Islands provide valuable opportunities to study how isolation affects phenotypic variation. Even though orchid bees are highly mobile, their movement can still be restricted by marine barriers. In this study, we assessed whether insular isolation impacts wing shape in the orchid bee Euglossa mixta across the Coiba archipelago and a nearby mainland site in Western Panama. Our study analyzed 271 individuals using geometric morphometrics, focusing on forewing venation landmarks, and evaluated the variation using multivariate analyses of shape variation and quantifying the shape of Mahalanobis distances. Additionally, we conducted a Mantel test to explore the relationship between geographic distance and morphological divergence. Our findings reveal that wing shape variation in E. mixta is largely conserved but shows fine-scale structuring consistent with spatial patterns expected in insular systems. These results suggest that even highly mobile pollinators may experience enough isolation for subtle phenotypic shifts to occur, highlighting the sensitivity of geometric morphometrics for detecting early stages of morphological differentiation.
Background: Cardiac arrhythmias and ischemia are increasingly problematic worldwide because of their frequency, as well as the economic burden they confer. Methods: This research presents a systematic literature review (SLR), based on the PRISMA 2020 statement, that looks into the difficulties in their classification using end-to-end deep learning (DL) techniques and the electrocardiogram (ECG) from 2019 to 2025. A total of 121 relevant studies were identified from Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore, and an inventory was created, categorized into six facets that researchers apply in DL studies: preprocessing, DL architectures, databases, evaluation metrics, pathologies, and explainability techniques. Results: Fifty-three challenges were reported, divided between end-to-end DL techniques (15), databases (18), pathologies (9), preprocessing (2), explainability (8), and evaluation metrics (1). Some of the complications identified were the complexity of pathological manifestations in the ECG signal, the large number of classes, the use of multiple leads, comorbidity, and the presence of different factors that change the expected patterns. Crucially, this SLR identified 18 new issues: four related to preprocessing, three related to end-to-end DL, one to databases, one to pathologies, four to metrics, and five to explainability. Particularly notable are the limitations of current metrics for assessing explainability and model decision confidence. Conclusions: This study clarifies all these limitations and provides a structured inventory and discussion of them, which can be useful to researchers, clinicians, and developers in enhancing existing techniques and designing new ECG-based end-to-end DL strategies, leading to more robust, generalizable, and reliable solutions.
Atmospheric deposition (AD) plays a critical role in nutrient inputs to ecosystems, especially in regions with extensive agriculture and growing environmental pressures. This study synthesizes published ion deposition data from four long-term monitoring sites in the Río de la Plata Basin, compiled from Carnelos et al. (Biogeochemistry, 144(3), 261-271, 2019, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 235(187), 1-17, 2024, Atmospheric Environment, 345(January), 2025) and Michel et al. (RP RainNet: The Rio de la Plata atmospheric deposition network. 2010. Evaluation of a new collector design and first year's results. Metting of the Americas.Iguazu, Brazil, 2010). Only peer-reviewed studies with standardized wet/dry deposition measurements and complete ionic analyses were included, ensuring comparability across sites. Eight major ions (Na⁺, Cl⁻, Mg2⁺, Ca2⁺, K⁺, SO₄2⁻, NO₃⁻, NH₄⁺) were analyzed at four long-term monitoring sites. The analysis revealed three distinct ion groups based on origin and deposition dynamics. Marine-derived ions such as Cl⁻ and Na⁺ dominated in coastal areas and were primarily deposited via rainout, reflecting long-range aerosol transport and cloud scavenging. Terrestrial ions including Ca2⁺, NH₄⁺, and NO₃⁻ were mostly deposited inland, with washout as the main or substantial pathway, and originated largely from soil dust, fertilizer volatilization, and combustion emissions. A third group, Mg2⁺, K⁺, and SO₄2⁻, exhibited intermediate behavior, with mixed or variable origins and balanced contributions from rainout and washout. Total deposition fluxes varied considerably by ion and site, ranging from as low as ~ 0.6 kg ha⁻1 yr⁻1 for Mg2⁺ to as high as ~ 21 kg ha⁻1 yr⁻1 for Cl⁻. The synthesis highlights the importance of regional emission sources, particularly agriculture, biomass burning, and fossil fuel use, and provides a novel framework for evaluating ion-specific deposition patterns in South America.
