Recent ucd_psa items

Toward Comprehensive Catalogs of Volcanic Seismicity: Insights from Template-Matching, Machine Learning and Network Coherence at Mount Saint Helens Volcano

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Toward Comprehensive Catalogs of Volcanic Seismicity: Insights from Template-Matching, Machine Learning and Network Coherence at Mount Saint Helens Volcano

2026 UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Book of Abstracts

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

2026 UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Book of Abstracts

Interspecific competition in poison frog tadpoles

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Interspecific competition in poison frog tadpoles

Almond-Ash Activated Concrete: Scaling Biomass Ash & Paver Production

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Almond-Ash Activated Concrete: Scaling Biomass Ash & Paver Production

Understanding Drivers of Water Availability at the Local Level in California

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding Drivers of Water Availability at the Local Level in California

Early-life immune landscape shapes cognition across the lifespan in rhesus macaques

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Early-life immune landscape shapes cognition across the lifespan in rhesus macaques

From laboratory to farm: Evaluating biochar-assisted composting for climate change mitigation and nutrient retention

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

From laboratory to farm: Evaluating biochar-assisted composting for climate change mitigation and nutrient retention

Characterization of the Penetration Response of Rotary CPT in Sands and its Engineering Application

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Characterization of the Penetration Response of Rotary CPT in Sands and its Engineering Application

A genetically encoded biosensor platform for assessing GPCR dimer formation and modulation

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A genetically encoded biosensor platform for assessing GPCR dimer formation and modulation

Conversations in Health-Literacy using AI-Technology in OsteoArthritis (CHAT-OA): Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Conversations in Health-Literacy using AI-Technology in OsteoArthritis (CHAT-OA): Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

A Sustainable Cellulose/Clay Aerogel Platform for On-Farm Nitrate Removal and Monitoring in agriculture Wastewater

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A Sustainable Cellulose/Clay Aerogel Platform for On-Farm Nitrate Removal and Monitoring in agriculture Wastewater

Re-designing reservoir operations for a decarbonizing grid under climate change

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Re-designing reservoir operations for a decarbonizing grid under climate change

Optoretinographic response of human photoreceptors during dark adaptation

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Optoretinographic response of human photoreceptors during dark adaptation

Engineering Tunable Cyborg Bacterial Vaccines Using Intracellular Hydrogelation

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Engineering Tunable Cyborg Bacterial Vaccines Using Intracellular Hydrogelation

Synergistic Roles of Host Immunity and Antibiotic Treatment in Reducing Bacterial Infection in Mice

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Synergistic Roles of Host Immunity and Antibiotic Treatment in Reducing Bacterial Infection in Mice

Arctic Rusting Streams and Rivers Show Spatial and Temporal Variability in Dissolved Metal Concentrations from Acid Rock Drainage

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Arctic Rusting Streams and Rivers Show Spatial and Temporal Variability in Dissolved Metal Concentrations from Acid Rock Drainage

Structural uncertainty in reservoir operations models: a benchmark study across CONUS

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Structural uncertainty in reservoir operations models: a benchmark study across CONUS

Mitochondrial respiratory complexes of Ustilago maydis

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mitochondrial respiratory complexes of Ustilago maydis

A novel, rapid method confirms leaf airspace unsaturation in hypostomatous leaves

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A novel, rapid method confirms leaf airspace unsaturation in hypostomatous leaves

Low-cost spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy for real-time characterization and source identification of toxic metals

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Low-cost spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy for real-time characterization and source identification of toxic metals

Newborn blood DNA methylation correlates likelihood of autism spectrum disorder with grandparental cigarette smoking

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Newborn blood DNA methylation correlates likelihood of autism spectrum disorder with grandparental cigarette smoking

Rapid Detection of MOAH Contamination in Food Matrices Using A-TEEM and Machine Learning Models

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Rapid Detection of MOAH Contamination in Food Matrices Using A-TEEM and Machine Learning Models

