bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NF-κB-mediated EAAT3 upregulation in antioxidant defense and ferroptosis sensitivity in lung cancer
Authors: Wen Donghua , Li Wenjing , Song Xiang , Hu Min , Liao Yueling , Xu Dongliang , Deng Jiong , Guo Wenzheng
Published: February 2025

Cellular glutathione (GSH) in lung cancer cells represents the most abundant antioxidant. GSH production is regulated not only by upregulated cystine/glutamate exchanger (xCT) but also by the involvement of glutamate transporters, specifically excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3). Our prior research established that the uptake of glutamate via EAAT3 plays a pivotal role in driving cystine uptake through xCT, contributing to GSH biosynthesis during lung tumorigenesis. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism governing the upregulation of EAAT3 remains enigmatic. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive reanalysis of publicly available data and employed the Gprc5a–/–/SR-IκB mouse model alongside in vitro cell experiments to elucidate the correlations between NF-κB and EAAT3 in lung cancer. We observed that EAAT3 knockdown, similar to NF-κB inhibition, led to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased sensitivity to ferroptosis induction by RAS-selective lethal 3 (RSL3). Mechanistic insights were obtained through chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays, revealing that NF-κB induces EAAT3 expression via two putative cis-elements within its promoter. Furthermore, our investigation unveiled the upregulation of EAAT3 in a subset of clinical non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues, exhibiting a positive correlation with the P65 protein. In addition, the inflammatory factor of smoking was found to augment EAAT3 expression in both human and murine experimental models. These findings collectively emphasize the pivotal role of the NF-κB/EAAT3 axis in managing antioxidant stress and influencing lung cancer development. Moreover, this research offers insights into the potential for a combined ferroptosis therapy strategy in lung cancer treatment.
Unveiling the cell-type-specific landscape of cellular senescence through single-cell transcriptomics using SenePy
Authors: Sanborn Mark A. , Wang Xinge , Gao Shang , Dai Yang , Rehman Jalees
Published: February 2025

Senescent cells accumulate in most tissues with organismal aging, exposure to stressors, or disease progression. It is challenging to identify senescent cells because cellular senescence signatures and phenotypes vary widely across distinct cell types and tissues. Here we developed an analytical algorithm that defines cell-type-specific and universal signatures of cellular senescence across a wide range of cell types and tissues. We utilize 72 mouse and 64 human weighted single-cell transcriptomic signatures of cellular senescence to create the SenePy scoring platform. SenePy signatures better recapitulate in vivo cellular senescence than signatures derived from in vitro senescence studies. We use SenePy to map the kinetics of senescent cell accumulation in healthy aging as well as multiple disease contexts, including tumorigenesis, inflammation, and myocardial infarction. SenePy characterizes cell-type-specific in vivo cellular senescence and could lead to the identification of genes that serve as mediators of cellular senescence and disease progression.
Identifying signatures of past and present cryovolcanism on Europa
Authors: Lesage Elodie , Howell Samuel M. , Neveu Marc , Miller Julia W. , Naseem Mariam , Melwani Daswani Mohit , Villette Justine , Vance Steven D.
Published: February 2025

Europa, the most visibly active icy moon of Jupiter, is a prime target for the search for life in the outer solar system. Two spacecraft missions, Europa Clipper from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) from the European Space Agency (ESA), will observe its surface, probe its interior structure, and characterize the space environment starting in 2030. Occasional eruptions of water sourced from Europa’s interior may provide a window on the interior conditions and habitability of the moon. Here, we investigate the storage and evolution of briny water in Europa’s ice shell and propose a framework to interpret spectral, thermal, radar and gravity data collected by future missions. We show that it is possible to discriminate between water erupting from the deep ocean or from shallow liquid reservoirs using combined measurements of the material’s salinity, surface temperature and ice shell thickness.
Phage parasites targeting phage homologous recombinases provide antiviral immunity
Authors: Debiasi-Anders Gianluca , Qiao Cuncun , Salim Amrita , Li Na , Mir-Sanchis Ignacio
Published: February 2025

Bacteria often carry multiple genes encoding anti-phage defense systems, clustered in defense islands and phage satellites. Various unrelated anti-phage defense systems target phage-encoded homologous recombinases (HRs) through unclear mechanisms. Here, we show that the phage satellite SaPI2, which does not encode orthodox anti-phage defense systems, provides antiviral immunity mediated by Stl2, the SaPI2-encoded transcriptional repressor. Stl2 targets and inhibits phage-encoded HRs, including Sak and Sak4, two HRs from the Rad52-like and Rad51-like superfamilies. Remarkably, apo Stl2 forms a collar of dimers oligomerizing as closed rings and as filaments, mimicking the quaternary structure of its targets. Stl2 decorates both Sak rings and Sak4 filaments. The oligomerization of Stl2 as a collar of dimers is necessary for its inhibitory activity both in vitro and in vivo. Our results shed light on the mechanisms underlying antiviral immunity against phages carrying divergent HRs.
Low-temperature pressure-assisted liquid-metal printing for β-Ga2O3 thin-film transistors
Authors: Huang Chi-Hsin , Cyu Ruei-Hong , Chueh Yu-Lun , Nomura Kenji
Published: February 2025

