Establishing bio-logging data collections as dynamic archives of animal life on Earth.

Rapid growth in bio-logging-the use of animal-borne electronic tags to document the movements, behaviour, physiology and environments of wildlife-offers opportunities to mitigate biodiversity threats and expand digital natural history archives. Here we present a vision to achieve such benefits by accounting for the heterogeneity inherent to bio-logging data and the concerns of those who collect and use them. First, we can enable data integration through standard vocabularies, transfer protocols and aggregation protocols, and drive their wide adoption.

Refining breast cancer genetic risk and biology through multi-ancestry fine-mapping analyses of 192 risk regions.

Genome-wide association studies have identified approximately 200 genetic risk loci for breast cancer, but the causal variants and target genes are mostly unknown. We sought to fine-map all known breast cancer risk loci using genome-wide association study data from 172,737 female breast cancer cases and 242,009 controls of African, Asian and European ancestry. We identified 332 independent association signals for breast cancer risk, including 131 signals not reported previously, and for 50 of them, we narrowed the credible causal variants down to a single variant.

Vessel strike encounter risk model informs mortality risk for endangered North Atlantic right whales along the United States east coast.

Vessel strikes are a critical threat to endangered North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), significantly contributing to their elevated mortality. Accurate estimates of these mortality rates are essential for developing effective management strategies to aid in the species' recovery. This study enhances existing vessel strike models by incorporating detailed regional data on vessel traffic characteristics as well as whale distribution and behavior.

Assessing asymmetric enhancement on breast MRI: Besting the diagnostic challenge with imaging and clinical clues.

Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the highest sensitivity for breast cancer detection compared to other breast imaging modalities such as mammography and ultrasound. As a functional modality, it captures the increased angiogenic activity of breast cancer through gadolinium-based contrast enhancement. Normal breast tissue also enhances, albeit in distinct patterns termed background parenchymal enhancement (BPE).

Factors That Influence Young Adults' Preferences for Virtual Reality Exergames in a Weight Control Setting: Qualitative Study.

Background: Obesity could compromise people's health and elevate the risk of numerous severe chronic conditions and premature mortality. Young adults are at high risk of adopting unhealthy lifestyles related to overweight and obesity, as they are at a phase marked by several significant life milestones that have been linked to weight gain. They gain weight rapidly and excess adiposity mostly accrues, compared with middle-aged and older adults when weight stabilizes or even decreases.

Classification of non-TCGA cancer samples to TCGA molecular subtypes using compact feature sets.

Molecular subtypes, such as defined by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), delineate a cancer's underlying biology, bringing hope to inform a patient's prognosis and treatment plan. However, most approaches used in the discovery of subtypes are not suitable for assigning subtype labels to new cancer specimens from other studies or clinical trials. Here, we address this barrier by applying five different machine learning approaches to multi-omic data from 8,791 TCGA tumor samples comprising 106 subtypes from 26 different cancer cohorts to build models based upon small numbers of features that can classify new samples into previously defined TCGA molecular subtypes-a step toward molecular subtype application in the clinic.

Molecular basis of proton sensing by G protein-coupled receptors.

Three proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs)-GPR4, GPR65, and GPR68-respond to extracellular pH to regulate diverse physiology. How protons activate these receptors is poorly understood. We determined cryogenic-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of each receptor to understand the spatial arrangement of proton-sensing residues.

The Effect of Shoe Insole Stiffness Modifications on Walking Performance in Older Adults: A Feasibility Study.

Shoes or insoles embedded with carbon fiber materials to increase longitudinal stiffness have been shown to enhance running and walking performance in elite runners, and younger adults, respectively. It is unclear, however, if such stiffness modifications can translate to enhanced mobility in older adults who typically walk with greater metabolic cost of transport compared to younger adults. Here, we sought to test whether adding footwear stiffness via carbon fiber insoles could improve walking outcomes (eg, distance traveled and metabolic cost of transport) in older adults during the 6-minute walk test.

Migration and risk assessment of heavy metals from swine manure in an organic fertilizer - soil - ryegrass - rex rabbit system: Based on field trials.

Organic fertilizers were produced through maggot-composting (MC) and natural composting (NC) using swine manure, and the migration, contamination, and health risks of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb) were evaluated within a fertilizer - soil - ryegrass - Rex rabbit system. After 70 days of treatment, heavy metals were concentrated by 43.23 % to 100 % in MC and 52.

Evaluation of testing approaches for constituent leaching from electric arc furnace (EAF) slags.

Increased usage of electric arc furnace (EAF) slags as soil amendments and surface aggregates raises concerns regarding heavy metal release. However, no standardized leaching characterization approach exists for EAF slags and other industrial materials. This study compares test results for three EAF slags using several testing approaches: (i) total content analysis, (ii) single-batch extractions (i.

LTBP2 silence suppresses glioblastoma proliferation and tumor growth of xenograft tumor mice through modulating JAK2/STAT2 signaling pathway.

Glioblastoma is considered the most malignant central nervous system tumor. This study aimed to investigate effects of latent transforming growth factor-β binding protein-2 (LTBP2) on glioblastoma growth and associated mechanisms. LTBP2 gene transcription in glioblastoma was determined using RT-PCR.

Estimating cardiovascular mortality in patients with hypertension using machine learning: The role of depression classification based on lifestyle and physical activity.

Purpose: This study aims to harness machine learning techniques, particularly the Random Survival Forest (RSF) model, to assess the impact of depression on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality among hypertensive patients. A key objective is to elucidate the interplay between mental health, lifestyle, and physical activity while comparing the effectiveness of the RSF model against the traditional Cox proportional hazards model in predicting CVD mortality.

Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2007 to 2014 were used for comprehensive depression screening.

The curated Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM genome provides insights into strain specificity and microevolution.

Background: The advent of next generation sequencing technologies has enabled a surge in the number of whole genome sequences in public databases, and our understanding of the composition and evolution of bacterial genomes. Besides model organisms and pathogens, some attention has been dedicated to industrial bacteria, notably members of the Lactobacillaceae family that are commonly studied and formulated as probiotic bacteria. Of particular interest is Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, an extensively studied strain that has been widely commercialized for decades and is being used for the delivery of vaccines and therapeutics.

Endophytic Microbial Community Structure and Dynamics Influence Agarwood Formation in Aquilaria malaccensis Lam.

Aquilaria malaccensis Lam., an Agarwood-producing tree native to Southeast Asia, secretes oleoresin, a resin with diverse applications, in response to injuries. To explore the role of endosphere microbial communities during Agarwood development, we utilized a metagenomics approach across three stages: non-symptomatic (NC), symptomatic early (IN), and symptomatic mature (IN1).

Production of Oncorhynchus mykiss biosensor based on polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanocomposite using phycocyanin during refrigerated storage.

Smart packaging, also known as intelligent packaging, is responsive to external stimuli, moisture, light, oxygen, heat, pH, and bacterial growth. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol/nanochitosan/phycocyanin nanocomposite (PVA/NCH/PC-NC) for fish fillets of Oncorhynchus mykiss rainbow trout coating was prepared. Five treatments were prepared over a period of 14 days (0, 1, 7 and 14 days) under treatments of T: fish coated with PVA/NCH-NC without PC; T, T T and T fish coated with PVA/NCH/PC-NC (0.

Effects of RARα ligand binding domain mutations on breast fibroepithelial tumor function and signaling.

Point mutations in the ligand binding domain of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) are linked to breast fibroepithelial tumor development, but their role in solid tumorigenesis is unclear. In this study, we assessed the functional effects of known RARα mutations on retinoic acid signaling using biochemical and cellular assays. All tested mutants exhibited reduced transcriptional activity compared to wild-type RARα and showed a dominant negative effect, a feature associated with developmental defects and tumor formation.

Variation in a single allele drives divergent yield responses to elevated CO between rice subspecies.

Rising atmospheric CO generally increases yield of indica rice, one of the two main Asian cultivated rice subspecies, more strongly than japonica rice, the other main subspecies. The molecular mechanisms driving this difference remain unclear, limiting the potential of future rice yield increases through breeding efforts. Here, we show that between-species variation in the DNR1 (DULL NITROGEN RESPONSE1) allele, a regulator of nitrate-use efficiency in rice plants, explains the divergent response to elevated atmospheric CO (eCO) conditions.

Reductive sulfinylation by nucleophilic chain isomerization of sulfonylpyridinium.

Sulfur-containing units are fundamental components widely found in bioactive compounds, prompting notable efforts toward developing synthetic methodologies for incorporating sulfur functionality into organic precursors. The synthesis of sulfinate esters and sulfinamides has garnered significant interest owing to their immense potential for applications, especially in drug development. However, most existing synthetic protocols suffer from some limitations.

Dual Mechanism for Transient Capacitance Anomaly in Improper Ferroelectrics.

Negative capacitance (NC) effects in ferroelectrics can potentially break fundamental limits of power dissipation known as "Boltzmann tyranny." However, the origin of transient NC of ferroelectrics, which is attributed to two different mechanisms involving free-energy landscape and nucleation, is under intense debate. Here, we report the coexistence of transient NC and an S-shaped anomaly during the switching of ferroelectric hexagonal ferrites capacitor in an RC circuit.

The Pelvic Floor Disorders Network: Evolution Over Two Decades of Female Pelvic Floor Research.

Importance: This review aimed to describe research initiatives, evolution, and processes of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-supported Pelvic Floor Disorders Network (PFDN). This may be of interest and inform researchers wishing to conduct multisite coordinated research initiatives as well as to provide perspective to all urogynecologists regarding how the PFDN has evolved and functions.

Study Design: Principal investigators of several PFDN clinical sites and Data Coordinating Center describe more than 20 years of development and maturation of the PFDN.

Minimally Invasive Total Versus Supracervical Hysterectomy With Sacrocolpopexy.

Importance: Limited data exist comparing total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) versus laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSCH) at the time of minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy for uterovaginal prolapse.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare TLH versus LSCH at the time of minimally invasive sacrocolpopexy for uterovaginal prolapse, hypothesizing that LSCH would demonstrate a higher proportion of recurrent prolapse, but a lower proportion of mesh exposures.

Study Design: This was a retrospective, secondary analysis comparing a prospective cohort of patients undergoing TLH sacrocolpopexy versus a retrospective cohort of patients who had undergone LSCH sacrocolpopexy.

Comparative Analysis of Intracranial Response Assessment Criteria in Patients With Melanoma Brain Metastases Treated With Combination Nivolumab + Ipilimumab in CheckMate 204.

Purpose: In CheckMate 204, nivolumab + ipilimumab showed high intracranial (IC) objective response rates (icORRs) in patients with melanoma brain metastases (MBMs). Using icORR as a surrogate for overall survival (OS) has prompted use of alternate response criteria. To set the stage for harmonized MBM trials, the aim of this exploratory analysis was to determine icORR using several response criteria and examine correlations of response with survival.

Wide-ranging predictions of new stable compounds powered by recommendation engines.

The computational search for new stable inorganic compounds is faster than ever, thanks to high-throughput density functional theory (DFT). However, stable compound searches remain highly expensive because of the enormous search space and the cost of DFT calculations. To aid these searches, recommendation engines have been developed.