thyroid function level and risk of gynecological cancers.
The effect of dopaminergic treatment on whole body kinematics explored through network theory
Authors: Romano Antonella , Liparoti Marianna , Minino Roberta , Polverino Arianna , Cipriano Lorenzo , Carotenuto Anna , Tafuri Domenico , Sorrentino Giuseppe , Sorrentino Pierpaolo , Troisi Lopez Emahnuel
Published: January 2024

Three-dimensional motion analysis represents a quantitative approach to assess spatio-temporal and kinematic changes in health and disease. However, these parameters provide only segmental information, discarding minor changes of complex whole body kinematics characterizing physiological and/or pathological conditions. We aimed to assess how levodopa intake affects the whole body, analyzing the kinematic interactions during gait in Parkinson’s disease (PD) through network theory which assess the relationships between elements of a system. To this end, we analysed gait data of 23 people with PD applying network theory to the acceleration kinematic data of 21 markers placed on participants’ body landmarks. We obtained a matrix of kinematic interactions (i.e., the kinectome) for each participant, before and after the levodopa intake, we performed a topological analysis to evaluate the large-scale interactions among body elements, and a multilinear regression analysis to verify whether the kinectome’s topology could predict the clinical variations induced by levodopa. We found that, following levodopa intake, patients with PD showed less trunk and head synchronization (p-head = 0.048;p-7th cervical vertebrae = 0.032;p-10th thoracic vertebrae = 0.006) and an improved upper-lower limbs synchronization (elbows right,p = 0.002; left,p = 0.005), (wrists right,p = 0.003; left,p = 0.002; knees right,p = 0.003; left,p = 0.039) proportional to the UPDRS-III scores. These results may be attributable to the reduction of rigidity, following pharmacological treatment.
Deep learning based CETSA feature prediction cross multiple cell lines with latent space representation
Authors: Zhao Shenghao , Yang Xulei , Zeng Zeng , Qian Peisheng , Zhao Ziyuan , Dai Lingyun , Prabhu Nayana , Nordlund Pär , Tam Wai Leong
Published: January 2024

Mass spectrometry-coupled cellular thermal shift assay (MS-CETSA), a biophysical principle-based technique that measures the thermal stability of proteins at the proteome level inside the cell, has contributed significantly to the understanding of drug mechanisms of action and the dissection of protein interaction dynamics in different cellular states. One of the barriers to the wide applications of MS-CETSA is that MS-CETSA experiments must be performed on the specific cell lines of interest, which is typically time-consuming and costly in terms of labeling reagents and mass spectrometry time. In this study, we aim to predict CETSA features in various cell lines by introducing a computational framework called CycleDNN based on deep neural network technology. For a given set of n cell lines, CycleDNN comprises n auto-encoders. Each auto-encoder includes an encoder to convert CETSA features from one cell line into latent features in a latent space $$\mathbb {Z}$$
Z
. It also features a decoder that transforms the latent features back into CETSA features for another cell line. In such a way, the proposed CycleDNN creates a cyclic prediction of CETSA features across different cell lines. The prediction loss, cycle-consistency loss, and latent space regularization loss are used to guide the model training. Experimental results on a public CETSA dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach. Furthermore, we confirm the validity of the predicted MS-CETSA data from our proposed CycleDNN through validation in protein–protein interaction prediction.
Species-specific SNP arrays for non-invasive genetic monitoring of a vulnerable bat
Authors: Thavornkanlapachai Rujiporn , Armstrong Kyle N. , Knuckey Chris , Huntley Bart , Hanrahan Nicola , Ottewell Kym
Published: January 2024

Genetic tagging from scats is one of the minimally invasive sampling (MIS) monitoring approaches commonly used to guide management decisions and evaluate conservation efforts. Microsatellite markers have traditionally been used but are prone to genotyping errors. Here, we present a novel method for individual identification in the Threatened ghost bat Macroderma gigas using custom-designed Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) arrays on the MassARRAY system. We identified 611 informative SNPs from DArTseq data from which three SNP panels (44–50 SNPs per panel) were designed. We applied SNP genotyping and molecular sexing to 209 M. gigas scats collected from seven caves in the Pilbara, Western Australia, employing a two-step genotyping protocol and identifying unique genotypes using a custom-made R package, ScatMatch. Following data cleaning, the average amplification rate was 0.90 ± 0.01 and SNP genotyping errors were low (allelic dropout 0.003 ± 0.000) allowing clustering of scats based on one or fewer allelic mismatches. We identified 19 unique bats (9 confirmed/likely males and 10 confirmed/likely females) from a maternity and multiple transitory roosts, with two male bats detected using roosts, 9 km and 47 m apart. The accuracy of our SNP panels enabled a high level of confidence in the identification of individual bats. Targeted SNP genotyping is a valuable tool for monitoring and tracking of non-model species through a minimally invasive sampling approach.
Comparative assessment of phenolic composition profile and biological activities of green extract and conventional extracts of Salvia sclarea
Authors: Quradha Mohammed Mansour , Duru Mehmet Emin , Kucukaydin Selcuk , Tamfu Alfred Ngenge , Iqbal Mudassar , Bibi Hamida , Khan Rasool , Ceylan Ozgur
Published: January 2024