Developing a low-temperature and cost-effective manufacturing process for energy-efficient and high-performance oxide-thin-film transistors (TFTs) is a crucial step toward advancing next-generation device applications such as wearable and flexible electronics. Among several methods, a liquid-metal printing technique is considered a promising, cost-effective oxide semiconductor process due to its inherent advantages, such as vacuum-free, low-thermal budget, high throughput, and scalability. In this study, we have developed a pressure-assisted liquid-metal printing technique enabling the low-temperature synthesis of polycrystalline wide bandgap n-channel oxide-TFTs. The n-channel oxide TFTs based on ~3 nm-thick β-Ga2O3 channels exhibited good TFT switching properties with a threshold voltage of ~3.8 V, a saturation mobility of ~11.7 cm2 V−1 s−1, an on/off-current ratio of ~109, and a subthreshold slope of ~163 mV/decade. We also observed p-channel operation in the off-stoichiometric GaOx channels fabricated at high-pressure conditions. Toward oxide-based circuit applications, we developed high-performance oxide-TFT-based inverters. While our approach can promote the advancement of low-temperature manufacturing for oxide TFT technology, further work will be necessary to confirm the role of the applied pressure in the β-Ga2O3 crystallization process.
Independent and joint effects of genomic and exposomic loads for schizophrenia on psychotic experiences in adolescents of European ancestry
Authors: Di Vincenzo Matteo , Prachason Thanavadee , Sampogna Gaia , Arias-Magnasco Angelo , Lin Bochao Danae , Pries Lotta-Katrin , van Os Jim , Rutten Bart P. F. , Barzilay Ran , Fiorillo Andrea , Guloksuz Sinan
Published: February 2025

This study aimed to assess the independent and joint associations of genomic and exposomic liabilities for schizophrenia with distressing psychotic experiences (PEs) and their persistence in early adolescence. The Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study data from children with European ancestry were used (N = 5122). The primary outcome was past-month distressing PEs at the 3-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes were distressing PEs at varying cutoffs of persistence. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to test the associations of binary modes (>75th percentile) of polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-SCZ75) and exposome score for schizophrenia (ES-SCZ75) on the outcomes. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) calculation indicated additive interaction. When analyzed independently, PRS-SCZ75 was not significantly associated with past-month distressing PEs but with lifetime (OR 1.29 [95% CI 1.08, 1.53]) and repeating distressing PEs ≥2 waves (OR 1.34 [95% CI 1.08, 1.65]); whereas, ES-SCZ75 was consistently associated with all outcomes, with increasing strength of association as a function of PEs persistence (one wave: OR 2.77 [95% CI 2.31, 3.31]; two waves: OR 3.16 [95% CI 2.54, 3.93]; three waves: OR 3.93 [95% CI 2.86, 5.40]; four waves: OR 3.65 [95% CI 2.34, 5.70]). When considered jointly, ES-SCZ75 and PRS-SCZ75 did not additively interact to predict past-month distressing PEs but showed significant additive interactions for lifetime (RERI = 1.26 [95%CI 0.14, 2.38]) and repeating distressing PEs ≥2 waves (RERI = 1.79 [95%CI 0.35, 3.23]). Genomic and exposomic liabilities for schizophrenia were independently and jointly associated with distressing PEs and their persistence in early adolescence.
MORE-Q, a dataset for molecular olfactorial receptor engineering by quantum mechanics
Authors: Chen Li , Medrano Sandonas Leonardo , Traber Philipp , Dianat Arezoo , Tverdokhleb Nina , Hurevich Mattan , Yitzchaik Shlomo , Gutierrez Rafael , Croy Alexander , Cuniberti Gianaurelio
Published: February 2025

We introduce the MORE-Q dataset, a quantum-mechanical (QM) dataset encompassing the structural and electronic data of non-covalent molecular sensors formed by combining 18 mucin-derived olfactorial receptors with 102 body odor volatilome (BOV) molecules. To have a better understanding of their intra- and inter-molecular interactions, we have performed accurate QM calculations in different stages of the sensor design and, accordingly, MORE-Q splits into three subsets: i) MORE-Q-G1: QM data of 18 receptors and 102 BOV molecules, ii) MORE-Q-G2: QM data of 23,838 BOV-receptor configurations, and iii) MORE-Q-G3: QM data of 1,836 BOV-receptor-graphene systems. Each subset involves geometries optimized using GFN2-xTB with D4 dispersion correction and up to 39 physicochemical properties, including global and local properties as well as binding features, all computed at the tightly converged PBE+D3 level of theory. By addressing BOV-receptor-graphene systems from a QM perspective, MORE-Q can serve as a benchmark dataset for state-of-the-art machine learning methods developed to predict binding features. This, in turn, can provide valuable insights for developing the next-generation mucin-derived olfactory receptor sensing devices.
In-Depth Analysis of Tram Curve Noise Dataset for Rigorous Noise Assessment
Authors: Kaewunruen Sakdirat , Khairul Anuar Mohamad Ali Ridho Bin , Huang Junhui , Liu Hao
Published: February 2025