In this paper, we introduce a novel structural holistic Atlas (holiAtlas) of human brain anatomy based on multimodal and high-resolution MRI that covers several anatomical levels from the organ level to the substructure level, using a new protocol for dense labelling generated from the fusion of multiple local protocols at different scales. This atlas was constructed by averaging images and segmentations of 75 healthy subjects from the Human Connectome Project database. Specifically, 3T MR images of T1, T2 and WMn (White Matter nulled) contrasts at 0.125 mm3 resolution were selected for this project. The images of these 75 subjects were nonlinearly registered and averaged using symmetric group-wise normalisation to construct the atlas. At the finest level, the proposed atlas has 350 different labels derived from 7 distinct delineation protocols. These labels were grouped at multiple scales, offering a coherent and consistent holistic representation of the brain across different levels of detail. This multiscale and multimodal atlas can be used to develop new ultra-high-resolution segmentation methods, potentially improving the early detection of neurological disorders. We make it publicly available to the scientific community.
Immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation are central contributors to many diseases. Curcuma longa L. and Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench are widely used medicinal plants with extensive preclinical evidence supporting immunomodulatory effects. Their key metabolites, curcuminoids, turmerones, alkamides, polysaccharides, and caffeic acid derivatives, engage with critical pathways, including NF-κB, MAPK, JAK/STAT, and Nrf2. This interaction modulates cytokine production, oxidative stress responses, and both innate and adaptive immune activities. Although numerous mechanistic and early clinical studies support these actions, human evidence remains inconsistent, partly due to poor and variable oral bioavailability and substantial heterogeneity in extract composition, despite the existence of some standardized preparations. Recent technological strategies, including micelles, phytosomes, phospholipid complexes, nanoemulsions, polymeric nanoparticles, and liposomal systems, have improved solubility, stability, and systemic exposure of key metabolites, particularly curcuminoids. However, clinical results are still limited and often derived from small or heterogeneous trials. This review summarizes the ethnopharmacological background, mechanistic data, clinical findings, and formulation advances for both species and highlights the translational barriers that restrict their therapeutic application. Rigorous clinical studies using standardized and technologically optimized preparations are required to determine the true immunomodulatory potential of C. longa and E. purpurea.
The accumulation of metals in estuarine environments represents potential threats to both aquatic ecosystems and human health, highlighting the need for reliable in situ biomarkers of contamination. In the burrowing crab Neohelice granulata (Brachyura, Varunidae), previous studies have shown that biochemical markers may be influenced by seasonal fluctuations, limiting their usefulness for assessing spatial patterns of metal exposure. Recently, morphological variation among organisms has been proposed as a biomarker of environmental stress. Building on this framework, the present study aimed to evaluate whether metal contamination is associated with morphological changes in N. granulata populations from different sites of the Bahía Blanca estuary, Argentina. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn were measured in sediments and crab hepatopancreas, and their relationship with carapace and chelipeds morphology were analyzed by traditional and geometric morphometric approaches. Results revealed similar spatial patterns of metal loads in sediments and crab hepatopancreas, reflecting differences in anthropogenic impacts among sites. Moreover, significant morphological differences in carapaces were detected among crab populations, consistent with the observed gradient of metal contamination. These findings suggest that metal exposure may be associated with the morphological variation in N. granulata and highlight its potential use as a biomarker of environmental stress in estuarine crabs. Finally, geometric morphometrics of the carapace proved more effective than traditional chelipeds morphometrics in distinguishing crabs' populations exposed to different levels of metal contamination.
