bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dandelion Optimizer and Gold Rush Optimizer Algorithm-Based Optimization of Multilevel Inverters
Authors: Saglam Mustafa , Bektas Yasin , Karaman Omer Ali
Published: January 2024

With the increasing integration of renewable energy sources into distribution and transmission networks, the efficiency of cascade H-bridge multilevel inverters (MLIs) in power control applications has become increasingly significant for sustainable electricity generation. Traditionally, obtaining optimal switching angles of MLIs to minimize total harmonic distortion (THD) requires solving the selective harmonic elimination equations. To this end, this research aims to use two recently developed intelligent optimization algorithms, dandelion optimizer and gold rush optimizer, to solve this problem. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, an eleven-level cascaded H-bridge MLI (CHB-MLI) was considered in the study. Simulation results for different modulation indices were obtained, and the accuracy and solution quality were compared with genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithms. MATLAB/Simulink-based models were used to verify numerical computations, ensuring the reliability of the findings. This research contributes to the field by providing insights into obtaining optimal switching angles and minimizing THD in MLIs by applying intelligent optimization algorithms.
Outdoor learning across the early years in Australia: Inconsistencies, challenges, and recommendations
Authors: Frances Lisa , Quinn Frances , Elliott Sue , Bird Jo
Published: January 2024

In this article, we explore inconsistencies in the implementation of outdoor learning across Australian early years’ education. The benefits of outdoor learning justify regular employment of this pedagogical approach in both early childhood education and primary school settings. Early childhood education services provide daily outdoor learning opportunities as required by Australian national policy documents. However, Australian primary schools are not subject to such requirements and teachers often face challenges regarding outdoor learning, thus regular implementation in primary classes can be a low priority. As children in the year before school and the first year of school have similar learning and developmental needs, we argue that the benefits of outdoor learning should be available to all children across the early years. We also recommend regular outdoor learning in the first year of schooling to promote continuity as children transition from early childhood education to primary schools.
The application of exponential random graph models to collaboration networks in biomedical and health sciences: a review
Authors: Yu Fei , El-Zaatari Helal M. , Kosorok Michael R. , Carnegie Andrea , Dave Gaurav
Published: January 2024

Collaboration has become crucial in solving scientific problems in biomedical and health sciences. There is a growing interest in applying social network analysis to professional associations aiming to leverage expertise and resources for optimal synergy. As a set of computational and statistical methods for analyzing social networks, exponential random graph models (ERGMs) examine complex collaborative networks due to their uniqueness of allowing for non-independent variables in network modeling. This study took a review approach to collect and analyze ERGM applications in health sciences by following the protocol of a systematic review. We included a total of 30 studies. The bibliometric characteristics revealed significant authors, institutions, countries, funding agencies, and citation impact associated with the publications. In addition, we observed five types of ERGMs for network modeling (standard ERGM and its extensions—Bayesian ERGM, temporal ERGM, separable temporal ERGM, and multilevel ERGM). Most studies (80%) used the standard ERGM, which possesses only endogenous and exogenous variables examining either micro- (individual-based) or macro-level (organization-based) collaborations without exploring how the links between individuals and organizations contribute to the overall network structure. Our findings help researchers (a) understand the extant research landscape of ERGM applications in health sciences, (b) learn to control and predict connection occurrence in a collaborative network, and (c) better design ERGM-applied studies to examine complex relations and social system structure, which is native to professional collaborations.
Novelty Evaluation using Sentence Embedding Models in Open-ended Cocreative Problem-solving
Authors: Ul Haq Ijaz , Pifarré Manoli , Fraca Estibaliz
Published: January 2024

Collaborative creativity (cocreativity) is essential to generate original solutions for complex challenges faced in organisations. Effective cocreativity requires the orchestration of cognitive and social processes at a high level. Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques, specifically deep learning sentence embedding models, have emerged as valuable tools for evaluating creativity and providing feedback to improve the cocreation process. This paper examines the implications of sentence embedding models for evaluating the novelty of open-ended ideas generated within the context of real-life project-based learning. We report a case study research design involving twenty-five secondary students, where a cocreative process was developed to solve a complex, open-ended problem. The novelty of the co-generated ideas was evaluated using eight pre-trained sentence embedding models and compared with experts’ evaluations. Correlation and regression analyses were performed to examine the reliability of the sentence embedding models in comparison to the experts’ scoring. Our findings disclose that sentence embedding models can solve the challenge of evaluating open-ended ideas generated during the cocreative process. Moreover, the results show that two-sentence embedding models significantly correlate better with experts- Universal Sentence Encoder Transformer (USE-T) and USE Deep Averaging Network (USE-DAN). These findings have a high pedagogical value as they successfully evaluate the novelty generated in a real problem-based environment that uses technology to promote key cocreative processes. Furthermore, the real-time evaluation facilitated by these models can have a strong pedagogical impact because it can provide valuable feedback to teachers and students, thereby optimising collaborative ideation processes and promoting effective cocreative teaching and learning methodologies.
Some Thoughts on Modeling Abrasion-Corrosion: Wear by Hard Particles in Corrosive Environments
Authors: Jiang Jiaren , Islam Md. Aminul , Xie Yongsong , Stack Margaret M.
Published: January 2024

