bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis of energy consumption for residential building- A case study in Libya
Authors: Alafya Abdusalam Yehmed , Maka Ali O. M.
Published: February 2025

An energy-efficient building maximises the utilisation of resources by providing comfortable living conditions to occupancy inside; while consuming the lowest amount of energy required. Building materials and electrical appliances used in a structure affect how power is consumed; hence, a building's characteristics are essential for further development. Notwithstanding, throughout the year, either in cold or hot weather, buildings are designed to provide comfort for their residents. Households in Libya turn on their air conditioning throughout the day to decrease the impact of the summertime weather, so the rise of temperature. That significantly demands more energy from the grid, and during peak energy demand might cause a deficiency in power generation. In residential houses, air conditioning units consume a large volume of Libya's electricity consumption, approximately 36% of the total electricity generated. Therefore, to obtain an overview of the amount of power required for cooling in Libyan homes; an investigation was created with an emphasis on air conditioning usage, followed by modelling of energy consumption. This work aims to minimise the amount of electricity required from a design perspective. It used surveys and modelling to determine the cooling requirements of different types of architectural buildings (ABs). Besides, the investigation indicated there is a substantial excessive waste of energy in the dwelling when using air conditioning units (ACUs). The analysis deduced consumption patterns of Libyan households are high in electricity, whereas approximately 40.6% of the respondents live in a one-floor house, which needs further consideration. At the same time, it addresses the challenges of electricity demand from the architectural viewpoint.

Graphical abstract
‘Offshoring’ Weapons Production and Implications for Export Controls: Lessons from South Africa
Authors: Marchant Michael , Mathe Zenkosi
Published: February 2025

Large European arms companies increasingly own and control subsidiaries in other parts of the world. These subsidiaries operate hundreds of production sites used to manufacture and export weapons for the benefit of the parent company. Yet, they are bound by the legal framework in host countries. An important case study of this phenomenon is South Africa, which is now the site for numerous subsidiaries of large European arms manufacturers, including Rheinmetall and Hensoldt. Between 2018 and 2021, a Rheinmetall subsidiary in South Africa continued to export weapons to Saudi Arabia despite a German prohibition. This article uses South Africa as a case study to examine the potential consequences of the practice of offshoring in the context of weaknesses in South Africa’s arms export control framework and provides recommendations on how to improve scrutiny and reporting in South Africa’s system to better guard against this type of conduct.
What are you looking at? Context and sex dependence of visual attention to faces
Authors: Pátková Žaneta , Třebický Vít , Kocourek Martin , Schwambergová Dagmar , Kleisner Karel , Havlíček Jan , Třebická Fialová Jitka
Published: February 2025

Perception studies describe numerous discrete morphological facial features as important to judgments of various characteristics. Interestingly, little is known about whether people actually direct their visual attention to these features and how specific contexts or sex affect this attention. We, therefore, examined visual attention to faces in the context of intersexual (opposite-sex assessment of attractiveness) and intrasexual (same-sex assessment of dominance) selection.

In total, 93 women and 33 men rated 80 high-resolution facial photographs of men and women while their gaze was recorded using eye-tracking. To explore patterns of raters’ attention to faces and specific facial features, we used the number of fixations, fixation duration, and visit duration as visual attention measures.

Women directed more visual attention towards the faces of potential partners (more fixations) than potential rivals, and men had longer visit duration when assessing potential partners than rivals. Facial features that acquired the most visual attention across contexts and sexes were the eyes, nose, and mouth, but small differences between the sexes and contexts in visual attention were found for other facial regions suggested by previous perception studies, such as the chin and the cheeks indicating their importance in specific judgements.
Prestige and gender role ideology: A study of young Tanzanian men
Authors: Ishungisa Alexander M , Kilgallen Joseph A. , Mabula Elisha , Brand Charlotte O , Urassa Mark , Lawson David W.
Published: February 2025

With the objective of informing theoretical accounts of social learning and gendered conflict, we explore the role of prestige in the formation of men’s beliefs about gender in a semi rural, but fast urbanising community in northwestern Tanzania. Using focus groups and participant observation, we contrast the extent to which young men view elders and men from the neighboring city as prestigious, and the beliefs they ascribe to each category. Elders were viewed as prestigious because of their age, and position as preservers and teachers of societal norms. Their prestige was culturally mandated, as evidenced by customs bestowing respect. In contrast, only subcategories of city men were deemed prestigious dependent on individual achievement. Prestige was difficult to distinguish from dominance, since both elders and city men can exert penalties on those with differing views. Elders were viewed as mostly, but not always, unsupportive of women’s empowerment, while city men were viewed as mostly, but not always, supportive of women’s empowerment. We conclude that urbanisation shifts the distribution of prestige, exposing individuals to novel sources of social influence. However, future studies should be wary not to oversimplify elders as upholders of patriarchal beliefs and city men as universally supportive of women’s empowerment.
Staphylococcus aureus colonization and surgical site infections among patients undergoing surgical fixation for acute fractures
Authors: Ahmann Megan , Compton Jocelyn , Pottinger Jean , Uhlenhopp Richard , Ward Melissa , Haleem Ambar , Willey Michael , Schweizer Marin , Herwaldt Loreen
Published: February 2025

Objectives:

To identify risk factors for methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage and surgical site infection (SSI) among patients undergoing fracture fixation procedures who were included in a quality improvement protocol involving screening patients for S. aureus nasal carriage and treating carriers with intranasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine bathing.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

Level 1 trauma center.

