Browse Articles

Ionomer distribution control via thiophene S-modification of carbon support for high-power proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Protective role of Talinum triangulare leaf extract against Lead-Induced reproductive toxicity in male Wistar rats

Rat models of lactose intolerance: sexually dimorphic comorbidities with neuropsychiatric disorders modulated by tryptophan hydroxylase and the dopaminergic system

Radio emissions reveal Alfvénic activity and electron acceleration prior to substorm onset

Abstract Magnetospheric substorms are among the most dynamic phenomena in the Earth’s magnetosphere, yet their triggering mechanisms remain unclear. Ground-based observations have identified wave-like aurora as precursors to substorms. Here, we report a new precursor feature in space-based observations of auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), marked by the appearance of emissions with slowly frequency-drifting tones (<2 kHz/s) above 100 kHz. Simultaneous multi-instrument observations and statistical analysis suggest that these AKR precursors occur concurrently with wave-like aurora, either manifesting as pseudo-breakup features (with about 5 min duration) or as pre-onset activity (about 2 min prior to substorm expansion), indicating a common driving mechanism. Analysis of the emissions with frequency-drifting tones suggests that they are linked to moving double layers driven by dispersive Alfvén waves, consistent with an Alfvénic acceleration mechanism for pre-onset aurora. These findings highlight the importance of Alfvénic activity in substorms and suggest that Alfvénic acceleration is not only responsible for optical auroral features but also for radio emissions, potentially explaining also the ubiquitous frequency-drifting emission features observed at other magnetized planets like Saturn and Jupiter.

Molecular docking, DFT calculation and molecular dynamics simulation of Triazine-based covalent organic framework as a nanocarrier for delivering anti-cancer drug

Identification of miR-940 and associated gene features as novel biomarkers for early detection of cerebral hemorrhage

Temporal structure of natural language processing in the human brain corresponds to layered hierarchy of large language models

Abstract Large Language Models (LLMs) offer a framework for understanding language processing in the human brain. Unlike traditional models, LLMs represent words and context through layered numerical embeddings. Here, we demonstrate that LLMs’ layer hierarchy aligns with the temporal dynamics of language comprehension in the brain. Using electrocorticography (ECoG) data from participants listening to a 30-minute narrative, we show that deeper LLM layers correspond to later brain activity, particularly in Broca’s area and other language-related regions. We extract contextual embeddings from GPT-2 XL and Llama-2 and use linear models to predict neural responses across time. Our results reveal a strong correlation between model depth and the brain’s temporal receptive window during comprehension. We also compare LLM-based predictions with symbolic approaches, highlighting the advantages of deep learning models in capturing brain dynamics. We release our aligned neural and linguistic dataset as a public benchmark to test competing theories of language processing.

Isolation, characterization, and bioremediation potential of oil-degrading bacteria from contaminated soils in Shiraz and Bandar Abbas, Iran

Abstract Petroleum hydrocarbons are among the most persistent environmental pollutants, posing serious risks to soil and aquatic ecosystems. Bioremediation using indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria provides a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to physical and chemical treatments. In this study, oil-degrading bacteria were isolated from contaminated soils collected near oil refineries in Shiraz and Bandar Abbas, Iran, and screened for their biodegradation potential. A total of twenty-four bacterial isolates were obtained, among which four showed the highest growth rates and crude-oil degradation efficiency. These isolates were further evaluated for biosurfactant production using hemolysis, drop-collapse, oil displacement, emulsification (E24), and bacterial adherence to hydrocarbon (BATH) assays, as well as for hydrocarbon removal by spectrophotometry and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). In biosurfactant assays, SHA showed significantly higher E24 and BATH values than the other isolates ( P  < 0.05; Table 3). By spectrophotometry and GC-FID, SHA and SWOC achieved the highest crude-oil removal after seven days (84.2% and 85.8%, respectively), and GC-FID confirmed degradation across C13–C32 n-alkanes.Molecular identification based on 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that isolate SHA belonged to Acinetobacter junii (Gram-negative) and isolate SWOC to Lysinibacillus boronitolerans (Gram-positive). Interestingly, co-cultivation of the two isolates resulted in reduced degradation efficiency (55%), indicating an antagonistic interaction between them. These findings suggest that both isolates possess strong individual potential for the bioremediation of oil-contaminated soils, and further studies are warranted to investigate the mechanistic basis of antagonism and to validate their performance under field conditions.

Longitudinal course of bone health from infancy to mid-adulthood in preterm and term-born individuals

Abstract Preterm birth is associated with various health consequences. However, the long-term impact on bone health remains unclear. This study compares bone health from infancy into mid-adulthood between preterm and term-born individuals and explores potential association with fracture status. Data from the Zurich Longitudinal Studies were analyzed, including preterm and term-born individuals (enrolled 1974–1979). Bone health was measured longitudinally using the Bone Health Index (BHI) from hand X-rays analyzed by BoneXpert. Fracture history was obtained through parental interviews and self-reports. Generalized estimating equation models evaluated BHI over age, adjusting for age, sex, preterm and fracture status. 1582 X-rays from 95 term and 120 preterm individuals, across 17 time points (3 months to 47 years of age) were analyzed. Preterm individuals (median gestational age 34.1 weeks, IQR ± 3.1) had significantly lower BHI than term-born peers ( p  =  0.016 ), with a deficit persisting until 4.5 years of age. Thereafter no difference was found. No significant association between BHI and fracture status in mid-adulthood was found (p  =  0.43). In this cohort of predominantly moderate to late preterm infants, catch-up in bone health was achieved in early childhood and maintained into mid-adulthood. How bone health and fracture status evolve in later life remains unclear and requires a lifespan perspective on preterm birth.

