Browse Articles

Establishment and characterization of three canine ameloblastoma cell lines with genomic and transcriptomic profiles

Establishment of canine acanthomatous ameloblastoma (CAA) cell lines has profound importance in pre-clinical in vitro testing. The goal of this study was to develop, authenticate, and characterize three CAA cell lines. Cell lines were developed with standard cell culture techniques from dogs with naturally occurring CAA. Each cell line was authenticated as canine with a validated PCR panel. Epithelial cell origin was confirmed with pan-CK flow cytometry. Next generation DNA and RNA sequencing characterized features of the cell lines and compared them to the parent tumor. We confirmed that all cell lines maintained mutations seen in the parent tumors including a missense HRAS mutation and RTK-RAS pathway upregulation across all samples. Other common mutations (2/3 cell lines and their parent tumors) included ADGRA3, DNAH7, F10, KIAA1671, OGFR, SLC6A17, SNX7, SPTBN5, TENM4 , and YEATS2 . We compared the transcriptional profiles from our parent tumors and established cell lines to historical transcriptomic analysis of CAA and healthy gingiva. We confirmed the same canonical CAA molecular features of primary tumors across studies with distinct clustering from healthy gingiva. Further, we documented that the cell lines maintained upregulated genes that are seen within in vivo CAA across both studies including upregulated GPC4 and ETV5 as well as gene sets associated with the presence of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, KRAS, Pi3K-AKT signaling, and hedgehog signaling pathways. Thorough characterization of the mutational and transcriptional profiles of the established cell lines, especially in context to how they differ from the parent tumors, sets the platform for translational in vitro testing.

One Health dynamics: toxoplasmosis in free-roaming (semi-domiciled and stray) dogs and reported human cases over time

Evidence of intertwined pair density and charge density wave orders in UTe ₂

The strongly correlated spin-triplet superconductor UTe 2 hosts an unusual magnetic-field-sensitive charge density wave (CDW) phase, positioning it as a compelling system for studying intertwined electronic orders. A central challenge is determining whether the observed charge modulations arise from a triplet pair density wave (PDW) order and, if so, how the anisotropic magnetic field response of triplet superconductivity is manifested in the CDW response. Here, using a scanning tunneling microscope equipped with a vector magnetic field, we systematically investigate the evolution and interrelation of distinct CDW orders. Complementing the previously identified incommensurate CDW peaks ( q i =1,2,3 ), we resolve an additional set of nondispersive modulations ( p i =1,2,3 and h 1,2 ) with distinct temperature and magnetic field dependencies. The p i CDW peaks vanish near T c , while the q i peaks survive well above T c but are progressively suppressed by magnetic field in an anisotropic manner. The critical fields of the q i peaks mirror the directional hierarchy of H c2 , which suggests a PDW is present above the bulk T c . This is consistent with a Landau free-energy picture where PDWs with wavevectors p i form above the bulk T c , leading to composite CDW orders with wavevector q i . Below T c , the coupling of PDWs and uniform superconductivity leads to the p i CDWs. Together, these findings establish UTe 2 as a rare platform where both the parent PDW and descendant orders are directly resolved, enabling access to both the fundamental and emergent manifestations of PDW physics.

Modelled climatic suitability contraction and high-altitude persistence: Projected mid-century distribution dynamics of Ophiocordyceps sinensis across the Tibetan Plateau under a selected climate scenario

Ophiocordyceps sinensis , a vulnerable fungal resource endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, faces climatically driven habitat degradation under ongoing climate change. Existing studies document its distribution but rarely address temporal dynamics under ongoing climate shifts. To fill this research gap, we implemented five-fold spatial block cross-validation (SBCV)-enhanced MaxEnt modelling and quantified extrapolation risks via Multivariate Environmental Similarity Surfaces (MESS; mean = 0.734 ± 0.135) using 201 spatially filtered occurrence points. Model performance was primarily evaluated via geographically independent spatial validation, yielding a mean test area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.953 ± 0.002, confirming robust spatial transferability across the Tibetan Plateau. Integration of static topographic and dynamic bioclimatic variables across past–current–future timelines enabled validation against historical baselines (1970–2000), followed by Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 3–7.0 (SSP3–7.0) scenario projections. Elevation and warmest-quarter precipitation emerged as dominant predictors, collectively explaining 91.3% of habitat suitability. Under the BCC-CSM2-MR model and SSP3–7.0 scenario, conditional projections indicate severe near-term climatic suitability contraction (54% loss in modelled suitable habitat area relative to the 1970–2000 historical baseline, from 396,000 km 2 to 182,000 km 2 by 2021–2040), with over 82% of this total loss concentrated in marginal zones. Driven by localized expansion in the Tanggula Mountains that offsets low-elevation declines, the total modelled suitable habitat area stabilized at 198,000 km 2 , accounting for 3.78% of China’s land area, during the mid-century (2041–2060) under this model-scenario combination. This validated framework provides conditional insights for identifying potential climate refugia of O. sinensis and supporting evidence-based climatic suitability assessments.

