bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review: Advanced Drive Technologies for Bionic Soft Robots
Authors: Deng Chengyao , Li Zhenkun
Published: February 2025

This article provides a comprehensive exploration of the current research landscape in the field of soft actuation technology applied to bio-inspired soft robots. In sharp contrast to their conventional rigid counterparts, bio-inspired soft robots are primarily constructed from flexible materials, conferring upon them remarkable adaptability and flexibility to execute a multitude of tasks in complex environments. However, the classification of their driving technology poses a significant challenge owing to the diverse array of employed driving mechanisms and materials. Here, we classify several common soft actuation methods from the perspectives of the sources of motion in bio-inspired soft robots and their bio-inspired objects, effectively filling the classification system of soft robots, especially bio-inspired soft robots. Then, we summarize the driving principles and structures of various common driving methods from the perspective of bionics, and discuss the latest developments in the field of soft robot actuation from the perspective of driving modalities and methodologies. We then discuss the application directions of bio-inspired soft robots and the latest developments in each direction. Finally, after an in-depth review of various soft bio-inspired robot driving technologies in recent years, we summarize the issues and challenges encountered in the advancement of soft robot actuation technology.
Internal Capillary-Gravity Wilton Ripples
Authors: Akers Benjamin F. , Ambrose David M.
Published: February 2025

Periodic traveling waves at the interface of two incompressible, inviscid fluids subject to gravity and surface tension are studied. We focus on the case in which the linearization about the quiescent state has a two-dimensional kernel. We prove the existence of sheets of traveling waves in this circumstance. We also compute Wilton ripples in which the leading term has a (1:2) harmonic resonance, the triad ripple configuration. Global branches of waves are computed, terminating in three types of self-intersecting waves.
How Can We Improve the Government’s Research and Technology for Disasters and Safety?
Authors: Yum Seungil
Published: February 2025

Objective

This study explores how we can improve the government’s research and technology for disasters and safety.

Methods

This study employs the Structural Equation Model (SEM) based on 268 experts’ perspectives.

Results

R&D performance exerts a directly significant impact on R&D achievement with the coefficient of 0.429. Second, while professionality and environment of R&D do not show a direct effect on achievement, they exhibit an indirect effect on it with the coefficient of 1.124 and 0.354, respectively. Third, R&D professionality exerts a significant impact on the R&D environment (0.964), and R&D environment has a positive effect on R&D performance (0.827).

Conclusion

Governments and policymakers should develop disaster and safety policies by understanding direct and indirect effects and the relationship of factors related to R&D for improving R&D achievement.
Investigation of Avalanche Events Occurring in Palandöken Ski Resort
Authors: Torpuş Kemal , Usta Galip , Atalay Ezgi , Gündüz Fatma
Published: February 2025

The aim of the study is to examine the avalanche events that occurred in Erzurum Palandöken Ski Resort. Palandöken’s topography makes it vulnerable to avalanches. Avalanches are the rapid and sudden flow of snow masses accumulated on slopes and are considered one of the natural disasters. Several avalanches have occurred on Palandöken Mountain, leading to tragic results. In 1974, six people were buried under an avalanche and rescue teams were injured in a secondary avalanche. In subsequent years, avalanches died four people in 1975, one person in 1976, and eight people on Dragon Peak in 1977. In 2006, one tourist died in an avalanche on Palandöken Mountain. The last avalanche disaster on Palandöken Mountain, which occurred on December 21, 2024, resulted in the death of an athlete from the Kocaeli Judo National Team of the Turkish Olympic Preparation Center. Palandöken, one of Türkiye’s leading winter tourism destinations, hosts international events but faces significant avalanche risks due to its topography. In order to reduce these risks, it is essential to establish avalanche early warning and monitoring systems, provide avalanche safety training for tourists and personnel, and implement infrastructure measures to reduce avalanche hazards.
Review of microRNA detection workflows from liquid biopsy for disease diagnostics
Authors: Naranbat Dulguunnaran , Herdes Emilia , Tapinos Nikos , Tripathi Anubhav
Published: February 2025

MicroRNAs have emerged as effective biomarkers in disease diagnostics, particularly cancer, due to their role as regulatory sequences. More recently, microRNAs have been detected in liquid biopsies, which hold immense potential for early disease diagnostics. This review comprehensively analyses distinct liquid biopsy microRNA detection methods validated with clinical samples. Each step in the microRNA detection workflow, including sample collection, RNA isolation, processing, and detection of target microRNAs, has been thoroughly assessed. The review discusses the advantages and limitations of established and novel techniques in microRNA detection workflows, discussing their diagnostic capabilities and potential for future implementation at scale.
Spectral Polyhedra
Authors: Sanyal Raman , Saunderson James
Published: February 2025