Wear by hard particles can involve abrasion or erosion and is one of the most severe forms of wear. When a corrosive environment is present, the material loss rate can be significantly increased due to interactions (synergy) between the mechanical and chemical/electrochemical actions. In developing strategies for mitigating such adverse synergistic effect, it is important to understand the complex effect of various parameters on material loss under given tribocorrosion conditions. In this paper, a model is presented for wear-corrosion synergy in abrasive wear by hard particles applicable to many conditions in both the marine renewable (abrasion by high concentrations of large sand particles on tidal turbines) and extractive metallurgy (abrasive wear in mineral extraction). The mechanical wear loss is modeled based on the grooving mechanism (micro-cutting/micro-ploughing). Wear-enhanced corrosion is calculated from the fresh surface areas generated by grooving and the corresponding transient corrosion current. The concept of “corrosion-degraded layer” on the worn surface is introduced to account for the corrosion-enhanced wear; within this corrosion-degraded layer, the material loss rate is higher under the same mechanical wear conditions than in the material that is unaffected by corrosion. Based on the model, the effect of wear conditions on synergy in hard particle wear-corrosion has been discussed. The relative thickness of the corrosion-degraded layer to the depth of hard particle penetration (grooving) in the mechanical wear is found to be an important parameter in determining the relative severity of synergy in different tribocorrosion systems. Good qualitative agreement has been observed between the predictions and published experimental results obtained from a range of abrasion-corrosion and erosion-corrosion lab testing.
Numerical study of hydraulic fracturing on single-hole shale under fluid–solid coupling
Authors: Xia Xi , Wu Zhonghu , Song Huailei , Wang Wentao , Cui Hengtao , Tang Motian
Published: January 2024

To investigate the hydraulic fracture extension pattern of single-hole shale during hydraulic fracturing under fluid–solid coupling, this paper utilizes seepage–stress–damage coupling software to establish a mechanical model of hydraulic fracture initiation in single-hole shale under different pore pressure increments in seven groups. The results reveal that under the action of a single-hole pressure gradient, shale is destabilized and destroyed by shale instability after two damage degradations under the coupled action of hydraulic and peripheral pressures, the fracture network is fully developed, and the stress decreases sharply. The final damage pattern of the hydraulic fracture distribution is categorized into two types: “X” and “Y”. The hydraulic gradient under hydraulic fracturing is distributed as a closed-loop strip, the hydraulic gradient decreases layer by layer from the inside to the outside, the seepage field and stress field interact with each other, and the pore water pressure and stress are coupled with each other, resulting in increasingly complete fracture development.
An s-first return examination on s-sets
Authors: Bongiorno Donatella , Barbieri Giuseppina , Khalili Golmankhaneh Alireza
Published: January 2024

The purpose of this work is to analyze an integral of the s-Riemann type, where the gauge is a positive constant but the points involved in the s-Riemann sums are not randomly chosen. We demonstrate that, under this novel approach, every $${\mathcal {H}}^{s}$$

H

s

-Lebesgue integrable function is integrable.
Association of disaster-related damage with inflammatory diet among older survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Authors: Yazawa Aki , Hikichi Hiroyuki , Shiba Koichiro , Okuzono Sakurako Shiba , Kondo Katsunori , Sasaki Satoshi , Kawachi Ichiro
Published: January 2024

Traumatic experiences from disasters have enduring effects on health, both directly and indirectly by influencing health behaviours. Among potential pathways, the impact of disaster-related trauma on dietary patterns has been understudied. This study investigated the relationship between disaster-related trauma and dietary inflammatory index (DII®), and how these relationships differed by gender and whether they prepare meal by themselves or not among older survivors of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (n 1375). Dietary data were collected in 2020 using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire, from which we derived a dietary inflammatory index (DII®) based on twenty-six food/nutrient items, where higher scores indicate pro-inflammatory (i.e. unhealthy) diet. We found that the experience of housing damage due to the earthquake and tsunami was associated with slightly higher DII scores (coef. = 0·38, 95 % CI −0·05, 0·81). Specifically, women who cooked by themselves tended to have higher DII when they experienced housing damage (coef. = 1·33, 95 %CI −0·63, 3·28). On the other hand, loss of friends was associated with a lower DII score (coef. = −0·28, 95 % CI −0·54, −0·01). These findings highlight the importance of providing support to groups who are at increased risk of deterioration in dietary quality in the aftermath of disasters.
The gap-size influence on the excitation of magnetorotational instability in cylindricTaylor–Couette flows
Authors: Rüdiger G. , Schultz M.
Published: January 2024

The excitation conditions of the magnetorotational instability (MRI) are studied for axially unbounded Taylor–Couette (TC) flows of various gap widths between the cylinders. The cylinders are considered as made from both perfect-conducting or insulating material and the conducting fluid with a finite but small magnetic Prandtl number rotates with a quasi-Keplerian velocity profile. The solutions are optimized with respect to the wavenumber and the Reynolds number of the rotation of the inner cylinder. For the axisymmetric modes, we find the critical Lundquist number of the applied axial magnetic field: the lower, the wider the gap between the cylinders. A similar result is obtained for the induced cell structure: the wider the gap, the more spherical the cells are. The marginal rotation rate of the inner cylinder – for a fixed size of the outer cylinder – always possesses a minimum for not too wide and not too narrow gap widths. For perfect-conducting walls the minimum lies at

