bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recommendations for the training and practice of fetal cardiology from the Association of European Paediatric Cardiology
Authors: Dangel Joanna H. , Clur Sally-Ann , Sharland Gurleen , Herberg Ulrike
Published: November 2024

Prenatal detection of cardiac abnormalities has increased significantly over the past few decades, such that fetal cardiology has developed into a sub-specialty of paediatric and congenital cardiology. As this speciality develops further and extends across Europe and more globally, it is important to standardize the requirements for training and subsequent practice, to optimize prenatal diagnosis and perinatal care. In addition to the knowledge and technical skills required to make a correct diagnosis, the counseling of families after diagnosis and the planning of appropriate perinatal management is equally important. The aim of these recommendations is to provide a framework for both basic and advanced training for paediatric cardiologists wishing to practice as fetal cardiologists, as well as highlighting requisites for a fetal cardiology service. All aspects regarding training in fetal cardiology and service provision are addressed including diagnosis, counseling and management.
Prevalence of major depression, suicidal ideation, and mental health treatment among cancer survivors
Authors: Ye Linda , Ladbury Colton , Tam Andrew , Eustace Nicholas , Wakabayashi Lauren , Vermeersch Jacob , Salman Jaroslava , Sun Virginia , Li Rose , Sampath Sagus , Amini Arya
Published: November 2024

Objectives

Cancer diagnosis and treatment can result in a significant psychological burden. This study sought to investigate the prevalence of major depression, associated treatments, and suicidal ideation in cancer survivors compared to a non-cancer cohort.

Methods

This is a retrospective, population-based study using survey responses from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health collected from January 2015 to December 2019. Survey data sets were queried for all respondents who provided a cancer history. Respondents with a reported history of cancer (“cancer survivors”) were further stratified by whether they reported a “recent” cancer diagnosis within the past 12 months. Survey responses were evaluated for recent diagnoses of and treatments for major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation.

Results

Among the 212,411 survey respondents identified, 7,635 (3.6%) reported a cancer history, with 1,486 (0.7%) reporting a recent cancer history. There were no differences in prevalence of major depression between cancer survivors and participants without cancer (9.3% vs 9.2%, p = 0.762), though the prevalence was slightly higher among recent cancer survivors (10.0% vs 9.2%, p = 0.259). Among respondents diagnosed with major depression, cancer survivors were significantly more likely to receive treatment for depression (78.6% vs 60.3%, p < 0.001). Suicidal ideation was significantly lower among cancer survivors (5.1% vs 6.2%, p < 0.001) including recent survivors (5.0% vs 6.2%, p < 0.001).

Significance of results

There was no overall difference in the prevalence of major depression between cancer survivors and respondents without cancer. Survivors with major depression were more likely to receive treatments. Prevalence of major depression was higher in recent cancer survivors.
A Spatially‐Distributed Machine Learning Approach for Fractional Snow Covered Area Estimation
Authors: Mahanthege Shalini , Kleiber William , Rittger Karl , Rajagopalan Balaji , Brodzik Mary J. , Bair Edward
Published: November 2024

Snowpack in mountainous areas often provides water storage for summer and fall, especially in the Western United States. In situ observations of snow properties in mountainous terrain are limited by cost and effort, impacting both temporal and spatial sampling, while remote sensing estimates provide more complete spacetime coverage. Spatial estimates of fractional snow covered area (fSCA) at 30m are available every 16 days from the series of multispectral scanning instruments on Landsat platforms. Daily estimates at 463m spatial resolution are also available from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the Terra satellite. Fusing Landsat and MODIS fSCA images creates high resolution daily spatial estimates of fSCA that are needed for various uses: to support scientists and managers interested in energy and water budgets for water resources and to understand the movement of animals in a changing climate. Here, we propose a new machine learning approach conditioned on MODIS fSCA, as well as a set of physiographic features, and fit to Landsat fSCA over a portion of the Sierra Nevada USA. The predictions are daily 30m fSCA. The approach relies on two stages of spatially‐varying models. The first classifies fSCA into three categories and the second yields estimates within (0, 100) percent fSCA. Separate models are applied and fitted within sub‐regions of the study domain. Compared with a recently‐published machine learning model (Rittger, Krock, et al., 2021), this approach uses spatially local (rather than global) random forests, and improves the classification error of fSCA by 16%, and fractionally‐covered pixel estimates by 18%.
Centennial-Scale Jumps in CO2 Driven by Earth’s Tilt
Authors: Kornei Katherine
Published: November 2024

Antarctic ice records uncovered seven previously unknown jumps in atmospheric carbon dioxide. These events may have been driven by changes in Earth’s tilt.
fluxfinder: An R Package for Reproducible Calculation and Initial Processing of Greenhouse Gas Fluxes From Static Chamber Measurements
Authors: Wilson Stephanie J. , Bond‐Lamberty Ben , Noyce Genevieve , Bittencourt Peixoto Roberta , Megonigal J. Patrick
Published: November 2024

