Browse Articles

The rise of diversity terminology in biomedical research

Recent scholarship has highlighted the rise of “diversity projects” across various educational and business contexts, but few studies have explored the meaning of diversity in biomedical research. In this paper, we employ a computationally driven matching technique to examine quantitative trends in the use of various forms of diversity and population terminology in a sample of nearly two million biomedical abstracts spanning a 30-y period. The curated dictionaries we leverage to detect these trends were formalized into open-source software that are publicly available for other researchers to use. Our analyses demonstrate marked growth in diversity, sex, gender, life course, and socioeconomic terms while terms relating to race and ethnicity largely plateaued or declined in usage, beginning in the mid-2000s. In addition, the use of national, continental, and subcontinental population labels increased dramatically over the same period. We also present logistic regression analyses to investigate what may be fueling the rise in use of diversity terminology. We argue that the use of diversity has grown to encompass concepts beyond its historical origins in race-based programs as it has in fields like higher education and employment. Despite some critics’ claims regarding the role of diversity in research, we do not find evidence that its use signals retreat from or commitment to equity and inclusion efforts.

Melodic and articulatory development is delayed in deaf infants aged 2–4 months

Abstract There is a paucity of knowledge about the early vocal development of infants with profound sensorineural hearing loss. In a search for potential differences in cooing vocalisations between hearing impaired (n = 12) and healthy infants (n = 12) aged 2–4 months, more than 2300 sounds were quantitatively analysed. Using objective criteria, laryngeal activity was analysed. Vocalisation melodies (time function of fundamental frequency) were recorded and grouped into simple (single arc) or complex (multiple arc) melody pattern. Occurrence of supra-laryngeal (articulatory) activity was also analysed using frequency spectrograms. Statistical analysis employed multilevel mixed-effects modified Poisson regression models, with cooing vocalisations nested within infants. Infant age, but not sex, was significantly associated with increasing complexity in both vocal activities over the observation period. Constrained auditory feedback affects both laryngeal and articulatory activity. The group of hearing impaired infants produced significantly less melodic complexity and their cooing showed fewer articulatory activity. Recognition of a delay in these early developmental processes will considerably improve our understanding of deviations in early preparatory processes for language acquisition in hearing impaired infants. Most importantly, it highlights the need to address the lack of objective, detailed studies of pre-lingual sound production in the context of increasingly earlier hearing aid provision.

Asymmetric development and function of paired sperm-storage organs in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

Paired structures often have similar forms and functions, but the processes underlying their formation can differ. They may originate from a common source or from parallel sources, or arise from distinct precursors that follow separate developmental pathways, ultimately converging on comparable structures and roles. When asymmetries emerge and persist through development, members of the pair can specialize in ways that might increase fitness. Here, we report that the Drosophila melanogaster female’s pair of spermathecae, which appear similar and have the common role of sperm storage, derive from different developmental compartments defined by expression of lineage-tracing markers corresponding, respectively, to the key patterning genes engrailed and wingless . We further find that the two spermathecae show significant differences in size, secretory activity, and calcium levels and, perhaps as a consequence, sperm retention dynamics. These results open broad avenues for understanding how developmental, physiological, and behavioral asymmetries arise and impact reproductive success.

Flexural performance of reinforced concrete beams exposed to uncontrolled fire with and without plaster protection

Abstract Fire analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) structures is vital for understanding their behavior under extreme conditions. In real-world scenarios, uncontrolled fires can damage buildings and infrastructure substantially, undermining their structural integrity. Assessing the performance of RC beams under fire exposure is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of structures. This study examines the structural performance and residual moment capacity of plastered and unplaster-reinforced concrete (RC) beams subjected to varying durations of fire exposure. Two types of reinforcement configurations in plastered and unplaster beams were evaluated: one with two 10 mm diameter reinforcement bars at the top and bottom and another with two 10 mm diameter bars at the top and three at the bottom. Unplaster and plastered beams were made from concrete with a compressive strength of 20 MPa at ambient temperature. They were exposed to fire for durations of 0, 3, and 6 h, simulating real fire conditions with a peak temperature of 800 °C. Beams exposed to fire showed reductions in moment capacity of about 20–36%, depending on the reinforcement. The findings highlight the importance of considering plaster as a protective layer in RC beam design to enhance fire resistance and post-fire structural performance. The findings emphasize the necessity of incorporating fire-resistant measures, such as plaster coatings, to mitigate structural degradation, thereby enhancing post-fire safety and performance of RC beams.

