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SUMMARY Cyst nematodes establish permanent feeding structures called syncytia inside the host root vasculature, disrupting the flow of water and minerals. In response, plants form WOX11‐mediated adventitious lateral roots at nematode infection sites. WOX11 adventitious lateral rooting modulates tolerance to nematode infections; however, whether this also benefits nematode parasitism remains unknown. Here, we report on bioassays using a 35S::WOX11‐SRDX transcriptional repressor mutant to investigate whether WOX11 adventitious lateral rooting promotes syncytium development and thereby female growth and fecundity. Moreover, we chemically inhibited cellulose biosynthesis to verify if WOX11 directly modulates cell wall plasticity in syncytia. Finally, we performed histochemical analyses to test if WOX11 mediates syncytial cell wall plasticity via reactive oxygen species (ROS). Repression of WOX11‐mediated transcription specifically enhanced the radial expansion of syncytial elements, increasing both syncytium size and female offspring. The enhanced syncytial hypertrophy observed in the 35S::WOX11‐SRDX mutant could be phenocopied by chemical inhibition of cellulose biosynthesis and was associated with elevated levels of ROS at nematode infection sites. We, therefore, conclude that WOX11 restricts radial expansion of nematode‐feeding structures and female growth and fecundity, likely by modulating ROS‐mediated cell wall plasticity mechanisms. Remarkably, this novel role of WOX11 in plant cell size control is distinct from WOX11 adventitious lateral rooting underlying disease tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case report on the cytopathological findings of granular cell glioblastoma (GCBG) in intraoperative squash smear preparations. GCBG is a rare and aggressive type of brain tumor that is difficult to diagnose. The article describes the microscopic features of GCBG, including the presence of large macrophage-like tumor cells with eosinophilic granular cytoplasm and distinct nucleoli. The authors emphasize the importance of caution in diagnosing GCBG and suggest communicating potential differential diagnoses to neurosurgeons. [Extracted from the article]

The grain size of rice (Oryza sativa) plays a pivotal role in determining yield. It is crucial to explore the genes related to grain size and analyze their molecular mechanisms to enhance rice yield further. This study identified a small‐grain mutant small grain 12 (sg12), from the ethyl methanesulfonate‐induced mutant library of Shuhui 498, a backbone parent of heavy‐panicle hybrid rice. We found that sg12 rice mutant exhibits a decrease in grain size and 1000‐grain weight, but an increase in grain number per panicle. Genetic analysis indicated that the small grain of sg12 is controlled by a pair of semi‐dominant genes. Furthermore, cytological analysis showed that the number of longitudinal cells in the spikelet hull of sg12 decreased, indicating that SG12 regulates grain size by affecting cell proliferation. In this study, we also identified a candidate gene of SG12 as OsPPKL3, which encodes a putative protein phosphatase with Kelch‐like repeat domains. A single‐nucleotide polymorphism substitution (G/A) occurred in the conserved Kelch domain of OsPPKL3 in the sg12, resulting in the mutation of the 176th amino acid from Ala to Thr, and this amino acid substitution led to significant differences in the three‐dimensional structure of the OsPPKL3 protein. Finally, genetic analysis indicated that OsPPKL3 regulates grain size independent of Oryza sativa BRI1‐associated receptor kinase 1 (OsBAK1) and Oryza sativa Brassinosteroid‐signaling kinase 2 (OsBSK2). Overall, this study identified a new allelic mutant of OsPPKL3, clarified the cytological basis of OsPPKL3 regulating grain size, and emphasized the crucial role of the 176th amino acid in the Kelch domain of OsPPKL3 for its biological function. Our results provided important resources for further studying the molecular mechanisms of OsPPKL3 regulating grain size in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme longevity in humans is known to be a heritable trait. In a well‐established twin erythrocyte metabolomics and proteomics database, we identified the longevity factor spermidine and a cluster of correlated molecules with high heritability estimates. Erythrocyte spermidine is 82% heritable and significantly correlated with 59 metabolites and 22 proteins. Thirty‐eight metabolites and 19 proteins were >20% heritable, with a mean heritability of 61% for metabolites and 49% for proteins. Correlated metabolites are concentrated in energy metabolism, redox homeostasis, and autophagy pathways. Erythrocyte mean cell volume (MCV), an established heritable trait, was consistently negatively correlated with the top 25 biomolecules most strongly correlated with spermidine, indicating that smaller MCVs are associated with higher concentrations of spermidine and correlated molecules. Previous studies have linked larger MCVs with poorer memory, cognition, and all‐cause mortality. Analysis of 432,682 unique patient records showed a linear increase in MCV with age but a significant deviation toward smaller than expected MCVs above age 86, suggesting that smaller MCVs are associated with extreme longevity. Consistent with previous reports, a subset of 78,158 unique patient records showed a significant skewing toward larger MCV values in a deceased cohort compared to an age‐matched living cohort. Our study supports the existence of a complex, heritable phenotype in erythrocytes associated with health and longevity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) represent the largest global network of sites critical to the persistence of biodiversity, which have been identified against standardised quantitative criteria. Sites that hold very high biodiversity value or potential are given specific attention on site‐based conservation targets of the Kunming‐Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and KBAs are already used in indicators for the GBF and the Sustainable Development Goals. However, most of the species that trigger KBA status are birds and to maximise benefits for biodiversity under the actions taken to fulfil the GBF, countries need to update their KBAs to represent important sites across multiple taxa. Here we introduce KBAscope, an R package to identify potential KBAs using multiple taxonomic groups. KBAscope provides flexible, user‐friendly functions to edit species data (population, range maps, area of occupancy, area of habitat and localities); apply KBA criteria; and generate outputs to support the delineation and validation of KBAs. The details of the analysis – such as the spatial units tested or the KBA criteria applied – can be decided according to the scope of the analysis. We demonstrate the functionality of KBAscope by using it to identify potential KBAs in Greece based on multiple terrestrial taxonomic groups and four sizes of grid cells (4 km2, 25 km2, 100 km2, 225 km2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cone enlargement is a crucial process for seed production and reproduction in gymnosperms. Most of our knowledge of cone development is derived from observing anatomical structure during gametophyte development. Therefore, the exact molecular mechanism underlying cone enlargement after fertilization is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that sucrose promotes cone enlargement in Torreya grandis, a gymnosperm species with relatively low rates of cone enlargement, via the TgNGA1‐TgWRKY47‐TgEXPA2 pathway.Cell expansion plays a significant role in cone enlargement in T. grandis. 13C labeling and sucrose feeding experiments indicated that sucrose‐induced changes in cell size and number contribute to cone enlargement in this species. RNA‐sequencing analysis, transient overexpression in T. grandis cones, and stable overexpression in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) suggested that the expansin gene TgEXPA2 positively regulates cell expansion in T. grandis cones.The WRKY transcription factor TgWRKY47 directly enhances TgEXPA2 expression by binding to its promoter. Additionally, the NGATHA transcription factor TgNGA1 directly interacts with TgWRKY47. This interaction suppresses the DNA‐binding ability of TgWRKY47, thereby reducing its transcriptional activation on TgEXPA2 without affecting the transactivation ability of TgWRKY47.Our findings establish a link between sucrose and cone enlargement in T. grandis and elucidate the potential underlying molecular mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein concentration (PC) is an essential characteristic of cells and organelles; it determines the extent of macromolecular crowding effects and serves as a sensitive indicator of cellular health. A simple and direct way to quantify PC is provided by brightfield‐based transport‐of‐intensity equation (TIE) imaging combined with volume measurements. However, since TIE is based on geometric optics, its applicability to micrometer‐sized particles is not clear. Here, we show that TIE can be used on particles with sizes comparable to the wavelength. At the same time, we introduce a new ImageJ plugin that allows TIE image processing without resorting to advanced mathematical programs. To convert TIE data to PC, knowledge of particle volumes is