Search Results (448)

Bacteriophages, or phages, are sophisticated nanomachines that efficiently infect bacteria. Their infection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) used in fermentation can lead to significant industrial losses. Among phages that infect monoderm bacteria, those with siphovirion morphology characterized by a long, non-contractile tail are predominant. The initial stage of phage infection involves precise host recognition and binding. To achieve this, phages feature host adhesion devices (HADs) located at the distal end of their tails, which have evolved to recognize specific proteinaceous or saccharidic receptors on the host cell wall. Ceduovirus represents a group of unique lytic siphophages that specifically infect the LAB Lactococcus lactis by targeting proteinaceous receptors. Despite having compact genomes, most of their structural genes are poorly annotated and the architecture and function of their HADs remain unknown. Here we used AlphaFold3 to explore the Ceduovirus HADs and their interaction with the host. We show that Ceduovirus HADs exhibit unprecedented features among bacteriophages infecting Gram⁺, share structural similarities with bacterial secretion system VI, and combine both saccharide and protein-binding modules. Moreover, we could annotate the majority of Ceduovirus genes encoding structural proteins by leveraging their predicted structures, highlighting AlphaFold’s significant contribution to phage genome annotation. Full article

The remarkable conservation of soft tissues within Cambrian fossils has significantly enhanced our comprehension of the origins and evolutionary trajectories of animals, in addition to the progression of ecological intricacy. Here, we report an exceptionally preserved specimen of the lingulid brachiopod Xianshanella haikouensis from the lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte, exhibiting branched fringes along the distal ends of its marginal setae. These structures may represent either branched setae or attached macroalgae. The diameter of the branched fringes is slightly larger than that of the marginal setae, and they exhibit third- or fourth-order bifurcations, forming a complex structure comparable in length to the shell. Both the branched fringes and marginal setae are preserved as iron oxides, as revealed by SEM and Micro-XRF analyses, a characteristic preservation mode in Chengjiang fossils. The results of Micro-CT scanning suggest that these branched fringes are preserved along almost the entire distal end of marginal setae. Comparable branched fringes are reminiscent of those found in annelids, and such structural analogs between annelid and brachiopod setae support the homology of brachiopod and annelid setae, representing a lophotrochozoan synapomorphy. An alternative explanation involving attached macroalgae is proposed, given that branched setae have never been documented in either extinct or extant brachiopod taxa. If these structures represent macroalgae, this association could represent a mimicry strategy to deceive predators, although comparable macroalgal fossils remain undocumented in the Chengjiang Lagerstätte. Our research highlights the potential for brachiopod setae to serve roles in sensory function or ecological interactions, offering a new perspective on early animal adaptation and community dynamics. Full article

This article employs the theoretical framework of religious mediatization and a philosophical–anthropological lens to examine how various religious traditions utilize audiovisual media in the digital age to disseminate their faith and transform the religious experience. By comparing representative film and television cases from Christianity, Islam, and Eastern religions, the study analyzes how digital media reconstruct religious narratives, ritual practices, and identity, and facilitate cross-cultural faith exchange in online spaces. The findings indicate that audiovisual media have become a key arena for contemporary religious practice: they reinforce believers’ identity within their tradition while enabling different faith communities to encounter each other’s narratives, generating new understanding and spiritual experiences. Meanwhile, digital media have fostered virtual religious communities and a fan culture reminiscent of “implicit religion” (secular activities imbued with religious-like devotion), challenging traditional religious authority. Finally, from an interdisciplinary perspective, this article reflects on the opportunities and challenges of religious mediatization in the digital era, highlighting how media shape humanity’s quest for meaning and transcendence in a “liquid modernity” context. It also calls for deeper research into interreligious digital communication. Full article

This study delves into the spatial characteristics of solutions for a specific class of evolution equations that incorporate biharmonic operators. The process begins with the construction of an energy function. Subsequently, by employing an integro-differential inequality method, it is deduced that this energy function satisfies an integro-differential inequality. Resolving this inequality enables us to establish an estimate for the spatial decay of the solution. Ultimately, the finding affirms that the spatial exponential decay is reminiscent of Saint-Venant-type estimates. Full article

