bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tumor ADC value predicts outcome and yields refined prognostication in uterine cervical cancer
Authors: Lura Njål , Wagner-Larsen Kari S. , Ryste Stian , Fasmer Kristine , Forsse David , Trovik Jone , Halle Mari K. , Bertelsen Bjørn I. , Riemer Frank , Salvesen Øyvind , Woie Kathrine , Krakstad Camilla , Haldorsen Ingfrid S.
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Pelvic MRI is essential for evaluating local and regional tumor extent in uterine cervical cancer (CC). Tumor microstructure captured by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) markers may be closely linked to prognosis in CC.

Purpose To explore whether primary tumor ADC markers predict survival in CC.

Material and methods CC patients (n = 179) diagnosed during 2009–2020 with MRI-assessed primary maximum tumorsize ≥ 2 cm were included in this retrospective single-center study. Two radiologists read all MRIs independently, measuring mean tumor ADC values in manually drawn regions of interest (ROIs) and mean tumor ADC (tumorADCmean) from five measurements for the two readers was used. ADC from ROIs in the myometrium (myometriumADC), cervical stroma (cervixADC), and bladder (bladderADC) were used to calculate ADC ratios. ADC markers were explored in relation to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) (2018) stage, disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence/progression-free survival (RPFS).

Results Inter-reader agreement for all ADC measurements was high (ICC:0.59–0.79). Low tumorADCmean predicted advanced FIGO stage (P = 0.04) and reduced DSS (hazard ratio (HR): 0.96, P < 0.001; AIC: 441). MyometriumADC/tumorADCmean yielded the best Cox regression fit (AIC = 430) among all tumor ADC markers. Patients with high myometriumADC/tumorADCmean had significantly reduced 5-year DSS for FIGO stage I, II, and III (P = 0.01, 0.004, and 0.02, respectively) and tended to the same for FIGO IV (P = 0.22).

Conclusion Low tumorADCmean predicted reduced DSS in CC. High myometriumADC/tumorADCmean was the strongest ADC predictor of poor DSS and a marker of high-risk phenotype independent of FIGO stage.
Application of Nordic Keyhole and Nutri-Score for assessment of nutritional quality of plant-based dairy analogues
Authors: Moshtaghian Hanieh , Hallström Elinor , Bianchi Marta , Bryngelsson Susanne
Published: February 2025

Background

Public interest in plant-based dairy analogues is increasing; thus, their assessment by front-of-pack nutrition labelling schemes such as Keyhole and Nutri-Score can facilitate the identification of products with optimal nutritional quality. In this study, Keyhole and the latest version of Nutri-Score criteria were applied to plant-based dairy analogues (i.e., milk, yoghurt, cheese, cream, fat spread, and ice cream analogues) in the Swedish market to evaluate their nutritional quality.

Methods

Nutritional data for 222 plant-based dairy analogues were collected from food manufacturers’ websites, and the eligibility of these analogues for Keyhole and Nutri-Score (A to E) were assessed. Products eligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B were deemed to have optimal nutritional quality.

Results

16% of plant-based milk analogues (from oat-, almond-, rice-, and potato-based products), 2% of plant-based yoghurt analogues and 37% of plant-based fat spread analogues were eligible for Keyhole. The plant-based cheese, cream and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Keyhole. None of the plant-based milk analogues qualified for Nutri-Score A, and 45% (mainly soy-, almond-, coconut-, pea- and mixed-based products) qualified for Nutri-Score B. 68% of plant-based yoghurt analogues (from oat-, soy-, almond- and mixed-based products) qualified for Nutri-Score A or B. The plant-based cheese, fat spread and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Nutri-Score A or B and 32% of plant-based cream analogues qualified for Nutri-Score B. A higher percentage of organic milk analogues and a lower percentage of organic yoghurt analogues were eligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B compared to their non-organic varieties. Keyhole and Nutri-Score had an agreement on classifying two plant-based dairy analogues as optimal nutritional quality products and 133 plant-based dairy analogues as suboptimal.

Conclusions

There is variability in the eligibility of plant-based dairy analogues for Keyhole and Nutri-Score labelling. Eligibility for Keyhole was highest among plant-based fat spread analogues, while Nutri-Score A and B ratings were more common for plant-based yoghurt analogues. Plant-based cheese and ice cream analogues were ineligible for Keyhole and Nutri-Score A or B. Since the micronutrient content of organic and non-organic plant-based dairy analogues did not affect their evaluation by Keyhole and Nutri-Score, this limitation warrants further consideration.
Aspiration level, probability of success, and stock returns: an empirical test
Authors: Neszveda Gábor
Published: February 2025

Decision-makers usually have an aspiration level, a target, or a benchmark they aim to achieve. This behavior can be rationalized within the expected utility framework, which incorporates the probability of success (achieving the aspiration level) as an important aspect of decision-making. Motivated by these theories, this study defines the probability of success as the number of days a firm’s return outperformed its benchmark in the portfolio formation month. This study uses portfolio-level and firm-level analyses, revealing an economically substantial and statistically significant relationship between the probability of success and expected stock returns, even after controlling for common risk factors and various characteristics. Additional analyses support the behavioral theory of the firm, which posits that firms act to achieve short-term aspiration levels.
High-resolution optical coherence tomography in pigmented choroidal lesions
Authors: Jaggi Damian , Aeberhard Shalin G. , Artemiev Dmitri , Zinkernagel Martin S. , Heussen Florian M.
Published: February 2025

Purpose

Evaluating High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (HR-OCT) versus standard spectral domain OCT in pigmented choroidal lesions.