Fluxes of greenhouse gases are a critical component of the earth's natural climate, but anthropogenic emissions have created an imbalance and resulted in global climate change. Quantifying the emission of these gases is vital to our understanding of their sources and sinks, both natural and anthropogenic. The static chamber method, in which a system of interest is enclosed, and gas concentrations are measured over time, is widely used to estimate fluxes of greenhouse gases. With the development of instruments such as infrared gas analyzers (IRGAs) supporting high‐frequency concentration data, there is a growing need for open‐source workflows to calculate fluxes. Here we present fluxfinder, an R package designed to support reproducible calculations and processing of greenhouse gas fluxes measured with the static chamber method. The package includes raw data file parsing from widely used IRGAs, metadata matching, unit conversion, flux estimations, and initial quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC). Diagnostic graphical plots provide a transparent way to differentiate between measurement issues and nonlinear behavior. The package is also designed to be easily integrated with the gasfluxes package for further fitting of nonlinear concentration‐time models, allowing alternative or additional flux QA/QC. The fluxfinder package offers a flexible workflow that is easily adaptable to promote open and reproducible greenhouse gas flux estimations.
Nuclear EGFR in breast cancer suppresses NK cell recruitment and cytotoxicity
Authors: Escoto Angelica , Hecksel Ryan , Parkinson Chance , Crane Sara , Atwell Benjamin , King Shyanne , Ortiz Chavez Daniela , Jannuzi Alison , Sands Barbara , Bitler Benjamin G. , Fehniger Todd A. , Paek Andrew L. , Padi Megha , Schroeder Joyce
Published: November 2024

Natural Killer (NK) cells can target and destroy cancer cells, yet tumor microenvironments typically suppress NK cell recruitment and cytotoxicity. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a potent oncogene that can activate survival, migration, and proliferation pathways, and clinical data suggests it may also play an immunomodulating role in cancers. Recent work has demonstrated a novel role for nuclear EGFR (nEGFR) in regulating transcriptional events unique from the kinase domain. Using a novel peptide therapeutic (cSNX1.3) that inhibits retrograde trafficking of EGFR and an EGFR nuclear localization mutant, we discovered that nEGFR suppresses NK cell recruitment and cytotoxicity. RNA-Seq analysis of breast cancer cells treated with cSNX1.3 or modified to lack a nuclear localization sequence (EGFRΔNLS) revealed the EGF-dependent induction of NK activating receptor ligands, while kinase inhibition by erlotinib did not impact these genes. NanoString analysis of tumor-bearing WAP-TGFα transgenic mice treated with cSNX1.3 demonstrated an increase in immune cell populations and activating genes. Additionally, immunohistochemistry confirmed an increase in NK cells upon cSNX1.3 treatment. Finally, cSNX1.3 treatment was found to enhance NK cell recruitment and cytotoxicity in vitro. Together, the data demonstrate a unique immunomodulatory role for nEGFR.
Re-evaluating our focus in addiction: emotional dysregulation is a critical driver of relapse to drug use
Authors: Hand Lexi J. , Paterson Louise M. , Lingford-Hughes Anne R.
Published: November 2024

Most addiction research has focused on reward- and impulsivity-related neurocircuitry. However, the impact of the withdrawal/negative affect stage in the addiction cycle has been somewhat overlooked, despite it being commonly evident in the clinic. This stage crucially drives negative reinforcement of repeated drug use and relapse, yet less is known about its neural underpinnings. How negative emotional processing is dysregulated in substance dependence is incompletely understood and may manifest differentially across the types of substances. In turn, the regions involved in negative emotional processing may show different patterns of dysregulation. Understanding how neurocircuitry involved in negative states differs across various substances may help inform new targets for treatments. Following a comprehensive literature search of studies examining negative emotional processing in substance dependence, a quantitative approach was deemed inappropriate. Instead, we employed a narrative approach to exploring neural responses to tasks involving emotional processing in alcohol, cocaine, opioid and cannabis dependence. Regions that were found to be dysregulated included the amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortex. However, patterns of reactivity differed across alcohol, cocaine, opioid and cannabis dependence. Brain activation in alcohol dependence broadly appeared blunted in response to negative affective stimuli and emotional faces, whilst conversely appeared heightened in cocaine dependence. In opioid dependence, the amygdala was consistently implicated, whilst the insula, anterior cingulate, and medial prefrontal cortex were implicated in cannabis dependence. However, there was wide variability amongst the studies, with very few studies investigating opioid and cannabis dependence. These findings suggest emotional dysregulation varies according to the type of substance dependence. However, the variability in findings and lack of studies highlights the need for more research in this area. Further characterisation of emotional dysregulation in substance dependence will enable identification of treatment targets. More targeted treatments that modulate negative emotional processing could substantially improve outcomes by aiding relapse prevention.
Impact of lenalidomide-bortezomib-dexamethasone induction on patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma and renal impairment: Results from the Connect® MM Registry
Authors: Ailawadhi Sikander , Lee Hans C. , Omel James , Toomey Kathleen , Hardin James W. , Gasparetto Cristina J. , Jagannath Sundar , Rifkin Robert M. , Durie Brian G. M. , Narang Mohit , Terebelo Howard R. , Joshi Prashant , Jou Ying-Ming , Mouro Jorge , Yu Edward , Abonour Rafat
Published: November 2024