$r_{{\rm in}}\simeq 0.4$

, where

$r_{{\rm in}}$

is the ratio of the radii of the two rotating cylinders. The lowest magnetic field amplitudes to excite the instability are required for TC flows between perfect-conducting cylinders with gaps corresponding to

$r_{{\rm in}}\simeq ~0.2$

. For even wider and also for very thin gaps the needed magnetic fields and rotation frequencies are shown to become rather huge. Also the non-axisymmetric modes with

$|m|=1$

have been considered. Their excitation generally requires stronger magnetic fields and higher magnetic Reynolds numbers in comparison with those for the axisymmetric modes. If TC experiments with too slow rotation for the applied magnetic fields yield unstable modes of any azimuthal symmetry, such as the currently reported Princeton experiment (Wang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 129, 115001), then also other players, including axial boundary effects, than the MRI-typical linear combination of current-free fields and differential rotation should be in the game.
Beyond individual responsibility – towards a relational understanding of financial resilience through participatory research and design
Authors: Angsten Clark Anne , Davies Sara , Owen Richard , Williams Keir
Published: January 2024

This paper contributes to an increasingly critical assessment of a policy framing of ‘financial resilience’ that focuses on individual responsibility and financial capability. Using a participatory research and design process, we construct a ground-up understanding of financial resilience that acknowledges not only an individual’s actions, but the contextual environment in which they are situated, and how those relate to one another. We inductively identify four inter-connected dimensions of relational financial resilience: infrastructure (housing, health, and childcare), financial and economic factors (income, expenses, and financial services and strategies), social factors (motivation and community and family), and the institutional environment (policy and local community groups, support and advice services). Consequently, we recommend that social policies conceptualise financial resilience in relational terms, as a cross-cutting policy priority, rather than being solely a facet of individual financial capability.
A systematic review exploring evidence for adolescent understanding of concepts related to the developmental origins of health and disease
Authors: Tohi M. , Tu’akoi S. , Vickers M. H.
Published: January 2024

The developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) framework has highlighted the importance of the early life period on disease risk in later life with impacts that can span generations. A primary focus to date has been around maternal health and the ‘First Thousand Days’ as a key developmental window whereby an adverse environment can have lasting impacts on both mother and offspring. More recently, the impact of paternal health has gathered increasing traction as a key window for early life developmental programming. However, to date, adolescents, the next generation of parents, have attracted less attention as a key DOHaD window although many behavioural traits become entrained during adolescence and track into adulthood. This systematic review examined literature focused on identifying adolescent understanding of DOHaD concepts. Consistent across the eligible articles was that overall understanding of DOHaD-related concepts in adolescents was low. Three key themes emerged: 1. Individual-level awareness of DOHaD concepts (cognitive engagement and action of the adolescents themselves); 2. Interpersonal communication and social awareness of DOHaD concepts (cognitive engagement and communication of the DOHaD concepts to family and wider community); and 3. Health literacy and the promotion of adolescence as a key DOHaD life stage. These findings highlight the need to develop strategic approaches to increase DOHaD awareness that are not only appealing to adolescents but can also support sustained changes in health behaviour. Investment in today’s adolescents has the potential to act as a NCD ‘circuit breaker’ and thus will yield significant dividends for future generations.
Association between vitamin levels and obesity in the national health and nutrition examination surveys 2017 to 2018
Authors: Lu Xiaomin , Sun Zhongyou
Published: January 2024

In recent years, the rapidly increasing incidence of obesity is becoming a worldwide public health problem. Obesity is a chronic disease which may have a major negative effect on the people’s quality of life. Previous studies on the comprehensive effects of multivitamins on central obesity and general obesity are relatively few. The aim of this study was to evaluate association of vitamins exposure with obesity risk and obesity-related indicators. We fitted three statistical models (linear regression model, logistic regression model, and Bayesian kernel machine regression model) to evaluate the correlation between vitamin levels and obesity in the study population. The vitamin score represents the overall level of vitamin in serum, which was mutually verified with the results obtained from statistical model. The vitamin (A, C, and D) levels were significantly higher among non-obesity group compared to the obesity group. Using the lowest quartile of vitamin level as a referent, vitamin A, C, and D levels showed significantly negative correlation with the obesity risk in both adjusted and unadjusted models. When considering all vitamin as a mixed exposure, we found a generally negative relationship between vitamin mixtures with binary outcome (obesity) and continuous outcome (BMI, waist circumference, and hsCRP). Reduced levels of vitamins (A, C and D) increased the risk of obesity. Increased levels of vitamin mixtures can significantly reduce obesity risk and obesity-related indicators. Vitamins may reduce the risk of obesity by suppressing inflammatory responses.
Atmospheric water recycling an essential feature of critical natural asset stewardship
Authors: Keys Patrick W. , Collins Pamela M. , Chaplin-Kramer Rebecca , Wang-Erlandsson Lan
Published: January 2024

Non-technical summary

In this paper, we explore how critically important ecosystems on the land provide evaporation to the atmosphere, which will later fall as precipitation elsewhere. Using a model-based analysis that tracks water flowing through the atmosphere, we find that more than two-thirds of the precipitation over critically important ecosystem areas is supplied by evaporation from other land. Likewise, more than 40% of the evaporation from critically important ecosystems falls as precipitation on other land. We conclude our work by discussing the policy implications for how these critically important ecosystems connect spatially distant wild and working lands via the atmospheric water cycle.

