Entomopathogenic fungi can cause infectious diseases within host insect populations, while insects may counteract disease transmission through the strategy of isolating infected individuals. This study develops a system of differential equations to model the temporal dynamics of susceptible and infected individuals, as well as the concentration of fungal spores in the environment, to investigate the complex dynamics of disease transmission. The study focuses on three critical parameters: infection probability, population size, and isolation rate. The results show that infection probability is a key determinant of disease spread; as infection probability increases, the basic reproduction number (R_0) rises, potentially leading to periodic oscillations in disease incidence, highlighting the nonlinear response of disease transmission to changes in virulence. This underscores the importance of managing environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, which influence infection probability, to control disease spread. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that larger populations, due to higher contact frequency, exhibit more pronounced and persistent disease dynamics, suggesting that population density control is an effective strategy for managing disease outbreaks. The study also identifies isolation behavior as crucial for disease control, where moderate increases in isolation rates can lead to complete eradication under certain conditions. The timing of spore production relative to host death is also identified as a key variable affecting the efficacy of isolation. In conclusion, this study elucidates the complex interplay between infection probability, population size, and isolation behavior, providing a theoretical basis for optimizing biological control strategies using entomopathogenic fungi and managing high-density insect populations.

Transition-metal-catalyzed electrosynthesis remains challenging in preventing metal deposition under direct current (DC) conditions. Compared to DC electrolysis, alternating current (AC) electrolysis features polarity reversal and periodic variation, which shows great potential in recirculated metal species. However, the catalyst self-circulation and electricity consumption has impeded the development of AC electrolysis. Herein, we highlight two novel and practical advances of AC electrolysis in addressing this long-standing challenge, and emphasize reaction development, mechanistic investigation and future challenges.

A document by Goodwin G. Jinesh. Click on the document to view its contents.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by airway hyperreactivity, inflammation, and remodeling. Recent studies have underlined the critical role of airway epithelial cells in the pathogenesis and progression of asthma. This review describes the role of airway epithelium, its response to environmental insults, and how it communicates with other cell types involved in asthma. Further, it will discuss how epithelial cell dysfunction worsens asthma and what potential therapy targets may exist within epithelial pathways.

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Fatigue characterization of asphalt mixtures is imperative for predicting pavement performance. Since cracking begins in asphalt binders, determining their fatigue properties helps establish cause-and-effect relationships with cracking in mixtures and pavements. This study analyzes the fatigue of 12 Brazilian asphalt binders and mixtures using the Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) test for binders and the Direct Tension Cyclic Fatigue test for mixtures. Results were interpreted with Simplified Viscoelastic Continuous Damage theory (S-VECD) and a pavement was simulated using FlexPAVE TM software. Findings indicate that binder type alone does not predict fatigue class through the fatigue factor of binder (FFB), necessitating rheological damage analysis. Most mixtures showed good performance in pavement simulations, with fatigue factor of mixtures (FFM) and fatigue classes not being sufficient for predicting fatigue performance. A linear correlation was found between FFB and FFM but not between FFB and simulated damage (N/Nf), though higher FFB typically result in lower N/Nf.

A document by Robin Waples. Click on the document to view its contents.

Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3D) cell culture technologies, such as cell spheroids, organoids, and 3D bioprinted tissue constructs, have significantly improved the physiological relevance of in vitro models. These models better mimic tissue structure and function, closely emulating in vivo characteristics and enhancing phenotypic analysis, critical for basic research and drug screening in personalized cancer therapy. Despite their potential, current 3D cell culture platforms face technical challenges, which include user unfriendliness in long-term dynamic cell culture, incompatibility with rapid cell encapsulation in biomimetic hydrogels, and low throughput for compound screening. To address these issues, we developed a 144-pillar plate with sidewalls and slits (144PillarPlate) and a complementary 144-perfusion plate with perfusion wells and reservoirs (144PerfusionPlate) for dynamic 3D cell culture and predictive compound screening. To accelerate biomimetic tissue formation, small Hep3B liver tumor spheroids suspended in alginate were printed and encapsulated on the 144PillarPlate rapidly by using microsolenoid valve-driven 3D bioprinting technology. The microarray bioprinting technology enabled precise and rapid loading of small spheroids in alginate on the pillar plate, facilitating reproducible and scalable formation of large tumor spheroids with minimal manual intervention. The bioprinted Hep3B spheroids on the 144PillarPlate were dynamically cultured in the 144PerfusionPlate and tested with anticancer drugs to measure drug effectiveness and determine the concentration required to inhibit 50% of the cell viability (IC 50 value). The perfusion plate enabled the convenient dynamic culture of tumor spheroids and facilitated the dynamic testing of anticancer drugs with increased sensitivity. It is envisioned that the integration of microarray bioprinting of tumor spheroids onto the pillar plate, along with dynamic 3D cell culture in the perfusion plate, could more accurately replicate tumor microenvironments. This advancement has the potential to enhance the predictive drug screening process in personalized cancer therapy significantly.