In recent years, there have been an attempt to develop safe and environmental friendly solvents to replace conventional solvents, and use for extraction bioactive compounds from natural sources. A current investigation involved the preparation of green, methanolic, and ultrasonic extracts of S. sclarea, and compared their phenolic profiling using HPLC–DAD, antibacterial, antioxidant, and enzyme inhibition activities. The HPLC–DAD analysis revealed that Rosmarinic acid was the main content in all extracts, with Ellagic acid only present in the green extract. The green extract exhibited superior anti-biofilm activity against S. Aureus and E. Faecalis compared to the other extracts at MIC concentration. Furthermore, the green extract also displayed the highest inhibition of swarming motility in P. Aeruginosa with inhibition range 68.0 ± 2.1 (MIC) to 19.5 ± 0.6 (MIC/4). and better enzyme inhibitory activity against BChE (with IC50 = 131.6 ± 0.98 µg/mL) and AChE (with inhibition 47.00 ± 1.50%) compared to the other extracts; while, the ultrasonic extract showed strong inhibition of violacein production by C. Violaceum with a inhibition range 05.5 ± 0.1 (MIC/32) to 100 ± 0.00 (MIC), followed by the green extract with a inhibition range 15.0 ± 0.5 (MIC/8) to 100 ± 0.00 (MIC), additionally, the ultrasonic and methanoic extracts showed significant activity against urease enzyme with (IC50 = 171.6 ± 0.95 µg/mL and IC5 0 = 187.5 ± 1.32 µg/mL) respectively. Both the green and methanolic extracts showed considerable antioxidant activities, as β-carotene-linoleic acid (IC50 = 5.61 ± 0.47 µg/mL and 5.37 ± 0.27 µg/mL), DPPH· (IC50 = 19.20 ± 0.70 µg/mL and 16.31 ± 0.23 µg/mL), ABTS·+(IC50 = 8.64 ± 0.63 µg/mL and 6.50 ± 0.45 µg/mL) and CUPRAC (A0.5 = 17.22 ± 0.36 µg/mL and 12.28 ± 0.12 µg/mL) respectively, likewise the green extract performing better in metal chelating compared to the other extracts. The green extraction is reported as a cost effective and solvent free method for extracting natural products that produces compounds free of toxic chemicals. This could be the method to be used in the industries as a renewable method.
A novel approach for estimating fertility rates in finite populations using count regression models
Authors: Ahmed Shakeel , Albalawi Olayan , Shabbir Javid
Published: January 2024

Demographic health surveys (DHS) contain in-depth information about the demographic characteristics and the factors affecting them. However, fertility rates which are the important indicators of population growth have been estimated by utilizing the design-based approaches. Model-based approach, on the other hand, facilitates efficient predictive estimates for these rates by utilizing the demographic and other family planning related characters. In this article, we first attempt to observe the effect of various socio-demographic and family planing related factors on births counts by fitting different regression models to Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017–2018 data under classical as well as Bayesian frameworks. The births occurred during the time periods of 1-year, 3-years and 5-years are taken as the responses and modeled using different non-linear models. The model-based approach is then used for estimation of the fertility measures including age-specific fertility rates, total fertility rate, general fertility rate, and gross reproduction rate for ever-married women in Pakistan. The performance of the model-based estimators is examined using a bootstrapped sampling algorithm. While the age-specific fertility rates are over-estimated for some age groups and under-estimated for others. The model-based fertility estimates are recommended for estimating the demographic indicators at national and sub-national levels when survey data contains incomplete or missing responses.
Acoustic emission characteristics and energy evolution law of rock damage process of different pore structures under cyclic loading
Authors: Jiang Haowen , Dang Jiandong , Chen Gang , Wang Xiaojun , Li Kexi , Chen Zinan , Cao Shirong , Liu Jian
Published: January 2024

