Browse Articles

Integrated airborne gamma-ray spectrometry, aeromagnetic analysis, and radiological assessment of sedimentary rocks, West Qasr El-Farafra area, Egypt

Abstract West Qasr El-Farafra area is particularly important for establishing new integrated urban communities. It is characterized by its flat area covered with slopes of limestone and sandstone limestone and sandstone rocks. Airborne gamma ray spectrometry and magnetic data were used for environmental radiation monitoring and mapping the basement surface in the west Farafra area. This study investigates the concentrations and distribution patterns of three radionuclides- 238 U, 232 Th, and 40 K-in sedimentary rocks. Analysis reveals that 238 U has a mean concentration of 37 Bq kg -1 with high variability and a positively skewed distribution, suggesting localized enrichment processes. 232 Th shows a mean concentration of 32 Bq kg -1 and exhibits moderate skewness and a flatter kurtosis, likely due to the presence of thorium-bearing minerals. In contrast, 40 K has a mean concentration of 665 Bq kg -1 with the least variability and a near-normal distribution, attributed to the widespread presence of potassium-bearing minerals. Radiological parameters, including the radium equivalent activity (Ra eq ), dose rate (D air ), and annual effective dose (AED), generally indicate lower radiological hazards compared to global averages, though some samples exhibit elevated levels. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrates strong associations among the radionuclides and radiological risk indicators, with 232 Th showing the highest correlation. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) further reveal that 40 K and 232 Th are more closely related, while 238 U behaves distinctly, indicating different geological or environmental influences. Consequently, as a result of the above findings, the location of interest is generally radiologically acceptable for redevelopment purposes pending verification of a site specific nature within those areas where anomalous levels can be found.

Facile Synthesis of Primary Amines via Nitrogen Fixation in Charged Microdroplets

Spatiotemporal transcriptome atlas reveals the dynamic cellular and molecular characteristics of ovule development in gymnosperms

Ovule, as the developmental precursor to seed, represents a key evolutionary innovation in seed plants. However, its origin and evolutionary trajectory have been debated for over a century, largely due to the disconnects between morphological information gained from fossils and the regulatory mechanisms of ovule development inferred from extant angiosperms. The core regulatory networks shared by gymnosperms and angiosperms may serve as a bridge in terms of the ovule developmental process. We employed spatial transcriptome sequencing to profile dynamic gene expression during ovule development in four representative gymnosperm species ( Ginkgo biloba , Gnetum montanum , Pinus tabuliformis, and Cycas panzhihuaensis ). Our analyses reveal distinct trajectories of cell-type differentiation during formation of tissues, uncovering critical genes and pathways involved in ovule primordium initiation, chalaza formation, and subsequently development of integument and nucellus. The spatiotemporal expression patterns of key regulatory genes, particularly those associated with proximal–distal (PD) polarity establishment, strongly support the hypothesis that early formed chalaza regions function as a meristematic zone, giving rise to the formation of integument and nucellus in a manner reminiscent of the shoot apical meristem activity. Moreover, gene expression patterns in the developing integument reveal well-defined PD and adaxial–abaxial polarity highly conserved across gymnosperm lineages. These findings suggest that integument development originated through the recruitment of preexisting regulatory networks into a core developmental module, providing clues for understanding the molecular mechanisms of integument formation underlying the origin of seed plant ovules.

Assessment of climate variability impacts on water quality using SPI and GIS approaches in the Mubuku River catchment, Uganda

Quantum estimation with state symmetry-induced optimal measurements

A bacterial symbiont and a plant virus enhance insect fitness by inducing physical defenses against fungal parasites

Defensive symbioses in which beneficial microbes protect hosts from natural enemies are ubiquitous across animals and plants, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Field surveys and laboratory assays revealed that infection of the invasive whitefly Bemisia tabaci by the bacterial symbiont Rickettsia and plant begomovirus were positively correlated with each other but each negatively correlated with a parasitic fungal infection ( Beauveria bassiana ) in the host. We show that begomovirus conferred whitefly’s resistance to the parasitic fungus by triggering the expression of chitin synthesis pathway genes in whiteflies, reinforcing the cuticle by promoting chitin production. The facultative symbiont Rickettsia facilitated cuticle formation and thereby induced physical defense against entomopathogenic fungus via metabolic cooperation with the obligate symbiont Portiera for the synthesis of phenylalanine and tyrosine in whiteflies, which is used to generate cuticular proteins and pigments. Mutation of chitinase and protease genes in B . bassiana impaired fungal infection of whiteflies. Inhibiting whitefly cuticle formation by repressing chitin and phenylalanine synthesis facilitated fungal infection. Thus, begomovirus and Rickettsia have convergent effects on cuticle defense in whiteflies by impacting distinct molecular pathways. Such defensive symbioses apparently contribute to B . tabaci fitness in the field and our findings reveal that interactions among the host, beneficial microbes, and pathogens have important implications for insect ecology and evolution. This study suggests avenues for pest management by leveraging defensive microbes and targeting the host cuticle.