The growth of cities, both socially and economically, has resulted in a higher utilization of trains and high-density mobility. However, this has also led to an escalation of urban environmental issues, specifically pertaining to noise generated by rail operations. The amplified contact between wheels and rails, as well as the vibrations in trains and track structures, contributes to railway noise pollution. While there is existing research on railway noise, there remains a notable gap in the investigation of noise generated specifically at curved sections of railway tracks. Hence, this paper presents 110 sets of tram curve noise datasets, recorded with the MOTIV APP in accordance with ISO 3095:2013 standards. The dataset covers impact, rolling, flanging, and squeal noise, alongside parameters such as speed, direction, crowd levels, and weather conditions. The data are collected by recording the noise generated by the trams at the centre of the curve alignment when the trams traverse along the curve alignment. The comprehensive dataset and analysis contribute valuable insights into tram curve noise, aiding urban planning and noise mitigation efforts.
Common molecular profile of multiple structurally distinct warfare arsenicals in causing cutaneous chemical vesicant injury
Authors: Srivastava Ritesh Kumar , Muzaffar Suhail , Khan Jasim , Bansal Mohit , Agarwal Anupam , Athar Mohammad
Published: February 2025

Skin exposure to arsenicals such as lewisite and phenylarsine oxide leads to severe cutaneous damage. Here, we characterized the molecular pathogenesis of skin injury caused by additionally structurally distinct warfare arsenicals including diphenylchlorarsine (DPCA), diphenylcyanoarsine (DPCYA), diethylchloroarsine (DECA). Cutaneous exposure to DPCA/DPCYA showed marked increase in skin erythema and edema at 6 and 24 h followed by scar formation at 72 h, while DECA did not produce such visual injuries in mouse skin. Clinical observations showed significant increase in Draize score and skin bi-fold thickness in a time-dependent manner. DPCA or DPCYA-exposed skin histology revealed highly inflamed hypodermal areas with infiltrated immune cells at 6 and 24 h, however, epidermal cell necrosis was seen at 72 h. Significantly high number of macrophage infiltration observed at 6 h, whereas peak neutrophil infiltration occurred at 72 h. Number of micro-blisters also increased. However, these effects were nonsignificant following topical DECA exposure. RT-PCR confirmed augmented inflammatory responses in the skin challenged with both DPCA/DPCYA, which accompanied increased ROS and unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling. DECA also increased ROS with changes in UPR. Disrupted tight (Yap/ZO-1) and adherens (Yap/α-Catenin) junction proteins underlie time-dependent apoptotic cell death of epidermal keratinocytes. Thus, these studies identify arsenicals-manifested signaling pathways similar to those of lewisite.
Measurements of face mask’s capability to block ionizing radiation
Authors: Wu Hsingtzu , Liu Hong-Da , Lin Tzu-Hsiang , Lin Ming-Wei
Published: February 2025

Experts suggest wearing a face mask during a radiation emergency if it is impossible to get inside immediately and high-level protective respirators are unavailable. This study quantitatively investigated seven face mask materials’ ability to block radioactive alpha and beta radiation. Rayon fiber, pure cotton, paper fiber, polyester fiber, nonwoven fiber, advanced nonwoven fiber, and N95 were examined. The results suggest that the abovementioned mask materials can block more than 90% of alpha particles. Rayon fiber, polyester fiber, and N95 can block almost all radioactive alpha particles. On the other hand, the measurements suggest that all tested materials could not effectively block beta particles. Polyester fiber and N95 block more than 10% of beta particles, which outperform other mask materials. In addition, the results imply that the electret fiber might help block beta particles. This study suggests that wearing a relatively thick polyester or N95 mask may be a better choice than wearing a thin nonwoven mask to prevent inhaling alpha and beta particles during a radiation emergency.
Provably secure and lightweight blockchain based cross hospital authentication scheme for IoMT-based healthcare
Authors: Xie Qi , Ding Zixuan
Published: February 2025

Portable devices and sensors-based Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) healthcare can remotely detect patients’ physiological data and provide first-class healthcare services. However, the high privacy and sensitivity of medical data make IoMT healthcare systems vulnerable to various attacks. While numerous authentication protocols have been introduced in recent years to guarantee authorized access, these schemes continue to face challenges such as privacy disclosure, untraceability of malicious behavior, insufficient cross-hospital access, and concerns related to single points of failure and trust. To address these issues, we propose a Double Anonymity Strategy to hide identities between doctors and the patients while allowing the authorized party to track their malicious behavior, enhance users’ privacy and track malicious users. Our approach leverages the advantages of blockchain, such as decentralization, and replaces trusted third parties with smart contracts for efficient and automatic identity authentication. Additionally, we introduce a cross-hospital authentication scheme that incorporates three-factor secrecy, ensuring that even if any two of the three factors (device, biometric information and password) are compromised, the security of the proposed scheme will not be affected. The security of our scheme is formally proven under the random oracle model, which formally measures that the probability of an adversary breaking the scheme is negligible. We also provide informal security analysis showing that our scheme prevents privacy breaches, achieves decentralization, and addresses existing various attacks. Furthermore, through simulation of the proposed scheme and comparison with related works, we demonstrate that our scheme achieves 23% to 87% reduction in computational cost while maintaining higher security properties.
Semi-supervised tissue segmentation from histopathological images with consistency regularization and uncertainty estimation
Authors: Sudhamsh G. V. S. , Girisha S. , Rashmi R.
Published: February 2025