Methods

We screened a total of 40 subjects with pigmented choroidal lesions. Lesions were imaged on HR-OCT and standard OCT devices with and without enhanced depth imaging (EDI) mode. Images were graded for qualitative and quantitative aspects, like choriocapillaris compression and width, choroidal reflectivity and thickness, amongst others.

Results

32 of the 40 subjects could be included in the image analysis, the rest were excluded due to insufficient imaging. HR-OCT EDI mode allowed visualization of the posterior choroidal extent in 11 lesions (11/32 = 34.4%) versus in six (6/32; 18.8%), four (4/30; 13.3%), and five cases (5/30; 16.7%) in normal HR-OCT (n = 32), standard OCT (n = 30) and OCT EDI mode (n = 30), respectively, albeit not significantly different. Choriocapillaris compression was evident in 10 cases on HR-OCT and equally visible in all imaging modes. Mean choriocapillaris thickness ranged from 11.6 to 13.9 microns (SD range 3.84–4.33), and compressed choriocapillaris thickness similarly ranged from a mean of 7.1 to 7.8 microns (SD range 2.20–3.55). Image quality declined significantly towards the periphery in three out of four modes (p = 0.0077 to p = 0.29).

Conclusions

HR-OCT may provide better visibility of retinal and choroidal structures in pigmented choroidal lesions, although image quality is reduced in attempting to image peripheral lesions.

Translational relevance

The prototype HR-OCT offers insights into clinical features of pigmented choroidal lesions that are not apparent on conventional OCT imaging. This supports the development of HR-OCTolution OCT devices.
BIN1 inhibited tumor growth, metastasis and stemness by ALDH1/NOTCH pathway in bladder carcinoma
Authors: Chen Si-yu , Zhang Ya-long , Li Xiao-ran , Wang Ji-rong , Li Kun-peng , Wan Shun , Yang Jian-wei , Wang Hao , Cao Jin-long , Wang Chen-yang , Fan Xin-peng , Fu Sheng-jun , Ding Li-yun , Che Tuan-jie , Yang Li
Published: February 2025

Background

Bladder cancer (BLCA) represents one of the most prevalent urological malignancies worldwide. Bridging integrator 1 (BIN1), a well-characterized tumor suppressor that interacts with and inhibits oncogenic Myc transcription factors, has demonstrated crucial roles in various cancer types. However, its specific functions and underlying molecular mechanisms in BLCA development and progression remain poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the role of BIN1 in regulating BLCA cell proliferation, metastasis, and cancer stem cell properties.

Methods

Using urinary proteomics analysis, we identified BIN1 as a significantly dysregulated protein in BLCA. The clinical significance of BIN1 was further validated through comprehensive analyses of public databases. BIN1 expression levels defined distinct molecular and immunological subtypes of BLCA. Through proteomic profiling of BIN1-overexpressing UMUC3 cells and corresponding controls, we identified ALDH1 as a key downstream effector in the BIN1-regulated ALDH1/NOTCH signaling axis. We employed multiple experimental approaches, including Western blot analysis, quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, wound healing assays, transwell migration assays, colony formation assays, tumor sphere formation assays, flow cytometry, CCK8 proliferation assays, and cell transfection experiments.

Results

We observed significant downregulation of BIN1 in both BLCA tissues and cell lines compared to normal adjacent tissues and SV-HUC-1 cells, respectively. BIN1 overexpression inhibited cancer cell proliferation by promoting apoptosis and suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), thereby reducing local invasion and distant metastasis. Additionally, BIN1 regulated cancer stem cell properties through modulation of ALDH1 expression, with NOTCH2 acting as a crucial downstream mediator of ALDH1 signaling.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate that BIN1 functions as a tumor suppressor in BLCA and suggest its potential utility as both a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for BLCA treatment.
A simple method for identifying the elementary units governing the mechanical properties in leather materials
Authors: Long Wenjun , Peng Liangqiong , Li Jiheng , Yu Yue , Zhang Wenhua
Published: February 2025

Understanding the mechanical properties of leather is crucial for expanding its range of application, but the influence of collagen fibril bundles (FBs) remains unclear. In this study, 12 kinds of bovine leather were prepared with varying FB sizes using Cr(III), Zr(IV) and aldehyde as the crosslinking agents along with different fillers such as rapeseed oil phosphate, polyacrylic acid and their combination. The experimental results revealed that the tear strength of leather was affected by the crosslinking agents, which could be further adjusted by the filler. Accordingly, a simple method using mercury intrusion porosimetry has been proposed for determining the FB size based on the crack-bridging model. Specifically, the tear strength of leather showed a strong correlation with the FB radius where the strength increased with the decrease in FB radius. This indicated that FBs served as the elementary units contributing to loading strength. These findings may facilitate the development of cleaner technologies for fabricating high-performance leather through the regulation of FB size.