Participants:

1,254 adults who underwent operative fixation of 1,298 extremity or pelvis fractures between 8/1/2014 – 7/31/2017.

Methods:

We calculated rates of S. aureus nasal carriage and SSI. We used multivariable stepwise logistic regression and selected the final models based on Akaike information criterion.

Results:

Of the 1,040 screened first procedures, 262 (25.19%) were performed on S. aureus nasal carriers: 211 (20.29%) on MSSA carriers and 51 (4.90%) on MRSA carriers. Long-term care facility residence (odds ratio [OR] 3.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17–9.76) was associated with MRSA nasal carriage. After adjusting for statistically and clinically significant variables, MRSA carriage was significantly associated with any SSI (OR 4.58; 95% CI 1.63–12.88), S. aureus SSI (OR 10.11; 95% CI 3.25–31.42), and MRSA SSI (OR 27.25; 95% CI 5.33–139.24), whereas MSSA carriage was not. Among S. aureus carriers, any chlorhexidine use was documented for 232 (88.55%), and any intranasal mupirocin was documented for 85 (40.28%) MSSA carriers and 33 (64.71%) MRSA carriers.

Conclusions:

MRSA carriage was associated with a significant risk of SSI after operative fracture fixation. Many carriers did not undergo decolonization, suggesting that a simplified decolonization protocol is needed.
The impact of infectious diseases department on the incidence of hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia at a tertiary care center: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kawamoto Yuya , Takamatsu Akane , Matsui Kenjiro , Doi Yohei , Honda Hitoshi
Published: February 2025

Introduction:

Cases of hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia (HOBF) are on the rise in Japanese hospitals, but little is known about their incidence in hospitals and how it relates to the availability of services provided by infectious diseases departments.

Methods:

We herein investigated the monthly incidence density of HOBF per 1,000 patient days from 2013 through 2023 at a tertiary care hospital in Japan. The incidence of overall HOBF and pathogen-specific HOBF, including those caused by Enterobacterales, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), and Candida species, was tracked. Changes in the HOBF trend before and after the establishment of an infectious diseases department at the hospital were evaluated.

Results:

In total, 4,315 HOBF-related events were identified. The overall incidence density of HOBF increased by 2.4-fold from 0.58 per 1,000 PD in 2013 to 1.42 per 1,000 PD in 2023. Both the level and trend changes in the incidence density of overall HOBF (+0.3142 for change in level [P < .001]; +0.0085 for change in trend [P < .001]), HOBF caused by S. aureus (+0.0983 for change in level [P < .001]; +0.0016 for change in trend [P = 0.016]), and Candida spp. (+0.0466 for change in level [P = 0.030]; +0.0019 for change in trend [P = 0.002]) significantly increased after the establishment of the infectious diseases department.

Conclusion:

The incidence density of overall HOBF and clinically important pathogen-specific HOBF increased over the last decade. The availability of services through the infectious diseases department was significantly associated with an increase in the HOBF incidence, likely suggesting improvement in the diagnosis of HOBF.
Identifying patients at high risk for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) carriage on admission to acute care hospitals: validating and expanding on a public health model
Authors: Prakash-Asrani Radhika , Bower Chris , Robichaux Chad , Chan Barney , Jacob Jesse T. , Fridkin Scott K. , Howard-Anderson Jessica
Published: February 2025

Objective:

Validate a public health model identifying patients at high risk for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) on admission and evaluate performance across a healthcare network.

Design:

Retrospective case-control studies

Participants:

Adults hospitalized with a clinical CRE culture within 3 days of admission (cases) and those hospitalized without a CRE culture (controls).

Methods:

Using public health data from Atlanta, GA (1/1/2016–9/1/2019), we validated a CRE prediction model created in Chicago. We then closely replicated this model using clinical data from a healthcare network in Atlanta (1/1/2015–12/31/2021) (“Public Health Model”) and optimized performance by adding variables from the healthcare system (“Healthcare System Model”). We frequency-matched cases and controls based on year and facility. We evaluated model performance in validation datasets using area under the curve (AUC).

Results:

Using public health data, we matched 181 cases to 764,408 controls, and the Chicago model performed well (AUC 0.85). Using clinical data, we matched 91 cases to 384,013 controls. The Public Health Model included age, prior infection diagnosis, number of and mean length of stays in acute care hospitalizations (ACH) in the prior year. The final Healthcare System Model added Elixhauser score, antibiotic days of therapy in prior year, diabetes, admission to the intensive care unit in prior year and removed prior number of ACH. The AUC increased from 0.68 to 0.73.