Limited data exist on the effects of induction treatment in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) and renal impairment (RI), who may also be ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant. This analysis investigated the impact of lenalidomide-bortezomib-dexamethasone (RVd) induction on renal function in patients from the Connect® MM Registry based on transplant status. Eligible patients were aged ≥18 years with symptomatic MM diagnosed ≤2 months before enrollment. Patients in this analysis received front-line RVd for ≥3 cycles and were grouped by transplant status and baseline renal function. As of August 4, 2021, 344 transplanted and 289 non-transplanted patients had received RVd for ≥3 cycles at induction. Improved renal function was observed at 3, 6, and 12 months in patients with all severities of RI at baseline. In patients with >60 and ≤60 creatinine clearance mL/min at baseline, median progression-free survival was 49.4 months and 47.6 months in transplanted patients and 35.7 months and 29.1 months in non-transplanted patients, respectively. These results provide real-world evidence that patients with NDMM and RI who receive front-line RVd for ≥3 cycles may have improved renal function regardless of transplant status, with renal function no longer affecting the long-term outcome. Clinical trial information: NCT01081028.
Combined metformin and simvastatin therapy inhibits SREBP2 maturation and alters energy metabolism in glioma
Authors: Qiao Xiaolong , Wang Zixuan , Chen Yinan , Peng Nan , Zhang Hongwei , Niu Chaoshi , Cheng Chuandong
Published: November 2024

This study aims to explore the inhibitory effects of combined metformin and simvastatin therapy on the malignant progression of glioma. The research specifically examines how the maturation of SREBP2 as a transcription factor affects the expression of GLUT1 and GLUT6 in glioma cells. Additionally, it investigates the impact of this combination therapy on the biological functions and energy metabolism of glioma cells. To assess the functions of GLUT1/6, sh-GLUT1/6 plasmids were employed. The study determined the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of metformin and simvastatin using the CCK-8 assay. Subsequently, the effects of these drugs on glioma metabolism, proliferation, and apoptosis were explored in vitro and in vivo, using drug concentrations significantly lower than their respective IC50 values. The impact of drug treatment on GLUT1/6 and SREBP2 expression levels was also evaluated. The study elucidated the significant impact of GLUT1/6 on glioma cell functions, resulting in decreased glucose uptake. Moreover, it unveiled the regulatory role of SREBP2 in GLUT1 and GLUT6 transcription, alongside revealing differential expression of SREBP2 precursor and mature forms within gliomas. Following combined drug therapy, GLUT1/6 expression decreased, while the precursor form of SREBP2 increased, and mature SREBP2 reduced. This dual-drug treatment effectively modulated glioma cell energy metabolism. Subsequent in vivo experiments affirmed the augmented anti-tumor efficacy of combined drug therapy. Specifically, the synergistic action of metformin and simvastatin reshaped glioma metabolism, curbed malignant proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and demonstrated superior anti-tumor effects both in vitro and in vivo compared to individual administration of metformin or simvastatin. Importantly, the combination therapy achieved these effects at lower doses, rendering it a safer treatment option.
Multiplexed expansion revealing for imaging multiprotein nanostructures in healthy and diseased brain
Authors: Kang Jinyoung , Schroeder Margaret E. , Lee Youngmi , Kapoor Chaitanya , Yu Eunah , Tarr Tyler B. , Titterton Kat , Zeng Menglong , Park Demian , Niederst Emily , Wei Donglai , Feng Guoping , Boyden Edward S.
Published: November 2024

Proteins work together in nanostructures in many physiological contexts and disease states. We recently developed expansion revealing (ExR), which expands proteins away from each other, in order to support better labeling with antibody tags and nanoscale imaging on conventional microscopes. Here, we report multiplexed expansion revealing (multiExR), which enables high-fidelity antibody visualization of >20 proteins in the same specimen, over serial rounds of staining and imaging. Across all datasets examined, multiExR exhibits a median round-to-round registration error of 39 nm, with a median registration error of 25 nm when the most stringent form of the protocol is used. We precisely map 23 proteins in the brain of 5xFAD Alzheimer’s model mice, and find reductions in synaptic protein cluster volume, and co-localization of specific AMPA receptor subunits with amyloid-beta nanoclusters. We visualize 20 synaptic proteins in specimens of mouse primary somatosensory cortex. multiExR may be of broad use in analyzing how different kinds of protein are organized amidst normal and pathological processes in biology.
A unique symbiosome in an anaerobic single-celled eukaryote
Authors: Jerlström-Hultqvist Jon , Gallot-Lavallée Lucie , Salas-Leiva Dayana E. , Curtis Bruce A. , Záhonová Kristína , Čepička Ivan , Stairs Courtney W. , Pipaliya Shweta , Dacks Joel B. , Archibald John M. , Roger Andrew J.
Published: November 2024

Symbiotic relationships between eukaryotes and prokaryotes played pivotal roles in the evolution of life and drove the emergence of specialized symbiotic structures in animals, plants and fungi. The host-evolved symbiotic structures of microbial eukaryotes – the vast majority of such hosts in nature – remain largely unstudied. Here we describe highly structured symbiosomes within three free-living anaerobic protists (Anaeramoeba spp.). We dissect this symbiosis using complete genome sequencing and transcriptomics of host and symbiont cells coupled with fluorescence in situ hybridization, and 3D reconstruction using focused-ion-beam scanning electron microscopy. The emergence of the symbiosome is underpinned by expansion of gene families encoding regulators of membrane trafficking and phagosomal maturation and extensive bacteria-to-eukaryote lateral transfer. The symbionts reside deep within a symbiosomal membrane network that enables metabolic syntrophy by precisely positioning sulfate-reducing bacteria alongside host hydrogenosomes. Importantly, the symbionts maintain connections to the Anaeramoeba plasma membrane, blurring traditional boundaries between ecto- and endosymbiosis.
Turning mine-tailing streams into sources of water and mineral salts in a membrane-sustained circular scenario
Authors: Fontananova Enrica , Pantuso Elvira , Donato Laura , Esposito Elisa , Rizzi Rosanna , Caliandro Rocco , Di Profio Gianluca
Published: November 2024