Background/Objectives: Mental health and emotional well-being are critical yet often overlooked in older adults. Immersive virtual reality (VR) may offer novel strategies for promoting relaxation in this population, but the diversity of intervention designs and underlying mechanisms remains insufficiently mapped. This scoping review aimed to systematically examine head-mounted display (HMD) VR interventions for relaxation in older adults, focusing on core scenarios, mechanisms, and conceptual paradigms. Methods: Following the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis and PRISMA-ScR guidelines, comprehensive searches of MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus were conducted for empirical studies of HMD-based VR relaxation interventions in adults aged 60 and older. Data on study characteristics, hardware, intervention scenarios, and reported physiological and psychological mechanisms were extracted and categorized into conceptual paradigms. Results: Twenty-four studies were included, covering diverse clinical and community samples. Four main VR relaxation paradigms emerged: environmental relaxation, guided meditation, psychotherapy integration, and interactive gamified relaxation. Reported mechanisms included parasympathetic activation, multisensory immersion, attentional distraction, positive affect induction, mindfulness, cognitive engagement, and reminiscence activation. Considerable heterogeneity was found in intervention design and outcomes, with mechanisms often inferred rather than directly described. Conclusions: Similar relaxation mechanisms were engaged across paradigms, including hybrid interventions combining multiple approaches, highlighting the adaptability of VR to meet diverse needs. Identifying these four paradigms provides a foundation for future research and development of targeted VR-based relaxation for older adults. Further studies should clarify mechanisms, use standardized physiological outcome measures, and assess long-term benefits of VR relaxation interventions in geriatric populations. Full article

Tenrecs are heterothermic burrowing mammals, which are capable of withstanding extreme environmental stressors, including during hibernation. Their phylogenetic position as reminiscent of an ancestral placental mammal makes tenrecs a unique model for evolutionarily conserved traits, with potential translatability to human physiology and pathobiology, including adaptations to extreme environments. In this study, we compared tenrec plasma for post-translational protein citrullination profiles (citrullinomes) and extracellular vesicle (EV) characteristics, including selected microRNA cargoes (miR-21, miR-155, miR-206, miR-210), between baseline active and hibernating states at low (12 °C) and high (28 °C) ambient temperatures. Our findings show considerable changes in citrullinome plasma profiles and associated Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analysis linked to physiological and inflammatory processes, comparing hibernating and active states, also differing between the two ambient temperature groups. We furthermore identified modified EV profiles with respect to stress-related (miR-21, miR-155), hypoxia (miR-210) and metabolic/muscle related (miR-206) microRNA cargoes, which showed significant differences between active and hibernating animals, also comparing the two ambient temperature groups. Our findings show novel roles for post-translational protein citrullination in regulating immune and metabolic associated pathways in the tenrec, and highlight EV profiles, based on microRNA cargoes, as indicators for stress and metabolic responses in active versus hibernating states, including at different temperatures. Collectively our data highlights the tenrec as an evolutionary model for regulating pathobiological responses in extreme environments and may have translatable potential for human physiology and pathologies. Full article

A new conformally invariant gravitational generalization of the Born–Infeld (BI) model is proposed and analyzed from the point of view of symmetries. Taking a geometric identity involving the determinant functions det$f\left(B_{\mu \nu },F_{\mu \nu }\right)$ with the Bach $B_{\mu \nu }$ and the electromagnetic field $F_{\mu \nu }$ tensors (with the 4-dimensional Greek letter indexes), two characteristic geometrical Lagrangian densities (Lagrangians) are derived: the first Lagrangian being the square root of the determinant function $\sqrt{\left|det\left(B_{\mu \nu }+F_{\mu \nu }\right)\right|}$ (reminiscent of the standard BI model) and the second Lagrangian being the fourth root $\sqrt[4]{gdet\left(B_{\alpha \gamma }{B}_{\beta }^{\gamma }+F_{\alpha \gamma }{F}_{\beta }^{\gamma }\right)}$. It is shown, after explicit computation of the gravitational equations, that the square-root model is incompatible with the inclusion of the electromagnetic tensor, consequently forcing the nullity of $F_{\mu \nu }$. In sharp contrast, the traceless fourth-root model is fully compatible and a natural ansatz of the type $B_{\mu \rho }{B}_{\nu }^{\rho }\propto \mathrm{\Omega }\left(x\right)g_{\mu \nu }$ (conformal-Killing), with $\mathrm{\Omega }$ the conformal factor and x the 4-coordinate, can be considered. Among other essential properties, the geometrical conformal Lagrangian of the fourth-root type is self-similar with respect to the determinant g of the metric tensor $g_{\mu \nu }$ and can be extended to non-Abelian fields in a way similar to the model developed by the author earlier. This self-similarity is related to the conformal properties of the model, such as the Bach currents or flows presumably of a topological origin. Possible applications and comparisons with other models are briefly discussed. Full article

