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A deep learning-based framework for fundus image classification of inherited retinal degeneration in dogs
Rubin telescope begins a 10-year movie of the cosmos
Giant camera will repeatedly scan the sky, spotting transients while building deep map of billions of galaxies
Association of cytochrome P450 2C19 genotypes with effectiveness of clopidogrel in ischemic stroke by smoking status
Antibiotic cocktail made by soil bacteria can kill superbugs
A Hormone Cell Atlas maps the human endocrine system at cellular resolution
Hormones act across tissues and organs to coordinate physiological functions. Drawing inspiration from the Human Cell Atlas, we analyzed the expression of 379 hormone and receptor genes in a transcriptomic dataset comprising 14 million single cells and nuclei across 47 human tissues. Using hormone2cell, we mapped putative hormone-producing and hormone-receiving cell types, defining tissue-specific and cross-tissue endocrine signatures. We predicted nonclassical sites of hormone expression, including secretin in plasmacytoid dendritic cells, inferred convergent hormone action and endocrine feedback loops, and implicated cell populations in monogenic endocrine disorders. In a cross-tissue integration of adipocyte datasets, we uncovered dynamic endocrine programs across depots, within adipocyte subtypes and through adipogenic differentiation. Cumulatively, the Hormone Cell Atlas ( hormonecellatlas.org.uk ) provides a comprehensive framework for dissecting hormonal impact on health and disease.
External validation of American heart association predicting risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs (PREVENT) equations in a Chinese population
Fruit flies actively restart their circadian clock by proactively shaping their environment
Circadian clocks provide adaptive advantages, enabling organisms to adjust their physiology and behavior to daily environmental changes on Earth. Here, we show that fruit flies prefer a temporally organized life. Because of light-induced degradation of the core circadian clock protein Timeless, constant illumination stops the circadian clock and leads to arrhythmic locomotor activity. When given the choice to move between dark and illuminated areas in a constant light environment, flies were able to maintain, or even regain, rhythmic behavioral patterns. These self-inflicted rhythms were accompanied by molecular rhythms in clock neurons known to drive behavioral rhythms. Behavioral rhythmicity was correlated with improved sleep quality compared with that of arrhythmic flies, demonstrating an immediate benefit of choosing to live under circadian clock control.
Participatory inverse modelling for behavioural insights into Dutch EV charging dynamics
Abstract This paper presents a general epistemic workflow for behavioural inference in agent-based models under structural-parametric uncertainty by combining participatory and inverse modelling. This replicable computational pipeline enhances model realism, results explainability, and interpretability by integrating domain expertise. We apply our method to study Dutch EV charging behaviour. Using behavioural domain expertise, we co-design experiments and interpret alternative behavioural dynamics evaluated through inverse modelling in a structural-parametric pipeline. Public EV charging demand over a week in Den Haag is matched by simulating demand in an existing model of EV charging behaviour. Our method reveals that EV charging is largely driven by range anxiety or a lack of consideration for the availability of excess energy in the grid. While our behavioural findings are case-specific, the workflow is applicable to any agent-based model with ambiguous behavioural mechanisms and suitable for feeding back into theory, scrutinising formalisation, identifying areas for model improvement, and raising considerations for policy.
Ductile alloys offering 100 MPa tensile strength at 2,400 °C
Lab creates new kind of synthetic cell
“SpudCells” can grow and divide but still have major limitations
The Kenyan Human Gut Virome Catalogue reveals extensive viral diversity and age-dependent community structure
Spermine is an endogenous iron chelator that inhibits ferroptosis
Patterning human kidney organoids with synthetic Wnt-secreting organizers
Human stem cell–derived miniature organs, including kidney organoids, reproduce aspects of tissue development but lack reliable spatial patterning. In embryos, spatial organization is often established by developmental organizers that generate morphogenetic fields. However, how such organizing geometry operates in kidney nephrogenesis—and whether it can be reconstructed in vitro—has remained unclear. Using spatial transcriptomics of human kidney development, we found that nascent nephrons establish a collecting duct adjacent-to-distant polarity bordering a WNT11 - WNT9B signaling boundary. Engineered WNT-secreting cellular organizers introduced into kidney organoids restored this organizing geometry, biasing distal nephron differentiation and orienting nephron morphogenesis toward the signal source, which demonstrates that developmental signaling geometry can be reconstructed synthetically to control tissue patterning.