Altricial brains and the evolution of infant vocal learning

Vocal development in human infants is strongly influenced by interactions with caregivers who reinforce more speech-like sounds. This trajectory of vocal development in humans is radically different from those of our close phylogenetic relatives, cercopithecoid monkeys and apes. In these primates, social feedback seems to play no significant role in their vocal development. Oddly,marmoset monkeys, a more distantly related primate species, do exhibit socially guided vocal learning. How can this be? We hypothesized that the evolution of human and marmoset vocal learning in early infancy is facilitated by their neurally altricial births (relative to other primates) and their cooperative breeding social environment. Our analysis found that, indeed, both human and marmoset brains are growing faster at birth when compared with chimpanzees and rhesus macaques, making humans and marmoset monkeys altricial relative to these other primates. The time interval of this faster brain growth overlaps with important vocal learning milestones. We formalized our hypothesis using a simple model showing that if vocal learning is influenced by the timing of brain growth and social stimuli, it benefits from an altricial brain and a cooperative breeding environment. Our data support the idea that the evolution of socially guided vocal learning during early infancy in humans and marmosets was afforded by infants with an altricial brain embedded in a vocally rich environment.

Profile and evolution of antimicrobial resistance genes in Staphylococcus aureus whole genomes in Africa revealed by phylogeography and bioinformatics

Systemic <i>Kras</i> ablation disrupts myeloid cell homeostasis in adult mice

The KRAS oncogene has been associated with many types of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, and colorectal. For decades, its gene products were thought to be undruggable. However, during the last decade, a large battery of KRAS inhibitors selective against specific mutations (KRAS G12C and KRAS G12D ), panKRAS inhibitors active against all KRAS isoforms, or even panRAS inhibitors, capable of inhibiting the three members of the RAS family, have been developed. In mice, the Kras locus is essential for embryonic development and can sustain adult homeostasis in the absence of Hras and Nras expression. Thus, we considered of interest to interrogate the role of the Kras locus in an experimental system to generate potentially relevant information regarding the use of panKRAS or panRAS inhibitors in the clinic. Here, we report that systemic ablation of Kras expression in adult mice does not induce significant changes in overall survival, body weight, glucose levels, metabolic profile, or heart function. In contrast, flow cytometry and histopathological analyses of organs such as blood, bone marrow, and spleen showed a significant increase of the myeloid lineage leading to myelomonocytic metaplasia. In this context, replacement of the KRAS isoforms by HRAS is sufficient to maintain adult homeostasis, suggesting that the unique properties of the Kras locus are primarily due to its pattern of expression rather than to the activity of its gene products.

Methionine enkephalin upregulates the immune function of RAW264.7 cells to inhibit the infection of Nelson Bay orthoreoviruses

Multisensory feedback makes swimming circuits robust against spinal transection and enables terrestrial crawling in elongate fish

Vertebrate locomotion is due to the interplay of neural oscillators and sensory feedback loops in the spinal cord that interact with the body and the environment. Here, we study these circuits with a focus on undulatory locomotion as produced by elongated fish such as eels and lampreys. We address three questions: i) How do proprioception (stretch feedback) and exteroception (pressure on skin) interact with local oscillators to generate stable swimming patterns? ii) Can these feedback loops also contribute to dry ground locomotion? iii) Can they explain the remarkable robustness of eels against spinal cord transections? To address these questions, we developed abstract models of the locomotion circuits based on coupled phase oscillators, local stretch and pressure feedback loops, and simulated muscle models that were tested both in simulation and with a real undulatory robot. We also performed swimming experiments with eels before and after spinal cord transections. We found that stretch and pressure feedback work well together in swimming, as they contribute to rapid pattern generation and can, in principle, both replace direct couplings between oscillators. Interestingly, the swimming controllers could generate good ground locomotion when placed in an arena with pegs. For ground locomotion, the stretch feedback is more beneficial than pressure feedback. Finally, our models could replicate the remarkable ability of eels to keep swimming shortly after a full spinal cord transection. We found that stretch feedback and the ability of oscillators to spontaneously oscillate are likely explanations for keeping the neural oscillators active and coordinated below the transection.