Graphical abstract
McMurray’s test is influenced by perimeniscal synovitis in degenerative meniscus tears
Authors: Jin Yong Jun , Park Jae-Young , Chung Jun Young , Noh Sujin , Yun Hee-Woong , Lim Sumin , Park Do Young
Published: February 2025

Background

McMurray’s test is a useful physical examination in determining meniscus tears, yet its sensitivity is only 38–62%. Furthermore, the relationship between degenerative meniscus tears (DMT) and mechanical symptoms during McMurray’s test is not well defined. Perimeniscal synovitis occurs in osteoarthritic (OA) knees, inducing localized symptoms such as posterior knee pain in medial meniscus posterior horn DMTs. This study aimed to determine the relationship between McMurray’s test with medial meniscus DMT and perimeniscal synovitis in patients with knee OA.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 60 patients who underwent medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) with positive (n = 20) and negative (n = 40) preoperative McMurray’s tests. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), intraoperative gross morphology, and histological analysis of meniscus and synovium were evaluated to determine meniscal tears and perimeniscal synovitis. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were done to determine the effects of meniscus tears and synovitis on McMurray’s test results.

Results

Gross morphology of the medial meniscus (MM) showed 14 out of 20 torn menisci in the McMurray’s (+) group compared with 22 out of 40 in the (−) group, with no difference in meniscus tear severity among groups. The (+) group showed higher values of synovial thickness (p < 0.001) and area (p < 0.001) compared with the (−) group on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Histological analysis showed higher synovitis (p < 0.001) scores and expression of inflammatory markers [interleukin (IL)-1β (p < 0.001), IL-6 (p = 0.007), nerve growth factor (NGF) (p = 0.003), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (p < 0.001)] in the perimeniscal synovium of (+) group compared with the (−) group. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed that larger synovial area [odds ratio (OR) = 1.106, p = 0.008] and a higher histologic synovitis score (OR = 2.595, p = 0.011) were independently significant predictive factors for a positive McMurray’s test.

Conclusions

McMurray’s test may be influenced by perimeniscal synovitis in DMT patients. The clinical implications of our results may influence not only the interpretation of McMurray’s test but also the target tissue in treating mechanical symptoms related to meniscus tears.

Level of evidence

Level II.
Empowering future scientists: mentors employ various strategies to engage students in professional science disciplinary literacy practices
Authors: Minocha Trisha , Bhagatwala Tanya , Mirzoyan Gwendolyn , McDowell Gary , Fankhauser Sarah C.
Published: February 2025

Peer-review and publication are important parts of the scientific enterprise, and research has shown that engaging students in such scholarly practices helps build their sense of belonging and scientific identity. Yet, these disciplinary literacy skills and professional practices are often part of the hidden curriculum of science research, thus excluding students and others from fully understanding ways in which scientific knowledge is constructed, refined, and disseminated even though students are participating in such activities. Secondary students are increasingly involved in scientific research projects that include authentic disciplinary literacy components such as research proposals, posters, videos, and scientific research papers. More and more, students are also engaging in professional practice of publishing their scientific research papers through dedicated secondary science journals. How teachers and other mentors support the development of professional disciplinary literacies in students is critical to understand as part of supporting more student participation in research. To this end, we used a mixed-methods study of interviews and surveys to examine the experience and conceptions of the mentors (teachers and professional scientists) who guided pre-college students through the writing and publication of their scientific research projects. Analyzing our data from a lens of cognitive apprenticeship, we find that mentors encourage independence by primarily employing the method of “exploration”. We also find that mentors have divergent views on the value of publication within science, versus for student scientists specifically. Our findings suggest that mentors could work to explicitly reveal their own thinking within science writing to provide more sequenced support for student scientists.
REFLECTION AND LOVE-WAVE IMAGING OF A BURIED VALLEY USING 2D3C LAND-STREAMER SEISMIC DATA
Authors: Villamizar Brian J.G. , DesRoches Aaron
Published: February 2025

We conduct reflection and Love-wave imaging on three two-dimensional (2D), three-component (3C) land-streamer seismic lines to characterize a buried bedrock valley underlying glacial deposits situated within southern Ontario, Canada. Understanding the valleys characteristics is important for designing above-ground structures, investigating groundwater and surface water interactions, and erosion processes driven by glacial cycles. These characteristics include width, extension, overburden thickness, spatial facies distribution, and geometrical configuration of the overburden-bedrock contact. Reflection processing on the WSW-ENE trending profiles reveals the bedrock geometry and Quaternary sediment stratigraphy, including a shallow reflection associated with a lithostratigraphic transition zone. We utilize the dispersive properties of Love waves to derive pseudo-2D shear-wave velocity profiles along the seismic transects. The inversion process is constrained by the P-wave refraction velocities from reflection processing. We emphasize the significance of data preconditioning prior to surface wave analysis and propose an optimal processing sequence for moderately to highly noisy gathers. Likewise, we construct bedrock-reaching velocity profiles for depth conversion of reflectivity sections by using shear-wave velocity from Love-wave inversion, regression analysis, and water well data. The proposed signal preconditioning and integrated velocity modeling approach can be implemented in other areas where land-streamer seismic surveys are available, enhancing quantitative imaging and depth conversions. Blind borehole records demonstrate average depth-conversion errors of less than 2% following this approach. The Love-wave velocity imaging and the body-wave reflection imaging correlate well with each other and with lithological changes observed in water wells. This is demonstrated by the alignment of velocity contrasts with the geometry of the shallow reflection event at the lithostratigraphic transition zone. We find that the bedrock valley is approximately 60 m deep with a southward thinning width, possibly due to the valleys geometry shifting from a north-south to an east-west orientation.
Seismic Attributes and Fault-Fold Systems: A Case Study of Quantitative Analysis of Coal Seams in the Southern Qinshui Basin, China
Authors: Yuan Shu , Wang Rulang , Huang Xiaojuan , Carpenter Brett M. , Marfurt Kurt J. , Liao Zonghu
Published: February 2025

