bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Erythropoietin restrains the inhibitory potential of interneurons in the mouse hippocampus
Authors: Curto Yasmina , Carceller Héctor , Klimczak Patrycja , Perez-Rando Marta , Wang Qing , Grewe Katharina , Kawaguchi Riki , Rizzoli Silvio , Geschwind Daniel , Nave Klaus-Armin , Teruel-Marti Vicent , Singh Manvendra , Ehrenreich Hannelore , Nácher Juan
Published: April 2024

Severe psychiatric illnesses, for instance schizophrenia, and affective diseases or autism spectrum disorders, have been associated with cognitive impairment and perturbed excitatory-inhibitory balance in the brain. Effects in juvenile mice can elucidate how erythropoietin (EPO) might aid in rectifying hippocampal transcriptional networks and synaptic structures of pyramidal lineages, conceivably explaining mitigation of neuropsychiatric diseases. An imminent conundrum is how EPO restores synapses by involving interneurons. By analyzing ~12,000 single-nuclei transcriptomic data, we generated a comprehensive molecular atlas of hippocampal interneurons, resolved into 15 interneuron subtypes. Next, we studied molecular alterations upon recombinant human (rh)EPO and saw that gene expression changes relate to synaptic structure, trans-synaptic signaling and intracellular catabolic pathways. Putative ligand-receptor interactions between pyramidal and inhibitory neurons, regulating synaptogenesis, are altered upon rhEPO. An array of in/ex vivo experiments confirms that specific interneuronal populations exhibit reduced dendritic complexity, synaptic connectivity, and changes in plasticity-related molecules. Metabolism and inhibitory potential of interneuron subgroups are compromised, leading to greater excitability of pyramidal neurons. To conclude, improvement by rhEPO of neuropsychiatric phenotypes may partly owe to restrictive control over interneurons, facilitating re-connectivity and synapse development.
LSD increases sleep duration the night after microdosing
Authors: Allen Nathan , Jeremiah Aron , Murphy Robin , Sumner Rachael , Forsyth Anna , Hoeh Nicholas , Menkes David B. , Evans William , Muthukumaraswamy Suresh , Sundram Frederick , Roop Partha
Published: April 2024

Microdosing psychedelic drugs at a level below the threshold to induce hallucinations is an increasingly common lifestyle practice. However, the effects of microdosing on sleep have not been previously reported. Here, we report results from a Phase 1 randomized controlled trial in which 80 healthy adult male volunteers received a 6-week course of either LSD (10 µg) or placebo with doses self-administered every third day. Participants used a commercially available sleep/activity tracker for the duration of the trial. Data from 3231 nights of sleep showed that on the night after microdosing, participants in the LSD group slept an extra 24.3 min per night (95% Confidence Interval 10.3–38.3 min) compared to placebo—with no reductions of sleep observed on the dosing day itself. There were no changes in the proportion of time spent in various sleep stages or in participant physical activity. These results show a clear modification of the physiological sleep requirements in healthy male volunteers who microdose LSD. The clear, clinically significant changes in objective measurements of sleep observed are difficult to explain as a placebo effect. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of repeated microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy volunteers; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=381476; ACTRN12621000436875.
Unveiling the effect of composition on nuclear waste immobilization glasses’ durability by nonparametric machine learning
Authors: Song Yu , Lu Xiaonan , Wang Kaixin , Ryan Joseph V. , Smedskjaer Morten M. , Vienna John D. , Bauchy Mathieu
Published: April 2024

Ensuring the long-term chemical durability of glasses is critical for nuclear waste immobilization operations. Durable glasses usually undergo qualification for disposal based on their response to standardized tests such as the product consistency test or the vapor hydration test (VHT). The VHT uses elevated temperature and water vapor to accelerate glass alteration and the formation of secondary phases. Understanding the relationship between glass composition and VHT response is of fundamental and practical interest. However, this relationship is complex, non-linear, and sometimes fairly variable, posing challenges in identifying the distinct effect of individual oxides on VHT response. Here, we leverage a dataset comprising 654 Hanford low-activity waste (LAW) glasses across a wide compositional envelope and employ various machine learning techniques to explore this relationship. We find that Gaussian process regression (GPR), a nonparametric regression method, yields the highest predictive accuracy. By utilizing the trained model, we discern the influence of each oxide on the glasses’ VHT response. Moreover, we discuss the trade-off between underfitting and overfitting for extrapolating the material performance in the context of sparse and heterogeneous datasets.
Resequencing the complete SNCA locus in Indian patients with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Kishore Asha , Sturm Marc , Soman Pillai Kanchana , Hakkaart Christopher , Kalikavil Puthanveedu Divya , Urulangodi Madhusoodanan , Krishnan Syam , Ashok Kumar Sreelatha Ashwin , Rajan Roopa , Pal Pramod Kumar , Yadav Ravi , Sarma Gangadhara , Casadei Nicolas , Gasser Thomas , Bauer Peter , Riess Olaf , Sharma Manu
Published: April 2024