Technical summary

Global ecosystems are interconnected via atmospheric water vapor flows. Land use change can modify evaporation from land, altering atmospheric moisture recycling and potentially leading to significant changes in downwind precipitation and associated ecological impacts. We combine insights on global ecosystem-regulated moisture recycling with an analysis of critical natural assets (CNA, the 30% of global land providing most of nature's contributions to people) to reveal the sources and sinks of atmospheric water cycle regulation. We find that 65% of the precipitation over CNA is supplied by evaporation from other land areas. Likewise, CNA regions supply critical moisture as precipitation to terrestrial natural ecosystems and production systems worldwide, with 44% of CNA evaporation falling on terrestrial surfaces. Specifically, the Congo River basin emerges as a hotspot of overlap between local atmospheric water cycle maintenance and concentration of nature's contributions to people. Our results suggest global priority areas for conservation efforts beyond and in support of CNA, emphasizing the importance of sparsely populated managed forests and rangelands, along with wild forests, for fostering moisture recycling to and within CNA. This work also underlines the manifold benefits associated with achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #15, to sustainably manage terrestrial life and conserve biodiversity.

Social media summary

Critically important ecosystems are essential for connecting distant landscapes via the atmospheric water cycle.
Comparing Approximated Heat Stress Measures Across the United States
Authors: Ahn Yoonjung , Tuholske Cascade , Parks Robbie M.
Published: January 2024

Climate change is escalating the threat of heat stress to global public health, with the majority of humans today facing increasingly severe and prolonged heat waves. Accurate weather data reflecting the complexity of measuring heat stress is crucial for reducing the impact of extreme heat on health worldwide. Previous studies have employed Heat Index (HI) and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) metrics to understand extreme heat exposure, forming the basis for heat stress guidelines. However, systematic comparisons of meteorological and climate data sets used for these metrics and the related parameters, like air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation crucial for human thermoregulation, are lacking. We compared three heat measures (HImax, WBGTBernard, and WBGTLiljegren) approximated from gridded weather data sets (ERA5‐Land, PRISM, Daymet) with ground‐based data, revealing strong agreement from HI and WBGTBernard (R2 0.76–0.95, RMSE 1.69–6.64°C). Discrepancies varied by Köppen‐Geiger climates (e.g., Adjusted R2 HImax 0.88–0.95, WBGTBernard 0.79–0.97, and WBGTLiljegren 0.80–0.96), and metrological input variables (Adjusted R2 Tmax 0.86–0.94, Tmin 0.91–0.94, Wind 0.33, Solarmax 0.38, Solaravg 0.38, relative humidity 0.51–0.74). Gridded data sets can offer reliable heat exposure assessment, but further research and local networks are vital to reduce measurement errors to fully enhance our understanding of how heat stress measures link to health outcomes.
New Insight Into the Source and Sink of 227Ac in the Ocean
Authors: Seo Hojong , Lee Hanbyul , Kim Guebuem
Published: January 2024

Actinium‐227 (227Ac) has been used as a powerful tracer of diapycnal mixing in the ocean, assuming that it is conservative and originates mainly from deep‐sea sediments. However, here we show an unexpectedly large source (continental margin) and sink (scavenging) of 227Ac in the ocean, based on high‐resolution 227Ac distributions obtained for the first time by mooring Mn‐fibers in the East Sea (Japan Sea). Although we expected a decrease in radium‐228 (228Ra) to 227Ac ratios with depth owing to their different half‐lives, the ratios increased with depth in the upper layer, indicating efficient removal of 227Ac by particle scavenging. In addition, unusually high 227Ac activities (∼15 dpm m−3) were observed in the surface layer, likely due to the horizontal transport of 227Ac‐enriched shelf water. Thus, our results suggest refining our understanding of the geochemical cycle and application of 227Ac in the ocean.
Sensing Optical Fibers for Earthquake Source Characterization Using Raw DAS Records
Authors: Strumia Claudio , Trabattoni Alister , Supino Mariano , Baillet Marie , Rivet Diane , Festa Gaetano
Published: January 2024