essential. The volumes of bacteria or other isolated particles can be measured by displacement of an external absorbing dye ("transmission‐through‐dye" or TTD microscopy), and for spherical intracellular particles, volumes can be estimated from their diameters. We illustrate the use of TIE on Escherichia coli, mammalian nucleoli, and nucleolar fibrillar centers. The method is easy to use and achieves high spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triploidization influences various biological characteristics of fish, which is associated with reductions in the number of multiple cell types in different tissues/organs. Our behavioral analyses revealed that triploid Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) larvae exhibit lower sensitivity to light compared to diploids. Furthermore, histological analyses revealed a reduction in the number of ganglion cells and an increase in their size in the retinas of triploid T. orientalis larvae. Our findings provide the first evidence indicating that triploidization reduces sensory perception during the larval stage of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying specific markers of adipose stem and progenitor cells (ASPCs) in vivo is crucial for understanding the biology of white adipose tissues (WAT). PDGFRα‐positive perivascular stromal cells represent the best candidates for ASPCs. This cell lineage differentiates into myofibroblasts that contribute to the impairment of WAT function. However, ASPC marker protein(s) that are functionally crucial for maintaining WAT homeostasis are unknown. We previously identified Meflin as a marker of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone marrow and tissue‐resident perivascular fibroblasts in various tissues. We also demonstrated that Meflin maintains the undifferentiated status of MSCs/fibroblasts. Here, we show that Meflin is expressed in WAT ASPCs. A lineage‐tracing experiment showed that Meflin+ ASPCs proliferate in the WAT of obese mice induced by a high‐fat diet (HFD), while some of them differentiate into myofibroblasts or mature adipocytes. Meflin knockout mice fed an HFD exhibited a significant fibrotic response as well as increases in adipocyte cell size and the number of crown‐like structures in WAT, accompanied by impaired glucose tolerance. These data suggested that Meflin expressed by ASPCs may have a role in reducing disease progression associated with WAT dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of heterotrophic bacterioplankton to the addition of macrophytic dissolved organic matter (DOM) and temperature was investigated in the Red Sea. We added 40 μmol C L−1 of leachates obtained from seagrass and mangrove leaves to natural bacterial communities, incubated them at three temperatures (25.5°C found in situ plus 3°C below and above that value) and monitored the microbial and biogeochemical responses over 4 d. Seagrass and mangrove DOM, important allochthonous sources in tropical oligotrophic regions, had distinct chemical characteristics compared to unamended seawater, with mangrove substrates containing comparatively more nitrogen and protein‐like fluorescent DOM than seagrass. Specific growth rates (μ) increased twofold in the seagrass and mangrove treatments (1.0 and 0.8 d−1, respectively) relative to the seawater control (0.4 d−1). The biomass of heterotrophic bacteria generally reflected μ changes, reaching maximum values of 16.8 and 17.3 μg C L−1 in the seagrass and mangrove treatments, respectively, compared to just 2.6 μg C L−1 in seawater. The increase in μ values due to experimental warming followed the metabolic theory of ecology, mostly because of enhanced exoenzymatic activity, while cell size decreased as predicted by the temperature–size rule (mean −3% per °C increase). Although the labile nature of the specific seagrass and mangrove DOM leachates was clearly demonstrated, we conclude that tropical heterotrophic bacteria may have limited capability to increase their biomass as a consequence of future warming, even in the presence of high loadings of macrophytic DOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones) has increased over the last decade. However, their application in healthcare has not been fully examined, in part, due to regulations preventing flight beyond the visual line of sight. This prospective randomised controlled laboratory study aimed to determine whether the in vitro quality of packed red blood cell components is maintained when transported by drone, beyond visual line of sight. Ten identical pairs of packed red blood cell units were randomly allocated to transport by drone or by ground vehicle (1:1, allocation concealment) 68 km between two hospitals in Northumbria, UK. Markers of blood component quality were compared at 8, 14, 28 and 35 days following blood unit manufacture. There was no statistical difference in haemolysis, potassium concentration, total haemoglobin, glucose and lactate, haematocrit and mean cell volume, between the two groups, up to the date of unit expiry. The temperature of the packed red blood cell units did not deviate outside the recommended 2–10°C for transportation, regardless of the allocated group. Blood component transport was faster by drone, but did not reach statistical significance. This study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of flying blood components by drone between hospitals in the United Kingdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial contamination of hospital surfaces is a major contributor to infectious disease transmission. This work demonstrates that superhydrophobic (Cassie‐Baxter) micro post topographies can significantly reduce cell attachment compared to flat controls. For ordered micro post arrays (post diameters 0.3 to 150 µm), the attachment of four pathogens (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans) from discrete contaminant droplets upon short‐term contact (15 s to 30 min) are assessed. There is a 3‐4‐log decrease in microbial attachment when reducing the micro posts diameters from 150 to 0.3 µm for all strains, with large posts (>20 µm) exhibiting similar attachment rates to flat controls. The critical, maximum feature size to prevent attachment can be tuned depending on the ratio of the cell size to post diameter. Two potential mechanisms are discussed for this size effect. First, application of the random sequential adsorption model shows that this relative post/cell size effect may be due to a reduced probability of attachment, which is theorized to be the dominant mechanism. Alternatively, a physical model is suggested for bacterial cell "pull‐off" due to surface tension forces during droplet dewetting. This work may be important for the design of non‐wetting antimicrobial surfaces within healthcare environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immobilization following trauma or surgery induces skeletal muscle atrophy, and improvement in the muscle atrophy is critical for successful clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) on muscle atrophy. The study design is a controlled laboratory study. Eighty rats (56 to establish the deltoid muscle atrophy [DMA] model and 24 to evaluate the effect of EMS on the model) were used. DMA was induced by completely immobilizing the right shoulder of each rat by placing sutures between the scapula and humeral shaft, with the left shoulder as a control. After establishing the DMA model, rats were randomly assigned into three groups: low‐frequency EMS (L‐EMS, 10 Hz frequency), medium‐frequency EMS (M‐EMS, 50 Hz frequency), and control (eight rats per group). After 3 weeks, the deltoid muscles of each rat were harvested, alterations in gene expression and muscle cell size were evaluated, and immunohistochemical analysis was performed. DMA was most prominent 3 weeks after shoulder immobilization. Murf1 and Atrogin were significantly induced at the initial phase and gradually decreased at approximately 3 weeks; however, MyoD expressed an inverse relationship with Murf1 and Atrogin. IL6 expression was prominent at 1 week. The time point for the EMS effect evaluation was selected at 3 weeks, when the DMA was the most prominent with a change in relevant gene expression. The M‐EMS group cell size was significantly larger than that of L‐EMS and control group in both the immobilized and intact shoulders (all p < 0.05), without significant differences between the L‐EMS and control groups. The M‐EMS group showed significantly lower mRNA expressions of Murf1 and Atrogin and higher expressions of MyoD and Col1A1 than that of the control group (all p < 0.05). In immunohistochemical analysis, similar results were observed with lower Atrogin staining and higher MyoD and Col1A1 staining in the M‐EMS group. DMA model was established by complete shoulder immobilization, with the most prominent muscle atrophy observed at 3 weeks. M‐EMS improved DMA with changes in the expression of relevant genes. M‐EMS might be a solution for strengthening atrophied skeletal muscles and facilitating rehabilitation after trauma or surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusion The platelet fluorescent counting (PLT‐F) method is utilized as a reflex test method following the initial test of the platelet impedance counting (PLT‐I) method in clinical practice on the Sysmex XN‐series automated hematology analyzer. Our aim is to establish reflex test