Question of Reduction: Percutaneous Reduction Improves Modified Radiographic Union Scores for Intercalary Femoral Fractures at 12 weeks

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Question of Reduction: Percutaneous Reduction Improves Modified Radiographic Union Scores for Intercalary Femoral Fractures at 12 weeks

Magmatic Volatile Flux Drives Non-Eruptive Volcano-Tectonic Seismicity at Mount St. Helens, USA From 2008–2024

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Magmatic Volatile Flux Drives Non-Eruptive Volcano-Tectonic Seismicity at Mount St. Helens, USA From 2008–2024

Longitudinal flavoprotein fluorescence (FPF) in the optic nerve as a biomarker of oxidative stress in a nonhuman primate model of autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Longitudinal flavoprotein fluorescence (FPF) in the optic nerve as a biomarker of oxidative stress in a nonhuman primate model of autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA)

Mathematical modeling of modern stromatolites

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mathematical modeling of modern stromatolites

Effect of NHIP on reactive oxygen species levels in MeCP2+/- neural progenitor cells

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Effect of NHIP on reactive oxygen species levels in MeCP2+/- neural progenitor cells

Optimizing sample preparation for solving multiple respiratory supercomplex structures from Mung Bean (Vigna radiata)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Optimizing sample preparation for solving multiple respiratory supercomplex structures from Mung Bean (Vigna radiata)

Beyond Equilibrium: Amorphous Precursor-Mediated Ti Uptake and Its Implications for TitaniQ Thermobarometry

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Beyond Equilibrium: Amorphous Precursor-Mediated Ti Uptake and Its Implications for TitaniQ Thermobarometry

AI and Kinetic Modeling of Thermal Death in Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Larvae

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

AI and Kinetic Modeling of Thermal Death in Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Larvae

High-fat diet disrupts daily physiology through protein S-palmitoylation

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

High-fat diet disrupts daily physiology through protein S-palmitoylation

Genomic diversity and host-specificity in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis using comparative population genomics

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Genomic diversity and host-specificity in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis using comparative population genomics

From Lab to Field: A Molecular Test for detecting Phytophthora spp. in Nursery Water Systems

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

From Lab to Field: A Molecular Test for detecting Phytophthora spp. in Nursery Water Systems

2026 UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Book of Abstracts

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

2026 UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Book of Abstracts

Practice Patterns of Joint-Preserving Alternatives to Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Practice Patterns of Joint-Preserving Alternatives to Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

Programmable Non-replicating Mammalian Cells for Robust Biomanufacturing

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Programmable Non-replicating Mammalian Cells for Robust Biomanufacturing

Water management impacts on the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in rice grain: a meta-analysis

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Water management impacts on the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in rice grain: a meta-analysis

High-throughput machine-learning quantification of plant cellular barriers across species and microbial treatments

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

High-throughput machine-learning quantification of plant cellular barriers across species and microbial treatments

What Makes Recharge Effective for Streamflow Support? Lessons from Basin Scale HydrologicModeling

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

What Makes Recharge Effective for Streamflow Support? Lessons from Basin Scale HydrologicModeling

Immunological and Safety Profile of CCL3 Therapy in Diabetic Wound: A Pre-Clinical Study

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Immunological and Safety Profile of CCL3 Therapy in Diabetic Wound: A Pre-Clinical Study

Investigating the use of Xeno Nucleic Acids (XNAs) in guide-strand design for RNA-editing by ADAR

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Investigating the use of Xeno Nucleic Acids (XNAs) in guide-strand design for RNA-editing by ADAR

Trusting Machine Learning with Physics: A Fidelity Verification Framework for Complex Systems

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Trusting Machine Learning with Physics: A Fidelity Verification Framework for Complex Systems

Valorization of Dairy Byproducts into Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Bioplastics via Halophilic Fermentation

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Valorization of Dairy Byproducts into Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Bioplastics via Halophilic Fermentation

Dietary tribromoethanol supplementation reduces enteric methane emissions in beef cattle