The genetic loci implicated in familial Parkinson’s disease (PD) have limited generalizability to the Indian PD population. We tested mutations and the frequency of known mutations in the SNCA gene in a PD cohort from India. We selected 298 PD cases and 301 age-matched controls for targeted resequencing (before QC), along with 363 PD genomes of Indian ancestry and 1029 publicly available whole genomes from India as healthy controls (IndiGenomes), to determine the frequency of monogenic SNCA mutations. The raw sequence reads were analyzed using an in-house analysis pipeline, allowing the detection of small variants and structural variants using Manta. The in-depth analysis of the SNCA locus did not identify missense or structural variants, including previously identified SNCA mutations, in the Indian population. The familial forms of SNCA gene variants do not play a major role in the Indian PD population and this warrants further research in the under-represented population.
Architectural design of 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for pharmaceutical pollutant removal
Authors: Akhzari Sajad , Raissi Heidar , Ghahari Afsaneh
Published: April 2024

Macrolide antibiotics, including erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin, are frequently misused for human treatment globally. Therefore, they were considered high-risk substances on the Union-wide monitoring Watch list under Regulation 2018/840/EU. The present work investigates the adsorption behavior of the pharmaceutical pollutants on the 1,3,5-tris (4-aminophenyl) benzene/2,5 dimethoxyterephthalaldehyde (TAPB-DMTP) covalent organic frameworks (COFs). In this study, we employ molecular dynamics simulations and well-tempered metadynamics to evaluate the adsorption affinity of pristine covalent organic frameworks and their functionalized form (F-COFs) for the removal of four distinct pharmaceutical pollutant molecules (PPMs): erythromycin (EMC), dexamethasone (DEG), azithromycin (AZM), and clarithromycin (CMC). We utilized MD simulations to examine the impact of two different temperatures (298 and 310 K) on enhancing the adsorption of the pharmaceutical contaminants from wastewater by COFs/F-COFs. To evaluate this process, several descriptors are calculated from the simulation trajectories, including interaction energies, root-mean-square deviation, radial distribution function, solvent-accessible surface area, mean square displacement, and the number of hydrogen bonds (HB). It is determined that HB and X–H⋯π (X = C, N, O; π = aromatic system) interactions are the most critical factors contributing to system stability. In addition, it is shown that COFs with a pore-based structure have a higher capacity for removing pollutants. The free energy landscapes confirm that the global minimum is typically associated with the formation of hydrogen bonds. At 298 K, their global minima are DEG/F-COFs = −665.81, AZM/F-COFs = −638.53, EMC/F-COFs = −566.31, and CMC/F-COFs = −326.75 KJ mol−1.
Geospatial investigation on self-purification capacity of river Estuaries in the Caspian region: reducing heavy metals pollution
Authors: Marefat Ali , Asgari Soheil , Badpa Reza , Jahanirad Mina , Sagheb Molaei Masoud , Karbassi Abdolreza
Published: April 2024

In today’s context, the adoption of sustainable wastewater treatment methods is crucial. River estuaries have the potential to offer an economically viable and environmentally friendly solution for wastewater treatment through the flocculation of pollutants. This study investigates the role of river estuaries flowing into the southern part of the Caspian Sea in the treatment of heavy metals. Two sets of experiments were designed for this purpose. The first set involved adjusting a series of discrete aquaria in various salinity regimes, while the second set utilized only one aquarium. The results from the first set indicate the capacity of the studied estuaries to remove heavy metals through the flocculation process in the following order: Zn (70%) > Mn (60%) > Cu (49%) > Pb (24%) > Ni (19%). However, the removal rates in the second set were reduced as follows: Zn (57%) > Mn (56%) > Cu (40%) > Pb (20%) > Ni (17%). It was observed that the flocculation process exhibits an unstable nature. Furthermore, the findings reveal that heavy metals flocculation primarily occurs upstream of the estuary. However, instability in the flocculation process occurs downstream, where water parameters undergo drastic changes. Statistical analyses indicate that an increase in pH plays a significant role in the destabilization of flocs. Conversely, the initial concentration of heavy metals, dissolved oxygen, and redox potential have a positive impact on the flocculation process.
Light-wave-controlled Haldane model in monolayer hexagonal boron nitride
Authors: Mitra Sambit , Jiménez-Galán Álvaro , Aulich Mario , Neuhaus Marcel , Silva Rui E. F. , Pervak Volodymyr , Kling Matthias F. , Biswas Shubhadeep
Published: April 2024

