bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Heterologous Expression of Bacteriocins from the Metagenome Mining of Cotija Cheese
Authors: Esquivel-López Alfredo , Rocha-Mendoza Diana , Serrano-Maldonado Carlos Eduardo , Escobar-Zepeda Alejandra , Quirasco Maricarmen
Published: February 2025

Bacteriocins are a heterologous group of ribosomal peptides with antibacterial activity. They are of interest to the pharmaceutical and food industries due to their potential to fight antibiotic-resistant pathogens and improve microbial food safety, respectively. Metagenomic data mining for antibacterial activity is valuable for the information it provides from unstudied genomic sequences. Furthermore, the higher biosynthetic yield obtained by the heterologous expression of putative bacteriocins allows their subsequent purification and characterization. This work aimed to express antilisterial bacteriocins in Escherichia coli after obtaining their gene sequences by in silico mining the bacterial metagenome of Cotija cheese. This artisanal Mexican cheese is manufactured with unpasteurized milk and ripens for at least 3 months. Analyzing the Cotija cheese bacterial shotgun metagenome allowed us to select two sequences (QC1 and QC2) encoding novel Class IId bacteriocins belonging to the lactococcin family. These genes were expressed as (His)6-fusion proteins in E. coli BL21 (DE3) and showed high antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 78 µg/mL. QC1 and QC2 were tested against several pathogenic bacteria and showed activity exclusively against L. monocytogenes. QC2 has a novel sequence that showed no matches against the UniProt database. It was purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography and retained its activity after heating at 70 °C for 30 min. As the sequences were obtained by genomic mining on a fermented food metagenome, QC1 and QC2 have potential applications as sanitizers in industrial food facilities where L. monocytogenes contamination is the most prevalent.
On Lanzhou and Ad-hoc Lanzhou Indices of Derived Graphs and Silicate Structures
Authors: K. V. Madhumitha , A. Harshitha , Nayak Swati , D’Souza Sabitha
Published: February 2025

Degree-based topological indices are among the most widely used descriptors in chemical graph theory. These indices rely on the degrees (or valencies) of the vertices in a molecular graph, where the degree of a vertex corresponds to the number of edges (bonds) connected to it. One among these types of indices is the Lanzhou index, given by

$$ Lz(G) = \sum \limits _{a\in V(G)}d_G(a)^2d_{\overline{G}}(a),$$

L
z

(
G
)

=

∑

a
∈
V
(
G
)

d
G

(
a
)

2

d

G
¯

(
a
)

,

where

$$d_G(a)$$

d
G

(
a
)

and

$$d_{\overline{G}}(a)$$

d

G
¯

(
a
)

denote the degree of the vertex a in G and the complement graph of G, respectively. Ad-hoc Lanzhou index,

$$\overline{Lz}(G)$$

Lz

¯

(
G
)

is obtained by switching the roles of degrees of vertices, i.e.,

$$\overline{Lz}(G)=\sum \limits _{a \in V(G)}d_G(a)d_{\overline{G}}(a)^2.$$

Lz

¯

(
G
)

=

∑

a
∈
V
(
G
)

d
G

(
a
)

d

G
¯

(
a
)

2

.

In this manuscript, expressions for the Lanzhou and Ad-hoc Lanzhou indices of derived graphs, namely, subdivision, line, vertex semi-total, edge semi-total, and total graphs, are obtained. Also, Lanzhou and Ad-hoc Lanzhou indices of

$$Si_2C_3-\MakeUppercase {i}(s,t),\ Si_2C_3-\MakeUppercase {ii}(s,t),$$

S

i
2

C
3

-
I

(
s
,
t
)

,

S

i
2

C
3

-
I
I

(
s
,
t
)

,

and

$$Si_2C_3-\MakeUppercase {iii}(s,t)$$

S

i
2

C
3

-
I
I
I

(
s
,
t
)

are obtained and their graphical analysis have been made.
Unveiling DIR proteins involved in cork formation: insights from transcriptome analysis and cis-element co-occurrence
Authors: de Almeida João M. G. C. F. , Ricardo Cândido Pinto , Pinheiro Carla
Published: February 2025

Cork, extracted sustainably from cork oak (Quercus suber), plays a pivotal role in various ecological, social, and economic aspects of Mediterranean regions. Influenced by genetic and environmental factors, the genetic control of cork production remains poorly understood. This study delves into the involvement of dirigent proteins (DIR) in cork lignification and explores potential regulatory mechanisms underlying the distinct thickness and porosity of cork produced by different trees. Transcriptomic analyses of phellogen, the meristematic cells that will give origin to cork, pointed to possible co-expression patterns of dirigent proteins (DIR), peroxidases (PRX), and laccases (LAC) that may shape cork characteristics. Our phylogenetic approach distinguishes cork-associated DIR from those engaged in lignan synthesis and highlights QsDIR_LOC112039424, that possess an endodermal domain akin to DIR proteins from Arabidopsis involved in the Casparian strip lignification. Additionally, promoter analysis identifies at the same position, −300 base pairs, a putative cis-element shared by QsDIR_LOC112039424, QsPRX_LOC112006708 and QsLAC_LOC112039867, that is recognised by MYB62 transcription factors. Requiring further validation, these findings offer insights on potential regulatory hubs controlling the phellogen activity and impacting the thickness and porosity of the resulting corks.
Yolk–Shell CoNi@N-Doped Carbon-CoNi@CNTs for Enhanced Microwave Absorption, Photothermal, Anti-Corrosion, and Antimicrobial Properties
Authors: Liang Qiqin , He Mukun , Zhan Beibei , Guo Hua , Qi Xiaosi , Qu Yunpeng , Zhang Yali , Zhong Wei , Gu Junwei
Published: February 2025