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dietary tribromoethanol supplementation reduces enteric methane emissions in beef cattle

Active Epilepsy Is Associated with Higher Early Emergency Department Utilization and Long-Term Ipsilateral Recurrent Instability After Primary Shoulder Stabilization

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Active Epilepsy Is Associated with Higher Early Emergency Department Utilization and Long-Term Ipsilateral Recurrent Instability After Primary Shoulder Stabilization

Girls’ pubertal development is associated with functional connectivity in peer evaluation task

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Girls’ pubertal development is associated with functional connectivity in peer evaluation task

Utilizing biophysically accurate computational models of NaV1.2 to simulate mutations and therapeutics in neonatal and adult neurons and neuronal networks

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Utilizing biophysically accurate computational models of NaV1.2 to simulate mutations and therapeutics in neonatal and adult neurons and neuronal networks

PAIRR: Designing a GenAI AWF System to Prioritize Linguistic Diversity

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

PAIRR: Designing a GenAI AWF System to Prioritize Linguistic Diversity

Characterizing Sonomyographic Control and Motor Learning for Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Interfaces

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Characterizing Sonomyographic Control and Motor Learning for Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Interfaces

2025 UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Book of Abstracts

Wed, 6 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

2025 UC Davis Postdoctoral Scholars Association Postdoctoral Research Symposium - Book of Abstracts

Evolutionary Constraints of Defense Against T6SS Attack in E. Coli

Wed, 6 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a toxin-tipped molecular spear used by Gram-negative bacteria to eliminate competitors in the environment. While the structure and function of the T6SS are well understood, less is known about how targeted bacteria can defend against T6SS attack. To investigate mechanisms of T6SS defense, we experimentally evolved eight replicate populations of Escherichia coli under repeated attack by Vibrio cholerae’s T6SS. In just 30 days, evolved populations increased their T6SS survival by an average of 260-fold compared to the ancestor. However, this increase in T6SS survival came at a cost to growth rate, with evolved populations reproducing ~40% as much as the ancestor over the course of one growth cycle. When we further evolved these populations in the absence of T6SS attack, T6SS survival decreased in favor of faster growth. These results indicate that the tradeoff between growth and T6SS survival constrains the evolution of T6SS...

Localization of Vascular Anatomies in Digital Subtraction Angiography Using Deep Learning Techniques

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) is an interventional radiology used for visualization of blood vessels for disease diagnosis and prognosis. DSA has been the gold standard for the identification of vascular abnormalities in patients. The blood vessels are extracted by subtracting the angiographic images (obtained after contrast injection) with the mask (prior to contrast injection). The interpretation of angiography is challenging due to motion artifacts, imaging noise, and vessel overlapping in the DSA images. Anatomic localization is a vital step in interpretation in DSA sequences to minimize misdiagnosis. Deep learning has been used for segmentation, registration, and labelling of blood vessels but limited works have been proposed for localization of vascular anatomies in DSA images. In this study, we propose a deep learning model for the classification of anatomical localization in both first and second vascular structures in DSA sequences obtained during routine clinical...

Assessing the Tree Cooling Effects in California Schoolyards

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

As urban areas continue to expand globally, measuring urban microclimates is becoming increasingly critical. Climate change is projected to intensify the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, raising concerns among scientists and policymakers due to their significant impacts on human health. Children are particularly vulnerable to these climate-related risks, making schoolyards essential spaces for both social interactions, learning and physical activity. Moreover, for children in underserved communities, schoolyards often provide the only access to green spaces and urban nature. As a result, there is growing interest in improving these environments to enhance their social and ecological benefits. California, with its hot summers, is experiencing more frequent and intense heat waves, amplifying the urgency of addressing urban heat mitigation strategies. Our study aims to measure the influence of different surface materials and tree canopy cover...

