bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecophysiology and interactions of a taurine-respiring bacterium in the mouse gut
Authors: Ye Huimin , Borusak Sabrina , Eberl Claudia , Krasenbrink Julia , Weiss Anna S. , Chen Song-Can , Hanson Buck T. , Hausmann Bela , Herbold Craig W. , Pristner Manuel , Zwirzitz Benjamin , Warth Benedikt , Pjevac Petra , Schleheck David , Stecher Bärbel , Loy Alexander
Published: September 2023

Taurine-respiring gut bacteria produce H2S with ambivalent impact on host health. We report the isolation and ecophysiological characterization of a taurine-respiring mouse gut bacterium. Taurinivorans muris strain LT0009 represents a new widespread species that differs from the human gut sulfidogen Bilophila wadsworthia in its sulfur metabolism pathways and host distribution. T. muris specializes in taurine respiration in vivo, seemingly unaffected by mouse diet and genotype, but is dependent on other bacteria for release of taurine from bile acids. Colonization of T. muris in gnotobiotic mice increased deconjugation of taurine-conjugated bile acids and transcriptional activity of a sulfur metabolism gene-encoding prophage in other commensals, and slightly decreased the abundance of Salmonella enterica, which showed reduced expression of galactonate catabolism genes. Re-analysis of metagenome data from a previous study further suggested that T. muris can contribute to protection against pathogens by the commensal mouse gut microbiota. Together, we show the realized physiological niche of a key murine gut sulfidogen and its interactions with selected gut microbiota members.
Constraints on axion-like dark matter from a SERF comagnetometer
Authors: Bloch Itay M. , Shaham Roy , Hochberg Yonit , Kuflik Eric , Volansky Tomer , Katz Or
Published: September 2023

Ultralight axion-like particles are well-motivated relics that might compose the cosmological dark matter and source anomalous time-dependent magnetic fields. We report on terrestrial bounds from the Noble And Alkali Spin Detectors for Ultralight Coherent darK matter (NASDUCK) collaboration on the coupling of axion-like particles to neutrons and protons. The detector uses nuclei of noble-gas and alkali-metal atoms and operates in the Spin-Exchange Relaxation-Free (SERF) regime, achieving high sensitivity to axion-like dark matter fields. Conducting a month-long search, we cover the mass range of 1.4 × 10−12 eV/c2 to 2 × 10−10 eV/c2 and provide limits which supersede robust astrophysical bounds, and improve upon previous terrestrial constraints by over two orders of magnitude for many masses within this range for protons, and up to two orders of magnitude for neutrons. These are the sole reliable terrestrial bounds reported on the coupling of protons with axion-like dark matter, covering an unexplored terrain in its parameter space.
Host heparan sulfate promotes ACE2 super-cluster assembly and enhances SARS-CoV-2-associated syncytium formation
Authors: Zhang Qi , Tang Weichun , Stancanelli Eduardo , Jung Eunkyung , Syed Zulfeqhar , Pagadala Vijayakanth , Saidi Layla , Chen Catherine Z. , Gao Peng , Xu Miao , Pavlinov Ivan , Li Bing , Huang Wenwei , Chen Liqiang , Liu Jian , Xie Hang , Zheng Wei , Ye Yihong
Published: September 2023

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes spike-dependent fusion of infected cells with ACE2 positive neighboring cells, generating multi-nuclear syncytia that are often associated with severe COVID. To better elucidate the mechanism of spike-induced syncytium formation, we combine chemical genetics with 4D confocal imaging to establish the cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) as a critical stimulator for spike-induced cell-cell fusion. We show that HS binds spike and promotes spike-induced ACE2 clustering, forming synapse-like cell-cell contacts that facilitate fusion pore formation between ACE2-expresing and spike-transfected human cells. Chemical or genetic inhibition of HS mitigates ACE2 clustering, and thus, syncytium formation, whereas in a cell-free system comprising purified HS and lipid-anchored ACE2, HS stimulates ACE2 clustering directly in the presence of spike. Furthermore, HS-stimulated syncytium formation and receptor clustering require a conserved ACE2 linker distal from the spike-binding site. Importantly, the cell fusion-boosting function of HS can be targeted by an investigational HS-binding drug, which reduces syncytium formation in vitro and viral infection in mice. Thus, HS, as a host factor exploited by SARS-CoV-2 to facilitate receptor clustering and a stimulator of infection-associated syncytium formation, may be a promising therapeutic target for severe COVID.
Metabolic Reprogramming via ACOD1 depletion enhances function of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CAR-macrophages in solid tumors
Authors: Wang Xudong , Su Siyu , Zhu Yuqing , Cheng Xiaolong , Cheng Chen , Chen Leilei , Lei Anhua , Zhang Li , Xu Yuyan , Ye Dan , Zhang Yi , Li Wei , Zhang Jin
Published: September 2023

