VIS+AI: integrating visualization with artificial intelligence for efficient data analysis

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HIGHER EDUCATION PRESS

 

IMAGE: THREE LEVELS OF INTEGRATION OF VIS AND AI IN DATA ANALYSIS view more 

CREDIT: HIGHER EDUCATION PRESS LIMITED COMPANY

Visualization and artificial intelligence (AI) are well-applied approaches to data analysis. In complex data analysis scenarios, like epidemic traceability and city planning, humans need to understand large-scale data and make decisions, which requires complementing the strengths of both visualization and AI. However, how can AI and visualization complement each other and be integrated into data analysis processes are still missing.

To solve the problems, a research team led by Prof. Wei Chen published their new research in Frontiers of Computer Science co-published by Higher Education Press and Springer Nature.

The team define three integration levels of visualization and AI. Visualization and AI are first used separately, which are data analysis approaches at level 0: independent process. As the technology matures, visualization and AI have been applied to assist each other. Related approaches are known as VIS4AI and AI4VIS, which correspond to level 1: one-way assistance. One-way assistance cannot support feedback. Approaches at level 1 have no chance to assess or optimize the effect of the provided assistance. To further improve data analysis approaches, the next level requires dual-way assistance, which is level 2: deep integration.

VIS+AI aims at barrier-free communication between human intelligence and artificial intelligence in the scenario of visual analysis. The framework of VIS+AI can completely open up the channel between AI and visualization, which further links human intelligence. As shown on the left of the framework, the knowledge generation model is inherited from the previous level to inject human intelligence. As shown on the right of the framework, the channel between AI and visualization consists of three iterative loops: an interaction loop, an execution loop, and an intelligence optimization loop. Through the three loops, AI can adapt to dynamic data analysis processes, and therefore be deeply involved into the data analysis processes guided by humans.

VIS+AI: Integrating Visualization with Artificial Intelligence for Efficient Data Analysis 

The processing flow of LDoS detection

CREDIT

HIGHER EDUCATION PRESS LIMITED COMPANY

Research Article, Published: 06 June 2023

Xumeng WANG, Ziliang WU, Wenqi HUANG, Yating WEI, Zhaosong HUANG, Mingliang XU, Wei CHEN. VIS+AI: integrating visualization with artificial intelligence for efficient data analysis. Front. Comput. Sci., 2023, 17(6): 176709, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11704-023-2691-y

 

About Frontiers of Computer Science (FCS)

FCS was launched in 2007. It is published bimonthly both online and in print by HEP and Springer. Prof. Zhi-Hua Zhou from Nanjing University serves as the Editor-in-Chief. It aims to provide a forum for the publication of peer-reviewed papers to promote rapid communication and exchange between computer scientists. FCS covers all major branches of computer science, including: architecture, software, artificial intelligence, theoretical computer science, networks and communication, information systems, multimedia and graphics, information security, interdisciplinary, etc. The readers may be interested in the special columns "Perspective" and "Excellent Young Scholars Forum".

FCS is indexed by SCI(E), EI, DBLP, Scopus, etc. The latest IF is 2.669. FCS solicits the following article types: Review, Research Article, Letter.

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JOURNAL

Frontiers of Computer Science

DOI

10.1007/s11704-023-2691-y 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

VIS+AI: integrating visualization with artificial intelligence for efficient data analysis

 

Slow walking could be sign of dementia in older dogs

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

Dogs who slow down physically also slow down mentally, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. Measuring gait speed in senior dogs could be a simple way to monitor their health and to document decline in their neurological function as they age.

“Walking speed in people is strongly associated with cognitive decline,” says Natasha Olby, Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology at NC State and corresponding author of the study. “We hypothesized that the same might be true in dogs.”

Olby and her colleagues measured gait speed off leash in 46 adult and 49 senior dogs. The adult dogs, who served as a control group, only had their gait speed measured. The senior dogs did some additional cognitive testing and their owners filled out a cognitive assessment questionnaire, called the CADES questionnaire. A higher CADES score indicates more severe cognitive decline.

The senior dogs were grouped together based on their CADES and cognitive testing scores. Individual gait speed was measured first by walking them over a five meter distance on a leash with a handler, then by offering a treat the same distance away from the dogs, and calling them to retrieve it off leash.

“The challenge with measuring gait speed is that dogs tend to match the speed of their handler when on leash, so we measured both on and off leash to see which was the most useful measure,” Olby says.