In recent years, the stacking and twisting of atom-thin structures with matching crystal symmetry has provided a unique way to create new superlattice structures in which new properties emerge1,2. In parallel, control over the temporal characteristics of strong light fields has allowed researchers to manipulate coherent electron transport in such atom-thin structures on sublaser-cycle timescales3,4. Here we demonstrate a tailored light-wave-driven analogue to twisted layer stacking. Tailoring the spatial symmetry of the light waveform to that of the lattice of a hexagonal boron nitride monolayer and then twisting this waveform result in optical control of time-reversal symmetry breaking5 and the realization of the topological Haldane model6 in a laser-dressed two-dimensional insulating crystal. Further, the parameters of the effective Haldane-type Hamiltonian can be controlled by rotating the light waveform, thus enabling ultrafast switching between band structure configurations and allowing unprecedented control over the magnitude, location and curvature of the bandgap. This results in an asymmetric population between complementary quantum valleys that leads to a measurable valley Hall current7, which can be detected by optical harmonic polarimetry. The universality and robustness of our scheme paves the way to valley-selective bandgap engineering on the fly and unlocks the possibility of creating few-femtosecond switches with quantum degrees of freedom.
The genome and population genomics of allopolyploid Coffea arabica reveal the diversification history of modern coffee cultivars
Authors: Salojärvi Jarkko , Rambani Aditi , Yu Zhe , Guyot Romain , Strickler Susan , Lepelley Maud , Wang Cui , Rajaraman Sitaram , Rastas Pasi , Zheng Chunfang , Muñoz Daniella Santos , Meidanis João , Paschoal Alexandre Rossi , Bawin Yves , Krabbenhoft Trevor J. , Wang Zhen Qin , Fleck Steven J. , Aussel Rudy , Bellanger Laurence , Charpagne Aline , Fournier Coralie , Kassam Mohamed , Lefebvre Gregory , Métairon Sylviane , Moine Déborah , Rigoreau Michel , Stolte Jens , Hamon Perla , Couturon Emmanuel , Tranchant-Dubreuil Christine , Mukherjee Minakshi , Lan Tianying , Engelhardt Jan , Stadler Peter , Correia De Lemos Samara Mireza , Suzuki Suzana Ivamoto , Sumirat Ucu , Wai Ching Man , Dauchot Nicolas , Orozco-Arias Simon , Garavito Andrea , Kiwuka Catherine , Musoli Pascal , Nalukenge Anne , Guichoux Erwan , Reinout Havinga , Smit Martin , Carretero-Paulet Lorenzo , Filho Oliveiro Guerreiro , Braghini Masako Toma , Padilha Lilian , Sera Gustavo Hiroshi , Ruttink Tom , Henry Robert , Marraccini Pierre , Van de Peer Yves , Andrade Alan , Domingues Douglas , Giuliano Giovanni , Mueller Lukas , Pereira Luiz Filipe , Plaisance Stephane , Poncet Valerie , Rombauts Stephane , Sankoff David , Albert Victor A. , Crouzillat Dominique , de Kochko Alexandre , Descombes Patrick
Published: April 2024

Coffea arabica, an allotetraploid hybrid of Coffea eugenioides and Coffea canephora, is the source of approximately 60% of coffee products worldwide, and its cultivated accessions have undergone several population bottlenecks. We present chromosome-level assemblies of a di-haploid C. arabica accession and modern representatives of its diploid progenitors, C. eugenioides and C. canephora. The three species exhibit largely conserved genome structures between diploid parents and descendant subgenomes, with no obvious global subgenome dominance. We find evidence for a founding polyploidy event 350,000–610,000 years ago, followed by several pre-domestication bottlenecks, resulting in narrow genetic variation. A split between wild accessions and cultivar progenitors occurred ~30.5 thousand years ago, followed by a period of migration between the two populations. Analysis of modern varieties, including lines historically introgressed with C. canephora, highlights their breeding histories and loci that may contribute to pathogen resistance, laying the groundwork for future genomics-based breeding of C. arabica.
Uncovering the impact of UV radiation on mitochondria in dermal cells: a STED nanoscopy study
Authors: Kim Hyung Jun , Jin Seon-Pil , Kang Jooyoun , Bae So Hyeon , Son Jung Bae , Oh Jang-Hee , Youn Hyewon , Kim Seong Keun , Kang Keon Wook , Chung Jin Ho
Published: April 2024

Mitochondria are essential organelles in cellular energy metabolism and other cellular functions. Mitochondrial dysfunction is closely linked to cellular damage and can potentially contribute to the aging process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the subcellular structure of mitochondria and their activities in various cellular environments using super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy. We examined the morphological dispersion of mitochondria below the diffraction limit in sub-cultured human primary skin fibroblasts and mouse skin tissues. Confocal microscopy provides only the overall morphology of the mitochondrial membrane and an indiscerptible location of nucleoids within the diffraction limit. Conversely, super-resolution STED nanoscopy allowed us to resolve the nanoscale distribution of translocase clusters on the mitochondrial outer membrane and accurately quantify the number of nucleoids per cell in each sample. Comparable results were obtained by analyzing the translocase distribution in the mouse tissues. Furthermore, we precisely and quantitatively analyzed biomolecular distribution in nucleoids, such as the mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM), using STED nanoscopy. Our findings highlight the efficacy of super-resolution fluorescence imaging in quantifying aging-related changes on the mitochondrial sub-structure in cells and tissues.
A sub-μs accuracy GPS alternative using electrical transmission grids as precision timing networks
Authors: Robson Stephen , Haddad Manu Abderrahmane
Published: April 2024

It is widely recognised that over-reliance on GNSS (e.g GPS) for time synchronisation represents an acute threat to modern society, and a diversity of alternatives are required to mitigate the threat of an outage. This paper proposes a GNSS alternative using time dissemination over national scale transmission or distribution networks. The method utilises the same frequency bandwidth and coupling technology as established power line carrier technology in conjunction with modern chirp Spread Spectrum modulation. The basis of the method is the transmission of a time synchronised chirp from a central substation, coupled into the aerial modes of the transmission line. During GNSS operation, all substations can estimate the time of flight by correlating the received chirp with a time-synchronised local copy. During GNSS outage, time sychronisation to the central substation is maintained by correcting for the precalculated time of flight. It is shown that recent advances in chirp spread spectrum allow for a computationally efficient algorithm with the capacity to compute hundreds of thousand of chirp correlations every second, facilitating timing accuracy which satisfies the majority of smart grid applications. ATP-EMTP simulations of the method on large transmission networks demonstrate sub-μs timing accuracy even in the presence of low SNR and impulsive noise. An FPGA prototype demonstrates experimentally sub-μs accuracy for time dissemination over a distance of 700 m. Averaging over time is shown to facilitate satisfactory performance down to $$-20\,\hbox {dB}$$