In many rural areas of Lao PDR, wildlife continues to be a crucial source of food and income. Specifically, various species of wildlife or individual animals are frequently traded and can be found for sale along roadsides or in local markets. However, the local community’s comprehensive understanding of the threats posed by biodiversity loss remains insufficient. In this study, we aimed to address this gap by conducting a survey of the illegal hunting of wild animals in three provinces of Lao PDR, focusing on areas where the local population heavily relies on natural resources for their livelihoods. These natural resources serve as a vital source of income to meet the daily household expenditures, potentially shifting hunting from subsistence to commercial purposes. We conducted interviews 40 hunters, and documented wildlife species that were sold at roadside. Moreover, each species was categorized according to its conservation status based on the IUCN Red List conservation status. We documented a total of 3,295 hunted individuals, including 2,146 birds (36 species), 1,081 mammals (15 species), and 68 reptiles (6 species). Even though most of the species hunted are classified with low conservation concern presently, some of them may potentially become at risk in the future. We showed that a large number of individuals, belonging to several species, are hunted in the wild by local communities of Lao PDR. These preliminary findings are valuable for assessing the potential threat posed by hunting and trade to the conservation of these species. While the majority of species identified in this study currently face low conservation concerns, they could become vulnerable or designated as at-risk species if hunting intensifies with an increasing number of hunters in the future.

Background: The definition of molecular remission by more sensitive methodologies became a cornerstone for stratification and therapeutic decisions in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The role of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for minimal residual disease (MRD) assessment is still under consideration. Methods: Fifty pediatric patients treated with ALL-IC-BFM-2002 protocol were prospectively evaluated for specific clonal rearrangements of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor genes using two PCR-based methods: multiplex PCR following the BIOMED-2 protocol and NGS analysis. The NGS-MRD status and level were determined on day 33 and day 78 from therapy onset with a sensitivity level of 10 -4 and their prognostic value was analyzed after a median follow-up of 4 years. Results: All but one patient with negative NGS-MRD status on day 33 are in clinical remission, emphasizing its predictive value for favorable outcome with event free survival (EFS) exceeding 95%. A total of 29 (58%) patients were NGS-MRD positive on day 33, of which 9 (18%) patients remained positive on day 78. However, only a small percent of the patients with positive NGS-MRD status on day 33 and day 78 relapsed: 21% (6/29) and 33% (3/9), respectively. Conclusion: Positive NGS-MRD status is not a reliable prognostic biomarker in children with ALL and warrants careful consideration in disease stratification.

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown Background: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) may not expectorate sputum at young ages or while on CFTR modulators. While oropharyngeal swabs are commonly used to test for lower airway pathogens, it is unknown whether Staphylococcus aureus isolated from the oropharynx represents the strain that infects the lungs. Our goal was to determine whether oropharyngeal and sputum isolates of S. aureus are genetically distinct in a cohort of patients with CF. Methods: We obtained historical S. aureus isolates from patients who intermittently expectorated sputum in 2018 and we prospectively cultured S. aureus from oropharyngeal swabs and sputum from subjects with CF between August 2020 - February 2022. We performed short-read whole genome sequencing, determined sequence type, and performed phylogenetic analysis using S. aureus core genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We assigned isolates from a patient to the same strain if they had the same sequence type and differed by ≤ 60 SNPs or the isolates were not disturbed by clade breaker analysis. Results: 36 subjects had S. aureus in ≥1 oropharyngeal swab and ≥1 sputum sample in 2018. In the prospective collection, 31 subjects had synchronous oropharyngeal swab and sputum collections. Although polyclonal infections were detected, sputum and oropharyngeal isolates of S. aureus typically matched the same strain within study subjects, both over the span of 2018 (31/36 patients), and when collected simultaneously from 2020-2022 (29/31 patients). Conclusions: In patients with CF who intermittently produce sputum, oropharyngeal swabs identify S. aureus with genetic and phenotypic similarity to those cultured from sputum.