Deep learning-based intelligent prediction of strata pressure in a steeply inclined fully mechanized longwall face

Trifunctional electrocatalyst with accurate surface reconstruction for zinc-air batteries and water electrolyzers

Abstract Exploiting cost-effective trifunctional electrocatalysts toward oxygen evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction and oxygen reduction reaction is important for sustainable energy conversion and storage devices yet challenging. Here, we report a single-phase trifunctional electrocatalyst Sr 2 CoRuO 6-δ with well-defined super-exchange double perovskite structure, which can efficiently catalyze oxygen evolution, hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction under alkaline conditions. As an air electrode, Sr 2 CoRuO 6-δ delivers high peak power density of 216 mW cm −2 , high specific capacity of 748 mAh g −1 and long lifespan up to 1000 h for liquid rechargeable zinc-air batteries, as well as broad temperature and deformation adaptability for solid-state flexible zinc-air batteries. Furthermore, an anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer employing Sr 2 CoRuO 6-δ as both cathode and anode requires a cell voltage of 1.90 V at the current density of 1 A cm −2 and shows a stable and rapid response when coupled with fluctuating solar electricity. Combining complementary in-situ and microscopic techniques, spatiotemporal surface reconstruction behavior of Sr 2 CoRuO 6-δ under varied reactions is comprehensively investigated and true active components are identified.

DMD-Null mice exhibit severe muscle weakness, impaired regeneration, and deficient satellite cell function

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a debilitating and fatal X-linked disease affecting 1/5,000 males worldwide that currently has no cure [D. Duan, N. Goemans, S. Takeda, E. Mercuri, A. Aartsma-Rus, Nat. Rev. Dis. Primers 7 , 1–19 (2021), 10.1038/s41572-021-00248-3]. Vast amounts of research have been conducted on DMD, and one of the most common animal models for DMD studies is the mouse muscular dystrophy ( mdx ) model [J. W. McGreevy, C. H. Hakim, M. A. McIntosh, D. Duan, DMM Dis. Model. Mech. 8 , 195–213 (2015), 10.1242/DMM.018424/-/DC1]. Unfortunately, despite its shared genetic etiology, the mdx mouse shows a relatively mild dystrophic phenotype compared to affected humans, limiting its overall utility as a research model (G. Donen, N. Milad, P. Bernatchez, J. Neuromuscul. Dis. 10 , 1003 (2023), 10.3233/JND-230126]. Notably, mdx mice have a mutation preventing the production of full-length dystrophin but are still able to produce numerous short isoforms of dystrophin. Here, we provide a comprehensive functional characterization of DMD-Null mice, which lack all dystrophin isoforms. Our studies demonstrate that DMD-Null mice show a more severe skeletal muscle phenotype than mdx mice, characterized by profound weakness, decreased exercise tolerance, and impaired muscle regeneration, while utrophin upregulation was similarly observed in DMD-Null and mdx mice. We identify a marked deficit in satellite cell proliferation and myogenic differentiation, accompanied by downregulation of regenerative gene programs. These findings suggest potential contributions of short dystrophin isoforms to muscle stem cell function, and establish DMD-Null mice as a unique model for investigating the pathogenesis of DMD and testing therapeutic interventions targeting satellite cell health and regeneration.