-
20

dB

, which could extend the range of the system to a national scale and a time dissemination network invulnerable to wireless spoofing and jamming attack vectors.
Resistance of the fiber-derived geotextile from Typha domingensis submitted to field degradation
Authors: Holanda Francisco Sandro Rodrigues , Santos Luiz Diego Vidal , Melo Jeangela Carla Rodrigues De , Boge Gizelio Menezes , Sussuchi Eliana Midori , Nascimento Brenno Lima , Santos Marcos Vinícius Quirino dos , Oliveira Marla Ibrahim Uehbe de
Published: April 2024

Geotextiles made from plant fibers creates a suitable environment for plant growth as part of soil bioengineering techniques. The faster decomposition of plant fiber geotextiles compared to synthetic ones demands the use of composites that enhance their waterproofing and extend their durability in the environment. The objective of this work was to evaluate the resistance of a geotextile made with Thypha domingensis to degradation caused by climatic variables. Tensile strength tests were conducted in the laboratory in order to evaluate the degradation of geotextiles treated with single and double layers of waterproofing resin. Based on Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images, it was verified that applying double layer of waterproofing resin delays the fibers degradation up to 120 days of exposure to the effects of climatic variables other than temperature. The maximum resistance losses due to the geotextile's exposure to degradation were statistically significant for all three treatments: control-without waterproofing resin, with one layer resin, and with two layers resin. Therefore, waterproofing resin, provides a long-term protective solution for geotextiles made from cattail fibers.
Coral geochemical response to uplift in the aftermath of the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake
Authors: Sosdian Sindia M. , Gagan Michael K. , Natawidjaja Danny H. , Kimbrough Alena K. , Suwargadi Bambang W. , Rifai Hamdi , Scott-Gagan Heather , Prayudi Dudi , Suprihanto Imam , Hantoro Wahyoe S.
Published: April 2024

On 28 March 2005, the Indonesian islands of Nias and Simeulue experienced a powerful Mw 8.6 earthquake and coseismic uplift and subsidence. In areas of coastal uplift (up to ~ 2.8 m), fringing reef coral communities were killed by exposure, while deeper corals that survived were subjected to habitats with altered runoff, sediment and nutrient regimes. Here we present time-series (2000–2009) of Mn/Ca, Y/Ca and Ba/Ca variability in massive Porites corals from Nias to assess the environmental impact of a wide range of vertical displacement (+ 2.5 m to − 0.4 m). High-resolution LA-ICP-MS measurements show that skeletal Mn/Ca increased at uplifted sites, regardless of reef type, indicating a post-earthquake increase in suspended sediment delivery. Transient and/or long-term increases in skeletal Y/Ca at all uplift sites support the idea of increased sediment delivery. Coral Mn/Ca and Ba/Ca in lagoonal environments highlight the additional influences of reef bathymetry, wind-driven sediment resuspension, and phytoplankton blooms on coral geochemistry. Together, the results show that the Nias reefs adapted to fundamentally altered hydrographic conditions. We show how centuries of repeated subsidence and uplift during great-earthquake cycles along the Sunda megathrust may have shaped the modern-day predominance of massive scleractinian corals on the West Sumatran reefs.
Ultrastructural examination of cryodamage in Paracentrotus lividus eggs during cryopreservation
Authors: Campos S. , Troncoso J. , Paredes E.
Published: April 2024

This study examinates the challenges of cryopreserving sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) eggs, a task hindered by factors like low membrane permeability and high sensitivity to cryoprotective agents (CPAs). While successful cryopreservation has been achieved for some marine invertebrates, eggs remain problematic due to their unique characteristics. The study explores the impact of various CPAs and cryopreservation techniques on sea urchin eggs, employing scanning and transmission electron microscopy to analyze cellular damage. The findings reveal that exposure to low CPA concentrations (0.5 M) did not induce significant damage to eggs. However, high concentrations (3 M) proved highly detrimental. Every cryopreservation approach investigated in this study resulted in irreversible damage to the sea urchin eggs, rendering them nonviable for future use. The research sheds light on the importance of understanding the structural alterations induced by CPAs and cryopreservation methods. This knowledge is essential for refining cryopreservation methods, potentially paving the way for successful preservation of these challenging cells.
Exploring the origin of a unique mutant allele in twin-tail goldfish using CRISPR/Cas9 mutants
Authors: Lee Shu-Hua , Wang Chen-Yi , Li Ing-Jia , Abe Gembu , Ota Kinya G.
Published: April 2024

