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1. Predicting embodied carbon emissions from purchased electricity for United States counties

   Chen, Li ; Wemhoff, A.P. ( April 2021 , Applied energy)

   null (Ed.)

   Predicting the embodied scope 3 carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from purchased electricity for end users in the United States is challenging due to electricity transmission within interconnected power grids. Existing methods only focus on large aggregation areas, thereby ignoring potentially significant emission factor (EF) variations, so this study proposes a novel method to translate the CO2e emissions from the balancing authority (BA)-level to the county-level by utilizing explicit finite-difference theory for electricity flow predictions, and then employing economic input–output theory to evaluate the scope 3 embodied lifecycle CO2e emissions. Results show that the generation-based EFs at the BA-level range from 0.007 to 0.905 MT-CO2e/MWh with a mean value of 0.400 MT-CO2e/MWh and a standard deviation of 0.229 MT-CO2e/MWh. The consumption-based EFs at the BA-level range from 0.008 to 0.836 MT-CO2e/MWh with a mean value of 0.378 MT-CO2e/MWh and a standard deviation of 0.019 MT-CO2e/MWh. Results also show that sixteen BA consumption-based EFs deviate by more than 20% compared to their generation-based EFs, which indicates the significance of accounting for electricity interchanges in emissions quantification processes. A larger range of possible consumption-based EFs is revealed at the county-level: 0.007 to 0.902 MT-CO2e/MWh, with a mean value of 0.452 MT-CO2e/MWh and a standard deviation of 0.123 MT-CO2e/MWh. Results also indicate significant variations in EFs of counties within each BA: 20 BAs have county-level EFs range greater than 0.1 MT-CO2e/MWh, 13 BAs have county-level EFs range greater than 0.2 MT-CO2e/MWh and 6 BAs have county-level EFs range beyond 0.3 MT-CO2e/MWh. 

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2. A review of the reproductive biology of mormyroid fishes: An emerging model for biomedical research

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jez.b.23242  

   Saunders, Alyssa N. ; Gallant, Jason R. ( February 2024 , Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution)

   Mormyroidea is a superfamily of weakly electric African fishes with great potential as a model in a variety of biomedical research areas including systems neuroscience, muscle cell and craniofacial development, ion channel biophysics, and flagellar/ciliary biology. However, they are currently difficult to breed in the laboratory setting, which is essential for any tractable model organism. As such, there is a need to better understand the reproductive biology of mormyroids to breed them more reliably in the laboratory to effectively use them as a biomedical research model. This review seeks to (1) briefly highlight the biomedically relevant phenotypes of mormyroids and (2) compile information about mormyroid reproduction including sex differences, breeding season, sexual maturity, gonads, gametes, and courtship/spawning behaviors. We also highlight areas of mormyroid reproductive biology that are currently unexplored and/or have the potential for further investigation that may provide insights into more successful mormyroid laboratory breeding methods.

    

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3. Bile acids and ceramide overcome the entry restriction for GII.3 human norovirus replication in human intestinal enteroids

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1910138117  

   Murakami, Kosuke ; Tenge, Victoria R. ; Karandikar, Umesh C. ; Lin, Shih-Ching ; Ramani, Sasirekha ; Ettayebi, Khalil ; Crawford, Sue E. ; Zeng, Xi-Lei ; Neill, Frederick H. ; Ayyar, B. Vijayalakshmi ; et al ( January 2020 , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) cause sporadic and epidemic outbreaks of gastroenteritis in all age groups worldwide. We previously reported that stem cell-derived human intestinal enteroid (HIE) cultures support replication of multiple HuNoV strains and that some strains (e.g., GII.3) replicate only in the presence of bile. Heat- and trypsin-treatment of bile did not reduce GII.3 replication, indicating a nonproteinaceous component in bile functions as an active factor. Here we show that bile acids (BAs) are critical for GII.3 replication and replication correlates with BA hydrophobicity. Using the highly effective BA, glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA), we show BAs act during the early stage of infection, BA-dependent replication in HIEs is not mediated by detergent effects or classic farnesoid X receptor or Takeda G protein-coupled receptor 5 signaling but involves another G protein-coupled receptor, sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2, and BA treatment of HIEs increases particle uptake. We also demonstrate that GCDCA induces multiple cellular responses that promote GII.3 replication in HIEs, including enhancement of 1) endosomal uptake, 2) endosomal acidification and subsequent activity of endosomal/lysosomal enzyme acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), and 3) ceramide levels on the apical membrane. Inhibitors of endosomal acidification or ASM reduce GII.3 infection and exogenous addition of ceramide alone permits infection. Furthermore, inhibition of lysosomal exocytosis of ASM, which is required for ceramide production at the apical surface, decreases GII.3 infection. Together, our results support a model where GII.3 exploits rapid BA-mediated cellular endolysosomal dynamic changes and cellular ceramide to enter and replicate in jejunal HIEs.

    

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4. Serum Bile Acids Improve Prediction of Alzheimer's Progression in a Sex‐Dependent Manner

   https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202306576  

   Chen, Tianlu ; Wang, Lu ; Xie, Guoxiang ; Kristal, Bruce S. ; Zheng, Xiaojiao ; Sun, Tao ; Arnold, Matthias ; Louie, Gregory ; Li, Mengci ; Wu, Lirong ; et al ( December 2023 , Advanced Science)

   Sex disparities in serum bile acid (BA) levels and Alzheimer's disease (AD) prevalence have been established. However, the precise link between changes in serum BAs and AD development remains elusive. Here, authors quantitatively determined 33 serum BAs and 58 BA features in 4 219 samples collected from 1 180 participants from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. The findings revealed that these BA features exhibited significant correlations with clinical stages, encompassing cognitively normal (CN), early and late mild cognitive impairment, and AD, as well as cognitive performance. Importantly, these associations are more pronounced in men than women. Among participants with progressive disease stages (n = 660), BAs underwent early changes in men, occurring before AD. By incorporating BA features into diagnostic and predictive models, positive enhancements are achieved for all models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve improved from 0.78 to 0.91 for men and from 0.76 to 0.83 for women for the differentiation of CN and AD. Additionally, the key findings are validated in a subset of participants (n = 578) with cerebrospinal fluid amyloid‐beta and tau levels. These findings underscore the role of BAs in AD progression, offering potential improvements in the accuracy of AD prediction.

    

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5. The call of the wild: using non-model systems to investigate microbiome–behaviour relationships

   https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.224485  

   Cusick, Jessica A. ; Wellman, Cara L. ; Demas, Gregory E. ( May 2021 , Journal of Experimental Biology)

   null (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT On and within most sites across an animal's body live complex communities of microorganisms. These microorganisms perform a variety of important functions for their hosts, including communicating with the brain, immune system and endocrine axes to mediate physiological processes and affect individual behaviour. Microbiome research has primarily focused on the functions of the microbiome within the gastrointestinal tract (gut microbiome) using biomedically relevant laboratory species (i.e. model organisms). These studies have identified important connections between the gut microbiome and host immune, neuroendocrine and nervous systems, as well as how these connections, in turn, influence host behaviour and health. Recently, the field has expanded beyond traditional model systems as it has become apparent that the microbiome can drive differences in behaviour and diet, play a fundamental role in host fitness and influence community-scale dynamics in wild populations. In this Review, we highlight the value of conducting hypothesis-driven research in non-model organisms and the benefits of a comparative approach that assesses patterns across different species or taxa. Using social behaviour as an intellectual framework, we review the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiome and host behaviour, and identify understudied mechanisms by which these effects may be mediated. 

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