Optimization and OGY-based chaos control of a bistable piezoelectric energy harvester for enhanced power generation

Plants are a powerful proxy for global tidal marsh methane fluxes

Methane (CH 4 ) emissions can reduce the climate benefits of tidal marshes. Yet the drivers of tidal marsh CH 4 emissions remain poorly quantified, and salinity, the most well-established proxy for tidal marsh CH 4 fluxes, has low predictive performance. Here, we demonstrate that plant species out performs salinity as a single predictor of global tidal marsh CH 4 fluxes, providing a powerful and simple predictor on its own. A multiproxy approach combining plant species with other predictors (i.e., latitude, salinity, season) further improves predictions of global CH 4 fluxes. For our analysis, we compiled 87 studies with 2,094 mean measurements of CH 4 fluxes and used random forest and generalized additive modeling to investigate the relationship among CH 4 fluxes, salinity, and plants. We found that plant species was the most important predictor of CH 4 fluxes globally. Our model of plant species alone explained 62% of the variability in CH 4 fluxes and when including latitude, season, and soil salinity, explained 71%. We also developed a model with plant functional type for when plant species flux data are not available. We found that plant functional type alone explained 54% of the variability in CH 4 fluxes, underscoring the influential role of plants. Previously, polyhaline marshes were thought to have low CH 4 emissions. Here we show that CH 4 fluxes from these marshes offset between 1% and 39% of carbon sequestration, depending on the plant species present and selected global warming potential value. This plant species-based approach significantly improves global CH 4 flux estimates in tidal marshes and facilitates global carbon accounting.

Correction: A scoping review and thematic analysis of the landscape of spiritual health and spirituality in Canada

Machine learning-driven estimation of microplastic percentage yield for rapid and accurate quantification

Compensation and colonization offset the impacts of biodiversity loss over time in grasslands

The biodiversity–productivity relationship (BPR) is crucial for understanding the consequences of biodiversity loss; yet, how this relationship evolves over time in natural ecosystems remains unclear. Several long-term biodiversity experiments with artificially assembled communities suggest that the BPR escalates over time, however, whether this pattern applies to natural ecosystems has not been explored. Here, we present the results of a 15-y removal experiment in the Inner Mongolia grassland, where gradients of plant functional group (PFG) richness and species richness were created through targeted removals from 2006–2009, followed by natural recolonization from 2010 onward. We found that both the PFG richness-based and species richness-based BPRs diminished gradually during the removal period (years 2–4) and decoupled in 9 out of 12 y after the cessation of removal (years 5–16), suggesting that the negative impacts of biodiversity loss do not necessarily escalate over time; rather, they may decrease. We identified that the temporal shift in BPRs resulted first from compensatory growth of remaining species and subsequently from new colonization by external populations. These results highlight that the impacts of biodiversity loss in natural ecosystems are strongly modified by assembly processes such as compensation and colonization. Therefore, models predicting the ecosystem consequences of biodiversity loss should consider these mechanisms. Ignoring them may lead to an overestimation of the long-term impacts of biodiversity loss in natural communities, particularly where surrounding landscapes harbor species pools capable of recolonization.

The impact of mixed-anonymity on brainstorming performance: Evidence from field experiments