A Protocol for Treating Atelectasis in the Chronically Ventilated Pediatric PatientEliezer Be’eri MBBCh, Nitay Fraenkel MD, Orit Bartov BSc. MPt. Ped, Noah Eisenberg BPT, Rachelle Lavi B Physio, Ofra Ginat BPT, Ma’ayan Shoffer BPT.Department of Respiratory RehabilitationAlyn Pediatric Rehabilitation HospitalJerusalem, IsraelPresented at the 2nd meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Respiratory Diseases (INSPiRED), 2024.ORCID ID (Eliezer Be’eri): 0000-0003-4935-6000Email addresses of authors:Eliezer Be’eri: ebeeri@alyn.orgNitay Fraenkel: nitay@alyn.orgOrit Bartov: obartov@alyn.orgRachelle Lavi: rlavi@alyn.orgNoah Eisenberg: noaeis@gmail.comOfra Ginat: ofraginat@gmail.comMa’ayan Shoffer: maayan.shoffer@gmail.comCorrespondence should be addressed to:Eliezer Be’eri, MDALYN Hospital84 Shmaryahu Levin Street, Jerusalem, Israel 91090Phone: +972 546871183ebeeri@alyn.orgKey words: Atelectasis, physiotherapy, tracheostomy, mechanical ventilationAbbreviated title: Protocol for treating atelectasisTo the editor,Lung atelectasis is an important complication occurring in children and adolescents who are ventilator-dependent due to neuromuscular respiratory failure. It may occur if a “low tidal volume” ventilation strategy is used, as is commonly done to avoid barotrauma when ventilating subjects with parenchymal respiratory failure. However, the patient in respiratory failure due to neuromuscular disease, in contrast to the subject with parenchymal respiratory failure, is primarily at risk for alveolar de-recruitment, rather than barotrauma. Some authorities have therefore advocated using a “high tidal volume strategy” \RL1. In the short term, atelectasis causes ventilation-perfusion mismatch, but if left untreated it may become a focus of recurrent infection and eventual bronchiectasis. When atelectasis is identified, it is therefore essential to re-recruit the atelectatic lung segment as early as possible, prior to the atelectasis becoming permanent.A standardized protocol for treating newly diagnosed atelectasis in ventilator-dependent children has been developed and implemented in the Respiratory Rehabilitation Department of Alyn Pediatric Rehabilitation Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel. The protocol aims to achieve rational medical and physiotherapy (PT) resource management in a stepwise and time-limited manner. The protocol employs the full spectrum of medical and physiotherapy modalities available at Alyn Hospital, including alveolar recruitment by means of prolonged “sigh” inhalations, mechanical inexsufflation (MIE), intrapulmonary percussive ventilation (IPPV), Vest therapy, negative-pressure cuirass ventilation (RTX), “green-bag” manual hyperinflation and bronchoscopy, and is detailed in diagram 1.The initial step is to maximize the ventilator parameters (peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) or tidal volume (Vti), and peak end expiratory pressure (PEEP)) and add a sigh recruitment manoeuvre of 40 cmH2O for 10 seconds every 20 minutes. In our experience, addition of the sigh recruitment maneuver often succeeds in opening the atelectatic segment, and no further therapy is needed. After 24 hours a chest Xray is performed. If no clinical (oxygen saturation above 94% or return to pre-atelectasis baseline) or radiological improvement has occurred, physiotherapy treatments are then added in a stepwise manner every 48 hours. Our initial physiotherapy protocol comprises manual chest vibration and ventilation-enhancement maneuvers combined with patient positioning to enhance postural drainage. Such positioning may be prone, or lying on the side with the atelectatic lung superior, and may include use of an abdominal belt to improve diaphragmatic function. Manual physiotherapy is combined with MIE and either IPPV (for tracheostomized subjects) or Vest therapies (if the subject is using non-invasive positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV)), all performed three times a day. Whereas the Vest and IPPV achieve secretion mobilization (essentially, shaking secretions free of the tracheo-bronchial wall), MIE performs secretion removal (moving the secretions up the airways towards the pharynx). The protocol aims to combine mobilization and removal modalities synergistically. If no clinical improvement has occurred after 48 hours, the physiotherapy modality is changed to use of a negative-pressure cuirass (RTX) in secretion removal mode. Our rationale in choosing this technique is that during negative-pressure ventilation, chest wall expansion occurs in a manner that is morphologically different from the manner in which the thorax expands during positive-pressure ventilation, reflecting the difference between “inflating” the lungs from within versus expanding the chest wall from without. We postulate that this morphological difference manifests also at the level of the airways, meaning that there may be differences between positive-pressure and negative-pressure ventilation in terms of how airways physically expand when exposed to these two modalities. If that is in fact true, negative-pressure ventilation may succeed in achieving alveolar recruitment when positive-pressure ventilation has failed to do so. Indeed, in our experience we have witnessed successful recruitment of an atelectatic segment within 24 hours of initiating negative-pressure ventilation, in cases in which the initial positive-pressure ventilation combined with secretion-mobilization methodologies for 72 hours had failed to achieve such. In particularly resistant cases we have also combined RTX ventilation with simultaneous and synchronous positive-pressure ventilation.In children younger than 2 years of age it may be difficult to successfully fit a negative-pressure cuirass to a small thorax, which precludes using that therapy as a next step after failure of first-line PT techniques. In such circumstances, we employ a technique for achieving prolonged lung insufflation using an anesthesiology “green bag” manual resuscitator. In this technique, a slow, prolonged inspiration with a sustained inspiratory pause is followed by rapid release during the expiratory phase. As small children generally still have a pliable chest wall, this technique can often be effective in achieving sustained and high PEEP levels, encouraging alveolar recruitment.We reserve bronchoscopy for those cases in which no ongoing improvement has been achieved after one week of recruitment-enhancing therapies. This is due to a combination of the invasiveness of the procedure with the low likelihood (in our experience) that bronchoscopy alone will achieve re-expansion of an atelectatic lung segment (unless such atelectasis has been caused by a solid, aspirated foreign body that can be removed).In summary, the described protocol is a pathway for opening a newly diagnosed atelectasis in a chronically ventilated child, in a manner that maximizes the number of potentially beneficial treatment modalities employed in a time-limited and rational framework.Abbreviations:PT: physiotherapyMIE: mechanical inexsufflationIPPV: intrapulmonary percussive ventilationNIPPV: non-invasive positive-pressure ventilationRTX: negative-pressure cuirass ventilationPIP: peak inspiratory pressureVti: inspired tidal volumePEEP: peak end expiratory pressure