“Additionally, we are always concerned that body size and limb length will affect gait speed – but if you see a chihuahua and a great dane walking together off leash, the shorter one isn’t always behind the other,” Olby continues. “We found that on leash, size does correlate with gait speed, but off leash it doesn’t make a difference. Capturing gait speed off leash lets us see the effects of both physical ability and food motivation.”

The researchers found that in the senior dogs, size didn’t matter when it came to speed; in other words, dogs in the last 25% of their expected life span moved more slowly than adult dogs, regardless of relative size.

“Just as in humans, our walking speed is pretty stable through most of our lives, then it declines as we enter the last quarter or so of our lifespan,” Olby says.

Senior dogs who moved more slowly had more severe levels of cognitive decline based on the owner-completed questionnaires and also did worse on the cognitive testing.

The researchers also found that joint pain did not seem to correlate with walking speed, although they note that there were no dogs with severe osteoarthritis in the program. They hope to address this issue in future work.

“When you look at functional aging, the two most important predictors of morbidity are mobility and cognition,” Olby says. “Mobility relies heavily on sensory input, central processing and motor output – in other words, the nervous system – as a result, mobility and cognition are super interconnected. When you have less mobility, the amount of input your nervous system gets is also reduced. It’s not surprising that walking speed and dementia are correlated.

“For me, the exciting part of the study is not only that we show gait speed correlates with dementia in dogs as in people, but also that the method of testing we used is easy to replicate, since it’s food motivated and over a short distance. It could become a simple screening test for any veterinarian to perform on aging patients.”

The work appears in Frontiers in Veterinary Science and was supported by the Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology. Alejandra Mondino, postdoctoral researcher at NC State, is lead author of the study.

-peake-

Note to editors: An abstract follows.

“Winning the race with aging: age-related changes in gait speed and its association with cognitive performance in dogs.”

DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1150590

Authors: Alejandra Mondino, Michael Khan, Beth Case, Gilad Fefer, Wojciech K. Panek, Margaret E. Gruen and Natasha J. Olby, North Carolina State University
Published: June 15, 2023 in Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Abstract:
In humans, gait speed is a crucial component in geriatric evaluation since decreasing speed can be a harbinger of cognitive decline and dementia. Aging companion dogs can suffer from age-related mobility impairment, cognitive decline and dementia known as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome. We hypothesized that there would be an association between gait speed and cognition in aging dogs. We measured gait speed on and off leash in 46 adult and 49 senior dogs. Cognitive performance in senior dogs was assessed by means of the Canine Dementia Scale and a battery of cognitive tests. We demonstrated that dogs’ gait speed off leash, a relatively easy variable to measure in clinical settings, is correlated with fractional lifespan and cognitive performance in dogs, particularly in the domains of attention and working memory. Moreover, food-motivated gait speed off leash proves to be a more effective indicator of age-related deterioration and cognitive decline than gait speed on leash.

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

DOI

10.3389/fvets.2023.1150590 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Winning the race with aging: age-related changes in gait speed and its association with cognitive performance in dogs

 

Hot testicles may hold the secret to elephants’ anti-cancer genes, suggests new study

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SAVE THE ELEPHANTS

A ground-breaking study published today in the prestigious journal, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, unveils an intriguing connection between hot testicles and the evolution of potent anti-cancer genes in elephants.

Led by Professor Fritz Vollrath, Chairman of Save the Elephants, the research suggests that the absence of testicular descent in elephants may have driven the development of multiple anti-cancer genes, safeguarding their temperature-sensitive sperm production.

This novel hypothesis presents an exciting avenue for cancer researchers, potentially offering valuable insights into understanding the cellular response to DNA damage in humans.

Despite their large size and a higher number of somatic cell divisions, which traditionally increase cancer risk, elephants defy conventional expectations. This phenomenon, known as Peto’s Paradox, was first observed by renowned Oxford epidemiologist Richard Peto, who noted that elephants and whales appear to be surprisingly resistant to the development of cancers.

Recent scientific advancements have shed light on the importance of elephants in deciphering this intriguing cancer mitigation puzzle. Key is the link between a genetic marker, the TP53 gene, and its protein product p53.  P53 identifies and neutralizes damaged DNA during cell divisions and thus impedes the spread of mutations.

