bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How to fight acute sun damage? Current skin care strategies
Authors: Jesus Ana , Sousa Emília , Cidade Honorina , Cruz Maria T. , Almeida Isabel F.
Published: September 2024

Excessive exposure to sunlight can contribute for skin photo-damage, such as sunburn, dryness, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, immunosuppressive events and skin sensitization reactions. The use of aftersun products is an effective strategy to reduce the visible signs and symptoms of acute photodamage in the skin. Aiming to unveil the active ingredients able to offset acute sun damage, this work focuses on the characterization of the aftersun products market. A total of 84 after-sun formulations from 41 international brands currently marketed in Portugal were analyzed concerning the composition described on the product label, identifying natural and synthetic/semi-synthetic ingredients with the ability to mitigate solar-induced effects. The majority of aftersun formulations contained ingredients derived from terrestrial and marine sources (> 80%). An in-depth examination of these compounds is also offered, revealing the top of the most used natural and synthetic/semi-synthetic ingredients present in aftersun products, as well as their mechanism of action. A critical appraisal of the scientific data was made aiming to highlight the scientific evidence of ingredients able to mitigate skin photodamage. Amino acids and peptides, and A. barbadensis extract were tested for their in vivo efficacy. Nevertheless, all the ingredients were analyzed with in vitro studies as preliminary screening before in vivo, ex vivo and/or clinical studies. In summary, this study provides an overview of the use of active ingredients in commercial aftersun products to understand better the benefits associated with their use in cosmetic formulations and identify opportunities for innovation.

Graphical abstract
Geochemistry by Laser‐Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy on the Moon: Accuracy, Detection Limits, and Realistic Constraints on Interpretations
Authors: Dyar M. D. , Ytsma C. R. , Lepore K.
Published: September 2024

After its successful implementation on the surface of Mars, laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is likely to be employed on a diverse array of other solid bodies in our Solar System. Here we address the accuracy and quantification limits of LIBS under the vacuum conditions found on the Moon relative to what is known about its geochemistry. The interplay among accuracy as represented by root mean‐squared errors (RMSE), the median concentration, and quantification limits (LOQ) of LIBS analyses for each of 69 elements is evaluated. This comparison shows that several key elements in lunar geochemistry cannot be well‐studied with LIBS, including K2O, S, Rb, Br, and C. Conversely, highly accurate analyses of SiO2, CaO, and many minor and trace elements such as Mn, Yb, and Zn are possible under conditions found on the Moon. Use of LIBS must always be considered in the context of the geochemistry and geology of the target materials.
Changes in Healthcare Utilization After the 2022 Seoul Metropolitan Flood: Applying a Generalized Synthetic Control Approach
Authors: Jang Marnpyung , Yoon Jaeyoung , Yun Yeseul , Kim Jaiyong , Jang Hoyeon , Benmarhnia Tarik , Han Changwoo
Published: September 2024

Floods can have adverse health effects and impose a burden on healthcare systems. However, the potential consequences of floods on specific medical causes in densely populated metropolitan cities has not been characterized yet. Therefore, we evaluate the changes in healthcare utilization patterns after the 2022 Seoul flood using nationwide health insurance data. Based on the flood inundation map, districts within the flooded municipalities of Seoul were classified as severe‐(n = 12), mild‐(n = 22), or non‐(n = 38) flood‐affected districts. Capitalizing on the timing of the flood as a natural experiment, a generalized synthetic control method was applied to estimate changes in the number of disease‐specific hospital visits in flood‐affected districts during 2 weeks after the flood. We found excess hospital visits for external injuries (20.2 visits, 95% CI: −6.0, 45.2) and fewer visits for pregnancy and puerperium (−3.0 visits, 95% CI: −5.1, −0.5) in residents of flooded districts. When comparing severe‐ and non‐flood districts, the increase in hospital visits for external injuries (56.2 visits, 95% CI: 17.2, 93.2) and a decrease in hospital visits related to pregnancy and puerperium (−5.3 visits, 95% CI: −8.4, −1.6) were prominent in residents living in severe‐flood affected districts. Disease specific analysis showed an increase in hospital visits for injuries to the elbow and forearm, ankle and foot injuries, and chronic lower respiratory diseases in severe‐flood‐affected districts. However, these impacts were not observed when comparing the mild‐ and non‐flood‐affected districts. Our study suggests an immediate and substantial change in medical demand following flood exposure, highlighting the importance of public health responses after flood events.
Nonstationarity of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation's Fingerprint on Sea Surface Temperature
Authors: Mackay Quinn , Fan Yifei , Karnauskas Kristopher B. , Li Laifang
Published: September 2024

Sea surface temperature (SST) has been increasing since industrialization with rising greenhouse gases. However, a warming hole exists in the North Atlantic where SST has cooled by 0.4 K/century during 1900–2017. It has been argued that this cooling is due to a slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and subpolar North Atlantic SST has thus been utilized to estimate AMOC variability. We assess the robustness of subpolar North Atlantic SST as a proxy for AMOC strength under historical forcing, abrupt quadrupling of CO2, and a medium future emissions pathway, finding that AMOC's fingerprint on SST depends upon forcing scenarios. AMOC is important in warming hole development during significant warming periods, although SST may introduce uncertainties for AMOC reconstruction in stabilized regimes due to diverse forcing mechanisms and decadal variability. Our results caution against using SST alone as a proxy for AMOC variability—both on paleoclimatic and contemporary time scales.
Automatic Monitoring of Rock‐Slope Failures Using Distributed Acoustic Sensing and Semi‐Supervised Learning
Authors: Kang Jiahui , Walter Fabian , Paitz Patrick , Aichele Johannes , Edme Pascal , Meier Lorenz , Fichtner Andreas
Published: September 2024