The middle-late Cenomanian paleontological area of Algora represents the main concentration of vertebrate remains from the basal Late Cretaceous for southwestern Europe. An unpublished macro-plant assemblage is studied here, being recognized as composed of ferns, conifers, and various other types of gymnosperms and angiosperms, constituting the first well-defined reference of a Cenomanian macro-flora in Spain. Comparison of this assemblage with other coeval ones from the western Tethys region suggests a possible influence of both Central European Laurasian plant elements and those from northern Gondwana (originating in North Africa and the Middle East) in this area of the Iberian Plate, a key region for understanding the dispersal of fauna and flora during the early Late Cretaceous.
We study periodic dynamics and error-threshold behavior in a delayed quasispecies model consisting of a master sequence (x0) and two mutant populations (x1,x2). The system, formulated as delay differential equations with time-periodic replication rates, yields new conditions for the existence and absence of T-periodic solutions. Using topological degree arguments, we show that when mutation probabilities (Qji) lie strictly between 0 and 1 and at least one fitness function (fj) is periodic, the system supports nontrivial positive periodic orbits, with or without backward mutations. This shows that fluctuating environments, such as circadian or treatment-induced cycles, can sustain oscillatory genotype distributions. Conversely, if mutations are strictly unidirectional and the master sequence is consistently dominated in fitness, no positive T-periodic orbit arises. In this regime, the master sequence decays monotonically to extinction without time delays, while time delays induce non-monotonic decay, recovering the classical error-threshold phenomenon and linking it to cancer-related quasispecies dynamics.
The presence of radicals in fluids can significantly influence the 1H longitudinal nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation processes. The field-cycling nuclear magnetic relaxometry technique provides a unique approach to study these interactions within a broad Larmor frequency range. The situation is quite common in fluid systems subjected to oxidative stress, such as lubricants in internal combustion engines. Our previous studies in lubricant degradation did not consider in detail specific effects of radicals on the 1H longitudinal relaxation. In the present work, we focus on a simplified system in which TEMPOL radicals are introduced in controlled concentrations into ethylene glycol samples. The system's behavior is evaluated at different radical concentrations to elucidate the influence of the paramagnetic species on the relaxation dispersion profile. We propose the inclusion of an additional relaxation term to account for intermolecular proton-electron interactions. We observe that, for radical concentrations exceeding approximately 2 × 1017 radicals/cm3, paramagnetic interactions dominate the relaxation dispersion at Larmor frequencies below 1 MHz. Moreover, we show that both the diffusion constants of ethylene glycol and TEMPOL molecules can be estimated from a single experiment. The consistency of our results with existing literature suggests an in-depth analysis of the paramagnetic contribution in the relaxometric characterization of degraded lubricants.
This study evaluated the potential of electronic nose (E-nose) technology to discriminate Spanish-style green table olives spoiled by different bacterial strains. Microbial growth, physicochemical properties, sensory attributes, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profiles were analyzed to assess spoilage patterns. The results indicated strain-dependent microbial survival during incubation, with Bacillus cereus and Enterobacter cloacae showing the highest tolerance. Inoculated olives exhibited significant changes in color, texture, pH, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity compared to the Control. Sensory evaluation revealed a reduction in positive attributes and the emergence of defects such as cooked, rancid, and woody aromas, particularly in olives inoculated with B. cereus and Escherichia coli. VOC analysis confirmed these alterations, showing strain-specific increases in aldehydes, phenols, and esters, along with reductions in alcohols and acids. Principal component analysis (PCA) of E-nose data successfully distinguished two groups-spoiled and non-spoiled samples-explaining 84.8% of variance, while Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) achieved a classification accuracy of 90.4%. These findings highlight the E-nose as a rapid, non-destructive, and reliable tool for detecting bacterial spoilage in table olives, with potential applications in quality control and early spoilage detection.
