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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 18, 2024 at 6:10am

Cognitive flexibility: How neural variability shapes decision-making in different brains

Research published in Nature has revealed that neural computations in different individuals can be implemented to solve the same decision-making tasks, even when the behavioral outcomes appear identical.

Cognitive flexibility is the ability of a brain to adapt its response to the same external stimulus, like light or sound, based on different contexts. For example, if someone calls your name in a crowded room, you must focus on the sound's location or the voice characteristics to identify the person. This flexibility in selecting and processing relevant information while ignoring irrelevant information is crucial for survival and effective interaction with our environment. The researchers aimed to develop a framework to explain how neural networks compute context-dependent selection, and link neural and behavioral variability. They began by training rats to perform decision-making tasks based on external auditory cues. Their decision-making was based on a set of two alternating rules.

The location rule required the rats to respond to the location of a series of auditory clicks. On the other hand, the frequency rule required them to respond to the frequency of the clicks while ignoring their location.

A context cue before each rule informed the rats of which rule to follow. The rules switched rapidly, requiring the rats to adjust their decision-making process quickly.
Rats can learn to solve this task with very high accuracy, and analysis of their behavior and neural activity over many trials allows us to precisely characterize the mechanisms they are using to select the context-relevant stimuli and make the right decisions
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 17, 2024 at 11:15am

Scientists develop 3D concrete printing method that captures carbon dioxide

Scientists  have developed a 3D concrete printing method that captures carbon, demonstrating a new pathway to reduce the environmental impact of the construction industry.

The innovative method, detailed in the journal Carbon Capture Science & Technology, aims to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of cement—a material responsible for 1.6 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) or about 8% of global CO₂ emissions—through lower material usage, reduced construction time, and labor requirements.

The newly developed 3D concrete printing process involves injecting steam and CO2, captured as the by-products of industrial processes, into the mixing concrete, which then directly incorporates and stores the CO2 in the concrete structure. Results have shown that the CO2 and steam injection method improved the mechanical properties of the concrete, offering increased strength compared to conventional 3D printed concrete.

Sean Gip Lim et al, Carbon capture and sequestration with in-situ CO2 and steam integrated 3D concrete printing, Carbon Capture Science & Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ccst.2024.100306

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 17, 2024 at 10:34am

Microfibers in India's open-air laundries a 'silent disaster'

India's traditional open-air laundries, known as dhobi ghats, hold cultural significance and have provided livelihoods to thousands of washers for generations.

But these communal washing facilities now face a modern environmental challenge, in the form of microfiber—putting aquatic and human health at risk.

Tiny synthetic particles, released from clothes during washing, apart from the chemical detergents used for washing.  are polluting rivers, lakes and other water bodies in India, according to researchers.

Microfiber pollution is a silent yet growing issue. Millions of synthetic fibers are shed from clothes during washing, especially in Dhobi Ghats and commercial laundries, where filtration systems are often absent. These fibers enter water bodies, accumulate over time, and disrupt aquatic ecosystems.

A study by researchers at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, published earlier this year in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, was the first to measure the levels of microfibers in wastewater from Dhobi Ghats and similar commercial laundries.

In Hindi, dhobi means washerman, and ghats are landings or steps leading to the river for bathing or washing. They are part of India's huge informal economy.

But according to the study, dhobi ghats release over 3,200 microfibers per liter of wastewater, while commercial laundries discharge almost 37,000 microfibers per liter.

Most of these particles come from synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon, which are non-biodegradable. Once in the water, these microfibers harm aquatic life and eventually make their way into the human food chain.

The conclusion: The rising microfiber pollution is a silent disaster we must address immediately.

As well as microfibers, chemical detergents pose a huge risk to aquatic life and human health, while untreated sewage ends up in many rivers.

People need to be aware of how their laundry choices impact the environment.

Solutions suggested: 

Installing low-cost microfiber filters at Dhobi Ghats. These filters can trap synthetic fibers before the wastewater enters water bodies.

Centralized laundry facilities with proper wastewater treatment systems could also help. These would reduce pollution and improve working conditions for washermen.

Other solutions include using biodegradable detergents and raising awareness about eco-friendly practices among washermen.