rules for the PLT‐F method by combining multiple parameters provided by the “CBC + DIFF” mode of the Sysmex XN‐series automated hematology analyzer.We tested 120 samples to evaluate the baseline bias between the PLT‐F and PLT‐I methods. Then, we selected 1256 samples to establish and test reflex test rules using seven machine learning models (decision Tree, random forest, neural network, logistic regression, k‐nearest neighbor, support vector machine, and Naive Bayes). The training set and test set were divided at a ratio of 7:3. We evaluated the performance of machine learning models on the test set using various metrics to select the most valuable model.The PLT‐F method exhibited a high degree of correlation with the PLT‐I method (r = 0.998). The random forest model emerged as the most valuable, boasting an accuracy of 0.893, an area under the curve of 0.954, an F1 score of 0.771, a recall of 0.719, a precision of 0.831, and a specificity of 0.950. The most important variable in the random forest model was mean cell volume, weighted at 15.09%.The random forest model, which demonstrated high efficiency in our study, can be used to establish PLT reflex test rules based on the PLT‐F method for the Sysmex XN‐series automated hematology analyzer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the aim is to investigate the effect of engineering the cell size and porosity of 3D‐printed poly lactic acid (PLA) porous scaffolds from the Kelvin model for bone tissue engineering applications. The Kelvin model is used as a bone tissue scaffold with different cell sizes and porosities. PLA, as a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, is used to fabricate these scaffolds using the FDM technique. A compression test is used to evaluate the mechanical properties of scaffolds. The MTT assay has been used to investigate cell viability. For osteogenic differentiation studies, ALP activity and ARS assays are used. Increasing the porosity reduces the mechanical properties of the scaffold. While increasing the cell size at constant porosity increases the Young's modulus and yield stress in the samples, it is also observed that, in high porosities, the increase in cell size weakens the mechanical properties. Also, Kelvin model scaffolds help the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of cells and have no toxic effect. It is demonstrated that this approach promotes the effectiveness of the Kelvin architecture for bone tissue engineering. As a result, designing the most suitable model based on cell size and porosity for the treatment process in the targeted area could be promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature and resource availability are pivotal factors influencing phytoplankton community structures. Numerous prior studies demonstrated their significant influence on phytoplankton stoichiometry, cell size, and growth rates. The growth rate, serving as a reflection of an organism's success within its environment, is linked to stoichiometry and cell size. Consequently, alterations in abiotic conditions affecting cell size or stoichiometry also exert indirect effects on growth. However, such results have their limitations, as most studies used a limited number of factors and factor levels which gives us limited insights into how phytoplankton respond to environmental conditions, directly and indirectly. Here, we tested for the generality of patterns found in other studies, using a combined multiple‐factor gradient design and two single species with different size characteristics. We used a structural equation model (SEM) that allowed us to investigate the direct cumulative effects of temperature and resource availability (i.e., light, N and P) on phytoplankton growth, as well as their indirect effects on growth through changes in cell size and cell stoichiometry. Our results mostly support the results reported in previous research thus some effects can be identified as dominant effects. We identified rising temperature as the dominant driver for cell size reduction and increase in growth, and nutrient availability (i.e., N and P) as dominant factor for changes in cellular stoichiometry. However, indirect effects of temperature and resources (i.e., light and nutrients) on species' growth rates through cell size and cell stoichiometry differed across the two species suggesting different strategies to acclimate to its environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoplankton cells are now recognized as dynamic entities rather than as passive and isolated particles because they can actively modulate impacts of selection factors (nutrients, light, turbidity, and mixing) through a wide range of adaptations. Cell shape and/or chain length modulation is one of these processes but has predominantly been studied as an adaptation or an acclimatation to a specific growth limitation (light, nutrients, predation, etc.). In this study we have demonstrated that cell shape and size may have greater roles than previously known in phytoplankton ecology and species adaptation by permitting cell‐to‐cell signaling and more complex ecological processes that result from it. By exploring microscale biophysical interactions that lead to specific cell reorientation processes, we demonstrated that cell geometry not only modulates cell sinking rates but can also provide fast sensor responses to the cells' environment. Although gyrotaxis has been described in detail for motile phytoplankton cells, our findings illustrate that the reorientation process described here can occur even in non‐motile cells within their natural environment. An additional consistent behavior was also recently described for a diatom species (Pseudo‐nitzschia delicatessima), and with this study, we extend this observation to Pseudo‐nitzschia pungens and Pseudo‐nitzschia fraudulenta. Our observations emphasize the generality of this process, which adds a new level of complexity to our understanding of cellular interactions and their network of sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that low cobalt (Co) may limit heterocyst frequency (HF) in filamentous diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Therefore, the effect of three Co concentrations on HF in four species in the genera Aphanizomenon and Dolichospermum was examined in N‐depleted (N was not added) culture. Long‐term HF data were also analysed in experimentally fertilised N‐limited Lake 227.HF ranges and means at 0.17, 17, and 170 nmol Co/L were 4.1%–5.7% (4.6%), 5.4%–7.4% (6.4%), and 5.9%–9.3% (7.4%), respectively, after 11 days of growth in batch cultures suggesting that Co plays a role in regulating HF. HF at 0.17 nmol/L was significantly different from HF at the two higher concentrations in all species implicating Co in heterocyst differentiation. However, growth rates and final biovolume yields were not significantly affected by Co in any of the species.Applying the ratio of total phosphorus (TP)/Co in culture media (106) at 0.17 nmol Co/L to an N‐limited system implies that dissolved Co would have to be less than 1 pmol/L to severely limit HF at 1 μmol TP/L. This Co concentration is much lower than dissolved Co in Lake 227 during an Aphanizomenon skujae bloom with 1 μmol TP/L in 2017. Furthermore, Co increased from 0.7 to 2.0 nmol/L simultaneously increasing with HF and cyanobacteria biomass suggesting that Co probably did not limit HF and bloom biomass in Lake 227.Mean summer HFs in Lake 227 during 2000–2020 were 3.4% (epilimnion) and 4.0% (metalimnion), similar to HF at the lowest Co in the cultures. However, HF was significantly higher after 2015 following a shift in dominant bloom species from A. schindlerii to the smaller A. skujae. Calculations suggest that the decrease in cell size may have prompted a higher HF in A. skujae in order to fix an amount of N per unit biomass similar to that fixed by the larger A. schindlerii. Thus, two previously unidentified factors, Co and cell size, can be added to the list of factors that affect HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freeze tolerance is a complex agronomic trait that is difficult to evaluate in the field because of year‐to‐year variation in weather. Discovering plant characteristics closely related to freeze tolerance would enable more effective selection for this important trait. To explore possible physiological mechanisms and search for useful characteristics related to freeze tolerance in winter barley, we conducted field and growth chamber experiments with seven freeze‐tolerant and seven freeze‐susceptible genotypes that exhibited contrasting winter survival in preliminary field screenings. In a 2‐year field experiment, malondialdehyde, proline and water‐soluble carbohydrate concentrations were measured during cold acclimation and deacclimation to investigate differences in osmoregulation and membrane stability between freeze‐tolerant and freeze‐sensitive genotypes. All parameters varied by sampling year, and significant differences between freeze tolerance groups were found mainly during cold deacclimation in the spring. In growth chamber experiments, the size of xylem vessels and stomates was measured with and without cold acclimation. Freeze‐tolerant genotypes had smaller xylem vessels and stomates than freeze‐sensitive genotypes with and without cold acclimation, and small stomatal length was associated with a small xylem vessel