Browse Articles

Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit

Cobalt-based catalyst for ammonia synthesis under ambient conditions via transient confinement

Bilateral Geiger mode avalanche in InSe Schottky photodiodes

NSUN2 facilitates DICER cleavage of DNA damage-associated R-loops to promote repair

Abstract DNA integrity is constantly challenged by both endogenous and exogenous damaging agents, resulting in various forms of damage. Failure to repair DNA accurately leads to genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer. Distinct pathways exist to repair different types of DNA damage. Double-strand breaks (DSBs) represent a particularly severe form of damage, due to the physical separation of DNA strands. The repair of DSBs requires the activity of RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) and the generation of Damage-responsive transcripts (DARTs). Here we show that the RNA m 5 C-methyltransferase NSUN2 localises to DSBs in a transcription-dependent manner, where it binds to and methylates DARTs. The depletion of NSUN2 results in an accumulation of nascent primary DARTs around DSBs. Furthermore, we detect an RNA-dependent interaction between NSUN2 and DICER, which is stimulated by DNA damage. NSUN2 activity promotes DICER cleavage of DARTs-associated R-loops, which is required for efficient DNA repair. We report a role of the RNA m 5 C -methyltransferase NSUN2 within the RNA-dependent DNA damage response, highlighting its function as a DICER chaperone for the clearance of non-canonical substrates such as DARTs, thereby contributing to genomic integrity.

A multi-year analysis of the impact of heatwaves and compound weather events on power outages

Application of percutaneous lymphatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound in lymphovenous anastomosis microsurgery

Objective This study evaluated percutaneous lymphatic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for preoperative localization in preparation for lymphovenous anastomosis (LVA) microsurgery. Methods Fourteen healthy volunteers and 14 patients with lower limb lymphoedema were studied. SonoVue® (Bracco, Milan, Italy) was used to measure lymphatic vessel diameters and depths in the dorsal foot, ankle, and lower leg of the subjects. In the lymphoedema patients, lymphatic vessels were observed for continuity, distortion, dilation, interruption, and other abnormalities. On the basis of the CEUS images, the lower limb lymphatic vessels were categorized as normal, dilated, contracted, or sclerotic. In the lymphoedema patients, the locations of lymphatic vessels with good visibility were marked on the skin, and the accuracy of preoperative localization was evaluated based on the basis of surgical results. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics27.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Continuous data are expressed as the means ± standard deviations and were compared using paired t-tests, with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Among the healthy volunteers, one had a 1–2 mm lymphatic vessel visible in the dorsal foot, whereas 13 had no lymphatic vessels visible in the dorsal foot; however, lymphatic vessels were visible in the ankle and lower leg in all volunteers, with an average diameter of 0.42 ± 0.09 mm, resulting in a 100% visualization success rate. In lymphoedema patients, CEUS achieved a 92.86% success rate (13/14) in visualizing lymphatic vessels within 1 minute in lymphedema patients, excluding one patient with primary lymphoedema; the average vessel diameter was 0.66 ± 0.24 mm. The most common type consisted of dilated lymphatic vessels with tortuous morphology and increased diameter, often accompanied by reflux and interstitial dispersion in lymphoedema patients. With the successful intraoperative identification of lymphatic vessels under the surface marking during LVA as the standard, the accuracy of preoperative lymphatic vessel localization by CEUS was 92.36%. Conclusion CEUS can accurately localize functional lymphatic vessels and serves as a valuable complementary method to indocyanine green for preoperative lymphatic vessel mapping in LVA.

Integrating computational approaches to uncover β-lactamase-associated resistance in diarrheagenic Escherichia coli from pediatric patients

A multi-functional nine channels full-spectrum light emitting diode color temperature palette

A multi-functional nine-channel full-spectrum light emitting diode color temperature palette is proposed. The color temperature (CCT) of the palette can be continuously tuned at 1K interval within the range of 2500K—6500K. A high color rendering index (CRI) is achieved, with Ra > 94 and R1—R15 > 90. A fidelity index (Rf) greater than 91 is obtained, and the gamut index (Rg) within the range of 96 ≤ Rg ≤ 104 is achieved. Additionally, A chromaticity deviation (Duv) within the range of |Duv| < 0.001 is realized. The circadian effect with melanopic efficacy of luminous radiation(MELR) of 0.6 mW/lm—1.14 mW/lm and circadian action factor(CAF) of 0.289 blm/lm—0.656 blm/lm are obtained. To verify the theoretical model’s stability, the Gaussian distribution function of monochromatic LED spectrum is adjusted to induce a 5% asymmetry in integral areas, and the FWHM is offset by ±10%, simulating the non-ideal conditions in practical applications to assess the model’s robustness. The color temperature palette enables precise control and reproduction of CCT of sunlight with corresponding circadian effect, which is of positive significance for visual fields such as photography or art exhibitions and regulation of circadian rhythm.