In this work, molecular dynamics simulations were used to calculate the energies of subgrain boundaries in ice Ih bicrystals. Based on the wurtzite structure, a series of symmetric tilt-type bicrystals with a rotation axis of ⟨011̄0⟩ were constructed for misorientations less than 20°. The subgrain boundaries were formed as an arrangement of edge dislocations, taking into account the glide set of basal slip planes to achieve the lowest energy initial configuration. The LAMMPS code was used for the simulations, testing the mW and Tip4p/Ice potentials. The energies were calculated at a temperature of 5 K, taking into account their exponential dependence on the distance perpendicular to the subgrain boundary. The resulting energies fit the Read-Shockley model for the two potentials analyzed, and both their values and those of the elastic constants derived from them agree with those obtained in previous research.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation driven by elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- α ). Infliximab, an anti-TNF- α monoclonal antibody, is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease but shows variable effectiveness due to interindividual pharmacokinetic diversity. We develop a low-dimensional mathematical model of ordinary differential equations to describe TNF- α dynamics, its interactions with receptors and infliximab, and the influence of drug clearance on treatment outcomes in CD and UC. This model is combined with a pharmacokinetic framework that enables the estimation of the infliximab clearance coefficient, which can then be used to guide dosage adjustments in the treatment. The model balances biological realism with analytical tractability, enabling rigorous mathematical analysis and numerical simulations. The parameters are adapted for CD and UC. The study investigates how drug clearance influences treatment efficacy, initially using constant clearance values and later incorporating values that vary with the level of inflammation. Simulations are performed across a range of clearance rates and dosing regimens, providing detailed insights into infliximab and TNF- α dynamics, as well as therapeutic drug monitoring parameters. Our results highlight the critical role of clearance and therapeutic drug monitoring in optimizing infliximab therapy. This approach offers valuable insights to support personalized treatment strategies in IBD.
In this work, we studied the magnetization reversal (MR) phenomenon in the perovskite solid solution TmCr1-xCoxO3, where magnetic Cr3+ ions were substituted by non-magnetic low-spin (LS) Co3+ ions. Magnetic measurements and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were performed following a field-cooling (FC) protocol. Samples of TmCr1-xCoxO3 with 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.8 were synthesized and structurally characterized. Samples with 0.1 ≤ x < 0.5 were synthesized at 1200 °C in the air atmosphere, while those with 0.5 ≤ x ≤ 0.8 were synthesized at 1000 °C under high O2 pressure. A model was implemented to simulate the FC magnetization curves, taking into account the coupling between Tm3+ and Cr3+ ions. This model is based on a classical Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian with realistic interactions. We showed that it is possible to reproduce the MR phenomenon with MC simulations in perovskite oxides with magnetic rare earth and transition metal sublattices. MC simulations accurately described all the FC curves except for x = 0.6 because this composition is near the percolation threshold, where fluctuations in the distribution of Co3+ ions can alter the magnetic properties. Another explanation could be a possible spin reorientation of the Cr3+ ions sublattice that makes experimental magnetization depart from the predicted one. In addition, it was found that the antiferromagnetic superexchange interactions between Cr3+ ions increase with Co3+ content.
We consider an open, bounded, simply connected (Lipschitz) domain in R d , which contains a closed polyhedral surface or polygonal contour, referred to as the interface. From this interface, forces are exerted in the normal direction. The forces are continuously distributed over the interface, resulting in an integral expression. This features an important characteristic of the immersed interface method. Since the integral cannot be resolved exactly, one relies on numerical quadrature rules to approximate the integral. Therefore, we consider two different linear elasticity problems with forces over a curve or surface (interface) that is located within the (open) domain of computation: (1) The force is defined by an integral over the interface; (2) The force is defined by a quadrature approximation of the integral over the interface. We prove that the L 2 -norm of the difference between the solutions from the two elasticity problems is of the same order as the error of quadrature. The results are demonstrated for both bounded and unbounded domains. The proof that we establish relies on the use of: (i) fundamental solutions for linear elasticity, exhibiting singular behaviors (in particular around points of action) and not being in H 1 , and (ii) on the use of singularity removal principle and the Extended Trace Theorem. Convergence is demonstrated in the L 2 -norm on curves and manifolds. We show some numerical experiments on the basis of fundamental solutions with a Midpoint quadrature rule in an unbounded and a bounded domain. The numerical experiments confirm our theoretical results. We note that the difference between the interface integral and the quadrature rule over the interface holds for the exact solution in the bulk and not for any discretization carried out in the bulk. Hence, in the numerical finite element-based simulations, the numerical results contain an additional error due to the finite element approach.