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) is becoming a powerful tool for earthquake monitoring, providing continuous strain‐rate records of seismic events along fiber optic cables. However, the use of standard seismological techniques for earthquake source characterization requires the conversion of data in ground motion quantities. In this study we provide a new formulation for far‐field strain radiation emitted by a seismic rupture, which allows to directly analyze DAS data in their native physical quantity. This formulation naturally accounts for the complex directional sensitivity of the fiber to body waves and to the shallow layering beneath the cable. In this domain, we show that the spectral amplitude of the strain integral is related to the Fourier transform of the source time function, and its modeling allows to determine the source parameters. We demonstrate the validity of the technique on two case‐studies, where source parameters are consistent with estimates from standard seismic instruments in magnitude range 2.0–4.3. When analyzing events from a 1‐month DAS survey in Chile, moment‐corner frequency distribution shows scale invariant stress drop estimates, with an average of Δσ = (0.8 ± 0.6) MPa. Analysis of DAS data acquired in the Southern Apennines shows a dominance of the local attenuation that masks the effective corner frequency of the events. After estimating the local attenuation coefficient, we were able to retrieve the corner frequencies for the largest magnitude events in the catalog. Overall, this approach shows the capability of DAS technology to depict the characteristic scales of seismic sources and the released moment.
The Impact of Single Group Flashes on Geostationary Lightning Mapper Data
Authors: Mach Douglas M. , Bateman Monte G.
Published: January 2024

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is an instrument on the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites‐R (GOES‐R) Series. The GLM data are processed by the Lightning Cluster Filter Algorithm which filters the GLM data and clusters it into a series of events, groups, and flashes. One of the current filters in the GLM algorithm (as of June 2023) removes all flashes that have only a single group. Combining the flashes (including the flashes with only single group) from two of the GLMs (the GLM on GOES‐16 and the GLM on GOES‐17) in the region where they overlap produces a unique data set of coincident flashes (detected by both GLMs) and non‐coincident flashes (detected by only one GLM). Coincident flashes detected by both GLMs are very unlikely to be from noise sources. This data set allows us to estimate the impact of the single group flashes on the Detection Efficiency (DE) and the False Alarm Rate (FAR). We find that the single group flash filter does greatly improve the FAR but does slightly decrease the DE. Subsequent analysis shows that some of the removed flashes with single groups are from true lightning. A simple modification to the single group flash filter to only remove flashes with a single event increases the FAR without a corresponding improvement in DE. A more complex algorithm is needed to recover the single group flashes that are likely from lightning without adding back single group flashes that are from noise sources.
Local Controls on Near‐Surface Glacier Cooling Under Warm Atmospheric Conditions
Authors: Shaw Thomas E. , Buri Pascal , McCarthy Michael , Miles Evan S. , Pellicciotti Francesca
Published: January 2024

The near‐surface boundary layer can mediate the response of mountain glaciers to external climate, cooling the overlying air and promoting a density‐driven glacier wind. The fundamental processes are conceptually well understood, though the magnitudes of cooling and presence of glacier winds are poorly quantified in space and time, increasing the forcing uncertainty for melt models. We utilize a new data set of on‐glacier meteorological measurements on three neighboring glaciers in the Swiss Alps to explore their distinct response to regional climate under the extreme 2022 summer. We find that synoptic wind origins and local terrain modifications, not only glacier size, play an important role in the ability of a glacier to cool the near‐surface air. Warm air intrusions from valley or synoptically‐driven winds onto the glacier can occur between ∼19% and 64% of the time and contribute between 3% and 81% of the total sensible heat flux to the surface during warm afternoon hours, depending on the fetch of the glacier flowline and its susceptibility to boundary layer erosion. In the context of extreme summer warmth, indicative of future conditions, the boundary layer cooling (up to 6.5°C cooler than its surroundings) and resultant katabatic wind flow are highly heterogeneous between the study glaciers, highlighting the complex and likely non‐linear response of glaciers to an uncertain future.
Crafting Clean Water in the Navajo Nation
Authors: Palmer Jane
Published: January 2024

A collaboration between researchers and a Navajo Nation potter has yielded an effective and culturally appropriate water treatment device.
Benefiting Society with Translational Water Research
Authors: Destouni Georgia , Islam Shafiqul , Illangasekare Tissa , Selker John
Published: January 2024

A new special collection welcomes translational research contributions that bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and practical applications regarding water as a key societal resource or a risk.
TrkB-dependent regulation of molecular signaling across septal cell types
Authors: Rodriguez Lionel A. , Tran Matthew Nguyen , Garcia-Flores Renee , Oh Seyun , Phillips Robert A. , Pattie Elizabeth A. , Divecha Heena R. , Kim Sun Hong , Shin Joo Heon , Lee Yong Kyu , Montoya Carly , Jaffe Andrew E. , Collado-Torres Leonardo , Page Stephanie C. , Martinowich Keri
Published: January 2024