It remains challenging to understand why natural food webs are remarkably stable despite pronounced variability in environmental factors and population densities. We analysed the dynamics in the structure and stability of the pelagic food web of Lake Constance using seven years of high-frequency observations of biomasses and production, leading to 59 seasonally resolved quantitative food web descriptions. We analysed the dynamics in asymptotic food web stability using maximum loop weight, which revealed mechanisms governing stability. Maximum loop weight showed a recurrent seasonal pattern while indicating consistently high stability despite pronounced dynamics in biomasses and fluxes. This arose from rewiring of the food web structure along seasons, which counteracted destabilization by enhanced productivity. The rewiring originated from energetic constraints within loops and how loops were embedded into food web structure. The stabilizing dynamics originated from the counter-acting effect between high metabolic activity and competitiveness/susceptibility to predation within a diverse grazer community.

With many species interacting in nature, determining which describe community dynamics is nontrivial. By applying a new Bayesian-sparse modelling approach to an extensive field survey, we assessed the importance of interactions from con- and hetero-specific plants, pollinators, and insect herbivores on plant performance. We compared the inclusion of the interaction effects as aggregate "generic" terms versus specific terms. We found that a continuum of positive to negative interactions, containing mostly generic but a few strong specific interactions, was sufficient to describe variation in plant performance. While interactions with herbivores and conspecifics varied from weakly negative to weakly positive, heterospecific plants mainly promoted competition and pollinators facilitated plants. The consistency of these empirical findings over three years suggests that a broad resolution, including the generic effects of guilds and a few specific groups rather than all pairwise and high-order interactions, can accurately describe species variation in plant performance across natural communities.