Remarkably, elephants stand out by hosting 20 copies of the TP53 gene, while all other known animals, including humans, possess only a single copy. This begs the question: why have elephants evolved this seemingly magical defence mechanism against cancer when other species have not?

The study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution highlights that selection on somatic cells, which make up bodies, organs and tissues, is relatively weak and slow due to the intricate mix of healthy and potentially harmful cells. Additionally, evolution tends to proceed gradually when limited to developments occurring in older age, after most offspring have been produced. In contrast, selection on germ cells, such as sperm and eggs, is considerably stronger and faster, as it directly impacts the survival of each individual cell.

This brings us to the intriguing topic of testicle temperature. In mammals, the production of healthy sperm relies on the testes being several degrees cooler than the body temperature. Consequently, the descent of testicles into a scrotum plays a vital role in cooling them as maturity approaches. Elephants, however, lack the genes responsible for this descent, resulting in their testicles remaining inside their bodies even in mature bulls, subjecting them to elevated temperatures.

Considering elephants’ inherent vulnerability to climatic challenges due to their bulk, unfavourable surface ratio, thick skin, and heat exchange mechanisms centred on blood flow in the ear flaps, their body temperatures can soar to levels that are detrimental to mammalian metabolism and detrimental to healthy sperm production.

Under the paradigm presented by this study, the proliferation of TP53 genes would not have primarily evolved to combat cancer but rather to support DNA stabilization in the spermatogonia, ensuring the production of robust spermatozoa and safeguarding the germ line. Nevertheless, this diversification of p53 proteins also offers protective benefits against DNA damage and mutations in somatic cell lines, thus providing additional collateral advantages linked to cancer and aging, an area where p53 is well known to play a prominent role.

Professor Fritz Vollrath, commenting on the research, says, “Elephants provide us with a unique system to study the evolution of a robust defence mechanism against DNA damage and explore the intricate details of the p53 complex in our own battle against cancer and ailments like aging. Novel insights in this field are always important, but especially now that overheating is becoming ever more of an issue also for us humans.”

Read the full study in Trends in Ecology & Evolution 

 ENDS

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For further information and images, please contact:

Professor Fritz Vollrath
Oxford, UK
fritz.vollrath@biology.ox.ac.uk

OR

Jane Wynyard
Save the Elephants, Kenya
jane@savetheelephants.org

About Save the Elephants

Save the Elephants works to secure a future for elephants. Specialising in elephant research, they provide scientific insights into elephant behaviour, intelligence, and long-distance movements and apply them to the challenges of elephant survival and harmonious coexistence with humanity. High-tech tracking helps plan landscapes while low-tech beehive fences, among other tools, provide people /communities living with elephants with protection as well as income.  Education and outreach programmes share these insights with local communities as the true custodians of this rich heritage.  Save the Elephants runs the Elephant Crisis Fund in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Network, providing flexible and responsive support to NGOs combatting the ivory trade, promoting human-elephant coexistence, and protecting elephant landscapes. www.savetheelephants.org

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JOURNAL

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

ARTICLE TITLE

Uncoupling elephant TP53 and cancer

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jun-2023

“There is no curse worse than the death of your child” – a psychologist on the death of his son

Renowned psychologist David Cohen has written a book about the death of his son Reuben, and the experience of parental grief

Book Announcement

TAYLOR & FRANCIS GROUP

“The loss of a child is the loss of promise, potential. A cruel violation of the natural order. I was there when my son was born and when he died. I loved him, despaired of him, tried to help him. But not enough.”

Author David Cohen lost his son, 38-year-old Rueben, in 2013. Now, with the unique perspective of both father and psychologist, has written A Book Of My Son Reuben as a psychological and philosophical exploration of grief.

He writes: “I had not managed to keep him alive. There is no curse worse than the death of your child.”

Reuben was a fine writer and the book has an extract of Theo’s Ruins and also a tribute by Reuben’s brother Nick.

Cohen offers a personal and analytical study of sorrow and guilt, and of what research tells us about trauma and grief. He includes quotes and anecdotes from parents and siblings who have suffered loss. There is no closure as some experts suggest. The death is with you till you die.

Rather than a self-help guide, the book is both a tribute to his son and an exploration for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the experience of loss.

Honest and analytical

Providing a unique perspective, The Book of My Son Reuben combines a personal account of how Cohen coped – and did not cope – with the death of his son, alongside scholarly research into the physiological and biological manifestation of grief.

