Browse Articles

Comparative analysis of soil microbial diversity and chemical properties in different Phallus dongsun habitats

High-mobility inertial domain walls driven by spin-transfer torque in a ferrimagnetic spinel oxide

Abstract Efficient electrical manipulation of domain walls is key to developing magnetic devices with fast switching capabilities and low energy consumption. Here we demonstrate Bloch-type domain wall velocities exceeding 1 km s −1 in the single-layer ferrimagnetic spinel oxide NiCo 2 O 4 induced by spin-transfer torque at a current density of 2 × 10 11  A m −2 . This exceptional domain wall mobility is attributed to the combination of giant nonadiabatic spin-transfer torque, low magnetization, and high spin polarization. Additionally, we report a pronounced domain wall inertia effect in this ferrimagnet due to the large nonadiabaticity of the torque. The characteristic time for domain wall acceleration and deceleration is ~ 1 ns, shorter than that reported for typical ferromagnets. Our findings highlight the potential of spinel oxides as a promising platform for engineering high-performance domain wall devices that take advantage of ultrafast ferrimagnetic dynamics.

Crashworthiness and technoeconomic assessment of bioinspired GFRP PP tubes using experiments numerical modeling and artificial neural networks

Understanding and modelling ammonia partitioning and transport across reverse osmosis membrane

A method for supervoxel-wise association studies of age and other non-imaging variables from coronary computed tomography angiograms

Abstract The study of associations between an individual’s age and imaging and non-imaging data is an active research area that attempts to aid understanding of the effects and patterns of aging. In this work, we have conducted a supervoxel-wise association study between both volumetric and tissue attenuation features in coronary computed tomography angiograms (CCTA) and the chronological age of a subject, to understand the localized changes in morphology and CT attenuation (as a measure of tissue density) with age. To enable a supervoxel-wise correlation study, we developed a novel method based on image segmentation, inter-subject image registration, and robust supervoxel-based correlation analysis to achieve a statistical association study between the images and age. We evaluated the registration methodology in terms of the Dice coefficient for the heart chambers and myocardium, and the inverse consistency of the transformations, showing that the method works well in most cases with high overlap and inverse consistency. In a sex-stratified study conducted on a subset of $$n=1388$$ images from the SCAPIS study, the supervoxel-wise analysis was able to find localized associations with age outside of the commonly segmented and analyzed sub-regions, and several substantial differences between the sexes in the association of age and volume.

Experimental Sodalis infection eliminates ancient insect symbiont

Abstract Many insects benefit from ancient nutrient-supplementing endosymbionts. While symbiont losses and replacements occur on evolutionary timescales, their dynamics remain enigmatic due to the lack of experimentally tractable systems. Here, we report on the experimental establishment of the culturable bacterium Sodalis praecaptivus in a grain pest beetle ( Oryzaephilus surinamensis ) and its effect on the native symbiont Shikimatogenerans silvanidophilus , which produces the tyrosine precursor prephenate. Injection of Sodalis into female beetles led to systemic intracellular infection and efficient transovarial vertical transmission but reduced host survival and reproduction. Interestingly, Sodalis also invaded the host’s bacteriomes, causing irregular morphology and rapid loss of Shikimatogenerans within three beetle generations. Transcriptomics revealed a strong upregulation of host immune effectors upon Sodalis infection, but little reaction from Shikimatogenerans , indicating that the ancient symbiont is incapable of responding adaptively to the introduced competitor. The rapid elimination of the native symbiont in O. surinamensis showcases the fragility of ancient beneficial symbioses and experimentally recapitulates a crucial step towards a functional symbiont replacement.

Ameliorative effect of selenium nanoparticles combined with post-conditioning on testicular ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats

Abstract Testicular torsion is a serious urological emergency that quickly cuts off blood flow to the testis, causing ischemia and subsequent reperfusion injury when blood flow restarts. This leads to oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell death, which can cause irreversible tissue damage and impairment of spermatogenesis. Although surgical detorsion is the standard treatment, post-ischemic injury remains a major obstacle to saving the testis. Selenium nano particles SeNps show strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects, making them promising for treating ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. Additionally, ischemic post-conditioning (PC) has shown protective effects in various organs, including the heart, brain, and testes, reducing reperfusion-triggered oxidative damage, lowering cell death, and improving tissue resistance to I/R injury. Investigate the synergistic effects of selenium nanoparticles and post-conditioning against testicular ischemia–reperfusion injury via testicular torsion in rats. Twenty-eight adult male rats were randomly allocated into four groups (n = 7 each): sham (SH), ischemia–reperfusion (IR), post-conditioning (PC), and selenium nanoparticles plus post-conditioning (SeNp/PC). All animals underwent right orchidectomy. In the left testis (except SH), ischemia was induced by 720° clockwise torsion of the spermatic cord for 3 h, followed by 24 h of reperfusion. In PC and SeNp/PC groups, post-conditioning was applied at the onset of reperfusion through 10 alternating cycles of reperfusion and ischemia (10 s each). Selenium nanoparticles were administered intraperitoneally at 0.5 mg/kg, 5 min before reperfusion in the SeNp/PC group. Subsequently, hormonal assays, oxidative stress biomarkers, blood profile, vascular regulation markers, apoptotic and inflammatory mediators, as well as histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses were performed. Ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury led to increased oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde), higher apoptotic activity (Caspase-3), and significant upregulation of inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and TNF-α). These changes were reduced by post-conditioning (PC) and were further improved with selenium nanoparticles combined with PC (SeNp/PC) compared to the SH group. Conversely, antioxidant enzymes (catalase and reduced glutathione) and reproductive hormones (testosterone, FSH, and LH) significantly increased in both PC and SeNp/PC groups relative to IR. Additionally, levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were markedly elevated. Histological assessments (H&E and PAS staining) showed preserved testicular structure, with near-complete spermatogenesis observed in SeNp/PC-treated rats. Johnsen’s scores were 8–10, 2–3, 6–9, and 9–10 for SH, IR, PC, and SeNp/PC groups, respectively. Furthermore, SeNp/PC treatment resulted in reduced expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and inflammatory NF-κB markers. SeNp with PC boosts the alleviation of injury resulting from ischemia–reperfusion injury in the rat testis.

Accelerated directional growth of seaweed-like iron oxide branches driven by localized electric fields of gold nanoparticles in liquid

Aminoadipate-semialdehyde synthase, a potential target for substrate reduction therapy in glutaric aciduria type 1

Abstract Glutaric aciduria type 1 is caused by inherited deficiency of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase and subsequent accumulation of neurotoxic metabolites. Clinically, the disease is characterized by striatal damage and dystonic movement disorder in untreated infants. Despite newborn screening and pre-symptomatic therapy start, about one-third of patients still develop neurological symptoms. Furthermore, progressive white matter changes and chronic kidney disease highlights the need for improved therapies. To elucidate the potential of substrate reduction therapy for GA1 we investigated whether aminoadipate-semialdehyde synthetase, the first enzyme of the lysine oxidation pathway, could serve as therapeutic target. Therefore, we studied whether Gcdh knockout (KO) mice, a known animal model for GA1, were rescued by additional knockout of Aass . Gcdh/Aass KO mice were clinically indistinguishable from wild-type mice and showed a marked reduction of glutaric acid in brain (20.9 µg/mg protein vs. 59.2 µg/mg protein; p  = 0.001), liver (23.5 µg/mg protein vs. 104.8 µg/mg protein; p  = 0.001), and urine (11.9 mol/mol creatinine vs. 166.5 mol/mol creatinine; p  = 0.001). The effect was less pronounced for 3-hydroxyglutaric acid. Unlike Gcdh KO mice, Gcdh/Aass KO mice did not develop a severe phenotype under high-lysine diet. In conclusion, knockout of Aass partially rescues the severe phenotype of Gcdh KO mice, providing a potential therapeutic target.

A biomimetic nanodisc system selectively activates type I interferons by nonclassical STING pathway for cancer immunotherapy

Serum lipid alterations in oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral potentially malignant disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Alterations in serum lipids have been linked to systemic and neoplastic diseases, including oral malignancies. Lipid disturbances are reported inconsistently in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This systematic review and meta-analysis clarifies lipid profile patterns across OPMD, OSCC, and healthy controls. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines and PROSPERO registration, a comprehensive database search through November 2025 identified fifty-two eligible case-control studies comparing total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and triglycerides (TGs) between OPMD, OSCC, and healthy individuals. Data were synthesized using a random-effects model, Cochran’s Q and I² statistics for heterogeneity and Risk of Bias. This meta-analysis showed significantly reduced TC, HDL, LDL, VLDL, and TGs in both OSCC and OPMD compared with healthy controls ( p  < 0.001), with greater reductions in OSCC. Direct comparisons between OSCC and OPMD revealed significant differences in TC ( p  = 0.025) and LDL ( p  = 0.04), while HDL and VLDL differences were not significant. High heterogeneity and mild publication bias for TC and TGs were observed. Results indicate an association between lipid profiles and disease stage, but prospective studies are needed to determine causality and diagnostic utility.

