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Ethylene modulates cell wall mechanics for root responses to compaction
Abstract Soil stresses affect crop yields and present global agricultural challenges 1 . Soil compaction triggers reduction in root length and radial expansion driven by the plant hormone ethylene 2 . Here we report how ethylene controls cell wall biosynthesis to promote root radial expansion. We demonstrate how soil compaction stress, via ethylene, upregulates Auxin Response Factor1 in the root cortex, which represses cellulose synthase (CESA) genes. CESA repression drives radial expansion of root cortical cells by modifying the thickness of their cell walls, which results in a thicker epidermis and thinner cortex. Our research links ethylene signalling with root cell wall remodelling, and reveals how dynamic regulation of cellulose synthesis controls root growth in compacted soil.
Concurrent coverage and determinants of vitamin A supplementation and deworming among children aged 12–59 months in 15 Sub-Saharan African countries
Background Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) and deworming (DW) are proven, cost-effective interventions that protect children against preventable morbidity, mortality, and the burden of micronutrient deficiencies and parasitic infections. Nevertheless, many children fail to receive both interventions simultaneously, limiting the potential health gains. Assessing co-coverage and its determinants is crucial for guiding integrated child health strategies and closing persistent gaps across Sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We analyzed DHS data from 15 Sub-Saharan African countries, including 107,725 children aged 12–59 months. The primary outcome was co-coverage of vitamin A supplementation and deworming within six months. Weighted descriptive statistics and mixed-effects logistic regression assessed determinants at individual, household, community, and country levels, accounting for survey design and clustering. Variables with p < 0.20 or deemed theoretically relevant were included in the multilevel model (p < 0.05, 95% CI). Results The pooled co-coverage of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) and deworming (DW) among children aged 12–59 months was 44.0% (95% CI: 43.4–44.6%), despite individual coverage of 57.1% for each intervention. Approximately 13% of children received either Vitamin A or deworming as a single intervention. Nearly 30% of children received neither intervention. Co-coverage was lowest in Sierra Leone (10.3%) and Gabon (13.2%), moderate in Burkina Faso (28.6%), Côte d’Ivoire (31.0%), Mozambique (44.0%), and Tanzania (44.7%), and highest in Lesotho (58.4%) and Rwanda (84.7%). Vitamin A supplementation coverage was lowest in Gabon (15.7%), Sierra Leone (16.5%) and highest in Rwanda (89.1%) and Lesotho (73.6%), while deworming alone was lowest in Sierra Leone (30.3%) and Burkina Faso (36.7%) and highest in Rwanda (89.4%) and Lesotho (62.4%). Co-coverage of vitamin A supplementation and deworming was higher among children aged 24–47 months (AOR = 1.07), fully immunized children (AOR = 1.41), and those with older, educated mothers who attended antenatal care (AORs 1.14–1.59) or had media exposure (AOR = 1.13). Household wealth also increased the likelihood (AORs 1.27–1.64), while urban residence reduced it (AOR = 0.84). At the country level, compared with Burkina Faso, Rwanda (AOR = 20.05), Mauritania (AOR = 4.30), and Lesotho (AOR = 3.92) had the highest odds, whereas Gabon (AOR = 0.36) and Sierra Leone (AOR = 0.22) had the lowest inter-country disparities in integrated child health coverage. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) indicated that approximately 21.6% of the variance in concurrent coverage was attributable to between-country differences. Conclusion Co-coverage of vitamin A supplementation and deworming in 15 sub-Saharan Africa countries is low, with only 44% of children aged 12–59 months receiving both interventions, far below the WHO 80% target. Coverage varied widely, with Rwanda leading and Sierra Leone and Gabon lagging. Strengthened harmonized campaigns, routine service integration, and targeted outreach are essential to improve equitable child health outcomes.