The previous studies mainly focused on improving microwave absorbing (MA) performances of MA materials. Even so, these designed MA materials were very difficult to be employed in complex and changing environments owing to their single-functionalities. Herein, a combined Prussian blue analogues derived and catalytical chemical vapor deposition strategy was proposed to produce hierarchical cubic sea urchin-like yolk–shell CoNi@N-doped carbon (NC)-CoNi@carbon nanotubes (CNTs) mixed-dimensional multicomponent nanocomposites (MCNCs), which were composed of zero-dimensional CoNi nanoparticles, three-dimensional NC nanocubes and one-dimensional CNTs. Because of good impedance matching and attenuation characteristics, the designed CoNi@NC-CoNi@CNTs mixed-dimensional MCNCs exhibited excellent MA performances, which achieved a minimum reflection loss (RL
min) of −71.70 dB at 2.78 mm and Radar Cross section value of −53.23 dB m2. More importantly, the acquired results demonstrated that CoNi@NC-CoNi@CNTs MCNCs presented excellent photothermal, antimicrobial and anti-corrosion properties owing to their hierarchical cubic sea urchin-like yolk–shell structure, highlighting their potential multifunctional applications. It could be seen that this finding not only presented a generalizable route to produce hierarchical cubic sea urchin-like yolk–shell magnetic NC-CNTs-based mixed-dimensional MCNCs, but also provided an effective strategy to develop multifunctional MCNCs and improve their environmental adaptabilities.
An Engineered Heterostructured Trinity Enables Fire-Safe, Thermally Conductive Polymer Nanocomposite Films with Low Dielectric Loss
Authors: Chen Qiang , Feng Jiabing , Xue Yijiao , Huo Siqi , Dinh Toan , Xu Hang , Shi Yongqian , Gao Jiefeng , Tang Long-Cheng , Huang Guobo , Lei Weiwei , Song Pingan
Published: February 2025

To adapt to the trend of increasing miniaturization and high integration of microelectronic equipments, there is a high demand for multifunctional thermally conductive (TC) polymeric films combining excellent flame retardancy and low dielectric constant (ε). To date, there have been few successes that achieve such a performance portfolio in polymer films due to their different and even mutually exclusive governing mechanisms. Herein, we propose a trinity strategy for creating a rationally engineered heterostructure nanoadditive (FG@CuP@ZTC) by in situ self-assembly immobilization of copper-phenyl phosphonate (CuP) and zinc-3, 5-diamino-1,2,4-triazole complex (ZTC) onto the fluorinated graphene (FG) surface. Benefiting from the synergistic effects of FG, CuP, and ZTC and the bionic lay-by-lay (LBL) strategy, the as-fabricated waterborne polyurethane (WPU) nanocomposite film with 30 wt% FG@CuP@ZTC exhibits a 55.6% improvement in limiting oxygen index (LOI), 66.0% and 40.5% reductions in peak heat release rate and total heat release, respectively, and 93.3% increase in tensile strength relative to pure WPU film due to the synergistic effects between FG, CuP, and ZTC. Moreover, the WPU nanocomposite film presents a high thermal conductivity (λ) of 12.7 W m−1 K−1 and a low ε of 2.92 at 106 Hz. This work provides a commercially viable rational design strategy to develop high-performance multifunctional polymer nanocomposite films, which hold great potential as advanced polymeric thermal dissipators for high-power-density microelectronics.
DAOs as property owners: a conceptual exploration from the perspective of organizational system theory
Authors: Lustenberger Michael , Spychiger Florian , Küng Lukas , Martignoni Jens
Published: February 2025

The development of Bitcoin and its underlying technology blockchain has enabled a new phenomenon called decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). DAOs can be perceived as self-governing organizations whose management is based on programmed and encoded rules on a decentralized and distributed peer-to-peer network. These DAOs typically manage and allocate funds, often in the form of cryptocurrencies. However, in recent years, a variety of DAOs have been established to provide services (e.g., currency exchange, project financing), curate collections (e.g., art collections), or own and manage real assets (e.g., land). Currently, DAO literature focuses mainly on online communities managing digital assets; however, DAOs owning physical properties differ from them in localized communities, asset indivisibility, and additional complexity in collective acquisition, ownership, limited physical capacity, and decentralized governance. Such property-owning DAOs are interesting, because they fuel the transition from purely online organizations into organizations integrating with the physical world. From an organizational system theory perspective this article explores how a DAO owning properties could be designed by exploring three DAO projects that own properties. Applying a conceptual research design, we first identify DAO Design Principles obtained by traditional organizational system theory, followed by examining and describing the core organizational principles for property-owning DAOs. Based on a comprehensive discussion of the conceptual findings, we present a research agenda for further studies on DAOs owning properties.
Rock Strength Distribution Modelling for Predictive Geometallurgical Modelling
Authors: Yildirim Baris G. , Powell Malcolm S. , Bradshaw Diedre
Published: February 2025