A novel framework for TER allocation using multilayer perceptron and intuitionistic fuzzy Z numbers for talent management

Abstract The effective allocation of Training and Education Resources (TER) is one of many organizational pathways to maximizing workforce capability and employee development. Conventional means of assessing employees and allocating employee resources are inadequate in managing uncertainty, imprecision, or performance data in complex forms and paradigms. In this paper, a new model is proposed that implements an integrated application of Intuitionistic Fuzzy Z-Numbers and multi-layer perceptron networks for a more realistic and accurate employee performance evaluation and resource allocation. The proposed model employs fuzzy logic to handle uncertainty in performance evaluation, such as degrees of membership, non-membership, and hesitancy. The multi-layer perceptron network predicts employee performance trends to help allocate resources, if required, while performance is progressing. The model was analyzed through experimental analysis, with a significant R2 factor value (0.9967). The R2 proves that the model predicts performance and improves employee resource allocation distribution. The proposed model is a demonstrative improvement in employee performance evaluation tools, compared to traditional frameworks of evaluation and allocation. The model is flexible enough to help organizations conduct effective talent management and allocate resources, with a handling degree of uncertainty, when their available employee performance data is incomplete. However, this framework should be explored further in terms of effective models that reduce data sparsity as well as real-time integrations and adjustments. Ultimately, this research presents an adapted and scalable model of organizational talent management and organizational performance.

The likelihood of sympatric speciation and morphological divergence in plants

Sympatric speciation is considered rare, but oceanic Howea palms, crater lake cichlids, and parasitic indigobirds provide compelling evidence that it occurs. Still, the frequency of sympatric speciation and its relationship to morphological divergence in plants remains poorly understood, especially in plants. Here, we analyze the geographic distributions, traits, and divergence times of palm and conifer sister species (740 species from 108 genera) to determine the dominant geographic mode and role of morphological divergence in plant speciation. We show that allopatric speciation is dominant, and while frequent sympatric speciation cannot be discounted, the most likely scenario is that zero (conifers) or 10% (palms) of speciation events occur in sympatry. Our models show that the incidence of sympatry among sister pairs rises rapidly within the first million years after speciation and then declines, suggesting that species failing to attain sympatry early tend to remain allopatric. Finally, we find no evidence for morphological divergence in allopatric or sympatric palms. Our findings question the link between speciation and morphological divergence and suggest that while plants and animals share similar modes of speciation, plants exhibit a complex spatiotemporal dynamic, challenging the typical vertebrate pattern of steadily increasing sympatry.

Effect of gamma radiation on in vitro morphogenesis, anatomy and DNA polymorphism of Moringa concanensis Nimmo

Svalbard’s 2024 record summer: An early view of Arctic glacier meltdown?

A record-breaking melt season affected the Arctic glaciers of Svalbard in summer 2024 by a substantial margin. Across the entire archipelago, glacier melting corresponded to an anomaly of up to four SD and exceeded any previous observation. The pan-Svalbard mass loss in summer 2024 amounts to ~61.7 ± 11.1 Gt and corresponds to 1% of the total ice volume on Svalbard and is comparable to that of the Greenland ice sheet (55 ± 35 Gt), which occupies an area about 50 times larger. Altogether, Svalbard and other glacier regions surrounding the Barents Sea lost 102.1 ± 22.9 Gt of ice in a single year and contributed 0.27 ± 0.06 mm (of which 0.16 mm alone is due to Svalbard) to global sea-level, putting the circum-Barents region among the strongest contributors to global sea-level rise in 2024. Most of the 2024 glacier melt occurred during a 6-wk period of persistent atmospheric circulation pattern causing record-high air temperatures, an event with an extremely low recurrence interval under current climate conditions. However, future climate projections suggest that such temperature levels will become increasingly commonplace by the end of the 21st century, potentially even surpassing those of 2024. Svalbard’s summer of 2024 serves as a forecast for future glacier meltdown in the Arctic, offering a glimpse into conditions 70 y ahead.