A spectral convex set is a collection of symmetric matrices whose range of eigenvalues forms a symmetric convex set. Spectral convex sets generalize the Schur-Horn orbitopes studied by Sanyal–Sottile–Sturmfels (2011). We study this class of convex bodies, which is closed under intersections, polarity and Minkowski sums. We describe orbits of faces and give a formula for their Steiner polynomials. We then focus on spectral polyhedra. We prove that spectral polyhedra are spectrahedra and give small representations as spectrahedral shadows. We close with observations and questions regarding hyperbolicity cones, polar convex bodies and spectral zonotopes.
Overcoming ideology-consistent biases: does it help to make things easier?
Authors: Gustafsson Philip U. , Lindholm Torun , Isohanni Freja , Svenson Ola , Appelbom Sophia
Published: February 2025

In 2 experiments, we attempted to reduce belief-consistent biases in interpretations of a polarized problem by making information easier to interpret. In the experiments, participants solved numerical problems that were either framed in a politically polarized (the effects of Muslim prayer rooms on support for Islamic extremism) or a neutral setting (the effects of a skin cream on skin rash). In both studies, the problems were presented twice, with the second presentation accompanied with an aid to facilitate problem-solving. In Experiment 1, this aid came in the form of an informative text on how to calculate the numbers to solve the problem. In Experiment 2, the aid provided participants with the first calculus necessary to solve the problem: transforming frequencies to percentages. Overall, results demonstrated belief-consistent responses in the polarized scenario when participants attempted to solve the first problem (higher accuracy when the correct conclusion was in line with participants’ ideology). Information on how to calculate the problem (Experiment 1) only slightly reduced the biased responses, whereas the added percentages (Experiment 2) led to a substantial reduction of the bias. Thus, we demonstrate that the facilitation of complex information on a polarized topic reduces biases in favor of rational reasoning.
Co-designing interventions to improve diets in rural communities
Authors: Needham Cindy , Partridge Stephanie R , Alston Laura , Rawstorn Jonathan C , Livingstone Katherine M
Published: February 2025

By involving stakeholders to identify issues, co-design facilitates the creation of solutions aligned with the community’s unique needs and values. However, genuine co-design with consumers across all stages of nutrition intervention research remains uncommon. The aim of this review was to examine notable examples of interventions to improve diets in rural settings that have been co-designed by rural communities. Six studies were identified reporting on community-based and digital interventions to improve diets in rural settings that have been co-designed by rural communities. The level of co-design used varied, with two interventions describing co-design workshops and focus groups over a period of between 6 and 11 months, and others not reporting details on the co-design process. Collectively, most interventions demonstrated positive impacts on dietary markers, including an increase in purchase of fruit and vegetable, an increase in percentage energy from nutrient dense foods and a decrease in intake of high fat meats. While these interventions show promise for improving diets in these under-served communities, it is widely recognised that there is a lack of dietary interventions genuinely co-designed with and for rural communities. Future research should build on these studies to co-design dietary interventions that integrate the benefits of both community-based and digital interventions.
Optimal sleep: a key element in maintaining a healthy bodyweight
Authors: Hall Wendy L
Published: February 2025

As obesity rates rise globally, addressing modifiable lifestyle factors, such as sleep, presents an opportunity for public health interventions. This review explores the growing evidence linking sleep duration, quality and timing with weight management and dietary behaviours throughout the life course. Observational studies associate short or irregular sleep with increased obesity risk, poor diet quality and metabolic disturbances. Plausible mechanisms include decreased physical activity, heightened hedonic and/or emotional eating, dysregulated appetite signals and circadian misalignment of metabolism, which contribute to a positive energy balance. Unravelling the bidirectional relationship between sleep and weight is challenging; poor sleep exacerbates weight gain, while obesity-related comorbidities such as obstructive sleep apnoea further impair sleep. Despite promising evidence from sleep-restriction studies showing increased energy intake, long-term randomised controlled trials (RCTs) examining interventions designed to improve sleep with weight management as an outcome are lacking. A handful of short-term interventions suggest benefits in reducing energy intake or improving dietary quality, but their effects on weight loss remain inconclusive. This review calls for robust, well-powered RCTs that integrate sleep, diet and physical activity interventions to evaluate the potential of sleep as a core component of obesity prevention and treatment strategies. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to support sleep-focused interventions as a mandatory element in clinical weight-management programmes.
New diagnosis in psychiatry: beyond heuristics
Authors: McGorry Patrick D. , Hickie Ian B. , Kotov Roman , Schmaal Lianne , Wood Stephen J. , Allan Sophie M. , Altınbaş Kürşat , Boyce Niall , Bringmann Laura F. , Caspi Avshalom , Cuthbert Bruce , Gawęda Łukasz , Groen Robin N. , Guloksuz Sinan , Hartmann Jessica A. , Krueger Robert F. , Mei Cristina , Nieman Dorien , Öngür Dost , Raballo Andrea , Scheffer Marten , Schreuder Marieke J. , Shah Jai L. , Wigman Johanna T. W. , Yuen Hok Pan , Nelson Barnaby
Published: February 2025

Background

Diagnosis in psychiatry faces familiar challenges. Validity and utility remain elusive, and confusion regarding the fluid and arbitrary border between mental health and illness is increasing. The mainstream strategy has been conservative and iterative, retaining current nosology until something better emerges. However, this has led to stagnation. New conceptual frameworks are urgently required to catalyze a genuine paradigm shift.