Zaid Mushtaq Bhat et al, Microfiber pollution from Dhobi Ghats (open air laundry centers) and commercial laundries in a north Indian city, Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-31700-4

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 14, 2024 at 11:41am

Animal dynamics

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 14, 2024 at 11:29am

These sugars are not only essential nutrients for the development of fruits and seeds, but significantly influence the sweetness of fruits and the quality of rice grains.

Heat stress represses CWIN activity and thus disrupts the source-sink balance, resulting in inadequate energy supply in sink organs, reduced reproductive development, and yield penalties.
Researchers developed a strategy based on climate-responsive optimization of carbon partitioning to sinks (CROCS) by rationally manipulating the expression of CWIN genes in fruit and cereal crops.

They precisely knocked-in a 10-bp heat-shock element (HSE) into promoters of CWIN genes in elite rice and tomato cultivars, using self-developed high-efficiency, prime-editing tools. HSE insertion endows CWINs with heat-responsive upregulation in both controlled and field environments to enhance carbon partitioning to rice grains and tomato fruits.

Multi-location and multi-season yield tests on tomatoes under various cultivation conditions, including greenhouses and open fields, showed that under normal conditions, the CROCS strategy increased tomato yields by 14–47%.

Under heat stress, it increased per-plot fruit yield by 26–33% over controls and rescued 56.4–100% of fruit yield losses caused by heat stress. Notably, aspects of fruit quality such as uniformity and sugar content were significantly improved compared to unmodified controls.
In addition, rice cultivars improved by this strategy not only showed a yield increase of 7–13% under normal conditions, but also showed a 25% grain yield increase over controls under heat-stress conditions. Specifically, up to 41% of heat-induced grain losses were rescued in rice.

CROCS is an efficient, versatile, prime-editing based system for rapid crop improvement, which paves the way to rapidly create climate-smart crops by targeted insertion of environment-responsive cis-regulatory elements. The strategy also provides effective gene-editing tools and feasible operational procedures for the fundamental study of plant responses to stress.

The researchers also noted that this breeding strategy has now also been applied to crops such as soybeans, wheat, and corn.

https://english.cas.ac.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202412/t20241...

Chinese Academy of Sciences

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 14, 2024 at 11:28am

Scientists innovate breeding strategies to create climate-smart crops

A recent study has reported a novel breeding strategy to rapidly create climate-smart crops that show higher yield under normal conditions and greatly rescue yield losses under heat stress both in staple grain and vegetable crops.

The study,  was published in Cell on 13 December 2024.

 The year 2050 is fast approaching and farm productivity must increase by 60% in order to feed a projected global population of 10 billion. However, current crop production is insufficient and is expected to worsen due to the abiotic-stress burden of climate change.

An increase of 2 °C during the growing season will result in a yield loss of 3–13%. To ensure global food security and overcome breeding bottlenecks, scientists urgently need to develop "climate-smart" crops that achieve higher yields under normal conditions and stable yields under heat stress.

The physiological basis of crop yield and quality is the source-sink relationship. Source tissues (e.g., leaves) are net producers of photoassimilates—i.e., primarily carbohydrates such as sucrose. In contrast, sink tissues (e.g., fruits, seeds, roots, developing flowers, cotton fibers, and storage organs) are net importers, which use or store photoassimilates.

The cell wall invertase gene (CWIN) is the crucial gene regulating the source-sink relationship in plants. The enzyme encoded by this gene unloads and converts sucrose transported from leaves into glucose and fructose within sink organs, where these sugars can be directly absorbed and utilized. Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 13, 2024 at 11:37am

Paracetamol may not be as safe as perceived in older people, according to a new study

Research, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that repeated doses of paracetamol in people aged 65 and over, can lead to an increased risk of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and renal complications.

The study, which is published in Arthritis Care and Research, shows that care must be taken when repeated doses are required for chronic painful conditions such as osteoarthritis in older people.

Due to its perceived safety, paracetamol has long been recommended as the first line drug treatment for osteoarthritis by many treatment guidelines, especially in older people who are at higher risk of drug-related complications.

The study analyzed data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink-Gold. Participants were aged 65 and over with an average age of 75.

Researchers looked at the health records of 180,483 people who had been prescribed paracetamol repeatedly (≥2 prescriptions within six months) during the study. Their health outcomes were then compared to 402,478 people of the same age who had never been prescribed paracetamol repeatedly.

The findings showed that prolonged paracetamol use was associated with an increased risk of peptic ulcers, heart failure, hypertension and chronic kidney disease.