The lateral septum (LS), a GABAergic structure located in the basal forebrain, is implicated in social behavior, learning, and memory. We previously demonstrated that expression of tropomyosin kinase receptor B (TrkB) in LS neurons is required for social novelty recognition. To better understand molecular mechanisms by which TrkB signaling controls behavior, we locally knocked down TrkB in LS and used bulk RNA-sequencing to identify changes in gene expression downstream of TrkB. TrkB knockdown induces upregulation of genes associated with inflammation and immune responses, and downregulation of genes associated with synaptic signaling and plasticity. Next, we generated one of the first atlases of molecular profiles for LS cell types using single nucleus RNA-sequencing (snRNA-seq). We identified markers for the septum broadly, and the LS specifically, as well as for all neuronal cell types. We then investigated whether the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by TrkB knockdown map to specific LS cell types. Enrichment testing identified that downregulated DEGs are broadly expressed across neuronal clusters. Enrichment analyses of these DEGs demonstrated that downregulated genes are uniquely expressed in the LS, and associated with either synaptic plasticity or neurodevelopmental disorders. Upregulated genes are enriched in LS microglia, associated with immune response and inflammation, and linked to both neurodegenerative disease and neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, many of these genes are implicated in regulating social behaviors. In summary, the findings implicate TrkB signaling in the LS as a critical regulator of gene networks associated with psychiatric disorders that display social deficits, including schizophrenia and autism, and with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.
Dysregulated immune and metabolic pathways are associated with poor survival in adult acute myeloid leukemia with CEBPA bZIP in-frame mutations
Authors: Tien Feng-Ming , Yao Chi-Yuan , Tsai Xavier Cheng-Hong , Lo Min-Yen , Chen Chien-Yuan , Lee Wan-Hsuan , Lin Chien-Chin , Kuo Yuan-Yeh , Peng Yen-Ling , Tseng Mei-Hsuan , Wu Yu-Sin , Liu Ming-Chih , Lin Liang-In , Chuang Ming-Kai , Ko Bor-Sheng , Yao Ming , Tang Jih-Luh , Chou Wen-Chien , Hou Hsin-An , Tien Hwei-Fang
Published: January 2024

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with CEBPA bZIP in-frame mutations (CEBPAbZIP-inf) is classified within the favorable-risk group by the 2022 European LeukemiaNet (ELN-2022). However, heterogeneous clinical outcomes are still observed in these patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mutation profiles and transcriptomic patterns associated with poor outcomes in patients with CEBPAbZIP-inf. One hundred and thirteen CEBPAbZIP-inf patients were identified in a cohort of 887 AML patients homogeneously treated with intensive chemotherapy. Concurrent WT1 or DNMT3A mutations significantly predicted worse survival in AML patients with CEBPAbZIP-inf. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed an enrichment of interferon (IFN) signaling and metabolic pathways in those with a shorter event-free survival (EFS). CEBPAbZIP-inf patients with a shorter EFS had higher expression of IFN-stimulated genes (IRF2, IRF5, OAS2, and IFI35). Genes in mitochondrial complexes I (NDUFA12 and NDUFB6) and V (ATP5PB and ATP5IF1) were overexpressed and were associated with poorer survival, and the results were independently validated in the TARGET AML cohort. In conclusion, concurrent WT1 or DNMT3A mutations and a dysregulated immune and metabolic state were correlated with poor survival in patients with CEBPAbZIP-inf, and upfront allogeneic transplantation may be indicated for better long-term disease control.
Exogenous carbon monoxide promotes GPX4-dependent ferroptosis through ROS/GSK3β axis in non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Cao Wei , Sun Mingyu , Yu K. N. , Zhao Lele , Feng Yue , Tan Chunhua , Yang Miaomiao , Wang Ying , Zhu Fengqin , Chen Lianjun , Nie Lili , Zhao Ye , Chen Guodong , Han Wei
Published: January 2024

The gas therapy is drawing increasing attention in the treatment of many diseases including cancer. As one of gas signaling molecules, carbon monoxide (CO) has been proved to exert anti-cancer effects via triggering multiple cell death types, such as autophagy, apoptosis and necrosis. Here, we showed that low concentration CO delivered from CO-releasing molecule 3 (CORM-3) effectively induced ferroptosis, known as a novel proinflammatory programmed cell death, in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that CO triggered ferroptosis by modulating the ROS/GSK3β/GPX4 signaling pathway, resulting in the accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides and the occurrence of ferroptosis. We think our findings provide novel insights into the anti-cancer mechanisms of CO, and suggest that CO could potentially be exploited as a novel ferroptosis inducer for cancer treatment in the future.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease promotes liver metastasis of colorectal cancer via fatty acid synthase dependent EGFR palmitoylation
Authors: Zhang Chi , Zhang Yue , Dong Yan , Zi Ruiyang , Wang Yijie , Chen Yanrong , Liu Chengxiang , Wang Junyi , Wang Xuesong , Li Jianjun , Liang Houjie , Ou Juanjuan
Published: January 2024

Liver metastasis is the major reason for most of colorectal cancer (CRC) related deaths. Accumulating evidence indicates that CRC patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are at a greater risk of developing liver metastasis. With the growing prevalence of NAFLD, a better understanding of the molecular mechanism in NAFLD-driven CRC liver metastasis is needed. In this study, we demonstrated that NAFLD facilitated CRC liver metastasis as a metabolic disorder and promoted the stemness of metastatic CRC cells for their colonization and outgrowth in hepatic niches. Metabolically, the lipid-rich microenvironment in NAFLD activated de novo palmitate biosynthesis in metastatic CRC cells via upregulating fatty acid synthase (FASN). Moreover, increased intracellular palmitate bioavailability promoted EGFR palmitoylation to enhance its protein stability and plasma membrane localization. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the FDA-approved FASN inhibitor orlistat could reduce NAFLD-activated endogenous palmitate production, thus inhibiting palmitoylation of EGFR to suppress CRC cell stemness and restrict liver metastasis in synergy with conventional chemotherapy. These findings reveal that the NAFLD metabolic microenvironment boosts endogenous palmitate biosynthesis in metastatic CRC cells and promotes cell stemness via EGFR palmitoylation, and FASN inhibitor orlistat could be a candidate adjuvant drug to suppress liver metastasis in CRC patients with NAFLD.
A dynamic knowledge graph approach to distributed self-driving laboratories
Authors: Bai Jiaru , Mosbach Sebastian , Taylor Connor J. , Karan Dogancan , Lee Kok Foong , Rihm Simon D. , Akroyd Jethro , Lapkin Alexei A. , Kraft Markus
Published: January 2024