Generating innovative and valuable ideas is essential for organizational competitiveness, and structured ideation formats are widely used to support creativity and idea generation of individuals, teams, and organizations. One such format is nominal brainstorming, in which participants generate ideas independently rather than through group interactions. Previous research has produced mixed results regarding the impact of anonymity in such individual idea-generation settings. Anonymous formats may reduce evaluation apprehension but can also lead to free riding, while non-anonymous formats promote accountability yet might increase the fear of negative evaluation. To clarify these conflicting findings, this study examines a novel mixed-anonymity approach in which participants generate ideas independently and anonymously, but the identities of those with the highest-rated ideas are subsequently revealed. We investigate the effects of mixed-anonymity on individually generated brainstorming outputs in two field experiments. The first adopts a between-subject design (N = 216), randomly assigning participants to anonymous, non-anonymous, or mixed-anonymity conditions. The second follows a within-subject design (N = 192), exposing each participant to all three conditions. In both studies, participants engaged in nominal brainstorming tasks. Ideation outcomes were measured by quantity, novelty, and user value. Additionally, we assessed evaluation apprehension and free riding as potential mediators. Our between-subject experiment did not demonstrate significant differences in idea quantity, novelty, or user value among the three anonymity conditions. Conversely, the within-subject experiment revealed significantly higher idea novelty under mixed-anonymity conditions compared to anonymous and non-anonymous conditions, but no significant effects on idea quantity or user value. Contrary to initial hypotheses, the proposed mediators, evaluation apprehension and free riding, did not explain these results. These findings refine the current understanding of anonymity in nominal brainstorming by showing that mixed-anonymity does not yield consistent effects across experimental settings. Overall, this study indicates that the role of mixed-anonymity in individual idea generation is contingent, not as straightforward as existing theorizing based on evaluation apprehension and free riding would suggest.

Research on classification diagnosis of DC magnetic bias degree of power transformers based on probabilistic neural network by mirage search optimization

ROS produced in mitochondria entrapped by self-assembly peptide fibers for target therapy of glioma

Brain glioma is a highly energy-dependent malignant tumor. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) provides a noninvasive and effective approach for brain glioma therapy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) from sonosensitizers in the treatment of SDT play a key role. Inspired by spider webs, a self-assembling “spider peptide” (P1) bearing porphyrin moieties was constructed to generate ROS under ultrasound. In glioma cells, P1 forms web-like nanofibers that weave around mitochondria and enables ROS to release in situ. This efficiently disrupts the energy metabolism of mitochondria leading to the inhibition of glioma cells growth. Glioma-derived exosomes loaded with peptide P1 (Evs@P1) exhibit enhanced blood–brain barrier permeability and homotypic targeting to glioma cells. After endocytic uptake, Evs@P1 complexes undergo hydrolysis in the acidic lysosomal environment exposing the mitochondrial-targeting peptide. Ultrasound enhances the rate of peptide self-assembly into nanofibers, which are extruded from the exosomes and weave around the mitochondrial surface. Such an assembly of P1 nanofibers accelerates the ROS generation, which is 3.7 times higher than that in the monomeric state. It indicates an effective method to prevent glioma growth in mice brains in vivo.

Highly sensitive refractive index sensor based on asymmetric spectral response of TiO2 high-contrast grating under LED illumination

A highly sensitive intensity-interrogation refractive index (RI) sensor with a light-emitting diode (LED) was experimentally implemented via spectrally asymmetric resonance of a high-contrast grating (HCG). Our novel design concept realizes high sensitivity to RI variations by leveraging the asymmetry of the HCG’s resonant spectrum to control its overlap with the light-source spectrum; in contrast, most conventional designs only focus on shifting the resonant spectrum. Electromagnetic field numerical simulations clarified that an optimized HCG exhibited spectrally asymmetric resonant reflection. The measured reflection spectra showed good agreement with the calculation results, and the reflected light intensity from the sample varied dramatically with a minuscule RI variation under 490 nm LED illumination owing to a significant change in the overlap. An RI sensitivity of 481% per refractive index unit (RIU) and an RI limit of detection of 9.98 × 10 −4 RIU were experimentally achieved. Our sensor can be used in a wide range of applications owing to its high RI sensitivity and simple LED-based system without complex equipment, such as a spectrometer or angle-resolved setup.

Multi-effects of tunneling and excavation on pile group in clay

Super-Darcy flow behavior in fracture-confined porous media

Particle deposition and migration within fractures can reorganize open void space into heterogeneous fracture-confined porous media (FCPM), yet the macroscopic flow behavior of these emergent systems remains unresolved. Here, Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Element Method (CFD–DEM) simulations were used to resolve particle migration and deposition, whereas a coupled free-flow and seepage-flow model was employed to characterize fluid flow in FCPM. We find that at a fixed Reynolds number, modest particle deposition can lower the overall pressure drop relative to that of the initially open fracture. At high Reynolds numbers, the pressure drops across FCPM not only exceed Darcy’s law predictions (non-Darcy behavior) but, intriguingly, can also fall below them, which is a phenomenon we term super-Darcy behavior. This counterintuitive effect arises from flow exchange between the deposited porous region and the adjacent open region, which modifies eddy formation and growth, thereby broadening the main flow channel. This effect is pronounced when the permeability of the deposited porous region lies from 1 × 10 −12 to 1 × 10 −7 m 2 , identifying a permeability window in which deposition–migration most strongly couples pore-scale structure to fracture-scale hydraulics. This study reveals how particle deposition and transport govern macroscopic flow behavior in fractured channels, offering critical insights for fluid flow control and prediction from microfluidic devices to subsurface energy reservoirs.