OsWNK9 regulates the expression of key transcription factors, phytohormonal, and transporters genes to improve salinity stress tolerance in rice

Abstract Rice is a staple food crop, and salinity stress severely hinders its growth and yield. Understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating salinity tolerance is essential and requires the identification and functional characterization of salt-tolerant genes to develop rice varieties with increased tolerance to salinity stress. With No Lysine Kinases (WNKs) are serine/threonine kinases involved in various abiotic stress responses. Earlier, we reported that overexpression of OsWNK9 mitigates salinity stress in Arabidopsis and rice. In the present study, we used transcriptomic analysis to provide molecular insights into the tolerance mechanism exhibited by the overexpression line of OsWNK9 (Oe-OsWNK9) under salinity stress. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the Oe-OsWNK9 exhibited significant enrichment of GO terms related to biological processes, including “response to abiotic stimulus,” “regulation of protein dephosphorylation,” “protein phosphorylation,” and “cell surface receptor signaling pathways”. The cellular component GO terms were also significantly enriched with “plasmodesma,” “plasma membrane,” “extracellular space,” “apoplast,” and “cell wall” terms. The molecular function component showed enrichment of genes associated with ADP, iron, and “polysaccharide binding,” “protein dimerization activity,” and “protein phosphatase 1 binding”. The KEGG pathway enrichment plot showed enrichment of metabolic pathways, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Also, we observed differential regulation of key genes involved in phytohormonal transport and metabolism, ionic homeostasis, and signal transduction pathways. This study provides new insights into the dynamics of key differential functional genes and the associated transcriptional regulatory networks involved in salt stress tolerance in rice.

Binge-watching and gender-specific effects on academic, social, and mental well-being in children and adolescents

Introduction Binge-watching refers to the consumption of screen-based content (excluding gaming) for five or more consecutive hours in a single session within the past month, which is an emerging behavior of concern among students. This study aims to examine the rate of binge-watching among children and adolescents in Hong Kong as well as the potential association with their psychological, social, and educational self-efficacy. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 2,267 students from primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong, recruited through convenience sampling. The survey assessed levels of binge-watching, mental health, sleep quality, social support, loneliness, and educational self-efficacy. Linear regression analyses were performed, both with and without adjustments for age and watching time by gender. Results The findings revealed that 47.1% of the participants (45.1% males and 49.3% females) engaged in binge-watching at least once in the past month. Binge-watching was positively associated with depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness, but negatively associated with educational self-efficacy in both genders (p < .05). Gender-specific effects were found that binge-watching was significantly associated with poorer sleep quality in males (p < .001), but not in females (p > .05). In contrast, a significant negative association between binge-watching and social support was found in females (p < .01), but not in males. Conclusion This study emphasizes the significant rate of problematic watching patterns and various impacts. Early identification and early prevention are warranted.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Identification of soil texture and color using machine learning algorithms and satellite imagery

TomoGRAF: An X-ray physics-driven generative radiance field framework for extremely sparse view CT reconstruction

Objectives Computed tomography (CT) provides high spatial-resolution visualization of 3D structures for various applications. Traditional analytical/iterative CT reconstruction algorithms require hundreds of angular samplings, a condition may not be met practically for physical and mechanical limitations. Sparse view CT reconstruction has been proposed using constrained optimization and machine learning methods with varying success, less so for ultra-sparse view reconstruction. Neural radiance field (NeRF) is a powerful tool for reconstructing and rendering 3D natural scenes from sparse views, but its direct application to 3D medical image reconstruction has been minimally successful due to the differences in photon transportation and available prior information between optic and X-ray. Methods We develop TomoGRAF to reconstruct high-quality 3D CT volumes using ultra-sparse projections. TomoGRAF has two main novelties pertinent to X-ray physics and CT imaging. First, TomoGRAF’s volume rendering module accumulates x-ray material attenuation passing through an object with CT geometry rather than visible light material color and opacity from surface interaction in NeRF. Second, TomoGRAF penalizes the difference between the simulated and ground truth volume during training besides the 2D views, thus significantly improving the prior fidelity. Results TomoGRAF is trained on LIDC-IDRI dataset (1011 scans) and evaluated on an unseen in-house dataset (100 scans) of distinct imaging characteristics from training and demonstrates a vast leap in performance compared with state-of-the-art deep learning and NeRF methods. Conclusion TomoGRAF provides the first generalizable solution for image-guided radiotherapy and interventional radiology applications, where only one/a few X-ray views are available, but 3D volumetric information is desired.