Effective use of the wealth of information provided by Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) for mass movement monitoring remains a challenge. We propose a semi‐supervised neural network tailored to screen DAS data related to a series of rock collapses leading to a major failure of approximately 1.2 million on 15 June 2023 in Brienz, Eastern Switzerland. Besides DAS, the dataset from 16 May to 30 June 2023 includes Doppler radar data for partially ground‐truth labeling. The proposed algorithm is capable of distinguishing between rock‐slope failures and background noise, including road and train traffic, with a detection precision of over . It identifies hundreds of precursory failures and shows sustained detection hours before and during the major collapse. Event size and signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) are the key performance dependencies. As a critical part of our algorithm operates unsupervised, we suggest that it is suitable for general monitoring of natural hazards.
The Hydrophobic Component of Terrestrial Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Promotes Shifting Diatom–Dinoflagellate Dominance in the Bohai Sea
Authors: Chen Kan , Yang Rui , Li Min , Chen Yanan , Han Xiurong , Zhao Jing , Li Keqiang , Wang Xiulin
Published: September 2024

Human‐induced dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) input is impacting coastal ecosystems globally, and the shift from diatoms to dinoflagellates may be associated with increasing DON concentrations and changing DON compositions. Based on field microcosm experiments, changes in three‐dimensional fluorescence component and extracellular leucine aminopeptidase activity were used to reveal the effects of DON on diatom and dinoflagellate growth. Additionally, a Nutrients–bi‐Phytoplankton–Detritus biogeochemical model was employed to elucidate the kinetic mechanism of DON on the shift from diatoms to dinoflagellates in the Bohai Sea (BS). Our results revealed that shifting diatom–dinoflagellate dominance was associated with the hydrophobic component of terrestrial DON. Dinoflagellates (i.e., Karenia mikimotoi) efficiently assimilated humic‐like substances in hydrophobic DON; whereas, diatoms (i.e., Chaetoceros spp.) efficiently utilized the protein‐like components in hydrophilic DON. The reason for this was the higher extracellular leucine aminopeptidase activity of dinoflagellates compared to that of diatoms, which enabled them to degrade humic‐like substances and protein‐like components more effectively. The modeling study clarified that the DON composition, particularly the proportion of hydrophobic DON, regulated the shift from diatoms to dinoflagellates. Our study provides insight into the mechanisms underlying phytoplankton regime shifts in the BS and valuable guidance for decreasing eutrophication by controlling terrestrial DON inputs and compositions.
Satellite‐Based Surveys Reveal Substantial Methane Point‐Source Emissions in Major Oil & Gas Basins of North America During 2022–2023
Authors: Li Fei , Bai Shengxi , Lin Keer , Feng Chenxi , Sun Shiwei , Zhao Shaohua , Wang Zhongting , Zhou Wei , Zhou Chunyan , Zhang Yongguang
Published: September 2024

Utilizing imaging spectroscopy technology to identify methane super‐emitters plays a vital role in mitigating methane emissions in the Oil & Gas (O&G) sector. While earlier research has uncovered significant point‐source methane emissions from O&G production in the US and Canada, which are key regions with large methane emissions, a comprehensive post‐COVID‐19 survey has been notably absent. Here, we perform a detailed survey of methane super‐emitters across multiple basins of North America (Marcellus Shale, Haynesville/Bossier Shale, Permian Basin and Montney Shale) using the new Chinese Gaofen5‐01A/02 (GF5‐01A/02) satellite measurements during 2022–2023. We detect 139 individual methane plumes emanating from 122 point sources, with flux rates ranging from 519 to 16,071 kg hr−1. These emissions exhibit a highly skewed and heavy‐tailed distribution, constituting approximately 23% of the flux inversion with TROPOMI in the sample region, with a range of 13%–40%. Moreover, we observe a 66.7% reduction in methane emissions in Permian Basin during COVID‐19, followed by fluctuations until spring 2023. By summer 2023, methane emissions rebound to twice their previous magnitude (1.68 ± 0.58 Tg a−1). Using these point‐source surveys, we further quantify a regional methane emission of 2.69 ± 0.86 Tg a−1 in Permian Basin. This estimation closely aligns with top‐down inversions (2.22 ± 0.40 Tg a−1) from TROPOMI. The upscale estimation underscores the effectiveness of high‐resolution remote sensing measurements in improving bottom‐up emissions inventories and refining regional methane emission assessments. Our results highlight the potential climate benefits derived from regular monitoring and specific remediation efforts focused on relatively few strong point‐source emissions.
Synchronization of the Recent Decline of East African Long Rains and Northwestern Eurasian Warming
Authors: Hagos Samson , Chang Chuan‐Chieh (Jay) , Ma Po‐Lun , Lubis Sandro W. , Balaguru Karthik , Shi Pengfei , Garuba Oluwayemi , Leung L. Ruby
Published: September 2024