A Mixed-Effects Model to Predict COVID-19 Hospitalizations Using Wastewater Surveillance

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Background: Wastewater-based disease surveillance emerged as a promising tool during the COVID-19 pandemic for early detection of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. While initial efforts focused on detecting viral RNA in wastewater, recent studies have explored its potential to predict COVID-19 trends. However, few studies have developed predictive models for county-level hospitalizations based on wastewater data. Methods: This study implemented a linear mixed-effects model to analyse the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater and county-level COVID-19 hospitalizations, using data from 21 counties in California (March 21, 2022, to May 21, 2023). Wastewater data were used as the primary input variable, replacing traditional metrics such as case counts or test positivity rates. Results: The model demonstrated strong performance in capturing hospitalization trends and enabled accurate two-week-ahead predictions of COVID-19...

Exploring Cardiometabolic Markers in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes:Insights from the GROWell Study

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Excess gestational weight gain (EGWG) and postpartum weight retention (PPWR) pose risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) for birthing individuals and their infants, among those entering pregnancy with overweight or obesity. The GROWell: Goals for Reaching Optimal Wellness study was a blinded, randomized clinical trial to improve dietary support. Data were collected via online questionnaires and dried blood spots at 10-16 weeks (baseline), second and third trimester, and three and six months postpartum. Lipidomic network analysis was done at baseline, 36-38 weeks, and three months postpartum on 49 participants. The network analysis revealed positive correlations between specific lipid types and APOs, particularly at baseline and postpartum. Notably, triglycerides and phosphatidylcholine were associated with an increased risk of APOs. Additionally, in the third trimester, triglycerides were positively correlated with weight-related variables. Postpartum analysis also showed...

Computational Modeling of Curcumin Release from 3D-printed Food Mimics

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Controlling the release of bioactive compounds in foods is essential to preserve their health benefits. Food 3D printing offers a promising approach to precisely localize bioactive compounds within matrices and achieve specific release profiles. This study presents a computational model predicting the in vitro digestion release of curcumin—a representative bioactive compound—encapsulated in yeast microcarriers and patterned into cubes via 3D printing. This approach enables rapid screening of different configurations to design foods with targeted release profiles. Curcumin release was modeled as a mass transfer process coupled with reaction kinetics during intestinal digestion. Two reaction-diffusion equations described bile salt transport into the cube and diffusion of the curcumin–bile salt complex out of it. First-order kinetics were used to describe interactions of bile salts with curcumin and other yeast components. The system was solved using finite element methods, with...

Cerebellar Regulation of Fear Extinction Through the Limbic Thalamus

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The cerebellum is an established regulator of motor control and has recently garnered novel focus for its modulation of affective processes. We previously characterized cerebellar projections to the parafascicular nucleus (PF), which modulates orienting responses and behavioral alertness. We identified an anatomical circuit between the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) and the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) through the PF. Here we provide functional characterization of this circuit and examine whether and how the circuit might regulate affective processing. We show that optogenetic stimulation of DCN-PF projections reduces c-Fos expression in PF and modulates BLA neural activity. We optogenetically inhibited the DCN-PF projections during distinct phases of auditory fear conditioning. Optoinhibition during training has no consequence, but during extinction it results in faster extinction. This effect on extinction appears to be specific to the DCN-PF projection:...

Machine Learning Quantification of Amyloid-β deposits in three brain regions of over 250 Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Decedents with Alzheimer Disease

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Historically, there have been limited autopsy-based studies on persons of Hispanic descent in the realm of Alzheimer Disease (AD). Evaluating more diverse cohorts with ML tools can aid in providing deeper phenotyping on the heterogeneity of the neuropathologic landscape in AD. Our objective was to evaluate densities of amyloid beta (Aβ) deposits in non-Hispanic White decedents (n = 185) and Hispanic decedents (n = 92). Three brain regions were evaluated: frontal, temporal, and parietal cortices. We utilized a previously published ML pipeline to evaluate grey matter and white matter densities (#/um^2) for cerebral amyloid angiopathy, cored and diffuse Aβ plaques and their relation to select pathological, clinical, and demographic variables. Log-transformed linear models of neuroanatomic specific quantification of Aβ deposits revealed 1.71-fold higher CAA density in the temporal lobe GM (95% CI 1.17, 2.51), and lower cored plaque density in the frontal and parietal lobes WM of HD...