Conclusions:

A CRE risk prediction model using prior healthcare exposures performed well in a geographically distinct area and in an academic healthcare network. Adding variables from healthcare networks improved model performance.
Optimal convergence rates of MCMC integration for functions with unbounded second moment
Authors: Hofstadler Julian
Published: February 2025

We study the Markov chain Monte Carlo estimator for numerical integration for functions that do not need to be square integrable with respect to the invariant distribution. For chains with a spectral gap we show that the absolute mean error for

$L^p$

functions, with

$p \in (1,2)$

, decreases like

$n^{({1}/{p}) -1}$

, which is known to be the optimal rate. This improves currently known results where an additional parameter

$\delta \gt 0$

appears and the convergence is of order

$n^{(({1+\delta})/{p})-1}$

.
Caribbean Modernism and Cleary’s Modernism, Empire, and World Literature
Authors: Malouf Michael
Published: February 2025

Joe Cleary’s Modernism, Empire, and World Literature critiques Casanova’s theory of World Literature and adapts it to a new model of transatlantic modernism. This review essay recasts Cleary’s theory through a Caribbean perspective by applying it to the poetry and early career of Claude McKay
Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and immune dysregulation in infants with CHD undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass: a scoping review
Authors: Prout Andrew J. , Meert Kathleen L. , Al-Ahmadi Mamdouh , Dickson Robert P.
Published: February 2025

Background:

Infants who require cardiopulmonary bypass for surgical repair of CHD are at high risk for secondary infections, which cause significant death and disability. The risk of secondary infection is increased by immune dysfunction. The intestinal microbiome calibrates immune function. Infants with CHD have substantial changes in their intestinal microbiome. We performed this scoping review to describe the current understanding of the relationship between the intestinal microbiome and immune function after pediatric cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods:

We searched the PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane, and Scopus databases with the assistance of a medical librarian. We included trials that analysed intestinal microbiome composition and immune function after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass in infants.

Results:

We found two observational cohorts and two interventional trials describing composition of intestinal microbiome and some measures of immune function after heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass in infants. A total of 114 children were analysed. Three trials were exclusively in infants, and one was in older children and infants. All trials found a differential composition of the intestinal microbiome in infants with CHD compared to those without CHD, and one described a robust correlation between composition of the intestinal microbiome with cytokine profile and adverse outcomes.

Conclusions:

Despite robust preclinical data and data from other disease states, there is minimal data about the correlation between immune function and intestinal microbiome composition in infants with CHD after cardiopulmonary bypass.
Celebrating 280 birth years of Lamarck: revisiting his legacy in the concept of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Authors: Zambrano Elena , Ibáñez Carlos A.
Published: February 2025

In 2024, we are celebrating the 280th anniversary of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, whose early theories on inheritance and environmental adaptation have advanced the foundational concepts of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). This proposal aims to explore how some Lamarckian ideas align with contemporary understandings of how environmental factors in early life can affect health throughout an individual’s lifetime and across generations. This text not only honors an important historical milestone but also reflects on how a DOHaD notion might have been present since the earliest years of biological science. It bridges historical scientific thought with present-day scientific research.
Characterizing the Speed of Chemical Cycling in the Atmosphere
Authors: Li Emy W. , Sturm Patrick Obin , Silva Sam J. , Barber Victoria A. , Keller Christoph A.
Published: February 2025

Chemical cycling drives the production and loss of many important atmospheric constituents. The speed of atmospheric chemical cycling is a particularly valuable indicator for characterizing and measuring the effects of such cycles on oxidant chemistry, air quality, and climate. Here, we apply graph theoretical methods to explicitly quantify and analyze the characteristic timescales of gas‐phase chemical cycles in the troposphere and stratosphere, as simulated by the GEOS‐Chem chemical mechanism. We identify all two‐, three‐, and four‐reaction cycles in the mechanism and calculate a characteristic timescale for each individual cycle. We find that the speed of chemical cycling varies by orders of magnitude at any given location but tends to be faster in urban‐ and biogenically‐dominated chemical regions, and slower during the night. We further quantify the fraction of cycling that contains a rate‐determining step, and explicitly demonstrate the large potential for mechanisms to recycle oxidants like OH.
Influence of Anomalous Ocean Heat Transport on the Extratropical Atmospheric Circulation in a High‐Resolution Slab‐Ocean Coupled Model
Authors: Sun Lantao , Patrizio Casey , Thompson David W. J. , Hurrell James W.
Published: February 2025

Key questions remain about the atmospheric response to variability in the oceanic western boundary currents (WBCs). Here we exploit a unique high‐resolution slab‐ocean coupled climate model to investigate how ocean heat transport (OHT) anomalies in the major WBCs of both hemispheres affect the atmospheric circulation. Prescribed OHT anomalies lead to robust changes in convective precipitation anomalies equatorward of the maximum surface warming. The response is deepest and most pronounced over the Northern Hemisphere (NH) WBCs, where it is associated with significant changes in upper tropospheric vertical motion, condensational heating and geopotential heights. The response is relatively shallow over the Southern Hemisphere (SH) WBCs. The findings reveal the robustness of the atmospheric response to OHT anomalies and highlight key hemispheric differences: in the NH, OHT anomalies are balanced by deep atmospheric vertical motion; in the SH, they are balanced primarily by shallow horizontal temperature advection.
Non‐Monotonic Impact of Erosion on Solute Dispersion in Porous Media
Authors: Saeibehrouzi Ali , Abolfathi Soroush , Denissenko Petr , Holtzman Ran
Published: February 2025

Flow through a granular, natural porous media can erode it chemically by dissolving and thus shrinking the solid particles, or mechanically, by removing them. The two‐way interplay between the transport of fluids and dissolved solutes and alteration of the porous structure and hence the medium's transport properties is of interest to processes ranging from subsurface energy storage to contamination in groundwater. Here, we conduct a quantitative pore‐scale analysis through a combination of numerical simulations and microfluidic experiments. We find that erosion enhances solute dispersion at low Pe (diffusion‐dominated) and diminishes it at high Pe. Residence time distribution reveals that mechanical erosion tends to induce non‐Fickian transport more than chemical erosion, which we attribute to the differences in their effects on pore size distribution.
Nitrogen Source Preferences and Ecological Implications of Phytoplankton Primary Production in the Yellow Sea, South Sea of Korea, and East/Japan Sea, 2018
Authors: Jang Hyo Keun , Kang Jae Joong , Lee Dabin , Kim Kwanwoo , Kim Myung Joon , Park Sanghoon , Kim Yejin , Kim Jaesoon , Joo Huitae , Youn Seok‐Hyun , Lee Sang Heon
Published: February 2025