The competence of mined rock is a key property determining both the amount of energy required to grind the ore and the throughput of the process plant. Existing empirical geometallurgical models cannot predict outside the tested ore base or account for changes to the grinding circuit. A new approach is introduced which provides a precise measure of rock fracture energy distribution related to the rock mineralogy, specifically the degree of alteration of a porphyry copper. A relationship between mineralogy and rock strength allows the rock crushing and milling energy to be mapped into the orebody based on the geological map of the deposit, rather than requiring extensive, and expensive, breakage testing and the use of unreliable proxy values. This study presents a viable method to quantify the distributed and widely varying rock properties of mineral resources in a more cost-effective manner than traditional independent rock-strength testing methods, by using automated core-scanning technology to relate mineralogy and texture to rock strength. Recent developments in more rapid and cheaper but still accurate ore breakage characterisation may help propel this methodology into standard geometallurgical modelling practice.
Thermal Analysis of Space Station Windows in Low Earth Orbit: Intermaterial Comparison of Fused Silica and Acrylic Glass
Authors: Galuppi Laura , Royer-Carfagni Gianni
Published: February 2025

Calculating the temperatures of windows of space stations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is crucial for ensuring their structural integrity. We present a comprehensive thermal analysis that considers direct solar radiation, Earth’s albedo effect, infrared radiation from the Earth and convective heat exchange with the internal environment. The thermal balance equation incorporates the time variation of these contributions due to orbital motion for windows with different orientations, to determine the temperature of the materials, factoring in key parameters, such as absorptivity, transmissivity, reflectivity, and their dependence on the radiation wavelength spectrum. Referring to the conditions of the Cupola of the International Space Station as a paradigmatic example, we compare the thermal performance of two common window materials: fused silica and acrylic glass. Our results indicate that the higher transmissivity of fused silica makes it insensitive to solar and albedo radiation, reducing temperature values and their dependence on plate thickness and exposure variability due to orbital motion. In contrast, the higher absorptivity of acrylic glass results in much higher temperatures, proportional to the thickness, with a cyclical dependence on the orbital period. This analysis provides insights for the design and selection of window materials in space station construction, ensuring their durability and functionality in the conditions of LEO.
Promoting Diversity through an Understanding of Barriers and Drivers for Inclusive Clinical Trials
Authors: de Bruin Annick , Masullo Jasmine , Sine Shalome , Getz Kenneth
Published: February 2025

Importance

Racially and ethnically diverse, equitable representation among clinical trial participants is important for enhancing the drug development process and promoting equitable healthcare outcomes.

Objective

To understand the barriers and drivers for inclusive clinical trials, focusing on the attitudes, perceptions, experiences, and challenges faced by underrepresented populations.

Design

An online questionnaire was administered online from April to June 2023 and involved 12,017 respondents from 54 countries. This survey utilized a convenience sampling strategy. Statistical analysis was performed to compare responses among racial and ethnic groups.

Setting

The study was conducted globally. Survey respondents were recruited through various patient recruitment organizations, patient advocacy groups, and contract research organizations.

Respondents

Adults 18 years or older who received an email or had online access were eligible to participate. Racial and ethnic composition included White (81%), Hispanic/Latino (15%), Black/African American (6%), Asian (6%), and other ethnicities.

Exposure(s)

Respondents were asked about their perceptions, concerns and experiences related to clinical research access and participation.

Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s)

Key outcomes included barriers to clinical research participation, factors influencing trust in pharmaceutical companies and past experiences.

Results

Barriers to clinical research participation varied among ethnic groups. Asian respondents cited concerns about time off work (22%) and time required to participate (19%) more frequently as compared to White respondents (7% and 7%, respectively; p < 0.05). Hispanics expressed higher concerns about time off work (15%) and receiving placebo (10%) as compared to Non-Hispanics (8% and 5%, respectively, p < 0.05). Black and Hispanic respondents placed higher importance on diversity in staff compared to White and non-Hispanic respondents (B: 32%; W: 12%; Hispanic: 22%; Non-Hispanic: 13% p < 0.05). Black, Asian, and Hispanic respondents reported higher levels of disruption in participation related to technology use (Black: 31%; Hispanic: 30%; Asian: 29%) and completing study requirements at home (Black: 32%; Hispanic: 30%; Asian: 26%) as compared to White (13%, 15%; p < 0.05%) and non-Hispanic respondents (14%, 17%; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The findings highlight the need to address barriers to diversity in clinical trials and improve trial experiences of underrepresented communities, facilitating design of more inclusive and patient-centered trials.
Offline Safe Reinforcement Learning for Sepsis Treatment: Tackling Variable-Length Episodes with Sparse Rewards
Authors: Tu Rui , Luo Zhipeng , Pan Chuanliang , Wang Zhong , Su Jie , Zhang Yu , Wang Yifan
Published: February 2025

In critical medicine, data-driven methods that assist in physician decisions often require accurate responses and controllable safety risks. Most recent reinforcement learning models developed for clinical research typically use fixed-length and very short time series data. Unfortunately, such methods generalize poorly on variable-length data that can be overlong. In such as case, a single final reward signal appears very sparse. Meanwhile, safety is often overlooked by many models, leading them to make excessively extreme recommendations. In this paper, we study how to recommend effective and safe treatments for critically ill septic patients. We develop an offline reinforcement learning model based on CQL (Conservative Q-Learning), which underestimates the expected rewards of rarely seen treatments in data, thus enjoying a high safety standard. We further enhance the model with intermediate rewards by particularly using the Apache II scoring system. This can effectively deal with variable-length episodes with sparse rewards. By performing extensive experiments on the MIMIC-III database, we demonstrated the enhanced performance and robustness in safety. Our code of data extraction, preprocessing, and modeling can be found at https://github.com/OOPSDINOSAUR/RL_safety_model.
Effects of the injection area ratios on the propagating characteristics of ethylene/air rotating detonation waves
Authors: Chen Zhenyi , Rao Sihang , Peng Jian , Xu Xu
Published: February 2025

Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the propagation characteristics of ethylene/air rotating detonation waves in a two-dimensional computational domain, by solving the Navier–Stokes equations with an in-house code. Five injection area ratios (100%, 80%, 60%, 50%, and 40%) are adopted to analyze the differences in the structures of the flow field between full-area and discrete injection, as well as the effects of injection area ratios on the stability of rotating detonation waves and the parameters of detonation waves. The results show that under a full-area injection condition, the reverse waves cause the injection blockage and fuel leakage may occur when the height of the accumulated reactants increases rapidly. Under a discrete injection condition, the nonuniformity distribution of the reactants ahead of the wave affects the stability of detonation waves. The detonative front is distorted and wrinkled, accompanied by local extinction and re-ignition, when the injection area ratio is relatively small. As the injection area ratio reduces, the quantity of reactants consumed by deflagrative combustion increases and the pressurization capacity becomes weaker. The inlet mass flow rate decreases, whereas the inlet blocking ratio stays almost constant. In addition, the wave velocity is influenced by the propagation features of the detonation waves.
Assessing the effectiveness of ANN model in spatial downscaling of d4PDF hourly precipitation data: a case study in Japan
Authors: Khateeb Ilham , Kim Sunmin , Tachikawa Yasuto
Published: February 2025

Obtaining high-resolution data is essential in the hydrology field. This study assesses the effectiveness of the ANN technique in spatially downscaling d4PDF hourly data from 20 km coarse resolution to finer 5 km resolution, considering precipitation as the only atmospheric variable. Two sets of d4PDF data have been utilized for downscaling: 20 km and 5 km resolution. This study was conducted through two main experiments: synthetic and realistic. Firstly, the performance of the ANN is assessed for the downscaling of hourly d4PDF data from a synthetic resolution of 20 km to 5 km, which is applied in two regions. Secondly, the ANN algorithm is applied for downscaling hourly d4PDF from 20 km to 5 km resolution under a real-world scenario considering three different regions in Japan. The findings indicate the applicability of the ANN for spatial downscaling of hourly data in the first experiment. In the second experiment, the performance of the ANN varies depending on the region and season. While it captures the long-term mean during winter, it exhibits high biases in the mean, standard deviation (SD), and maximum values, particularly during the summer seasons. The high values of RMSE, MAE, and CC indicate the poor performance of the ANN during this season. The RMSE and MAE range from 0.465 to 3.616 mm/hour and 0.165 to 1.46 mm/hour, respectively. The ANN exhibits potential for downscaling hourly d4PDF from 20 km to 5 km spatial resolution during the winter seasons. The ANN’s limitations in preserving statistical properties diminish its reliability for the downscaling of hourly data particularly in summer. This is pertinent given that precipitation is the only atmospheric variable considered input for the ANN.
Should Science Journalists Know Science?
Authors: Fairbank Viviane
Published: February 2025

Which additional epistemic skills or attributes must a competent journalist possess in order to produce competent science journalism? I aim to answer this question by bringing together insights from journalism, science communication, and epistemology. In Section 2, I outline the Epistemic Challenge for Science Journalism. In Section 3, I present the dominant answer in the literature, the Knowledge-Based Solution, and argue against it. In Section 4, I propose an alternative, the Confirmation-Based Solution. In Section 5, I argue that this solution can address recent concerns regarding journalistic objectivity. Section 6 discusses my proposal in the context of epistemological debates about norms of assertion. Section 7 concludes.
Can privacy be diminished by falsehoods?
Authors: Schneider Alice
Published: February 2025

It is widely presumed that privacy is ‘factive’, i.e. that it cannot be diminished by accessing or disseminating falsehoods. But if this is so, what wrongs are committed in cases where others access documents of ours (letters, medical records, etc.) which contain false information? In this article, I examine various ways of explaining the wrongfulness of accessing and dissemination falsehoods (defamation; that privacy can be violated without being diminished; ‘control’ accounts of privacy; downstream revelations of truths; that falsehoods diminish ‘propositional’ or ‘attentional’ privacy). I lay out what each of these accounts misses about accessing falsehoods, about privacy, and/or about the right to privacy. I then propose two alternative ways of accounting for the intuitive wrongfulness of accessing and disseminating falsehoods: viewing them as merely ‘attempted’ privacy violations and weakening the truth condition of privacy diminishments.
Liouville-type theorems for steady solutions to the Navier–Stokes system in a slab
Authors: Bang J. , Gui C. , Wang Y. , Xie C.
Published: February 2025

Liouville-type theorems for the steady incompressible Navier–Stokes system are investigated for solutions in a three-dimensional (3-D) slab with either no-slip boundary conditions or periodic boundary conditions. When the no-slip boundary conditions are prescribed, we prove that any bounded solution is trivial if it is axisymmetric or

$ru^r$

is bounded, and that general 3-D solutions must be Poiseuille flows when the velocity is not big in

$L^\infty$

space. When the periodic boundary conditions are imposed on the slab boundaries, we prove that the bounded solutions must be constant vectors if either the swirl or radial velocity is independent of the angular variable, or