The East African March–April–May (MAM, “long rains”) precipitation decline in recent decades remains a puzzle marked by various proposed large‐scale drivers. Here, the interannual variability of the long rains and their recent drying trend are examined using global model simulations and observations. Comparison of a control simulation and re‐initialized simulations in which land‐surface feedback is suppressed shows that much of the long rains deficit experienced between 1980 and 2014 is synchronized with the warming of the Northwestern Eurasian landmass. In agreement with the modeling results, multiple observational data sets reveal a strong negative correlation between MAM mean East African rainfall amount and the surface temperature over Northwestern Eurasia. Idealized simulations further indicate that warming in Northwestern Eurasia weakens the regional Hadley Cell and diverts the monsoonal transport of moisture away from Eastern Africa toward Europe and southern Africa, highlighting the role of remote land surface warming on the observed precipitation decline.
Simulation of Gas‐Particle Partitioning of Semi‐Volatile n‐Alkanes and PAHs in Nanjing, China, and Denver, United States: Effects of Vapor Pressure and Surface Adsorption Estimation
Authors: Zhou Zhiyan , Wang Zishu , Feng Wei , Qin Chao , Liao Hong , Wang Yuhang , Xie Mingjie
Published: September 2024

The concentration data of semi‐volatile n‐alkanes and PAHs in the gas phase and in PM2.5 were obtained from Nanjing and Denver. First, the gas‐particle partitioning coefficients of the target compounds were calculated and compared with the predictions based on the equilibrium absorptive partitioning theory. Although the vapor pressure (poL) estimation method was selected to improve the agreement between measured and predicted partitioning coefficients, n‐alkanes in Denver and PAHs in both cities exhibited stronger sorption to PM2.5 than predicted. By including the adsorption mechanism, the average logarithms and temporal variations of the partitioning coefficients were well simulated in both Nanjing and Denver. The partitioning of n‐alkanes in Nanjing can be primarily explained by the absorption mechanism, while the adsorption mechanism dominates that for n‐alkanes in Denver and PAHs in both cities. To obtain an optimal simulation, the poL of n‐alkanes and PAHs was estimated using the SPARC and SIMPOL—two group contribution methods, respectively, and the difference between desorption and vaporization enthalpies was set between 2 and 3 kcal mol−1 for n‐alkanes in Denver and PAHs in both cities. Therefore, the estimation of poL and surface adsorption should be carefully considered when parameterizing the gas‐particle partitioning of non‐polar organic compounds in future field and modeling studies.
Airborne Measurements Reveal High Spatiotemporal Variation and the Heavy‐Tail Characteristic of Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Iowa
Authors: Dacic Natasha , Plant Genevieve , Kort Eric A.
Published: September 2024

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from croplands contribute substantially to the climate impact of agriculture. Emissions of N2O are controlled by both anthropogenic and environmental factors and can vary by orders of magnitude over short times and distances. This nature of emissions is difficult to capture with models and presents an observational challenge. In the 2021 and 2022 growing season, we collected airborne measurements of N2O over Iowa to characterize N2O emissions at the farm to multi‐county spatial scales across days. We link our airborne observations to surface emissions using a Lagrangian particle dispersion model and quantify emissions using a Bayesian inversion framework. We find emissions magnitudes across Iowa, showing greater skew than modeled predictions, with a small fraction of fields contributing disproportionately to the total [25% of the domain contributing to 52%–77% of total emissions]. In addition to the high spatial variation, we find high temporal variability between flight days by a factor of 2 at the 100 km scale, and an order of magnitude at the 2 km scale], with peak emissions occurring at median soil moisture. This work illustrates the importance of transient, intense emissions from concentrated areas in explaining total cropland emissions, and demonstrates how airborne measurements can provide insights into variation that may be missed by other observational systems. Investigation into environmental factors highlights the need for observations, models and their input data to be spatiotemporally resolved to enable direct comparison, facilitating evaluation of predicted and reported emissions and providing guidance and feedback on mitigation strategies.
Substantial Cold Bias During Wintertime Cold Extremes in the Southern Cascadia Region in Historical CMIP6 Simulations
Authors: Rogers M. H. , Mauger G. , Cristea N.
Published: September 2024

Global climate models often simulate atmospheric conditions incorrectly due to their coarse grid resolution, flaws in their dynamics, and biases resulting from parameterization schemes. Here we document a bias in the magnitude and extent of minimum temperature extremes in the CMIP6 model ensemble, relative to ERA5. The bias is present in the southern Cascadia region (i.e., Pacific Northwestern United States and southwestern British Columbia, Canada, spanning from the coast to the Rocky Mountains), with some models showing a bias magnitude in excess of −10°C in the first percentile of daily winter minimum temperature. The sea level pressure pattern for these events is similar in CMIP6 models and ERA5, showing high anomalies in the Northeast Pacific that are indicative of an atmospheric blocking pattern and consequently more northerly flow. Though this atmospheric blocking pattern is typically concurrent with cold winter temperatures across much of North America, Rocky and Cascade mountain ranges prevent the cold air from reaching the southern Cascadia region as confirmed by the observations and reanalysis. Our results suggest that the bias in CMIP6 minimum temperatures is a result of unresolved topography in the Rockies and Cascade mountain ranges, such that the terrain does not adequately block cold air advection from reaching the southern Cascadia region.
Decadal Relationship Between Arctic SAT and AMOC Changes Modulated by the North Pacific Oscillation
Authors: Zhao Bowen , Lin Pengfei , Liu Hailong , Hu Aixue , Chen Xiaolong , Yang Lu
Published: September 2024