Understanding the partitioning of primary production into new and regenerated productions, based on nitrate or ammonium utilization, is crucial to understanding biogeochemical processes and marine ecosystems. This study addresses the scarcity of information on new and regenerated productions in the Yellow Sea (YS), South Sea (SS), and East/Japan Sea (EJS). Employing the 13C–15N tracer method, we quantified carbon and nitrogen uptake rates of phytoplankton across four seasons in 2018. Seasonal nitrate and ammonium uptake rates exhibited distinct ranges in the YS (0.2–6.1 and 0.4–22.3 mg N m−2 hr−1), SS (1.0–15.6 and 4.5–15.4 mg N m−2 hr−1), and EJS (1.5–7.3 and 4.5–15.4 mg N m−2 hr−1). Notably, nitrate uptake rates in the YS (except spring), SS, and EJS were generally lower than ammonium uptake rates, attributed to the dominance of pico‐sized (<2 μm) phytoplankton with a high affinity for ammonium. Carbon uptake rates in all seas displayed significant positive correlations with nitrate uptakes rather than ammonium uptakes, suggesting that the prevailing ammonium assimilations by dominant pico‐sized phytoplankton contributed to the lower primary productions in 2018. Estimated annual new productions (30, 24, and 43 g C m−2 y−1) in the YS, SS, and EJS fall within the reported ranges for other regions. However, the EJS exhibited lower productions than previous reports (146 g C m−2 y−1), potentially impacting fishery yields and export production to the deep ocean in 2018. These findings, in the context of rapid environmental changes, provide crucial baseline information for monitoring future marine ecosystems in Korean seas.
Late Cambrian and Ordovician Alkalic Magmatism Along the Dawson Fault, Yukon: Evidence for Multiple Reactivations of a Rift‐Transfer Fault in the Northern Canadian Cordillera
Authors: Cobbett Rose N. , Beranek Luke P. , Colpron Maurice , Piercey Stephen , Crowley James L. , Strauss Justin V. , Taylor John F.
Published: February 2025

Lower Paleozoic continental margin rocks of the North American Cordillera, from Yukon to Nevada, include coeval platformal carbonate and basinal clastic strata that are offset along rift‐transfer faults, including the Liard, St. Mary‐Moyie, and Snake River structures. The Dawson fault is a prominent east‐west‐striking structure in central Yukon that is interpreted herein to have been active as a rift‐transfer fault by late Cambrian time. This hypothesis is supported by new zircon U‐Pb dates that range from 501.98 ± 0.17 Ma to 497.57 ± 0.70 Ma from alkaline mafic volcanic rocks concentrated along the Dawson fault. The development of a sub‐Jiangshanian unconformity immediately post‐dates this alkaline magmatism and indicates that final continental breakup and establishment of the northern Cordilleran margin occurred by the late Miaolinginan. Alkaline magmatism caused by local decompression partial melting of the mantle may have been triggered by the release of in‐plane tensile stresses during lithospheric rupture and edge‐driven mantle convection. Upper Ordovician alkaline mafic volcanic and plutonic rocks that occur along a northwest‐southeast striking segment of the Dawson fault erupted ∼50 Myr after breakup and represent an example of post‐rift magmatism along a rift‐transfer fault. New bedrock mapping, and geochronological, paleontological, and petrological results from Upper Ordovician rocks indicate that there was localized basin development and punctuated volcanism along the Dawson fault from 453 to 447 Ma. Late Ordovician extension and post‐breakup magmatism in central Yukon is compatible with dextral strike‐slip reactivation of the Dawson rift‐transfer fault associated with counterclockwise rotation of Laurentia.
UAV‐Based Land Surface Temperatures and Vegetation Indices Explain and Predict Spatial Patterns of Soil Water Isotopes in a Tropical Dry Forest
Authors: Beyer Matthias , Iraheta Alberto , Gerchow Malkin , Kuehnhammer Kathrin , Callau‐Beyer Ana Claudia , Koeniger Paul , Dubbert David , Dubbert Maren , Sánchez‐Murillo Ricardo , Birkel Christian
Published: February 2025