In the evolving digital landscape, the pervasive influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on social media platforms reveals a compelling paradox: the capability to provide personalized experiences juxtaposed with inherent biases reminiscent of human imperfections. Such biases prompt rigorous contemplation on matters of fairness, equity, and societal ramifications, and penetrate the foundational essence of AI. Within this intricate context, the present work ventures into novel domains by examining the potential of quantum computing as a viable remedy for bias in artificial intelligence. The conceptual framework of the quantum sentinel is presented—an innovative approach that employs quantum principles for the detection and scrutiny of biases in AI algorithms. Furthermore, the study poses and investigates the question of whether the integration of advanced quantum computing to address AI bias is seen as an excessive measure or a requisite advancement commensurate with the intricacy of the issue. By intertwining quantum mechanics, AI bias, and the philosophical considerations they induce, this research fosters a discourse on the journey toward ethical AI, thus establishing a foundation for an ethically conscious and balanced digital environment. We also show that the quantum Zeno effect can protect SVM hyperplanes from bias through targeted simulations. Full article

We identified Murashka, a RING finger protein, in an oogenesis screen as a regulator of Drosophila ovary germline stem cell niche development. Mutant alleles of murashka exhibited an enlarged niche phenotype reminiscent of increased Notch signalling and displayed genetic interactions with Notch alleles, and with polychaetoid, a regulator of Notch during niche development. These interactions uncovered both positive and negative impacts on Notch in different genetic backgrounds. In S2 cells, Murashka formed a complex with Notch and colocalised with Notch in the secretory pathway. Murashka expression in S2 cells down-regulated Notch signalling levels but could result in increased fold induction due to the proportionally greater decrease in basal ligand-independent activity. In vivo Murashka expression had different outcomes on different Notch target genes. We observed a decrease in the expression of vestigial along the anterior/posterior boundary of the wing imaginal disc, but not of wingless at the dorsal/ventral boundary. Instead, weak ectopic wingless was observed, which was synergistically increased by the coexpression of Deltex, a positive regulator of ligand-independent signalling. Our results identify a novel developmental role for murashka, a gene previously only associated with a function in long-term memory, and indicate a regulatory role for Murashka through a physical interaction with Notch that has context-dependent outcomes. Murashka adds to a growing number of ubiquitin ligase regulators which interact with Notch at different locations within its secretory and endocytic trafficking pathways. Full article

Digital twin technology is emerging as a core technology that models physical objects or systems in a digital space and links real-time data to accurately reflect the state and behavior of the real world. For the effective operation of such digital twins, high-performance visualization methods that support an intuitive understanding of the vast amounts of data collected from sensors and enable rapid decision-making are essential. The proposed system is designed as a balanced 3D monitoring solution that prioritizes intuitive, real-time state observation. Conventional 3D-simulation-based systems, while offering high physical fidelity, are often unsuitable for real-time monitoring due to their significant computational cost. Conversely, 2D-based systems are useful for detailed analysis but struggle to provide an intuitive, holistic understanding of multiple assets within a spatial context. This study introduces a visualization approach that bridges this gap. By leveraging sensor data, our method generates a physically plausible representation 3D CAD models, enabling at-a-glance comprehension in a visual format reminiscent of simulation analysis, without claiming equivalent physical accuracy. The proposed method includes GPU-accelerated interpolation, the user-selectable application of geodesic and Euclidean distance calculations, the automatic resolution of CAD model connectivity issues, the integration of Physically Based Rendering (PBR), and enhanced data interpretability through ramp shading. The proposed system was implemented in the Unity3D environment. Through various experiments, it was confirmed that the system maintained high real-time performance, achieving tens to hundreds of Frames Per Second (FPS), even with complex 3D models and numerous sensor data. Moreover, the application of geodesic distance yielded a more intuitive representation of surface-based phenomena, while PBR integration significantly enhanced visual realism, thereby enabling the more effective analysis and utilization of sensor data in digital twin environments. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study examines the subjective perceptions of older adults with mild chronic conditions regarding an artificial intelligence (AI)-based caregiving device, referred to as an “AI Human”, by identifying and categorising their viewpoints through Q methodology. Methods: We conducted the study in February 2025 at two adult welfare centres in Buyeo, South Korea. Thirteen older adults used the AI Human device with support for at least 15 days. We initially generated 152 opinion statements through a literature review, focus group interviews, and AI-assisted methods and refined them to a Q sample of 34 statements. Participants completed Q sorts, and we used Ken-Q Analysis software (version 2.0.1) to analyse the data, applying principal component analysis and Varimax rotation. Results: Four distinct perception types emerged: (1) emotionally engaged users prioritise reminiscence and emotional interaction; (2) present-oriented conversationalists prefer real-time, everyday dialogue; (3) usage-burdened users are interested in the device but experience usage difficulty; and (4) function-oriented users value health and caregiving functions. Conclusions: The acceptance of AI caregiving devices among older adults varies based on their emotional needs, conversation preferences, technical accessibility, and perceived usefulness. This study provides theoretical and practical insights for developing personalised, elder-friendly AI systems that support ageing and promote emotional well-being. Full article