Oxytocin plays a critical role in social behavior and maternal physiology, yet the intracellular dynamics of oxytocin-containing vesicles in neurons remain poorly characterized. Here, we combine experimental data from live cell imaging of oxytocin-containing compartments with computational analysis to investigate their mobility within hypothalamic neurons. Using machine learning-based trajectory classification, we reveal that the majority of oxytocin compartments exhibit subdiffusive motion, suggesting constraints imposed by the complex intracellular environment. This behavior likely reflects interactions with cytoskeletal structures, vesicle maturation states, or localized functional demands. Our findings provide new insights into the intracellular trafficking of neuropeptides and highlight the utility of data-driven approaches for uncovering mechanisms of neurophysiological relevance.
Heat generation and temperature reading at the nanoscale are highly relevant for thermal therapeutic approaches, motivating the development of dual-function nanoplatforms that integrate heating and thermometry. However, most nanoheater-nanothermometer systems rely on specifically engineered materials or complex readout schemes, which can limit translational potential. Here, we present a methodology for extracting temperature information from dynamical magnetization measurements of cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoflowers. We establish a quantitative relationship between temperature and the dynamic magnetic response of the nanoparticles through Brownian relaxation, mediated by the thermal dependence of water viscosity. This link between magnetization dynamics and thermally driven nanoparticle diffusion enables temperature changes to be monitored through variations in magnetization cycles measured under alternating magnetic fields. Importantly, this thermometric functionality is retained after surface functionalization and under controlled changes in medium composition. Furthermore, the same nanocrystal agent is used to generate heat under near-infrared irradiation and report temperature changes through magnetization dynamics. Together, these results establish cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles as a label-free platform for combined heat generation and intrinsic temperature readout, opening a route toward real-time thermal monitoring in nanoscale heating applications.
Stingless bees serve as crucial pollinators and are increasingly recognized as models for investigating behavioral and genomic evolution in insects. In the genus Melipona, a major difference in heterochromatin organization defines two groups: Group I species (e.g., M. quadrifasciata) with < 50% of pericentromeric heterochromatin and Group II species (e.g., M. scutellaris) containing > 50% heterochromatin across their chromosomes. These differences are believed to correlate with genome size and transposable element (TE) content, offering a unique opportunity to explore how heterochromatin variation, TE dynamics, and chromosomal evolution interact in a phylogenetic context. We present pseudo-chromosome-level genome assemblies for M. quadrifasciata and M. scutellaris obtained through long-read sequencing and 3D chromosome conformation scaffolding. Comparative analyses reveal conserved synteny but marked divergence in structural variants and TE types. M. scutellaris exhibits an expansion of retrotransposons, particularly Gypsy/DIRS1 elements, concentrated in TE hotspots linked to chromosomal rearrangements and structural variants. This coincides with distinct methylation entropy patterns across the genome and an expansion of histone deacetylase orthologs. The increased proportion of retrotransposons in M. scutellaris is counterbalanced by more DNA transposons in M. quadrifasciata, resulting in genomes of similar overall sizes but with distinct heterochromatin distributions. Advancing our understanding of genome evolution in eusocial insects, we provide high-resolution genomic resources for two Melipona species that differ in heterochromatin content. Our results highlight the complex role of TEs in shaping genomes and underscore their influence on chromosomal and epigenetic innovation, providing compelling evidence that TE dynamics underlie the pronounced heterochromatic differences observed in Melipona.