The spatial variation of soil water isotopes (SWI)—representing the baseline for investigating root water uptake (RWU) depths with water stable isotope techniques—has rarely been investigated. Here, we use spatial SWI depth profile sampling in combination with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based land surface temperature estimates and vegetation indices (VI) in order to improving process understanding of the relationships between the spatial variability of soil water content and soil water isotope patterns with canopy status, represented in the form of VI. We carried out a spatial sampling of 10 SWI depth profiles in a tropical dry forest. UAV data were collected and analyzed to obtain detailed characterization of soil temperature and canopy status. We then performed a statistical analysis between the VI and land surface temperatures with soil water content and SWI values at different spatial resolutions (3 cm–5 m). Best relationships were used for generating soil water isoscapes for the entire study area. Results suggest that soil water content and SWI values are strongly mediated by canopy parameters (VI). Various VI correlate strongly with soil water content and SWI values across all depths. SWI at the surface depend on land surface temperature (R2 of 0.66 for δ18O and 0.64 for δ2H). Strongest overall correlations were found at a spatial resolution of 0.5 m. We speculate that this might be the ideal resolution for spatially characterizing SWI patterns and investigate RWU in tropical dry forest environments. Supporting spatial analyses of SWI with UAV‐based approaches might be a future avenue for improving the spatial representation and credibility of such studies.
Frequency and factors associated with the utilization (curative and preventive) of oral health care services among pregnant women in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Sekele Patrick Marob-Ndjock , Kamangu Erick Ntambwe , Kayembe Harry-César Ntumba , Chandad Fatiha , Bolenge Jacques Ileboso , Mbambi Stephanie Mikalo , Sekele Jean-Paul Isouradi-Bourley , Kalala Em Kazadi , Nyimi Fidele Bushabu , Akilimali Pierre Zalagile
Published: February 2025

Background

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has one of the highest maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Africa. There is a growing body of evidence about the relationship between poor oral health and adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, there is a lack of information about oral health status during pregnancy in the DRC. This study aimed to identify the factors related to the utilization of oral health care services among pregnant women.

Methods

A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in four health facilities representing each administrative district of the city of Kinshasa, between March and May, 2021. The study population comprised pregnant women aged at least 18 or over attending antenatal care (ANC), selected using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to identify factors associated with the outcome variable using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and p value  <  0.05.

Results

A total of 5% of the 500 pregnant women who participated in the study were identified as users of oral healthcare services. 15% of pregnant women were aware of the necessity of oral health care during pregnancy, while 58% indicated that dental visits for routine and/or treatment purposes were not a priority during pregnancy. Factors associated with its utilization were knowledge of the need for oral health care during pregnancy (AOR:3.62, 95% CI: 1.42–9.26), knowledge of the importance of routine visits or dental treatment for oral diseases during pregnancy (AOR: 4.94, 95% CI: 1.70–16.73), and having experience oral health problem during the current pregnancy (AOR: 3.13, 95% CI: 1.22–8.21).

Conclusion

The utilization of oral health care services during pregnancy is very low. Appropriate public health initiatives are urgently needed to facilitate collaboration between health professionals to integrate oral and dental consultations, oral health counseling, and check-ups as an essential component of routine ANC.
Endurance exercise remodels skeletal muscle by suppressing Ythdf1-mediated myostatin expression
Authors: Huang Xin , Xu Chenzhong , Zhang Jie , Wu Weiwei , Wang Zimei , Pang Qiuxiang , Liu Zuojun , Liu Baohua
Published: February 2025

Exercise can improve health via skeletal muscle remodeling. Elucidating the underlying mechanism may lead to new therapeutics for aging-related loss of skeletal muscle mass. Here, we show that endurance exercise suppresses expression of YT521-B homology domain family (Ythdf1) in skeletal muscle, which recognizes the N6-methyladenosine (m6A). Ythdf1 deletion phenocopies endurance exercise-induced muscle hypertrophy in mice increases muscle mitochondria content and type I fiber specification. At the molecular level, Ythdf1 recognizes and promotes the translation of m6A-modified Mstn mRNA, which encodes a muscle growth inhibitor, Myostatin. Loss of Ythdf1 leads to hyperactivation of skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs), also called satellite cells (SCs), enhancing muscle growth and injury-induced regeneration. Our data reveal Ythdf1 as a key regulator of skeletal muscle homeostasis, provide insights into the mechanism by which endurance exercise promotes skeletal muscle remodeling and highlight potential strategies to prevent aging-related muscle degeneration.
Dielectric constant of MgO tunnel barrier with epitaxial strain
Authors: Nozaki Tomohiro , Onoda Hiroshige , Tamaru Shingo , Nakayama Hiroyasu , Konoto Makoto , Nozaki Takayuki , Yuasa Shinji
Published: February 2025

MgO tunnel barrier is a key material in spintronics. MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are widely used in magnetic sensors and magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) applications. The MgO tunnel barrier also plays a central role in research on the voltage control of magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) effect, which enables an emerging magnetization control technique with ultralow power consumption. However, the value of the dielectric constant (ε
r), which is a basic physical quantity of the MgO tunnel barrier, has not been experimentally investigated due to the difficulty in measuring the ε
r of small and thin MgO tunnel barriers. In this study, we measured ε
r for a MgO tunnel barrier in epitaxial stacks and systematically investigated the relationships among ε
r, epitaxial strain, and the VCMA effect. We showed that the MgO tunnel barrier in the epitaxial stacks was subjected to ~1.5% compressive strain and exhibited an enhanced ε
r (>15), which is more than 50% greater than that of bulk MgO. Our results indicate that the compressive strain in the thin MgO tunnel barrier enhances ε
r and thus the VCMA coefficient. Such strain engineering makes simple rocksalt tunnel barriers more attractive for spintronics applications.
AlphaFold prediction of structural ensembles of disordered proteins
Authors: Brotzakis Z. Faidon , Zhang Shengyu , Murtada Mhd Hussein , Vendruscolo Michele
Published: February 2025