The discharge of wastewater from the mining industry has a critical ecological impact, potentially endangering both soil and marine ecosystems. Alternatively, recovering pure water and valuable materials from these hypersaline streams through a technologically efficient process, would help reduce the ecological impact of the waste, while providing a viable supply chain for raw materials such as magnesium, potassium and others, considered critical to the economy. In this context, this work aimed to simultaneously recover pure water and mineral salts from mine wastewater by membrane-assisted crystallization (MAC). A prior theoretical study based on thermodynamic parameters attempted to predict salts precipitation at different temperatures. MAC tests were then performed at specific thermal gradients and feed pretreatment conditions, achieving preferential precipitation of solids products of different composition containing large quantities of Ca or Mg/K minerals from the real mine tailing wastewater. The experiments also demonstrated the central impact of heterogeneous nucleation effects.
The anomalous state of Uranus’s magnetosphere during the Voyager 2 flyby
Authors: Jasinski Jamie M. , Cochrane Corey J. , Jia Xianzhe , Dunn William R. , Roussos Elias , Nordheim Tom A. , Regoli Leonardo H. , Achilleos Nick , Krupp Norbert , Murphy Neil
Published: November 2024

The Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus in 1986 revealed an unusually oblique and off-centred magnetic field. This single in situ measurement has been the basis of our interpretation of Uranus’s magnetosphere as the canonical extreme magnetosphere of the solar system; with inexplicably intense electron radiation belts and a severely plasma-depleted magnetosphere. However, the role of external forcing by the solar wind has rarely been considered in explaining these observations. Here we revisit the Voyager 2 dataset to show that Voyager 2 observed Uranus’s magnetosphere in an anomalous, compressed state that we estimate to be present less than 5% of the time. If the spacecraft had arrived only a few days earlier, the upstream solar wind dynamic pressure would have been ~20 times lower, resulting in a dramatically different magnetospheric configuration. We postulate that such a compression of the magnetosphere could increase energetic electron fluxes within the radiation belts and empty the magnetosphere of its plasma temporarily. Therefore, the interpretation of Uranus’s magnetosphere as being extreme may simply be a product of a flyby that occurred under extreme upstream solar wind conditions.
Estimated human-induced warming from a linear temperature and atmospheric CO2 relationship
Authors: Jarvis Andrew , Forster Piers M.
Published: November 2024

Assessing compliance with the human-induced warming goal in the Paris Agreement requires transparent, robust and timely metrics. Linearity between increases in atmospheric CO2 and temperature offers a framework that appears to satisfy these criteria, producing human-induced warming estimates that are at least 30% more certain than alternative methods. Here, for 2023, we estimate humans have caused a global increase of 1.49 ± 0.11 °C relative to a pre-1700 baseline.
TRBC1-CAR T cell therapy in peripheral T cell lymphoma: a phase 1/2 trial
Authors: Cwynarski Kate , Iacoboni Gloria , Tholouli Eleni , Menne Tobias , Irvine David A. , Balasubramaniam Nivetha , Wood Leigh , Shang Justin , Xue Eric , Zhang Yiyun , Basilico Silvia , Neves Margarida , Raymond Meera , Scott Ian , El-Kholy Mohamed , Jha Ram , Dainton-Smith Heather , Hussain Rehan , Day William , Ferrari Mathieu , Thomas Simon , Lilova Koki , Brugger Wolfram , Marafioti Teresa , Lao-Sirieix Pierre , Maciocia Paul , Pule Martin
Published: November 2024

Relapsed/refractory peripheral T cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis. Unlike B cell lymphomas, treatment of PTCL has not benefited from advances in immunotherapy. This is largely due to a lack of suitable target antigens that discriminate malignant from normal T cells, thus avoiding severe immunosuppression consequent to depletion of the entire T cell compartment. We recently described a targeting strategy based on the mutually exclusive expression of T cell antigen receptor beta-chain constant domain (TRBC) 1 and 2. Selective targeting of the T cell antigen receptor beta-chain expressed by the (clonal) malignancy spares normal T cells expressing the other chain. The LibraT1 study is an ongoing, multicenter, international, single-arm phase 1/2 study of TRBC1-directed autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells (AUTO4) in relapsed/refractory TRBC1-positive PTCL. Primary objectives were assessment of safety and tolerability of AUTO4 infusion. Key secondary endpoints included efficacy, CAR T cell expansion and persistence. Here we describe the findings from dose escalation in LibraT1 in the first ten patients, in a non-prespecified interim analysis. AUTO4 resulted in low frequency of severe immunotoxicity, with one of ten patients developing grade 3 cytokine release syndrome. Complete metabolic response was observed in four of ten evaluable patients, with remissions being durable beyond 1 year in two patients. While an absence of circulating CAR T cells was observed, CAR T cells were readily detected in lymph node biopsy samples from sites of original disease suggesting homing to tumor sites. These results support the continuing exploration of TRBC1 targeting in PTCL. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT03590574.
Salbutamol attenuates arrhythmogenic effect of aminophylline in a hPSC-derived cardiac model
Authors: Kabanov Daniil , Vrana Klimovic Simon , Beckerová Deborah , Molcan Martin , Scurek Martin , Brat Kristian , Bebarova Marketa , Rotrekl Vladimir , Pribyl Jan , Pesl Martin
Published: November 2024