Neotropical annual killifish survive in seasonal ponds due to their ability to undergo embryonic diapauses in the dry season and grow, reproduce and die in the span of a few months during the rainy season. The Austrolebias genus group is endemic to the South American basins and shows remarkable speciation and genetic plasticity. Within this fish group Garcialebias charrua is sympatric with another annual killifish, Cynopoecilus melanotaenia, belonging to a tribe that diverged about 25 million years ago. Despite being closely related species within the Rivulidae family, both species show important differences in genome size. Here, we explore the genomic structure of these species to understand their evolution and unique adaptations. We have sequenced the genomes of G. charrua and C. melanotaenia and determined that they show important structural differences between them. While C. melaotaenia has a genome size of around 1 Gb, similar to that of most characterized teleosts, G. charrua has undergone an evolutionarily recent and massive genome expansion, with a size three times larger (3 Gb). The expansion of the genome in G. charrua has occurred due to amplification of repetitive elements, most recently from the LINE class of elements. We explore and characterize in detail the contribution to genome expansion of repetitive elements at the level of superfamilies, as well as analyze the relationship between these elements and coding genes in G. charrua. We also examine the selection pressures on gene sequences and identify functions that are under positive or purifying selection, and compare these data with that derived from other species. Our study adds a crucial element to the understanding of annual fish evolution and life history. We show that the genetic variability and plasticity in G. charrua is accompanied by a recent genome-wide expansion with an important contribution of repetitive elements. By comparing these findings with data from other species, we show that G. charrua has undergone bursts of repetitive element expansion, with specific superfamilies of retrotransposons and DNA transposons being the most prevalent and recent. In addition, we characterize genes that are potentially implicated in adaptive traits because of their interaction with mobile elements or because they display evidence of intensified selection. These genes are candidates for functional studies aimed at unraveling the genetic basis of annualism. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40659-025-00649-8.
Anisotropic flow and radial flow are two key probes of the expansion dynamics and properties of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). While anisotropic flow has been extensively studied, radial flow, which governs the system's radial expansion, has received less attention. Notably, direct experimental evidence for the global and collective nature of radial flow fluctuations has been lacking. This Letter presents the first measurement of transverse momentum (p_{T}) dependence of radial flow fluctuations (v_{0}(p_{T})) over 0.5<p_{T}<10  GeV and demonstrates its collective nature using a two-particle correlation method in Pb+Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. The data reveal three key features supporting the collective nature of radial flow: long-range correlation in pseudorapidity, factorization in p_{T}, and centrality-independent shape in p_{T}. The comparison with a hydrodynamic model demonstrates the sensitivity of v_{0}(p_{T}) to bulk viscosity, a crucial transport property of the QGP. These findings establish a new, powerful tool for probing collective dynamics and properties of the QGP.
To compare the performance of a new digital Uromonitor® (dUM; U-Monitor, Porto, Portugal) against the previous quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) version and cytology in the follow-up of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). This retrospective (post hoc) molecular analysis of a prospectively collected multicentre cohort re-analysed stored urine DNA samples from the 'External Validation of Uromonitor as a Biomarker for Optimization of NMIBC Management by the Club Urológico Español de Tratamiento Oncológgico Group' (EVALUATION-CUETO) study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05864599). Samples, previously tested with Uromonitor-version 2, were analysed using dUM (QX200™ Droplet Digital PCR System) for TERT and FGFR3 hotspot mutations. Performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value [PPV], negative predictive value [NPV], area under the curve [AUC]) for detecting recurrence were calculated against cystoscopy/histology and compared to qPCR and cytology. The study received approval from the Ethical Committee at the University Hospital of Vall d'Hebron (Barcelona). Analysis of 271 samples revealed dUM had superior sensitivity to qPCR (72% vs 36%) and cytology (72% vs 34%), while preserving high specificity (88%) and NPV (93%). The AUC for dUM was 0.80 vs 0.66 for qPCR. Performance was consistent across tumour grades and risk groups. Crucially, combining a positive/suspicious cystoscopy with a positive dUM result significantly increased the PPV to 94% (from 79% for cystoscopy alone). The dUM significantly outperformed its qPCR predecessor and cytology in sensitivity for detecting NMIBC recurrence in a real-world setting, without compromising specificity. Its high NPV supports its potential for reducing unnecessary cystoscopies. Furthermore, its combination with cystoscopy drastically increased the PPV, suggesting a role as an adjunctive tool to improve diagnostic confidence and potentially reduce unnecessary transurethral resections of bladder tumour, pending favourable cost-effectiveness.