Deep learning methods of predicting protein structures have reached an accuracy comparable to that of high-resolution experimental methods. It is thus possible to generate accurate models of the native states of hundreds of millions of proteins. An open question, however, concerns whether these advances can be translated to disordered proteins, which should be represented as structural ensembles because of their heterogeneous and dynamical nature. To address this problem, we introduce the AlphaFold-Metainference method to use AlphaFold-derived distances as structural restraints in molecular dynamics simulations to construct structural ensembles of ordered and disordered proteins. The results obtained using AlphaFold-Metainference illustrate the possibility of making predictions of the conformational properties of disordered proteins using deep learning methods trained on the large structural databases available for folded proteins.
Postoperative outcomes and their risk factors in left pancreatectomy with and without multivisceral resection
Authors: Brunner Maximilian , Loeser Ilvie , Weber Georg F. , Grützmann Robert , Krautz Christian
Published: February 2025

The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing isolated left pancreatectomy and those undergoing left pancreatic resection as part of a multivisceral resection. We performed a retrospective analysis of 296 adult patients who underwent elective left pancreatectomy from 2005 to 2022 at the University Hospital Erlangen. Patient demographics, pre- and intraoperative findings, along with postoperative outcomes, were collected and tested as predictive factors for various short-term postoperative parameters. Isolated left pancreatectomy (LP) was performed in 173 patients, while 123 patients underwent left pancreatectomy as part of a multivisceral resection (multivisceral LP). Multivisceral LP was associated with a higher rate of major morbidity (27% vs. 17%, p = 0.043) and mortality (7% vs. 2%, p = 0.046) compared to LP. Independent risk factors for major morbidity included the need for intraoperative blood transfusion and oncological lymphadenectomy in the LP group and longer operative time in the multivisceral LP group. CR-POPF was associated with the indication for surgery in the LP group. Independent risk factors for re-surgery included intraoperative blood transfusion in the LP group and ASA III or IV in the multivisceral LP group. Cardiovascular diseases were associated with higher mortality in the LP group, while COPD was the only risk factor for mortality in the multivisceral LP group. Multivisceral left pancreatectomy is associated with worse outcomes compared to isolated left pancreatectomy. In both groups, relevant risk factors predict postoperative complications. Patients with these identified risk factors should receive close monitoring during the postoperative course to anticipate outcomes with an increased risk of complications.
Improving medical machine learning models with generative balancing for equity and excellence
Authors: Theodorou Brandon , Danek Benjamin , Tummala Venkat , Kumar Shivam Pankaj , Malin Bradley , Sun Jimeng
Published: February 2025

Applying machine learning to clinical outcome prediction is challenging due to imbalanced datasets and sensitive tasks that contain rare yet critical outcomes and where equitable treatment across diverse patient groups is essential. Despite attempts, biases in predictions persist, driven by disparities in representation and exacerbated by the scarcity of positive labels, perpetuating health inequities. This paper introduces , a synthetic data generation approach leveraging large language models, to address these issues. enhances algorithmic performance and reduces bias by creating realistic, anonymous synthetic patient data that improves representation and augments dataset patterns while preserving privacy. Through experiments on multiple datasets, we demonstrate that boosts mortality prediction performance across diverse subgroups, achieving up to a 21% improvement in F1 Score without requiring additional data or altering downstream training pipelines. Furthermore, consistently reduces subgroup performance gaps, as shown by universal improvements in performance and fairness metrics across four experimental setups.
Chemical reactivity of RNA and its modifications with hydrazine
Authors: Yeşiltaç-Tosun Nur , Qi Yuyang , Li Chengkang , Stafflinger Helena , Hollnagel Katja , Rusling Leona , Wöhnert Jens , Kaiser Steffen , Kaiser Stefanie
Published: February 2025

RNA modifications are essential for the regulation of cellular processes and have a key role in diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders. A major challenge in the analysis of RNA modification is the differentiation between isomers, including methylated nucleosides as well as uridine and pseudouridine. A solution is their differential chemical reactivity which enables isomer discrimination by mass spectrometry (MS) or sequencing. In this study, we systematically determine the chemical reactivity of hydrazine with RNA and its native modifications in an aniline-free environment. We optimize the conditions to achieve nearly full conversion of all uridines while avoiding RNA cleavage. We apply the conditions to native tRNAPhe which allows discrimination of pseudouridine and uridine by MALDI-MS. Furthermore, we determine the identity of the reaction product of hydrazine with various modified nucleosides using high resolution mass spectrometry and quantify the reaction yield in native tRNA from E. coli and human cells under various hydrazine conditions. Most modified nucleosides react quantitatively at lower hydrazine concentration while uridines do not decompose under these conditions. Thus, this study paves the way to exploit aniline-free hydrazine reactions in the detection of RNA modifications through MS and potentially even long-read RNA sequencing.
Physicochemical properties of mesoporous acid activated materials from Lemna minor for Bezaktiv Red S-MAX dye removal
Authors: Stambouli Ghizlène Boudghene , Benguella Belkacem , Makhoukhi Benamar , El-ouchdi Mohamed Said , Kamel Ayman H.
Published: February 2025

Lemna minor, a cheap and easily accessible substance, was utilized to create activated carbon through acid activation [with H3PO4 (ALM-P) and citric acid (ALM-C)].
Development of a VEGF-activated scaffold with enhanced angiogenic and neurogenic properties for chronic wound healing applications
Authors: Palomeque Chávez Juan Carlos , McGrath Matthew , O'Connor Cian , Dervan Adrian , Dixon James E. , Kearney Cathal J. , Browne Shane , O'Brien Fergal J.
Published: February 2025

