Bernd F Steklis, Kaden L Rupert, Todd A Blackledge
{"title":"Water has different effects on adhesive strength during placement versus loading of spider silk attachment discs.","authors":"Bernd F Steklis, Kaden L Rupert, Todd A Blackledge","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0650","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0650","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spiders use piriform silk attachment discs to adhere threads during web construction and to secure safety lines. Water could degrade attachment disc adhesion by either interfering with placement of the discs or later reducing adhesion during loading. We tested the effect of water on the adhesion of attachment discs for the spider <i>Latrodectus hesperus</i>, which spins webs in mostly dry environments. We compared adhesion for discs spun on wet versus dry glass that were subsequently loaded in either wet or dry conditions. Attachment discs placed on wet glass showed similar adhesion to discs placed on dry glass. However, water significantly decreased both peak force of adhesion and work of adhesion when loading occurred under wet conditions, regardless of initial placement conditions. Furthermore, failure mode shifted from rupture of draglines in dry loading conditions to adhesive failure of discs in wet loading conditions. Our results show the importance of considering both the conditions in which biological structures are produced and those in which the structures perform as potentially independent factors for performance. Our results also suggest that adhesion in wet conditions can challenge some spiders, potentially leading to specialization of attachment discs for riparian or aquatic species.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240650"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11813564/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143399527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohammad Shojaeifard, Matteo Ferraresso, Alessandro Lucantonio, Mattia Bacca
{"title":"Machine learning-based optimal design of fibrillar adhesives.","authors":"Mohammad Shojaeifard, Matteo Ferraresso, Alessandro Lucantonio, Mattia Bacca","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0636","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0636","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fibrillar adhesion, observed in animals like beetles, spiders and geckos, relies on nanoscopic or microscopic fibrils to enhance surface adhesion via 'contact splitting'. This concept has inspired engineering applications across robotics, transportation and medicine. Recent studies suggest that functional grading of fibril properties can improve adhesion, but this is a complex design challenge that has only been explored in simplified geometries. While machine learning (ML) has gained traction in adhesive design, no previous attempts have targeted fibril-array scale optimization. In this study, we propose an ML-based tool that optimizes the distribution of fibril compliance to maximize adhesive strength. Our tool, featuring two neural networks (NNs), recovers previous design results for simple geometries and introduces novel solutions for complex configurations. The predictor NN estimates adhesive strength based on random compliance distributions, while the designer NN optimizes compliance distribution to achieve maximum strength using gradient-based optimization. This method significantly reduces test error and accelerates the optimization process, offering a high-performance solution for designing fibrillar adhesives and micro-architected materials aimed at fracture resistance by achieving equal load sharing.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240636"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11858785/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143501845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Franz Kuchling, Isha Singh, Mridushi Daga, Susan Zec, Alexandra Kunen, Michael Levin
{"title":"Uncertainty minimization and pattern recognition in <i>Volvox carteri</i> and <i>V. aureus</i>.","authors":"Franz Kuchling, Isha Singh, Mridushi Daga, Susan Zec, Alexandra Kunen, Michael Levin","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0645","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The field of diverse intelligence explores the capacity of systems without complex brains to dynamically engage with changing environments, seeking fundamental principles of cognition and their evolutionary origins. However, there are many knowledge gaps around a general behavioural directive connecting aneural to neural organisms. This study tests predictions of the computational framework of active inference based on the free energy principle in neuroscience, applied to aneural biological processes. We demonstrate pattern recognition in the green algae <i>Volvox</i> using phototactic experiments with varied light pulse patterns, measuring their phototactic bias as a readout for their preferential ability to detect and adapt to one pattern over another. Results show <i>Volvox</i> adapt more readily to regular patterns than irregular ones and even exhibit memory properties, exhibiting a crucial component of basal intelligence. Pharmacological and electric shock-based interventions and photoadaptation simulations reveal how randomized stimuli interfere with normal photoadaptation through a structured dynamic interplay of colony rotation and calcium-mediated photoreceptor-to-flagellar information transfer, consistent with uncertainty minimization. The detection of functional uncertainty minimization in an aneural organism expands concepts like uncertainty minimization beyond neurons and provides insights and novel intervention tools applicable to other living systems, similar to early learning validations in simpler neural organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240645"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11858792/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143501986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Competition effects regulating the composition of the microRNA pool.","authors":"Sofia B Raak, Jonathan G Hanley, Cian O'Donnell","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0870","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0870","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>MicroRNAS (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that can repress mRNA translation to regulate protein synthesis. During their maturation, multiple types of pre-miRNAs compete for a shared pool of the enzyme Dicer. It is unknown how this competition for a shared resource influences the relative expression of mature miRNAs. We study this process in a computational model of pre-miRNA maturation, fitted to <i>in vitro Drosophila</i> S2 cell data. We find that those pre-miRNAs that efficiently interact with Dicer outcompete other pre-miRNAs, when Dicer is scarce. To test our model predictions, we re-analysed previously published <i>ex vivo</i> mouse striatum data with reduced <i>Dicer1</i> expression. We calculated a proxy measure for pre-miRNA affinity to TRBP (a protein that loads pre-miRNAs to Dicer). This measures well-predicted mature miRNA levels in the data, validating our assumptions. We used this as a basis to test the the model's predictions through further analysis of the data. We found that pre-miRNAs with strong TRBP association are over-represented in competition conditions, consistent with the modelling. Finally using further simulations, we discovered that pre-miRNAs with low maturation rates can affect the mature miRNA pool via competition among pre-miRNAs. Overall, this work presents evidence of pre-miRNA competition regulating the composition of mature miRNAs.