Decoupling simultaneous motor imagination and execution via orthogonal ECoG neural representations

Quantitative mapping of meniscus morphology using advanced imaging analysis in young patients

Revealing abrupt transitions from goal-directed to habitual behavior

Intelligent MPPT-based energy management for hybrid renewable energy grids using trans Z-source quadratic boost converter

A prefrontal cortex-lateral hypothalamus circuit controls stress-driven increased food intake

Abstract Stress can drive overconsumption of high-fat foods. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in such stress-eating, but the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that mPFC projections to the lateral hypothalamus (LHA) are required for stress-induced fat intake in male mice. We find that mPFC-LHA stimulation in sated states increases fat intake. Social stress acutely engages mPFC-LHA neurons, and inhibiting this pathway selectively prevents stress-driven excess fat intake. Circuit mapping shows that mPFC neurons innervate GABAergic and glutamatergic LHA (LHA VGLUT2 ) neurons, but that social stress preferentially engages mPFC-LHA VGLUT2 neurons and causes plasticity at mPFC-LHA VGLUT2 synapses. Specifically, stress weakens mPFC synapses onto LHA VGLUT2 neurons that curtail food intake, while strengthening mPFC synapses onto midbrain-projecting LHA VGLUT2 neurons linked to stress-eating. We show that LHA VGLUT2 neurons are required downstream mPFC targets for transforming stress into heightened fat intake. Overall, we identify the mPFC-LHA as a multi-branched network, indispensable for stress-eating.

Toward AI foundation models for epidemics: Promise, challenges, and paths forward

Foundation models—large AI systems pretrained on broad, heterogeneous data—are transforming scientific discovery. These models (e.g., GPT, GenCast, AlphaFold) excel at learning generalizable representations and adapting to new tasks with limited data. Yet, epidemic modeling has not experienced a comparable transformation. Traditional models remain pathogen-specific and often struggle to generate rapid insights during emerging outbreaks, as starkly illustrated by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This Perspective asks whether the foundation model paradigm can extend to epidemic science: Can we build a single, pretrained model that captures the shared principles of infectious disease dynamics across pathogens, populations, and settings? Such a model could be fine-tuned to new contexts with minimal data, enabling faster forecasting, inference, and response, especially valuable in resource-limited settings. We argue that the growing convergence of epidemiological insight and modern AI makes this goal both urgent and increasingly plausible. We outline the main challenges in building foundation models for epidemics—nonstationarity, fragmented surveillance data, presence of diverse dynamical regimes, and the need for interpretability. We then propose a roadmap toward epidemic foundation models, emphasizing both algorithmic innovations to address these challenges and progress beyond algorithms, including investments in open datasets and cross-disciplinary training and collaboration. Developing epidemic foundation models offers a potentially transformative opportunity to strengthen global health security, particularly by improving preparedness in underresourced settings. If successful, they will serve as powerful, generalizable tools that complement existing efforts. The process of building these models will itself be valuable, exposing critical data gaps and guiding investments in global surveillance.

Intramyometrial injection versus intravenous infusion of oxytocin for maintaining uterine contractility during elective caesarean delivery in a randomised controlled trial

Abstract Oxytocin is commonly administered during caesarean delivery (CD) to prevent postpartum haemorrhage as an initial bolus followed by a maintenance dose. Nearly half of perinatal centres in Japan utilise intramyometrial (IMY) oxytocin. IMY oxytocin is less effective than intravenous (IV) oxytocin as the initial dose for inducing uterine contractions. However, its role as a maintenance dose remains unclear. We evaluated the efficacy of IMY oxytocin versus continuous IV infusion for maintaining uterine contractility during elective CD. Twenty-two women undergoing elective CD were randomised to receive an initial IV bolus of 1 IU of oxytocin, followed by either 5 IU IMY oxytocin or a continuous IV infusion of 5 IU oxytocin. Total blood loss, along with haemodynamic parameters, was assessed. No significant difference in total blood loss was observed between the IMY and IV groups (median 634 mL [540–718] vs. 642 mL [507.5–706.5], P = 0.66). Conversely, IMY oxytocin resulted in smaller reductions in blood pressure and lower phenylephrine requirements after delivery. While IMY oxytocin did not significantly reduce total blood loss compared with continuous IV infusion, it was associated with better haemodynamic stability. Further studies are required to confirm these findings. Clinical trial registration : Japan Registry of Clinical Trials, jRCTs041210153, 25/04/2022.

Future scenarios for British biodiversity under climate and land-use change

Abstract Projections of biodiversity futures are needed to translate global policies into national action. We use dissimilarity modelling to project climate change scenarios for 1002 plant, 56 butterfly, and 219 bird species across Great Britain up to 2080. Under all scenarios we find extensive community reorganisation, with the disappearance of current bioclimates and emergence of novel ones. We also explore impacts of combined climate and land-use change, finding that even optimistic scenarios could see accumulating extinction debts. Scenarios featuring reduced emissions and a more sustainable society could bend the curve of loss, reducing species heading for extinction by 32% for plants, 14% for butterflies, and 20% for birds. Scenarios differ in impact between groups, with plants showing the most severe responses to environmental change. Overall, we show that actions taken during the next 20 years are crucial to mitigate the worst effects of climate and land-use change for biodiversity in Britain.

Daily briefing: Are boys really in crisis? What the science says