$ru^r$

decays to zero as

$r$

tends to infinity. The proofs are based on the fundamental structure of the equations and energy estimates. The key technique is to establish a Saint-Venant type estimate that characterizes the growth of the Dirichlet integral of non-trivial solutions.
Beneficial Effects of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) Consumption on Anthropometric Measures, Blood Pressure, Glycemic Control, Lipid Profile, and Liver Function Tests in Randomized Controlled Trials: A GRADE-Assessed Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jafari Ali , Mardani Helia , Parsi Nezhad Bahare , Alaghi Alireza , Sahebkar Amirhossein
Published: February 2025

This review aimed to assess the impact of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) consumption on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Relevant studies were identified through electronic searches of databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CENTRAL, and EMBASE up to January 2025. Twelve trials involving 770 participants with interventions ranging from 2 to 12 weeks and doses varying from 125 to 40,000 mg/day, were included. Okra supplementation significantly reduced body mass index (BMI) (Standardized Mean Difference [SMD] = -0.70; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -1.23, -0.16; P = 0.011), fat mass (FM) (SMD = -0.74; 95% CI: -1.13, -0.36; P < 0.001), hip circumference (HC) (SMD = -0.85; 95% CI: -1.41, -0.28; P = 0.003), weight (SMD = -0.77; 95% CI: -1.42, -0.11; P = 0.022), fasting insulin (SMD = -0.35; 95% CI: -0.63, -0.07; P = 0.013), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (SMD = -1.07; 95% CI: -1.75, -0.38; P = 0.002), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI: -0.71, -0.05; P = 0.023), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (SMD = -0.56; 95% CI: -0.84, -0.29; P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (SMD = -0.32; 95% CI: -0.52, -0.11; P = 0.003), total cholesterol (TC) (SMD = -0.45; 95% CI: -0.74, -0.16; P = 0.003), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (SMD = -0.45; 95% CI: -0.73, -0.17; P = 0.002). Okra supplementation demonstrated significant benefits in improving anthropometric measures, glycemic control, lipid profiles, and liver function tests, suggesting its potential as an adjunct therapy for improving cardiovascular disease risk factors.
FER, FVSA, ΦΥΣΑΩ: DITHYRAMBIC AND ACROSTIC STRATEGIES IN OVID, TRISTIA 5.3
Authors: Liu Cynthia
Published: February 2025

In the hymn to Bacchus (Tristia 5.3), Ovid looks from Tomis back to Rome, where the chorus of poets gathers for the Liberalia. This article argues that Ovid fashions in Tristia 5.3 a poetic rebirth out of Tomis, deploying in this elegy themes and motifs from the god’s mysteries to bolster the pervasive message of persistence in the Tristia. This Bacchic mystic tone is accomplished through the hymn’s ritual elements and dithyrambic strategies, which reflect on both Ovid’s death-like position in exile and his poetic activity there. Furthermore, this article argues that Ovid encodes his mystic dithyrambic strategies in a hitherto unnoticed bilingual acrostic. Through ritual and dithyrambic strategies, Ovid merges three loci of time and space—past Rome, present Rome and present Tomis—and thus reintegrates himself into Rome, rearticulating his Roman citizenship as a literary one.
IMAGES OF POWER IN PORTRAITS, TEXTS AND CONTEXT: REPRESENTATION AND RECEPTION OF ANCIENT RULERS FROM ALEXANDER THE GREAT TO THE ROMAN EMPERORS
Authors: Brown Amelia R. , Neil Bronwen , Strickler Ryan W.
Published: February 2025

How do ancient (or contemporary) portraits display power? Why is that man (or less often woman) a ruler, and how can viewers (or readers), alone or in a crowd, tell that he represents something more than himself? He stands for something, literally in the case of ancient bronze or marble portrait statuary, signifier of a powerful office, and its individual holder, a basileus (‘king’) or an emperor. His power over me and mine is expressed in physical or literary form by the creation and circulation of his image(s), by their intrinsic attributes, materials or context. Images become powerful not just by their creation, but through contemporary social and political rules (or norms) of representation and by their reception. Mass media rely on specific associations in my (or our) culture, state and/or religion to convey not only a ruler's individual appearance and character, but also his office and its ideals, symbols and authority over me and us.
Modelling the effect of grazing management of tannin-containing legumes feeding sites on environmental impact by cows grazing grass-dominated rangelands swards
Authors: Gregorini Pablo , Villalba Juan J.
Published: February 2025

A ruminant model, MINDY, was used to explore the impact of grazing patches of tannin-containing legumes on environmental impact by cows grazing on grass-dominated rangelands swards. MINDY was initialized as a pregnant beef cow grazing on a grass (Bromus biebersteinii; meadow brome-Control), with the addition of a patch with tannin-containing legumes (Lotus corniculatus-birdsfoot trefoil-Tre, or Onobrychis viciifolia-sainfoin-Sain). Twenty-five scenarios (treatments) were established as a product of frequency (weekly, fortnightly, and monthly) and dietary proportions (0.05, 0.10, 0.15, and 0.20 of total forage allocation) of either Sain or Tre. Methane (CH4) production and nitrogen (N) excretion increased with legume availability. As legume proportion increased, dry matter intake (DMI), animal performance, CH4 production and urinary nitrogen (UN) excretion increased with a greater magnitude for Sain. Methane yield was lower than the Control at weekly allocation of legumes. Environmental costs in terms of CH4 emission increments per unit of production relative to Control were greater at monthly allocations when the levels of legume in the diet were low (0.5 – 0.10). Legumes in the diet at 0.15 – 0.20 yielded the lowest costs regardless of frequency of allocation. Environmental costs in terms of UN increments per unit of production relative to Control were lowest at 0.15 – 0.20 of legumes in the diet regardless of frequency of allocation. This study suggests that strategic allocation of either sainfoin or birdsfoot trefoil when beef cattle graze grass-dominated rangelands swards can reduce environmental impact, while increasing secondary production of the system at the same levels of resource allocation.
Topologically Significant Dermatoglyphic Patterns in Twins
Authors: Loesch Danuta , Swiatkowska Zofia
Published: February 2025

