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Amorphous polymers separate small organic molecules with switchable selective states
AAGP integrates physicochemical and compositional features for machine learning-based prediction of anti-aging peptides
Assessment of change and persistence of youth psychosocial status reported by youth and their guardians during the COVID-19 pandemic: A MyHEARTSMAP study
Background The pediatric mental health crisis pre-dated the COVID 19 pandemic with rates of mental health visits to pediatric emergency departments steadily increasing for the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted children and adolescents and understanding the trajectory of their psychosocial status is important for appropriate resource allocation and policy planning. Methods MyHEARTSMAP is a digital self-assessment mental health evaluation that examines four major psychosocial domains: psychiatry, social, function, and youth health. Children and adolescents throughout British Columbia, and their guardians, completed the baseline assessment between August 2020 and July 2021 (51.8% completed by guardian only, 40.2% youth and guardians, 7.9% youth only). Both children and their guardians repeated the MyHEARTSMAP evaluation three-months after their baseline. Patient demographics and psychosocial concerns were statistically described and compared between baseline and follow-up. A logistic regression model assessed the influence of baseline scores and demographic factors on follow-up severity. Results 241 of 424 participants (56.8%) completed both the baseline and three-month follow-up. The majority of participants reported no change overtime across the psychosocial domains. Both improvement and decline occurred in each domain, with a greater proportion of psychosocial states improving rather than worsening, for all domains. Higher severity of psychosocial concerns reported at baseline indicated a greater likelihood of psychosocial concerns at 3-month follow-up for psychiatric, social and function concerns. Demographic, pandemic, and support service variables were not associated with psychosocial trajectories. Conclusions The severity of youth mental health concerns in British Columbia remained consistent through three-month follow up, despite the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic during this period. Greater persistence of psychosocial concerns with increased severity highlights the need for early intervention to prevent worsening mental health. Community support is needed for youth experiencing mental health concerns to address mild psychosocial concerns before presentation at the emergency department.
Epigenetic modulation with nanosatellite triggers tumoricidal immunity for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment
A quasi-experimental study on a co-production- and school-based psychosocial well-being program in Hong Kong
Modeling the effects of treatment adherence challenges on the transmission dynamics of hepatitis C virus
Infectious disease modeling is crucial for predicting disease progression over time and helps guide decision makers in public health policy. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence is still increasing in Zimbabwe, a low-middle-income country (LMIC), despite the availability of effective treatments, and the reasons for this increase are not well understood. Our study employed a mathematical model to explain the impact of poor treatment adherence on HCV transmission dynamics in Zimbabwe. We computed the basic reproduction number (ℛ0), a vital metric of disease spread. Equilibrium states of the model were determined, and their stability was investigated. The study demonstrated that an adherence level exceeding 52% causes the reproduction number to drop below 1, curtailing further spread. Our HCV model indicates that variations in re-susceptibility minimally impact outcomes, suggesting that re-susceptibility can often be excluded in such analyses. Our model unraveled the synergistic impact of simultaneously enhancing the recovery rate of acutely infected individuals and treatment adherence on reducing ℛ0. The study underlines the pressing need for stronger health interventions, including patient education, financial assistance, and rigorous monitoring, to improve treatment adherence. These interventions are paramount in curbing HCV proliferation, particularly in LMICs like Zimbabwe, and can serve as a template for similar settings globally.
Time-varying stimuli that prolong IKK activation promote nuclear remodeling and mechanistic switching of NF-κB dynamics
Abstract Temporal properties of molecules within signaling networks, such as sub-cellular changes in protein abundance, encode information that mediate cellular responses to stimuli. How dynamic signals relay and process information is a critical gap in understanding cellular behaviors. In this work, we investigate transmission of information about changing extracellular cytokine concentrations from receptor-level supramolecular assemblies of IKK kinases downstream to the NF-κB transcription factor. In a custom robot-controlled microfluidic cell culture, we simultaneously measure input-output encoding of IKK-NF-κB in dual fluorescent-reporter cells. When compared with single cytokine pulses, dose-conserving pulse trains prolong IKK assemblies and lead to disproportionately enhanced retention of nuclear NF-κB. Using particle swarm optimization, we demonstrate that a mechanistic model does not recapitulate this emergent property. By contrast, invoking mechanisms for NF-κB-dependent chromatin remodeling to the model recapitulates experiments, showing how temporal dosing that prolongs IKK assemblies facilitates switching to permissive chromatin that sequesters nuclear NF-κB. Remarkably, using simulations to resolve single-cell receptor data accurately predicts same-cell NF-κB time courses for more than 80% of our single cell trajectories. Our data and simulations therefore suggest that cell-to-cell heterogeneity in cytokine responses are predominantly due to mechanisms at the level receptor-associated protein complexes.