Illustrated throughout with Cohen’s personal insight into how he continues to cope and fail to cope, this honest book provides a deeper understanding of loss for parents who have experienced it, as well as those who support them.

He writes: “Human beings watch and judge each other, so on top of everything else the bereaved are on display. Are you grieving the right way?

“A parent is supposed to be a competent protector, provider, nurturer. Instead, a child’s death imposes social stigma, isolation and, more often than not, loss of social support. Parents also have to find some meaning in life when they don’t have the opportunity to help their young grow up.”

The book remembers the many parents who have lost children throughout history and chapters weave personal perspectives with the latest research.

It examines the experience of sudden deaths, the failures of society in preventing children from dying, the role of social media, how the loss of a child impacts mothers, fathers, siblings and relationships, and the usefulness – or otherwise – of bereavement therapies.

“I wish I had not had to write this book because then my lovely son Reuben would still be alive,” says Cohen. “He was adorable, formidably intelligent, a loving son, a loving brother. He died far too young. He had the bad luck to have two grandparents who had addictive personalities. His efforts to resist the lure of drugs failed. And so did I.”

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DOI

10.4324/9781003272670 

UMass Amherst study will advance understanding of the impact of air pollution on women’s reproductive health

NIH grant funds efforts to identify risk factors and outcomes for women trying to get pregnant

Grant and Award Announcement

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST

 

IMAGE: CARRIE NOBLES, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN THE UMASS AMHERST SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH SCIENCES, IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND REPRODUCTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGIST. view more 

CREDIT: UMASS AMHERST

Funded by a new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental and reproductive epidemiologist aims to develop a more robust understanding of the effects of ambient air pollution on women’s reproductive health.

Carrie Nobles, assistant professor in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, will use the two-year, $650,000 exploratory/developmental research grant from the NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to identify mechanisms and susceptible reproductive processes across the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy.

Ultimately, findings will provide the foundation for identifying ways to improve reproductive health and informing public policy on pollution standards.

Ambient air pollution, such as traffic and power-plant emissions, is associated with increases in inflammation and oxidative stress that may inhibit the establishment of a healthy pregnancy by disrupting endocrine function, ovulation, implantation and placentation, Nobles explains. 

Previous, smaller studies by Nobles and colleagues have linked air pollution to fertility at the broad population level, “but we don’t understand exactly how and who is most affected,” says Nobles, who is also analyzing the impact of air pollution and other environmental factors on men’s fertility in another NIH-funded study.

Nobles will incorporate data from the completed preconception time-to-pregnancy study known as EAGeR (Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction), which evaluated the effect of low-dose aspirin on live-birth rates. The study includes detailed information on 1,228 participants during six menstrual cycles when they are attempting to get pregnant. 

“Around the time of ovulation and also around the time of implantation of the embryo, exposure during those points to higher levels of air pollution does seem to relate to a lower probability of getting pregnant and also a higher risk of pregnancy loss,” says Nobles about findings from studies involving couples seeking infertility treatment. “But there are very few studies that have this fine detailed information on the timing of things like ovulation, the earliest possible detection of pregnancy and, potentially, a pregnancy loss. So, we will be able to look at these acute exposures that are hard to detect.”

Nobles will estimate participants’ exposure to ambient air pollution during biologically informed windows of the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy by looking at the EPA’s Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) models where they live. 

For a smaller group of 288 women, Nobles will look at urinary levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemicals found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette and wood smoke, and grilled or charred food. She also will examine two biomarkers for oxidative stress mechanisms. “This will let us understand more about how these effects are happening,” Nobles says.

For the group of women who received low-dose aspirin, Nobles will assess whether the anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet actions of aspirin reduce the impact of air pollution exposure. 

Nobles hypothesizes that air pollution exposure around ovulation and implantation will change reproductive hormones and reduce fertility. Pollution exposure during critical windows in early pregnancy is also expected to increase risk of pregnancy loss. 

She expects that the impacts of air pollution among the women who received low-dose aspirin will be weaker. 