A total of 58 dermatoglyphic characters, consisting of topologically significant pattern elements, i.e., loops and triradii, on palms, soles and fingertips, were tested in a sample of 110 MZ and 111 like-sexed DZ twin pairs. The analysis included homolateral, heterolateral and bilateral concordance rates, the derived Hecoefficient, coefficients of the within-pair association, Φ, derived χ2 intraclass correlation coefficients and heritability estimates based on variances (h2) and correlations (Hr), and the variance ratio F.

A considerable difference was found in respect of “heritability” values between palmar and sole patterns, in that they are the highest for sole loops and triradii and the lowest for most palmar loops. These data are compared with the h2 values obtained from family correlations.

The difficulties in the interpretation of “heritability” estimates based on the material of twins are pointed out and particular attention is drawn to a possibility of the additional bias in twin studies related to a degree of symmetry of the characters investigated.
Malformations of the Umbilical Cord
Authors: Konstantinova Bl.
Published: February 2025

In 184 autopsies of death newborns, stillborn infants and aborted fetuses (mostly with congenital malformations), 57 (30.98%) umbilical cord anomalies were discovered (38 M and 19 F): 19 cases with knots (10.32%), 17 with arterial agenesis (9.2%,), 8 with focal fibrosis of Wharton's jelly (4.34%), 7 with varices and thrombosis (3.8%0), and6 (3.25%) with other anomalies. Thirtyone of the fetuses were born from first pregnancy, 32 were stillborn and 26 premature.
Variability of r(22) Chromosome Phenotypical Expression
Authors: Dallapiccola B. , Brinchi V. , Curatolo P.
Published: February 2025

Two unrelated patients with multiple congenital malformations and severe mental retardation were found to be carrier of a non-mosaic ring 22 chromosome abnormality. These observations further confirm the phenotypical variability of r(22) expression, which makes unreliable the attempts to delineate a clinical profile of the syndrome
Dermatoglyphics in Color Blindness
Authors: Marques María De Nazaré Trindade , Marques Jorge
Published: February 2025

In four families of color blind subjects, a dermatoglyphic analysis was made and the results compared with data from normal subjects. The Student's t test, howeverf failed to show any significant differences in the means of the two groups.
A Duration‐Over‐Threshold Model for Flood Frequency and Flow Regime Characterization
Authors: Lawson K. S. , Underwood Kristen L. , Diehl Rebecca M. , Rizzo Donna M.
Published: February 2025

Proper characterization of river flow is essential for the development of structural and non‐structural measures to reduce flood damages, restore ecosystem functions, and manage environmental contaminants in riparian zones. The duration of flood events is an important feature that drives riverine processes and functions such as erosion, geomorphic adjustment, habitat suitability, and nutrient and water quality dynamics. Despite this, most flood characterization methods focus on relating the magnitude of annual‐maximum discharges to frequency, without addressing the duration of flood events. We investigated event‐specific discharge‐duration dynamics at 33 USGS stream gages within the US state of Vermont. Building on the method of Feng et al., 2017, https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)he.1943‐5584.0001573, flood events from 15‐min discharge timeseries were extracted using an automated threshold method. A statistical model was fit at each gage for both frequency of discharge exceedance and conditional duration of discharge exceedance. This Duration‐Over‐Threshold model estimates the arrival rate of a discharge threshold, q, being exceeded for a given duration, d. Fitted model parameters were compared to basin and channel physiographical characteristics to develop regional regression equations and examine potential watershed processes underlying the duration dynamics. Model parameters summarizing event duration were best predicted by drainage area, mainstem slope, and soil depth/type. The regional regression equations enable design event estimation in ungaged catchments of the study region, which may be used to improve the predictive capacity of hydraulic and ecosystem models, outline a range of potential geomorphic trajectories, or inform emergency management plans and flood damage rating curves.
The 2021 Mw8.1 Kermadec Megathrust Earthquake: An Event Rupturing the Slab‐Mantle Interface With Up‐Dip High‐Frequency Seismic Energy Radiation
Authors: Zeng Hongyu , Wei Shengji , Yang Hongfeng
Published: February 2025

Megathrust earthquakes often break the slab‐crust interface and radiate high‐frequency seismic waves from the down dip of their coseismic slip. In contrast, we show that the 2021 Mw8.1 Kermadec earthquake deviates from this mode. We resolve the kinematic rupture process of the event by leveraging finite fault inversions and a calibrated tele‐seismic back‐projection imaging method. The finite fault inversions reveal a compact slip patch with a ∼7‐m peak slip of the earthquake located on the slab‐mantle interface at the depth of 20–50 km, while the back‐projection shows the high‐frequency energy was radiated from ∼20 km depth along the updip edge of the slip patch, and coinciding with the slab‐forearc Moho intersection. The rougher frictional patches responsible for high‐frequency radiation are likely caused by strong material contrast transitioning from slab‐crust to slab‐forearc mantle contacts. Significant slip on the slab‐mantle contact necessitates a re‐evaluation of earthquake hazards in conventionally considered aseismic regions.
Spatiotemporal Variations in the Characteristics of Mesoscale Convective Systems Over Indian Monsoon Zone
Authors: Tupsoundare Manisha , Deshpande Sachin M. , Feng Zhe , Das Subrata Kumar , Deshpande Medha , Hanmante Harshad
Published: February 2025