Qualitative investigation of skills and knowledge required for job readiness in newly graduated speech-language pathologists

This study explores the critical skills and knowledge that new speech and language pathologists (SLPs) must acquire to transition successfully into the workforce. While university programs aim to prepare students adequately, gaps remain in identifying the specific competencies essential for job readiness. This study employed a qualitative research approach, conducting focus group interviews with key stakeholders, including alumni, faculty, clinicians, and employers. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 15 participants took part in five focus groups. The analysis identified four main themes: essential personal characteristics, exhibiting independence in managing work, foundational academic knowledge, and general clinical skills for SLPs . The findings emphasize the importance of traits such as a positive attitude, flexibility, and the ability to analyze situations and make informed decisions. Additionally, the study highlights the need to expand clinical training and integrate a more specialized curriculum. While some advanced topics require further exploration, they may be too complex for entry-level professionals without additional experience. Providing students with exposure to diverse clinical settings and work environments during training is also crucial. To better prepare newly graduated SLPs, university curricula must evolve to equip graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge for varied clinical settings and to meet the profession’s growing demands.

Structure–activity relationship studies of febuxostat derivatives identify potent anti-lung cancer agents that induce DNA damage and autophagy

Contributions of intra- and extracellular antibiotic degradation to collective β-lactam survival

Collective antibiotic resistance occurs when populations of bacteria survive antibiotic treatments that are lethal to individual bacteria, which affects the efficacy of drug therapies. An important mechanism of collective resistance against widely used β -lactams is the production of drug-degrading β -lactamases. Here, we integrate experiments with mathematical modeling to understand the collective survival of Escherichia coli challenged with cefotaxime (CTX). At near-lethal CTX concentrations, we observe complex dynamics, involving initial biomass growth due to filamentation, followed by death, and subsequently growth recovery. We show that production of AmpC, a chromosomal β -lactamase, is responsible for CTX degradation, allowing the resumption of cell division in surviving filaments. The detoxification of the environment proceeds through CTX hydrolysis by AmpC in the periplasm of intact cells, as well as extracellularly after cell lysis. Our model predicts the recovery time from molecular parameters, and quantifies the relative roles of periplasmic and extracellular degradation for two strains of E. coli that differ in the degree of privatization of AmpC hydrolysis. Our findings suggest that β -lactam survival of bacterial infections depends on a combination of intra- and extracellular β -lactamase activity, which will likely vary among isolates.

Retraction: A novel method based on clustering and decision-making for construction project portfolio selection

A systematic review and meta-analysis of Gustafson’s six dental variables for age estimation in adults

Abstract Dental age estimation (DAE) by means of direct visualisation remains a fundamental tool in forensic odontology, particularly for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) in resource-limited settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to calculate the pooled correlation coefficient between chronological age (CA) and six Gustafson-derived dental variables in modern adults. Following PRISMA guidelines, five databases were searched until June 2025, resulting in 27 included studies, with 19 utilized in a three-level random-effects meta-analysis. The overall weighted correlation between CA and Gustafson-derived variables was moderate ( r  = 0.67, $$\:{I}_{b}^{2}$$ = 0.93), though significant heterogeneity was observed with low certainty due to method variability. Subgroup analyses indicated that the six variables do not contribute equally to age prediction; transparency of the root gives the highest correlation ( r  = 0.75), while root resorption showed the lowest correlation ( r =  0.28). Additionally, sectioned teeth showed a higher correlation than intact teeth, although this difference was not statistically significant. In conclusion, while direct visualisation of Gustafson-derived variables shows utility for DAE, high between-study heterogeneity and low certainty of evidence dictate cautious application and interpretation of the current results. Furthermore, although tooth sectioning may improve correlation, using destructive methods requires balancing potential analytical benefits against ethical and legal constraints.