Methods

We outline candidate strategies that could pave the way for such a paradigm shift. These include the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP), and Clinical Staging, which all promote a blend of dimensional and categorical approaches.

Results

These alternative still heuristic transdiagnostic models provide varying levels of clinical and research utility. RDoC was intended to provide a framework to reorient research beyond the constraints of DSM. HiTOP began as a nosology derived from statistical methods and is now pursuing clinical utility. Clinical Staging aims to both expand the scope and refine the utility of diagnosis by the inclusion of the dimension of timing. None is yet fit for purpose. Yet they are relatively complementary, and it may be possible for them to operate as an ecosystem. Time will tell whether they have the capacity singly or jointly to deliver a paradigm shift.

Conclusions

Several heuristic models have been developed that separately or synergistically build infrastructure to enable new transdiagnostic research to define the structure, development, and mechanisms of mental disorders, to guide treatment and better meet the needs of patients, policymakers, and society.
What works for whom in pediatric OCD: description of causally interpretable meta-analysis methods and report on trial data harmonization
Authors: Norris Lesley A. , Barker David H. , Rosen Ariella R. , Kemp Joshua , Freeman Jennifer , Benito Kristen G. ,   Project Harmony Team
Published: February 2025

Background

Improving patient outcomes will be enhanced by understanding “what works, for whom?” enabling better matching of patients to available treatments. However, answering this “what works, for whom?” question requires sample sizes that exceed those of most individual trials. Conventional methods for combining data across trials, including aggregate-data meta-analysis, suffer from key limitations including difficulty accounting for differences across trials (e.g., comparing “apples to oranges”). Causally interpretable meta-analysis (CI-MA) addresses these limitations by pairing individual-participant-data (IPD) across trials using advancements in transportability methods to extend causal inferences to clinical “target” populations of interest. Combining IPD across trials also requires careful acquisition and harmonization of data, a challenging process for which practical guidance is not well-described in the literature.

Methods

We describe methods and work to date for a large harmonization project in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that employs CI-MA.

Results

We review the data acquisition, harmonization, meta-data coding, and IPD analysis processes for Project Harmony, a study that (1) harmonizes 28 randomized controlled trials, along with target data from a clinical sample of treatment-seeking youth ages 4–20 with OCD, and (2) applies CI-MA to examine “what works, for whom?” We also detail dissemination strategies and partner involvement planned throughout the project to enhance the future clinical utility of CI-MA findings. Data harmonization took approximately 125 hours per trial (3,000 hours total), which was considerably higher than preliminary projections.

Conclusions

Applying CI-MA to harmonize data has the potential to answer “what works for whom?” in pediatric OCD.
Change the Meaning, Save More Lives: Why Changing the Meaning of Commercial Compensated Collections of Substances of Human Origin Is Both Feasible and Preferable to Banning the Practice for Fear of Commodification
Authors: Jaworski Peter M.
Published: February 2025

Thousands of people will suffer and die this year because we do not donate enough substances of human origin, including blood plasma. To solve this, some recommend that we allow commercial organizations to assist in collecting these and that we permit donor compensation as a tool to encourage donations. Many object to these proposals, including for semiotic or expressive reasons. But insofar as these objections rely on meanings and these meanings are social constructs, we can revise the meaning of these practices to avoid commodification. Revision may work in principle, but in practice some complain that changing meanings may be too difficult or practically infeasible. This essay attempts to show that this is not so in a wide range of cases and uses the case of commercial compensated blood plasma collection as an illustration. Getting people to conceive of this practice not as payment for blood plasma but as compensation for the time, effort, and inconvenience associated with the giving of plasma is practically feasible and preferable to prohibition.
Sustaining transformative change in public health in Africa to achieve health development goals
Authors: Impouma Benido , Makubalo Lindiwe , Mwinga Kasonde , Cabore Joseph , Moeti Matshidiso Rebecca
Published: February 2025

In 2015, the WHO African Region was responding to the largest Ebola virus disease outbreak in history while at the same time working to contain a wild poliovirus outbreak [1]. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development had recently been endorsed, reflecting new global development priorities. By 2016, the Ebola outbreak was under control, and a new approach to reform and priority setting was in place in the region; the Transformation Agenda [2]. This agenda, introduced by the new Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, set up a robust system for improving the efficiency and accountability of the WHO Secretariat for the African Region, which has been instrumental in the transformative changes that have been seen across the region in the past 10 years. This commentary discusses significant contributions to public health in the WHO African Region in the past decade, in the context of the Transformation Agenda, and the contributions of major investment in health security in the region. It is important to understand the need to sustain particular initiatives and elements of the transformative change that has taken place in the region.
Digital technology and language learning: insights from teachers of adult migrant learners
Authors: Maahs Ina-Maria , DeCapua Andrea , Triulzi Marco
Published: February 2025