Biospectroscopy screening and molecular fingerprinting of gastric cancer cases from biofluids by vibrational spectroscopy allied with chemometrics
Characterization of an unusual carlavirus-like RNA from papaya (Carica papaya) lacking essential genes
We report the characterization of a novel carlavirus-like RNA, provisionally named papaya defective virus 1 (PapDfV1), identified through high-throughput sequencing of papaya latex RNA. PapDfV1 contains two open reading frames (ORFs): ORF 1 encodes a 211.1 kDa replicase with 96% sequence identity to Zhejiang betaflexivirus 2 (ZhBV2), while ORF 2 exhibits a chimeric structure with regions homologous to two distinct ORFs of ZhBV2. Notably, PapDfV1 harbors a 2.1 kb deletion spanning the downstream portion of triple gene block (TGB) 1, the entirety of TGB2 and TGB3, capsid protein (CP), and the upstream region of the nucleic acid binding protein (NABP). Phylogenetic analysis of the replicase sequence grouped PapDfV1 with ZhBV2 and three Chinese isolates of cowpea mild mottle virus (CPMMV), two of which share the terminal regions 5’-GGAAAAACAGAA and CCTGGTTTT-3’. Mechanical inoculation and agroinfiltration failed to infect PapDfV1 in papaya, Nicotiana benthamiana, and common bean, whereas a ZhBV2 construct successfully infected soybean, common bean, and N. occidentalis. Detection of PapDfV1 in total and double-stranded RNA from leaf tissue of a 2-year-old papaya plant indicates that its replication and movement may depend on host proteins expressed in mature papaya plants or be facilitated by co-infection with unknown papaya viruses. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the existence and evolution of non-canonical virus-like RNA sequences lacking CP and other genes typically involved in virus movement.
Light in, sound keys out: photoacoustic PUFs from stochastic nanocomposites
Abstract We present a concept of physically unclonable functions utilizing the photoacoustic effect to generate structurally random, inference-resistant cryptographic keys. The system consists of a CuO/SnO₂ nanoparticle composite, where CuO acts as a visible-range absorber and SnO₂ serves as a non-absorbing dispersive matrix. Nanosecond laser pulses induce localized heating and acoustic wave emission, providing spatially heterogeneous photoacoustic signals that are digitized into binary matrices. Evaluations across ten devices yielded a bit uniformity of 49.54%, inter-device Hamming distance of 49.69%, entropy of 0.983, and bit aliasing of 49.38%—all approaching ideal values for secure key generation. Machine learning attacks using logistic regression and support vector machines failed to infer underlying patterns, with prediction accuracies of 53.53% and 52.54%. The device maintains cryptographic performance after transfer to diverse substrates, including human skin, highlighting its mechanical adaptability. This subsurface, light-to-sound-based approach offers a scalable platform for secure authentication on flexible or opaque surfaces.
Analysis of temperature field evolution in ground freezing construction of twin tunnels in a coastal urban area
Feeding ecology and activity patterns of Hippopotamus amphibious in the Dhidhessa Wildlife Sanctuary, Southwestern Ethiopia
Understanding the dietary composition and activity patterns of hippopotamuses (Hippopotamus amphibious) is critical for assessing their ecological role within their habitat. This study investigated the feeding habits and behavioral rhythms of common hippopotamuses in the Dhidhessa Wildlife Sanctuary (DWS), Ethiopia, from 2022 to 2023. Dietary data were collected through direct observation of fresh feeding signs and fecal analysis, while activity patterns were recorded via continuous focal sampling of adult males and females at 30-minute intervals. Hippopotamuses allocated 30.1% of their time to resting, followed by movement (23.7%). Vocalizations (barking) constituted 53.1% of recorded behaviors, while yawning accounted for 46.9%. Males exhibited significantly more resting behavior than females. Peak feeding and movement occurred during early morning and late afternoon, whereas resting peaked at midday. Both sexes displayed higher frequencies of barking and yawning in the afternoon. Dietary analysis identified 34 plant species from 12 families consumed by hippos. Poaceae dominated their diet (60%), while Combretaceae contributed the least (0.5%). Typha latifolia was the most frequently consumed species (9.4%), followed by Eriochloa fatmensis (8.7%). Seasonal variation was evident, with 76.7% of foraging occurring in the wet season compared to 23.3% in the dry season. Twenty-one forage species were available year-round. These findings highlight the importance of seasonal resource availability and temporal activity shifts in hippopotamus ecology. Conservation strategies in DWS should prioritize habitat management to ensure sustainable ecosystem functionality.