The ability to integrate resources and share knowledge across organisations empowers scientists to expedite the scientific discovery process. This is especially crucial in addressing emerging global challenges that require global solutions. In this work, we develop an architecture for distributed self-driving laboratories within The World Avatar project, which seeks to create an all-encompassing digital twin based on a dynamic knowledge graph. We employ ontologies to capture data and material flows in design-make-test-analyse cycles, utilising autonomous agents as executable knowledge components to carry out the experimentation workflow. Data provenance is recorded to ensure its findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. We demonstrate the practical application of our framework by linking two robots in Cambridge and Singapore for a collaborative closed-loop optimisation for a pharmaceutically-relevant aldol condensation reaction in real-time. The knowledge graph autonomously evolves toward the scientist’s research goals, with the two robots effectively generating a Pareto front for cost-yield optimisation in three days.
Miniaturized spectrometer with intrinsic long-term image memory
Authors: Wu Gang , Abid Mohamed , Zerara Mohamed , Cho Jiung , Choi Miri , Ó Coileáin Cormac , Hung Kuan-Ming , Chang Ching-Ray , Shvets Igor V. , Wu Han-Chun
Published: January 2024

Miniaturized spectrometers have great potential for use in portable optoelectronics and wearable sensors. However, current strategies for miniaturization rely on von Neumann architectures, which separate the spectral sensing, storage, and processing modules spatially, resulting in high energy consumption and limited processing speeds due to the storage-wall problem. Here, we present a miniaturized spectrometer that utilizes a single SnS2/ReSe2 van der Waals heterostructure, providing photodetection, spectrum reconstruction, spectral imaging, long-term image memory, and signal processing capabilities. Interface trap states are found to induce a gate-tunable and wavelength-dependent photogating effect and a non-volatile optoelectronic memory effect. Our approach achieves a footprint of 19 μm, a bandwidth from 400 to 800 nm, a spectral resolution of 5 nm, and a > 104 s long-term image memory. Our single-detector computational spectrometer represents a path beyond von Neumann architectures.
Total syntheses of Tetrodotoxin and 9-epiTetrodotoxin
Authors: Chen Peihao , Wang Jing , Zhang Shuangfeng , Wang Yan , Sun Yuze , Bai Songlin , Wu Qingcui , Cheng Xinyu , Cao Peng , Qi Xiangbing
Published: January 2024

Tetrodotoxin and congeners are specific voltage-gated sodium channel blockers that exhibit remarkable anesthetic and analgesic effects. Here, we present a scalable asymmetric syntheses of Tetrodotoxin and 9-epiTetrodotoxin from the abundant chemical feedstock furfuryl alcohol. The optically pure cyclohexane skeleton is assembled via a stereoselective Diels-Alder reaction. The dense heteroatom substituents are established sequentially by a series of functional group interconversions on highly oxygenated cyclohexane frameworks, including a chemoselective cyclic anhydride opening, and a decarboxylative hydroxylation. An innovative SmI2-mediated concurrent fragmentation, an oxo-bridge ring opening and ester reduction followed by an Upjohn dihydroxylation deliver the highly oxidized skeleton. Ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative alkyne cleavage and formation of the hemiaminal and orthoester under acidic conditions enable the rapid assembly of Tetrodotoxin, anhydro-Tetrodotoxin, 9-epiTetrodotoxin, and 9-epi lactone-Tetrodotoxin.
Manually annotated and curated Dataset of diverse Weed Species in Maize and Sorghum for Computer Vision
Authors: Genze Nikita , Vahl Wouter K. , Groth Jennifer , Wirth Maximilian , Grieb Michael , Grimm Dominik G.
Published: January 2024

Sustainable weed management strategies are critical to feeding the world’s population while preserving ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, site-specific weed control strategies based on automation are needed to reduce the additional time and effort required for weeding. Machine vision-based methods appear to be a promising approach for weed detection, but require high quality data on the species in a specific agricultural area. Here we present a dataset, the Moving Fields Weed Dataset (MFWD), which captures the growth of 28 weed species commonly found in sorghum and maize fields in Germany. A total of 94,321 images were acquired in a fully automated, high-throughput phenotyping facility to track over 5,000 individual plants at high spatial and temporal resolution. A rich set of manually curated ground truth information is also provided, which can be used not only for plant species classification, object detection and instance segmentation tasks, but also for multiple object tracking.
Antirepressor specificity is shaped by highly efficient dimerization of the staphylococcal pathogenicity island regulating repressors: Stl repressor dimerization perturbed by dUTPases
Authors: Nyíri Kinga , Gál Enikő , Laczkovich Máté , Vértessy Beáta G.
Published: January 2024