This study examines cloud and precipitation properties of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in the Indian monsoon zone using 6 years of high‐resolution satellite‐based tracking data. MCSs exhibit strong regional and seasonal variations, peaking during the summer monsoon (June–September). Concentrated along a southeast‐northwest band of the monsoon trough, MCS contribute 40%–70% of total precipitation and predominantly move westward at an average speed of 6.3 m s−1. Long‐lived MCSs (>40 hr), although 10 times less frequent than short‐lived MCSs (5–20 hr), produce 2–3 times more rainfall. Longer MCS lifespans and higher rainfall are associated with stronger deep‐layer wind shear and enhanced lower free‐tropospheric moisture at initiation. Land and ocean MCSs exhibit distinct diurnal cycles. Most land‐based MCSs initiate around 16 LT and mature at 18 LT, whereas Bay of Bengal (BoB) MCSs initiate between 04 and 06 LT and peak by 14 LT. Convective precipitations from MCSs significantly surpasses that from non‐MCSs systems, emphasizing their critical role in intense monsoon rainfall. Short‐ and long‐lived MCSs showed distinct lifecycle evolution. Long‐lived MCSs over the BoB show 37% larger cold‐cloud shields, 44% larger precipitation feature areas, and 33% higher rain rates than their land counterparts, yielding 67% more total rainfall. These BoB MCSs also grow faster and experience more frequent cloud mergers early in their lifecycle. These findings offer critical insights into monsoonal MCSs lifecycle evolution, providing observational constraints for improving model simulations of monsoonal convection.
Multi‐Annual Inventorying of Retrogressive Thaw Slumps Using Domain Adaptation
Authors: Lin Yiling , Hu Xie , Lu Haoyu , Niu Fujun , Liu Gengnian , Huang Lingcao , Zhang Shanghang , Liu Jifu , Liu Yunhuai
Published: February 2025

Retrogressive Thaw Slumps (RTSs), a form of thermokarst hazards, pose risks to hydrological and ecological environments and the safety of the Qinghai‐Tibet Engineering Corridor. We still lack the knowledge about the geographic locations of RTSs and their dynamically changing spatial margins. However, visual interpretation is labor‐intensive while the present‐day deep learning methods become ineffective when the model trained in one year is directly transferred to another. To enhance the model's generalization ability, here we implemented and compared three domain adaptation methods, that is, the classic supervised fine‐tuning method and two proposed unsupervised methods: Image StyleTransfer Domain Adaptation (ISTDA) and the Tversky Adversarial Domain Adaptation (TADA) network. In our proposed ISTDA, we uniformed the contextual information of multi‐temporal images by Cycle Generative Adversarial Network (CycleGAN). We introduced the Tversky loss and the automatic adjustment of weights for multiple loss functions to suppress false positives and to improve the generalization of TADA. We tested three methods' performance in Beiluhe region over the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau using PlanetScope optical images during 2019–2022. The three domain adaptation methods are successful in generating regional, multi‐annual RTS inventories. Remarkably, TADA sustains good performance in complex transfer scenarios without additional label cost, achieving an F1 increase of 14.32%–24.17% compared to classic methods. Our work is the first to apply an unsupervised domain adaptation to automatically map the RTSs on a multi‐annual timescale, demonstrating a strong potential of its applicability for monitoring large‐scale, multi‐temporal evolution of geomorphological features.
Insights on Tropical High‐Cloud Radiative Effect From a New Conceptual Model
Authors: Deutloff Jakob , Buehler Stefan A. , Brath Manfreth , Naumann Ann Kristin
Published: February 2025

The new capabilities of global storm‐resolving models to resolve individual clouds allow for a more physical perspective on the tropical high‐cloud radiative effect and how it might change with warming. In this study, we develop a conceptual model of the high‐cloud radiative effect as a function of cloud thickness measured by ice water path. We use atmospheric profiles from a global ICON simulation with horizontal grid spacing to calculate the radiation offline with the ARTS line‐by‐line radiative transfer model. The conceptual model of the high‐cloud radiative effect reveals that it is sufficient to approximate high clouds as a single layer characterized by an albedo, emissivity and temperature, which vary with ice water path. The increase of the short‐wave high‐cloud radiative effect with ice water path is solely explained by the high‐cloud albedo. The increase of the long‐wave high‐cloud radiative effect with ice water path is governed by an increase of emissivity for ice water path below , and by a decrease of high‐cloud temperature with increasing ice water path above this threshold. The mean high‐cloud radiative effect from the ARTS simulations for the chosen day of this ICON model run is , which is closely matched by our conceptual model with . Because the high‐cloud radiative effect depends on the assumed radiative alternative, assumptions on low clouds make a substantial difference. The conceptual model predicts that doubling the fraction of low clouds roughly doubles the positive high‐cloud radiative effect.
Europe Faces Increased Heat Mortality in Coming Decades
Authors: Barbuzano Javier
Published: February 2025

Extreme temperature caused by unchecked climate change could claim 2.3 million lives in Europe by 2100, a new study warns.
End-tidal carbon monoxide for routine monitoring of significant hemolysis in the management of newborn hyperbilirubinemia
Authors: Wells Shanice , Balasubramanian Ramya , Nguyen Khang , Schutzman David L.
Published: February 2025

Objective

Assess the efficacy of routine ETCOc for all newborns in managing neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.