The pro-inflammatory state of macrophages, underpinned by their metabolic condition, is essentially affecting their capacity of combating tumor cells. Here we find, via a pooled metabolic gene knockout CRISPR screen that KEAP1 and ACOD1 are strong regulators of the pro-inflammatory state in macrophages. We show that ACOD1 knockout macrophages, generated in our induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CAR-macrophage (CAR-iMAC) platform, are strongly and persistently polarized toward the pro-inflammatory state, which manifests in increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, more potent phagocytosis and enhanced cytotoxic functions against cancer cells in vitro. In ovarian or pancreatic cancer mouse models, ACOD1-depleted CAR-iMACs exhibit enhanced capacity in repressing tumors, leading to increased survival. In addition, combining ACOD1-depleted CAR-iMACs with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), such as anti-CD47 or anti-PD1 antibodies, result in even stronger tumor suppressing effect. Mechanistically, the depletion of ACOD1 reduces levels of the immuno-metabolite itaconate, allowing KEAP1 to prevent NRF2 from entering the nucleus to activate an anti-inflammatory program. This study thus lays down the proof of principle for targeting ACOD1 in myeloid cells for cancer immunotherapy and introduces metabolically engineered human iPSC-derived CAR-iMACs cells with enhanced polarization and anti-tumor functions in adoptive cell transfer therapies.
Cross-national analyses require additional controls to account for the non-independence of nations
Authors: Claessens Scott , Kyritsis Thanos , Atkinson Quentin D.
Published: September 2023

Cross-national analyses test hypotheses about the drivers of variation in national outcomes. However, since nations are connected in various ways, such as via spatial proximity and shared cultural ancestry, cross-national analyses often violate assumptions of non-independence, inflating false positive rates. Here, we show that, despite being recognised as an important statistical pitfall for over 200 years, cross-national research in economics and psychology still does not sufficiently account for non-independence. In a review of the 100 highest-cited cross-national studies of economic development and values, we find that controls for non-independence are rare. When studies do control for non-independence, our simulations suggest that most commonly used methods are insufficient for reducing false positives in non-independent data. In reanalyses of twelve previous cross-national correlations, half of the estimates are compatible with no association after controlling for non-independence using global proximity matrices. We urge social scientists to sufficiently control for non-independence in cross-national research.
The role of intra-guild indirect interactions in assembling plant-pollinator networks
Authors: Dritz Sabine , Nelson Rebecca A. , Valdovinos Fernanda S.
Published: September 2023

Understanding the assembly of plant-pollinator communities has become critical to their conservation given the rise of species invasions, extirpations, and species’ range shifts. Over the course of assembly, colonizer establishment produces core interaction patterns, called motifs, which shape the trajectory of assembling network structure. Dynamic assembly models can advance our understanding of this process by linking the transient dynamics of colonizer establishment to long-term network development. In this study, we investigate the role of intra-guild indirect interactions and adaptive foraging in shaping the structure of assembling plant-pollinator networks by developing: 1) an assembly model that includes population dynamics and adaptive foraging, and 2) a motif analysis tracking the intra-guild indirect interactions of colonizing species throughout their establishment. We find that while colonizers leverage indirect competition for shared mutualistic resources to establish, adaptive foraging maintains the persistence of inferior competitors. This produces core motifs in which specialist and generalist species coexist on shared mutualistic resources which leads to the emergence of nested networks. Further, the persistence of specialists develops richer and less connected networks which is consistent with empirical data. Our work contributes new understanding and methods to study the effects of species’ intra-guild indirect interactions on community assembly.
Efficient intervention for pulmonary fibrosis via mitochondrial transfer promoted by mitochondrial biogenesis
Authors: Huang Ting , Lin Ruyi , Su Yuanqin , Sun Hao , Zheng Xixi , Zhang Jinsong , Lu Xiaoyan , Zhao Baiqin , Jiang Xinchi , Huang Lingling , Li Ni , Shi Jing , Fan Xiaohui , Xu Donghang , Zhang Tianyuan , Gao Jianqing
Published: September 2023

The use of exogenous mitochondria to replenish damaged mitochondria has been proposed as a strategy for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. However, the success of this strategy is partially restricted by the difficulty of supplying sufficient mitochondria to diseased cells. Herein, we report the generation of high-powered mesenchymal stem cells with promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and facilitated mitochondrial transfer to injured lung cells by the sequential treatment of pioglitazone and iron oxide nanoparticles. This highly efficient mitochondrial transfer is shown to not only restore mitochondrial homeostasis but also reactivate inhibited mitophagy, consequently recovering impaired cellular functions. We perform studies in mouse to show that these high-powered mesenchymal stem cells successfully mitigate fibrotic progression in a progressive fibrosis model, which was further verified in a humanized multicellular lung spheroid model. The present findings provide a potential strategy to overcome the current limitations in mitochondrial replenishment therapy, thereby promoting therapeutic applications for fibrotic intervention.
Discovery of the major 15–30 nt mammalian small RNAs, their biogenesis and function
Authors: Lai Hejin , Feng Ning , Zhai Qiwei
Published: September 2023

