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A natural variation in rice susceptibility factor Rsf1 confers resistance to root-knot nematode
ELO-STRIP BASED IMPEDANCE TUNING FOR DUAL-BAND SIW CAVITY-BACKED ANTENNAS FOR MMWAVE APPLICATIONS
Hierarchical interplay between H3K27ac and H3K4me3 in transcriptional regulation
Predictive modeling of strength characteristics of sustainable concrete using artificial neural networks with luffa fiber and marble dust
IL-2 mutein promotes antigen-specific transplant acceptance in mice through expansion of ST2+ regulatory T cells
Radiation shielding and microstructural characteristics of nano-silica and nano-alumina modified cement composites
Abstract The increasing use of nuclear technology in medicine, industry, and energy requires effective durable radiation shielding. This study aimed to develop and characterize nano-modified cementitious composites for enhanced gamma-ray shielding with quantitative structure-property relationships. Two-year-aged cementitious composites were prepared by partially replacing ordinary Portland cement with 5 wt% nano-silica or nano-alumina, labeled Si–C and Al–C, respectively, alongside unmodified cement (B-C) as a reference. Comprehensive multi-scale characterization included density measurement, surface area and porosity analysis (BET), particle size and colloidal stability assessment (DLS and zeta-potential), phase analysis (XRD), morphological observation (SEM-EDX), and chemical bonding analysis (FTIR). Density values were 2.78, 2.81, and 2.92 ±0.01 g·cm $$^{-3}$$ for Si–C, B–C, and Al–C, respectively. BET analysis showed that Si–C and Al–C have 3.1–4.4-fold higher surface areas (290.11–416.07 m $$^{2}$$ /g) and smaller pores (6–9 nm) than B–C (94.64 m $$^{2}$$ /g, 28.82 nm). DLS/zeta-potential measurements showed particle sizes of 48.4 ±2.1 nm (Si–C) and 78.8 ±3.5 nm (Al–C) with –15.6 to –17.8 mV zeta-potentials versus B–C (1718 ±35.2 nm, –2.0 mV), confirming enhanced electrostatic stabilization and nano-modifiers dispersion. Quantitative XRD phase analysis revealed that Si–C exhibited significantly higher tobermorite content (53.6%) compared to B–C (37.7%) and Al–C (35.5%), indicating enhanced pozzolanic reactivity and C–S–H gel formation. Gamma-ray shielding parameters-including linear and mass attenuation coefficients (LAC, MAC), half- and tenth-value layers (HVL, TVL), effective atomic number (Z $$_{eff}$$ ), and exposure and energy absorption buildup factors (EBF, EABF) were evaluated over an energy range of 1 keV to 100 GeV. Calculations were performed using the Py-MLBUF (Python Machine Learning Buildup Factor) code, and the Py-AMA.Seidy model, validated against NIST XCOM data (differences <0.4%). Al-C showed the highest LAC (53.37 cm $$^{-1}$$ at 0.015 MeV) and the lowest HVL and TVL, consistent with its highest density and increased Al/Fe content. The Z $$_{eff}$$ values ranged from $$\sim$$ 11.8 to $$\sim$$ 17.3, with Al–C exhibiting the highest values. Buildup factors (EBF/EABF) at 1 mean free path (mfp) were lowest for Al–C, indicating reduced secondary photon contribution. Double-layer shielding analysis revealed that placing B–C as the first layer, followed by Si–C or Al–C reduced double-layer buildup factors by 15–25% compared to the reverse order. Microstructural characterization confirmed that nano-silica promoted a dense, homogeneous C–S–H-rich matrix with high tobermorite content, while nano-alumina increased density and promoted C–A–S-H formation. The established structure–density–shielding relationships demonstrate that Al–C is a promising candidate for advanced radiation shielding in nuclear, medical, and industrial facilities.