Modelling Water Availability for Urban Trees Growing in Paved Soils

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Despite the classification of built urban environments as impervious surfaces, infiltration of precipitation occurs on paved soils and can supply water to urban trees. However, under changing climate and particularly in arid conditions, additional irrigation is necessary to sustain healthy mature urban trees that provide evaporative cooling, shade, and enhance urban wellbeing. Based on an extensive open dataset on soil moisture under 18 pavement types (Schaffitel et al. 2020), we are developing a process-based numerical model using Hydrus-1D to simulate water flows in sealed soil domains. This study examines the soil water balance under different pavement materials and atmospheric forcing conditions. We analyze irrigation scenarios under different climates to determine pavement configurations above tree root zones that require modifications to maintain ecosystem services provided by trees, while conserving water. This research aims to advance the fundamental understanding of how...

Investigation of NHIP and MeCP2 Interaction Under Hypoxic Conditions

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a complex etiology involving genetic, environment, and gene-environment interactions. We recently discovered a novel gene, NHIP (neuronal hypoxia inducible, placenta), that has decreased expression in ASD placenta and brain. Its transcript levels increase in the human neuronal cell line LUHMES following differentiation and exposure to hypoxia, suggesting that it may play a protective role during hypoxia-induced oxidative stress. Through immunoprecipitation of biotinylated NHIP peptide, we identified methyl-CPG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) as a potential NHIP binding partner. Loss of MeCP2 leads to Rett Syndrome (RTT), and reduced expression is associated with ASD. Many RTT patients display breathing abnormalities that lead to intermittent hypoxia. We hypothesize that NHIP may interact with MeCP2 to promote proper hypoxia response. To assess the role of NHIP in hypoxia-induced oxidative stress,

we...

HSP70 Leverages STUB1 to Modulate N-Myc Protein Turnover in Lethal Prostate Cancer

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a lethal subtype of prostate cancer characterized by N-Myc (MYCN) amplification. Due to N-Myc’s disordered domains and lack of druggable sites, targeting its proteostasis offers a novel therapeutic angle. Here, we investigated the molecular chaperones involved in regulating N-Myc protein turnover. Mass spectrometry analysis following N-Myc pulldown identified several HSP70 family proteins as prominent interactors. Functional assays revealed that HSP70 interacts with N-Myc and recruits the E3 ligase STUB1 to facilitate ubiquitination at lysines 416 and 419, targeting N-Myc for K11-linked polyubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation. This interaction was dependent on a conserved degron motif, SELILKR, within the N-Myc protein. siRNA-mediated knockdown of N-Myc significantly reduced cell proliferation in NEPC models, underscoring its oncogenic importance. Our findings reveal a novel HSP70-STUB1-N-Myc regulatory axis and suggest a potential...

Establishing Longitudinal Trajectories for Social Health in Adolescents

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Social health, defined as adequate quantity and quality of social relationships, constitutes an essential need for human well-being. Our aim was to identify patterns in social health during adolescence. We applied latent profile analysis on variables describing adolescent peer relationships: the number of friends, experiences with aggression and victimization, relationships with prosocial and rule-breaking peers, and social support. We evaluated three timepoints covering ages 11-14 and explored whether class membership differed by sex. Results revealed four consistent profiles. The first class was characterized by high levels of aggression and victimization. The second class exhibited high numbers of friends. The third class was characterized by having fewer friends, less prosocial peers, and less peer support. The final class uniformly exhibited values close to each variable’s mean. We found that sex was a significant predictor of class at each year, with girls being more likely...

