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Efficient removal of Methyl orange dye via a MnFe₂O₄/GO nanocomposite with a CTAB dual-layer surfactant coating
Cardiometabolic and molecular adaptations to 6-month intermittent fasting in middle-aged men and women with overweight: secondary outcomes of a randomized controlled trial
Optimizing crop clustering to minimize pathogen invasion in agriculture
Abstract The initial rate of pathogen invasion in crops is influenced by the spatial clustering of susceptible crops and the characteristics of pathogen dispersal. Previous studies have shown that various degrees of crop clustering can effectively reduce this invasion rate. However, the optimal degrees of clustering that minimize pathogen invasion have not previously been identified. This study aims to determine analytically the range of crop clustering that minimizes the initial rate of pathogen invasion. We studied artificial agricultural landscapes with crop areas arranged in identical square clusters on a regular square lattice. For pathogen dispersal, we used several common dispersal kernels, including Gaussian, negative exponential, and power-law. The optimal degree of clustering, defined by cluster size and separation distance, was calculated using a new analytical approximation for the pathogen invasion rate, which showed strong agreement with computer simulations. Additionally, we analysed a realistic cassava landscape at risk of invasion by cassava brown streak virus. We identified a range of optimal cluster sizes and corresponding separation distances that minimize pathogen invasion rates for various dispersal kernels and landscapes with clusters of crop fields arranged on a regular square lattice. The methods can be extended to other geometrical configurations, such as long narrow fields. Using a cassava landscape as an example, we show how optimal crop clustering strategies can be derived to mitigate the potential invasion of cassava brown streak virus. The methods provides analytical insights that can help farmers and agricultural planners to optimize the spatial structure of agricultural landscapes to minimize initial pathogen invasion rates.
Structure of the 30S translation initiation complex coupled to paused RNA polymerase and its potential for riboregulation
Abstract In many bacterial species, transcription and translation can be coupled physically, with potential impact on the rates and efficiency of gene expression. Here, we present structural evidence from cryo-EM demonstrating that a bacterial RNA polymerase that is paused proximally to the promoter can associate with the pioneering 30S translation initiation complex (30S IC). These findings suggest that the physical link between transcription and translation can be established prior to commitment to protein synthesis. Although the mRNA is embedded in this ‘early expressome’ complex, it can nonetheless interact with small regulatory RNA (sRNA) and be targeted for cleavage in the protein-coding region by the RNA degradosome assembly in vitro. The potential tagging of transcripts with sRNA during pioneering and subsequent stages of translation initiation, when the 30S IC is at the 5′ end of a polyribosome, may in principle contribute to efficient and rapid termination of gene expression in response to regulatory signals.
A peak comparison index approach for robust microplastic analysis across environmental matrices: validation using meat products
Topologically enhanced exciton transport
Abstract Excitons dominate the optoelectronic response of many materials. Depending on the time scale and host material, excitons can exhibit free diffusion, phonon-limited diffusion, or polaronic diffusion, and exciton transport often limits the efficiency of optoelectronic devices such as solar cells or photodetectors. We demonstrate that topological excitons exhibit enhanced diffusion in all transport regimes. Using quantum geometry, we find that topological excitons are generically larger and more dispersive than their trivial counterparts, promoting their diffusion. We apply this general theory to organic polyacene semiconductors and show that exciton transport increases up to fourfold when topological excitons are present. We also propose that non-uniform electric fields can be used to directly probe the quantum metric of excitons, providing a rare experimental window into a basic geometric feature of quantum states. Our results provide a new strategy to enhance exciton transport in semiconductors and reveal that mathematical ideas of topology and quantum geometry can be important ingredients in the design of next-generation optoelectronic technologies.