The faster warming for Arctic Ocean surface air temperature (SAT) relative to that at lower latitude is connected with various processes, including local radiation feedback, poleward oceanic and atmospheric heat transport. It is unclear how combinations of different low‐frequency internal climate modes influence Arctic amplification on the decadal timescale. Here, the decadal Arctic SAT variation, its connection with the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and possible underlying mechanisms, are investigated based on several independent observational proxies, pre‐industrial experiments, and historical large ensembles of two CMIP6 models. Our study suggests that AMOC and Arctic SAT vary in phase on the decadal timescale, whereas this relationship is insignificant at the interannual timescale. Further analysis shows that the AMOC accompanied with cross‐basin oceanic water/heat transport between Atlantic and Arctic would alter air–sea interface exchange over the melting ice regions, and then amplified poleward atmospheric heat and moisture transports. The resulting enhanced downward longwave radiation ultimately warms the Arctic SAT. Additionally, the decadal‐scale North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) can modulate the relationship between AMOC and Arctic SAT by influencing poleward moisture transport and cross‐basin circulation. Specifically, the phase shift of combined NPO and AMOC can contribute 14%–41% covariance relationship between AMOC and Arctic SAT. Our study provides potential sources for predicting the Arctic climate and constraining its uncertainty in future projections.
PreMevE‐MEO: Predicting Ultra‐Relativistic Electrons Using Observations From GPS Satellites
Authors: Feng Yinan , Chen Yue , Lin Youzuo
Published: September 2024

Ultra‐relativistic electrons with energies greater than or equal to two megaelectron‐volt (MeV) pose a major radiation threat to spaceborne electronics, and thus specifying those highly energetic electrons has a significant meaning to space weather communities. Here we report the latest progress in developing our predictive model for MeV electrons in the outer radiation belt. The new version, primarily driven by electron measurements made along medium‐Earth‐orbits (MEO), is called PREdictive MEV Electron (PreMevE)‐MEO model that nowcasts ultra‐relativistic electron flux distributions across the whole outer belt. Model inputs include >2 MeV electron fluxes observed in MEOs by a fleet of GPS satellites as well as electrons measured by one Los Alamos satellite in the geosynchronous orbit. We developed an innovative Sparse Multi‐Inputs Latent Ensemble NETwork (SmileNet) which combines convolutional neural networks with transformers, and we used long‐term in situ electron data from NASA's Van Allen Probes mission to train, validate, optimize, and test the model. It is shown that PreMevE‐MEO can provide hourly nowcasts with high model performance efficiency and high correlation with observations. This prototype PreMevE‐MEO model demonstrates the feasibility of making high‐fidelity predictions driven by observations from longstanding space infrastructure in MEO, thus has great potential of growing into an invaluable space weather operational warning tool.
Teleneonatal or routine resuscitation in extremely preterm infants: a randomized simulation trial
Authors: Gentle Samuel J. , Trulove Sarah G. , Rockwell Nicholas , Rutledge Chrystal , Gaither Stacy , Norwood Carrie , Wallace Eric , Carlo Waldemar A. , Tofil Nancy M.
Published: September 2024

Objective

Teleneonatology, the use of telemedicine for newborn resuscitation and care, can connect experienced care providers with high-risk deliveries. In a simulated resuscitation, we hypothesized that teleneonatal resuscitation, compared to usual resuscitation, would reduce the no-flow fraction.

Study design

This was a single-center, randomized simulation trial in which pediatric residents were randomized to teleneonatal or routine resuscitation. The primary outcome was no-flow fraction defined as time without chest compressions divided by the time during which the heart rate was <60. Secondary outcomes included corrective modifications of bag-mask ventilation and times to intubation and epinephrine administration.

Results

Fifty-one residents completed the scenario. The no-flow fraction (median [IQR]) was significantly better in the teleneonatal group (0.06[0.05]) compared to the routine resuscitation group (0.07[0.82]); effect (95% CI): −16 (−43 to 0). Participants in the teleneonatal resuscitation group more frequently performed corrective modifications to bag-mask ventilation (60% vs 15%; p < 0.001). Time to intubation (214 s vs 230 s; p = 0.58) and epinephrine (395 s vs 444 s; p = 0.21) were comparable between groups.

Conclusions

In this randomized simulation trial of neonatal resuscitation, teleneonatal resuscitation reduced adverse delivery outcomes compared to routine care. Further in hospital evaluation of teleneonatology may substantiate this technology’s impact on delivery outcomes.

ClinicalTrials.gov ID

NCT04258722

Impact

Whereas telemedicine-supported neonatal resuscitation may improve the quality of resuscitation within hospital settings, unique challenges include the need for real-time, high-fidelity audio-video communication with a low failure rate.

The no-flow fraction, which evaluates the quality of chest compressions when indicated, has been associated with survival in other clinical contexts. We report a reduction in no-flow fraction in neonatal resuscitations supported with telemedicine, in addition to improvements in the quality of neonatal resuscitation.