The combination of aminophylline and salbutamol is frequently used in clinical practice in the treatment of obstructive lung diseases. While the side effects (including arrhythmias) of the individual bronchodilator drugs were well described previously, the side effects of combined treatment are almost unknown. We aimed to study the arrhythmogenic potential of combined aminophylline and salbutamol treatment in vitro. For this purpose, we used the established atomic force microscopy (AFM) model coupled with cardiac organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC-CMs). We focused on the chronotropic, inotropic, and arrhythmogenic effects of salbutamol alone and aminophylline and salbutamol combined treatment. We used a method based on heart rate/beat rate variability (HRV/BRV) analysis to detect arrhythmic events in the hPSC-CM based AFM recordings. Salbutamol and aminophylline had a synergistic chronotropic and inotropic effect compared to the effects of monotherapy. Our main finding was that salbutamol reduced the arrhythmogenic effect of aminophylline, most likely mediated by endothelial nitric oxide synthase activated by beta-2 adrenergic receptors. These findings were replicated and confirmed using hPSC-CM derived from two cell lines (CCTL4 and CCTL12). Data suggest that salbutamol as an add-on therapy may not only deliver a bronchodilator effect but also increase the cardiovascular safety of aminophylline, as salbutamol reduces its arrhythmogenic potential.
Aggregate morphing of self-aligning soft active disks in semi-confined geometry
Authors: Chugh Anshika , Karmakar Soumen De , Ganesh Rajaraman
Published: November 2024

We study the dependence of alignment and confinement on the aggregate morphology of self-aligning soft disks(particles) in a planer box (two dimensional) geometry confined along y direction using Langevin dynamics simulations. We show that when the box width decreases, the aggregate wall accumulation becomes non-uniform and displays non-monotonic behaviour in terms of phase behavior and height of these aggregates with an increase in alignment strength. Additionally, we identify two distinct categories of wall aggregates: layered and non-layered structures each exhibiting distinct local structural properties. For non-layered structures, local speed of the particles stay nearly constant as we move away from the boundary, while for layered structures, it increases with distance from the boundary. Our analysis shows that active pressure difference is a useful indicator for different aggregate morphologies and the peaks in the pressure curve are indicative of the average and minimum height of the structure.
Mitigating coherent loss in superconducting circuits using molecular self-assembled monolayers
Authors: Alghadeer Mohammed , Banerjee Archan , Lee Kyunghoon , Hussein Hussein , Fariborzi Hossein , Rao Saleem
Published: November 2024

In planar superconducting circuits, decoherence due to materials imperfections, especially two-level-system (TLS) defects at different interfaces, is a primary hurdle for advancing quantum computing and sensing applications. Traditional methods for mitigating TLS loss, such as etching oxide layers at metal and substrate interfaces, have proven to be inadequate due to the persistent challenge of oxide regrowth. In this work, we introduce a novel approach that employs molecular self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to chemically bind at different interfaces of superconducting circuits. This technique is specifically tested here on coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators, in which this method not only impedes oxide regrowth after surface etching but can also tailors the dielectric properties at different resonators interfaces. The deployment of SAMs results in a consistent improvement in the measured quality factors across multiple resonators, surpassing those with only oxide-etched resonators. The efficiency of our approach is supported by microwave measurements of multiple devices conducted at millikelvin temperatures and correlated with detailed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations of SAM-passivated resonators. The compatibility of SAMs materials with the established fabrication techniques offers a promising route to improve the performance of superconducting quantum devices.
Strength and timing of austral winter Angolan coastal upwelling
Authors: Körner Mareike , Brandt Peter , Dengler Marcus
Published: November 2024

The tropical Angolan upwelling system (tAUS) is a highly productive ecosystem of great socio-economic importance. Productivity peaks in austral winter and is linked to the passage of remotely forced upwelling coastal trapped waves (CTWs), where the strength of the productivity peak is associated with the amplitude of the upwelling CTW. Here, we analyze the year-to-year variability in the timing and amplitude of the austral winter upwelling CTW by examining sea surface temperature, sea level anomaly, and wind fields. Our results show that the timing of the CTW is influenced by variability in the equatorial region and along the southern African coast. Weaker equatorial easterlies from April to July delay the generation of the upwelling Kelvin wave, leading to a later arrival of the upwelling CTW. In contrast, the amplitude of the CTW is primarily influenced by variability in the eastern equatorial Atlantic and the central South Atlantic, where the South Atlantic Anticyclone is located. A cooling in the eastern equatorial Atlantic three to four months before the arrival of the CTW causes stronger zonal winds, ultimately leading to a stronger austral winter upwelling CTW. Our results suggest that the timing and amplitude of the upwelling CTW in the tAUS during austral winter are predictable on seasonal time scales.
Instrumentation prospects for rocky exoplanet atmospheres studies with high resolution spectroscopy
Authors: Rukdee Surangkhana
Published: November 2024

