Browse Articles

An enhanced Bayesian approach for damage identification utilizing prior knowledge from refined elemental modal strain energy ratios

Acquisition of Fc-afucosylation of PfEMP1-specific IgG is age-dependent and associated with clinical protection against malaria

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 in infiltrating monocyte derived macrophages does not impair recovery after spinal cord injury in female mice

The zinc finger protein560(ZNF560) functions as a novel oncogenic gene in osteosarcoma

Recurrent models of orientation selectivity enable robust early-vision processing in mixed-signal neuromorphic hardware

In situ synthesis of ZnO/g-C3N4 based composites for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light

AbstractIn this study, in situ-synthesized ZnO/g-C3N4 based composites were used as photocatalysts for organic pollution removal. These nanocomposites were prepared through simple calcination of a mixture of melamine and ZnO nanoparticles and underwent comprehensive evaluation of their structural, morphological, optical, and photocatalytic properties, using various analytical techniques. As the g-C3N4 content increased, the band gap decreased from 3.02 to 2.94 eV. Additionally, the reduction in photoluminescence intensity confirmed the heterojunction interface between the g-C3N4 and ZnO components. The photodegradation rate of methylene blue (MB) dye exhibited an increase, rising from 0.016 (min−1) for ZnO and 0.011 (min−1) for g-C3N4 to 0.022 (min−1) for the ZnO/g-C3N4 (10 wt%) composite. Furthermore, combining ZnO (50 wt%) with g-C3N4 led to a significant enhancement in the MB dye removal efficiency, reaching 97% compared to the ZnO/g-C3N4 (10 wt%) composite. In contrast, the removal efficiencies were 90% for pristine ZnO and 73% for g-C3N4 phases.

Tumor detection on bronchoscopic images by unsupervised learning

Northern Hemisphere sea ice variability in a transient CGCM simulation of the past 2.6 Ma

Association between psoas muscle mass index and bone mineral density in patients undergoing hemodialysis

AbstractPatients undergoing dialysis are at risk of osteoporosis and sarcopenia because of mineral and bone disorders or malnutrition. Additionally, maintaining muscle mass is important to prevent osteoporosis. The psoas muscle mass index (PMI) was recently used to evaluate muscle mass. However, few studies have evaluated the association between the PMI and bone mineral density (BMD); therefore, we examined the association between PMI and BMD in the femoral neck (FN) of 80 patients (45 males, age, 71 (60–76) years; dialysis duration, 74 (36–140) months) undergoing hemodialysis. FN-BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and PMI was evaluated using psoas muscle areas on computed tomography. FN-BMD and PMI were significantly higher in males than in females. In a correlation analysis, sex, BMI, serum creatinine levels, HbA1c levels, and PMI were positively correlated with FN-BMD, whereas age, history of bone fracture, difficulty in walking and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase level were negatively correlated. In the multivariate regression analysis using clinical factors significantly correlated to FN-BMD, including PMI, both sex (standardized coefficient: 0.249, p = 0.028) and PMI (standardized coefficient: 0.249, p = 0.038) were extracted. Multivariable linear regression analysis using PMI and traditional osteoporosis factors revealed that PMI was significantly and independently associated with FN-BMD (standardized coefficient: 0.308, p = 0.010). In conclusion, PMI was positively associated with FN-BMD. Attention should be paid to the possibility of decreased BMD with decreased muscle mass.

Computational and GC-MS screening of bioactive compounds from Thymus Vulgaris targeting mycolactone protein associated with Buruli ulcer

Leveraging haplotype information in heritability estimation and polygenic prediction

Feeding behavior and prey characteristics of great egrets (Ardea alba) in eco-friendly and conventional rice fields in South Korea

In-vitro antifungal potential of myco versus bacteria synthesized ZnO NPs against chickpea and apricot pathogen

A tunable human intestinal organoid system achieves controlled balance between self-renewal and differentiation

The relationship between prenatal drought exposure and the diversity and composition of gut microbiome in pregnant women and neonates

Investigating the inflammatory effect of microplastics in cigarette butts on peripheral blood mononuclear cells

DSIF factor Spt5 coordinates transcription, maturation and exoribonucleolysis of RNA polymerase II transcripts

AbstractPrecursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) is processed into its functional form during RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription. Although functional coupling between transcription and pre-mRNA processing is established, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We show that the key transcription termination factor, RNA exonuclease Xrn2 engages with Pol II forming a stable complex. Xrn2 activity is stimulated by Spt5 to ensure efficient degradation of nascent RNA leading to Pol II dislodgement from DNA. Our results support a model where Xrn2 first forms a stable complex with the elongating Pol II to achieve its full activity in degrading nascent RNA revising the current ‘torpedo’ model of termination, which posits that RNA degradation precedes Xrn2 engagement with Pol II. Spt5 is also a key factor that attenuates the expression of non-coding transcripts, coordinates pre-mRNA splicing and 3’-end processing. Our findings indicate that engagement with the transcribing Pol II is an essential regulatory step modulating the activity of RNA enzymes such as Xrn2, thus advancing our understanding of how RNA maturation is controlled during transcription.

Optimism bias, judgment of severity, and behavioral change during two stages of the pandemics in China

Elimination of nickel ions in a packed column using clamshell waste as an adsorbent

Meta-EA: a gene-specific combination of available computational tools for predicting missense variant effects