The formation of folds often leads to the emergence of subsidiary faults, thereby creating intricate fault-fold systems with fractures. While existing literature on fault-fold systems predominantly relies on field observations, there has been scant research focusing on their subsurface structures. Utilizing three-dimensional seismic data, this study endeavors to identify and quantify the principal fault-fold systems within the No. 3 coal seam of the Shanxi Formation and the No. 15 coal seam of the Taiyuan Formation, in the southern Qinshui Basin, China. The findings reveal: (1) The presence of five principal fault-fold systems, with four exhibiting a North-South orientation and one aligning East-West; (2) The establishment of an asymmetric model for the fault-fold system through a quantitative analysis of seismic attributes, particularly focusing on the high-angle normal faults along the folds' limbs; (3) The asymmetrical fault damage zone width (No. 3 fault-fold system) is quantitatively measured at approximately 200 meters on the west side, in contrast to the east side where widths range from 50 to 500 meters. These initial assessments show the great potential of an attribute-enhanced geological model, which may provide insights for analyses of the continuity of coal seams, the propagation of fractures, and the migration of gas within fractured reservoirs.#xD;
The Future of Futurity
Authors: Mankekar Purnima , Gupta Akhil
Published: February 2025

In The Future of Futurity, Purnima Mankekar and Akhil Gupta examine the lives and experiences of call center agents in India’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, who live in Bengaluru and work for customers in the Global North. Mankekar and Gupta show how futurity—an affective-temporal potentiality and mode of being that emphasizes the unfolding of time—enables BPO workers to strive for hopeful futures despite their experiences of growing inequality, volatility, and violence. Drawing on long-term fieldwork with managers, owners, and workers of BPO companies, the authors explore how workers find pathways for navigating a globalized world and for imagining their futures in it. They point to the heterogeneous lives, yearnings, and anxieties of BPO workers, foregrounding the disjunctions and conjunctions between labor, corporeality, intimacy, family life, and mobility. Mankekar and Gupta show how workers’ daily lives and imaginings of the future point to the relationships between futurity, capital, and technology as well as futurity’s imbrications with contemporary racial capitalism. In so doing, the authors insist on the transformative potential of futurity even in conditions of extreme precarity.
Optogenetic manipulation of nuclear Dorsal reveals temporal requirements and consequences for transcription
Authors: Pimmett Virginia L. , McGehee James , Trullo Antonio , Douaihy Maria , Radulescu Ovidiu , Stathopoulos Angelike , Lagha Mounia
Published: February 2025

Morphogen gradients convey essential spatial information during tissue patterning. While both concentration and timing of morphogen exposure are crucial, how cells interpret these graded inputs remains challenging to address. We employed an optogenetic system to acutely and reversibly modulate the nuclear concentration of the morphogen Dorsal (DL), homologue of NF-κB, which orchestrates dorso-ventral patterning in the Drosophila embryo. By controlling DL nuclear concentration while simultaneously recording target gene outputs in real time, we identified a critical window for DL action that is required to instruct patterning and characterized the resulting effect on spatio-temporal transcription of target genes in terms of timing, coordination, and bursting. We found that a transient decrease in nuclear DL levels at nuclear cycle 13 leads to reduced expression of the mesoderm-associated gene snail (sna) and partial derepression of the neurogenic ectoderm-associated target short gastrulation (sog) in ventral regions. Surprisingly, the mispatterning elicited by this transient change in DL is detectable at the level of single cell transcriptional bursting kinetics, specifically affecting long inter-burst durations. Our approach of using temporally-resolved and reversible modulation of a morphogen in vivo, combined with mathematical modeling, establishes a framework for understanding the stimulus-response relationships that govern embryonic patterning.
Use of metabolic imaging to monitor heterogeneity of tumour response following therapeutic mTORC1/2 pathway inhibition
Authors: Ling Stephanie , Dexter Alex , Race Alan M. , Sharma Shreya , Hamm Gregory , Polanska Urszula M. ,   Rosetta Consortium Cancer Research UK, Marshall John F. , Takats Zoltan , Brindle Kevin , Yuneva Mariia O. , Poulogiannis George , Campbell Andrew D. , Sansom Owen J. , Goodwin Richard J. A. , Bunch Josephine , Barry Simon T.
Published: February 2025