Adaptive attention and severity estimation framework for robust pearl millet leaf disease identification

Abstract Pearl millet is an important crop in arid regions, but its yield is reduced by foliar diseases like Downy Mildew and Rust. Traditional and deep learning methods struggle with accurate lesion detection, severity estimation, and robustness under complex field conditions, and often lack interpretability for practical agricultural deployment. To address these challenges, this study proposes the Adaptive Severity-Aware Swin Attention Network (ASA-SAN), an integrated framework designed for disease segmentation, classification, and severity estimation in pearl millet leaves. The proposed architecture combines a Swin Transformer encoder for hierarchical feature extraction with a ResUNet++ decoder for accurate lesion segmentation. This is further enhanced using Adaptive Channel Attention to improve feature discrimination and a dual-stream classification network to jointly capture local lesion characteristics and global contextual information. Additionally, an Adaptive Disease Severity Index (ADSI) is introduced to quantitatively assess disease progression based on lesion area ratio, color degradation, edge irregularity, and texture variations. Experimental evaluations conducted on a pearl millet leaf dataset demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a Dice score of 97.8%, IoU of 95.6%, classification accuracy of 98.3%, and F1-score of 98.2%, outperforming several state-of-the-art methods. Furthermore, Grad-CAM visualizations enhance model interpretability by highlighting disease-relevant regions. Overall, the ASA-SAN framework provides a robust, interpretable, and severity-aware solution for automated pearl millet disease analysis, enabling early detection and supporting precision agriculture practices for improved crop protection and yield optimization.

A thin robot made of flexible electronics for in-situ machining and inspection of large structures

Elevated MyoD1 levels expand genome-wide binding and the repertoire of regulated genes

Transcription factor (TF) upregulation accompanies many cellular state transitions, yet how increased TF abundance impacts gene regulation remains unclear. Two broad models are often invoked, whereby higher TF levels amplify the expression of preexisting target genes, or, by mass-action binding, expand genome engagement and regulation to lower-affinity sites. We sought to elucidate how these two regulatory modes contribute to cell differentiation in a well-characterized myogenic system by upregulating the expression of the myogenic TF MyoD1 in C2C12 myoblasts. Unexpectedly, elevated MyoD1 levels impaired myoblast fusion (a hallmark of myogenic differentiation), yet enabled robust contraction in myotubes that did form. Live-cell single-molecule imaging and CUT and RUN profiling revealed that elevated MyoD1 dosage increased total genome-wide chromatin binding and broadened genome occupancy by preferentially engaging lower-affinity sites. Integrating CUT and RUN with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) experiments linked expanded MyoD1 binding to upregulation of cell adhesion genes. Cell mixing and fractionated RNA-seq experiments supported a two-population model in which an adhesion-gene-upregulated, unfused myoblast population supported contraction of myotubes formed by fusion-competent cells. Ectopic expression of several individual MyoD1-upregulated cell adhesion genes was sufficient to recapitulate the “off script” myotube contraction phenotype. Together, these results support a MyoD1 dose-dependent “spillover” model, in which increased TF abundance broadens cis-regulatory engagement and produces distinct cell differentiation outcomes.

Semaglutide treatment in MOSH is associated with altered DNA methylation patterns of genes related to glycolipid metabolism

Urolithin A activates aryl hydrocarbon receptor-NLRP6-mediated pathways in intestinal epithelial cells to modulate mucosal immunity and strengthen gut barrier integrity

Abstract The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) plays a central role in orchestrating gut barrier and mucosal immune functions in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nevertheless, activation of the AHR by diverse ligands yields varied outcomes, and the downstream pathways responsible for these effects remain unknown. Here, we report that selective activation of AHR in mouse intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) by the microbial metabolite, urolithin A (UroA), triggers the Nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 6 (NLRP6) inflammasome, resulting in the release of interleukin (IL)−18 but not IL-1β. Further, we show that UroA-induced IL-18 in IECs is critical for IL-22, mucin 2 and REG3γ production, as well as protection against colitis. Moreover, UroA significantly upregulates IL-18 and IL-22 levels in IECs and type-3 innate lymphoid cells, respectively, in intestinal biopsies from patients with IBD patients. These results demonstrate that activation of AHR by UroA modulates intestinal barrier function through an NLRP6-IL-18-IL-22 pathway in both healthy and IBD conditions.

Bacterial metabolism rather than necromass dominates input to soil organic carbon

Soil organic carbon (OC) sequestration is presumed to rely to a large extent on microbial transformation of plant residues into microbial necromass. Necromass formation, however, represents only one pathway by which microorganisms contribute to soil organic matter, while OC released through metabolism is often neglected. Using a dynamic modeling approach, we show that exudates and waste products contribute about equally to bacterially derived OC inputs to soil with median contributions of 10% each (95% CI of 0.5 to 73% and 0.6 to 71%, respectively). Exoenzymes contribute an additional 15% (5 to 41%) and necromass contributes 49% (5 to 84%) to bacterial products. Overall, 6% (2 to 27%) of the organic input is released into the soil as bacterial metabolites (exoenzymes, exudates, and waste products), and the same amount as bacterial necromass 6% (8 to 20%). Exudates and waste products are typically composed of small reactive compounds that differ greatly from necromass in their molecular properties and will therefore likely contribute disproportionally to long-term soil OC accrual.