Neural Correlates of the Perceptual Spaces of Low-Level Features and Objects

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

While low-level features, e.g., color, vary continuously, semantic information, e.g., objects, often appears categorical. In past psychophysical experiments¹ we collected similarity judgments between stimuli, from five stimulus domains varying in their semantic content, and analyzed them using a variant of multidimensional scaling. The stimulus domains included 1) animal names, 2) images of the animals, 3) lightly-texturized images, 4) heavily-texturized images and 5) textured discs. Stimulus domains where object identity was evident (1-3) were represented in a common way². To study the neural correlates of these representations, we ran an fMRI study (n=7). Over four fMRI sessions, participants viewed each stimulus at least 7 times, while performing a one-back memory task. The data were acquired on a 3T Siemens scanner (multiband acquisition, TR=0.8s). Data were preprocessed using fmriprep. Voxel-wise responses to the stimulus domains were obtained using...

Impact of αII-Spectrin R1098Q Mutation on Brain Activity and Epileptiform Events in Mice

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Spectrins are essential cytoskeletal proteins that maintain the structural integrity of axons and dendrites. This study investigates electroencephalographic (EEG) and behavioral phenotypes in a mouse model carrying the αII-spectrin missense mutation R1098Q-homologous to human disease-associated variants R1098C and R1098S3. R1098Q mutant mice and wild-type (WT) littermates were implanted at 3, 6 and 12 months of age. Chronic video-EEG was performed offline to assess epileptiform activity. Tails suspension test was conducted at the end of the recording, behavioral and EEG abnormalities were recorded. Results: 3 months: No significant differences in EEG spiking frequency or power spectral density between R1098Q and WT mice.

6 months: R1098Q mice exhibited increased theta relative power, elevated total power, and a higher frequency of epileptiform spikes compared to WT. 12 months: R1098Q mice showed increased delta relative power and total power relative...

Artificial Intelligence for Patient Education in Orthopaedic Surgery: What Questions Should Be Answered by Artificial Intelligence Chatbots?

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Background: The integration of artificial intelligence, specifically large language models, is increasingly prevalent in healthcare. This study examines an artificial intelligence chatbot (AIC) in orthopaedic patient education in a simulated setting. Methods: The fine-tuned AIC with custom prompts was used in two phases. First, the AIC engaged with 20 example patient personas (EP), offering personalized questions to prepare for appointments. The AIC sorted questions into those answerable with online resources (group 1) and those needing an orthopaedic surgeon’s expertise (group 2). In the second stage, the AIC provided answers for group 1 questions, citing medical journals or qualified patient education websites. Readability was assessed using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook reading score (SMOG), and the citation accuracy was verified. Results: The AIC classified 42% of questions as group 1, with the remainder as group 2. Answers for 55% of EPs were at an “undergraduate level”,...

Modern Deviations from Pre-Euroamerican Settlement Fire Frequencies in California

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

California, USA, faces an increasing threat from fire regime changes, which have substantial ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Of particular concern is the rising frequency of fires in certain ecosystems, such as the chaparral systems of Southern California, which are suffering type conversion to weedy grasslands. At the same time, recurrent-fire ecosystems, such as the conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, are experiencing major increases in fire severity, partly because of a long-term fire deficit. This lack of fire is leading to fuel accumulation at the stand level, making these forests more susceptible to high-intensity burning. Safford and Van den Water (2014) introduced the Percentage Fire Return Interval Departure (PFRID), a widely used metric for quantifying deviations in current fire frequencies from historical norms. However, this decade-old tool has some limitations: it does not represent all vegetation types, and its baseline map reflects current conditions rather...

The role of Phospholipids in Neurodegeneration

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Disturbances in phospholipid metabolism have been linked to the risk of dementia. However, data on how phospholipoid disturbances change across the different dementias and their relationships to brain function and structural changes are lacking. This study aimed to elucidate the role of plasma phospholipids in neurodegenerative disorders associated with dementia in the Ontario Neurodegenerative Research Initiative (ONDRI) cohort. Methods: Plasma phospholipid species were quantified using LC-MS/MS in 520 individuals diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimers Disease (AD), Vascular Dementia (VD), Parkinsons Disease (PD), or Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), and compared to controls. Cognitive function was assessed, and structural brain changes were evaluated via 3.0T MRI. Adjusted linear regression models analyzed phospholipid differences among groups and their corresponding clinical characteristics. Results:...