The AE and damage characteristics of three types of pore-structured rock under the same working conditions are studied by means of uniaxial cyclic loading and unloading tests. The results suggest that with repeated loading and unloading, AE ringing increases as a “jump”, and the denser the structure, the earlier the “jump” occurs. The AE cumulative energy shows a “step” upward trend, but there is a significant difference in the “step” spacing. By comparing the energy distribution of rocks with different pore structures, it can be seen that the smaller the porosity and the smaller the pore size, the greater the energy input and storage, and the earlier the internal failure. Compared with the other two energy-based damage calculation methods, the damage calculation method defined in this paper is closer to the true internal damage level of the rock loading cycle. The NSE value of the modified damage variable calculation method was significantly improved and it was shown that the dissipated energy before pore compaction is the main energy causing damage, after pore compaction the combined effects of dissipated energy and plastic deformation energy result in rock damage.
Immersion in nature enhances neural indices of executive attention
Authors: McDonnell Amy S. , Strayer David L.
Published: January 2024

There is conjecture that our modern urban environments place high demand on our attentional resources, which can become depleted over time and cause mental fatigue. Natural environments, on the other hand, are thought to provide relief from this demand and allow our resources to be replenished. While these claims have been assessed with self-report and behavioral measures, there is limited understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying these attentional benefits. The present randomized controlled trial fills this gap in the literature by using electroencephalography to explore three aspects of attention—alerting, orienting, and executive control—from a behavioral and neural perspective. Participants (N = 92) completed the Attention Network Task before and after either a 40-min walk in nature or a 40-min walk in a control, urban environment. Participants that walked in nature reported their walk to be more restorative than those that walked in the urban environment. Furthermore, the nature group showed an enhanced error-related negativity after their walk, an event-related brain component that indexes executive control capacity, whereas the urban group did not. These findings demonstrate that a 40-min nature walk enhances executive control at a neural level, providing a potential neural mechanism for attention restoration in nature.
Impact of some inorganic anions on the corrosion of nickel in a solution containing Na2SO4 and NaClO4
Authors: Deyab M. A. , Alghamdi Majed M. , El-Zahhar Adel A.
Published: January 2024

Potentiodynamic study was carried out on nickel in Na2SO4 solution in the presence of ClO4–, WO42–, MoO42–, NO2– and NO3– ions. The anodic excursion spans of the metal nickel in a solution of Na2SO4 are marked by the appearance of clearly defined anodic peak, passive region, and transpassive shoulder. According to the data, the anodic peak current density (IPAI) rise from 1.82 to 8.12 mA cm–2 as the concentration of the Na2SO4 solution rises from 0.2 to 1.0 M. It is clear that as scan rate increases, the IPAI rises reaching to 11.8 mA cm–2. The apparent activation energy of nickel corrosion in Na2SO4 is 33.25 kJ mol–1. ClO4– anion addition speeds up nickel’s active dissolution, as well tends to break down the passive layer, and causes pitting penetration. It was found that, the pitting potential (Epit) of nickel in solutions containing the two anions ClO4– and SO42– shifts to the positive direction by addition of WO42–, MoO42–, NO2– anions and shifts to the negative direction by addition NO3- anion. Epit increased by 0.67, 0.37 and 0.15 V in the presence of WO42–, MoO42– and NO2–, respectively. WO42– > MoO42– > NO2– was the order in which the inhibitors were most effective.
A Mendelian randomization study on the causal relationship between smoking, alcohol consumption, and the development of myopia and astigmatism
Authors: Wei Diyao , Wang Huanyan , Huang Ling , Hou Minghui , Liang Hong-Gang , Shi Xiang , Wei Xianghui , Li Jingrong , Gan Liuzhu , Lv Bi , Deng Jiabi , Qing Lulu
Published: January 2024