The excision and replication, thus the life cycle of pathogenicity islands in staphylococci are regulated by Stl master repressors that form strong dimers. It has been recently shown that SaPIbov1-Stl dimers are separated during the activation of the Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity island (SaPI) transcription via helper phage proteins. To understand the mechanism of this regulation, a quantitative analysis of the dimerization characteristics is required. Due to the highly efficient dimerization process, such an analysis has to involve specific solutions that permit relevant experiments to be performed. In the present work, we focused on two staphylococcal Stls associated with high biomedical interest, namely Stl proteins of Staphylococcus aureus bov1 and Staphylococcus hominis ShoCI794_SEPI pathogenicity islands. Exploiting the interactions of these two Stl proteins with their antirepressor-mimicking interaction partners allowed precise determination of the Stl dimerization constant in the subnanomolar range.
Task design for crowdsourced glioma cell annotation in microscopy images
Authors: Schwarze Svea , Schaadt Nadine S. , Sobotta Viktor M. G. , Spicher Nicolai , Skripuletz Thomas , Esmaeilzadeh Majid , Krauss Joachim K. , Hartmann Christian , Deserno Thomas M. , Feuerhake Friedrich
Published: January 2024

Crowdsourcing has been used in computational pathology to generate cell and cell nuclei annotations for machine learning. Herein, we broaden its scope to the previously unsolved challenging task of glioma cell detection. This requires multiplexed immunofluorescence microscopy due to diffuse invasiveness and exceptional similarity between glioma cells and reactive astrocytes. In four pilot experiments, we iteratively developed a task design enabling high-quality annotations by crowdworkers on Amazon Mechanical Turk. We applied majority or weighted vote and validated them against ground truth in the final setting. On the base of a YOLO convolutional neural network architecture, we used these consensus labels for training with different image representations regarding colors, intensities, and immmunohistochemical marker combinations. A crowd of 712 workers defined aggregated point annotations in 235 images with an average$$F_1$$F1score of 0.627 for majority vote. The networks resulted in acceptable$$F_1$$F1scores up to 0.69 for YOLOv8 on average and indicated first evidence for transferability to images lacking tumor markers, especially in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma. Our work confirms feasibility of crowdsourcing to generate labels suitable for training of machine learning tools in the challenging and clinically relevant use case of glioma microenvironment.
CRP, IL-1α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels and the risk of breast cancer: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Cui Yongjia , Cui Shasha , Lu Wenping , Wang Ya’nan , Zhuo Zhili , Wang Ruipeng , Zhang Dongni , Wu Xiaoqing , Chang Lei , Zuo Xi , Zhang Weixuan , Mei Heting , Zhang Mengfan
Published: January 2024

Epidemiological studies have reported a positive association between chronic inflammation and cancer risk. However, the causal association between chronic inflammation and breast cancer (BC) risk remains unclear. Here, we performed a Mendelian randomization study to investigate the etiological role of chronic inflammation in BC risk. We acquired data regarding C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-1a, IL-1b, and IL-6 expression and BC related to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from two larger consortia (the genome-wide association studies and the Breast Cancer Association Consortium). Next, we conducted the two-sample Mendelian randomization study to investigate the relationship of the abovementioned inflammatory factors with the incidence of BC. We found that genetically predicted CRP, IL-6, and IL-1a levels did not increase BC incidence (odds ratio (OR)CRP 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98–1.12, P = 0.2059, ORIL-6 1.05, 95% CI 0.95–1.16, P = 0.3297 and ORIL-1a 1.01, 95% CI 0.99–1.03, P = 0.2167). However, in subgroup analysis, genetically predicted IL-1b levels increased ER + BC incidence (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.03–1.27, P = 0.0088). Our study suggested that genetically predicted IL-1b levels were found to increase ER + BC susceptibility. However, due to the support of only one SNP, heterogeneity and pleiotropy tests cannot be performed, which deserves further research.
Impaired motor inhibition during perceptual inhibition in older, but not younger adults: a psychophysiological study
Authors: Healey Rebecca , Goldsworthy Megan , Salomoni Sauro , Weber Simon , Kemp Sarah , Hinder Mark R. , St George Rebecca J.
Published: January 2024

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) governs the ability to rapidly cancel planned movements when no longer appropriate (motor inhibition) and ignore distracting stimuli (perceptual inhibition). It is unclear to what extent these processes interact, and how they are impacted by age. The interplay between perceptual and motor inhibition was investigated using a Flanker Task, a Stop Signal Task and a combined Stop Signal Flanker Task in healthy young (n = 33, Mean = 24 years) and older adults (n = 32, Mean = 71 years). PFC activity was measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), while electromyography (EMG) measured muscle activity in the fingers used to respond to the visual cues. Perceptual inhibition (the degree to which incongruent flankers slowed response time to a central cue) and motor inhibition (the speed of cancellation of EMG activation following stop cues) independently declined with age. When both processes were engaged together, PFC activity increased for both age groups, however only older adults exhibited slower motor inhibition. The results indicate that cortical upregulation was sufficient to compensate for the increased task demands in younger but not older adults, suggesting potential resource sharing and neural limitations particularly in older adults.