Telemedicine-supported neonatal resuscitation may improve the quality of resuscitation within hospital settings without direct access to neonatologists.
Amyloid precursor protein as a fibrosis marker in infants with biliary atresia
Authors: Kamp Jan C. , Madadi-Sanjani Omid , Uecker Marie , Werlein Christopher , Neubert Lavinia , Kübler Joachim F. , Obed Mikal , Junge Norman , Welte Tobias , Ruwisch Jannik , Jonigk Danny D. , Stolk Jan , Vieten Gertrud , Janciauskiene Sabina
Published: September 2024

Background

Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare condition of unknown origin in newborns with jaundice. In BA bile ducts are non-functional, causing neonatal cholestasis and following liver fibrosis and failure.

Methods

This retrospective study included liver biopsies of 14 infants with BA aged [mean ± SD] 63 ± 23 days. Patients were grouped according to the clinical course (jaundice-free vs recurrent jaundice vs required liver transplantation or liver fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score)) and followed for 1.61–5.64 years (mean 4.03). Transcriptome profiles were assessed using a panel of 768 fibrosis-specific genes, reanalyzed via qRT-PCR, and confirmed via immunostaining. Plasma from an additional 30 BA infants and 10 age-matched controls were used for amyloid precursor protein (APP) quantification by ELISA.

Results

Different clinical outcome groups showed a homogeneous mRNA expression. Altered amyloid-metabolism-related gene expression was found between cases with Ishak fibrosis score greater than 4. Immunostaining confirmed a distinct presence of APP in the livers of all BA subjects. APP plasma levels were higher in BA than in age-matched controls and correlated with the histological fibrosis grade.

Conclusions

These results suggest that amyloidosis may contribute to BA and liver fibrosis, indicating that APP could serve as a potential liquid biomarker for these conditions.

Impact

Biliary atresia patients with higher fibrosis scores according to Ishak have higher hepatic expression of amyloid-related genes while amyloid precursor protein accumulates in the liver and increases in the circulation.

After a recent study revealed beta-amyloid deposition as a mechanism potentially involved in biliary atresia, we were able to correlate amyloid-metabolism-related transcript levels as well as amyloid precursor protein tissue and plasma levels with the degree of hepatic fibrosis.

These findings suggest that amyloid precursor protein is a fibrosis marker in infants with biliary atresia, reinforcing the role of amyloid metabolism in the pathogenesis of this serious disease.
Epigenetic reader ZMYND11 noncanonical function restricts HNRNPA1-mediated stress granule formation and oncogenic activity
Authors: Lian Cheng , Zhang Chunyi , Tian Pan , Tan Qilong , Wei Yu , Wang Zixian , Zhang Qin , Zhang Qixiang , Zhong Mengjie , Zhou Li-Quan , Ke Xisong , Zhang Huabing , Zhu Yao , Li Zhenfei , Cheng Jingdong , Wei Gong-Hong
Published: September 2024

Epigenetic readers frequently affect gene regulation, correlate with disease prognosis, and hold significant potential as therapeutic targets for cancer. Zinc finger MYND-type containing 11 (ZMYND11) is notably recognized for reading the epigenetic marker H3.3K36me3; however, its broader functions and mechanisms of action in cancer remain underexplored. Here, we report that ZMYND11 downregulation is prevalent across various cancers and profoundly correlates with poorer outcomes in prostate cancer patients. Depletion of ZMYND11 promotes tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion in vitro, as well as tumor formation and metastasis in vivo. Mechanistically, we discover that ZMYND11 exhibits tumor suppressive roles by recognizing arginine-194-methylated HNRNPA1 dependent on its MYND domain, thereby retaining HNRNPA1 in the nucleus and preventing the formation of stress granules in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, ZMYND11 counteracts the HNRNPA1-driven increase in the PKM2/PKM1 ratio, thus mitigating the aggressive tumor phenotype promoted by PKM2. Remarkably, ZMYND11 recognition of HNRNPA1 can be disrupted by pharmaceutical inhibition of the arginine methyltransferase PRMT5. Tumors with low ZMYND11 expression show sensitivity to PRMT5 inhibitors. Taken together, our findings uncover a previously unexplored noncanonical role of ZMYND11 as a nonhistone methylation reader and underscore the critical importance of arginine methylation in the ZMYND11-HNRNPA1 interaction for restraining tumor progression, thereby proposing novel therapeutic targets and potential biomarkers for cancer treatment.
SETD8 inhibition targets cancer cells with increased rates of ribosome biogenesis
Authors: Murga Matilde , Lopez-Pernas Gema , Soliva Robert , Fueyo-Marcos Elena , Amor Corina , Faustino Ignacio , Serna Marina , Serrano Alicia G. , Díaz Lucía , Martínez Sonia , Blanco-Aparicio Carmen , Antón Marta Elena , Seashore-Ludlow Brinton , Pastor Joaquín , Jafari Rozbeh , Lafarga Miguel , Llorca Oscar , Orozco Modesto , Fernández-Capetillo Oscar
Published: September 2024