The influence of environmental factors like smoking and alcohol on myopia and astigmatism is controversial. However, due to ethical concerns, alternative study designs are urgently needed to assess causal inference, as mandatory exposure to cigarettes and alcohol is unethical. Following comprehensive screenings, 326 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to myopia and astigmatism were included in the dataset. To validate the causal association between exposures such as cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and coffee intake, and outcomes namely astigmatism and myopia, five regression models were employed. These models encompassed MR-Egger regression, random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW), weighted median estimator (WME), weighted model, and simple model. The instrumental variables utilized in these analyses were the aforementioned SNPs. Apply Cochran’s Q test to determine heterogeneity of SNPs; if heterogeneity exists, focus on IVW model results. The IVW model showed a 1.379-fold increase in the risk of astigmatism (OR = 1.379, 95%CI 0.822~2.313, P = 0.224) and a 0.963-fold increase in the risk of myopia (OR = 0.963, 95%CI 0.666~1.393, P = 0.841) for each unit increase in smoking. For each unit increase in coffee intake, the risk of astigmatism increased 1.610-fold (OR = 1.610, 95%CI 0.444~5.835, P = 0.469) and the risk of myopia increased 0.788-fold (OR = 0.788, 95%CI 0.340~1.824, P = 0.578). For each additional unit of alcohol consumption, the risk of astigmatism increased by 0.763-fold (OR = 0.763, 95%CI 0.380~1.530, P = 0.446), and none of the differences were statistically significant. However, for each unit of alcohol consumption, the risk of myopia increased by 1.597 times, and the difference was statistically significant (OR = 1.597, 95%CI 1.023~2.493, P = 0.039). The findings indicate that alcohol consumption is a risk factor for myopia but smoking and coffee intake do not affect its development. Additionally, there is no association between smoking, alcohol consumption, coffee intake, and the risk of astigmatism.
Introducing a novel mean-reverting Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process based stochastic epidemic model
Authors: Nabati Parisa
Published: January 2024

The major objective of this paper is to examine a novel mean-reverting Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process-based stochastic SIRD model for transmission the epidemic disease that is a great crisis in numerous societies. For this purpose, the deterministic model is further converted into the stochastic form by allowing the infection rate satisfies the mean-reverting Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process to account the uncertainties involved in epidemic spread. At first using Lyapunov functions, the solution’s uniqueness and positivity will be demonstrated. Subsequently, the stochastic epidemic threshold $$\Re_{0}^{S}$$

ℜ

0

S

that controls the disease’s extinction and persistence in the mean is identified analytically. It has been established that when $$\Re_{0}^{S} < 1$$

ℜ

0

S

<
1

the disease will extinguish, whereas if $$\Re_{0}^{S} > 1$$

ℜ

0

S

>
1

the disease is persistent. At last, several numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the findings of the hypothetical investigation results. These simulations served to vividly illustrate and validate the implications derived from the hypothetical analysis.
Association between reduced muscle mass and poor prognosis of biliary sepsis
Authors: Chun Soh Yeon , Cho Young Soon , Kim Han Bit
Published: January 2024

Sepsis is a life-threatening disease, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the association between low muscle mass and the prognosis of patients with biliary sepsis, focusing on outcomes such as length of hospital stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality. This retrospective, single-center, observational study included adult patients with biliary sepsis who visited the emergency department between January 2016 and December 2021. Low muscle mass was assessed using the psoas muscle index (PMI). Using computed tomography imaging, the area of both sides of the psoas muscle at the L3 level was measured, and the PMI, corrected by the patient’s height was calculated. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, and the secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission, LOS, and 14-day mortality. A total of 745 patients were included in this study. Low muscle mass was defined as a PMI < 421 mm2/m2 for males and < 268 mm2/m2 for females with the lower quartile of PMI according to sex. The cohort was classified into sarcopenic (n = 189) and non-sarcopenic (n = 556) groups. There was a significant association between low muscle mass and in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 3.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–13.47; p < 0.001), while there was no significant association between low muscle mass and ICU admission. In addition, the median LOS in the sarcopenic group (10 [7–14] days) was significantly longer than the median (8 [6–11] days) in the non-sarcopenic group. Low muscle mass was significantly associated with clinical outcomes, particularly in-hospital mortality and LOS, in patients with biliary sepsis.
Charge-4e supercurrent in a two-dimensional InAs-Al superconductor-semiconductor heterostructure
Authors: Ciaccia Carlo , Haller Roy , Drachmann Asbjørn C. C. , Lindemann Tyler , Manfra Michael J. , Schrade Constantin , Schönenberger Christian
Published: January 2024