LRRC75A-AS1 facilitates breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion via functioning as a CeRNA to modulate miR489-3p/ARD1

Abstract This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism through which ARD1 regulates breast cancer (BC) progression via the LRRC75A-AS1/miR-489-3p axis. The expression levels of ARD1, miR-489-3p, and LRRC75A-AS1 in BC cells were quantified using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The interaction between miR-489-3p and ARD1 was validated through dual-luciferase reporter assays and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP). The sponge effect of LRRC75A-AS1 on miR-489-3p was confirmed by RNA pull-down assays. Functional roles of LRRC75A-AS1, miR-489-3p, and ARD1 in cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were evaluated using colony formation, Transwell, and western blot assays. Moreover, in vivo tumor xenograft experiments were conducted in BALB/c nude mice to assess the effect of LRRC75A-AS1 knockdown and its interaction with miR-489-3p and ARD1 on tumor growth. ARD1 promoted BC cell proliferation, invasion, and EMT. miR-489-3p was identified as a negative regulator of ARD1, while LRRC75A-AS1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that sponged miR-489-3p, thereby restoring ARD1 expression. Rescue experiments confirmed that LRRC75A-AS1 facilitated BC cell malignancy via the miR-489-3p/ARD1 axis. Importantly, in vivo studies demonstrated that silencing LRRC75A-AS1 significantly inhibited tumor growth in nude mice, accompanied by reduced ARD1 expression and increased miR-489-3p levels. The inhibitory effect on tumor growth was reversed by miR-489-3p inhibition and further restored by ARD1 knockdown, validating the functional relevance of this regulatory axis in vivo. Both in vitro and in vivo findings reveal that LRRC75A-AS1 promotes breast cancer progression by sponging miR-489-3p and upregulating ARD1. The LRRC75A-AS1/miR-489-3p/ARD1 ceRNA axis represents a novel regulatory pathway and a promising therapeutic target in BC.

The nature of ant caste allometry

Capilliposide A attenuates diabetic nephropathy via modulation of NF-κB/TLR4 and apoptotic pathways

Reply to Michał Bogdziewicz et al.: Research on the summer solstice needs falsifiable predictions

C-reactive protein dissociation drives choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration

Abstract Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and inflammation play an important role in retinal disease development and the acute phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) has been shown to contribute to Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in vitro. Our aim was to evaluate whether monomeric and pentameric CRP (pCRP, mCRP) isoforms contribute to CNV in vivo and to characterize the mechanism of CRP dissociation in-vivo and in vitro. Both CRP isoforms were intravitreally (IVT) or intravenously (IV) injected in mice, CNV was laser-induced, retinography and fluorescein angiography were performed to evaluate edema. Lectin, mCRP, F4/80 and C5b9 localization were assessed by immunofluorescence and visualized under a confocal microscope. CNV, intensity of fluorescence of mCRP (IF mCRP) was also quantified. To confirm pCRP dissociation in RPE cells and mice, pCRP was coupled to a fluorochrome and IVT injected. A statistical increase in CNV areas was observed in pCRP IVT injected males (p &lt; 0.05) while a statistical decrease was shown in females (p &lt; 0.05). After IV injection, pCRP males showed an increase in CNV areas only vs. mCRP injected mice (p &lt; 0.05) and in females the injection of pCRP injected mice showed higher CNV areas vs. vehicle (p &lt; 0.05) and vs. mCRP injected mice (p &lt; 0.05). Retinal edema after IVT CRP injection was observed mainly in mCRP injected mice. In females there was an IF mCRP statistical decrease in pCRP IVT injected mice vs. vehicle and a statistical increase in pCRP IV injected mice vs. vehicle (p &lt; 0.05). Mice injected with IVT isoforms showed F4/80 positive cells and C5b-9 deposition around the CNV areas. mCRP labeling was observed in the intercellular space of the endothelial cells in the angiogenic area and detected in pCRP IVT injected animals, demonstrating the dissociation of pCRP into mCRP both in vitro and in vivo in proinflammatory microenvironments. In conclusion, CRP administration increased the area of CNV and the edema observed in the subretinal space, suggesting that CRP is activated in the CNV inflammatory environment. In addition, we demonstrated that pCRP dissociates in vivo into mCRP in damaged areas close to CNV, hypothesizing that the CNV process is exacerbated by mCRP.

Into the belly of the brainstem: The neurons of the “extended” enteric nervous system

Feedback design to measure the effect of therapies in controlling cancer using the fractional approach