Experimental study on the influence of vibration mixing on the characteristics of holes and durability of marine concrete
The E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXL18 stabilizes BST2 to promote inflammation in RABV-infected astrocytes
Evaluating machine learning models for estimating evapotranspiration in Colombia’s Cauca River Valley
Shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy reveals ultrafast molecular dynamics of surface reactions
The mediating role of risk perception in the relationship between chemical safety knowledge, GHS awareness and safety behavior
Endothelial RAB5IF is required for pathological and developmental retinal angiogenesis
Further characterisation of immortalised human lymphatic endothelial cells to explore their transcriptomic profile and VEGFC response
Abstract In vitro modelling relies on the availability of suitable cell types that accurately represent the organs under study. In lymphatic research, human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells represent the “gold standard”, even though they lose their identity and proliferative capacity over time. A recently established immortalised lymphatic endothelial cell line (imLEC) could become a promising new tool for lymphatic disease modelling. We further characterised this cell line by comparing imLECs and HDLECs in terms of the expression of proteins essential for correct lymphatic function, and the proliferation, migration and sprouting responses to vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC). We show similarities in the expression of lymphatic markers and VEGFC-driven cellular responses, supporting imLECs can retain their VEGFC-driven lymphangiogenic capacity without losing their lymphatic identity. RNA sequencing, however, revealed certain transcriptional differences in genes regulating lymphatic function in health and disease, highlighting the need for further validation at single gene level or specific lymphatic-associated signalling pathways. We acknowledge these limitations should be considered in future applications. Nonetheless, we believe that imLECs represent a useful model for the development of gene editing techniques allowing better modelling of lymphatic disease-associated genetic variants, ensuring long-term culture and providing higher reproducibility in genotype–phenotype validation analyses.
Engineering HLA-G-targeted extracellular vesicles nanoplatform for enhanced cancer therapy through precise cancer drug delivery
A custom hash algorithm for hosting secure gray scale image repository in public cloud
Primary SARS-CoV-2 exposure by vaccination or infection shapes immune responses to omicron variants among a Spanish cohort
Abstract The comparison between vaccine-induced and infection-acquired adaptive immunity, and their co-occurrence —referred to as “hybrid immunity”— is of great interest and remains an area with significant knowledge gaps. Given that most of the population already has hybrid immunity to COVID-19, a key question is whether the order of infection-acquired and vaccine-induced immunity affects the immune response. Here, we analyze the humoral and T-cell responses in a Spanish cohort with longitudinal blood sampling spanning 2020-2023. We observe higher anti-RBD antibody levels against Omicron in individuals initially exposed to SARS-CoV-2 antigens via vaccination compared to those first exposed through natural infection. This difference diminishes with an increasing number of exposures. The dynamics of antibody levels over time correlate with clinical protection: those first-infected have higher protection early on, whereas those first-vaccinated show greater protection later, especially with the arrival of the Omicron variant. This phenomenon may reflect immune imprinting. In contrast to the humoral response, the T-cell response is higher in individuals first exposed through infection, although T-cell findings may be underpowered because of limited sample size. Our study provides valuable insights into the impact of initial antigen exposure on humoral and cellular responses to SARS-CoV-2.
Digital restoration and feature recognition of a Qing-Dynasty vernacular dwelling based on multimodal data fusion
Abstract This study addresses the urgent challenge of digitally preserving severely damaged vernacular architecture that lacks complete historical documentation. Taking the Dan Tao’s Former Residence, a Qing Dynasty dwelling in the Jingchu region, as a case study, we propose a reproducible multimodal framework for reverse restoration. The approach integrates SLAM-based laser scanning, UAV photogrammetry, historical documentary evidence, analogy-driven HBIM construction, and knowledge-graph visualization. By bridging the semantic gaps between material remains, images, and textual records, the workflow enables high-fidelity digital modeling of complex components while decoding cultural features at multiple scales. Results demonstrate that the framework overcomes limitations of insufficient point-cloud density and missing documentation, achieving accurate 3D restoration of degraded structures and establishing a scalable cultural feature recognition system for Jingchu vernacular architecture. This research provides both methodological innovation and practical tools for conservation, offering a transferable paradigm for safeguarding endangered architectural heritage worldwide.