Artificial selection has been widely applied to genetically fix rare phenotypic features in ornamental domesticated animals. For many of these animals, the mutated loci and alleles underlying rare phenotypes are known. However, few studies have explored whether these rare genetic mutations might have been fixed due to competition among related mutated alleles or if the fixation occurred due to contingent stochastic events. Here, we performed genetic crossing with twin-tail ornamental goldfish and CRISPR/Cas9-mutated goldfish to investigate why only a single mutated allele—chdS with a E127X stop codon (also called chdAE127X)—gives rise to the twin-tail phenotype in the modern domesticated goldfish population. Two closely related chdS mutants were generated with CRISPR/Cas9 and compared with the E127X allele in F2 and F3 generations. Both of the CRISPR/Cas9-generated alleles were equivalent to the E127X allele in terms of penetrance/expressivity of the twin-tail phenotype and viability of carriers. These findings indicate that multiple truncating mutations could have produced viable twin-tail goldfish. Therefore, the absence of polymorphic alleles for the twin-tail phenotype in modern goldfish likely stems from stochastic elimination or a lack of competing alleles in the common ancestor. Our study is the first experimental comparison of a singular domestication-derived allele with CRISPR/Cas9-generated alleles to understand how genetic fixation of a unique genotype and phenotype may have occurred. Thus, our work may provide a conceptual framework for future investigations of rare evolutionary events in domesticated animals.
Preparation of nanodiamond anchored on copper tannic acid as a heterogenous catalyst for synthesis of 1,4-benzodiazepines derivatives
Authors: Ghalavand Reza , Ghafuri Hossein , Ardeshiri Hadi Hassani
Published: April 2024

In this research, a new and eco-friendly heterogeneous catalyst (ND@Tannicacid-Cu) was synthesized based on nanodiamond and copper tannic acid via esterification process. The as-prepared catalyst was characterized by Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods. The catalytic efficacy of the intended catalyst was examined by one-step three-component reaction of 1,4-benzodiazepine derivatives from a mixture of ortho-phenylenediamine, aromatic aldehydes, and dimedone under mild conditions. In all instances, corresponding 2,4-benzodiazepines derivatives were synthesized with high efficiency, short reaction time, straightforward work up procedure, no requirement for column-chromatography, and cost-effective catalyst. The heterogeneous catalyst was easily recycled using fillers, and it can be reused for eight cycles without significantly diminishing its performance.
Repurposing non-pharmacological interventions for Alzheimer's disease through link prediction on biomedical literature
Authors: Xiao Yongkang , Hou Yu , Zhou Huixue , Diallo Gayo , Fiszman Marcelo , Wolfson Julian , Zhou Li , Kilicoglu Halil , Chen You , Su Chang , Xu Hua , Mantyh William G. , Zhang Rui
Published: April 2024

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) have great potential to improve cognitive function but limited investigation to discover NPI repurposing for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This is the first study to develop an innovative framework to extract and represent NPI information from biomedical literature in a knowledge graph (KG), and train link prediction models to repurpose novel NPIs for AD prevention. We constructed a comprehensive KG, called ADInt, by extracting NPI information from biomedical literature. We used the previously-created SuppKG and NPI lexicon to identify NPI entities. Four KG embedding models (i.e., TransE, RotatE, DistMult and ComplEX) and two novel graph convolutional network models (i.e., R-GCN and CompGCN) were trained and compared to learn the representation of ADInt. Models were evaluated and compared on two test sets (time slice and clinical trial ground truth) and the best performing model was used to predict novel NPIs for AD. Discovery patterns were applied to generate mechanistic pathways for high scoring candidates. The ADInt has 162,212 nodes and 1,017,284 edges. R-GCN performed best in time slice (MR = 5.2054, Hits@10 = 0.8496) and clinical trial ground truth (MR = 3.4996, Hits@10 = 0.9192) test sets. After evaluation by domain experts, 10 novel dietary supplements and 10 complementary and integrative health were proposed from the score table calculated by R-GCN. Among proposed novel NPIs, we found plausible mechanistic pathways for photodynamic therapy and Choerospondias axillaris to prevent AD, and validated psychotherapy and manual therapy techniques using real-world data analysis. The proposed framework shows potential for discovering new NPIs for AD prevention and understanding their mechanistic pathways.
Neighbour-induced changes in root exudation patterns of buckwheat results in altered root architecture of redroot pigweed
Authors: Eroğlu Çağla Görkem , Bennett Alexandra A. , Steininger-Mairinger Teresa , Hann Stephan , Puschenreiter Markus , Wirth Judith , Gfeller Aurélie
Published: April 2024

Roots are crucial in plant adaptation through the exudation of various compounds which are influenced and modified by environmental factors. Buckwheat root exudate and root system response to neighbouring plants (buckwheat or redroot pigweed) and how these exudates affect redroot pigweed was investigated. Characterising root exudates in plant–plant interactions presents challenges, therefore a split-root system which enabled the application of differential treatments to parts of a single root system and non-destructive sampling was developed. Non-targeted metabolome profiling revealed that neighbour presence and identity induces systemic changes. Buckwheat and redroot pigweed neighbour presence upregulated 64 and 46 metabolites, respectively, with an overlap of only 7 metabolites. Root morphology analysis showed that, while the presence of redroot pigweed decreased the number of root tips in buckwheat, buckwheat decreased total root length and volume, surface area, number of root tips, and forks of redroot pigweed. Treatment with exudates (from the roots of buckwheat and redroot pigweed closely interacting) on redroot pigweed decreased the total root length and number of forks of redroot pigweed seedlings when compared to controls. These findings provide understanding of how plants modify their root exudate composition in the presence of neighbours and how this impacts each other’s root systems.
A multi-technique and multiscale comparative study on the efficiency of conservation methods for the stabilisation of waterlogged archaeological pine
Authors: Stelzner Ingrid , Stelzner Jörg , Fischer Björn , Hamann Elias , Zuber Marcus , Schuetz Philipp
Published: April 2024