Small RNAs (sRNAs) within 15-30 nt such as miRNA, tsRNA, srRNA with 3’-OH have been identified. However, whether these sRNAs are the major 15-30 nt sRNAs is still unknown. Here we show about 90% mammalian sRNAs within 15-30 nt end with 2’,3’-cyclic phosphate (3’-cP). TANT-seq was developed to simultaneously profile sRNAs with 3’-cP (sRNA-cPs) and sRNA-OHs, and huge amount of sRNA-cPs were detected. Surprisingly, sRNA-cPs and sRNA-OHs usually have distinct sequences. The data from TANT-seq were validated by a novel method termed TE-qPCR, and Northern blot. Furthermore, we found that Angiogenin and RNase 4 contribute to the biogenesis of sRNA-cPs. Moreover, much more sRNA-cPs than sRNA-OHs bind to Ago2, and can regulate gene expression. Particularly, snR-2-cP regulates Bcl2 by targeting to its 3’UTR dependent on Ago2, and subsequently regulates apoptosis. In addition, sRNA-cPs can guide the cleavage of target RNAs in Ago2 complex as miRNAs without the requirement of 3’-cP. Our discovery greatly expands the repertoire of mammalian sRNAs, and provides strategies and powerful tools towards further investigation of sRNA-cPs.
Elementary school teachers’ perspectives about learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Alvarez-Rivero Aymee , Odgers Candice , Ansari Daniel
Published: September 2023

How did school closures affect student access to education and learning rates during the COVID-19 pandemic? How did teachers adapt to the new instructional contexts? To answer these questions, we distributed an online survey to Elementary School teachers (N = 911) in the United States and Canada at the end of the 2020–2021 school year. Around 85.8% of participants engaged in remote instruction, and nearly half had no previous experience teaching online. Overall, this transition was challenging for most teachers and more than 50% considered they were not as effective in the classroom during remote instruction and reported not being able to deliver all the curriculum expected for their grade. Despite the widespread access to digital technologies in our sample, nearly 65% of teachers observed a drop in class attendance. More than 50% of participants observed a decline in students’ academic performance, a growth in the gaps between low and high-performing students, and predicted long-term adverse effects. We also observed consistent effects of SES in teachers’ reports. The proportion of teachers reporting a drop in performance increases from 40% in classrooms with high-income students, to more than 70% in classrooms with low-income students. Students in lower-income households were almost twice less likely to have teachers with previous experience teaching online and almost twice less likely to receive support from adults with homeschooling. Overall, our data suggest the effects of the pandemic were not equally distributed.
Understanding the recent increase in multiyear La Niñas
Authors: Wang Bin , Sun Weiyi , Jin Chunhan , Luo Xiao , Yang Young-Min , Li Tim , Xiang Baoqiang , McPhaden Michael J. , Cane Mark A. , Jin Feifei , Liu Fei , Liu Jian
Published: September 2023

Five out of six La Niña events since 1998 have lasted two to three years. Why so many long-lasting multiyear La Niña events have emerged recently and whether they will become more common remains unknown. Here we show that ten multiyear La Niña events over the past century had an accelerated trend, with eight of these occurring after 1970. The two types of multiyear La Niña events over this time period followed either a super El Niño or a central Pacific El Niño. We find that multiyear La Niña events differ from single-year La Niñas by a prominent onset rate, which is rooted in the western Pacific warming-enhanced zonal advective feedback for the central Pacific multiyear La Niña events type and thermocline feedback for the super El Niño multiyear La Niña events type. The results from large ensemble climate simulations support the observed multiyear La Niña events–western Pacific warming link. More multiyear La Niña events will exacerbate adverse socioeconomic impacts if the western Pacific continues to warm relative to the central Pacific.
Longitudinal genomic surveillance of carriage and transmission of Clostridioides difficile in an intensive care unit
Authors: Miles-Jay Arianna , Snitkin Evan S. , Lin Michael Y. , Shimasaki Teppei , Schoeny Michael , Fukuda Christine , Dangana Thelma , Moore Nicholas , Sansom Sarah E. , Yelin Rachel D. , Bell Pamela , Rao Krishna , Keidan Micah , Standke Alexandra , Bassis Christine , Hayden Mary K. , Young Vincent B.
Published: September 2023

Despite enhanced infection prevention efforts, Clostridioides difficile remains the leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in the United States. Current prevention strategies are limited by their failure to account for patients who carry C. difficile asymptomatically, who may act as hidden reservoirs transmitting infections to other patients. To improve the understanding of asymptomatic carriers’ contribution to C. difficile spread, we conducted admission and daily longitudinal culture-based screening for C. difficile in a US-based intensive care unit over nine months and performed whole-genome sequencing on all recovered isolates. Despite a high burden of carriage, with 9.3% of admissions having toxigenic C. difficile detected in at least one sample, only 1% of patients culturing negative on admission to the unit acquired C. difficile via cross-transmission. While patients who carried toxigenic C. difficile on admission posed minimal risk to others, they themselves had a 24-times greater risk for developing a healthcare-onset C. difficile infection than noncarriers. Together, these findings suggest that current infection prevention practices can be effective in preventing nosocomial cross-transmission of C. difficile, and that decreasing C. difficile infections in hospitals further will require interventions targeting the transition from asymptomatic carriage to infection.
Correlative montage parallel array cryo-tomography for in situ structural cell biology
Authors: Yang Jie E. , Larson Matthew R. , Sibert Bryan S. , Kim Joseph Y. , Parrell Daniel , Sanchez Juan C. , Pappas Victoria , Kumar Anil , Cai Kai , Thompson Keith , Wright Elizabeth R.
Published: September 2023