area. Thus, it may be possible to improve freeze tolerance in winter barley by selecting smaller xylem and stomate cells. This study also validated germplasms of winter barley with differential freeze tolerance for future projects on breeding for improving winter hardiness and on plant physiology and genetics in response to freezing stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of subgrid‐scale orography is a challenge in the physical parameterization of orographic gravity‐wave sources in weather forecasting. A significant hurdle is encoding as much physical information with as simple a representation as possible. Other issues include scale awareness, that is, the orographic representation has to change according to the grid cell size and usability on unstructured geodesic grids with non‐quadrilateral grid cells. This work introduces a novel spectral analysis method approximating a scale‐aware spectrum of subgrid‐scale orography on unstructured geodesic grids. The dimension of the physical orographic data is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude in its spectral representation. Simultaneously, the power of the approximated spectrum is close to the physical value. The method is based on well‐known least‐squares spectral analyses. However, it is robust to the choice of the free parameters, and tuning the algorithm is generally unnecessary. Numerical experiments involving an idealized setup show that this novel spectral analysis performs significantly better than a straightforward least‐squares spectral analysis in representing the physical energy of a spectrum. Studies involving real‐world topographic data are conducted, and reasonable error scores within ±10% error relative to the maximum physical quantity of interest are achieved across different grid sizes and background wind speeds. The deterministic behavior of the method is investigated along with its principal capabilities and potential biases, and it is shown that the error scores can be iteratively improved if an optimization target is known. Discussions on the method's limitations and broader applicability conclude this work. Plain Language Summary: Wind flow over terrain has wide‐ranging influences on atmospheric processes. Meteorologists want to include this effect in their weather forecasts but encounter computational limitations. For global weather forecasting, terrain features are relatively small and usually not explicitly represented in forecast models. An ongoing research question is how best to represent these small‐scale features in forecast models. However, a few difficulties arise: (a) We want to encode as much information about the terrain with as simple a representation as possible. (b) Some forecast models represent the globe with an icosahedron. Therefore, terrain information must be encoded within the triangular or hexagonal cells. (c) The information encoded has to change if the size of the triangles or hexagons changes. In this work, we present a novel method to overcome the three difficulties mentioned above. We can compress terrain information from over 50,000 to below 100 data points that can be used for climate simulations. When the relative effect of the encoded terrain on atmospheric processes is considered, the method has good accuracy despite the severe constraints and data compression, with a 10% error bound. Apart from representing terrain in weather forecasting, this method has potential applications for generic data analysis. Key Points: We introduce a novel scale‐aware spectral approximation method for subgrid‐scale orographic data on non‐quadrilateral geodesic gridsThe method yields physically sound results and achieves reasonable error scores when approximating real‐world orographic spectraThe method features over two orders of magnitude compression in complexity and has potential applications in generic spectral analyses [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is crucial to investigate the effects of mixtures of contaminants on aquatic organisms, because they reflect what occurs in the environment. Cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni) are metals that co‐occur in aquatic ecosystems, and information is scarce on their joint toxicity to Chlorophyceae using multiple endpoints. We evaluated the effects of isolated and combined Cd and Ni metals on multiple endpoints of the chlorophycean Raphidocelis subcapitata. The results showed that Cd inhibited cell density, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (up to 308% at 0.075 mg L−1 of Cd), chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence (0.050–0.100 mg L−1 of Cd), cell size (0.025–0.100 mg L−1 of Cd), and cell complexity in all concentrations evaluated. Nickel exposure decreased ROS production by up to 25% at 0.25 mg L−1 of Ni and Chl a fluorescence in all concentrations assessed. Cell density and oxygen‐evolving complex (initial fluorescence/variable fluorescence [F0/Fv]) were only affected at 0.5 mg L−1 of Ni. In terms of algal growth, mixture toxicity showed antagonism at low doses and synergism at high doses, with a dose level change greater than the median inhibitory concentration. The independent action model and dose‐level–dependent deviation best fit our data. Cadmium and Ni mixtures resulted in a significant increase in cell size and cell complexity, as well as changes in ROS production and Chl a fluorescence, and they did not affect the photosynthetic parameters. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:1855–1869. © 2024 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise: In plants, whole‐genome duplication (WGD) is a common mutation with profound evolutionary potential. Given the costs associated with a superfluous genome copy, polyploid establishment is enigmatic. However, in the right environment, immediate phenotypic changes following WGD can facilitate establishment. Metabolite abundances are the direct output of the cell's regulatory network and determine much of the impact of environmental and genetic change on the phenotype. While it is well known that an increase in the bulk amount of genetic material can increase cell size, the impact of gene dosage multiplication on the metabolome remains largely unknown. Methods: We used untargeted metabolomics on four genetically distinct diploid‐neoautotetraploid pairs of the greater duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza, to investigate how WGD affects metabolite abundances per cell and per biomass. Results: Autopolyploidy increased metabolite levels per cell, but the response of individual metabolites varied considerably. However, the impact on metabolite level per biomass was restricted because the increased cell size reduced the metabolite concentration per cell. Nevertheless, we detected both quantitative and qualitative effects of WGD on the metabolome. Many effects were strain‐specific, but some were shared by all four strains. Conclusions: The nature and impact of metabolic changes after WGD depended strongly on the genotype. Dosage effects have the potential to alter the plant metabolome qualitatively and quantitatively, but were largely balanced out by the reduction in metabolite concentration due to an increase in cell size in this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation (CL‐ODH) of ethane represents a highly effective approach for converting ethane into the value‐added product ethylene. This investigation focused on the synthesis of SrMnO3 and its halide ions doped derivatives (SrMnO3Cl and SrMnO3Br) through the sol‐gel method. The performance of these perovskites, employed as oxygen carriers in CL‐ODH of ethane, was explored. The results unveiled several advantageous outcomes arising from the incorporation of halide ions (Cl− and Br−) with larger radius into the oxygen sites of the SrMnO3 perovskite. Halide ions doping notably induced cell volume expansion and enhanced lattice fringe spacing. Furthermore, it contributed to elevated oxygen vacancy concentration, increased Mn4+/Mn3+ molar ratio, and improved oxygen ions mobility within the bulk lattice. Fixed‐bed experiments demonstrated that these redox catalysts, doped with halide ions, exhibited outstanding activity and stability during cycling tests, exhibiting enhanced both ethylene selectivity and yield in CL‐ODH of ethane. In summary, the introduction of halide ions into SrMnO3 emerges as a promising strategy for enhancing the performance of CL‐ODH in ethane conversion for SrMnO3 based oxygen carriers. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core‐back process has substantially increased the range of applicability of foam injection molding (FIM) by increasing the pressure drop rate and expansion ratio. However, cell nucleation and growth occur concurrently with the flow of the melt/gas mixture during the filling stage, resulting in poor surface quality and a non‐uniform cell structure. This study investigated foam injection molding with gas counter pressure (GCP) and core‐back to produce foamed components, with comparison to high‐pressure FIM with core‐back process. Through this method, the nucleation during filling is suppressed. The surface roughness was improved to 0.987 μm, a 59% reduction compared to high‐pressure injection molding foam with core‐back. In addition, the cell uniformity was improved, measured at two locations near and far from the gate, the cell density reaching 1.7 × 105 and 2.1 × 105 cells/cm3, and cell size measuring 120.88 and 129.57 μm, respectively. GCP also prevented the formation of the bubbles larger than 500 μm at the location far from the gate. Even at the lowest recommended mold temperature, the combination of GCP and core‐back enables the production of high‐quality foamed components with reduced cooling time. Highlights: Preventing the simultaneous occurrence of cell nucleation, growth and melt flow.Foamed material with high surface quality produced by FIM.Improving the cell uniformity throughout the foamed component.Feasibility of GCP technology in conjunction with core‐back process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcellular composites combine the advantages of composite material and microcellular material. Introducing the inclusion phase into the polymer matrix can optimize the cellular structure and improve the mechanical properties of microcellular materials. This paper focuses on rigid W particles reinforced PMMA microcellular materials, combining compression experiments and meso FE simulations to investigate the structure–property relationship of cellular structure and compressive properties for W/PMMA microcellular composites. The results indicate that W particles promote heterogeneous nucleation, reducing the cell size to 3 μm, and reinforce the PMMA matrix. W particles (10 → 60 wt%) are linearly and exponentially related to compressive modulus and compressive strength of W/PMMA microcellular composites, increased by 49.3% and 19.8%. Void porosity (71% → 48%) is quadratic related to compressive properties of W/PMMA microcellular composites, increased by 109%. Cell sizes (5 → 1 μm, especially smaller than the W particle sizes) are exponentially related to compressive properties of W/PMMA microcellular composites, increased by 38.5%. This work provides theoretical support for the regulation of cellular structure and optimization of mechanical properties of microcellular materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfide solid‐state electrolytes (SSEs) with superior ionic conductivity and processability are highly promising candidates for constructing all‐solid‐state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs). However, their practical applications are limited by their intrinsic air instability and serious interfacial incompatibility. Herein, a novel glass‐ceramic electrolyte Li3.12P0.94Bi0.06S3.91I0.18 was synthesized by co‐doping Li3PS4 with Bi and I for high‐performance ASSLMBs. Owing to the strong Bi‒S bonds that are thermodynamically stable to water, increased unit cell volume and Li+ concentration caused by P5+ substitution with Bi3+, and the in situ formed robust solid electrolyte interphase layer LiI at lithium surface, the as‐prepared Li3.12P0.94Bi0.06S3.91I0.18 SSE achieved excellent air stability with a H2S concentration of only 0.205 cm3 g−1 (after 300 min of air exposure), outperforming Li3PS4 (0.632 cm3 g−1) and the most reported sulfide SSEs, together with high ionic conductivity of 4.05 mS cm−1. Furthermore, the Li3.12P0.94Bi0.06S3.91I0.18 effectively improved lithium metal stability. With this SSE, an ultralong cyclability of 700 h at 0.1 mA cm−2 was realized in a lithium symmetrical cell. Moreover, the Li3.12P0.94Bi0.06S3.91I0.18‐based ASSLMBs with LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode achieved ultrastable capacity retention rate of 95.8% after 300 cycles at 0.1 C. This work provides reliable strategy for designing advanced sulfide SSEs for commercial applications in ASSLMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Abscission is the shedding of plant organs in response to developmental and environmental cues. Abscission involves cell separation between two neighboring cell types, residuum cells (RECs) and secession cells (SECs) in the floral abscission zone (AZ) in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, the regulatory mechanisms behind the spatial determination that governs cell separation are largely unknown. The class I KNOTTED‐like homeobox (KNOX) transcription factor BREVIPEDICELLUS (BP) negatively regulates AZ cell size and number in Arabidopsis. To identify new players participating in abscission, we performed a genetic screen by activation tagging a weak complementation line of bp‐3. We identified the mutant ebp1 (enhancer of BP1) displaying delayed floral organ abscission. The ebp1 mutant showed a concaved surface in SECs and abnormally stacked cells on the top of RECs, in contrast to the precisely separated surface in the wild‐type. Molecular and histological analyses revealed that the transcriptional programming during cell differentiation in the AZ is compromised in ebp1. The SECs of ebp1 have acquired REC‐like properties, including cuticle formation and superoxide production. We show that SEPARATION AFFECTING RNA‐BINDING PROTEIN1 (SARP1) is upregulated in ebp1 and plays a role in the establishment of the cell separation layer during floral organ abscission in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C4 plants are expected to have faster stomatal movements than C3 species because they tend to have smaller guard cells. However, little is known about how the evolution of C4 photosynthesis influences stomatal dynamics in relation to guard cell size and environmental factors. We studied photosynthetically diverse populations of the grass Alloteropsis semialata, showing that the origin of C4 photosynthesis in this species was associated with a shortening of stomatal guard and subsidiary cells. However, for a given cell size, C4 and C3–C4 intermediate individuals had similar or slower light‐induced stomatal opening speeds than C3 individuals. Conversely, when exposed to decreasing light, stomata in C4 plants closed as fast as those in non‐C4 plants. Polyploid formation in some C4 plants led to larger stomatal cells and was associated with slower stomatal opening. Conversely, diversification of C4 diploid plants into wetter environments was associated with an acceleration of stomatal opening. Overall, there was significant relationship between light‐saturated photosynthesis and stomatal opening speed in the C4 plants, implying that photosynthetic energy production was limiting for stomatal opening. Stomatal dynamics in this wild grass therefore arise from the evolving interplay between photosynthetic physiology and the size and biochemical function of stomatal complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to explore the scale effect on the mechanical properties of sheet‐based triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) uniform lattice structures fabricated with PLA (polylactic acid) under quasi‐static loading conditions. The scale dependency was evaluated by two additional breakdown categories, namely, wall thickness effect and unit cell size effect. Deformation mechanisms and failure modes as well as mechanical properties including stiffness, yield strength, first peak stress, and energy absorption based on the categories of wall thickness, unit cell size, and scale were evaluated experimentally. The assessment of the scale effect involved considering the combined influence of wall thickness and unit cell size. In addition, numerical analysis was also performed to investigate the stress distributions and compare with the experimental results for certain geometries. Ultimately, the relation between the normalized mechanical properties and relative density is evaluated and categorized, which can be used as an indication for future design practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell (DAC) to explore the structural response of [Cs(18‐Crown‐6)][SbCl6] under high pressure (HP). Notably, the pressure drives large Cs atoms closer to the center of the crown ether cavity, ultimately requiring pressures of 3 GPa for its complete encapsulation. Remarkably, the absence of short contacts in the crystal classifies the material as a "loose crystal" offering a unique model for understanding compression mechanisms. The crystal exhibits highly anisotropic compression behavior with an impressive volume reduction and non‐linear pressure – unit‐cell parameters relationships facilitated by the absence of short CH⋅⋅⋅Cl contacts up to 0.9 GPa. Beyond this pressure, steric repulsion due to shortening H⋅⋅⋅Cl and H⋅⋅⋅H interactions hinders further effective compression, so pressure dependence on unit cell parameters and volume becomes more linear. The behavior of [Cs(18‐Crown‐6)][SbCl6] at different conditions was studied using Raman spectroscopy and supplemented by DFT calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regenerative therapies, including the transplantation of spinal cord progenitor cells (SCPCs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are promising treatment strategies for spinal cord injuries. However, the risk of tumorigenicity from residual iPSCs advocates an unmet need for rapid SCPCs safety profiling. Herein, a rapid (≈3000 cells min‐1) electrical‐based microfluidic biophysical cytometer is reported to detect low‐abundance iPSCs from SCPCs at single‐cell resolution. Based on multifrequency impedance measurements (0.3 to 12 MHz), biophysical features including cell size, deformability, membrane, and nucleus dielectric properties are simultaneously quantified as a cell is hydrodynamically stretched at a cross junction under continuous flow. A supervised uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) model is further developed for impedance‐based quantification of undifferentiated iPSCs with high sensitivity (≈1% spiked iPSCs) and shows good correlations with SCPCs differentiation outcomes using two iPSC lines. Cell membrane opacity (day 1) is also identified as a novel early intrinsic predictive biomarker that exhibits a strong correlation with SCPC differentiation efficiency (day 10). Overall, it is envisioned that this label‐free and optic‐free platform technology can be further developed as a versatile cost‐effective process analytical tool to monitor or assess stem cell quality and safety in regenerative medicine.  [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Unicellular organisms are known to exert tight control over their cell size. In the case of diatoms, abundant eukaryotic microalgae, two opposing notions are widely accepted. On the one hand, the rigid silica cell wall that forms inside the parental cell is thought to enforce geometrical reduction of the cell size. On the other hand, numerous exceptions cast doubt on the generality of this model.Here, we monitored clonal cultures of the diatom Stephanopyxis turris for up to 2 yr, recording the sizes of thousands of cells, in order to follow the distribution of cell sizes in the population.Our results show that S. turris cultures above a certain size threshold undergo a gradual size reduction, in accordance with the postulated geometrical driving force. However, once the cell size reaches a lower threshold, it fluctuates around a constant size using the inherent elasticity of cell wall elements.These results reconcile the disparate observations on cell size regulation in diatoms by showing two distinct behaviors, reduction and homeostasis. The geometrical size reduction is the dominant driving force for large cells, but smaller cells have the flexibility to re‐adjust the size of their new cell walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new channel‐free water‐in‐oil (WO) droplet 3D cell culture method is proposed to address the challenges while maintaining the advantages of the conventional 3D cell culture methods. The proposed WO method can fundamentally solve the constraint of spheroids size, a common challenge in conventional 3D culture, by using droplet size controllability. The 3D cell culture performance of the WO method is verified by comparing it with the conventional 3D cell culture methods. A systematic investigation of the culture conditions of the WO method confirms the working range of cell concentration and droplet size, as well as the scalability of spheroid size. Adjusting droplet size and cell concentration enables rapid spheroid formation with large and high cell concentration droplets or fast spheroid growth with small and low cell concentration droplets, providing control over the spheroid size and growth rate according to the purpose. Furthermore, long‐term culture is demonstrated for 1 month with the proposed method, showing the largest spheroid culture and demonstrating the possibility that this method can be used not only for spheroid formation but also for organoid studies. Finally, if a WO‐based automated 3D cell culture system is developed, it will be a useful tool for organoid research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell wall is involved in plant growth and plays pivotal roles in plant adaptation to environmental stresses. Cell wall remodelling may be crucial to salt adaptation in the euhalophyte Salicornia europaea. However, the mechanism underlying this process is still unclear. Here, full‐length transcriptome indicated cell wall‐related genes were comprehensively regulated under salinity. The morphology and cell wall components in S. europaea shoot were largely modified under salinity. Through the weighted gene co‐expression network analysis, SeXTH2 encoding xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolases, and two SeLACs encoding laccases were focused. Meanwhile, SeEXPB was focused according to expansin activity and the expression profiling. Function analysis in Arabidopsis validated the functions of these genes in enhancing salt tolerance. SeXTH2 and SeEXPB overexpression led to larger cells and leaves with hemicellulose and pectin content alteration. SeLAC1 and SeLAC2 overexpression led to more xylem vessels, increased secondary cell wall thickness and lignin content. Notably, SeXTH2 transgenic rice exhibited enhanced salt tolerance and higher grain yield. Altogether, these genes may function in the succulence and lignification process in S. europaea. This work throws light on the regulatory mechanism of cell wall remodelling in S. europaea under salinity and provides potential strategies for improving crop salt tolerance and yields. Summary Statement: SeXTH2 and SeEXPB enhance cell size, two SeLACs promote xylem differentiation and increase the secondary cell wall thickness, which contribute to plant salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant leaves contain multiple cell types which achieve distinct characteristics whilst still coordinating development within the leaf. The bundle sheath possesses larger individual cells and lower chloroplast content than the adjacent mesophyll, but how this morphology is achieved remains unknown. To identify regulatory mechanisms determining bundle sheath cell morphology we tested the effects of perturbing environmental (light) and endogenous signals (hormones) during leaf development of Oryza sativa (rice). Total chloroplast area in bundle sheath cells was found to increase with cell size as in the mesophyll but did not maintain a 'set‐point' relationship, with the longest bundle sheath cells demonstrating the lowest chloroplast content. Application of exogenous cytokinin and gibberellin significantly altered the relationship between cell size and chloroplast biosynthesis in the bundle sheath, increasing chloroplast content of the longest cells. Delayed exposure to light reduced the mean length of bundle sheath cells but increased corresponding leaf length, whereas premature light reduced final leaf length but did not affect bundle sheath cells. This suggests that the plant hormones cytokinin and gibberellin are regulators of the bundle sheath cell‐chloroplast relationship and that final bundle sheath length may potentially be affected by light‐mediated control of exit from the cell cycle. Summary statement: In rice (Oryza sativa) the timing of light exposure during leaf development changes mature bundle sheath morphology, reducing maximum cell length under extended darkness. Bundle sheath chloroplast biogenesis responds to changing cell size, with this relationship influenced by endogenous hormones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The osmotic rupture of a cell, its osmotic lysis or cytolysis, is a phenomenon that active biological cell volume regulation mechanisms have evolved in the cell membrane to avoid. How then, at the origin of life, did the first protocells survive prior to such active processes? The pores of alkaline hydrothermal vents in the oceans form natural nanoreactors in which osmosis across a mineral membrane plays a fundamental role. Here, we discuss the dynamics of lysis and its avoidance in an abiotic system without any active mechanisms, reliant upon self‐organized behaviour, similar to the first self‐organized mineral membranes within which complex chemistry may have begun to evolve into metabolism. We show that such mineral nanoreactors could function as protocells without exploding because their self‐organized dynamics have a large regime in parameter space where osmotic lysis does not occur and homeostasis is possible. The beginnings of Darwinian evolution in proto‐biochemistry must have involved the survival of protocells that remained within such a safe regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotational molded foam is known as one of the most popular types of polymeric foams due to its unique properties. Hence, the production of rotational molded foam samples has been well‐addressed in the foam literature, and several researchers have tried to produce these samples using different approaches. However, there is no comprehensive research that investigates the structural properties of nanocomposite foam samples produced by a two‐step process of rotational molding and batch foaming. Therefore, the effect of nanoclay and foam processing parameters on the structural properties of the samples produced by this method was investigated in this study. For this purpose, the Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology was used. The results revealed that the foaming temperature was the most effective parameter on cell density and expansion ratio. Also, the foaming time was reported as the most effective parameter on the cell size. Then, the response variables were subjected to single‐ and multi‐objective optimizations. Finally, the addition of 1.2 wt% of nanoclay, the foaming temperature of 141°C, and the foaming time of 85 s were introduced as the most optimal conditions to simultaneously achieve maximum cell density and expansion ratio and minimum cell size in the rotational molded nanocomposite foam samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to enhance the melt strength, foamability, and microstructural properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foam by addition of styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) as a chain extender. The addition of SMA to the polymer increased the complex viscosity by 375%. The calculated dissipation factor for chain‐extended‐PET (CE‐PET) samples demonstrated a rise in polymer viscous behavior with increasing SMA content. The CE‐PET was more elastic than pure PET. Smaller oval‐shaped cells were produced with lower amounts of foaming agent/SMA, whereas higher ratios resulted in larger spree‐shaped cells. The reaction of SMA anhydrides with the end functional groups of the PET chains increased the chain length significantly followed by more entanglement. This behavior prevented cell growth during the foaming process. The confrontation between the physical and chemical forces among the PET chains and the gas pressure created by the foaming agent was the main mechanism of cell growth in the polymer matrix. This variation caused a 30% reduction in foam density. Statistical analysis revealed that CE‐PET foams with the largest cell size and lowest density were achieved with foaming agent amounts between 0.9 and 1.4 wt.