Increasing global digitalization is changing the everyday language skills required to participate in society, to carry out professional activities, and to take advantage of educational opportunities. As a result, new linguistic and digital competences are required for migrants. At the same time, digitalization offers new potential for learner-oriented language learning. In this article, we compare the results of two studies on teachers of adult multilingual migrant learners. These teachers instruct learners at different levels of literacy and with varied prior formal learning experiences. Both studies are situated in the German education system. The results illustrate how teachers and learners can work together using digital technologies to promote language learning. We explore the opportunities for effective, multilingual, and motivating language learning, as well as the challenges faced by learners and teachers, pointing to the need for further training in digital technology for both groups.
Radiation dose diode measurements for in vivo dosimetry of IMRT plans: accuracy and technical considerations
Authors: Abdelkader Ali H. , AlZein Ali M. , Shahine Bilal H.
Published: February 2025

Introduction:

In vivo diode dosimetry proved its efficacy as a patient-specific quality assurance tool for 3DCRT. Its usefulness in IMRT is not sufficiently investigated.

Methods:

Four step-and-shoot IMRT plans were generated for different treatment sites using an Alderson Rando anthropomorphic phantom. Two in vivo semiconductor diodes were used to perform 33 entrance radiation dose measurements at central axis and max beam point dose on a water-equivalent slabs based on the anthropomorphic plans. Measured values were compared to planned ones, and detailed analysis per segment of each IMRT field was made to infer the reason behind the discrepancies of measurements from expectations.

Results:

Point dose measurements were performed on a beam and a segment basis. Agreement within ±5% action level with planned dose was 27% of beams at central axis versus 45% at max point dose and 10% of segments at central axis versus 25% at max point dose. For ±10% action level, 70% of beams at central axis versus 73% at max point dose, and 15% of segments at central axis versus 41% at max point dose. Classification of segments resulted in a significance of .021 for measuring at positions unaffected by the MLC partial and total blockage.

Conclusion:

Diode measurements are recommended at maximum dose coordinates for open beams/segments for more accurate patient dose verification results as part of in vivo dosimetry. This is important for limited resources centres treating with sMLC IMRT.
John Hope Franklin’s From Slavery to Freedom (1947), Mid-Twentieth-Century Racial Liberalism, and the Dilemmas of African American History in Print
Authors: Cryer Thomas
Published: February 2025

This article demonstrates how postwar racial liberalism simultaneously catalyzed and constrained mid-twentieth-century black intellectual labor by examining the production, reception, and subsequent reinvention of John Hope Franklin’s seminal 1947 black history survey, From Slavery to Freedom. Seeking to exploit growing postwar interest in histories of race, Franklin’s publishers, Knopf, continuously promoted Franklin as an authentic yet non-threatening black spokesperson who could explain the latest realities of blackness to concerned white liberals. While this double-edged praise accelerated Franklin’s rise to academic prominence, he increasingly smuggled a quiet radicalism within his text in the eight editions published during his lifetime, affirming American ideals while simultaneously illuminating their hypocrisies. Examining From Slavery to Freedom’s afterlives thus offers a panoramic narrative of black history’s evolution that spans the twentieth century, revealing the uneasy alliances and improvisations through which black scholars popularized black history while navigating the relentlessly racialized tensions of a white-dominated academy and nation.
Commitments of Silence: Reciprocity Networks and Criminal Organizations in Montevideo
Authors: Fynn Inés
Published: February 2025

This article examines how drug gangs establish commitments of silence (CS) with communities in Montevideo, Uruguay. CS involve tacit agreements through which communities exchange silence—that is, not reporting illicit gang activities to the authorities—for gang-provided tranquility, thus ensuring relative stability. Unlike previous research that has focused on contexts of low state presence, this study explores a context, Montevideo, with higher state presence, emphasizing the increased importance of CS when states can receive reports of criminal activity and respond; that is, in low-corruption and high-capacity settings. Gangs use various methods from forced violence to negotiated loyalty to secure community silence. I argue that the structure of local reciprocity networks, characterized by long-term exchange ties, influences the type of CS established and determines prevalent strategies for maintaining community silence. Homegrown gang members embed the CS within the community’s existing reciprocity network. The argument is developed through case studies in Montevideo’s Casavalle neighborhood, using a process-tracing design based on interviews, press articles, and historical records to uncover the logics behind drug gang operations and their relationship with the local community.
Für die hochschulische Praxisanleitung qualifizieren
Authors: Darmann-Finck Ingrid , Duveneck Nicole , Rahner Marianne
Published: February 2025

Zusammenfassung: Mit dem Modulcurriculum erhalten Weiterbildungseinrichtungen eine curriculare Grundlage für die Konzeption eines Bildungsangebots für die hochschulische Praxisanleitung. Es berücksichtigt die Spezifika des primärqualifizierenden bzw. dualen Pflegestudiums und orientiert sich an modernen curricularen Konstruktionsprinzipien.
A New Framework for the Attribution of Air‐Sea CO2 Exchange
Authors: Ito Takamitsu , Reinhard Christopher T.
Published: February 2025