Pathologists have depended on their visual experience to assess tissue structures in smear images, which was time-consuming, error-prone, and inconsistent. Deep learning, particularly Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), offers the ability to automate this procedure by recognizing patterns in tissue images. However, training these models necessitates huge amounts of labeled data, which can be difficult to come by due to the skill required for annotation and the unavailability of data, particularly for rare diseases. This work introduces a new semi-supervised method for tissue structure semantic segmentation in histopathological images. The study presents a CNN based teacher model that generates pseudo-labels to train a student model, aiming to overcome the drawbacks of conventional supervised learning approaches. Self-supervised training is used to improve the teacher model’s performance on smaller datasets. Consistency regularization is integrated to efficiently train the student model on labeled data. Further, the study uses Monte Carlo dropout to estimate the uncertainty of proposed model. The proposed model demonstrated promising results by achieving an mIoU score of 0.64 on a public dataset, highlighting its potential to improve segmentation accuracy in histopathological image analysis.
Association of inflammatory risk based on the Glasgow Prognostic Score with long-term mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease
Authors: Zhu Houyong , Yang Chao , Liu Xiao , Zhu Xinyu , Xu Xiaoqun , Wang Hanxin , Chen Qilan , Fang Xiaojiang , Huang Jinyu , Chen Tielong
Published: February 2025

The secondary prevention strategy for cardiovascular disease (CVD) does not include anti-inflammatory treatment, which may lead to long-term inflammation in some patients. The aim of this study was to assess the association between inflammatory risk based on the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) and long-term mortality risk in patients with CVD. This study included 3833 patients (≥ 20 years old) with CVD in the National Health and Nutrition Survey from 1999 to 2010 in the United States. The mortality rate was determined by correlation with the National Death Index on December 31, 2019. The GPS consists of the serum C-reactive protein and the serum albumin. The primary outcome was all-cause death, which included cardiac death and non-cardiac death. Cox proportional hazards adjusted for demographic factors and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were used to test the impact of the GPS on mortality. The sensitivity analysis was conducted on subsets within the cohort of patients with CVD, including congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, angina, heart attack, and stroke. Among 3833 CVD patients with a median follow-up of 9.6 years, 2431 (63.4%) all-cause deaths, 822 (21.4%) cardiac deaths, and 1609 (41.9%) non-cardiac deaths were recorded. After full model adjustment, compared with those of the GPS (0) group, the hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause death for GPS (1) and GPS (2) were 1.66 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.48–1.86) and 2.75 (95% CI 2.01–3.75), respectively (P for trend < 0.001). Compared with those of the GPS (0) group, the HRs of cardiac death for the GPS (1) and GPS (2) groups were 1.69 (95% CI 1.39–2.05) and 2.18 (95% CI 1.22–3.91), respectively (P for trend < 0.001). Compared with those of the GPS (0) group, the HRs of non-cardiac death for the GPS (1) and GPS (2) groups were 1.65 (95% CI 1.44–1.89) and 3.05 (95% CI 2.11–4.40), respectively (P for trend < 0.001). The results of the sensitivity analysis were similar to those of the overall cohort. In our analysis of the United States National Database, we discovered that the GPS, a measure of inflammatory risk, was significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality among patients with CVD. Specifically, we observed that patients with a higher GPS had significantly higher risks of all-cause, cardiac, and non-cardiac mortality compared to those with a lower score. These findings suggest that the GPS, comprising easily obtainable biomarkers, could serve as a valuable tool for risk stratification in CVD patients and may contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes.
A new cut-off value of FRAX tools as an osteoporosis screening tool for Thai geriatric population
Authors: Asavamongkolkul Apichat , Adulkasem Nath , Vanitcharoenkul Ekasame , Chandhanayingyong Chandhanarat , Laohaprasitiporn Panai , Soparat Krabkaew , Chotiyarnwong Pojchong , Unnanuntana Aasis
Published: February 2025

Identifying osteoporosis in geriatric populations is essential for fragility fracture prevention. While dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) remains the gold standard for diagnosing osteoporosis, its availability and cost for mass screening are limited. This study aims to determine an effective fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) cut-off value for screening osteoporosis in the Thai geriatric population. The demographic data, FRAX hip fracture (HF), major osteoporotic fracture (MOF), and Bone mineral density (BMD) of community-dwelling Thai adults aged ≥ 60 years, conducted between March 2021 to August 2022 were analyzed. Osteoporosis is defined as a BMD T-score ≤ − 2.5. The accuracy of FRAX in identifying osteoporosis was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Among 2991 participants (average age 69.2 ± 6.5 years), the discriminative ability was acceptable for both FRAX hip fracture (HF) (AUC = 0.75) and major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) (AUC = 0.72). A cut-off value of 1.5 for FRAX HF and 4.5 for FRAX MOF demonstrated excellent sensitivity (90.4%) and a high negative predictive value (89.7%) in osteoporosis detection. This study identifies FRAX cut-off values that can effectively screen for high-risk osteoporosis in the Thai geriatric population and suggests that FRAX could be a valuable tool for initial osteoporosis screening in Thai seniors.
Tendency to overeat predicts an elevated body mass index trajectory across school-age years
Authors: Sarkkola Catharina , Lommi Sohvi , Elomaa Kris , Kajantie Eero , Männistö Satu , Viljakainen Heli
Published: February 2025