Large-scale multi-site study shows no association between musical training and early auditory neural sound encoding
The therapeutic potential of pegylated arginase I treatment in glioblastoma
Comparing the linkages between carbon components and soil aggregates in vegetable fields to continuous input of different carbon sources
Aims To address the issue of declining soil organic carbon (SOC) in vegetable fields, this study investigated the effects of continuous input of different carbon sources on soil carbon pool dynamics. Methods A five-year field plot experiment was conducted to analyze the impact of organic fertilizer, biochar, and their combined application on soil organic carbon components, aggregate stability, and carbon pool characteristics. Results The continuous application of biochar and organic fertilizer significantly increased the content of soil organic carbon components. Organic fertilizer contributed more actively to labile organic carbon fractions, whereas biochar primarily supplied stable organic carbon. All treatments enhanced the proportion of macroaggregates (>0.25 mm) and improved aggregate stability, with organic fertilizer exhibiting superior effects compared to biochar. Organic fertilizer also promoted organic carbon sequestration in aggregates by enriching readily oxidizable organic carbon (ROC) and water-soluble organic carbon (DOC). In contrast, biochar application significantly increased inert organic carbon (IOC), leading to higher total SOC compared to organic fertilizer alone. Carbon pool characteristic indices improved significantly under continuous biochar and organic fertilizer application. Organic fertilizer treatment showed a higher carbon pool activity index, while biochar outperformed in other indices. The combined application yielded the most favorable results. Correlation analysis revealed that soil aggregate stability was significantly associated with DOC and microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Both biochar and organic fertilizer enhanced soil available nutrient content, which increased dynamically over time. Principal component analysis confirmed that the combined application of organic fertilizer and biochar was most effective for soil carbon sequestration and fertility improvement. Conclusion Biochar and organic fertilizer differentially influenced soil organic carbon composition. Organic fertilizer improved carbon pool characteristics by mediating macroaggregate formation through labile organic carbon (e.g., DOC and MBC), while biochar contributed directly to carbon sequestration due to its inert and stable nature. Their combined application synergistically enhanced the formation and stability of soil macroaggregates, improved soil carbon pool characteristics, and optimized nutrient availability in vegetable fields. This version improves clarity, conciseness, and flow while maintaining scientific accuracy. Let me know if you’d like any further refinements!.
Synthesis, conformational control, and photothermal application of helically twisted 3,6-carbazole-based porphyrinoids and mono-palladium complex
Metabarcoding provides accurate estimation of volumetric diet composition in a top predator despite interference from blocking primers
Abstract The study of diet is central to wildlife ecology, management and conservation. Metabarcoding enhanced the ability to identify species contributing to wildlife diets, and blocking primers can maximize prey detection. Relative read abundance (RRA) of different prey species has been used as semi-quantitative approach, assuming that RRA reflects species’ contributions to diet. We tested accuracy of RRA in diet estimation by feeding captive wolves six different diets. We analyzed samples both without and with four blocking primer concentrations (5, 10, 15 and 20×). RRA provided a highly accurate representation of the overall dietary composition, with best results obtained without blocking primer (0.775 ± 0.033; P < 0.001; R 2 = 0.815). While the use of blocking the primer resulted in higher proportions of reads for diet items it did not increase the probability of detecting diet components. Moreover, the blocking primer led to increased detections of items not fed to wolves and produced slightly less accurate estimates of diet composition. Resampling indicated that sample sizes beyond 30 scats improved the accuracy of diet estimation. Our results are promising and support the use of metabarcoding to determine volumetric diet but caution and further research are necessary before extrapolating findings.
Dimensions of music use motivations: Genetic and environmental underpinnings, and associations with Big Five and Empathy traits
People differ in their motivation for seeking musical experiences and these differences appear to be partially attributable to their personality. However, little is known about the role of genetic and environmental factors in shaping individual differences in motivations for music use and their shared etiology with personality. This study investigated, using the classical twin design in a sample of 2611 Norwegian twins, the genetic and environmental architecture of four dimensions of motivations for music use (musical transcendence, emotion regulation, social bonding, and musical identity and expression). We also examined their phenotypic associations, as well as genetic and environmental overlap with general personality traits, including the Big Five and Trait Empathy facets. Additive genetic and unique environmental effects largely accounted for the variation in the four dimensions (heritability 38%−52%, mean = 45%), though univariate analyses of the social bonding dimension indicated common environmental influences for this specific subscale. In line with previous studies, trait-congruent phenotypic associations were found between specific personality traits and music use motives, including facets of negative emotionality and musical emotion regulation. Other facets – particularly aesthetic sensitivity (open-mindedness) and fantasy (trait empathy) – were closely tied to all dimensions. Multivariate biometric modeling of the links between personality traits and motivations for music use revealed that these relationships were primarily driven by correlated genetic factors, with personality traits accounting for 40%−66% of the total genetic variance and 5%−17% of the total environmental variance in the music use motivation dimensions. These findings shed new light on the etiology of dispositional music use and provide a comprehensive baseline for future investigations of associations with personality, mental health, and well-being.