As environmental change accelerates globally, understanding concurrent organismal, species, and community responses is increasingly vital. Here, we examine these coordinated responses by incorporating genotype-specific reaction norms into an eco-evolutionary predator-prey model, allowing us to track simultaneous phenotypic, ecological, and evolutionary responses to environmental change within ecological communities. We evaluate how different sources of phenotypic variation in thermal reaction norms influence eco-evolutionary outcomes across temperatures. Additive (E+G) and interactive (G×E) genetic and environmental effects on thermal reaction norms create distinct pathways through eco-evolutionary landscapes, yielding fundamentally different ecological and evolutionary dynamics across temperatures. Our findings underscore how complex eco-evolutionary responses to environmental change ultimately emerge from variation in reaction norms at the genotypic level, offering new mechanistic insight into adaptation, the maintenance of variation, and ecosystem stability that may be crucial for predicting and managing future eco-evolutionary impacts of rapid environmental change.

The shifting climatic regime of maritime Antarctica is driving complex changes across trophic levels that manifest differentially across species and regions. Land-breeding pinnipeds have increased their seasonal attendance near Palmer Station since earliest observations in the mid-1900s, and Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) now represent a significant but unstudied predator population in the area during the austral summer. To characterize the timing of abundance and fine-scale distribution of this seasonal attendance, we carried out regular drone surveys of terrestrial habitats near Palmer Station in the austral summer of 2020. Using repeat animal counts and photogrammetric data products, we modeled fur seal abundance at survey sites over the period of observation, modeled habitat suitability based on fine-scale topographic habitat characteristics, and estimated abundance across terrestrial habitats near Palmer Station as a function of date and site suitability. Estimated peak abundance occurred on March 11 (day 71) of 2020, and high habitat suitability was most associated with low-slope and low-elevation inshore terrain, and relatively dry, sun-exposed, and wind-sheltered locations. Models estimated 2289–5544 (95% confidence interval) fur seals on land across all potential terrestrial habitats (41 discrete sites) near Palmer Station and Wylie Bay on the south coast of Anvers Island during peak abundance. This constitutes a first estimate of the aggregate timing and abundance of terrestrial occupancy of Antarctic fur seals in this region—a critical first step in understanding the phenology and ecological role of this largely nonbreeding predator population. These findings establish a baseline from which to estimate future changes in this seasonal population and the potential pressures it exerts on sympatric terrestrial and marine biota, as the physical environment and food chain of the western Antarctic Peninsula transform under long-term climatic changes.

Partial migration is a phenomenon where migratory and resident individuals of the same species co-exist within a population, and has been linked to both intrinsic (e.g., genetic) as well as environmental factors. Here we investigated the genomic architecture of partial migration in the Common blackbird, a songbird that comprises resident populations in the southern distribution range, partial migratory populations in central Europe and exclusively migratory populations in northern and eastern Europe. We generated whole-genome sequencing data for 60 individuals across the species’ distribution range, including resident populations (Spain and France), obligate migrants (Russia), and a partial migratory population with equal numbers of migratory and resident individuals in Germany. We estimated genetic differentiation (FST) of single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in 2.5 kb windows between all possible population and migratory phenotype combinations, and focused our characterization on birds from the partial migratory population in Germany that have been individually phenotyped with radio-telemetry tracking. Despite overall low differentiation within the partial migratory German population, we identified several outlier regions with elevated differentiation on four distinct chromosomes. The region with the highest relative and absolute differentiation was located on chromosome 9, overlapping PER2, which has previously been shown to be involved in the control of the circadian rhythm across vertebrates. While this region showed high levels of differentiation, no fixed variant could be identified, supporting the notion that a complex phenotype such as migratory behavior is likely controlled by a large number of genetic loci.