Archaeological wood can be preserved in waterlogged conditions. Due to their degradation in the ground, these archaeological remains are endangered after their discovery, since they decay irretrievably during drying. Conservation measures are used to preserve waterlogged archaeological objects, maintaining their shape and character as much as possible. However, different methods have been developed leading to varying results. This study compares their effectiveness in order to clarify their mode of action. The methods including alcohol-ether resin, lactitol/trehalose, melamine formaldehyde, polyethylene glycol impregnation prior to freeze–drying, saccharose and silicone oil were assessed by analysing mass changes and volume stability using structured-light 3D scanning. The state of the conserved wood samples including the spatial distribution of the conservation agent was examined using synchrotron micro-computed tomography. Raman spectroscopy was used to observe the agent´s spatial distribution within the cells. The findings demonstrated that melamine formaldehyde stabilises the degraded cell walls. The lumens are void, as in the case with alcohol-ether resin, while polyethylene glycol, silicone oil, saccharose and lactitol/trehalose also occupy the lumens. It is assumed that the drying method has an effect on the distribution of the solidifying agent. The knowledge gained affords insights into the mechanism of conservation methods, which in turn accounts for the varied outcomes. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about the condition and stability of conserved museum objects and serves as a starting point for the further development of conservation methods.
Morphological diversity in true and false crabs reveals the plesiomorphy of the megalopa phase
Authors: Braig Florian , Haug Carolin , Haug Joachim T.
Published: April 2024

Brachyura and Anomala (or Anomura), also referred to as true and false crabs, form the species-rich and globally abundant group of Meiura, an ingroup of Decapoda. The evolutionary success of both groups is sometimes attributed to the process of carcinization (evolving a crab-like body), but might also be connected to the megalopa, a specific transitional larval phase. We investigate these questions, using outline analysis of the shields (carapaces) of more than 1500 meiuran crabs. We compare the morphological diversity of different developmental phases of major ingroups of true and false crabs. We find that morphological diversity of adults is larger in false crabs than in true crabs, indicating that taxonomic diversity and morphological diversity are not necessarily linked. The increasing morphological disparity of adults of true and false crabs with increasing phylogenetic distance furthermore indicates diverging evolution of the shield morphology of adult representatives of Meiura. Larvae of true crabs also show larger diversity than their adult counterparts, highlighting the importance of larvae for biodiversity studies. The megalopa phase of Meiura appears to be plesiomorphic, as it overlaps between true and false crabs and shows little diversity. Causes may be common evolutionary constraints on a developmental phase specialized for transitioning.
Unveiling the lead exposure attributed burden in Iran from 1990 to 2019 through the lens of the Global Burden of Disease study 2019
Authors: Karimi Hanie , Mahdavi Sara , Moghaddam Sahar Saeedi , Abbasi-Kangevari Mohsen , Soleimani Zahra , Esfahani Zahra , Masinaei Masoud , Fateh Sahar Mohammadi , Golestani Ali , Dilmaghani-Marand Arezou , Kompani Farzad , Rezaei Negar , Ghasemi Erfan , Larijani Bagher , Farzadfar Farshad
Published: April 2024

This study aimed to investigate the estimated burden attributed to lead exposure (LE), at the national and subnational levels from 1990 to 2019 in Iran. The burden attributed to LE was determined through the estimation of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs) using the comparative risk assessment method of Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study presenting as age-standardized per 100,000 person year (PY) with 95% uncertainty intervals (95% UI). Furthermore, the burden of each disease were recorded independently. Eventually, the age-standardized YLLs, DALYs, deaths and YLDs rates attributed to LE demonstrated a decrease of 50.7%, 48.9%, 38.0%, and 36.4%, respectively, from 1990 to 2019. The most important causes of LE burden are divided into two acute and chronic categories: acute, mainly causes mental disorders (DALYs rate of 36.0 in 2019), and chronic, results in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) (DALYs rate of 391.8) and chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) (DALYs rate of 26.6), with CVDs bearing the most significant burden. At the sub-national level, a decrease in burden was evident in most provinces; moreover, low and low-middle SDI provinces born the highest burden. The burden increased mainly by ageing and was higher in males than females. It was concluded that although the overall decrease in the burden; still it is high, especially in low and low-middle SDI provinces, in advanced ages and in males. Among IDID, CKDs and CVDs that are the most important causes of LE-attributed burden in Iran; CVDs bear the highest burden.
Signatures of adaptation at key insecticide resistance loci in Anopheles gambiae in Southern Ghana revealed by reduced-coverage WGS
Authors: Dennis Tristan P. W. , Essandoh John , Mable Barbara K. , Viana Mafalda S. , Yawson Alexander E. , Weetman David.
Published: April 2024