The air‐sea transfer of carbon dioxide can be viewed as a dynamic system through which atmospheric and oceanic processes push surface waters away from thermodynamic equilibrium, while diffusive gas transfer pulls them back toward local equilibrium. These push/pull processes drive significant sub‐seasonal, seasonal, and interannual variability in air‐sea carbon fluxes, the quantification of which is critical both for diagnosing the ocean response to fossil fuel emissions and for attempts to mitigate anthropogenic climate disruption through intentional modification of surface ocean biogeochemistry. In this study, we present a new approach for attributing air‐sea carbon fluxes to specific mechanisms. The new framework is first applied to a two‐box ocean nutrient and carbon cycle model as an illustrative example. Next, outputs from a regional eddy‐resolving model of the Southern Ocean are analyzed. The roles of multiple physical and biogeochemical processes are identified. The decomposition of the seasonal air‐sea carbon flux shows the dominant role of biological carbon pumps that are partially compensated by the transport convergence. Finally, the framework is used to diagnose the response to mesoscale iron and alkalinity release, explicitly quantifying transport feedback and eventual impacts on net air‐sea carbon flux. Ocean carbon transport has divergent influences between iron and alkalinity release, due to opposing near‐surface gradients of dissolved inorganic carbon. We suggest that our attribution framework may be a useful analytical technique for monitoring natural ocean carbon fluxes and quantifying the impacts of human intervention on the ocean carbon cycle.
Chemical Weathering and Erosional Response of Northern New Guinea to Orbital‐Scale Climate Variability
Authors: Du Yifan , Clift Peter D. , Carter Andrew
Published: February 2025

Plain Language Summary

We carried out the first research documenting chemical weathering in northern New Guinea for 330 ka. The breakdown of pristine minerals is recognized as being important in regulating atmospheric CO2 and thus controlling the global climate over a variety of timescales. We explore the role played by New Guinea in modulating and responding to climate changes in 330 ka and assess its potential to affect global climate. We reconstruct the changing intensity of chemical weathering and calculate the rates of CO2 consumption and organic carbon burial using well‐established methods. CO2 was consumed in New Guinea more quickly during glacial times because erosion during these periods is more focused on rocks that are more mafic and thus more CO2 consuming. This results in a positive feedback, removing more atmospheric CO2 and allowing the Earth to cool further. The reverse occurs during interglacial times. Organic carbon burial does not vary with climatic cycles and accounts for only ∼15%–20% of the total CO2 drawdown. Modern river sediment loads indicate that New Guinea is much more effective than the major river systems of Asia in removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
Tracking 3D Drought Events Across Global River Basins: Climatology, Spatial Footprint, and Temporal Changes
Authors: Feng Xin , Wang Zhaoli , Wu Xushu , Huang Shengzhi , Li Jun , Lai Chengguang , Zeng Zhaoyang , Lin Guosheng
Published: February 2025

Understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of drought is essential for mitigating drought‐induced impacts. To date, less attention is paid to drought characterization and changes across global river basins within a 3D clustering drought identification framework. Here, we characterized drought events across 59 global river basins during 1979–2020 based on standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index and a three‐dimensional clustering method, together with exploration of relationships between drought indicators. The results show that drought characteristics did not change significantly over time in most basins, but the frequency tended to decrease in the Middle East and North Africa and showed increase at high latitudes. Droughts in Amazon, Nile and La Plata basins are severer than other basins with higher severities on the whole. Moreover, for most all basins, drought affected area and severity both increased with duration.
Hepatocellular carcinoma: signaling pathways and therapeutic advances
Authors: Zheng Jiaojiao , Wang Siying , Xia Lei , Sun Zhen , Chan Kui Ming , Bernards René , Qin Wenxin , Chen Jinhong , Xia Qiang , Jin Haojie
Published: February 2025

Liver cancer represents a major global health concern, with projections indicating that the number of new cases could surpass 1 million annually by 2025. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes around 90% of liver cancer cases and is primarily linked to factors incluidng aflatoxin, hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV), and metabolic disorders. There are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of HCC, which often leads to delays in diagnosis. Therefore, HCC patients usually present with tumors in advanced and incurable stages. Several signaling pathways are dis-regulated in HCC and cause uncontrolled cell propagation, metastasis, and recurrence of HCC. Beyond the frequently altered and therapeutically targeted receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathways in HCC, pathways involved in cell differentiation, telomere regulation, epigenetic modification and stress response also provide therapeutic potential. Investigating the key signaling pathways and their inhibitors is pivotal for achieving therapeutic advancements in the management of HCC. At present, the primary therapeutic approaches for advanced HCC are tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), and combination regimens. New trials are investigating combination therapies involving ICIs and TKIs or anti-VEGF (endothelial growth factor) therapies, as well as combinations of two immunotherapy regimens. The outcomes of these trials are expected to revolutionize HCC management across all stages. Here, we provide here a comprehensive review of cellular signaling pathways, their therapeutic potential, evidence derived from late-stage clinical trials in HCC and discuss the concepts underlying earlier clinical trials, biomarker identification, and the development of more effective therapeutics for HCC.
Myeloma cell-derived CXCL7 facilitates proliferation of tumor cells and occurrence of osteolytic lesions through JAK/STAT3 pathway
Authors: Wang Yue , Lan Tianwei , Zhang Qiongyan , Zhou Chi , Liu Peng
Published: February 2025