High red blood cell distribution width associated with incident frailty in patients with cardiometabolic diseases: A longitudinal study

A reduction in serum IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and GM-CSF serves as potential markers for a positive outcome to lumbar epidural steroid injections

Introduction This study evaluated serum inflammatory cytokine levels before and after transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESI) to assess their potential as biomarkers for predicting favorable outcomes in patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy. Methods All 120 eligible patients diagnosed with lumbosacral radiculopathy underwent blood collection 1) before TFESI and 2) two weeks after the procedure. A 5.0 mg dexamethasone mixture with local anesthetics was injected at each epidural level. This study defined a favorable response as a pain reduction of more than 50% at the 2-week follow-up. Serum inflammatory cytokines between good and poor responders were analyzed. Data collection included pain characteristics, clinical presentations, and radiographic findings. Results Positive responses were observed in 73 out of 120 patients (60.8%). Patients with favorable responses demonstrated a significant reduction in serum IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and GM-CSF concentration at 2 weeks after TFESI compared to their baseline levels. However, mean differences in serum inflammatory cytokines post-TFESI showed no significant variation between two groups. The duration of pain symptoms was associated with increased levels of IFN-γ and decreased levels of MMP7. The increased serum IL-6, GDF-15, and GM-CSF exhibited a significant correlation with clinical presentations. The higher level of serum IFN-γ significantly correlated with the severity of HNP (r = 0.436, P = 0.039) while the elevated serum concentration of MMP7 exhibited a significant correlation with the presence of foraminal stenosis (r = 0.436, P = 0.045). Conclusion The decrease in serum IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, and GM-CSF levels post-TFESI was a promising biomarker for a favorable response in patients with lumbosacral radiculopathy.

Allometric scale model reveals temperature effects on growth and reproduction in Daphnia magna

Abstract Climate change amplifies temperature variability, thereby subjecting organisms to increased stress as they more frequently encounter temperatures outside their optimal range. Temperature influences resource distribution across fundamental processes in organisms, such as metabolism, reproduction and overall fitness, yet energy allocation strategies are primarily understood under stable temperature conditions. Predicting organisms’ responses to fluctuating temperatures, however, remains challenging. To address this gap, we develop an allometric growth model to predict energy allocation between growth and reproduction under both constant and variable temperature conditions. The model predictions perform and align well with the observed growth patterns of Daphnia magna, a keystone species in aquatic ecosystems, exposed to various thermal scenarios. Results indicate that exposure to unpredictable temperatures elicits growth and reproduction responses similar to those observed under consistently high temperatures. However, individuals exposed to unpredictable temperatures incur a disproportionate energetic cost compared to those in constant average or low-temperature conditions, significantly reducing estimated fecundity over time and lifespan. These findings highlight the relative energetic impacts of increased unpredictability in temperature and underline its critical role in shaping life-history traits. Given the growing concern over modern climate change scenarios, the allometric growth model provides a straightforward yet essential approach for integrating energetic and subsequent ecological effects, enabling not only predictions of responses across keystone species but also an enhanced understanding of anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

Prevention of adolescent stimulant drug use: Do the home life environment and extracurricular activities influence this? Findings from the Irish Planet Youth Survey

Introduction Stimulant drug use during adolescence (e.g., cocaine or ecstasy) can lead to a myriad of adverse health effects, but it remains uncertain how the home life environment and involvement in structured extracurricular activities may correlate with teenage stimulant use. Methods We conducted an analysis utilising data from the 2020 Planet Youth survey, an anonymous questionnaire administered to school-going adolescents in the western region of Ireland. All adolescents with complete demographic information on age, gender and drug use were included in the analysis. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression was used to explore factors associated with adolescent lifetime cocaine or ecstasy use. Exposure variables of interest were factors associated with the home environment (parental rule-setting, parental monitoring, being outside after midnight), mental health, intergenerational closure (defined as the extent of connectedness between adolescents and their peers, parents of their peers, and between parents themselves) and adolescent participation in extracurricular activities (sports, arts, volunteering, and/or afterschool clubs). Limitations of this study included its cross-sectional design which precluded causal inferences, self-reported data which may lead to information and social desirability biases, respectively, as well as adolescents who were not enrolled in formal education being excluded from the sampling frame. Results In total, 167 out of 4890 (3.4%) and 136 out of 4895 (2.8%) adolescents had previously used cocaine and ecstasy, respectively. Almost half of the participants in both datasets were female (49.7%), and the majority were aged 16 years (62.8% and 62.7% of the cocaine and ecstasy samples, respectively). Being outside after midnight during the previous week was associated with lifetime stimulant use (cocaine AOR = 5.63, 95%CI: 3.98,7.97; ecstasy AOR = 6.37, 95%CI: 4.36,9.30) (vs. never). Adolescents who reported “bad/very bad” mental health had over three times the odds of previous cocaine use (AOR = 3.63, 95%CI: 2.39, 5.49), and over five times the odds of previous ecstasy use (AOR = 5.15, 95%CI: 3.09, 8.59) (vs. “good/very good”). A lack of parental rule-setting (cocaine AOR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.10, 1.50; ecstasy AOR = 1.39, 95%CI: 1.17,1.64), lack of parental monitoring (cocaine AOR = 1.81, 95%CI: 1.58,2.06; ecstasy AOR = 2.15, 95%CI: 1.86, 2.48), and reduced intergenerational closure (cocaine AOR = 1.37, 95%CI: 1.18,1.58; ecstasy AOR = 1.57, 95%CI: 1.34,1.83) were associated with lifetime stimulant use. Teenagers who did not participate regularly in sport had increased odds of previous cocaine use (in a club/team AOR = 1.50, 95%CI: 1.06,2.11; outside of a club/team AOR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.03,2.04) and ecstasy use (in a club/team AOR = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.05,2.27; outside of a club/team AOR = 1.79, 95%CI: 1.56,3.12). Conclusion The prevalence of stimulant use among this sample of Irish adolescents is relatively high by European standards, particularly cocaine use. Reduced parental rule-setting, supervision and family bonding time was associated with higher odds of adolescent stimulant use. Regular involvement in sports may have a protective effect against adolescent stimulant drug use.