Links between the Archean hydrosphere and Earth’s interior
Association between risk-related lifestyle factors, screening adherence and breast cancer incidence: a decomposition analysis
Abstract Adherence to breast cancer (BC) screening may have mediated the association between lifestyle-related risk factors and BC incidence, but evidence on this hypothesis remains limited. This study aimed to decompose the overall effects of lifestyle factors on BC incidence, considering the mediating effect of screening adherence. In this longitudinal cohort study with follow-up from 2001 (cohort age: 50–55) to 2019 (cohort age: 68–73), we used a four-way decomposition approach to break down the overall effect of lifestyle factors on BC incidence into direct effects and mediated effects through screening adherence to quantify their total excess risk ratios (TERRs). Of the 10,579 women included in the study, 5.40% ( n = 571) were diagnosed with BC during follow-up, with a higher proportion among those who adhered to BC screening (5.83%, n = 474) than non-adherers (3.96%, n = 97). The overall increased risk of BC was observed for higher body mass index (BMI) (TERR = 1.30), alcohol consumption (TERR = 1.55), and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use (TERR = 1.57) (all P < 0.0001). The direct effects remained significant for BMI (excess relative risk [ERR] = 0.37, p = 0.001), alcohol consumption (ERR = 0.44, p = 0.003), and oral contraceptive use (ERR = − 0.69, p < 0.001) after adjusting for the mediation effect of screening. Significant indirect effects were also observed for alcohol consumption (3.32%, p = 0.001) and HRT use (5.08%, p < 0.001). These findings underscore the complex nature of BC risk and highlight the importance of considering both lifestyle factors and screening in cancer prevention strategies.
Non-equilibrium stratification in supercritical CO2
Cross-attention guided explainable deep transformer model for multi-level classification of rare neurological disorders using MRI images
Human detection of AI-generated faces and voices is not domain-general
Abstract Recent technological advances have resulted in synthetic faces and voices being perceptually indistinguishable from real faces and voices in typical populations. Faces and voices possess rich personal and social information, meaning synthetic faces and voices, commonly known as “deepfakes” can be used for identity theft, financial fraud, and misinformation campaigns. It is currently unknown whether detection of real versus synthetic content is modality-specific, or whether it generalizes across sensory domains. We conducted a preregistered study in which participants classified real and AI-generated faces and voices. Performance for both face and voice classification was significantly above chance. Using signal detection theory to analyze individuals’ ability to classify stimuli, we observed no evidence of a domain-general effect, indicating detection ability may not generalize across face and voice domains and is instead domain-specific. Participants’ confidence tracked accuracy for faces but not for voices, suggesting metacognitive insight may be modality-specific. The findings are discussed in terms of whether the absence of an effect reflects classification driven solely by domain-specific abilities or arises from the experimental design itself. Ultimately, in applied contexts, it is important to recognize that expertise in detecting synthetic content might be modality specific.
Multimodal oral cancer detection with embedding-level oversampling of fused image and clinical data
Excessive postpartum body condition score loss coincides with skeletal muscle proteolysis in dairy cows: molecular and biochemical evidence
An approach to assess the impact of measures mitigating burden associated with COVID-19 in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia)
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic prompted extraordinary response measures in Central Asia ( Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia), but mortality outcomes varied. This retrospective population-based ecological study assessed age-standardized COVID-19 mortality rates (ASMRs per 100,000) from January 2020 to December 2021. Monthly COVID-19 deaths and population data by age and sex were obtained from official statistical and health sources. ASMRs were calculated using direct age standardization; monthly trends were examined by country, sex, and age group using joinpoint regression and interpreted in relation to governmental mitigation measures and circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. Rates were higher in men than in women: in Kazakhstan, 24.8 vs. 12.8 in 2020 and 87.3 vs. 67.6 in 2021, in Kyrgyzstan, 46.6 vs. 25.2 and 40.8 vs. 29.7, respectively; and in Mongolia, 91.5 vs. 73.1 in 2021, with no deaths reported in 2020. In 2021, the gap between men and women narrowed as female ASMR increased fivefold. COVID-19 mortality was observed among infants in Kazakhstan and children ages 0–4 in Mongolia (2021). Rates rose sharply from age 60, especially among men and showed distinct country-specific timing: an early peak in Kyrgyzstan, delayed acceleration in Kazakhstan, and a late rise in Mongolia. These results underscore the need for timely, coordinated, age- and sex-sensitive response measures and targeted protection of vulnerable groups.