Pushing the boundaries of robotic computed tomography: automated twin-robot CT scan with maximum reachability
Abstract Computed tomography is a widely used imaging method for non-destructive testing. However, standard CT systems face fundamental limitations when scanning large objects such as car bodies, which must fit between the X-ray source and detector, both of which need freedom of movement around the specimen. Twin-robotic CT systems with high degrees of freedom address these limitations by enabling free positioning of the X-ray source and detector in space, making non-destructive CT testing of large objects feasible. However, achieving collision-free positioning of the robots is a challenging problem that is often neglected in theoretical representations of twin-robot CT configurations. This paper presents a systematic methodology for performing region-of-interest scans on large objects. The approach exploits the test object’s geometry to determine robot reachability, which serves as the foundation for trajectory planning by incorporating accessible regions. By leveraging both rotational and translational degrees of freedom, including variable source-detector distances and detector rotations, the methodology expands the range of collision-free poses, thereby increasing reachability and enabling more flexible trajectory design. The methodology is modular and adapts to arbitrary system configurations and test samples via computer-aided design (CAD)-based geometry definition, where the test object determines the collision-free workspace. It is demonstrated on a BMW 4-series body-in-white through comprehensive batch simulation across 273 Region of Interest (ROI) positions, evaluating reachability improvements achieved through the introduced degrees of freedom using a data completeness trajectory optimization criterion.
Retraction
Association between allergies and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract The prevalence of both allergies and cancer has increased globally. Some evidence suggests that allergies may provide immunological protection against cancer, while studies indicate chronic allergic inflammation could elevate cancer risk. A clearer understanding of their temporal relationship is needed. A systematic literature search following the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; registration number: CRD42024566792), registered on 08Jul2024, was conducted using PubMed to identify cohort studies published between 1999 and 2024. Various allergic conditions were examined as exposure factors, and both solid and hematological cancers were assessed as outcomes. Subgroup analyses were performed by region, allergy type, and cancer type. Meta-analysis was conducted using pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Twenty-eight cohort studies were included. The primary meta-analysis showed a weak positive association between allergies and overall cancer incidence (OR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.03–1.11). Subgroup analysis revealed stronger associations in the Western Pacific, with the strongest association observed in the Western Pacific (OR 1.65, 95% CI: 1.22–2.21). Among allergy types, asthma was significantly associated with increased cancer risk (OR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.10–1.28). Our findings suggest a significant but modest positive association between allergic diseases and cancer incidence. However, due to regional inconsistencies and the limited number of studies in several cancer-specific subgroups, these results should be interpreted with caution. The modest risk increment underscores the need for careful public health evaluation rather than immediate clinical intervention.
Height does not impair the hydraulic system of the tallest tropical Dipterocarp trees
Half of the aboveground biomass in forests is stored in a disproportionately small number of very tall trees. These giants are predicted to be more vulnerable to drought-induced damage because height impairs their hydraulic system. We evaluated whether the hydraulic system of world’s tallest tropical tree species—Southeast Asian dipterocarps—are negatively affected by their height. The more negative xylem pressures caused by tree height were fully compensated for through adjustment of vessel anatomy and leaf hydraulic traits, and the trees suffered no height-related loss in growth during a severe drought. Therefore, height does not make the hydraulic systems of the world’s tallest tropical tree species more vulnerable to drought, and the growth rates of these trees are not more negatively affected by drought than are their smaller counterparts.