Schematic showing the development of the multifaceted VEGF-activated scaffolds to promote pro-regenerative environments for chronic wound applications.
Effective cell sheet preparation using thermoresponsive polymer brushes with various graft densities and chain lengths
Authors: Nagase Kenichi , Watanabe Minami , Kikuchi Akihiko , Okano Teruo
Published: February 2025

Thermoresponsive polymer brushes with various chain lengths and densities were prepared via silanization and subsequent ATRP. Appropriate PNIPAAm brush length and density conditions for various types of cell sheet fabrication were investigated.
Unveiling the photophysical mechanisms in low-dimensional Zn/Cu-based metal halides
Authors: Yang Chuanyao , Zheng Jia , Xu Chang , Xiao Chong , Chang Yuanyuan , Zhou Lei , Gong Xiangnan
Published: February 2025

This study investigates the optical properties and photophysical mechanisms of two crystals and is aimed at designing hybrid organic–inorganic materials.
Accurate incorporation of hyperfine coupling in diabatic potential models using the effective relativistic coupling by asymptotic representation approach
Authors: Vossel Maik , Tsakontsis Iordanis , Weike Nicole , Eisfeld Wolfgang
Published: February 2025

The accurate treatment of relativistic couplings like spin–orbit (SO) coupling into diabatic potential models is highly desirable.
Reply to the ‘Comment on “Designing potentially singlet fission materials with an anti-Kasha behaviour”’ by K. Jindal, A. Majumdar and R. Ramakrishnan, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2025, 27, DOI: 10.1039/D4CP02863E
Authors: Pino-Rios Ricardo , Báez-Grez Rodrigo , Szczepanik Dariusz W. , Solà Miquel
Published: February 2025

In this reply, we argue that the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) yields plausible results that are consistent with high-level ab initio calculations and experimental findings.
Predicting and interpreting EPR spectra of POPC lipid bilayers with transmembrane α-helical peptides from all-atom molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Catte Andrea , Oganesyan Vasily S.
Published: February 2025

Predicting EPR spectra from large-scale all-atom MD simulations of POPC lipid bilayers with α-helical transmembrane peptides (LA)12 tests current models and reveals new insights into peptide effects on bilayer structures and dynamics.
AI-powered exploration of molecular vibrations, phonons, and spectroscopy
Authors: Han Bowen , Okabe Ryotaro , Chotrattanapituk Abhijatmedhi , Cheng Mouyang , Li Mingda , Cheng Yongqiang
Published: February 2025

High-quality training data, efficient structure representation, and flexible feature encoding are the three key components for successful AI-powered data-driven vibrations and spectra.
Tetranuclear and dinuclear Cu(ii) complexes with risedronate as anti-Trypanosoma cruzi and anti-Leishmania mexicana agents. Synthesis, crystal structures, and biological evaluation
Authors: Romero-Solano Miguel Á. , Rodríguez-Pupo Eya Caridad , Martinez Ignacio , Prestegui-Martel Berenice , Martínez-Muñoz Alberto , Espinoza Bertha , Martínez-Otero Diego , López-Guerrero Víctor , Esteban Covarrubias Alma K. , Dorazco-González Alejandro
Published: February 2025

Two novel water-soluble polynuclear Cu(ii)–risedronate complexes were synthesized, described structurally by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and studied as antiparasitic agents against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania mexicana.
A picolinamide iridium catalyst immobilized on an aluminum-hydride anchor for the selective dehydrogenation of neat formic acid
Authors: Alrais Lujain , Dutta Indranil , Hengne Amol , Chakraborty Priyanka , Abou-Hamad Edy , Xi Shibo , Rahman Mohammad Misbahur , Zhang Jia , Chen Benjamin W. J. , Basset Jean-Marie , Huang Kuo-Wei
Published: February 2025

The immobilization of an iridium picolinamide complex supported onto a 3D fibrous modified silica was investigated. We explored the use of solid additives in a solvent-free medium and avoided utilizing volatile bases to achieve process feasibility.
Synergistic interactions between g-C3N4 and Cu–Zn-MOFs via electrostatic assembly for enhanced electrocatalytic CO2 reduction
Authors: Lu Xiaoqing , Yue Zhaolong , Chen Hongyu , Liu Siyuan , Wei Shuxian , Wang Zhaojie
Published: February 2025

g-C3N4 with excellent mass transfer collaboratively boosts CO2 reduction by stabilizing and activating the active sites within Cu–Zn-MOFs via interfacial electronic interactions.
Cu–ZnO nanoparticles encapsulated in ZSM-5 for selective conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygenates
Authors: Wang Xu , Woo Hwi Yeon , Shen Dongming , Park Min Jung , Ali Mansoor , Zafar Faisal , Kang Kyun Yeon , Choi Jae-Soon , Jang Eunjoo , Bae Jong Wook
Published: February 2025

Engineering copper nanoparticles to achieve high dispersion and thermal stability with stable catalytic activity is crucial and challenging for the direct hydrogenation of CO2 to oxygenates via tandem catalysis over hybridized catalysts.
The association between overall, healthy, and unhealthy plant-based diet indexes and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Authors: Etesami Elahe , Nikparast Ali , Rahmani Jamal , Rezaei Mitra , Ghanavati Matin
Published: February 2025