Imaging large fields of view while preserving high-resolution structural information remains a challenge in low-dose cryo-electron tomography. Here we present robust tools for montage parallel array cryo-tomography (MPACT) tailored for vitrified specimens. The combination of correlative cryo-fluorescence microscopy, focused-ion-beam milling, substrate micropatterning, and MPACT supports studies that contextually define the three-dimensional architecture of cells. To further extend the flexibility of MPACT, tilt series may be processed in their entirety or as individual tiles suitable for sub-tomogram averaging, enabling efficient data processing and analysis.
Mate-choice for close kin is associated with improved offspring survival in Lodoicea maldivica, the largest-seeded plant in the world
Authors: Morgan Emma J. , Kaiser-Bunbury Christopher N. , Edwards Peter J. , Fleischer-Dogley Frauke , Kettle Chris J.
Published: September 2023

We studied spatial patterns of kinship in the offspring of the endangered Lodoicea maldivica, a dioecious palm that produces the largest seed of any plant. Previous research has suggested that restricted seed and pollen dispersal in populations resulted in strong spatial genetic structure. We used microsatellites to genotype young plants and their potential parents at four sites across the species’ entire natural range. We determined the most likely parents of each young plant based on the spatial separation of each parent pair, their genetic relatedness, and the level of correlated paternity. We identified both parents (43 female, 54 male) for 139 of 493 young plants. Mean distance between parental pairs was 26.8 m. Correlated paternity was low (0.168), indicating that mother trees were often pollinated by several fathers. Parental pairs were more closely related than expected by chance, suggesting outbreeding depression. Our results highlight the apparent strong mate choice for close kin in parent pairs of surviving offspring. We discuss the alternative biological processes that could lead to this, including the potential for break-up of favourable allelic combinations necessary for the development of the palm’s very large seed. Management implications include germinating seeds where they naturally fall, using a diverse range of male plants as pollen donors for hand pollination, and protecting the native community of gecko pollinators.
The role of interpersonal synchrony in forming impressions of autistic and non-autistic adults
Authors: Plank I. S. , Traiger L. S. , Nelson A. M. , Koehler J. C. , Lang S. F. , Tepest R. , Vogeley K. , Georgescu A. L. , Falter-Wagner C. M.
Published: September 2023

When people meet, they almost instantaneously form an impression of each other. First impressions of character traits and rapport are less favourable when people with autism spectrum condition (ASC) are judged compared to non-autistic people. Little is known about the behavioural differences that drive these altered impressions. In the present study, we investigated the influence of interpersonal synchrony on impression formation of autistic and non-autistic people. Specifically, we used lagged cross-correlations to assess how much each interactant’s motion energy, a measure which can be determined from video recordings, influenced the other interactant’s motion energy. In short, silent clips of dyadic conversations, we asked non-autistic participants to rate their impression of one of the two interactants, which was solely based on the outlines of both interactants. We expected that the amount of leading of the target interactant, their diagnostic status as well as the interaction of these factors would influence impression formation. We found that while the amount of leading had a positive effect on the impressions of non-autistic interactants, this was not true for interactants with ASC. This suggests that interpersonal synchrony of motion energy is one driver of less favourable impressions of autistic compared to non-autistic people.
Association analysis of agronomic traits and construction of genetic networks by resequencing of 306 sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) lines
Authors: Wang Liang , Zhang Ziqiang , Han Pingan , Liang Yahui , Zhang Huizhong , Fu Zengjuan , Zhao Shangmin , E Yuanyuan , Zhang Hui , Wu Xinrong , Zhang Bizhou , Chang Yue , Tang Kuangang , Zheng Wenzhe , Chen Li , Wang Ronghua , Gao Weishi , Hasi Agula , Li Xiaodong , Bai Chen
Published: September 2023

Due to the relatively brief domestication history of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris), our understanding of the genomic diversity and functional genes in its cultivars is limited, resulting in slow breeding progress. To address this issue, a total of 306 germplasm materials of major cultivars and breeding lines from China, the USA, and Europe were selected for genome resequencing. We investigated population structure and genetic diversity and performed selective scanning of genomic regions, identifying six novel genes associated with important agronomic traits: the candidate genes DFAX2 and P5CS for skin roughness; the candidate genes FRO5, GL24, and PPR91 for root yield and sugar yield, and the pleiotropic candidate gene POLX for flourishing growth vigour, plant height, crown size, flesh coarseness, and sugar yield. In addition, we constructed a protein–protein interaction network map and a phenotype-gene network map, which provide valuable information for identifying and characterizing functional genes affecting agronomic traits in sugar beet. Overall, our study sheds light on the future improvement of sugar beet agronomic traits at the molecular level.
Predicting unplanned readmissions in the intensive care unit: a multimodality evaluation
Authors: Sheetrit Eitam , Brief Menachem , Elisha Oren
Published: September 2023