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240870"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835486/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143449141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simon K Camponuri, Jennifer R Head, Philip A Collender, Amanda K Weaver, Alexandra K Heaney, Kate A Colvin, Abinash Bhattachan, Gail Sondermeyer-Cooksey, Duc J Vugia, Seema Jain, Justin V Remais
{"title":"Prolonged coccidioidomycosis transmission seasons in a warming California: a Markov state transition model of shifting disease dynamics.","authors":"Simon K Camponuri, Jennifer R Head, Philip A Collender, Amanda K Weaver, Alexandra K Heaney, Kate A Colvin, Abinash Bhattachan, Gail Sondermeyer-Cooksey, Duc J Vugia, Seema Jain, Justin V Remais","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0821","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0821","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coccidioidomycosis, an emerging fungal disease in the southwestern United States, exhibits pronounced seasonal transmission, yet the influence of current and future climate on the timing and duration of transmission seasons remains poorly understood. We developed a distributed-lag Markov state transition model to estimate the effects of temperature and precipitation on the timing of transmission season onset and end, analysing reported coccidioidomycosis cases (<i>n</i> = 72 125) in California from 2000 to 2023. Using G-computation substitution estimators, we examined how hypothetical changes in seasonal meteorology impact transmission season timing. Transitions from cooler, wetter conditions to hotter, drier conditions were found to significantly accelerate season onset. Dry conditions (10th percentile of precipitation) in the spring shifted season onset an average of 2.8 weeks (95% CI: 0.43-3.58) earlier compared with wet conditions (90th percentile of precipitation). Conversely, transitions back to cooler, wetter conditions hastened season end, with dry autumn conditions extending the season by an average of 0.69 weeks (95% CI: 0.37-1.41) compared with wet conditions. When dry conditions occurred in the spring and autumn, the transmission season extended by 3.70 weeks (95% CI: 1.23-4.22). With prolonged dry seasons expected in California with climate change, our findings suggest this shift will extend the period of elevated coccidioidomycosis risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240821"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11858782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143501850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaozhou Fan, Alberto Bortoni, Siyang Hao, Sharon Swartz, Kenneth Breuer
{"title":"Upstroke wing clapping in bats and bat-inspired robots offers efficient lift generation.","authors":"Xiaozhou Fan, Alberto Bortoni, Siyang Hao, Sharon Swartz, Kenneth Breuer","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0590","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0590","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wing articulation is critical for the efficient flight of bird- and bat-sized animals. Inspired by the flight of <i>Cynopterus brachyotis</i>, the lesser short-nosed fruit bat, we built a two-degree-of-freedom flapping wing platform with variable wing folding capability. In the late upstroke, the wings 'clap' and produce an air jet that significantly increases lift production, with a positive peak matched to that produced in the downstroke. Though ventral clapping has been observed in avian flight, the potential aerodynamic benefit of this behaviour is yet to be rigorously assessed. We used multiple approaches-quasi-steady modelling, direct force/power measurement and particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments in a wind tunnel-to understand critical aspects of lift and power variation in relation to wing folding magnitude over Strouhal numbers at <i>St</i> = 0.2-0.4. While lift increases monotonically with folding amplitude in that range, power economy (ratio of lift/power) is more nuanced. At <i>St</i> = 0.2-0.3, it increases with wing folding amplitude monotonically. At <i>St</i> = 0.3-0.4, it features two maxima-one at medium folding amplitude (approx. 30°) and the other at maximum folding. These findings illuminate two strategies available to flapping wing animals and robots-symmetry-breaking lift augmentation and appendage-based jet propulsion.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11837331/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143449234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reciprocating thermochemical mediator of pre-biotic polymer decomposition on mineral surfaces.","authors":"Rowena Ball, John Brindley","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0492","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0492","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A continuing frustration for origin of life scientists is that abiotic and, by extension, pre-biotic attempts to develop self-sustaining, evolving molecular systems tend to produce more dead-end substances than macromolecular products with the necessary potential for biostructure and function - the so-called 'tar problem'. Nevertheless primordial life somehow emerged despite that presumed handicap. A resolution of this problem is important in emergence-of-life science because it would provide valuable guidance in choosing subsequent paths of investigation, such as identifying pre-biotic patterns on Mars. To study the problem we set up a simple non-equilibrium flow dynamical model for the coupled temperature and mass dynamics of the decomposition of a polymeric carbohydrate adsorbed on a mineral surface, with incident stochastic thermal fluctuations. Results show that the model system behaves as a reciprocating thermochemical oscillator. The output fluctuation distribution is bimodal, with a right-weighted component that guarantees a bias towards detachment and desorption of monomeric species such as ribose, even while tar is formed concomitantly. This fluctuating thermochemical reciprocator may ensure that non-performing polymers can be fractionated into a refractory carbon reservoir and active monomers which may be reincorporated into better-performing polymers with less vulnerability towards adsorptive tarring.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240492"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11796468/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143189510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Da In Lee, Anjalika Nande, Thayer L Anderson, Michael Z Levy, Alison L Hill