Overeating is a complex appetite trait, cross-sectionally linked to an elevated weight in children. However, little is known about longitudinal associations. Therefore, we studied how a tendency towards overeating predicts weight development between 8 and 16 years of age. In this study among 4517 children from the Finnish Health in Teens cohort, parents reported their child’s tendency to overeat when children were on average 11.2 (SD 0.8) years old. Children were then categorised as overeating, possibly overeating, or not overeating. Height and weight measurements from two data collection periods were combined with growth data from a national health register, and age- and sex-standardised body mass index z-scores (BMIz) were calculated using the International Obesity Task Force reference. Children also reported their lifestyle factors, including food consumption, physical activity, screen time, and sleep patterns. We examined the association between overeating and BMIz using a linear mixed model, adjusting for age, sex, specific food consumption frequencies, physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration. We further analysed whether associations differed by age, food consumption frequencies, or physical activity. The average BMIz in the overeating group was 1.18 (95% CI 1.10─1.26) units higher compared with those without overeating, but remained stable as age increased. Among those without overeating, BMIz increased 0.043 units per year of age (p < 0.001). Physical activity, but not food consumption, modified the association between overeating and BMIz (p for interaction = 0.038). In the lowest third of physical activity (≤ 5 h/week), BMIz was 1.28 units higher (95% CI 1.15─1.41) in the overeating compared with the no overeating group, while in the highest third (≥ 9 h/week) the effect size was 1.08 (95% CI 0.93─1.24). In conclusion, children with a parent-reported tendency to overeat exhibited an elevated, but stable mean BMIz across adolescence. Public health programmes tackling the obesity epidemic should consider the differences in appetite self-regulation among children.
Improving Malaria diagnosis through interpretable customized CNNs architectures
Authors: Ahamed Md. Faysal , Nahiduzzaman Md , Mahmud Golam , Shafi Fariya Bintay , Ayari Mohamed Arselene , Khandakar Amith , Abdullah-Al-Wadud M. , Islam S. M. Riazul
Published: February 2025

Malaria, which is spread via female Anopheles mosquitoes and is brought on by the Plasmodium parasite, persists as a serious illness, especially in areas with a high mosquito density. Traditional detection techniques, like examining blood samples with a microscope, tend to be labor-intensive, unreliable and necessitate specialized individuals. To address these challenges, we employed several customized convolutional neural networks (CNNs), including Parallel convolutional neural network (PCNN), Soft Attention Parallel Convolutional Neural Networks (SPCNN), and Soft Attention after Functional Block Parallel Convolutional Neural Networks (SFPCNN), to improve the effectiveness of malaria diagnosis. Among these, the SPCNN emerged as the most successful model, outperforming all other models in evaluation metrics. The SPCNN achieved a precision of 99.38
$$\pm$$
0.21%, recall of 99.37
$$\pm$$
0.21%, F1 score of 99.37
$$\pm$$
0.21%, accuracy of 99.37 ± 0.30%, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 99.95 ± 0.01%, demonstrating its robustness in detecting malaria parasites. Furthermore, we employed various transfer learning (TL) algorithms, including VGG16, ResNet152, MobileNetV3Small, EfficientNetB6, EfficientNetB7, DenseNet201, Vision Transformer (ViT), Data-efficient Image Transformer (DeiT), ImageIntern, and Swin Transformer (versions v1 and v2). The proposed SPCNN model surpassed all these TL methods in every evaluation measure. The SPCNN model, with 2.207 million parameters and a size of 26 MB, is more complex than PCNN but simpler than SFPCNN. Despite this, SPCNN exhibited the fastest testing times (0.00252 s), making it more computationally efficient than both PCNN and SFPCNN. We assessed model interpretability using feature activation maps, Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) visualizations for all three architectures, illustrating why SPCNN outperformed the others. The findings from our experiments show a significant improvement in malaria parasite diagnosis. The proposed approach outperforms traditional manual microscopy in terms of both accuracy and speed. This study highlights the importance of utilizing cutting-edge technologies to develop robust and effective diagnostic tools for malaria prevention.
Assessing hydrogen as an alternative fuel for rail transport – a case study
Authors: Marjani S. Rahim , Motaman Shahed , Varasteh Hirbod , Yang Zhiyin , Clementson Jenny
Published: February 2025

Diesel trains play a vital role in the UK’s rail passenger transport. Despite efforts to expand electrification, over 10% of the UK’s rail routes will remain non-electrified. To reduce emissions and phase out diesel trains by 2040, the UK rail network is actively exploring alternative fuels. This paper presents a comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental analysis of converting diesel trains to hydrogen-powered trains using a hydrogen combustion engine for the first time. A simulation-based methodology has been developed to assess train performance, fuel consumption, and emissions for both hydrogen and diesel engines. The developed methodology has been validated by comparing the predictions against the available experimental data and a very good agreement has been obtained. A case study involving British Class 195 diesel-powered regional trains on the Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness route is analysed. The simulation results show that hydrogen-powered trains achieve zero carbon emissions and exhibit similar NOx emissions to diesel, with a similar performance. Over the train’s 30-year lifespan, green hydrogen can reduce CO2-equivalent emissions by up to 187.4 kt. The study clearly demonstrates that hydrogen combustion engines offer a practical, mid-term solution for decarbonizing regional rail, with much lower conversion costs compared with fuel cell technology.
Primary astrocytes as a cellular depot of polystyrene nanoparticles
Authors: Adamiak Kamil , Sidoryk-Węgrzynowicz Marta , Dąbrowska-Bouta Beata , Sulkowski Grzegorz , Strużyńska Lidia
Published: February 2025