Electrophotocatalysis Enables Birch‐Type Dearomative Alkylation
ABSTRACT Birch‐type dearomative alkylation of (hetero)arenes is straightforward for constructing skeletons bearing sp 3 ‐hybridized carbon centers. However, such a tandem reaction suffers from competitive protonation and intractable alkylation, leading to the formation of 1,4‐cyclohexadienes rather than dearomative alkylation in a one‐pot reaction. Herein we report the first electrophotocatalytic Birch‐type dearomative alkylation of (hetero)arenes. Using N,N ‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)perylene‐3,4,9,10‐bis(dicarboximide) as an electrophotocatalyst and alkyl chlorides as alkylating agents, a range of anthracene, naphthalene and acridine derivatives have been successfully converted into their dearomatively alkylated frameworks. Control experiments, spectroscopic studies and DFT calculations revealed that tetrabutylammonium‐stabilized arene radical anions can react with alkyl chlorides under metal‐free conditions via “Birch‐S N 2” or “XAT‐SR N 1” pathway. The extremely mild reaction conditions, high site selectivity and diverse functional group tolerance, together with the simulated sunlight trials and the utilization of solar electricity, highlight promising potential of this tandem reaction in directly modifying (hetero)arenes with various electrophiles.
Stochastic three-term conjugate gradient: a third-order curvature approximation correction algorithmic framework for machine learning
Abstract Classical conjugate gradient methods rely solely on first-order information, which limits their ability to capture curvature information in nonconvex stochastic optimization. To address this limitation, this paper proposes a stochastic three-term conjugate gradient algorithm incorporating third-order curvature approximation (TASCG). By integrating third-order tensor information into the search direction, the proposed algorithm enhances its ability to capture the local geometry of nonconvex loss landscapes, while satisfying both the sufficient descent property and boundedness conditions without additional assumptions. Under standard assumptions of gradient Lipschitz continuity and bounded variance, we rigorously establish global convergence of the TASCG algorithm and derive a stochastic first-order oracle complexity bound of $$\mathcal {O}(\epsilon ^{-2})$$ , which matches the optimal complexity of classical stochastic gradient methods. To further improve gradient estimation accuracy, we incorporate variance reduction techniques into the TASCG framework, resulting in the variant TASCG-VR. Numerical experiments on nonconvex SVM and empirical risk minimization problems demonstrate that the proposed algorithms significantly outperform standard SGD and SVRG in terms of convergence speed and final solution accuracy, while being more robust to step-size selection. This work provides a novel theoretical perspective and algorithmic framework for integrating higher-order geometric information into stochastic conjugate gradient methods.
Effects of ozone exposure on house dust mites
Abstract House dust mites (HDMs), particularly Dermatophagoides farinae , are commonly found in household dust and play a key role in allergic diseases such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. Beyond clinical management, allergen removal strategies are crucial for improving quality of life. Hence, this study investigated the effects of ozone exposure on D. farinae , focusing on changes in protein expression, surface bacterial composition, mortality, and mobility. Mites were exposed to ozone concentrations of 0.05, 0.5, and 1 ppm for 24, 48, and 72 h in a controlled chamber, with non-exposed mites serving as controls. Western blotting using anti-Der f 1 and anti-Blo t 5 antibodies assessed changes in allergen profiles, while 16 S rRNA sequencing characterised changes in surface bacterial communities. Mortality was evaluated using 100 mites per group under varying exposure durations. To assess behavioural responses, a three-chamber mobility assay was conducted, where mites were placed in a central compartment flanked by no-ozone and low-ozone chambers, and their distribution was recorded after 72 h. Ozone exposure resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent reduction of Der f 1 protein intensity, suggesting allergen degradation. Surface bacterial profiling revealed distinct compositional shifts following ozone exposure. Mortality increased proportionally with ozone concentration and duration. In the mobility assay, mites predominantly remained in the no-ozone chamber, indicating avoidance of ozone. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that ozone exposure affects D. farinae at molecular, microbial, and behavioural levels, highlighting ozone’s potential role in modulating mite allergenicity and ecology.