{"title":"Vaccine failure mode determines population-level impact of vaccination campaigns during epidemics.","authors":"Da In Lee, Anjalika Nande, Thayer L Anderson, Michael Z Levy, Alison L Hill","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0689","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0689","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Vaccines are a crucial tool for controlling infectious diseases, yet rarely offer perfect protection. 'Vaccine efficacy' describes a population-level effect measured in clinical trials, but mathematical models used to evaluate the impact of vaccination campaigns require specifying how vaccines fail at the individual level, which is often impossible to measure. Does 90% efficacy imply perfect protection in 90% of people and no protection in 10% ('all-or-nothing') or that the per-exposure risk is reduced by 90% in all vaccinated individuals ('leaky') or somewhere in between? Here, we systematically investigate the role of vaccine failure mode in controlling ongoing epidemics. We find that the difference in population-level impact between all-or-nothing and leaky vaccines can be substantial when <i>R</i><sub>0</sub> is higher, vaccines efficacy is intermediate, and vaccines slow but cannot curtail an outbreak. Comparing COVID-19 pandemic phases, we show times when model predictions would have been most sensitive to assumptions about vaccine failure mode. When determining the optimal risk group to prioritize for limited vaccines, we find that modelling a leaky vaccine as all-or-nothing (or vice versa) can change the recommended target group. Overall, we conclude that models of vaccination campaigns should include uncertainty about vaccine failure mode in their design and interpretation.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240689"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835492/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143449238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nur Kubra Tasdemir, Bogac Kilicarslan, Gozde Imren, Beren Karaosmanoglu, Ekim Z Taskiran, Cem Bayram
{"title":"Hierarchical TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube arrays enhance mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and regenerative potential through surface nanotopography.","authors":"Nur Kubra Tasdemir, Bogac Kilicarslan, Gozde Imren, Beren Karaosmanoglu, Ekim Z Taskiran, Cem Bayram","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0642","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0642","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The concept of preconditioning mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) under different stress conditions or with bioactive molecules is introduced to optimize their therapeutic potential. This study investigates the physicochemical effect of hierarchical TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube arrays, a versatile and easy-to-prepare nanosurface, on MSC behaviour. By precisely controlling the nanotopography through anodization, we demonstrate the significant influence of surface properties on MSC adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Electrostatic interactions between surface charge and proteins play a crucial role in these cellular responses. In addition, preconditioning MSCs under specific conditions enhances their therapeutic potential by optimizing paracrine signalling and homing properties. Higher surface charges and increasing spiky character of surface roughness of titania samples after anodization at 60 V significantly upregulated chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), indicating the enhanced migratory and angiogenic potential of MSCs. The study reveals the mechanotransductive effects of nanotopography on MSC differentiation, suggesting that tailored surface features can direct cellular fate. These findings highlight the potential of hierarchical TiO<sub>2</sub> nanotube arrays as a promising platform for regenerative medicine, offering a novel approach to improve tissue engineering and therapeutic outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240642"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11858746/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143501907","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alessandro Lonardi, Michael Szell, Caterina De Bacco
{"title":"Cohesive urban bicycle infrastructure design through optimal transport routing in multilayer networks.","authors":"Alessandro Lonardi, Michael Szell, Caterina De Bacco","doi":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0532","DOIUrl":"10.1098/rsif.2024.0532","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bicycle infrastructure networks must meet the needs of cyclists to position cycling as a viable transportation choice in cities. In particular, protected infrastructure should be planned cohesively for the whole city and spacious enough to accommodate all cyclists safely and prevent cyclist congestion-a common problem in cycling cities like Copenhagen. Here, we devise an adaptive method for optimal bicycle network design and for evaluating congestion criticalities on bicycle paths. The method goes beyond static network measures, using computationally efficient adaptation rules inspired by optimal transport on the dynamically updating multilayer network of roads and protected bicycle lanes. Street capacities and cyclist flows reciprocally control each other to optimally accommodate cyclists on streets with one control parameter that dictates the preference of bicycle infrastructure over roads. Applying our method to Copenhagen confirms that the city's bicycle network is generally well-developed. However, we are able to identify the network's bottlenecks, and we find, at a finer scale, disparities in network accessibility and criticalities between different neighbourhoods. Our model and results are generalizable beyond this particular case study to serve as a scalable and versatile tool for aiding urban planners in designing cycling-friendly cities.</p>","PeriodicalId":17488,"journal":{"name":"Journal of The Royal Society Interface","volume":"22 223","pages":"20240532"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11793972/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143189506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}