SETD8 is a methyltransferase that is overexpressed in several cancers, which monomethylates H4K20 as well as other non-histone targets such as PCNA or p53. We here report novel SETD8 inhibitors, which were discovered while trying to identify chemicals that prevent 53BP1 foci formation, an event mediated by H4K20 methylation. Consistent with previous reports, SETD8 inhibitors induce p53 expression, although they are equally toxic for p53 proficient or deficient cells. Thermal stability proteomics revealed that the compounds had a particular impact on nucleoli, which was confirmed by fluorescent and electron microscopy. Similarly, Setd8 deletion generated nucleolar stress and impaired ribosome biogenesis, supporting that this was an on-target effect of SETD8 inhibitors. Furthermore, a genome-wide CRISPR screen identified an enrichment of nucleolar factors among those modulating the toxicity of SETD8 inhibitors. Accordingly, the toxicity of SETD8 inhibition correlated with MYC or mTOR activity, key regulators of ribosome biogenesis. Together, our study provides a new class of SETD8 inhibitors and a novel biomarker to identify tumors most likely to respond to this therapy.
Chromosome segregation of human nonhomologous Robertsonian translocations: insights from preimplantation genetic testing
Authors: Benn Peter , Merrion Katrina
Published: September 2024

Robertsonian translocations (robs) are associated with a high risk for unbalanced segregations. Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) offers an early opportunity to evaluate segregation patterns and selection against chromosome imbalances. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chromosome complements in blastocysts for male and female rob carriers and provide information useful in PGT counseling for rob carriers. PGT results were reviewed for 296 couples where a balanced and nonhomologous rob was present in one member of the couple. All embryos had day 5/6 trophectoderm biopsy and SNP-based PGT. The study included 2235 blastocysts, of which 2151 (96.2%) had results. Significantly fewer blastocysts were available for female rob carriers (mean 4.60/IVF cycle) compared to males (5.49/cycle). Male carriers were more likely to have blastocysts with a normal/balanced chromosome complement; 84.8% versus 62.8% (P < 0.00001). Male carriers had fewer blastocysts with monosomy (60/152, 39.5%) compared to female carriers (218/396, 55.1%) (P = 0.001). Twenty-one (1%) blastocysts showed 3:0 segregation; these were mostly double trisomies and derived from female carriers. Differences between chromosome complements for male versus female carriers suggest that selection against unbalanced forms may occur during spermatogenesis. Six blastocyst samples showed an unexpected (“noncanonical”) combination of trisomy and monosomy. One case of uniparental disomy was identified. For female carriers, there was no association between unbalanced segregation and parental age but for male carriers, there was an inverse association. PGT is a highly beneficial option for rob carriers and patients can be counseled using our estimates for the chance of at least one normal/balanced embryo.
An atomically controlled insulator-to-metal transition in iridate/manganite heterostructures
Authors: Men Enyang , Li Deyang , Zhang Haiyang , Chen Jingxin , Qiao Zhihan , Wei Long , Wang Zhaosheng , Xi Chuanying , Song Dongsheng , Li Yuhan , Jeen Hyoungjeen , Chen Kai , Zhu Hong , Hao Lin
Published: September 2024

All-insulator heterostructures with an emerging metallicity are at the forefront of material science, which typically contain at least one band insulator while it is not necessary to be. Here we show emergent phenomena in a series of all-correlated-insulator heterostructures that composed of insulating CaIrO3 and insulating La0.67Sr0.33MnO3. We observed an intriguing insulator-to-metal transition, that depends delicately on the thickness of the iridate component. The simultaneous enhancements of magnetization, electric conductivity, and magnetoresistance effect indicate a percolation-type nature of the insulator-to-metal transition, with the percolation threshold can be reached at an exceptionally low volume fraction of the iridate. Such a drastic transition is induced by an interfacial charge transfer, which interestingly alters the electronic and crystalline structures of the bulk region rather than the limited ultrathin interface. We further showcased the central role of effective correlation in modulating the insulator-to-metal transition, by demonstrating that the critical thickness of iridate for triggering the metallic state can be systematically reduced down to a single unit-cell layer.
Constraining the trend in the ocean CO2 sink during 2000–2022
Authors: Mayot Nicolas , Buitenhuis Erik T. , Wright Rebecca M. , Hauck Judith , Bakker Dorothee C. E. , Le Quéré Corinne
Published: September 2024

The ocean will ultimately store most of the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere by human activities. Despite its importance, estimates of the 2000−2022 trend in the ocean CO2 sink differ by a factor of two between observation-based products and process-based models. Here we address this discrepancy using a hybrid approach that preserves the consistency of known processes but constrains the outcome using observations. We show that the hybrid approach reproduces the stagnation of the ocean CO2 sink in the 1990s and its reinvigoration in the 2000s suggested by observation-based products and matches their amplitude. It suggests that process-based models underestimate the amplitude of the decadal variability in the ocean CO2 sink, but that observation-based products on average overestimate the decadal trend in the 2010s. The hybrid approach constrains the 2000−2022 trend in the ocean CO2 sink to 0.42 ± 0.06 Pg C yr−1 decade−1, and by inference the total land CO2 sink to 0.28 ± 0.13 Pg C yr−1 decade−1.
Plastic pollution in agricultural landscapes: an overlooked threat to pollination, biocontrol and food security
Authors: Sheng Dong , Jing Siyuan , He Xueqing , Klein Alexandra-Maria , Köhler Heinz-R. , Wanger Thomas C.
Published: September 2024

Ecosystem services such as pollination and biocontrol may be severely affected by emerging nano/micro-plastics (NMP) pollution. Here, we synthesize the little-known effects of NMP on pollinators and biocontrol agents on the organismal, farm and landscape scale. Ingested NMP trigger organismal changes from gene expression, organ damage to behavior modifications. At the farm and landscape level, NMP will likely amplify synergistic effects with other threats such as pathogens, and may alter floral resource distributions in high NMP concentration areas. Understanding exposure pathways of NMP on pollinators and biocontrol agents is critical to evaluate future risks for agricultural ecosystems and food security.
Cytolysin A is an intracellularly induced and secreted cytotoxin of typhoidal Salmonella
Authors: Krone Lena , Mahankali Srujita , Geiger Tobias
Published: September 2024

Typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars, such as Typhi and Paratyphi A, cause severe systemic infections, thereby posing a significant threat as human-adapted pathogens. This study focuses on cytolysin A (ClyA), a virulence factor essential for bacterial dissemination within the human body. We show that ClyA is exclusively expressed by intracellular S. Paratyphi A within the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV), regulated by the PhoP/Q system and SlyA. ClyA localizes in the bacterial periplasm, suggesting potential secretion. Deletion of TtsA, an essential Type 10 Secretion System component, completely abolishes intracellular ClyA detection and its presence in host cell supernatants. Host cells infected with wild-type S. Paratyphi A contain substantial ClyA, with supernatants capable of lysing neighboring cells. Notably, ClyA selectively lyses macrophages and erythrocytes while sparing epithelial cells. These findings identify ClyA as an intracellularly induced cytolysin, dependent on the SCV environment and secreted via a Type 10 Secretion System, with specific cytolytic activity.
Nitrogen accountancy in space agriculture
Authors: Yates Kevin , Berliner Aaron J. , Makrygiorgos Georgios , Kaiyom Farrah , McNulty Matthew J. , Khan Imran , Kusuma Paul , Kinlaw Claire , Miron Diogo , Legg Charles , Wilson James , Bugbee Bruce , Mesbah Ali , Arkin Adam P. , Nandi Somen , McDonald Karen A.
Published: September 2024

Food production and pharmaceutical synthesis are posited as essential biotechnologies for facilitating human exploration beyond Earth. These technologies not only offer critical green space and food agency to astronauts but also promise to minimize mass and volume requirements through scalable, modular agriculture within closed-loop systems, offering an advantage over traditional bring-along strategies. Despite these benefits, the prevalent model for evaluating such systems exhibits significant limitations. It lacks comprehensive inventory and mass balance analyses for crop cultivation and life support, and fails to consider the complexities introduced by cultivating multiple crop varieties, which is crucial for enhancing food diversity and nutritional value. Here we expand space agriculture modeling to account for nitrogen dependence across an array of crops and demonstrate our model with experimental fitting of parameters. By adding nitrogen limitations, an extended model can account for potential interruptions in feedstock supply. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis was used to distill key consequential parameters that may be the focus of future experimental efforts.
Protocol for certifying entanglement in surface spin systems using a scanning tunneling microscope
Authors: Broekhoven Rik , Lee Curie , Phark Soo-hyon , Otte Sander , Wolf Christoph
Published: September 2024

Certifying quantum entanglement is a critical step toward realizing quantum-coherent applications. In this work, we show that entanglement of spins can be unambiguously evidenced in a scanning tunneling microscope with electron spin resonance by exploiting the fact that entangled states undergo a free time evolution with a distinct characteristic time constant that clearly distinguishes it from the time evolution of non-entangled states. By implementing a phase control scheme, the phase of this time evolution can be mapped back onto the population of one entangled spin, which can then be read out reliably using a weakly coupled sensor spin in the junction of the scanning tunneling microscope. We demonstrate through open quantum system simulations with currently available spin coherence times of T2 ≈ 300 ns, that a signal directly correlated with the degree of entanglement can be measured at temperatures of 100–400 mK accessible in sub-Kelvin scanning tunneling microscopes.
1.5 million materials narratives generated by chatbots
Authors: Park Yang Jeong , Jerng Sung Eun , Yoon Sungroh , Li Ju
Published: September 2024

The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has enabled a comprehensive exploration of materials for various applications. However, AI models often prioritize frequently encountered material examples in the scientific literature, limiting the selection of suitable candidates based on inherent physical and chemical attributes. To address this imbalance, we generated a dataset consisting of 1,453,493 natural language-material narratives from OQMD, Materials Project, JARVIS, and AFLOW2 databases based on ab initio calculation results that are more evenly distributed across the periodic table. The generated text narratives were then scored by both human experts and GPT-4, based on three rubrics: technical accuracy, language and structure, and relevance and depth of content, showing similar scores but with human-scored depth of content being the most lagging. The integration of multimodal data sources and large language models holds immense potential for AI frameworks to aid the exploration and discovery of solid-state materials for specific applications of interest.
Exploring the efficacy of memory specificity training on depression among Iranian adolescents: a comparative analysis of online vs. in-person delivery
Authors: Salamat Mohsen , Moradi Alireza , Hasani Jafar , Farahimanesh Sharareh , Ayatmehr Fateme , Yavarzadeh Hanieh , Jobson Laura
Published: September 2024