A hospital readmission is when a patient who was discharged from the hospital is admitted again for the same or related care within a certain period. Hospital readmissions are a significant problem in the healthcare domain, as they lead to increased hospitalization costs, decreased patient satisfaction, and increased risk of adverse outcomes such as infections, medication errors, and even death. The problem of hospital readmissions is particularly acute in intensive care units (ICUs), due to the severity of the patients’ conditions, and the substantial risk of complications. Predicting Unplanned Readmissions in ICUs is a challenging task, as it involves analyzing different data modalities, such as static data, unstructured free text, sequences of diagnoses and procedures, and multivariate time-series. Here, we investigate the effectiveness of each data modality separately, then alongside with others, using state-of-the-art machine learning approaches in time-series analysis and natural language processing. Using our evaluation process, we are able to determine the contribution of each data modality, and for the first time in the context of readmission, establish a hierarchy of their predictive value. Additionally, we demonstrate the impact of Temporal Abstractions in enhancing the performance of time-series approaches to readmission prediction. Due to conflicting definitions in the literature, we also provide a clear definition of the term Unplanned Readmission to enhance reproducibility and consistency of future research and to prevent any potential misunderstandings that could result from diverse interpretations of the term. Our experimental results on a large benchmark clinical data set show that Discharge Notes written by physicians, have better capabilities for readmission prediction than all other modalities.
Nutritional status and associated factors among the elderly in Guinea: a first national cross-sectional study
Authors: Millimono Thierno Mamadou , Camara Alioune , Mabiama Gustave , Daffé Mamady , Boumédiène Farid , Preux Pierre-Marie , Desport Jean-Claude , Fayemendy Philippe , Jésus Pierre
Published: September 2023

Aging of the Guinean population is a public health concern for the coming years, and the nutritional status of older people is virtually unknown. We also know that this population is growing and that undernutrition and obesity can affect the health of older adults. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of older people in the general population of Guinea and its associated factors. A representative cross-sectional survey was conducted using sociodemographic, clinical, and anthropometric data (weight and height). Oral status was assessed by using the University of Nebraska Oral Status Scale. Visual acuity was assessed using the Monoyer scale. The standardized prevalence ratio (SPR) of the nutritional status was calculated for each region. The sample included 1698 subjects with a mean BMI of 22.6 ± 4.3 kg/m2. A total of 50.3% had impaired oral status and 20.3% had moderately to severely impaired visual acuity. The prevalence of undernutrition was 14.4% and of obesity 5.7%. Differences in the prevalence of nutritional status were found between regions, with an SPR > 1 for undernutrition in the Labé region (SPR 1.9, 95% CI = 1.5–2.5) and for obesity in the Conakry and Kindia regions (SPR of 2.90, 95% CI = 2.0–4.05 and 2.32, 95% CI = 1.5–3.3, respectively). In Guinea, The prevalence of nutritional disorders was approximately 20%. Screening and management of the health and nutritional status of older adults should be a national priority, and management should be adapted to each region of the country.
Health benefits from risk information of air pollution in China
Authors: Wang Zhaohua , Liu Jie , Wang Bo , Zhang Bin , Deng Nana
Published: September 2023

Risk-related information regarding air pollution can help people understand the risk involved and take preventive measures to reduce health loss. However, the health benefits through these protective behaviors and the health threat of information inequality have not been systematically measured. This article reports the health gains and losses caused by the interaction of “air pollution—air pollution information—human”, and studies the heterogeneity and impact of this interaction. Based on field investigations and transfer learning algorism, this study compiled the first nationwide city-level risk-related information (ERI) response parameter set in China. Then, we developed a Information-Behavioral Equivalent PM2.5 Exposure Model (I-BEPEM) model to project the health benefits caused by the impact of environmental risk-related information on residents’ protective behaviors under different scenarios. The protective behavior led by air pollution risk information reduces 5.7% PM2.5-related premature deaths per year. With a 1% increase in regional ERI reception, PM2.5-related premature mortality decreases by 0.1% on average; If the level of information perception and behavioral protection in all cities is the same as that in Beijing, PM2.5-related premature deaths will decrease by 6.9% annually in China. Further, changing the air quality standard issued by China to the American standard can reduce the overall PM2.5-related premature deaths by 9.9%. Meanwhile, compared with men, other age groups and rural residents, women, older persons, and urban residents are more likely to conceive risk information and adopt protective behaviors to reduce the risk of premature death from air pollution. Air pollution risk information can significantly reduce people's health loss. Changing the real-time air quality monitoring information indicator standard to a more stringent level can quickly and effectively enhance this effect. However, the uneven distribution of this information in regions and populations has resulted in the inequality of health gains and losses.
Entropy generation optimization for the electroosmotic MHD fluid flow over the curved stenosis artery in the presence of thrombosis
Authors: Sharma Bhupendra K. , Khanduri Umesh , Mishra Nidhish K. , Albaijan Ibrahim , Pérez Laura M.
Published: September 2023

The present study deals with the entropy generation analysis on the flow of an electrically conductive fluid (Blood) with $$\hbox {Al}_2\hbox {O}_3$$