Superconducting qubits with intrinsic noise protection offer a promising approach to improve the coherence of quantum information. Crucial to such protected qubits is the encoding of the logical quantum states into wavefunctions with disjoint support. Such encoding can be achieved by a Josephson element with an unusual charge-4e supercurrent emerging from the coherent transfer of pairs of Cooper-pairs. In this work, we demonstrate the controlled conversion of a conventional charge-2e dominated to a charge-4e dominated supercurrent in a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) consisting of gate-tunable planar Josephson junctions. We investigate the ac Josephson effect of the SQUID and measure a dominant photon emission at twice the fundamental Josephson frequency together with a doubling of the number of Shapiro steps, both consistent with the appearance of charge-4e supercurrent. Our results present a step towards protected superconducting qubits based on superconductor-semiconductor hybrid materials.
Ross Gyre variability modulates oceanic heat supply toward the West Antarctic continental shelf
Authors: Prend Channing J. , MacGilchrist Graeme A. , Manucharyan Georgy E. , Pang Rachel Q. , Moorman Ruth , Thompson Andrew F. , Griffies Stephen M. , Mazloff Matthew R. , Talley Lynne D. , Gille Sarah T.
Published: January 2024

West Antarctic Ice Sheet mass loss is a major source of uncertainty in sea level projections. The primary driver of this melting is oceanic heat from Circumpolar Deep Water originating offshore in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Yet, in assessing melt variability, open ocean processes have received considerably less attention than those governing cross-shelf exchange. Here, we use Lagrangian particle release experiments in an ocean model to investigate the pathways by which Circumpolar Deep Water moves toward the continental shelf across the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. We show that Ross Gyre expansion, linked to wind and sea ice variability, increases poleward heat transport along the gyre’s eastern limb and the relative fraction of transport toward the Amundsen Sea. Ross Gyre variability, therefore, influences oceanic heat supply toward the West Antarctic continental slope. Understanding remote controls on basal melt is necessary to predict the ice sheet response to anthropogenic forcing.
RhoGDI phosphorylation by PKC promotes its interaction with death receptor p75NTR to gate axon growth and neuron survival
Authors: Ramanujan Ajeena , Li Zhen , Ma Yanchen , Lin Zhi , Ibáñez Carlos F
Published: January 2024

How receptors juggle their interactions with multiple downstream effectors remains poorly understood. Here we show that the outcome of death receptor p75NTR signaling is determined through competition of effectors for interaction with its intracellular domain, in turn dictated by the nature of the ligand. While NGF induces release of RhoGDI through recruitment of RIP2, thus decreasing RhoA activity in favor of NFkB signaling, MAG induces PKC-mediated phosphorylation of the RhoGDI N-terminus, promoting its interaction with the juxtamembrane domain of p75NTR, disengaging RIP2, and enhancing RhoA activity in detriment of NF-kB. This results in stunted neurite outgrowth and apoptosis in cerebellar granule neurons. If presented simultaneously, MAG prevails over NGF. The NMR solution structure of the complex between the RhoGDI N-terminus and p75NTR juxtamembrane domain reveals previously unknown structures of these proteins and clarifies the mechanism of p75NTR activation. These results show how ligand-directed competition between RIP2 and RhoGDI for p75NTR engagement determine axon growth and neuron survival. Similar principles are likely at work in other receptors engaging multiple effectors and signaling pathways.
A simplified molecularly imprinted ECL sensor based on Mn2SnO4 nanocubes for sensitive detection of ribavirin
Authors: Kuang Kaida , Li Ya , Chen Yang , Ji Yu , Jia Nengqin
Published: January 2024

A simplified molecularly imprinted ECL sensor is proposed based on Mn2SnO4 nanocubes featuring stable high-intensity cathode ECL emission.
Green direct ultrasonic slurry sampling and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry method for metal analysis of solid plastics samples
Authors: Chovancová Katarína , Michalides Nicolas Milan , Košlabová Martina , Končálová Martina , Halko Radoslav
Published: January 2024

This work presents a “green” analytical method developed for the determination of potentially toxic metals such as, Ba and Cr in solid plastics samples by SS-ETAAS method.
An artificial nickel chlorinase based on the biotin–streptavidin technology
Authors: Yu Kun , Zhang Kailin , Jakob Roman P. , Maier Timm , Ward Thomas R.
Published: January 2024

Herein, we report on an artificial nickel chlorinase (ANCase) resulting from anchoring a biotinylated nickel-based cofactor within streptavidin (Sav).
Ultrafast electron dynamics in excited states of conjugated thiophene–fluorene organic polymer (pF8T2) thin films
Authors: Reiker T. , Liu Z. , Winter C. , Cappellari M. V. , Abradelo D. Gonzalez , Strassert C. A. , Zhang D. , Zacharias H.
Published: January 2024