A crack detection model fusing local details and global context for nuclear cladding coating surfaces

Comorbidity patterns associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes: A cohort study based on the UK Biobank

Background Pre-existing comorbidities are linked to increased risk of severe COVID-19, but comprehensive assessments of comorbidity patterns remain limited. Methods We used network analysis to identify pre-existing comorbidity modules (i.e., groups of diseases more densely interconnected with each other than with other diseases in the comorbidity network) in a cohort of 420,920 individuals from the UK Biobank who were in England. We defined cases requiring hospitalization or who died of COVID-19 as “severe COVID-19”. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between comorbidity modules and severe COVID-19, and a module-based comorbidity index was developed to predict severe COVID-19, compared with existing indices. Results Comorbidity network analysis identified 190 disease pairs with confirmed comorbidity associations, which were further divided into seven comorbidity modules. Among the 30,914 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, 3,970 were identified as severe cases (median age of 73.6 years, 58.77% being male). Six of seven identified modules showed statistically significant associations with severe COVID-19, especially modules related to circulatory and respiratory diseases (odds ratio = 1.67 [95% confidence interval 1.54–1.81]) and age-related eye diseases (1.39 [1.27–1.52]). Associations did not differ by sex, age or vaccination status but were generally stronger during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., 31st January-1st October, 2020). Our newly developed module-based comorbidity index showed better performance in predicting severe COVID-19 (AUC = 0.779) compared to the existing Charlson Comorbidity Index (0.714) and the 16-comorbidity index (0.714). Conclusions Our study demonstrated that pre-existing comorbidity modules, particularly modules related to circulatory and respiratory diseases and age-related eye diseases, were associated with severe COVID-19. Moreover, the module-based comorbidity index provides better prediction of severe COVID-19 than existing prediction indices.

Sediment generation through thermal spalling during the 2021 montiferru planargia wildfire and its contribution to postfire debris flows

The impact of management compliance attention and board faultlines strength on ESG performance: Evidence from Chinese listed companies

Against the backdrop of global sustainable development goals and the rapid evolution of ESG practices in China, this study empirically examines how management compliance attention and board faultlines strength affect ESG performance using data from Chinese A-share listed companies spanning 2010–2022. Using textual analysis of annual reports to measure compliance attention, we employ OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression, moderation, and mediation analyses. The findings reveal three key results: (1) Management compliance attention is positively associated with ESG performance (β = 0.041, p < 0.01); (2) Board faultlines strength significantly amplifies this positive impact (β = 0.114, p < 0.01); (3) Organizational resilience partially mediates the relationship between management compliance attention and ESG performance, as confirmed by a Sobel test (z = 3.089, p = 0.002). Heterogeneity analysis shows that state-owned enterprises exhibit more pronounced compliance-driven ESG improvements, whereas private firms rely on board diversity to enhance such effects. This study contributes to the literature by integrating institutional theory, cognitive theory, upper echelons theory, and dynamic capabilities theory, demonstrating that management compliance attention boosts ESG performance through organizational resilience, with board faultlines acting as a critical moderator. Practical implications include recommendations for firms to strengthen compliance cultures, foster diverse boards, and build organizational resilience, while policymakers should enhance compliance frameworks and ESG disclosure standards to promote sustainable corporate practices.