The continuous increase in plastic production has resulted in increased generation of microplastic particles (MPs), and nanoplastic particles (NPs). Recent evidence suggests that nanoplastics may be a potent neurotoxin because they are able to freely cross the blood–brain barrier and enter the brain. Therefore, the cytotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NPs) on cellular systems of cerebral origin should be thoroughly investigated. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of 25 nm PS-NPs on in vitro cultured cells such as primary astrocytes, neurons and their co-cultures established from the cerebral cortex of Wistar pups. The results show that PS-NPs are internalized in both neurons and astrocytes, inducing time- and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects. However, quantification of fluorescence intensity indicates cell type-dependent differences in the efficiency of PS-NPs uptake. Astrocytes are several times more efficient at accumulating PS-NPs than neurons, and this is a phagocytosis-dependent process. Moreover, the high rate of PS-NPs internalization during prolonged exposure (72 h) promotes astroglial activation, as assessed by analysis of GFAP expression and immunocytochemical imaging. The results show that astroglia act as a cellular depot of PS-NPs to protect neurons. However, once the critical threshold is exceeded, astroglia become overactivated and can lose their protective functions. These results highlight the importance of further research on the mechanisms underlying nanoplastic-induced cellular toxicity, which may have implications for understanding the broader impact of plastic pollution on neurological functions.
Reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese women
Authors: Zeng Shuai , Liu Qingqing , Wu Yujie , Bai Huai , Fan Ping , Liu Xinghui
Published: February 2025

Lipid levels in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been extensively studied, whether low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a risk factor for GDM development remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum LDL-C levels and the risk of GDM. A case–control study was conducted. Glycolipid metabolic and oxidative stress indicators were measured in 696 women with GDM and 1048 healthy pregnant women. Serum LDL-C levels were significantly lower in the GDM group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis indicated that reduced LDL-C levels were associated with an increased risk of GDM after adjusting for differences in maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), gestational age at sampling, fasting glucose and insulin levels, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (odds ratio [OR] 1.372, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.050–1.794, P = 0.021 for medium-LDL-C subgroup; OR 1.672, 95% CI 1.219–2.294, P = 0.001 for low-LDL-C subgroup). The risk of GDM decreased by 17.6% per 1 mmol/L increase in LDL-C level (OR 0.824, 95% CI 0.733–0.926, P = 0.001). Furthermore, apolipoprotein (apo) A1 and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were lower, whereas pre-pregnancy and delivery BMI, triglyceride (TG)/HDL-C ratios, and second-trimester fasting glucose levels were higher in the low-LDL-C GDM subgroup than those in the high- and/or medium-LDL-C GDM subgroups (P < 0.05). ApoA1 and HDL-C levels were lower but TG/HDL-C ratios were higher in the medium-LDL-C GDM subgroup than those in the high-LDL-C GDM subgroup (P < 0.05). We concluded that reduced LDL-C levels were associated with an elevated risk of GDM in the study population. Low LDL-C levels correlated with increased BMI and unfavorable TG, HDL, and glucose metabolism.
The association between variation of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and post-thrombolysis early neurological outcomes in patients with stroke of different TOAST classification
Authors: Fu Xinyi , Shi Xinyan , Yin Ruihua , Xing Chengfeng , Ma Aijun
Published: February 2025

Recent studies have shown that the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can predict short-term and long-term outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. However, the relationship of the variation of NLR (ΔNLR) with hemorrhage transformation (HT) and early neurological improvement (ENI) after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of ΔNLR on HT and ENI at 24 h post-IVT and its association with different TOAST classifications. AIS patients undergoing IVT between October 2021 and October 2023 were enrolled and classified by TOAST criteria. Patients were grouped based on the presence or absence of HT and ENI. Our study demonstrated that both HT and ENI were associated with ΔNLR, which was an independent influencing factor for HT and ENI following IVT. Specifically, the ΔNLR in the small artery occlusion (SAO) group was higher than that in the minor stroke of large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) subtype. Thus, ΔNLR may serve as a useful biomarker to assist in diagnosis and monitor the outcomes of thrombolytic therapy in AIS patients.
Zbtb48 is a regulator of Mtfp1 expression in zebrafish
Authors: Goh Sho Yee Carisa , Fradera-Sola Albert , Wittkopp Nadine , Şerifoğlu Naz , Godinho Ferreira Miguel , Ketting Rene F. , Butter Falk
Published: February 2025

ZBTB48 (also known as TZAP) is a transcription factor that has previously been reported to bind to telomeres and act as a negative regulator of telomere length in human cell lines. To explore whether transcription factor activity and telomere length regulation are conserved at the organismal level in vertebrates, we generate a zbtb48

−/−
zebrafish line via CRISPR‒Cas genome editing. The zbtb48

−/−
mutants display no obvious physical or behavioral abnormalities in the first two generations. We find no statistically significant changes in telomere length in first-generation adults. However, for the gene regulatory aspect of Zbtb48, similar to that in human cancer cell lines, we observe downregulation of mtfp1 at both the mRNA and protein levels in the zbtb48