Case 2-2026: A 63-Year-Old Man with Pulmonary Nodules, Liver Mass, and Vision Loss
Study on radial fracture mechanism of saturated granite subjected to coupled static–cyclic impact loading: An experimental investigation
The rock failure mode under coupled static-cyclic impact loading is not unified, and the radial fracture mode is a distinct type. In this study, cyclic impact tests were performed using a modified Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar system under various axial pressures and confining pressures. Results showed that granite primarily exhibited radial tensile-dominated failure under coupled static-cyclic impact loading, with compression-shear failure at the specimen ends. Stress wave analysis revealed nonlinear propagation attributed to tensile stress waves. Numerical simulations confirmed that the velocity field exhibited a symmetrical transition with velocity vectors oriented in opposite directions on either side of a central zone. Two zones appear in the middle of the specimen in the displacement field, which correspond to the plastic stage in the stress-strain curve. Meanwhile, the free water in crack tips assists in enhancing crack propagation. In addition, before the final impact loading, the peak of the transverse relaxation time spectrum of micro-pores has returned to its initial state approximately. Fracture surface shows smoother surface under higher axial and confining pressures. The study provides reference for stability evaluation in underground engineering.
2024–2025 Covid-19 Vaccine Outcomes in U.S. Veterans
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
<i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> Infection and Erythema Migrans
Publisher Correction: Covalent targeted radioligands potentiate radionuclide therapy
Primary Palmoplantar Pustulosis
Managing Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis
Smokeless Tobacco and Oral Cancer in Global Perspective
Automatic Medicare Coverage for New Medical Technologies — Here We Go Again
Author Correction: Neuroimmune cardiovascular interfaces control atherosclerosis
Efficacy and Safety of Baxdrostat in Uncontrolled and Resistant Hypertension
Restoring Vision for Patients with AMD and Geographic Atrophy
An integrated view of the structure and function of the human 4D nucleome
Abstract The dynamic three-dimensional (3D) organization of the human genome (the 4D nucleome) is linked to genome function. Here we describe efforts by the 4D Nucleome Project 1 to map and analyse the 4D nucleome in widely used H1 human embryonic stem cells and immortalized fibroblasts (HFFc6). We produced and integrated diverse genomic datasets of the 4D nucleome, each contributing unique observations, which enabled us to assemble extensive catalogues of more than 140,000 looping interactions per cell type, to generate detailed classifications and annotations of chromosomal domain types and their subnuclear positions, and to obtain single-cell 3D models of the nuclear environment of all genes including their long-range interactions with distal elements. Through extensive benchmarking, we describe the unique strengths of different genomic assays for studying the 4D nucleome, providing guidelines for future studies. Three-dimensional models of population-based and individual cell-to-cell variation in genome structure showed connections between chromosome folding, nuclear organization, chromatin looping, gene transcription and DNA replication. Finally, we demonstrate the use of computational methods to predict genome folding from DNA sequence, which will facilitate the discovery of potential effects of genetic variants, including variants associated with disease, on genome structure and function.
Evolution of taste processing shifts dietary preference
Correction: Genome-wide identification, characterization, and functional analysis of the CHX, SOS, and RLK genes in Solanum lycopersicum under salt stress
Optimized CatBoost machine learning (OCML) for DDoS detection in cloud virtual machines with time-series and adversarial robustness
Abstract Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks represent one of the most strategically executed and severe threats in cloud computing, often leading to substantial data loss and significant financial damage for both cloud service providers and their users. Numerous studies have been conducted to enhance cloud security against such attacks through the application of machine learning techniques. This paper implements the Optimized Catboost machine learning algorithm (OCML) with hyperparameter optimization using Optuna to achieve efficient training. Feature selection was conducted using the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) method, as the dataset contains over 80 features. The proposed model achieved an accuracy of 99.2% in detecting Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in cloud virtual machines (VMs), enabling the system to filter out malicious jobs and allocate resources efficiently. The CICIDS 2019 dataset was used as the benchmark for evaluation. Furthermore, the robustness of the proposed model was assessed using adversarial attacks, specifically the Fast Gradient Sign Method (FGSM), the Carlini-Wagner (CW) attack, and Projected Gradient Descent (PGD). The Catboost model achieves accuracies against these attacks 97%, 80% and 71% respectively. In addition, the robustness against time series network traffic attacks using pulse wave, random burst, and slow ramp achieves 80%, 83% and 77% respectively.