Studies at the intersection of climate change and futures research are needed. In response, we interviewed Icelanders (n = 63) to understand individuals’ visions of the future. Linguistic analysis revealed that participants expressed themselves informally with moderate confidence, high authenticity, and a negative tone. Deductive thematic analysis revealed three overarching visions of the future: (1) a utopian future characterized by environmental and social harmony where people return to nature; (2) a stable future reminiscent of today with improved infrastructure, connectivity, and continued sustainability and adaptation practices that maintain a rural lifestyle; and (3) a dystopian future marked by climate disruptions, overpopulation, and new environmental hazards requiring more emergency management resources alongside cultural barriers to adaptation that lead to the decay of infrastructure. The findings underscore the need to understand community-specific values and concerns for developing culturally sensitive and sustainable climate change adaptation strategies. Full article

Background and clinical significance: Cutaneous melanomas sometimes display unusual histopathological features, reminiscent of various other malignancies, either primary or metastatic. However, due to the highly aggressive nature of cutaneous melanomas, an accurate and timely diagnosis is mandatory. This requires extensive histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses and molecular tests, if needed. Case presentation: In this respect, we present two cases of primary cutaneous melanomas exhibiting rhabdoid features and genuine divergent rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation confirmed by immunoreactivity for myogenin and loss of positivity for some melanocytic markers. We discuss the diagnosis approach for these particularly rare entities, highlighting the most useful immunohistochemical panel. Additionally, we also provide an extensive review of all the previously reported similar lesions, focusing on the epidemiological, histopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular features, as well as discussing the prognostic and treatment options for rhabdomyosarcomatous cutaneous melanomas. Conclusions: These rare cases of primary cutaneous melanomas with rhabdomyosarcomatous differentiation underscore the diagnostic challenges posed by such unusual histopathological variants. In order to establish the correct diagnosis a comprehensive immunohistochemical workup, including both melanocytic and myogenic markers, is required. These findings are supported by a detailed review of the literature, emphasizing the importance of recognising these rare melanoma subtypes for providing the appropriate prognostic assessment, and therapeutic management. Full article

In this work, we measured the antioxidant capacity of capers (Capparis spinosa L.) and an important component, kaempferol, as scavengers of the superoxide radical anion using hydrodynamic voltammetry with a rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE). Comparing our electrochemical results to other natural products studied using this method, this work demonstrates that kaempferol is a stronger antioxidant than vitamin C, whereas caper extract has weaker antioxidant capability than olive oil. We also investigated the synergistic scavenging relationship between vitamin C and kaempferol and found it to be potent, as all the available superoxide radicals were consumed in the presence of both compounds. Such a dramatic RRDE result was observed for the first time in our laboratory. We then utilized computational Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods to establish a viable mechanism, reminiscent of that exhibited by superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes, for the scavenging behavior of kaempferol. In the enzymatic reaction, two molecules of the superoxide radical anion with the assistance of two protons are disproportioned into one molecule of hydrogen peroxide and one oxygen molecule. Our DFT results show kaempferol mimicking superoxide dismutase (SOD) action when one kaempferol molecule reacts with two superoxide radicals and two protons (which can be provided by ascorbic acid); i.e., kaempferol acts as a catalyst that is restored after a cycle of superoxide scavenging. This mechanism is consistent with our experimental RRDE results. Full article

Recent work has identified biomphalysin (BM) protein from the snail Biomphalaria glabrata as a cytolytic toxin against the Schistosoma mansoni parasite. Ex vivo interactome studies further evidenced BM’s ability to bind bacterial outer membrane proteins, but its specific antibacterial mechanisms and selectivity remain unclear. Accordingly, this study aims to elucidate the interaction between BM and two model bacteria with distinct cell surface architectures: Escherichia coli (Gram−) and Micrococcus luteus (Gram+). Employing a multiscale approach, we used in vivo single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to probe molecular interactions at the single cell level. Combined with cell aggregation assays, immunoblotting and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging, SMFS results evidenced a selective interaction of BM from snail plasma with M. luteus but not E. coli. Exposure of M. luteus to BM compromised cell surface integrity and induced cell aggregation. These effects correlated with a patch-like distribution of BM on M. luteus reminiscent of pore-forming toxins, as revealed by the anti-BM antibody-functionalized AFM tip. Overall, this work highlights the utility of SMFS in dissecting host–pathogen molecular dialogs. It reveals BM’s selective action against M. luteus, potentially via surface clustering, and it shows spatially heterogeneous responses to the toxin within and between individual cells. Full article