Objective. The purpose of this study was to explore individuals’ beliefs, values, and experiences surrounding stillbirth evaluation decisions. Design. Qualitative research Setting. University of Utah Health Population. Parents who experienced a stillbirth in the past 5 years (n=19) were interviewed about their experiences and decision to consent or decline postmortem evaluations Methods. Qualitative content analysis Main outcome measures. Barriers and facilitators to parents’stillbirth postmortem decision-making. Results. Participants communicated several facilitators and barriers that contributed to their stillbirth evaluation decision. Reasons for consenting to evaluations were belief in science, background in medicine, altruism, to inform future pregnancies, thinking about preventing another stillbirth, and how patients viewed the care of their stillborn by the medical team. Reasons for declining evaluations were receiving a diagnosis prior to being offered a postmortem evaluation, intent to avoid causing further harm to the baby, interest to spend more time with their baby, and cost of the evaluation. Conclusion. Participants identified stillbirth as one of their most difficult experiences as a parent. Diagnostic and emotional barriers create further challenges to decision-making for stillbirth postmortem evaluations. Parents often rely on inadequate information and personal values and beliefs during this time-sensitive decision process. Decision support for stillbirth evaluations and training for medical providers could benefit parents, may increase stillbirth evaluation uptake, and potentially prevent decisional regret.

Proteins exert their biological functions not only depending on abundance but also on regulation. Lactylation, a newly discovered post-translational modification, can mediate metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic regulation, and play a crucial role in signal transduction, gene expression, and cellular metabolism. Lactylation is involved in various diseases, such as tumors, Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, and myocardial infarction, but there is little research in musculoskeletal system. In this study, we conducted lactylation modification omics on samples from rotator cuff tear and identified 2624 modification sites on 851 proteins. We obtained data on subcellular localization, histone sites, differentially modified proteins, functional pathway enrichment and proposed the concept of “lysine co-lactylation modification effect” through MOTIF sequence. Overall, after rotator cuff tears, lactate content significantly increases, lactylation widely occurs mainly located in cytoplasm, mitochondria, and nucleus and enriches in pathways such as RNA processing, DNA processing, and glucose metabolism. We hope that lactylation intervention can provide new ideas and therapies for the repair of rotator cuff tears.

Non-invasive methods are necessary for the diagnostic and follow-up of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). This study aims to perform a proteomic analysis on serum and liver samples from morbid obese (MO) women to identify key mediators of MASH. HPLC-MS/MS proteomics was conducted on serum and liver samples from a cohort of 174 MO women classified by liver histology: 44 normal liver (NL), 66 simple steatosis (SS) and 64 MASH. Serum proteomics identified 257 proteins. The MASH individuals had 13 altered proteins, 11 upregulated and 2 downregulated. Altered proteins are primarily involved in molecular pathways of the initial triggering and complement cascade (50%). Liver proteomics identified 2081 proteins, with 72 upregulated and 84 downregulated in MASH. These proteins are mostly involved in molecular pathways of amino acid metabolism (31,25%), antimicrobial peptides (20%), fatty acid metabolism (17,5%). We identified 13 altered proteins in serum of MASH: increased levels of fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, clusterin, collectin-10 and -11, scavenger receptor cysteine-rich-M130, attractin, pigment epithelium-derived factor, vitronectin, complement factor-H, thrombospondin-4 and apolipoprotein-AIV and decreased levels of sex hormone-binding globulin and adiponectin. These proteins can be part of a panel of biomolecules for the diagnosis or follow-up of MASH.

The metallothionein gene family codes for proteins involved in metal homeostasis and acute detoxification of non-essential toxic metal ions across the tree of life. We have previously documented increased cadmium (Cd) tolerance in field populations of the crustacean Gammarus fossarum exposed to chronic metallic contamination of geochemical origin. This tolerance is lost during maintenance of organisms in the laboratory, and is transmitted to offspring via parental effects. This study investigated whether the expression of the Cd-responsive metallothionein gene mt1 could be related to Cd-tolerance plasticity in G. fossarum. In eleven populations with different chronic Cd exposure history, we simultaneously assessed Cd-tolerance (mortality tests) and G. fossarum mt1 expression levels by RT-qPCR in the gills and caeca of adult males and in neonates. mt1 expression levels in the two organs were correlated to Cd-tolerance in field organisms and a loss of tolerance was observed in parallel with a decreased expression of mt1 in the caeca after maintenance in uncontaminated water. We also recorded a greater inducibility of mt1 expression in offspring of tolerant populations in the laboratory when re-exposed to Cd along with the bi-parental transmission of Cd-tolerance. These results suggest that the control of mt1 expression is involved in the plasticity of Cd-tolerance in gammarid populations with different histories of Cd exposure.