Resistance to insecticides and adaptation to a diverse range of environments present challenges to Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquito control efforts in sub-Saharan Africa. Whole-genome-sequencing is often employed for identifying the genomic basis underlying adaptation in Anopheles, but remains expensive for large-scale surveys. Reduced coverage whole-genome-sequencing can identify regions of the genome involved in adaptation at a lower cost, but is currently untested in Anopheles mosquitoes. Here, we use reduced coverage WGS to investigate population genetic structure and identify signatures of local adaptation in Anopheles mosquitoes across southern Ghana. In contrast to previous analyses, we find no structuring by ecoregion, with Anopheles coluzzii and Anopheles gambiae populations largely displaying the hallmarks of large, unstructured populations. However, we find signatures of selection at insecticide resistance loci that appear ubiquitous across ecoregions in An. coluzzii, and strongest in forest ecoregions in An. gambiae. Our study highlights resistance candidate genes in this region, and validates reduced coverage WGS, potentially to very low coverage levels, for population genomics and exploratory surveys for adaptation in Anopheles taxa.
Terahertz binary computing in a coupled toroidal metasurface
Authors: Bhattacharya Angana , Chouhan Bhagwat Singh , Sharma Kajal , Halawani Sami M. , Ahmad Amir , Kumar Gagan
Published: April 2024

The applications of terahertz metamaterials are being actively explored in recent times for applications in high-speed communication devices, miniature photonic circuits, and bio-chemical devices because of their wide advantages. The toroidal resonance, a new type of metasurface resonance, has been examined with great interest to utilize its properties in terahertz metasurface applications. This study reports a proof of concept design of a toroidal metasurface that experimentally demonstrates binary computing operations in the terahertz frequency regime. The analog computing of binary operations is achieved by the passive tuning of distance between the split ring resonators comprising the meta-molecule. The amplitude modulation is utilized as a method of determining the Boolean logic outputs of the system. The proposed metasurface could be further optimized for high amplitude modulations and active logic gate operations using tunable materials including graphene and ITO. The proposed metasurface consists of three split-ring resonators, and the near-field coupling between the adjacent resonators dictates the Boolean operations. A multipole analysis of the scattered powers of terahertz radiation determines the toroidal excitation in the metasurface. The proposed metasurfaces experimentally define AND Boolean logic operation at 0.89 terahertz, and OR Boolean logic operation at 0.97 terahertz. Numerical simulations support the experimentally obtained results. Additionally, we numerically report the excitation of NAND operation at 0.87 THz. Such toroidal analog computing metasurfaces could find applications in digitized terahertz circuits and integrated photonic devices.
Comparison of DNA extraction methods on different sample matrices within the same terrestrial ecosystem
Authors: Galla Giulio , Praeg Nadine , Rzehak Theresa , Sprecher Else , Colla Filippo , Seeber Julia , Illmer Paul , Hauffe Heidi C.
Published: April 2024

Metataxonomic studies of ecosystem microbiotas require the simultaneous processing of samples with contrasting physical and biochemical traits. However, there are no published studies of comparisons of different DNA extraction kits to characterize the microbiotas of the main components of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, and to our knowledge for the first time, five DNA extraction kits were used to investigate the composition and diversity of the microbiota of a subset of samples typically studied in terrestrial ecosystems such as bulk soil, rhizosphere soil, invertebrate taxa and mammalian feces. DNA extraction kit was associated with changes in the relative abundance of hundreds of ASVs, in the same samples, resulting in significant differences in alpha and beta diversity estimates of their microbiotas. Importantly, the impact of DNA extraction kit on sample diversity varies according to sample type, with mammalian feces and soil samples showing the most and least consistent diversity estimates across DNA extraction kits, respectively. We show that the MACHEREY–NAGEL NucleoSpin® Soil kit was associated with the highest alpha diversity estimates, providing the highest contribution to the overall sample diversity, as indicated by comparisons with computationally assembled reference communities, and is recommended to be used for any large-scale microbiota study of terrestrial ecosystems.
Visual function loss in fungal sphenoid sinusitis: clinical characteristics and outcomes
Authors: Chen Fei , Shao Yonghui , Huang Qian , Chen Yue , Yang Bentao , Jiang Libin
Published: April 2024

Potentially fatal fungal sphenoid sinusitis (FSS) causes visual damage. However, few studies have reported on its visual impairment and prognosis. Five hundred and eleven FSS patients with ocular complications treated at Beijing Tongren Hospital were recruited and clinical features and visual outcomes were determined. Thirty-two of the 511 patients (6%) had visual impairment, with 13 and 19 patients having invasive and noninvasive FSS, respectively. Eighteen patients (56.25%) had diabetes and 2 patient (6.25%) had long-term systemic use of antibiotics (n = 1) and corticosteroids (n = 1). All patients had visual impairment, which was more severe in invasive FSS than in noninvasive FSS. Bony wall defects and sclerosis were observed in 19 patients (59.38%), and 11 patients (34.38%) had microcalcification in their sphenoid sinusitis on computed tomography (CT). After a 5-year follow-up, three patients (9.38%) died. Patients with noninvasive FSS had a higher improvement rate in visual acuity than their counterparts. In the multivariate analysis, sphenoid sinus wall sclerosis on CT was associated with better visual prognosis. FSS can cause vision loss with persistent headaches, particularly in those with diabetes. CT showed the sphenoid sinus wall sclerosis, indicating a better visual prognosis in FSS with visual impairment.
Chromatography affinity resin with photosynthetically-sourced protein A ligand
Authors: Owens Nisha A. , Anborgh Pieter H. , Kolotilin Igor
Published: April 2024