Given its minimal pain-relief effect, the use of paracetamol as a first line pain killer for long-term conditions such as osteoarthritis in older people needs to be carefully considered, say the researchers.

Jaspreet Kaur et al, Incidence of side effects associated with acetaminophen in people aged 65 years or more: a prospective cohort study using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, Arthritis Care & Research (2024). DOI: 10.1002/acr.25471

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 13, 2024 at 11:21am

Complex bacterial dynamics of urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a major widespread health issue that affects millions of patients globally every year. These infections are not only uncomfortable, but also challenging to treat, as they may often reoccur after the first infection.

A new research study leveraging a mathematical model has now provided a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between different bacterial populations within the bladder and their responses to physiological and therapeutic interventions. This study offers promising pathways for new treatment strategies.

Bacteria are not only present in the urine, but exist in various states in the bladder: free-floating in the bladder lumen, attached to the bladder wall, or even within the bladder's epithelial cells. These different bacterial populations are subjected to different selective pressures, such as immune response and micturition, and antibiotic treatments.

When considering persistent, recurrent infections that need to be treated with antibiotics, there is a higher likelihood that bacteria can adapt and develop resistance during treatment.

This study showed that the different bacterial populations increase the risk of a persistent infection, which then may increase the risk of development of antibiotic resistance. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the diverse bacterial populations and their interactions when treating UTIs.

Another key finding from the study concerns the potential of competitive inoculation as a possible treatment. By introducing a fast-growing, non-pathogenic bacterial strain, pathogenic bacteria can be suppressed. This approach may control the pathogenic population and increase the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment when antibiotics are used in moderation.

This study stresses the importance of considering bacterial compartments in understanding UTIs. By considering the various niches bacteria occupy, and their responses to therapies, this model provides a more realistic view of infection dynamics. It offers valuable insights that could guide and improve future UTI treatments.

Michael Raatz et al, Pathogen non-planktonic phases within the urinary tract impact early infection and resistance evolution, The ISME Journal (2024). DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae191

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 13, 2024 at 10:50am

Researchers identify amino acid that prevent sporulation in food poisoning

Food poisoning is a common, yet unpleasant, illness caused by eating contaminated items. It is sometimes caused by Clostridium perfringens, a pathogen widely found in soil and the intestinal tracts of animals.

The pathogen multiplies in environments with little oxygen, for example, curry stored in a pot. After ingestion of the pathogen, they form spores in the small intestinal tracts. The toxins produced during spore formation cause diarrhea and abdominal pain, but the underlying mechanism of spore formation has not been fully understood.

Researchers now examined how amino acids are involved in Clostridium perfringens spore formation. The findings were published in Anaerobe.

In this study, they created 21 culture mediums, 20 of which were each deprived of one of the amino acids that make proteins in the human body, to evaluate the pathogen's development.

As a result, the team identified serine as an inhibitor of Clostridium perfringens spore formation. When observed under a microscope, it was found that serine inhibits the pathogen's cell wall from remodeling, which is necessary in the process of becoming a spore.

This is the first reported case where a single amino acid inhibits spore-forming anaerobic bacteria.

Mayo Yasugi et al, Serine affects engulfment during the sporulation process in Clostridium perfringens strain SM101, Anaerobe (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2024.102914

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on December 13, 2024 at 10:24am

Polluting shipwrecks

At the bottom of the oceans and seas lie more than 8,500 shipwrecks from two world wars. These wrecks have been estimated to contain as much as 6 billion gallons of oil, as well as munitions, toxic heavy metals and even chemical weapons.

For decades, these wrecks have largely lain out of site and out of mind. But all this time, their structures have been degrading, inexorably increasing the chances of sudden releases of toxic substances into the marine environment.
In parts of the globe, climate change is exacerbating this risk. Rising ocean temperatures, acidification and increasing storminess accelerate the breakdown of these wrecks.

Of course, wrecks from the world wars are far from the only ones to be found at the bottom of the sea, with many others adding to the problem. The cost of addressing this global issue has been estimated at US$340 billion (£261 billion).

How many of these wrecks pose a threat to people's safety, to coastal communities and to the environment? What can be done—and why haven't we done it sooner?

https://theconversation.com/polluting-shipwrecks-are-the-ticking-ti...

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