Al
2

O
3

-suspended nanoparticles through the irregular stenosed artery with thrombosis on the catheter. The fluid flow can be actuated by the interactions of different physical phenomena like electroosmosis, radiation, Joule heating and a uniform radial magnetic field. The analysis of different shapes and sizes of the nanoparticle is considered by taking the Crocine model. The velocity, temperature, and concentration distributions are computed using the Crank–Nicholson method within the framework of the Debye–Huckel linearization approximation. In order to see how blood flow changes in response to different parameters, the velocity contour is calculated. The aluminium oxide nanoparticles employed in this research have several potential uses in biomedicine and biosensing. The surface’s stability, biocompatibility, and reactivity may be enhanced by surface engineering, making the material effective for deoxyribonucleic acid sensing. It may be deduced that the velocity profile reduces as the nanoparticle’s size grows while depicts the reverse trend for the shape size. In a region close to the walls, the entropy profile decreases, while in the region in the middle, it rises as the magnetic field parameter rises. The present endeavour can be beneficial in biomedical sciences in designing better biomedical devices and gaining insight into the hemodynamic flow for treatment modalities.
Understanding the effect of heat stress during seed filling on nutritional composition and seed yield in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Devi Poonam , Awasthi Rashmi , Jha Uday , Sharma Kamal Dev , Prasad P. V. Vara , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Roorkiwal Manish , Nayyar Harsh
Published: September 2023

Increasing temperature affects all food crops, thereby reducing their yield potential. Chickpea is a cool-season food legume vital for its nutritive value, but it is sensitive to high temperatures (> 32/20 °C maximum/minimum) during its reproductive and seed-filling stages. This study evaluated the effects of heat stress on yield and qualitative traits of chickpea seeds in a controlled environment. Chickpea genotypes differing in heat sensitivity [two heat-tolerant (HT) and two heat-sensitive (HS)] were raised in pots, initially in an outdoor environment (average 23.5/9.9 °C maximum/minimum), until the beginning of pod set (107–110 days after sowing). At this stage, the plants were moved to a controlled environment in the growth chamber to impose heat stress (32/20 °C) at the seed-filling stage, while maintaining a set of control plants at 25/15 °C. The leaves of heat-stressed plants of the HT and HS genotypes showed considerable membrane damage, altered stomatal conductance, and reduced leaf water content, chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence, and photosynthetic ability (RuBisCo, sucrose phosphate synthase, and sucrose activities) relative to their corresponding controls. Seed filling duration and seed rate drastically decreased in heat-stressed plants of the HT and HS genotypes, severely reducing seed weight plant–1 and single seed weight, especially in the HS genotypes. Yield-related traits, such as pod number, seed number, and harvest index, noticeably decreased in heat-stressed plants and more so in the HS genotypes. Seed components, such as starch, proteins, fats, minerals (Ca, P, and Fe), and storage proteins (albumin, globulins, glutelin, and prolamins), drastically declined, resulting in poor-quality seeds, particularly in the HS genotypes. These findings revealed that heat stress significantly reduced leaf sucrose production, affecting the accumulation of various seed constituents, and leading to poor nutritional quality. The HT genotypes were less affected than the HS genotypes because of the greater stability of their leaf water status and photosynthetic ability, contributing to better yield and seed quality traits in a heat-stressed environment.
Malicious traffic detection on sampled network flow data with novelty-detection-based models
Authors: Campazas-Vega Adrián , Crespo-Martínez Ignacio Samuel , Guerrero-Higueras Ángel Manuel , Álvarez-Aparicio Claudia , Matellán Vicente , Fernández-Llamas Camino
Published: September 2023

Cyber-attacks are a major problem for users, businesses, and institutions. Classical anomaly detection techniques can detect malicious traffic generated in a cyber-attack by analyzing individual network packets. However, routers that manage large traffic loads can only examine some packets. These devices often use lightweight flow-based protocols to collect network statistics. Analyzing flow data also allows for detecting malicious network traffic. But even gathering flow data has a high computational cost, so routers usually apply a sampling rate to generate flows. This sampling reduces the computational load on routers, but much information is lost. This work aims to demonstrate that malicious traffic can be detected even on flow data collected with a sampling rate of 1 out of 1,000 packets. To do so, we evaluate anomaly-detection-based models using synthetic sampled flow data and actual sampled flow data from RedCAYLE, the Castilla y León regional subnet of the Spanish academic and research network. The results presented show that detection of malicious traffic on sampled flow data is possible using novelty-detection-based models with a high accuracy score and a low false alarm rate.
Towards a promising systematic approach to the synthesis of CZTS solar cells
Authors: Najm A. S. , Al-Ghamdi Azza , Amin Majdi T. , Al Ghamdi Ahmed , Moria Hazim , Holi Araa Mebdir , Abed Azher M. , AL-Zahrani Asla Abdullah , Sopian K. , Bais Badariah , Sultan Abbas J.
Published: September 2023

This study aims to enhance the CZTS device's overall efficiency, the key research area has been identified in this study is to explore the effects of a novel, low-cost, and simplified, deposition method to improve the optoelectronic properties of the buffer layer in the fabrication of CZTS thin film solar cells. Herein, an effective way of addressing this challenge is through adjusting the absorbers' structure by the concept of doping, sensitized CdS thin film by the bi-functional linker, and an environmentally friendly catalytic green agent. The Linker Assisted and Chemical Bath Deposition (LA-CBD) method was introduced as an innovative and effective hybrid sensitization approach. In the one-step synthesis process, Salvia dye, Ag, and 3-Mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) were used. Generally, the results for all samples displayed varying bandgap as achieved between (2.21–2.46) eV, hexagonal structure with considerably decreased strain level, broader grain size, and dramatically enhanced crystalline property. Hence, the rudimentary CdS/CZTS solar cell devices were fabricated for the application of these novel CdS films. Preliminary CZTS thin film solar cell fabrication results in the highest conversion efficiency of 0.266% obtained CdS + Salvia dye, indicating the potential use of the CdS films as a buffer layer for CZTS photovoltaic devices.
Phantom touch illusion, an unexpected phenomenological effect of tactile gating in the absence of tactile stimulation
Authors: Pilacinski Artur , Metzler Marita , Klaes Christian
Published: September 2023