Our research underscores the necessity of assessing the quality of plant-based foods to determine their classification as either healthy or unhealthy. This evaluation is crucial, as it relates to the risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
Gas-induced modulation of carbon nitride morphology through a green one-step calcination strategy
Authors: Wu Jie , Liu Zheng , Li Mengjie , Zhao Jinjuan , Li Shuwen , Yang Honglei
Published: February 2025

Self-generated gases in one-step carbon nitride calcination drive morphology and structure modulation, boosting photocatalytic activity through optimized charge transfer and specific surface area.
One material for many uses: facile construction of hydrogel sensors with strong anti-damage, anti-freezing, and anti-drying properties, cancer-killing ability and biocompatibility
Authors: Lan Jingwen , Liu Rukuan , Gong Yiming , Liu Sisi , Xiao Zhihong , Xu Airong
Published: February 2025

An excellent hydrogel sensor with synergistic anti-damage, anti-freezing, and anti-drying properties, cancer-killing ability and biocompatibility has been successfully constructed via a superhydrogen-bond network strategy.
Mo2C-derived molybdenum oxycarbides afford controllable oxidation of anilines to azobenzenes and azoxybenzenes
Authors: Wang Zhe , Chen Yimei , Long Zhouyang , Wang Yunfei , Fan Mingming , Zhang Pingbo , Leng Yan
Published: February 2025

In the presence of H2O2, Mo2C is oxidized into Mo oxycarbides (MoCxOy), which serves as more active site for controllable oxidation of aniline to azobenzenes and azoxybenzenes under additive-free conditions.
Insights into the anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities of curcumin-loaded quercetin nanoparticles: in vitro bioassays coupled with synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy
Authors: Sunoqrot Suhair , Abusulieh Samah , Dahabiyeh Lina A.
Published: February 2025

A curcumin nanocarrier was developed based on partially oxidized quercetin co-assembled with vitamin E TPGS, which led to an enhancement in curcumin's anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities.
Engineering energy bands in 0D–2D hybrid photodetectors: Cu-doped InP quantum dots on a type-III SnSe2/MoTe2 heterojunction
Authors: Li Jiabin , Wang Dongxue , Chen Xiya , Zhou Yao , Luo Huanteng , Zhao Tu , Hu Sheng , Zheng Zhaoqiang , Gao Wei , Liu Xiao
Published: February 2025

A 2D photodiode using Cu-doped InP/ZnSeS/ZnS QDs on a SnSe2/MoTe2 heterojunction is fabricated, achieving a responsivity of 459 mA W−1, a noise equivalent power of 0.87 × 10−2 pW Hz−1/2, and a specific detectivity of 1.45 × 1011 Jones under 532 nm.
Base-promoted regioselective synthesis of alkyl (2-tosyl/4-ethylcarbonyl) thiazole-5-carboxylates employing dithioates and active methylene isocyanides
Authors: Santhosh Chikkappaiahnayaka , Singh Krishna Ravi , Mane Manoj V. , Sheela Kalleshappa , Sharath Kalleshappa , Sadashiva Maralinganadoddi P.
Published: February 2025

Herein, we report highly efficient and base-promoted approaches for the diversity-oriented synthesis of 2,5- and 4,5-disubstituted thiazoles using alkyl 2-(methylthio)-2-thioxoacetates as synthetic precursors.
Innovative TiO2/ZnO-organoselenium composites with diselenide linkages for enhanced anticancer efficacy
Authors: Khalaf Mai M. , Shaaban Saad , Abd El-Lateef Hany M. , Althikrallah Hanan A. , Mohamed Ibrahim M. A. , Sharaky Marwa , Bakir Esam M. , Alabdali Aya Yaseen Mahmood , Al-Karmalawy Ahmed A.
Published: February 2025

TiO2/ZnO-organoselenium composites with diselenide linkages endowed with antimicrobial and anticancer potential.
Ag@NiO/g-C3N4 nanocomposite: an efficient and high-performance electrochemical sensor for acetaminophen detection
Authors: Narayanan Kanagaraj , Senthil Murugan Krishnan , Natarajan Thillai Sivakumar
Published: February 2025

An efficient and highly sensitive Ag@NiO/g-C3N4 nanocomposite sensor is synthesized through a simple sol–gel ultrasonic treatment process for the detection of acetaminophen.
Innovative molecular design of bridged biphenyls for calamitic nematic liquid crystals with extensive π-conjugated mesogens
Authors: Shimomura Yoshimichi , Iida Yuuto , Tsurumaki Eiji , Konishi Gen-ichi
Published: February 2025

Bridged biphenyl skeleton, which has alkylene seven-membered structure, is a novel molecular design for calamitic low-temperature nematic liquid crystals with large π-conjugated mesogens.
Beyond diffusion: ion and electron migration contribute to charge transport in redox-conducting metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Johnson Ben A. , Castner Ashleigh T. , Agarwala Hemlata , Ott Sascha
Published: February 2025

Restricted ion transport in redox conducting MOFs generates electric fields that enhance electron hopping rates, revealing that charge transport involves mechanisms beyond simple diffusion.
Microbubble synthesis of hybridised bacterial cellulose–gelatin separators for multifunctional supercapacitors
Authors: Chaichana Surachai , Iamprasertkun Pawin , Sawangphruk Montree , Rubio Noelia , Sirisinudomkit Pichamon
Published: February 2025

This study introduces durable hybridised bacterial cellulose–gelatin separators synthesised via a facile microbubble process, offering enhanced electrochemical performance for innovative energy storage applications.