Interplay of bound states in the continuum and Fano–Andreev interference in a hybrid triple quantum dot

Climate and plant traits drive a cross-continental imbalance in atmospheric Hg uptake

A single brief cue leaves a day-long internal state imprint in planarians

Behavioral decisions are elicited by environmental stimuli, but they are critically modulated by internal states. Persistent state-dependent biases are typically attributed to accumulated sensory history, high-intensity stimulation, or sustained environmental conditions. However, organisms also encounter isolated, innocuous perturbations whose long-term impacts remain poorly understood. Here, we show that a single brief mechanical cue induces changes in spontaneous locomotor activity in the planarian Dugesia japonica that persist over a day-long timescale. This cue specifically shortened rest bouts without altering within-bout movement kinematics, indicating a targeted shift in the transition probability out of rest rather than a general upregulation of motor activity. Furthermore, as this day-scale effect decayed, an underlying ultradian alternation in activity persisted. Our results demonstrate that postcue behavioral organization adopts a two-timescale structure, combining day-scale persistence with multihour patterning. This dual-layer architecture provides an empirical basis for understanding how a single environmental encounter can reprogram long-term behavioral patterns without further sensory input, extending the temporal reach of even compact nervous systems.

Evaluating the applicability of computational super-resolution techniques for harmonic generation microscopy

Abstract Second harmonic generation and third harmonic generation (SHG and THG) microscopy are nonlinear optical imaging techniques which have found a diverse range of applications in the investigation of both biological and synthetic nanostructures. Like all optical imaging techniques, the spatial resolution achievable using SHG and THG is limited by diffraction to around half of the excitation wavelength, a major impediment towards applications in nano imaging. Because of this, several groups have developed methods for super-resolution SHG and THG imaging, however these approaches have all involved the use of nonstandard microscope components which presents a technical and financial barrier to entry for those interested in applying these techniques. Here we investigate the application of several computational super-resolution techniques for SHG and THG imaging, with a focus on enabling super-resolution polarization-resolved SHG microscopy. We find that even though computational super-resolution was originally developed for incoherent imaging modalities such as fluorescence, it is able to provide a lateral resolution enhancement of up to 3.4× when imaging isolated nanostructures compared to a standard laser scanning harmonic generation microscope. While currently available CSR techniques are not able, in general, to correct for the inherent ambiguity between density of emitters and signal intensity within coherent imaging processes, we show that CSR can still provide improved localization in harmonic generation microscopy. We additionally show that two computational super-resolution techniques, super-resolution radial fluctuations and deblurring by pixel reassignment, preserve the polarization dependence of SHG signal, thereby allowing super-resolution polarization-resolved SHG measurements. These results are obtained with no modification to our microscope system and little change to the experimental workflow, and therefore present exciting opportunities for future applications of super-resolution SHG and THG microscopy.

Jumbo circular extrachromosomal elements of methane-oxidizing archaea with variably extensive metabolic and defense gene repertoires

Abstract Archaeal extrachromosomal elements (ECEs) are arguably the least well understood of all genetic elements, and few have >200 kbp (jumbo) genomes. Here, we report circular, jumbo ECEs with genomes of up to 535 kbp in length that associate with anaerobic methane-oxidizing Methanoperedens archaea. Notably, a 409-kbp genome related to jumbo ECEs is integrated into a subset of the ~4.2 Mbp Methanoperedens chromosomes at the tRNA-Asp genes. This represents the largest integrative element in Archaea and supports the jumbo ECE–host association. Multiple genome alignments and phylogenetic analyses suggest that the large ECE sizes developed by extensive DNA acquisition from Methanoperedens . The newly identified ECEs encode, and in some cases express, metabolic genes such as tetrahydromethanopterin S-methyltransferase exclusively involved in methane metabolism, and genes for nitrogen and sulfur compound transformations. Also encoded are defense systems, some of which are absent in hosts, such as hybrid Type I/Type III-A CRISPR-Cas systems. In contrast to viruses and plasmids, they have host-like replication machinery and occur at stable copy ratios of 1.44 ± 0.24:1 to the host. Overall, our results reveal a spectrum of jumbo ECEs of Methanoperedens , ranging from plasmid-like to minichromosome-like.