Studying the atmospheres of exoplanets is one of the most promising ways to learn about distant worlds beyond our solar system. The composition of an exoplanet’s atmosphere can provide critical insights into its geology and potential habitability. For instance, the presence of certain molecules such as water vapor, oxygen, or methane have been proposed to indicate the possibility of life. From an observation point of view, over the past fifteen years, significant progress has been made in characterizing exoplanetary atmospheres. This work reviews recent developments in ground-based high-resolution spectroscopic instruments that make it possible to analyze distant atmospheres in great detail. High-resolution transmission spectroscopy, one of the most effective methods used, has examined the atmospheres of Jupiter-like and is pushing towards the smaller, sub-Neptunian exoplanets. Numerous molecules have been detected using this technique, including $$\mathrm {CO, H_2O, TiO, HCN, CH_4, NH_3, C_2H_2, OH}$$

CO
,

H
2

O
,
TiO
,
HCN
,

CH
4

,

NH
3

,

C
2

H
2

,
OH

. We explore the intriguing possibilities that lie ahead for future ground-based instrumentation, particularly in the context of detecting biologically relevant molecules within Earth-analog exoplanetary atmospheres including molecular oxygen ($$\mathrm {O_2}$$

O
2

). With detailed exposure time calculations for detecting $$\mathrm {O_2}$$

O
2

we find that at the same exposure time spectral resolution of 300,000 reaches higher significance compared to 100,000. The exposure time and therefore the needed number of transits is reduced by a factor of 4 in challenging haze and cloud scenarios.
Effect of dietary Anabaena supplementation on nutrient utilization, metabolism and oxidative stress response in Catla catla fingerlings
Authors: Mule S. R. , Singh Dilip Kumar , Prakash Patekar , Narsale Swapnil Ananda , Aklakur M. D. , Sardar Parimal , Biswas Gouranga , Sahoo Sujata , Jayant Manish , Mishra Samikshya
Published: November 2024

A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary Anabaena blue-green algae (ABGA) meal on the growth performance, digestibility, and physio-metabolic responses of Catla catla fingerlings (initial average weight 9.45 ± 0.15 g). Six iso-nitrogenous (30% crude protein) and iso-caloric (378.09 Kcal. digestible energy/100 g) diets were formulated: a control diet (A0, 0% ABGA) and five experimental diets with varying ABGA inclusion levels (A3: 3%, A6: 6%, A9: 9%, A12: 12%, A15: 15%). The results demonstrated that there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in percentage weight gain (PWG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) among the experimental groups. Additionally, dietary ABGA did not significantly affect (P > 0.05) body carcass composition among different groups. However, amylase activity significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the A12 and A15 fed groups, whereas lipase and protease activities remained insignificant (P > 0.05) across all groups. Notably, oxidative stress responses (SOD; superoxide dismutase and CAT; catalase), carbohydrate metabolic enzymes (LDH; lactate dehydrogenase and MDH; malate dehydrogenase), and serum glucose levels increased significantly (P < 0.05) with higher ABGA inclusion. Conversely, serum albumin content significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in the ABGA-fed groups. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) observed in serum total protein, albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities among the experimental groups. Hematological parameters revealed that RBC (red blood cell) count, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, and packed cell volume (PCV) significantly decreased (P < 0.05), while WBC (white blood cell) count significantly (P < 0.05) increased with higher dietary ABGA inclusion. In conclusion, the inclusion of dietary ABGA up to 15% did not impair nutrient utilization and supported normal growth performance in C. catla fingerlings. However, higher inclusion levels may have a detrimental effect on their growth, nutrient utilization, and physio-metabolic responses.
Dealing with adverse drug reactions in the context of polypharmacy using regression models
Authors: Sommer Jakob , Viviani Roberto , Wozniak Justyna , Stingl Julia C. , Just Katja S.
Published: November 2024

Polypharmacy in older adults increases the risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), but studying this relationship is complex. In real-world data, the high number of medications, coupled with rare drug combinations, results in high-dimensional datasets that are difficult to analyze using conventional statistical methods. This study applies horseshoe and lasso regression for analyzing rare events in polypharmacy contexts, focusing on severe ADRs such as falls and bleedings. These regression models are executed on a multi-center dataset compiling 7175 cases from the ADRED project to detect potential ADR-associated drugs among 100 most common drugs in emergency department admissions. Positive predictors are classified by using 50% and 90% credibility intervals. This study demonstrates that regression models with horseshoe or lasso priors are effective for analyzing ADRs, providing a comprehensive consideration of multiple factors in large, sparse datasets and improving signal detection in polypharmacy, addressing a significant challenge in pharmacovigilance. Both priors yielded consistent and clinically meaningful results. The horseshoe regression resulted in fewer potential positive predictors overall, which could make it suitable as a diagnostic tool. While these regressions generate valuable information, there are still challenges in setting appropriate thresholds for determining and interpreting the positive results.
Educational boundaries explain strength and variation in global fertility convergence
Authors: Wu Hanbo , Pesando Luca Maria
Published: November 2024