Study design

Retrospective chart review of 1029 consecutive well-baby nursery admissions following the 2022 AAP hyperbilirubinemia guidelines. Only ETCOc, not type, Rh, and DAT, was used to determine if significant hemolysis was present in sufficient degree to affect bilirubin management. A cost-benefit analysis comparing the two methods was conducted.

Result

2.8% of infants required phototherapy, and 1.1% were readmitted for hyperbilirubinemia. The closer an infant’s bilirubin level was to the phototherapy threshold, the higher the ETCOc. 12 of 29 DAT negative infants with ETCOc ≥ 2.5 PPM who received phototherapy would have gone home with significant hemolysis at risk for readmission or kernicterus if not for the use of ETCOc.

Conclusion

ETCOc is preferable for assessing significant hemolysis in the newborn, can be used to safely manage newborn hyperbilirubinemia, and results in cost savings.
A conditionally replicative adenovirus vector containing the synNotch receptor gene for the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Authors: A Ruhan , Ueki Hideto , Nishioka Shunya , Yamazaki Rion , Maekawa Marina , Kitagawa Koichi , Miyake Hideaki , Shirakawa Toshiro
Published: February 2025

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), a highly heterogeneous disease, shows genomic instability and a high mutation rate, making it difficult to treat. Recent studies revealed that cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a critical role in MIBC frequent recurrence and high morbidity. Previous research has shown that Cyclooxygenases-2 (COX-2) is particularly highly expressed in bladder cancer cells. In recent years, the development of oncolytic adenoviruses and their use in clinical trials have gained increased attention. In this study, we composed a conditionally replicative adenovirus vector (CRAd-synNotch) that carries the COX-2 promotor driving adenoviral E1 gene, the synNotch receptor therapeutic gene, and the Ad5/35 fiber gene. Activation of the COX-2 promoter gene causes replication only within COX-2 expressing cancer cells, thereby leading to tumor oncolysis. Also, CD44 and HIF signals contribute to cancer stemness and maintaining CSCs in bladder cancer, and the transduced synNotch receptor inhibits both CD44 and HIF signals simultaneously. We performed an in vivo study using a mouse xenograft model of T24 human MIBC cells and confirmed the significant antitumor activity of CRAd-synNotch. Our findings in this study warrant the further development of CRAd-synNotch for treating patients with MIBC.
ETVs dictate hPSC differentiation by tuning biophysical properties
Authors: Ziojła Natalia M. , Socha Magdalena , Guerra M. Cecilia , Kizewska Dorota , Blaszczyk Katarzyna , Urbaniak Edyta , Henry Sara , Grabowska Malgorzata , Niakan Kathy K. , Warmflash Aryeh , Borowiak Malgorzata
Published: February 2025

Stem cells maintain a dynamic dialog with their niche, integrating biochemical and biophysical cues to modulate cellular behavior. Yet, the transcriptional networks that regulate cellular biophysical properties remain poorly defined. Here, we leverage human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and two morphogenesis models – gastruloids and pancreatic differentiation – to establish ETV transcription factors as critical regulators of biophysical parameters and lineage commitment. Genetic ablation of ETV1 or ETV1/ETV4/ETV5 in hPSCs enhances cell-cell and cell-ECM adhesion, leading to aberrant multilineage differentiation including disrupted germ-layer organization, ectoderm loss, and extraembryonic cell overgrowth in gastruloids. Furthermore, ETV1 loss abolishes pancreatic progenitor formation. Single-cell RNA sequencing and follow-up assays reveal dysregulated mechanotransduction via the PI3K/AKT signaling. Our findings highlight the importance of transcriptional control over cell biophysical properties and suggest that manipulating these properties may improve in vitro cell and tissue engineering strategies.
Structures of TGF-β with betaglycan and signaling receptors reveal mechanisms of complex assembly and signaling
Authors: Wieteska Łukasz , Taylor Alexander B. , Punch Emma , Coleman Jonathan A. , Conway Isabella O. , Lin Yeu-Farn , Byeon Chang-Hyeock , Hinck Cynthia S. , Krzysiak Troy , Ishima Rieko , López-Casillas Fernando , Cherepanov Peter , Bernard Daniel J. , Hill Caroline S. , Hinck Andrew P.
Published: February 2025

Betaglycan (BG) is a transmembrane co-receptor of the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) family of signaling ligands. It is essential for embryonic development, tissue homeostasis and fertility in adults. It functions by enabling binding of the three TGF-β isoforms to their signaling receptors and is additionally required for inhibin A (InhA) activity. Despite its requirement for the functions of TGF-βs and InhA in vivo, structural information explaining BG ligand selectivity and its mechanism of action is lacking. Here, we determine the structure of TGF-β bound both to BG and the signaling receptors, TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. We identify key regions responsible for ligand engagement, which has revealed binding interfaces that differ from those described for the closely related co-receptor of the TGF-β family, endoglin, thus demonstrating remarkable evolutionary adaptation to enable ligand selectivity. Finally, we provide a structural explanation for the hand-off mechanism underlying TGF-β signal potentiation.