We report the presence of a tingling sensation perceived during self-touch without physical stimulation. We used immersive virtual reality scenarios in which subjects touched their body using a virtual object. This touch resulted in a tingling sensation corresponding to the location touched on the virtual body. We called it “phantom touch illusion” (PTI). Interestingly, the illusion was also reported when subjects touched invisible (inferred) parts of their limb. We reason that this PTI results from tactile gating process during self-touch if there is no tactile input to supress. The reported PTI when touching invisible body parts indicates that tactile gating is not exclusively based on vision, but rather on multi-sensory, top-down input involving body schema. This supplementary finding shows that representations of one's own body are defined top-down, beyond the available sensory information.
The long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical fitness in young adults: a historical control study
Authors: Ripley-Gonzalez Jeffrey W. , Zhou Nanjiang , Zeng Tanghao , You Baiyang , Zhang Wenliang , Liu Jie , Dong Yuchen , Guo Ying , Dun Yaoshan , Liu Suixin
Published: September 2023

The strength of evidence regarding long-term changes to fitness resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdowns is deficient. This two-site retrospective study aimed to investigate the long-term changes in physical fitness among young adults a year after the onset of the pandemic using a robust historical control. University freshmen who underwent physical fitness tests in 2019 and completed a follow-up in 2020 (study group) were included. The primary focus was to compare the current cohort with a historical control group who completed the same tests a year prior (2018). A total of 5376 individuals were recruited, of which 2239 were in the study group. Compared with the control, the study group exhibited a decrease in anaerobic fitness, with an overall difference of −0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], [−1.33 to −0.36]); declines in aerobic fitness, with a difference of −2.25 [−3.92 to −0.57] for males and −4.28 [−4.97 to −3.59] for females; a reduced explosive fitness (−2.68 [−3.24 to −2.12]); and a decreased upper-body strength in females (−1.52 [−2.16 to −0.87]). The fitness of young adults has been considerably compromised by COVID-19 lockdowns, highlighting the importance of promoting physical activity to prevent long-term health implications.
Ultra-low power neuromorphic obstacle detection using a two-dimensional materials-based subthreshold transistor
Authors: Thakar Kartikey , Rajendran Bipin , Lodha Saurabh
Published: September 2023

Accurate, timely and selective detection of moving obstacles is crucial for reliable collision avoidance in autonomous robots. The area- and energy-inefficiency of CMOS-based spiking neurons for obstacle detection can be addressed through the reconfigurable, tunable and low-power operation capabilities of emerging two-dimensional (2D) materials-based devices. We present an ultra-low power spiking neuron built using an electrostatically tuned dual-gate transistor with an ultra-thin and generic 2D material channel. The 2D subthreshold transistor (2D-ST) is carefully designed to operate under low-current subthreshold regime. Carrier transport has been modeled via over-the-barrier thermionic and Fowler–Nordheim contact barrier tunneling currents over a wide range of gate and drain biases. Simulation of a neuron circuit designed using the 2D-ST with 45 nm CMOS technology components shows high energy efficiency of ~3.5 pJ per spike and biomimetic class-I as well as oscillatory spiking. It also demonstrates complex neuronal behaviors such as spike-frequency adaptation and post-inhibitory rebound that are crucial for dynamic visual systems. Lobula giant movement detector (LGMD) is a collision-detecting biological neuron found in locusts. Our neuron circuit can generate LGMD-like spiking behavior and detect obstacles at an energy cost of <100 pJ. Further, it can be reconfigured to distinguish between looming and receding objects with high selectivity. We also show that the spiking neuron circuit can function reliably with ±40% variation in the 2D-ST current as well as up to 3 dB signal-to-noise ratio with additive white Gaussian noise in the input synaptic current.
Barriers and facilitators to utilizing digital health technologies by healthcare professionals
Authors: Borges do Nascimento Israel Júnior , Abdulazeem Hebatullah , Vasanthan Lenny Thinagaran , Martinez Edson Zangiacomi , Zucoloto Miriane Lucindo , Østengaard Lasse , Azzopardi-Muscat Natasha , Zapata Tomas , Novillo-Ortiz David
Published: September 2023