Three distinct ultrafast lifetimes are observed by tr-2PPE in pF8T2, and three longer ones by TCSPC. Annealing extends the long lifetimes and thus facilitates a better charge separation, but has no effect on the carrier generation.
Static and dynamic magnetic properties of circular and square cobalt nanodots in hexagonal cells
Authors: Mélica Franco N. , Saavedra Eduardo , Escrig Juan , Bajales Noelia , Linarez Pérez Omar E. , Arciniegas Jaimes Diana M.
Published: January 2024

In this work we performed a detailed numerical analysis to investigate the static and dynamic magnetic properties of hexagonal cells of square and circular cobalt nanodots as a function of the distance between them and the external magnetic field to which they are subjected.
Novel room-temperature full-Heusler thermoelectric material Li2TlSb
Authors: Guo Siqi , Yue Jincheng , Li Junda , Liu Yanhui , Cui Tian
Published: January 2024

We proposed Li2TlSb, a novel Li-based FH compound, by isoelectronically replacing Li with Tl in Li3Sb. Using SCP and HA theories, we computed its transport properties and found an ultra-low lattice thermal conductivity of 0.79 W m−1 K−1 at ambient conditions under SCP theory.
Hetero-trimetallic complexes comprising bridging boryl and borylene ligands: an experimental and theoretical study
Authors: Bairagi Subhash , Giri Soumen , Patel Deepak Kumar , Luong Diana , Fokwa Boniface P. T. , Ghosh Sundargopal
Published: January 2024

Triply bridging borylene and bridging boryl–borylene complexes in hetero-trimetallic template have been synthesized and structurally characterized by NMR, UV-vis, IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, and single crystal X-ray study.
A comparative study of biogas and biomethane with natural gas and hydrogen alternatives
Authors: Bakkaloglu Semra , Hawkes Adam
Published: January 2024

Biogas and biomethane are renewable fuels that can help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The upstream, midstream (gas production), and downstream segments of the biogas and biomethane supply chain are shown in the upper figure, all alternative processes are illustrated in the lower figure.
A highly efficient and sustainable catalyst system for terminal epoxy-carboxylic acid ring opening reactions
Authors: Ramspoth Tizian-Frank , Flapper Jitte , van den Berg Keimpe J. , Feringa Ben L. , Harutyunyan Syuzanna R.
Published: January 2024

An efficient, green, non-toxic, halide-free catalyst system with iron(iii) benzoate and guanidinium carbonate facilitates the nucleophilic ring opening of terminal epoxides by carboxylic acids, key process for materials science and coatings.
An anhydride -cured degradable epoxy insulating material exhibiting recyclability, reusability, and excellent electrical performance
Authors: Wu Yunjian , Hu Yiran , Lin Hui , Zhang Xiaoxing
Published: January 2024

We synthesized a high-performance epoxy insulating material that can be recycled and reused using triethanolamine as a transesterification catalyst co-accelerator. The new epoxy can be physically recovered through hot-pressing and regenerated via chemical degradation.
Plasmon Bi/BiFeO3 heterojunctions for achieving optimized photothermal-photocatalytic performance
Authors: Wang Yuwei , Jiang Yongwang , Fan Liquan , Xu Kelin , Yue Ying , Jia Hongge , Li Zhenzi , Guo Liping , Zhou Wei
Published: January 2024

The photocatalytic performance of plasmon Bi/BiFeO3 heterojunctions was evaluated by degrading organic pollutants under visible light.
Gradual degradation in InAs quantum dot lasers on Si and GaAs
Authors: Hughes Eamonn T. , Shang Chen , Selvidge Jennifer , Jung Daehwan , Wan Yating , Herrick Robert W. , Bowers John E. , Mukherjee Kunal
Published: January 2024

After extended aging, InAs quantum dot lasers form dislocation loops in the active region due to the coalescence of point defects. The point-defect formation process drives gradual laser degradation and is a key impediment to long-life lasers.
A giant intrinsic photovoltaic effect in atomically thin ReS2
Authors: Wang Jing , Han Nannan , Lin Zhihua , Hu Siqi , Tian Ruijuan , Zhang Mingwen , Zhang Yu , Zhao Jianlin , Gan Xuetao
Published: January 2024

The giant intrinsic photovoltaic (PV) effect in atomically thin ReS2 with centrosymmetry breaking presents the highest responsivity and external quantum efficiency among those reported PV effects in 2D materials.