The PI3K–mTOR–AKT pathway regulates tumour proliferation, gene expression and metabolism, but pathway inhibition induces heterogeneous feedback reactivation, limiting anti-tumour responses. Measuring heterogeneity of pathway inhibition in tissues using protein biomarker phosphorylation or location is challenging. An integrated multi-modal imaging workflow was developed to assess the heterogeneity of AZD2014 (mTORC1/2 inhibitor) response in a PTEN-null renal cancer model. Spatial responses of metabolite biomarkers were analysed by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI). Control and treated tumours were classified according to metabolite-defined regions enriched in control versus AZD2014-treated tumours, respectively. Noticeably, AZD2014-treated tumours retained regions similar to regions dominant in untreated tumours. Imaging mass cytometry analysis of protein biomarkers in ‘control-like’ regions following AZD2014 treatment showed reduced phospho-S6, indicating suppression, but retained high expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1. Increasing PI3K–AKT inhibition by combining with AZD8186 (PI3Kβ inhibitor) further decreased the control-like metabolic signature, showing PI3K-dependent resistance. This demonstrates that MSI-based workflows yield novel insights into the pharmacodynamic effects of mTORC1/2 inhibition in tumours, which classical biomarkers do not resolve. Coupling these workflows with spatial-omics approaches can deliver greater insights into heterogeneity of treatment response.
Piezo1-induced durotaxis of pancreatic stellate cells depends on TRPC1 and TRPV4 channels
Authors: Budde Ilka , Schlichting André , Ing David , Schimmelpfennig Sandra , Kuntze Anna , Fels Benedikt , Romac Joelle M.-J. , Swain Sandip M. , Liddle Rodger A. , Stevens Angela , Schwab Albrecht , Pethő Zoltán
Published: February 2025

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are primarily responsible for producing the stiff tumor tissue in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Thereby, PSCs generate a stiffness gradient between the healthy pancreas and the tumor. This gradient induces durotaxis, a form of directional cell migration driven by differential stiffness. However, the molecular sensors behind durotaxis are still unclear. To investigate the role of mechanosensitive ion channels in PSC durotaxis, we established a two-dimensional stiffness gradient mimicking PDAC. Using pharmacological and genetic methods, we investigated the contribution of the ion channels Piezo1, TRPC1, and TRPV4 in PSC durotaxis. We found that PSC migration towards a stiffer substrate is diminished by altering Piezo1 activity. Moreover, disrupting TRPC1 along with TRPV4 abolishes PSC durotaxis even when Piezo1 is functional. Our results demonstrate that optimal PSC durotaxis requires an intermediary level of ion channel activity, which we simulated via a numerically discretized mathematical model. These findings suggest that mechanosensitive Piezo1 channels detect the differential stiffness microenvironment. The resulting intracellular signals are amplified by TRPV4 and TRPC1 channels to guide efficient PSC durotaxis.
Follow the flower: approach-flight behaviour of bumblebees landing on a moving target
Authors: de Vries Lana J. , van Langevelde Frank , van Leeuwen Johan L. , Naguib Marc , Pieters Remco P. M. , Muijres Florian T.
Published: February 2025

While landing on flowers, pollinating insects often have to deal with flower movement caused by wind. Here, we determined the landing performance of bumblebees on a moving artificial flower, and how they use their visual-motor system to control their landings. To do this, we built an experimental setup containing a physical model of a flower, moving sideways using sinusoidal kinematics at various oscillation frequencies (up to 0.65 Hz, at constant amplitude of 5 cm). We filmed the landings of Bombus terrestris bumblebees on this moving flower model and extracted the flight kinematics and trajectories using deep neural network-based videography tracking. The bumblebees were capable of compensating for the detrimental effects of flower movement on landing performance for flower frequencies up to 0.53 Hz. Only at our maximum frequency of 0.65 Hz, the percentage of successful landings decreased, but landing accuracy and duration were not affected. To successfully land on the moving flower, the bumblebees gradually slowed down, aimed towards the middle of the flower and aligned with its movement. Our results indicated that bumblebees use modular visual-motor control feedback to do this: (1) they slow down by maintaining an approximately constant average optic expansion of the approaching flower image; (2) they aim towards the flower by keeping the flower in the middle of their view; (3) they align to the flower movement by minimizing the sideways optic flow of the moving flower image. Our findings increase our understanding of how flying insects land on flowers moved by wind.
Considerações acerca do tratamento cirúrgico de fratura facial em paciente pediátrico: relato de caso
Authors: Silva de Souza Ravelle , Mariana Vitória Gomes Viana  , Alessandra Monteiro Santana  , Samário Cintra Maranhão
Published: February 2025

O presente artigo tem como objetivo relatar um caso clínico de abordagem cirúrgica em um paciente pediátrico cursando com a fratura de parassínfise mandibular. Trata-se de um paciente pediátrico, do sexo masculino, 12 anos, que compareceu ao ambulatório bucomaxilofacial acompanhado de genitora, apresentando limitação de abertura bucal após acidente ciclístico. Após realização de exame físico e avaliação de exame tomográfico de face, observou-se uma fratura de parassínfise mandibular direita, sendo instituído o manejo cirúrgico como tratamento. As fraturas mandibulares em pacientes pediátricos necessitam de uma abordagem individual buscando menor morbidade e restabelecendo estética e função adequadas. A abordagem cirúrgica tem alcançado bons resultados e sempre devem ser considerados fatores como a idade do paciente, o nível de deslocamento da fratura, o tipo de fratura, comprometimento oclusal e a cronologia de erupção dentária na tomada de decisão da conduta terapêutica.
Taiwan and the Necessity of Imagining Peace
Authors: Lottaz Pascal
Published: February 2025