Early Brain Transcriptional Signatures of Adult Male Rats with Differential Seizure Responses to Acute Organophosphate Intoxication

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning poses a significant public health risk through chemical warfare, accidental exposure, and suicide attempts. OPs inhibit acetylcholinesterase, triggering a cholinergic crisis marked by parasympathomimetic symptoms, respiratory distress, and seizures that may progress to status epilepticus (SE). Survivors often develop chronic neurological deficits despite treatment with atropine, an oxime, and midazolam (MDZ), which, while effective at controlling seizures, does not prevent long-term neurological damage. In a diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) rat model, approximately 13% of animals (low responders, LR) do not develop SE, whereas 87% (normal responders, NR) progress to SE. To elucidate seizure-independent mechanisms underlying chronic neurotoxicity, we performed RNA-sequencing on multiple brain regions—the hippocampus, piriform cortex, and cerebellum—in LRs, NRs, and MDZ-pretreated animals. Hierarchical clustering revealed distinct transcriptomic...

Generation Of Patient-Derived Organoids for Assessing Targeted and Immune Therapy in Lung Cancer

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Lung cancer is currently the most common type of cancer and contributes to the highest mortality rate worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises ~75% of all lung cancer and has a broad spectrum of histopathologic, molecular, genomic, and immunological heterogeneity that affect the prognosis and treatment selection. Despite recent advances in screening, diagnosis and treatment, patients with recurrent or metastatic NSCLC inevitably develop resistance to treatment and succumb to metastatic disease. The discrepancy of treatment response between clinical trials and real-world clinical practice clearly indicates the need to generate patient-derived preclinical models that can stimulate the morphologic and genomic features of patient’s tumor for selecting personalized targeted and immunotherapy. In our laboratory, we have successfully established patient-derived organoids (PDO) and focus on characterizing these lung cancer PDOs and assessing their translational potential...

Early-life Nutritional Supplementation Protects Against Home Environmental Risks in Ghanaian Children’s Social-Emotional Development

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face increased risks of undernutrition and adverse home environments, contributing to social-emotional difficulties. Using a randomized controlled trial in Ghana, we examined the direct and interactive effects of prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplementation (LNS) and home environment factors on children’s social-emotional development at age 4-6 years (N = 962). Path analysis models showed that LNS was associated with fewer total difficulties and peer relationship problems, while high-quality home environments—including more responsive caregiving, fewer punitive discipline practices, and greater access to learning materials—predicted better social-emotional outcomes. Multi-group comparisons revealed that LNS moderated associations between home environment factors and children’s total difficulties (χ²(5)=13.746, p=.017) and hyperactivity/inattention (χ²(5)=16.176, p=.006). LNS was linked to fewer difficulties...

Mitochondrial Respiratory Complexes of Ustilago maydis

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Respiring organisms commonly utilize a structurally and functionally conserved set of five mitochondrial respiratory protein complexes (CI to CV) that transfer electrons and pump protons to produce ATP. Despite the high conservation of respiratory complexes, there are variations in higher-order assemblies (supercomplex), accessory subunits, and regulation. For example, fungal respiratory complexes are homologous to that of mammals, but unlike those of mammals, fungi respiratory complexes function in parallel with diverse branching respiratory pathways. It is unclear whether there are structural differences between obligate and non-obligate aerobic fungi. Available structures of fungal respiratory complexes are from a single clade (Ascomycota) out of nine total clades, and high-resolution structural information for supercomplexes is currently unavailable. Here we present structures of the mitochondrial respiratory complexes in Ustilago maydis, an aerobic fungus in the...