−/−
mutants. This suggests that mtfp1 is an evolutionarily conserved regulatory target of Zbtb48. Further investigation of the spatiotemporal expression of zbtb48 in previously published zebrafish data reveals low transcript expression in diverse tissues, except in germline stem cells and gametocytes of the gonads. Notably, Mtfp1 protein downregulation is detected in the ovaries of 40 dpf zbtb48

−/−
mutants and in the testes of both 40 dpf and 10.5-month-old zbtb48

−/−
mutants.
Female mice exhibit resistance to disease progression despite early pathology in a transgenic mouse model inoculated with alpha-synuclein fibrils
Authors: Tullo Stephanie , Park Janice , Gallino Daniel , Park Megan , Mar Kristie , Novikov Vladislav , Sandoval Contreras Rodrigo , Patel Raihaan , del Cid-Pellitero Esther , Fon Edward A. , Luo Wen , Shlaifer Irina , Durcan Thomas M. , Prado Marco A. M. , Prado Vania F. , Devenyi Gabriel A. , Chakravarty M. Mallar
Published: February 2025

Despite known sex differences in human synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease, the impact of sex on alpha-synuclein pathology in mouse models has been largely overlooked. To address this need, we examine sex differences in whole brain signatures of neurodegeneration due to aSyn toxicity in the M83 mouse model using longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; T1-weighted; 100 μm3 isotropic voxel; -7, 30, 90 and 120 days post-injection [dpi]; n ≥ 8 mice/group/sex/time point). To initiate aSyn spreading, M83 mice are inoculated with recombinant human aSyn preformed fibrils (Hu-PFF) or phosphate buffered saline in the right striatum. We observe more aggressive neurodegenerative profiles over time for male Hu-PFF-injected mice when examining voxel-wise trajectories. However, at 90 dpi, we observe widespread patterns of neurodegeneration in the female Hu-PFF-injected mice. These differences are not accompanied by any differences in motor symptom onset between the sexes. However, male Hu-PFF-injected mice reached their humane endpoint sooner. These findings suggest that post-motor symptom onset, despite accelerated disease trajectories for male Hu-PFF-injected mice, neurodegeneration may appear sooner in the female Hu-PFF-injected mice (prior to motor symptomatology). These findings suggest that sex-specific synucleinopathy phenotypes urgently need to be considered to improve our understanding of neuroprotective and neurodegenerative mechanisms.
Collective quantum enhancement in critical quantum sensing
Authors: Alushi Uesli , Coppo Alessandro , Brosco Valentina , Di Candia Roberto , Felicetti Simone
Published: February 2025

Critical systems represent a valuable resource in quantum sensing and metrology. Critical quantum sensing (CQS) protocols can be realized using finite-component phase transitions, where criticality arises from the rescaling of system parameters rather than the thermodynamic limit. Here, we show that a collective quantum advantage can be achieved in a multipartite CQS protocol using a chain of parametrically coupled critical resonators in the weak-nonlinearity limit. We derive analytical solutions for the low-energy spectrum of this unconventional quantum many-body system, which is composed of locally critical elements. We then assess the scaling of the quantum Fisher information with respect to fundamental resources. We demonstrate that the coupled chain outperforms an equivalent ensemble of independent critical sensors, achieving quadratic scaling in the number of resonators. Finally, we show that even with finite Kerr nonlinearity or Markovian dissipation, the critical chain retains its advantage, making it relevant for implementing quantum sensors with current microwave superconducting technologies.
Cooperative agreement between countries of the North Atlantic Ocean reduces marine plastic pollution but with unequal economic benefits
Authors: Beaumont Nicola J. , Börger Tobias , Clark James R. , Hanley Nick , Johnston Robert J. , Meginnis Keila , Stapenhurst Christopher , de Vries Frans P.
Published: February 2025

Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans threatens ecosystems and biodiversity. The connected nature of the marine environment suggests that coordinated actions by countries sharing an ocean border may provide more effective pollution control than unilateral actions by any one country. However, countries often fail to cooperate, even when joint economic benefits would be higher under cooperation. Here we present a modelling framework to determine the potential economic benefits of cooperative marine plastic pollution management. The framework integrates an estimated plastic transfer matrix from a particle tracking model with game theory to derive the economic benefits of international cooperation for 16 countries bordering the North Atlantic Ocean. Subject to modelling uncertainties, a fully cooperative agreement yields aggregate annual net benefits of around $36 billion and a 64% reduction in emissions. The net benefits of cooperation persist over alternative scenarios and considering the impact of uncertainties but vary in magnitude and distribution.
Language measures correlate with other measures used to study emotion
Authors: Munin Shaina , Ong Desmond C. , Okland Sydney , Freedman Gili , Beer Jennifer S.
Published: February 2025

Researchers are increasingly using language measures to study emotion, yet less is known about whether language relates to other measures often used to study emotion. Building on previous work which focuses on associations between language and self-report, we test associations between language and a broader range of measures (self-report, observer report, facial cues, vocal cues). Furthermore, we examine associations across different dictionaries (LIWC-22, NRC, Lexical Suite, ANEW, VADER) used to estimate valence (i.e., positive versus negative emotion) or discrete emotions (i.e., anger, fear, sadness) in language. Associations were tested in three large, multimodal datasets (Ns = 193–1856; average word count = 316.7–2782.8). Language consistently related to observer report and consistently related to self-report in two of the three datasets. Statistically significant associations between language and facial cues emerged for language measures of valence but not for language measures of discrete emotions. Language did not consistently show significant associations with vocal cues. Results did not tend to significantly vary across dictionaries. The current research suggests that language measures (in particular, language measures of valence) are correlated with a range of other measures used to study emotion. Therefore, researchers may wish to use language to study emotion when other measures are unavailable or impractical for their research question.
Asymmetric α-selective allylation of amide unit of maleimides and alkenyloxindoles by dual-functional InIII/N,N'-dioxide complex
Authors: Li Wang-Yuren , Yang Longqing , Tang Xiaoxue , Yan Wenjun , Wu Zhao , Wang Fei , Dong Shunxi , Feng Xiaoming
Published: February 2025