In 2024 the Cross-Strait Conflict between Taipei and Beijing turned 75 years old. Using an eclectic conflict analysis framework, this paper lays out the evolution of the conflict, its main actors, and traces the fundamental shift of its core-issue from “who is China” to “what is Taiwan.” Realist concepts of international relations are used to argue that it is important to imagine political scenarios not ending in warfare to escape the escalatory spiral and a self-fulfilling prophecy. The rhetoric of warfare, distorted views on history, and Great Power competition are destabilizing factors that push toward an escalation that will result in warfare if they are not counterbalanced by refocusing the relationship on common ground. A peaceful way forward, the paper argues, does not need to solve the underlying conflict between the PRC and the ROC, it only needs to mitigate their red lines long enough for new reconciliation strategies to emerge that re-channel the core-issue into a constructive conflict, which, over time, can lead to permanent reconciliation.
Patients with non-English language preference: Data from an Australian healthcare facility on reported use of professional interpreting services
Authors: Zucchi Emiliano , Hlavac Jim , Hu Yue
Published: February 2025

Patients with a non-English language preference (NELP) require services in a language different from that spoken by English-speaking healthcare practitioners. National guidelines advocate professional interpreting services, but little is known about patients’ perspectives and factors that secure interpreting for them. A total of 1,120 NELP patients in Melbourne were surveyed from 2016 to 2020 in their preferred language. Patients report high awareness and utilisation of free interpreting services, predominantly initiated by healthcare staff rather than themselves. This points to cultural competence among healthcare staff as crucial for them to identify the need for interpreters. Alongside this, some patients rely on family members for linguistic mediation. This may result from patients not (self-)reporting their NELP or from contextual considerations. Amongst the latter are patients’ privacy concerns and a lack of understanding that interpreters are bound to observe ethical principles such as confidentiality and impartiality. These responses underscore the need for explicit explanations from healthcare providers and interpreters to patients about their roles and the protocols they observe.
El Efecto del Programa Todos a Aprender
Authors: Gómez Echeverry Santiago
Published: February 2025

The Todos a Aprender Program (TAP) has been the Colombian government’s flagship initiative for addressing low academic performance in primary schools over the past decade. While previous evaluations indicate limited overall effects due to heterogeneity in its implementation, they have underscored the importance of consistent monitoring. However, prior studies have yet to integrate implementation outcomes with program results to offer a comprehensive assessment. This study fills that gap by employing matched multilevel models and a metric treatment variable to evaluate the TAP’s impact. Results indicate that the TAP positively influences school efficiency, though its effectiveness varies significantly based on the extent of program implementation. These results highlight the need for ongoing monitoring of TAP's operation and call for further evaluation to identify the program's saturation points.
Incomplete recombination suppression fuels extensive haplotype diversity in a butterfly colour pattern supergene
Authors: De-Kayne Rishi , Gordon Ian J. , Terblanche Reinier F. , Collins Steve , Saitoti Omufwoko Kennedy , Martins Dino J. , Martin Simon H.
Published: February 2025

Supergenes can evolve when recombination-suppressing mechanisms like inversions promote co-inheritance of alleles at two or more polymorphic loci that affect a complex trait. Theory shows that such genetic architectures can be favoured under balancing selection or local adaptation in the face of gene flow, but they can also bring costs associated with reduced opportunities for recombination. These costs may in turn be offset by rare ‘gene flux’ between inverted and ancestral haplotypes, with a range of possible outcomes. We aimed to shed light on these processes by investigating the BC supergene, a large genomic region comprising multiple rearrangements associated with three distinct wing colour morphs in Danaus chrysippus, a butterfly known as the African monarch, African queen and plain tiger. Using whole-genome resequencing data from 174 individuals, we first confirm the effects of BC on wing colour pattern: background melanism is associated with SNPs in the promoter region of yellow, within an inverted subregion of the supergene, while forewing tip pattern is most likely associated with copy-number variation in a separate subregion of the supergene. We then show that haplotype diversity within the supergene is surprisingly extensive: there are at least six divergent haplotype groups that experience suppressed recombination with respect to each other. Despite high divergence between these haplotype groups, we identify an unexpectedly large number of natural recombinant haplotypes. Several of the inferred crossovers occurred between adjacent inversion ‘modules’, while others occurred within inversions. Furthermore, we show that new haplotype groups have arisen through recombination between two pre-existing ones. Specifically, an allele for dark colouration in the promoter of yellow has recombined into distinct haplotype backgrounds on at least two separate occasions. Overall, our findings paint a picture of dynamic evolution of supergene haplotypes, fuelled by incomplete recombination suppression.
Opportunities and challenges to community-level adoption of natural climate solutions in Washington State
Authors: Roy Chowdhury Pranab K. , Robertson James C. , Levin Phillip S. , Case Michael J. , Brown Daniel G.
Published: February 2025

Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) are climate mitigation approaches that aim to incorporate sustainable practices in forest, agriculture, wetland, and grassland management to increase GHG mitigation from land sectors and have been estimated to be highly effective from global to local scales. As more state and local governments seek to address climate change using a range of available techniques, the potential of NCS has gained increasing attention. As NCS directly involves land management by a range of actors (such as farmers and landowners) operating within resource-dependent communities (such as those dependent on the forest sector), it also has the potential to significantly alter the socioeconomic conditions and opportunities for these communities, necessitating a critical assessment of how NCS implementation interacts with socioeconomic systems. In this work, we focus on the implementation of NCS in Washington State to support its 2050 net-zero goals. Using a novel research approach, we compare recently estimated NCS potentials along multiple pathways with estimates of county-level socioeconomic sensitivities, exposures, and adaptive capacities to NCS-related changes and highlight the potential challenges that exist. These challenges can significantly limit the estimated GHG reduction and ecosystem co-benefits from NCS if they are implemented without due consideration of potential social interactions. We outline policies that can supplement NCS implementation to support just and equitable approaches that contribute to resilient communities and enhance human wellbeing while mitigating GHG emissions from the natural lands of Washington state.
“It’s a mother’s choice”: Exploring personal experiences, community support, cultural influences, and breastfeeding alternatives in Florence, Italy
Authors: Morley Megan , Natarajan Anjali , Stepp Nicole A. , DeMaria Andrea L.
Published: February 2025

This study explores the complex interplay of personal attitudes, community dynamics, and societal influences on breastfeeding experiences among women in Florence, Italy. Twenty-four women, aged 25 to 62, participated in comprehensive, 60-minute, in-person interviews conducted in May and June 2023. Four central themes emerged: 1) personal experiences, opinions, and attitudes, 2) communities involved in breastfeeding, 3) public opinion and culture, and 4) breastfeeding alternatives. Participants shared both emotional challenges and benefits, such as bonding and health advantages, while navigating the practical and social complexities of breastfeeding. Community support, including input from healthcare providers, midwives, and family networks, was crucial but varied in quality, sometimes offering encouragement and at other times presenting challenges. The findings highlight the individualized nature of breastfeeding durations, shaped by each mother’s unique motivations and societal expectations. This study emphasizes the need for tailored support, public education, and comprehensive resources to foster positive breastfeeding experiences. The research advocates for policy and programmatic efforts that recognize and respect the diverse needs of mothers, promoting a supportive environment amid cultural and societal pressures.
Polygenic risk scores for pan-cancer risk prediction in the Chinese population: A population-based cohort study based on the China Kadoorie Biobank
Authors: Zhu Meng , Zhu Xia , Han Yuting , Ma Zhimin , Ji Chen , Wang Tianpei , Yan Caiwang , Song Ci , Yu Canqing , Sun Dianjianyi , Jiang Yue , Chen Jiaping , Yang Ling , Chen Yiping , Du Huaidong , Walters Robin , Millwood Iona Y , Dai Juncheng , Ma Hongxia , Zhang Zhengdong , Chen Zhengming , Hu Zhibin , Lv Jun , Jin Guangfu , Li Liming , Shen Hongbing ,   on behalf of the China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group
Published: February 2025

Background

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) have been extensively developed for cancer risk prediction in European populations, but their effectiveness in the Chinese population remains uncertain.

Methods and findings

We constructed 80 PRSs for the 13 most common cancers using seven schemes and evaluated these PRSs in 100,219 participants from the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). The optimal PRSs with the highest discriminatory ability were used to define genetic risk, and their site-specific and cross-cancer associations were assessed. We modeled 10-year absolute risk trajectories for each cancer across risk strata defined by PRSs and modifiable risk scores and quantified the explained relative risk (ERR) of PRSs with modifiable risk factors for different cancers. More than 60% (50/80) of the PRSs demonstrated significant associations with the corresponding cancer outcomes. Optimal PRSs for nine common cancers were identified, with each standard deviation increase significantly associated with corresponding cancer risk (hazard ratios (HRs) ranging from 1.20 to 1.76). Compared with participants at low genetic risk and reduced modifiable risk scores, those with high genetic risk and elevated modifiable risk scores had the highest risk of incident cancer, with HRs ranging from 1.97 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–3.48 for cervical cancer, P = 0.020) to 8.26 (95% CI: 1.92–35.46 for prostate cancer, P = 0.005). We observed nine significant cross-cancer associations for PRSs and found the integration of PRSs significantly increased the prediction accuracy for most cancers. The PRSs contributed 2.6%–20.3%, while modifiable risk factors explained 2.3%–16.7% of the ERR in the Chinese population.