Optimized protein-water interactions and torsional refinements yield balanced atomistic protein force fields

The global epidemiology, risk factors, and mortality prediction of nocardiosis: an easily missed opportunistic infection

Contrast-enhanced mammography for tumor size assessment and detection of multifocal and multicentric disease in breast cancer subtypes

Surface structure of water from soft X-ray second harmonic generation

Abstract The microscopic structure of water’s surface is crucial to many natural and industrial processes, but studying its hydrogen bond (H-bond) network directly remains challenging due to the required interfacial sensitivity of experimental techniques. By leveraging advances in flat liquid sheet microjets and terawatt-scale attosecond soft X-ray pulses from the LCLS X-ray free electron laser, we employed soft X-ray second harmonic generation (SXSHG) spectroscopy to examine the liquid water/vapor interface. SXSHG combines the elemental selectivity of X-ray spectroscopies with the surface selectivity of SHG and gives access to the electronic structure of interfacial species. Here, we show the SXSHG spectrum differs from bulk water’s X-ray absorption, with its peak shifted several eV, indicating a vastly different electronic environment at the interface as compared to the bulk. First-principles electronic structure calculations show the signal is highly sensitive to H-bond interactions, such as water molecules accepting a single H-bond, which are surface abundant.

Development and evaluation of a hybrid capture-based NGS panel for comprehensive detection of respiratory pathogens

Abstract Infectious diseases caused by diverse pathogens—including viruses, bacteria, and fungi—pose a significant diagnostic challenge, especially when conventional assays fail to identify the causative agents. Next-generation sequencing (NGS), particularly hybrid-capture-based NGS, offers a culture-independent approach for comprehensive pathogen detection directly from clinical samples. In this study, we developed a hybrid-capture-based NGS panel targeting 85 respiratory pathogens (62 viruses, 23 bacteria/fungi) and evaluated its analytical and clinical performance. Analytical validation using 50 pathogens demonstrated high sensitivity, with 10× genome coverage ≥ 96% in 32 of 36 viral targets and ≥ 95% in all 14 bacterial/fungal targets. The panel maintained ≥ 80% genome coverage at Ct values up to 34. Clinical assessment of 561 respiratory specimens identified 25 pathogen species, achieving ≥ 90% genome coverage in 57.5% of virus-positive and 83.6% of bacteria-positive samples. Notably, additional pathogens were detected in high Ct value undetected by RT-PCR, and 35 cases of viral–viral and viral–bacterial co-infections were identified. This approach improves the detection performance for respiratory infections of unknown etiology and serves as a practical platform for the detection of emerging pathogens and public health preparedness. This technology has significant potential for applications in infectious disease surveillance and development of vaccines and therapeutics.

Molecular design of amphiphilic triblock copolymers as additives for high performance poly(vinyl chloride) ultrafiltration membranes

Political development predicts reduced human cost of flooding

Abstract Societal impacts from extreme climate and weather events depend not only on hazard magnitude but also on the vulnerability of the affected population. Existing research suggests that adverse socioeconomic conditions are associated with higher baseline vulnerability to many types of risk, but comparatively little attention has been paid to political drivers of vulnerability. Focusing on floods, the most frequent climate-related hazard, this article evaluates the impact of political development on flood mortality. Findings from a Bayesian predictive analysis of global flood impacts from 2000 to 2018 suggest that democracy, institutional quality, and peace reduce the predicted human cost of flooding. The effect of a breakdown of peace on predicted flood mortality is especially pronounced. These results indicate that promoting peace, justice, and strong institutions (Sustainable Development Goal 16) can help to mitigate disaster risks and support effective climate change adaptation.

Evolution of trade-offs and synergies in ecosystem service values and visualization of driving factors-a case study of the middle reaches of the Yellow River

Temporal relationship between serum uric acid and muscle strength: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of middle-aged and older adults

Graphene–amorphous carbon with interwoven networks for enhanced strength

Modelling the influence of vitamin D and probiotics on inflammation and the intestinal microbiota in older adults

Abstract The relationship between the intestinal microbiota and human health during ageing is an area of increasing interest due to increasing health challenges experienced by ageing populations. This paper develops a mathematical model describing the age-related biological changes associated with alterations to the microbiota, vitamin D levels, immunosenescence and inflammageing to determine the likely impact of manipulating the intestinal microbiota with dietary components. Age-dependent parameters are incorporated into a previously developed model to determine the evolution of intestinal bacterial populations, vitamin D receptor:1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D levels, epithelial barrier integrity and immune response with increasing age. Results suggest an age-related decline in both innate and adaptive immunity, weakening of the intestinal barrier, elevation in systemic inflammation and reduced serum vitamin D, resulting in individuals over 60 years old becoming vitamin D deficient (<50 nmol/L). Numerical simulations indicate that administration of probiotics and/or vitamin D supplements upregulates the VDR complex at all ages, which helps restore epithelial barrier function, particularly in older adults in whom the intestinal barrier has been compromised. The greatest benefit is derived from co-supplementation with probiotics and age-dependent doses of vitamin D. Finally, the value of gathering additional experimental data motivated by the modelling insights is discussed.