Crop Water Stress and Evapotranspiration Dynamics Over California’s Almond Orchards: A Micrometeorological Data Approach

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The growing water scarcity in California has heightened interest in investigating agricultural irrigation water conservation strategies. This study examines the diurnal crop water stress index (CWSI) using micrometeorological data from the Tree Crop Remote Evapotranspiration eXperiment (T-REX) over four almond orchards in California. Diurnal variation of air-canopy temperature difference (T_c−T_a) is used to estimate the upper and lower baseline of the theoretical CWSI. This theoretical framework relies on the surface energy balance equation. This approach assumes that the aerodynamic resistance (r_a) is driven by turbulent transport of heat, water vapor, and momentum and is modeled using the Monin-Obukhov Similarity theory, incorporating atmospheric heat and momentum transfer. As expected, we found an overall higher T_c than T_a over the entire year, and the temperature difference between the two ranges within ±10°C. The CWSI...

From Waste to Wellness: Exploring Bioactive Carbohydrates in Plant Byproducts for Improved Health

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The rise in plant-based consumption and the resulting accumulation of byproducts have created a strong demand for sustainable valorization strategies. To address this need, the food industry must adopt advanced analytical technologies that optimize extraction methods to preserve the bioactive compounds and their health benefits of plant-based materials. In this context, plant-based byproducts should be rigorously evaluated for their content of bioactive compounds, particularly prebiotic glycans such as oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Recent advances in mass spectrometry have enabled molecular-level insights into carbohydrate structures. This presentation features two case studies examining carbohydrate composition and abundance in Chardonnay and pomegranate byproducts, using integrated “omics” approaches with a focus on mass spectrometry. It also discusses the strengths and limitations of current extraction and derivatization methods used prior to analysis. Chardonnay and...

Persistent Nitrate Leaching in California's Central Valley: Assessing Conservation Practice Effectiveness

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Groundwater quality in California's Central Valley is critically threatened by nitrate contamination from agricultural activities. While conservation practices have been deployed, their ability to effectively mitigate nitrate leaching remains unclear. This study investigated nitrate dynamics on a row crop rotation system farm (RCRSF) and an almond orchard (AO) using a tiered approach: advanced vadose zone monitoring, groundwater sampling, and field-scale mass balance analysis. The RCRSF utilized subsurface drip irrigation, irrigation water nitrate crediting, and fertigation, while the AO employed surface drip and high-frequency, low-concentration fertigation. Despite these efforts, both sites showed nitrate levels in pore water and groundwater exceeding the EPA's 10 mg/L NO₃-N drinking water standard. Field-scale mass balance calculations indicated residual nitrate remaining in the soil profile, which winter rainfall, as evidenced by vadose zone monitoring, mobilized...

Functional Retinal Imaging Using Adaptive Optics Swept-Source OCT

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Optoretinography has potential to measure photoreceptor function objectively and noninvasively. Its sensitivity to disease-related dysfunction depends essentially on the amount of variation in the responses among cones, individuals, and measurements. Our study uses AO-SS-OCT with 3D cellular resolution to measure phase changes in response to stimulus flashes in the human retina. We aim to quantify these sources of response variation, to establish a reliable baseline for assessing visual dysfunction in clinical populations. Preliminary results are presented here.

Unraveling Drought Resistance Mechanisms at Root Level In Various Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus) Populations

Fri, 1 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Last year, summer drought cost the state over a billion dollars in crop losses. Understanding how plant can cope with this stress is a challenge, but various species in nature are already adapted and have their own mechanisms for combating drought. Native to the American west coast, Mimulus guttatus can survive in Mexican desert, on serpentine rocks, or snow-covered peaks. This suggests that different populations have evolved various resistance mechanisms. Using 29 different populations harvested across California and Oregon, we plan to carry out a genome-wide association study. We want to compare the SNPs present in these populations with their root system architecture phenotype, an analyze of differentially expressed genes and a histological analysis focusing on cell wall compounds such as lignin and suberin. We hope to find new QTLs involved in drought resistance and even shed light new defense mechanisms that could be exported to crops in the future.