The architecture underpinning genomic divergence is still a largely uncharted territory and likely case-dependent. Here, we investigated genome-wide variation in Ballan wrasse, a northeastern Atlantic fish species that displays two sympatric color morphs, spotty and plain, that have been suggested to represent subspecies. We produced a chromosome-level reference genome, and thereafter investigated genomic divergence among 152 individuals including both morphs, from two localities in Spain and Norway each, and one in France. Differences between morphs dominated in Spain in accordance with sympatric divergence, whereas in Norway geographic divergence was highest supporting allopatric differentiation. Chromosomes had very large low-recombining areas that were shared across populations and have accumulated further divergence. Within the Spanish morphs, large islands of divergence covered ~11% of the genome, showed high morph-specificity, and strong selection. The same regions showed frequent admixture in the French morphs and no differentiation in Norway. In contrast, divergent regions observed between sampling localities in Norway were scattered, shorter and found throughout the genome. High inbreeding and lower diversity were observed in the Norwegian samples, consistent with the proposed recolonization bottleneck and subsequent drift. Several genomic regions were significantly associated with morphs and contained tens of genes of diverse functions, suggesting that coloration is unlikely to be the sole driver of divergence. Our results suggest that large, polygenic divergence islands were initially formed and preserved in the south but were gradually lost and uncoupled from the phenotype of the fish further north when these areas were repopulated after the last glacial maximum.

Factors affecting breeding success in seabirds result in indices that can be useful for predicting population reproductive output, without the need for invasive and intensive monitoring. Such factors include environmental conditions that affect prey availability and distribution, leading to variation in behaviours related to foraging effort, such as foraging trip duration. Further, social factors, such as divorce, may offer an opportunity for birds to seek a more suitable partner to enhance long-term reproductive success, but may negatively impact success in the short term. The relative importance of environmental, behavioural and social predictors on reproductive output is unclear, as these factors have seldom been examined in tandem. In this study, we investigated environmental factors at differing scales, alongside foraging trip duration and divorce rate, to examine the consequences on reproductive success over 13 breeding seasons in an inshore foraging seabird, the little penguin (Eudyptula minor). Population divorce rate proved to be the most useful predictor of reproductive success, with years of lower divorce associated with higher hatching and fledging success. Shorter foraging trip durations were associated with higher fledging success, but longer trips led to more successful hatching rates. After controlling for the effect of divorce, marine environmental conditions were not a strong predictor of breeding success in this study. Therefore, we propose that the divorce rate can be a powerful index and a valuable tool for predicting population level reproductive success for seabirds facing similar environmental and foraging pressures as little penguins.

Optimization of production processes is a critical focus in manufacturing, with machine and deep learning approaches increasingly applied across various domains. This paper introduces a novel application of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRFL) for optimizing the sequential ordering of products in Surface-Mounted Device production. The approach addresses the overlap of components in assemblies, thereby minimizing changeover times. A Deep Neural Network (DNN) is employed to estimate production times, and a secondary DNN, integrated with DRFL, determines the optimal sequence of product assembly. This setup models the problem as a variant of the Traveling Salesman Problem, where products are represented as nodes in a graph with unique properties. The production time model, derived from both simulation and a Regression Deep Learning Network, feeds into the DRFL agent for optimization. Experimental results demonstrate that DRFL significantly outperforms heuristic methods such as Nearest Neighbor, City Swap, and Simulated Annealing, achieving approximately 5% time savings over heuristic approaches and 30% over manual or random product ordering. Furthermore, DRFL shows superior computational efficiency, making it a viable solution for real-time production environments. This paper underscores the potential of DRFL to enhance production efficiency, offering substantial cost savings in manufacturing operations.

This brief investigates the multi-point fault repair problem in active distribution networks, establishing resilience assessment metrics and constructing a fault repair mathematical model with road network coupling. An improved genetic algorithm is proposed, utilizing a comparison crossover operator and population information entropy. Compared to traditional algorithms, the comparison crossover operator preserves high-quality genes, while population information entropy maintains diversity, preventing the algorithm from converging on local optima. Simulation analysis demonstrates that the proposed fault repair method can restore normal power supply to distribution network lines within a short period and offers significant advantages in fault repair tasks.