Digital technologies change the healthcare environment, with several studies suggesting barriers and facilitators to using digital interventions by healthcare professionals (HPs). We consolidated the evidence from existing systematic reviews mentioning barriers and facilitators for the use of digital health technologies by HP. Electronic searches were performed in five databases (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase®, Epistemonikos, MEDLINE®, and Scopus) from inception to March 2023. We included reviews that reported barriers or facilitators factors to use technology solutions among HP. We performed data abstraction, methodological assessment, and certainty of the evidence appraisal by at least two authors. Overall, we included 108 reviews involving physicians, pharmacists, and nurses were included. High-quality evidence suggested that infrastructure and technical barriers (Relative Frequency Occurrence [RFO] 6.4% [95% CI 2.9–14.1]), psychological and personal issues (RFO 5.3% [95% CI 2.2–12.7]), and concerns of increasing working hours or workload (RFO 3.9% [95% CI 1.5–10.1]) were common concerns reported by HPs. Likewise, high-quality evidence supports that training/educational programs, multisector incentives, and the perception of technology effectiveness facilitate the adoption of digital technologies by HPs (RFO 3.8% [95% CI 1.8–7.9]). Our findings showed that infrastructure and technical issues, psychological barriers, and workload-related concerns are relevant barriers to comprehensively and holistically adopting digital health technologies by HPs. Conversely, deploying training, evaluating HP’s perception of usefulness and willingness to use, and multi-stakeholders incentives are vital enablers to enhance the HP adoption of digital interventions.
Implications for implementation and adoption of telehealth in developing countries: a systematic review of China’s practices and experiences
Authors: Ye Jiancheng , He Lu , Beestrum Molly
Published: September 2023

The rapid advancement of telehealth technologies has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery, especially in developing countries and resource-limited settings. Telehealth played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting numerous healthcare services. We conducted a systematic review to gain insights into the characteristics, barriers, and successful experiences in implementing telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic in China, a representative of the developing countries. We also provide insights for other developing countries that face similar challenges to developing and using telehealth during or after the pandemic. This systematic review was conducted through searching five prominent databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. We included studies clearly defining any use of telehealth services in all aspects of health care during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. We mapped the barriers, successful experiences, and recommendations based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). A total of 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. Successfully implementing and adopting telehealth in China during the pandemic necessitates strategic planning across aspects at society level (increasing public awareness and devising appropriate insurance policies), organizational level (training health care professionals, improving workflows, and decentralizing tasks), and technological level (strategic technological infrastructure development and designing inclusive telehealth systems). WeChat, a widely used social networking platform, was the most common platform used for telehealth services. China’s practices in addressing the barriers may provide implications and evidence for other developing countries or low-and middle- income countries (LMICs) to implement and adopt telehealth systems.
A biobank of pediatric patient-derived-xenograft models in cancer precision medicine trial MAPPYACTS for relapsed and refractory tumors
Authors: Marques Da Costa Maria Eugénia , Zaidi Sakina , Scoazec Jean-Yves , Droit Robin , Lim Wan Ching , Marchais Antonin , Salmon Jerome , Cherkaoui Sarah , Morscher Raphael J. , Laurent Anouchka , Malinge Sébastien , Mercher Thomas , Tabone-Eglinger Séverine , Goddard Isabelle , Pflumio Francoise , Calvo Julien , Redini Francoise , Entz-Werlé Natacha , Soriano Aroa , Villanueva Alberto , Cairo Stefano , Chastagner Pascal , Moro Massimo , Owens Cormac , Casanova Michela , Hladun-Alvaro Raquel , Berlanga Pablo , Daudigeos-Dubus Estelle , Dessen Philippe , Zitvogel Laurence , Lacroix Ludovic , Pierron Gaelle , Delattre Olivier , Schleiermacher Gudrun , Surdez Didier , Geoerger Birgit
Published: September 2023

Pediatric patients with recurrent and refractory cancers are in most need for new treatments. This study developed patient-derived-xenograft (PDX) models within the European MAPPYACTS cancer precision medicine trial (NCT02613962). To date, 131 PDX models were established following heterotopical and/or orthotopical implantation in immunocompromised mice: 76 sarcomas, 25 other solid tumors, 12 central nervous system tumors, 15 acute leukemias, and 3 lymphomas. PDX establishment rate was 43%. Histology, whole exome and RNA sequencing revealed a high concordance with the primary patient’s tumor profile, human leukocyte-antigen characteristics and specific metabolic pathway signatures. A detailed patient molecular characterization, including specific mutations prioritized in the clinical molecular tumor boards are provided. Ninety models were shared with the IMI2 ITCC Pediatric Preclinical Proof-of-concept Platform (IMI2 ITCC-P4) for further exploitation. This PDX biobank of unique recurrent childhood cancers provides an essential support for basic and translational research and treatments development in advanced pediatric malignancies.
Positive and biphasic extracellular waveforms correspond to return currents and axonal spikes
Authors: Someck Shirly , Levi Amir , Sloin Hadas E. , Spivak Lidor , Gattegno Roni , Stark Eran
Published: September 2023

Multiple biophysical mechanisms may generate non-negative extracellular waveforms during action potentials, but the origin and prevalence of positive spikes and biphasic spikes in the intact brain are unknown. Using extracellular recordings from densely-connected cortical networks in freely-moving mice, we find that a tenth of the waveforms are non-negative. Positive phases of non-negative spikes occur in synchrony or just before wider same-unit negative spikes. Narrow positive spikes occur in isolation in the white matter. Isolated biphasic spikes are narrower than negative spikes, occurring right after spikes of verified inhibitory units. In CA1, units with dominant non-negative spikes exhibit place fields, phase precession, and phase-locking to ripples. Thus, near-somatic narrow positive extracellular potentials correspond to return currents, and isolated non-negative spikes correspond to axonal potentials. Identifying non-negative extracellular waveforms that correspond to non-somatic compartments during spikes can enhance the understanding of physiological and pathological neural mechanisms in intact animals.