Osteolytic lesions and pathological fractures are hallmark manifestations of multiple myeloma (MM), profoundly influencing the quality of life and self-care ability of MM patients. By analyzing transcriptome data and single-cell RNA-seq data from our center and the GEO database, a subset of MM cells with high expression levels of chemokine CXCL7 was identified. This subset of MM cells possesses a high capacity for proliferation and activation of osteoclast signaling pathway. CXCL7 might be a crucial regulator of osteolytic damage in MM. Subsequently, the association between the expression level of CXCL7 and pathological fractures in patients was investigated, and the impact of CXCL7 on MM proliferation was confirmed both in vivo and in vitro. A mouse xenograft tumor model was established through intravenous injection of myeloma cell lines based on the homing ability of plasma cells. Moreover, the mechanism by which CXCL7 promotes the activation of osteoclast signaling pathways in MM was explored. Our findings reveal that elevated CXCL7 levels significantly enhance MM cell proliferation, increasing the risk of pathological fractures in MM patients. Additionally, our mouse xenograft tumor model demonstrated that CXCL7 can induce femoral fractures and reduce bone mineral density. Concurrently, it was discovered that CXCL7 could activate the JAK/STAT3 pathway via CXCR2 and upregulate the expression levels of MMP13 and C-myc, facilitating MM cell proliferation and activation of the osteoclast signaling pathway. Our study offers novel insights into the pathogenic mechanism of osteolytic lesions and implies that targeting CXCL7 may present a new therapeutic avenue for MM.
Restoration of gut microbiota with a specific synbiotic-containing infant formula in healthy Chinese infants born by cesarean section
Authors: Wang Ying , Wopereis Harm , Kakourou Alexia , Liu Min , Wu Jieling , Li Zailing , Zhang Lili , Tan Meizhen , Low June Su Yin , Liu Mengjin , Roeselers Guus , Knol Jan , Cai Wei
Published: February 2025

Background

Birth by cesarean section (C-section) is associated with a delayed colonization of bifidobacteria and Bacteroidota species with potential negative health consequences. Previously, an infant formula with a synbiotic mixture of short-chain galacto-oligosaccharides and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scGOS/lcFOS [9:1]) and Bifidobacterium breve M-16V was found to restore the timely colonization of bifidobacteria in C-section born infants. In this study, we investigated the effect of this synbiotic mixture on gut microbiota development in C-section and vaginally–born infants participating in a growth equivalence trial (NCT03520764).

Methods

Healthy, fully formula-fed Chinese infants were randomized to receive a partially hydrolyzed whey-based protein formula with the synbiotic mixture (n = 112), or an intact protein formula with scGOS/lcFOS (prebiotic, n = 112). Breastfed infants served as reference group (n = 60). Gut microbiota profiling by 16S rRNA gene sequencing of stools collected at baseline, 17 weeks (end of intervention) and 12 months of age was complemented with analysis of stool pH, short-chain fatty acids, lactic acids, and secretory IgA concentrations.

Results

Both the prebiotic and the synbiotic formula supported a dominant and diverse infant-type bifidobacterial community, but with increased abundance of Bifidobacterium breve in the synbiotic group. In C-section born infants (54.8% of randomized) the synbiotic but not the prebiotic, enhanced the bifidobacterial species diversity and showed restoration of Parabacteroides at 17 weeks, and Bacteroides spp. at 12 months closer to that of the vaginally–born infants.

Conclusion

The synbiotic was confirmed to support the restoration of important gut colonizers in infants born by C-section with effects observed even beyond the intervention period.
Multi-project wafer runs for electronic graphene devices in the European 2D-Experimental Pilot Line project
Authors: Canto Bárbara , Otto Martin , Maestre Arantxa , Centeno Alba , Zurutuza Amaia , Robertz Bianca , Reato Eros , Chmielak Bartos , Stoll Stefanie L. , Hemmetter Andreas , Schlachter Florian , Ehlert Lisa , Li Sha , Neumaier Daniel , Rinke Gordon , Wang Zhenxing , Lemme Max C.
Published: February 2025

The commercialization of electronic devices based on graphene has not yet been successful, even 20 years after its first isolation. To this end, the European Commission is supporting research toward establishing a European experimental pilot line for electronic and optoelectronic devices based on graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials, namely the Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) project. Here, we report the results obtained during the first and third multi-project wafer (MPW) runs completed at the end of 2022 (MPW run 1) and 2023 (MPW run 3) as an outcome of the 2D-EPL. Test devices were measured across the wafers to assess the device quality and variability before delivering the fabricated dies to the customers. Raman spectroscopy confirmed minimal structural changes in the graphene caused by the fabrication process, while electrical measurements of two different device types verified the device specifications defined in the process design kit.
Microscopic parametrizations for gate set tomography under coloured noise
Authors: Viñas P. , Bermudez A.
Published: February 2025