This paper shows that the level and timing of fertility are converging strongly over different measures of educational attainment using 65 years of data from 146 countries. Global convergence patterns are primarily driven by high-income societies, while sub-Saharan Africa is the world region that is converging most slowly, if not converging at all. Most importantly, levels of education matter heavily for explaining strength and variation in global fertility convergence, with two intersecting educational gradients suggesting: (i) stronger convergence over tertiary education followed, in turn, by secondary and primary; (ii) stronger convergence over education completed relative to education attended. Our findings provide important insights for addressing key challenges in global development and demography, and for informing policymakers as they evaluate the suitability of specific educational policies aimed at further narrowing inequalities between societies—such as supporting higher education as well as the successful completion of targeted educational cycles.
Nonlinear time series analysis of state-wise COVID-19 in Malaysia using wavelet and persistent homology
Authors: Phang Piau , Ling Carey Yu-Fan , Liew Siaw-Hong , Razak Fatimah Abdul , Wiwatanapataphee Benchawan
Published: November 2024

The nonlinear progression of COVID-19 positive cases, their fluctuations, the correlations in amplitudes and phases across different regions, along with seasonality or periodicity, pose challenges to thoroughly examining the data for revealing similarities or detecting anomalous trajectories. To address this, we conducted a nonlinear time series analysis combining wavelet and persistent homology to detect the qualitative properties underlying COVID-19 daily infection numbers at the state level from the pandemic’s onset to June 2024 in Malaysia. The first phase involved investigating the evolution of daily confirmed cases by state in the time-frequency domain using wavelets. Subsequently, a topological feature-based time series clustering is performed by reconstructing a higher-dimensional phase space through a delay embedding method. Our findings reveal a prominent 7-day periodicity in case numbers from mid-2021 to the end of 2022. The state-wise daily cases are moderately correlated in both amplitudes and phases during the Delta and Omicron waves. Biweekly averaged data significantly enhances the detection of topological loops associated with these waves. Selangor demonstrates unique case trajectories, while Pahang shows the highest similarity with other states. This methodological framework provides a more detailed understanding of epidemiological time series data, offering valuable insights for preparing for future public health crises.
Bacteriophage-related epigenetic natural and non-natural pyrimidine nucleotides and their influence on transcription with T7 RNA polymerase
Authors: Gracias Filip , Pohl Radek , Sýkorová Veronika , Hocek Michal
Published: November 2024

DNA modifications on pyrimidine nucleobases play diverse roles in biology such as protection of bacteriophage DNA from enzymatic cleavage, however, their role in the regulation of transcription is underexplored. We have designed and synthesized a series of uracil 2ʹ-deoxyribonucleosides and 5ʹ-O-triphosphates (dNTPs) bearing diverse modifications at position 5 of nucleobase, including natural nucleotides occurring in bacteriophages, α-putrescinylthymine, α-glutaminylthymine, 5-dihydroxypentyluracil, and methylated or non-methylated 5-aminomethyluracil, and non-natural 5-sulfanylmethyl- and 5-cyanomethyluracil. The dNTPs bearing basic substituents were moderate to poor substrates for DNA polymerases, but still useful in primer extension synthesis of modified DNA. Together with previously reported epigenetic pyrimidine nucleotides, they were used for the synthesis of diverse DNA templates containing a T7 promoter modified in the sense, antisense or in both strands. A systematic study of the in vitro transcription with T7 RNA polymerase showed a moderate positive effect of most of the uracil modifications in the non-template strand and some either positive or negative influence of modifications in the template strand. The most interesting modification was the non-natural 5-cyanomethyluracil which showed significant positive effect in transcription.
MassiveFold: unveiling AlphaFold’s hidden potential with optimized and parallelized massive sampling
Authors: Raouraoua Nessim , Mirabello Claudio , Véry Thibaut , Blanchet Christophe , Wallner Björn , Lensink Marc F. , Brysbaert Guillaume
Published: November 2024

Massive sampling in AlphaFold enables access to increased structural diversity. In combination with its efficient confidence ranking, this unlocks elevated modeling capabilities for monomeric structures and foremost for protein assemblies. However, the approach struggles with GPU cost and data storage. Here we introduce MassiveFold, an optimized and customizable version of AlphaFold that runs predictions in parallel, reducing the computing time from several months to hours. MassiveFold is scalable and able to run on anything from a single computer to a large GPU infrastructure, where it can fully benefit from all the computing nodes.
Experience-driven development of decision-related representations in the auditory cortex
Authors: Kazanovich Itay , Itzhak Shir , Resnik Jennifer
Published: November 2024

Associating sensory stimuli with behavioral significance induces substantial changes in stimulus representations. Recent studies suggest that primary sensory cortices not only adjust representations of task-relevant stimuli, but actively participate in encoding features of the decision-making process. We sought to determine whether this trait is innate in sensory cortices or if choice representation develops with time and experience. To trace choice representation development, we perform chronic two-photon calcium imaging in the primary auditory cortex of head-fixed mice while they gain experience in a tone detection task with a delayed decision window. Our results reveal a progressive increase in choice-dependent activity within a specific subpopulation of neurons, aligning with growing task familiarity and adapting to changing task rules. Furthermore, task experience correlates with heightened synchronized activity in these populations and the ability to differentiate between different types of behavioral decisions. Notably, the activity of this subpopulation accurately decodes the same action at different task phases. Our findings establish a dynamic restructuring of population activity in the auditory cortex to encode features of the decision-making process that develop over time and refines with experience.
Palmitoylation by ZDHHC4 inhibits TRPV1-mediated nociception
Authors: Zhang Youjing , Zhang Mengyu , Tang Cheng , Hu Junyan , Cheng Xufeng , Li Yang , Chen Zefeng , Yin Yuan , Xie Chang , Li Dongdong , Yao Jing
Published: November 2024