Conclusions

The integration of existing evidence has facilitated the development of PRSs associated with nine common cancer risks in the Chinese population, potentially improving clinical risk assessment.
Clinical study on wound healing properties of Nile tilapia fish skin as biological dressing in dogs
Authors: Khan Khizer Ahmed , Durrani Uzma Farid , Mahmood Asim Khalid , Tipu Muhammad Yasin , Fatima Amber , Saeed Hussain Ahmad , Khalid Abdul Karim , Ansari Tuba Shuja
Published: February 2025

Frequency of clinical cases of dogs with massive skin losses is very high in urban areas of Pakistan following road accidents, sharp objects exposure and attack by other dog. These cases need intensive veterinary assistance for safe and speedy healing of wounds. Recently, skin of Nile tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus) is internationally gaining hype in medical field as biological dressing to boost dermatological reconstruction process. Nile tilapia skin is a recent research trend and a very limited research data is available on this topic for both human and animal subjects. This study was conducted at Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan considering the wound healing promoter properties of Nile tilapia skin as a biological dressing for dogs with massive skin losses. Aim of this study was to evaluate Nile tilapia fish skin as wound healing promoter biological dressing following sutured and non-sutured application techniques. For this study 10 clinical cases of dogs were randomly selected as per set criteria and divided into groups A and B comprising 5 dogs each. Consent document was signed by each dog owner for volunteer participation in this study. Nile tilapia skin was collected from fresh subjects and treated with 10% povidone-iodine for 10-15 minutes to prepare biological dressing. In group A, biological dressing was sutured on wound (non-absorbable silk suture material) on the area with dermal loss. In group B, biological dressing was applied in a wrap manner on area of dermal loss without application of sutures. Wound healing was evaluated grossly and histologically on days 0, 7 and 14. Statistical analysis of comparison between groups A and B revealed that application of Nile tilapia skin derived biological dressing in wrap fashion results in fast and complication-free wound healing as compared to sutured tilapia biological dressing in dogs.
Structural design of memory system for Ternary Optical Computer
Authors: Zhang Honghong , Jin Yi , Wang Hongjian , Chen Xunlei , Wang Zhehe , Ouyang Shan , Li Shuang
Published: February 2025

Ternary Optical Computer (TOC) is unique in the development of optical computers, in terms of principle, experiment, algorithm and application. After 20 years of development, six generations of prototypes have been developed. At present, tri-state optical signal storage is the main problem faced by TOC. According to the characteristics of tri-state optical signals and the ternary optical processor’s special requirements for storage systems, we design and implement the interface structure of TOC memory system, including the overall structure of the interface, the address generation module for memory access, the data input and output channels, the read/write timing, and the working process of the memory interface. Finally, the correctness of the memory system interface design is verified by the experiments, which are carried out on FPGA, of reading and writing operational result data of the SD16 TOC prototype. This work tries to improve the theoretical system and practical basis of TOC.
Gender and racial bias issues in a commercial “tone of voice” analysis system
Authors: Holliday Nicole R. , Reed Paul E.
Published: February 2025

Social Feedback Speech Technologies (SFST) are programs and devices, often “AI”-powered, that claim to provide users with feedback about how their speech sounds to other humans. To date, academic research has not focused on how such systems perform for a variety of speakers. In 2020, Amazon released a wearable called Halo, touting its fitness and sleep tracking, as well as its ability to evaluate the wearer’s voice to help them “understand how they sound to others”. The band presents its wearer with ‘Positivity’ and ‘Energy’ scores, as well as qualitative evaluations of the voice: adjectives such as ‘confident’, ‘hesitant’, ‘calm’, etc. This study evaluates how Halo performs for American English speakers of different races and genders. We recorded Black and white men and women reading three passages aloud and played them back to the same Halo device in identical positions. We then obtained Halo’s Energy and Positivity scores (out of 100), as well as the device’s qualitative descriptors of ‘tone of voice’ for each subject. We subsequently analyzed effects of different acoustic properties, as well as speaker race/gender and the interaction, for how the device scores ‘tone of voice’. Overall, Halo’s Energy ratings and qualitative descriptors are biased against women and Black speakers. Halo’s Positivity scores appear to be based on lexical sentiment analysis and therefore do not vary substantially by speaker. We conclude by discussing the expanding role of SFSTs and their potential harms related to the reinforcement of existing societal and algorithmic biases against marginalized speakers.
Investigating the coupling effects of rainfall intensity and slope inclination on soil-rock mixture slope stability and failure modes
Authors: Zhou Fanyi , Wu Hengbin , Qiang Yue , Liu Gang , Zhang Zhongxu , Zhang Yi , Chen Nanxi
Published: February 2025

The primary factor influencing slope stability is the variation of internal mechanics within the soil-rock mixture caused by rainfall infiltration. Most existing research has focused on how rock content affects the failure of soil-rock mixture slopes. However, there has been insufficient investigation into the coupling effects of rainfall intensity and slope inclination on the stability of soil-rock mixture slopes. Therefore, the model test of soil-rock mixture slope was carried out. The coupling effects of rainfall intensity and slope inclination on water content, earth pressure, pore water pressure, and failure mode of soil-rock mixture slope were analyzed. The failure mode of soil-rock mixture slope induced by rainfall was revealed. The results indicated that an increase in rainfall intensity and slope inclination significantly contributed to the instability of soil-rock mixture slopes and the loss of fine particles. Additionally, the maximum values of water content, earth pressure, and pore water pressure increased progressively. Considering the two influencing factors of rainfall intensity and slope inclination, the calculation formulas related to the fine particle content, maximum water content, maximum earth pressure, and maximum pore water pressure of soil-rock mixture slope were established. The findings of this research provided theoretical support for the construction of soil-rock mixture slopes and the prevention and control of landslide disasters.