Green, photosynthesizing plants can be proficiently used as cost-effective, single-use, fully biodegradable bioreactors for environmentally-friendly production of a variety of valuable recombinant proteins. Being near-infinitely scalable and most energy-efficient in generating biomass, plants represent profoundly valid alternatives to conventionally used stationary fermenters. To validate this, we produced a plastome-engineered tobacco bioreactor line expressing a recombinant variant of the protein A from Staphylococcus aureus, an affinity ligand widely useful in antibody purification processes, reaching accumulation levels up to ~ 250 mg per 1 kg of fresh leaf biomass. Chromatography resin manufactured from photosynthetically-sourced recombinant protein A ligand conjugated to agarose beads demonstrated the innate pH-driven ability to bind and elute IgG-type antibodies and allowed one-step efficient purification of functional monoclonal antibodies from the supernatants of the producing hybridomas. The results of this study emphasize the versatility of plant-based recombinant protein production and illustrate its vast potential in reducing the cost of diverse biotechnological applications, particularly the downstream processing and purification of monoclonal antibodies.
SMORES: a simple microfluidic operating room for the examination and surgery of Stentor coeruleus
Authors: Zhang Kevin S. , Rodriguez Ramon , Tang Sindy K. Y.
Published: April 2024

Ciliates are powerful unicellular model organisms that have been used to elucidate fundamental biological processes. However, the high motility of ciliates presents a major challenge in studies using live-cell microscopy and microsurgery. While various immobilization methods have been developed, they are physiologically disruptive to the cell and incompatible with microscopy and/or microsurgery. Here, we describe a Simple Microfluidic Operating Room for the Examination and Surgery of Stentor coeruleus (SMORES). SMORES uses Quake valve-based microfluidics to trap, compress, and perform surgery on Stentor as our model ciliate. Compared with previous methods, immobilization by physical compression in SMORES is more effective and uniform. The mean velocity of compressed cells is 24 times less than that of uncompressed cells. The compression is minimally disruptive to the cell and is easily applied or removed using a 3D-printed pressure rig. We demonstrate cell immobilization for up to 2 h without sacrificing cell viability. SMORES is compatible with confocal microscopy and is capable of media exchange for pharmacokinetic studies. Finally, the modular design of SMORES allows laser ablation or mechanical dissection of a cell into many cell fragments at once. These capabilities are expected to enable biological studies previously impossible in ciliates and other motile species.
Impact of using glucose as a sole carbon source to analyze the effect of biochar on the kinetics of biomethane production
Authors: Valentin Marvin T. , Białowiec Andrzej
Published: April 2024

The adaptation of biochar in anaerobic digestion (AD) positively influences the conversion of substrate to biomethane and promotes system stability. This study investigated the influence of biochar (BC) doses (0 to 8 g/L) on the Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) of glucose during a 60-day AD in a mesophilic batch-type reactor. The first 6.5 weeks of the experimentation were dedicated to the microorganism’s adaptation to the biochar and degradation of organics from the used inoculum (3 phases of the glucose feeding). The last 2 weeks (4th phase of glucose feeding) represented the assumption, that glucose is the sole carbon source in the system. A machine learning model based on the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) method was used to model the cumulative BMP. The results showed that the BMP increased with the amount of BC added. The highest BMP was obtained at a dose of 8 g/L, with a maximum cumulative BMP of 390.33 mL CH4/g-VS added. Likewise, the system showed stability in the pH (7.17 to 8.17). In contrast, non-amended reactors produced only 135.06 mL CH4/g-VS and became acidic at the end of the operation. Reducing the influence of carbon from inoculum, sharpened the positive effect of BC on the kinetics of biomethane production from glucose.
Study on monitoring broken rails of heavy haul railway based on ultrasonic guided wave
Authors: Xu Xining , Wen Ziyu , Ni Yi , Shao Bohuai , Ma Xinyu , Pan Zecheng
Published: April 2024

Real-time monitoring of broken rails in heavy haul railways is crucial for ensuring the safe operation of railway lines. U78CrV steel is a common material used for heavy haul line rails in China. In this study, the semi-analytical finite element (SAFE) method is employed to calculate the dispersion curves and modal shapes of ultrasonic guided waves in U78CrV heavy steel rails. Guided wave modes that are suitable for detecting rail cracks across the entire cross-section are selected based on the total energy of each mode and the vibration energy in the rail head, web, and foot. The excitation method for the chosen mode is determined by analyzing the energy distribution of the mode shape on the rail surface. The ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) signal in the rail is analyzed using ANSYS three-dimensional finite element simulation. The group velocity of the primary mode in the guided wave signal is obtained through continuous wavelet transform to confirm the existence of the selected mode. It is validated that the selected mode can be excited by examining the similarity between the vibration shapes of a specific rail section and all modal vibration shapes obtained through SAFE. Through simulation and field verification, the guided wave mode selected and excited in this study demonstrates good sensitivity to cracks at the rail head, web, and foot, and it can propagate over distances exceeding 1 km in the rail. By detecting the reflected signal of the selected mode or the degree of attenuation of the transmitted wave, long-distance monitoring of broken rails in heavy-haul railway tracks can be achieved.