% and SMA amounts between 4.7 and 7.3 wt.%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small Rho GTP‐binding proteins are important cell morphology, function, and apoptosis regulators. Unlike other Rho proteins, RhoB can be subjected to either geranylgeranylation (RhoB‐GG) or farnesylation (RhoB‐F), making that the only target of the farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI). Fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments revealed that RhoB is activated by hyperosmolarity. By contrast, hyposmolarity did not affect RhoB activity. Interestingly, treatment with farnesyltransferase inhibitor‐277 (FTI‐277) decreased the cell size. To evaluate whether RhoB plays a role in volume reduction, renal collecting duct MCD4 cells and Human Kidney, HK‐2 were transiently transfected with RhoB‐wildtype‐Enhance Green Fluorescence Protein (RhoB‐wt‐EGFP) and RhoB‐CLLL‐EGFP which cannot undergo farnesylation. A calcein‐based fluorescent assay revealed that hyperosmolarity caused a significant reduction of cell volume in mock and RhoB‐wt‐EGFP‐expressing cells. By contrast, cells treated with FTI‐277 or expressing the RhoB‐CLLL‐EGFP mutant did not properly respond to hyperosmolarity with respect to mock and RhoB‐wt‐EGFP expressing cells. These findings were further confirmed by 3D‐LSCM showing that RhoB‐CLLL‐EGFP cells displayed a significant reduction in cell size compared to cells expressing RhoB‐wt‐EGFP. Moreover, flow cytometry analysis revealed that RhoB‐CLLL‐EGFP expressing cells as well as FTI‐277‐treated cells showed a significant increase in cell apoptosis. Together, these data suggested that: (i) RhoB is sensitive to hyperosmolarity and not to hyposmolarity; (ii) inhibition of RhoB farnesylation associates with an increase in cell apoptosis, likely suggesting that RhoB might be a paramount player controlling apoptosis by interfering with responses to cell volume change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Climate change‐induced drought is a major threat to agriculture. C4 crops have a higher water use efficiency (WUE) and better adaptability to drought than C3 crops due to their smaller stomatal morphology and faster response. However, our understanding of stomatal behaviours in both C3 and C4 Poaceae crops is limited by knowledge gaps in physical traits of guard cell (GC) and subsidiary cell (SC).We employed infrared gas exchange analysis and a stomatal assay to explore the relationship between GC/SC sizes and stomatal kinetics across diverse drought conditions in two C3 (wheat and barley) and three C4 (maize, sorghum and foxtail millet) upland Poaceae crops. Through statistical analyses, we proposed a GCSC‐τ model to demonstrate how morphological differences affect stomatal kinetics in C4 Poaceae crops.Our findings reveal that morphological variations specifically correlate with stomatal kinetics in C4 Poaceae crops, but not in C3 ones. Subsequent modelling and experimental validation provide further evidence that GC/SC sizes significantly impact stomatal kinetics, which affects stomatal responses to different drought conditions and thereby WUE in C4 Poaceae crops.These findings emphasize the crucial advantage of GC/SC morphological characteristics and stomatal kinetics for the drought adaptability of C4 Poaceae crops, highlighting their potential as future climate‐resilient crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a facile in situ precuring and supercritical CO2 (sc‐CO2) foaming technology is proposed to fabricate silicone rubber foam (SRF) with a tunable cell structure. Uncured silicone rubber is put into the autoclave to saturate sc‐CO2 directly, which not only shorts the saturation time but also accelerates the curing reaction in the precuring process. In the foaming process, cell nucleation is triggered by rapid release of pressure. The cell structure of SRF samples with cell size range of 9.45 to 128.09 μm, cell density range of 3.5 × 105 cells/cm3 to 5.7 × 108 cells/cm3, and porosity range of 28.35% to 77.28% are successfully fabricated by controlling of precuring time, saturation pressure and foaming temperature. To guarantee the dimensional stability and optimize surface quality of SRF samples, in situ post‐curing process is implemented within the foaming mold. With the increase of cell size from 9.91 to 128.09 μm, the compressive stress at strain of 75% decreases from 2.19 to 0.61 MPa, while the energy loss coefficient reduces from 35.4% to 16.9%, exhibiting excellent compression recovery steady. The new technique integrates the precuring, foaming process and post‐curing into an autoclave to simplify the SRF procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrain parameters describe the morphological characteristics of a surface and are an important part of the application of geoscience. At present, there is still a lack of scientific and systematic research on the associations among terrain parameters. In this article, 14 representative terrain parameters are selected to explore their spatial association relationships by using the quantification methods of linear correlation degree, distribution similarity and influence degree. Then, we discuss the effects of the digital elevation model (DEM) cell size and landform region on the associations among terrain parameters. Furthermore, the mechanism of the association relationships among terrain parameters is also analyzed to achieve a better understanding of terrain analysis. This study revealed that the similarity in calculation methods, the derivation of terrain parameters from other parameters, the geographic significance of representations, and the characteristics and appearances of landforms are significant factors contributing to the associations of terrain parameters. The terrain parameters with strong associations remained stable with changes in cell size and landform region. However, terrain parameters with weak associations significantly respond to this variety of factors. We quantify the associations among terrain parameters, provide a new perspective for examining the associations among terrain parameters, and provide guidance for the selection of terrain parameters in geoscience research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular senescence refers to a permanent and stable state of cell cycle exit. This process plays an important role in many cellular functions, including tumor suppression. It was first noted that senescence is associated with increased cell size in the early 1960s; however, how this contributes to permanent cell cycle exit was poorly understood until recently. In this review, we discuss new findings that identify increased cell size as not only a consequence but also a cause of permanent cell cycle exit. We highlight recent insights into how increased cell size alters normal cellular physiology and creates homeostatic imbalances that contribute to senescence induction. Finally, we focus on the potential clinical implications of these findings in the context of cell cycle arrest‐causing cancer therapeutics and speculate on how tumor cell size changes may impact outcomes in patients treated with these drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: When a haematopoietic stem cell registry size is constrained by limits on recruiting, as in Canada, identifying the right person to recruit is a critical determinant of effectiveness. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of changes to donor recruitment effort, within ethnic groups, on the matching effectiveness of the Canadian registry as it evolves over time. Materials and Methods: Simulation methods are applied to create a cohort of donor recruits and patients over a 10‐year time horizon. New recruits are added to the registry each year, while some existing donors 'age‐out' upon reaching their 36th birthday. In a similar fashion, simulated patient lists are created. At the end of each simulated year, simulated patients are matched against the simulated registry. Results: There are increased matches in non‐White populations when diverse registrants are preferentially recruited, but there are larger decreases in the number of matches for Caucasian patients. Additionally, ethnic communities that have limited registrants in the Canadian registry in 2021 do not benefit from increased recruiting efforts as much as communities with a larger initial number of registrants. Conclusion: Preferentially recruiting from non‐Caucasian populations reduces the number of matches from Canadian sources because increases in non‐Caucasian populations will not fully counterbalance decreases to Caucasian patient matches. Nevertheless, more than 80% of all matches are for Caucasian patients, regardless of the donor recruiting effort within ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: It has been hypothesized that vacuolar occupancy in mature root cortical parenchyma cells regulates root metabolic cost and thereby plant fitness under conditions of drought, suboptimal nutrient availability, and increased soil mechanical impedance. However, the mechanistic role of vacuoles in reducing root metabolic cost was unproven. Here we provide evidence to support this hypothesis. We first show that root cortical cell size is determined by both cortical cell diameter and cell length. Significant genotypic variation for both cortical cell diameter (~1.1‐ to 1.5‐fold) and cortical cell length (~ 1.3‐ to 7‐fold) was observed in maize and wheat. GWAS and QTL analyses indicate cortical cell diameter and length are heritable and under independent genetic control. We identify candidate genes for both phenes. Empirical results from isophenic lines contrasting for cortical cell diameter and length show that increased cell size, due to either diameter or length, is associated with reduced root respiration, nitrogen content, and phosphorus content. RootSlice, a functional‐structural model of root anatomy, predicts that an increased vacuolar: cytoplasmic ratio per unit cortical volume causes reduced root respiration and nutrient content. Ultrastructural imaging of cortical parenchyma cells with varying cortical diameter and cortical cell length confirms the in silico predictions and shows that an increase in cell size is correlated with increased vacuolar volume and reduced cytoplasmic volume. Vacuolar occupancy and its relationship with cell size merits further investigation as a phene for improving crop adaptation to edaphic stress. Significance Statement: Cortical cell size is an important phene determining root metabolic cost, but the underlying physiological mechanism is unclear. Here, using in silico and empirical approaches, we provide evidence that supports the hypothesis that vacuolar occupancy in cortical parenchyma cells regulates root metabolic cost. We also show that vacuolar occupancy is associated with cortical cell diameter and cell length, phenes that are under distinct genetic control and hold the potential for improving crop yields under edaphic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: In chronic heart failure, dilutional anemia and hypervolemia may occur due to plasma volume expansion, the latter sometimes exacerbated by an increase in red cell volume. Diagnosis and a therapeutic strategy require determination of vascular volumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Decreased aortic compliance is a precursor to numerous cardiovascular diseases. Compliance is regulated by the rigidity of the aortic wall and the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Extracellular matrix stiffening, observed during ageing, reduces compliance. In response to increased rigidity, VSMCs generate enhanced contractile forces that result in VSMC stiffening and a further reduction in compliance. Mechanisms driving VSMC response to matrix rigidity remain poorly defined. Experimental Approach: Human aortic‐VSMCs were seeded onto polyacrylamide hydrogels whose rigidity mimicked either healthy (12 kPa) or aged/diseased (72 kPa) aortae. VSMCs were treated with pharmacological agents prior to agonist stimulation to identify regulators of VSMC volume regulation. Key Results: On pliable matrices, VSMCs contracted and decreased in cell area. Meanwhile, on rigid matrices VSMCs displayed a hypertrophic‐like response, increasing in area and volume. Piezo1 activation stimulated increased VSMC volume by promoting calcium ion influx and subsequent activation of PKC and aquaporin‐1. Pharmacological blockade of this pathway prevented the enhanced VSMC volume response on rigid matrices whilst maintaining contractility on pliable matrices. Importantly, both piezo1 and aquaporin‐1 gene expression were up‐regulated during VSMC phenotypic modulation in atherosclerosis and after carotid ligation. Conclusions and Implications: In response to extracellular matrix rigidity, VSMC volume is increased by a piezo1/PKC/aquaporin‐1 mediated pathway. Pharmacological targeting of this pathway specifically blocks the matrix rigidity enhanced VSMC volume response, leaving VSMC contractility on healthy mimicking matrices intact. Importantly, upregulation of both piezo1 and aquaporin‐1 gene expression is observed in disease relevant VSMC phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The river morphology of a braided‐type river is rather complex. High sediment transport rates and frequently changing discharges are the cause of dynamic planform evolution. Over the past few decades, scientific attention has been directed toward understanding the coexistence of alternating bars and the consequent emergence of confluences and divergences, all of which interact intricately with the process of bank erosion. It is still rather challenging to estimate or predict the total sediment transport rate in this type of river, especially by considering various hydrologic data and climate effects. This study is focused on the reach of the Devoll River in Albania, located upstream of the Banja dam. Understanding the morphodynamics of this river reach holds significance due to the expanding delta upstream of the dam reservoir. The objectives of the two‐dimensional depth‐averaged approach of the present study are to investigate the temporal variation of braided intensity of Devoll River and the effect of using a discharge hydrograph from hydrologic data compared to the regulated one from the upstream dam on the morphodynamics and sediment transport of the river. After evaluating various parameters such as 11 different sediment transport functions, the best results were reached for a cell size of 5 × 5 m2, Manning roughness coefficient of 0.03, Meyer‐Peter and Müller's sediment function, Hayashi et al. (1980) hiding function, and Van Rijn bed roughness predictor in this study. In addition, the results of comparing satellite images and modeling the river from 2019 to 2023 show that the braided index decreased, and this can be due to the fact that the real scenario of the river has a regulated discharge compared to the non‐regulated discharge from hydrologic data, in the mentioned period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adult Lhasa Apso presented with non‐regenerative immune‐mediated anaemia received DEA 1+ type‐matched blood and immunosuppressive therapy. After initially responding well, anaemia recurred. A rapid decline in packed cell volume occurred 18 days post‐transfusion, and because of this, a delayed haemolytic transfusion reaction (DHTR) was suspected. Major crossmatches performed subsequent to the suspected DHTR were incompatible to all available DEA 1+ and DEA 1– blood units (64 standard large breed donors). Additional crossmatching and extended typing was performed against 16 volunteer donors of the recipient's breed, including one sibling. The recipient and the compatible donors were typed as Dal–, and nine incompatible donors were typed as Dal+. The anaemic dog responded to medical treatment and was managed without further transfusions. This case documents a first likely delayed haemolytic transfusion reaction against the Dal blood type and a high incidence of Dal– Lhasa Apsos in the northeast of England. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three‐Dimensional (3D) printed porous materials hold the potential for various soft sensing applications due to their remarkable flexibility, low density, and customizable geometries. However, developing versatile and efficient fabrication methods is crucial to unlock their full potential. A novel approach is introduced by combining Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printing and freeze‐drying to manufacture deformable cryogels featuring intricate morphologies. Photocurable hydrogels based on Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)Polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), Polyethylene glycol Diacrylate (PEGDA) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) are successfully printed and lyophilized. In this way, porous cryogels with tailorable properties are achieved. Microporosity varies from 68% to 96%, according to the chemical composition. Ultra‐soft cryogels with a compressive modulus of 0.13MPa are fabricated by adding a reactive diluent. As a result of the cryogelation process, which effectively removes water from the hydrogels, microporous structures with details as fine as 100 µm are obtained. The achieved freedom of design is exploited to fabricate resistive force sensors with a honeycomb lattice morphology. The sensitivity and the working range of the sensors can be tailored by tuning the size of the cells, paving the way for sensors with programmable architectures that can meet diverse requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]