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a capsaicin-sensitive ion channel implicated in pain sensation. While TRPV1 potentiation in hyperalgesia development has been extensively investigated, its functional decline during pain relief remains largely unexplored. Here, by molecular, electrophysiological and in vivo evidence, we reveal that S-palmitoylation fine-tunes TRPV1 function by promoting its degradation via the lysosome pathway thereby facilitating inflammatory pain relief. The palmitoyl acyltransferase ZDHHC4 is identified to physically interact with TRPV1 and to catalyze S-palmitoylation at the cysteine residues C157, C362, C390, and C715 of the channel. Furthermore, we show that TRPV1 palmitoylation is counterbalanced by the depalmitoylase acyl-protein thioesterase 1 (APT1), thereby reinstating pain sensation. These findings provide important mechanistic insights into the relief phase of inflammatory pain.
Convenient in situ self-assembled formation of dual-functional Ag/MXene nanozymes for efficient chemiluminescence sensing
Authors: Zheng Xiangjuan , Shi Zhiying , Han Chun , Mu Hongyi , Cheng Shiyun , Yan Xiluan
Published: November 2024

MXenes are attracting increasing interest as a low-cost carrier for the development of nanozymes with enhanced peroxidase or oxidase-like activity.
A catalytic assembly triggered DNAzyme motor on spherical nucleic acids for sensitive small extracellular vesicle detection
Authors: Shi Xiaoying , Zhang Tingting , Zhu Shisheng , Ning Linhong , Cheng Heng , Yu Feng , Tian Shanshan
Published: November 2024

The expression levels of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are closely associated with several significant biological processes, which can be used as a crucial biomarker for cancer diagnosis, such as colorectal cancer.
Directed nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction
Authors: Nitta Yasuyuki , Nakashima Yusei , Sumimoto Michinori , Nishikata Takashi
Published: November 2024

In this study, we discovered a directed nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction, “directed SNAr (dSNAr),” in the reaction of ortho-iodobezamides and amine in the presence of pyridine.
Lipidic biomass as a renewable chemical building block for polymeric materials
Authors: Alarcon Rafael Turra , dos Santos Gabriel Iago , Gaglieri Caroline , de Moura Aniele , Cavalheiro Éder Tadeu Gomes , Bannach Gilbert
Published: November 2024

This work focused on renewable polymers derived from lipid compounds, including triacylglycerol, terpenes/terpenoids and rosin gum.
Bridging linker installation strategy in the engineering of copper(ii) complexes: activation of nitriles, efficient catalysts for the cyanosilylation of aldehydes
Authors: Gurbanov Atash V. , Mahmoudi Ghodrat , Zangrando Ennio , Zubkov Fedor I. , Hasanov Khudayar I. , Mahmudov Kamran T.
Published: November 2024

No trend was detected between the linker length and catalytic activity of bridged copper(ii)-arylhydrazone complexes in cyanosilylation of benzaldehyde with trimethylsilyl cyanide.
The local atomic distribution in tetragonal PZT
Authors: Niu Junyu , Li Chong , Xi Zengzhe
Published: November 2024

DFT and MC methods demonstrated that low colour symmetry type local atomic distributions have a unique intrinsic piezoelectricity in PZT due to the softening of phonon modes near MPB.
Theoretical insights into the vibrational spectra and chemical bonding of Ln(iii) complexes with a tripodal N4O3 ligand along the lanthanide series
Authors: Machado Francielle C. , Quintano Mateus , Santos-Jr Carlos V. , Carneiro Neto Albano N. , Kraka Elfi , Longo Ricardo L. , Moura Jr. Renaldo T.
Published: November 2024

This study provides new theoretical insights into the vibrational spectra of Ln(iii) complexes, along the lanthanide series by utilizing the LModeAGen protocol and integrating cutting-edge topological ideas.
Self-healing in dielectric capacitors: a universal method to computationally rate newly introduced energy storage designs
Authors: Andreeva Nadezhda A. , Chaban Vitaly V.
Published: November 2024

The soot composition and microscopic structure influence self-healing efficiency in metal film capacitors.
Bifunctional catalysts based on PdZn/ZnO and hierarchical zeolites in the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether from CO-rich syngas: influence of the support and the Zn/Pd molar ratio
Authors: Wang Bing , Da Roit Nicola , Zimmermann Michael , Boese Markus , Zevaco Thomas , Behrens Silke
Published: November 2024

Pd/Zn-nanoparticles were used as precursors to study the influence of the molar Zn/Pd ratio and hierarchical HZSM-5 zeolites in the syngas-to-dimethyl ether process.
Stable homogeneous silver(i) catalysts for the highly efficient cycloaddition of azides onto terminal alkynes in water
Authors: Kakavand Meysam , Kozakiewicz-Piekarz Anna , Neshat Abdollah
Published: November 2024

A new class of homogeneous silver(i) catalyst and its use in the Ag-ACC reaction is introduced. A remarkable high turnover is reached by the use of multimetallic silver(i)–Fe(ii) complexes.