Gate set tomography (GST) allows for a self-consistent characterization of noisy quantum information processors (QIPs). The standard approach treats QIPs as black boxes only constrained by the laws of physics, attaining full generality at a considerable resource cost: numerous circuits must be run in order to amplify each of the gate set parameters. In this work, we show that a microscopic parametrization of quantum gates under time-correlated noise on the driving phase, motivated by recent experiments with trapped-ion gates, enables a more efficient version of GST. Adopting the formalism of filter functions over the noise spectral densities, we discuss the minimal parametrizations of the gate set that include the effect of non-Markovian quantum evolutions during the individual gates. We compare the estimated gate sets obtained by our method and the standard long-sequence GST, discussing their accuracies and showcasing the advantages of the parametrized approach in terms of the sampling complexity.
Estimating energy consumption and GHG emissions in the U.S. food supply chain for net-zero
Authors: Armstrong Kristina , Dong Wenquan , Jin Mingzhou , Nimbalkar Sachin , Cresko Joe
Published: February 2025

This work provides a database of the U.S. food system’s energy consumption and GHG emissions at the national and state levels by food supply chain (FSC) stage, fuel type, and food commodity. We estimate that the U.S. FSC consumed a total 4660 TBTU (4900 PJ) of site energy, 7130 TBTU (7500 PJ) of primary energy, and generated 970 MMT of GHG emissions in 2016. Among all the stages, on-farm production is the largest energy consumer (31% primary energy) and GHG emissions contributor (70%), largely due to raising animals. Optimizing distribution can reduce the stage’s energy consumption and GHG emissions and increase products’ shelf-life. Reducing food loss and waste is another good option, as it decreases the amount of food necessary to grow, thus impacting the overall FSC. The database can help stakeholders identify stage- and region-specific strategies and measures to curtail the environmental footprint of the U.S. food system.
45 years of directional wave recorded data at the Acqua Alta oceanographic tower
Authors: Cavaleri Luigi , Pomaro Angela , Bertotti Luciana , Bonometto Andrea , De Nat Luca , Papa Alvise , Volpe Valerio
Published: February 2025

The dataset comprises a 45-year-long directional wave time series recorded at the Acqua Alta Oceanographic research Tower (AAOT) since 1979. The AAOT is located in the Northern Adriatic Sea and it is managed by the Institute of Marine Sciences of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISMAR). The extent of the time series enables the description of the wave climate in the North Adriatic region and the identification of trends and links with large-scale climate patterns from a single and permanent observational source. Different wave gauges have been used since the start of the measurements, progressively upgraded and repositioned during maintenance operations. The recent addition of more precise instruments and the availability of the related raw dataset allowed for a re-evaluation of the previously published data, while extending the timeseries in time. This has enabled the creation of a substantially improved, yet homogeneous, measured dataset, thereby enhancing the reliability of the related long-term scenario analysis.
Deferiprone ameliorates cisplatin induced peripheral neurotoxicity via ferritinophagy adjustment
Authors: Seddiek Hanan , Hanna Mira , Hamoud Amany Elsayed Mohamed , Elbaset Marawan Abd , Akabawy Ahmed M. A. , Kotb Mohamed Zakaria , Khalifa Mohamed Mansour
Published: February 2025

Cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity is one of the limiting factors to its use especially in tumors that demand high drug dosage. One of the Cisplatin pathways is ferritinophagy which may end up in ferroptosis. So, we aimed to use iron chelator as a new strategy based on an anti-ferroptotic mechanism and to evaluate its neuroprotective effect against polyneuropathy in Cisplatin-treated rats. Twenty-four male Wistar albino rats were arranged into four groups: (I) Control group, rats were given vehicle; (II) Def group, rats received deferiprone (200 mg/kg orally once daily for 10 days); (III) Cis group, rats were injected by Cis 2 mg/Kg once daily for 3 consecutive days i.p.; and (IV) Cis + Def group, rats received deferiprone (200 mg/kg orally once daily for 10 days, rats were injected with Cis in the 4th, 5th, and 6th days). Cis increased and upregulated ferritinophagy inducers significantly including MDA, NCOA4, and IREB1 as compared to the control group. On the other hand, GSH, GPX4, SLCA11 and FTH1 were decreased and down regulated significantly compared to the control group. In addition to significant deterioration in the histopathological and immunological nerve tissue assessment using silver stain and PNCA. Embracing the cisplatin dosage with deferiprone reversed cisplatin-induced neuropathy, in which the physiological function significantly improved along with the immune and histopathology of nerve tissue. This was accompanied by down regulation of ferritinophagy inducers and enhancing ferritinophagy inhibitors. The current results concluded that rapping cisplatin with deferiprone can mitigate neurotoxicity induced by cisplatin in experimental animals through ferritinophagy pathway adjustment.
Thermal performance evaluation of phase changing materials in double glazing units for office buildings in Egypt
Authors: Abdel-Rahman Omar , Rouby El , Afify Mohamed Moemen
Published: February 2025