A Bioinspired Approach toward the Complex Cyclotaxane Taxpropellane
ABSTRACT Taxpropellane is a structurally unique and complex member of the taxane family. Taxpropellane features two additional transannular C−C bonds and a hemiketal C−O bond embedded in the classical [6‐8‐6] taxane skeleton. Consequently, its sterically highly compact and caged hexacyclic scaffold with 11 contiguous stereocenters, including five all‐carbon quaternary centers, renders it one of the most complex taxane diterpenes. Here we report a bioinspired approach for the efficient semisynthesis of a C1,C7‐oxygenated taxpropellane analogue 18 in 15 steps from 10‐deacetylbaccatin III. Key transformations included: (1) a bioinspired singlet oxygen ene reaction to prepare the [2+2] cycloaddition precursor 17 with a sterically hindered C3−C4 tetrasubstituted double bond; (2) a [2+2] cycloaddition/hemiketalization cascade reaction to efficiently assemble the desired two transannular C−C bonds and a hemiketal C−O bond, allowing conversion of the classical [6‐8‐6] core to the highly intricate [6‐4‐5‐5‐6‐5] taxpropellane core in a single step. This work offered broader insight into the biosynthetic relationships between classical and nonclassical taxanes. Several synthetic taxpropellane analogues (e.g., 41 and 42 ) displayed potent cytotoxicity against different cancer cell lines.
Effects of roadside habitat management on epigeic arthropod diversity: a case study from the Nitra-Selenec expressway junction
Abstract Linear transport infrastructure fragments habitats, but its edges can serve as significant refuges for invertebrates. Management of these verges is crucial to realise this conservation potential, but the impact of specific habitat measures on epigeic arthropods remains poorly understood. This study assessed the impact of roadside habitat management on the diversity and composition of epigeic arthropods, using ground beetles (Carabidae) and harvestmen (Opiliones) as bioindicators at the Nitra-Selenec expressway junction, Slovakia. Over two years, we used pitfall traps to sample epigeic arthropods at ten sites managed under three different regimes: passive management (no intervention), active management with renewal/seeding (commercial grass-herb mixture), and active management with mulching only. We analysed the influence of management, vegetation structure, and landscape variables on species assemblages using redundancy analysis and predicted population trends using machine learning. We recorded 1,416 carabids (50 species) and 1,409 harvestmen (6 species). The renewal/seeding intervention had a significant negative effect on the community composition. The structure of the vegetation, specifically the cover of the herb layer and species richness of the shrub layer, were the most significant positive drivers of community assembly. Furthermore, distance from the road significantly influenced species distribution. Analysis of population trends revealed a gradual increase in carabid abundance over time, but an alarming decline in harvestmen. Active revegetation with commercial seed mixtures creates a homogeneous habitat that is less suitable for diverse epigeic communities than passive management. The structural complexity provided by various native vegetation is a key factor in supporting invertebrates. Implications for insect conservation: We recommend that roadside managers prioritise passive management or regionally appropriate native seed mixtures over commercial revegetation, maintain structural complexity of vegetation through a reduced frequency of mowing (1–2 times annually at ≥ 10 cm height), and adopt mosaic approaches that combine intensive mowing only in safety-critical zones with extensive management elsewhere.