Chiral γ-hydroxy-γ-lactams were versatile building blocks for the synthesis of many important bioactive compounds. Herein, we disclosed a regio- and enantioselective direct α-selective allylation of amide moiety of maleimides with...
Isomeric bipyridine-based covalent organic frameworks for efficient electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia
Authors: Lu Shuanglong , Yang Fulin , Hu Hongyin , Li Donghua , Hu Hailong , Wang Jinyan , Duan Fang , Du Mingliang
Published: February 2025

Isomeric bipyridine-based covalent organic frameworks incorporating metal ions within the sidewalls of ordered mesopores were developed for efficient electrocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia.
Synergistic catalysis at in situ-formed Pt-NiOOH nanodot interfaces for highly efficient ammonia borane hydrolysis
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Chen Yao , Xu Zhenbo , Sun Keju , Xiao Xin , Sun Xiaolei , Li Yuanyuan , Zhao Jiong , Chen Ding , Xu Qiang
Published: February 2025

Hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) comprising multiple intermediate steps is a representative catalytic reaction for hydrogen generation, usually requiring noble metal Pt as a catalyst. Constructing heterostructures is an effective...
The ESIPT-suppressed 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole derivative as a new photoinitiator for multiphoton polymerization
Authors: Valverde João V. P. , Romero André L. do S. , Cunha Renan , Garcia Rafael de Q. , Stoerkler Timothée , Massue Julien , De Boni Leonardo , Mendonça Cleber R.
Published: February 2025

Next-generation organic devices fabrication via multiphoton polymerization demands fine-tuned photoinitiators. HBO-NBu2 combines remarkable photophysical properties with versatility, proving to be an efficient higher-order multiphoton photoinitiator.
A metal-free sigmatropic rearrangement/cyclization/aromatization cascade reaction of hydroxy/aminophenyl propargyl alcohols with fluoroalkanesulfinyl chlorides: synthesis of 3-fluoroalkanesulfonyl benzofurans and indoles
Authors: Jiang Si-Jing , Li Zhao-Zhao , Yang Li-Na , Bian Ming , Qiu Xiao-Han , Gao Yu-Ning , Chen Hui-Yu , Liu Zhen-Jiang
Published: February 2025

A metal-free protocol to synthesize 2-alkyl-3-fluoroalkanesulfonyl benzofurans and indoles from o-hydroxyphenyl/o-aminophenyl propargyl alcohols and fluoroalkanesulfinyl chlorides (RFSOCl) was disclosed.
Fabry-Pérot Interference Enhanced GaSe Visible-blind UV Photodetectors
Authors: Liang Liyan , Guo Zi-Hao , He Xin-Hui , Shu Wei , Wu Chunyan , Chen Shirong , Hu Jigang , Zhou Yuxue , Luo Linbao
Published: February 2025

In this letter, we reported the fabrication of an asymmetric Fabry-Pérot (F-P) structure by planar stacking of GaSe nanosheet, Al2O3 spacer and Al back reflector. For the selective absorption enhancement...
A Note of Non‐Existence of Strongly Regular and Deza Graphs
Authors: Benavides Fernando Andres , Solarte Carlos Alberto Trujillo
Published: February 2025

In this letter, we prove that strongly regular graphs and Deza digraphs do not exist with parameters where . As a consequence, we provide many parameters for which there is no a difference set.
A Measurement‐Based SSO Probability Assessment Approach Considering Multiple Uncertainties
Authors: Lei Zhenyu , Hou Kaiyuan , Chen Lei , Guo Feng , Liu Qingchen , Min Yong
Published: February 2025

Sub‐synchronous oscillation (SSO) of wind power system has long plagued grid operators and researchers. It is affected by different uncertain factors such as wind speed and its probability assessment is crucial for SSO prevention and emergency control. The black box characteristics of wind turbines impede the precise modelling and stability analysis. Meanwhile, researchers concentrated on the uncertainty of wind speed and ignored the impact of grid strength variation. This paper proposed a measurement‐based SSO probability assessment approach considering multiple uncertainties. First, a method is proposed to precisely estimate damping ratios of SSO mode based on measured impedance‐frequency curves. Then, probabilistic collocation method (PCM) theory is introduced to construct an approximate function between the damping ratio and multiple uncertain inputs. In SSOs induced by interaction between full power convert of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator and weak grid, both wind speed and grid impedance are set as uncertain inputs, while only wind speed is considered in SSOs induced by Doubly Fed Induction Generator. For common truncated distribution in power grid, the significant advantages of PCM over other analytical methods are pointed out. Finally, the efficiency and accuracy of proposed approaches, compared with Monte Carlo and other approaches, are validated by simulation.