Nowadays glass curtain walls are used widely in modern buildings as they offer a significant aesthetic appearance and provide the building with natural lighting. However, their poor thermal resistance leads to excessive usage of mechanical systems to achieve thermal comfort which in turn increases the energy consumption in buildings. The proper integration of the unique properties of the PCM could effectively enhance the thermal performance of buildings therefore, the main objective of this research is to examine and validate the effect of using phase change material (PCM) on the building thermal performance especially when integrated with double glazing unit (DGU). The research examined comprehensively the effect of using PCM with DGU by undergoing a field experiment and comparing the results with a simulation model using Design Builder (DB) -energy plus simulation tool. After validating the simulation model, DB was used to examine the effect of using PCM double glazing unit with a multi-story office building in three different climatic regions in Egypt covering humid, mild, and hot arid regions. The results showed that using petroleum jelly as a PCM with DGUs will lead to a significant effect in reducing the usage of mechanical systems in cooling the building spaces by 8.91%, 8.62%, and 8.07% in Cairo, Alexandria, and Aswan consecutively from the total yearly cooling electric consumption.
Not as random: the stable dynamics controlling shallow convective clouds
Authors: Koren Ilan , Dror Tom , Shehter Elizabeth-Ruth , Altaratz Orit
Published: February 2025

Shallow, sparse, non-precipitating convective clouds forming over the ocean are considered among the least organized cloud fields. The formation mechanism of these clouds is associated with random, local perturbations that create buoyant parcels. Their sparseness suggests no or very weak interactions between clouds. Here, we show that such clouds form within a well-organized, stable, dense mesh of convective cells that operate continuously, independent of the presence of visible clouds.
Vastly different energy landscapes of the membrane insertions of monomeric gasdermin D and A3
Authors: Korn Viktoria , Pluhackova Kristyna
Published: February 2025

Gasdermin D and gasdermin A3 belong to the same family of pore-forming proteins and executors of pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death. To unveil the process of their pore formation, we examine the energy landscapes upon insertion of the gasdermin D and A3 monomers into a lipid bilayer by extensive atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. We reveal a lower free energy barrier of membrane insertion for gasdermin D than for gasdermin A3 and a preference of gasdermin D for the membrane-inserted and of gasdermin A3 for the membrane-adsorbed state, suggesting that gasdermin D first inserts and then oligomerizes while gasdermin A3 oligomerizes and then inserts. Gasdermin D stabilizes itself in the membrane by forming more salt bridges and pulling phosphatidylethanolamine lipids and more water into the membrane. Gasdermin-lipid interactions support the pore formation. Our findings suggest that both the gasdermin species and the lipid composition modulate gasdermin pore formation.
Autoclave reactor synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles, unreported variables, and safety considerations
Authors: McGonigle Rebecca , Glasgow Jodie , Houston Catriona , Cameron Iain , Homann Christian , Black Dominic J. , Pal Robert , MacKenzie Lewis E.
Published: February 2025

Autoclave reactors are widely used across chemical and biological sciences, including for the synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and other nanomaterials. Yet, the details of how autoclave reactors are used in such synthesis are rarely reported in the literature, leaving several key synthesis variables widely unreported and thereby hampering experimental reproducibility. In this perspective, we discuss the safety considerations of autoclave reactors and note that autoclaves should only be used if they are (a) purchased from reputable suppliers/manufacturers and (b) have been certified compliant with relevant safety standards. Ultimately, using unsuitable autoclave equipment can pose a severe physical hazard and may breach legal safety requirements. In addition, we highlight several parameters in autoclave synthesis that should be reported as standard to maximise the reproducibility of autoclave synthesis experiments across materials and chemistry research. We encourage users of autoclave synthesis vessels to: (1) adopt high-safety autoclaves and (2) report the many experimental variables involved to enhance experimental reproducibility.
A 50-spin surface acoustic wave Ising machine
Authors: Litvinenko Artem , Khymyn Roman , Ovcharov Roman , Åkerman Johan
Published: February 2025

Time-multiplexed spinwave Ising Machines have unveiled a route towards miniaturized and low-cost combinatorial optimization solvers but are constrained in the number of spins by nonlinear spinwave dispersion. In contrast, surface acoustic waves offer an intrinsically linear dispersion and high thermal stability. Here, we demonstrate an all-to-all, fully programmable, 50-spin Ising machine using a surface acoustic wave delay line and off-the-shelf microwave components. Our device solves random 50-spin MAX-CUT problems with a single run compute time of 10 ms and a figure of merit of 55 solutions s−1 W−
1 reaching success probability of 84% for 99%-accurate solutions on 0.5-density matrices. Moreover, it demonstrates 4–5 orders of magnitude better thermal stability than optical Coherent Ising Machines while having similar scalability potential. Our results illustrate the general merits of wave-based time-multiplexed Ising machines operating in the microwave domain as compact, energy-efficient, and high-performance platforms for commercially feasible combinatorial optimization solvers.