Depression in adolescence is common worldwide, with the burden being highest in low- and middle-income countries. This study assessed the efficacy of in-person Memory Specificity Training (MeST) and computerized MeST (c-MeST) as cognitive training programs aimed at addressing depression among Iranian adolescents. A secondary aim was to evaluate the efficacy of MeST and c-MeST on autobiographical memory specificity, emotion regulation and cognitive control. Ninety Iranian male adolescents (aged 13–18 years) with depression were randomly assigned to three groups; MeST group (n = 30), c-MeST group (n = 30) and the non-active control group (n = 30). Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Autobiographical Memory Test, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Stroop Color and Word Test. The groups underwent either MeST and c-MeST. All the assessments were re-conducted after the intervention (post-intervention) and at 1-month post-intervention (follow-up). The in-person MeST group exhibited significantly higher autobiographical memory specificity at post-intervention and follow-up compared to the c-MeST group. Both groups demonstrated significantly lower levels of depression at post-intervention and follow-up. Both groups showed improvements in emotion regulation and cognitive control, which were found to mediate improvements in depression symptomatology. c-MeST and MeST appear promising brief interventions for the treatment of depression among adolescents in Iran.
Forecasting national CO2 emissions worldwide
Authors: Costantini Lorenzo , Laio Francesco , Mariani Manuel Sebastian , Ridolfi Luca , Sciarra Carla
Published: September 2024

Urgent climate action, especially carbon emissions reduction, is required to achieve sustainable goals. Therefore, understanding the drivers of and predicting $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ emissions is a compelling matter. We present two global modeling frameworks—a multivariate regression and a Random Forest Regressor (RFR)—to hindcast (until 2021) and forecast (up to 2035) $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ emissions across 117 countries as driven by 12 socioeconomic indicators regarding carbon emissions, economic well-being, green and complexity economics, energy use and consumption. Our results identify key driving features to explain emissions pathways, where beyond-GDP indicators rooted in the Economic Complexity field emerge. Considering current countries’ development status, divergent emission dynamics appear. According to the RFR, a −6.2% reduction is predicted for developed economies by 2035 and a +19% increase for developing ones (referring to 2020), thus stressing the need to promote green growth and sustainable development in low-capacity contexts.
Chemical characterization of hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant fibers facilitated through design of experiments and artificial neural network hybrid approach
Authors: Supriya J. P. , Shetty Raviraj , Naik Nithesh , Maddasani Srinivasulu , Hegde Adithya
Published: September 2024

The integration of natural fibers into Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRPs) has emerged as a promising avenue for sustainable and high-performance composite materials. Natural fibers, derived from plants, offer notable advantages such as renewability, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Among these natural fibers, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis (HRS) plant fibers have gained significant attention owing to their widespread availability and unique mechanical properties. In this study, HRS fibers were chemically treated using Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4), and Acetic Acid (CH3COOH) at different weight percentages (3, 4, 5 Wt.%) and solutionizing times (1, 2, 3 h) based on Taguchi’s L27 orthogonal array. The fibers, extracted from epidermis of the stems, underwent cleaning and chemical treatment after water retting. The crystallinity index, determined via X-ray Diffraction (XRD), indicated a maximum value of 65.77%. Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) exhibited a degradation temperature of 365.24 °C and a material loss of 63.11%. Potassium Permanganate treatment at 4 Wt.% and 3 h of solutionizing time has yielded the best results. Multi-Layer Perceptron Artificial Neural Network (MLP-ANN) has been successfully applied to accurately predict the output physical characteristics of chemically treated HRS fibers using experimental data. The results are in close alignment with the literature. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analyses have provided valuable insights into the microstructure and constituents of the chemically treated HRS fibers. This research emphasises on the effectiveness of the chemical treatment process in enhancing the properties of HRS plant fibers for potential composite applications.
Determination of key hub genes in Leishmaniasis as potential factors in diagnosis and treatment based on a bioinformatics study
Authors: Safaei Mohsen , Goodarzi Arash , Abpeikar Zahra , Farmani Ahmad Reza , Kouhpayeh Seyed Amin , Najafipour Sohrab , Jafari Najaf Abadi Mohammad Hassan
Published: September 2024

Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites from different species of leishmania. The disease is transmitted by female sandflies that carry these parasites. In this study, datasets on leishmaniasis published in the GEO database were analyzed and summarized. The analysis in all three datasets (GSE43880, GSE55664, and GSE63931) used in this study has been performed on the skin wounds of patients infected with a clinical form of leishmania (Leishmania braziliensis), and biopsies have been taken from them. To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between leishmaniasis patients and controls, the robust rank aggregation (RRA) procedure was applied. We performed gene functional annotation and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis to demonstrate the putative functionalities of the DEGs. The study utilized Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE), Gene Ontology (GO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to detect molecular complexes within the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and conduct analyses on the identified functional modules. The CytoHubba plugin’s results were paired with RRA analysis to determine the hub genes. Finally, the interaction between miRNAs and hub genes was predicted. Based on the RRA integrated analysis, 407 DEGs were identified (263 up-regulated genes and 144 down-regulated genes). The top three modules were listed after creating the PPI network via the MCODE plug. Seven hub genes were found using the CytoHubba app and RRA: CXCL10, GBP1, GNLY, GZMA, GZMB, NKG7, and UBD. According to our enrichment analysis, these functional modules were primarily associated with immune pathways, cytokine activity/signaling pathways, and inflammation pathways. However, a UBD hub gene is interestingly involved in the ubiquitination pathways of pathogenesis. The mirNet database predicted the hub gene’s interaction with miRNAs, and results revealed that several miRNAs, including mir-146a-5p, crucial in fighting pathogenesis. The key hub genes discovered in this work may be considered as potential biomarkers in diagnosis, development of agonists/antagonist, novel vaccine design, and will greatly contribute to clinical studies in the future.