Relationship between groundwater cadmium and vicinity resident urine cadmium levels in Hunan Province——a region that is both the heartland of Chinese non-ferrous mining and the home of fish and rice

Peer-Reviewed Publication

HIGHER EDUCATION PRESS

Cadmium (Cd) has received widespread attention owing to its persistent toxicity and nondegradability. Cd in the human body is mainly absorbed from the external environment and is usually assessed using urinary Cd. Hunan Province is the heartland of the Chinese non-ferrous mining area, where several serious Cd pollution events have occurred, including high levels of Cd in the urine of residents. However, the environmental factors influencing high urinary Cd levels (UCLs) in nearby residents remain unclear. A research team from Central South University and Beihang University used statistical analysis models to analyze 211 nearby residents’ UCLs and the corresponding sociological characteristics from nine groundwater samples in this area.

Their analysis is published in the journal Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering on May 15, 2023.

Cadmium (Cd) has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of four heavy metal contaminants of major public health concern; it has persistent toxicity and is not biodegradable. Cd in the human body is mainly absorbed from the external environment through contact, drinking, or inhalation into the body for enrichment, and is metabolized slowly. After entering the human body, Cd can be absorbed into the liver or kidney, causing damage to kidney function. Cd may also lead to cancer as a severe threat to human health. Previous studies have pointed out that the two primary sources of Cd exposure in the general population are diet and smoking. However, these studies did not integrate the relationship between the UCL and exposure to the concentration of Cd in environmental media. The groundwater factor influencing high urinary Cd levels (UCLs) in nearby residents remain unclear. There is still a lack of systematic assessment of the impact of groundwater on UCL in the vicinity of non-ferrous metal smelting sites.

Human Cd levels are mainly evaluated using urine Cd. Urine is easier to obtain and can be used to monitor very low concentrations of chemicals and to better measure the exposure level of trace element Cd in the human body. According to the survey, urinary Cd levels (UCLs) were higher in people living near mining areas than in those living in other areas. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the environmental factors that cause higher UCLs in mining areas.

Hunan Province is the heartland of Chinese non-ferrous mining, and its dominant industries are non-ferrous metal smelting, mining, and machinery manufacturing. It is also famously regarded as the home of fish and rice, cultivating over 4000 ha of rice, ranking as one of China’s most important rice-producing regions. Human activities, including non-ferrous metal smelting and uncontrolled emissions of waste gas, wastewater, and sludge from various industries, have proven to be prominent sources of Cd emissions in this area. These activities aggravate the decrease in surface vegetation, thereby accelerating the infiltration of surface water and increasing groundwater Cd pollution. Several Cd pollution events have occurred in Hunan Province, such as the Cd rice incident; the UCLs of residents along the riverbank were relatively high. Previous studies have documented the severe impacts of mining and metalprocessing activities within Hunan on rice agroecosystems. However, they did not analyze the environmental factors influencing the UCLs in the population living near the non-ferrous mining areas of Hunan Province.

To fill these gaps, the team from Central South University and Beihang University systematically examined the relationship between groundwater and UCLs near the non-ferrous metal smelting area of Hunan Province. The main objectives of this study were to: 1) identify the characteristics and current situation of Cd pollution in groundwater and urine, 2) evaluate the relationship between groundwater Cd and UCL in the non-ferrous metal smelting area, and 3) propose comprehensive management precautions according to the possible sources of UCL. This study will help clarify the environmental factors that contribute to the increase in UCLs. It will provide an essential reference for policy makers to reduce Cd exposure in areas where heavy metal industries are prevalent worldwide.

In this study, the research team found groundwater Cd concentration ranged from 0.02 to 1.15 μg/L, aligning with class III of the national standard; the range of UCL of nearby residents was 0.37–36.60 μg/L, exceeding the national guideline of 0–2.5 μg/L. Groundwater Cd levels were positively correlated with the UCL (P < 0.001, correlation coefficient 95 % CI = 9.68, R2 = 0.06). There is an extremely significant positive correlation between groundwater and urine Cd in nearby heavy metal industry residents. With an increase in total Cd of 1000 μg/L groundwater, the concentration of Cd in urine will increase by 11.01 μg/L. In addition, sociological characteristics, such as smoking status and education level, also affect UCL. All results indicate that local governments should strengthen the prevention and abatement of groundwater Cd pollution.

This study is the first to systematically evaluate the relationship between groundwater Cd and UCL using internal and external environmental exposure data. Notably, the concentration of Cd in groundwater contributes more significantly to the UCL than do sociological characteristics. The relevant departments should strengthen the control and remediation of groundwater Cd and guide the population to prevent Cd pollution. These findings provide essential bases for relevant departments to reduce Cd exposure in regions where the heavy metal industry is globally prevalent.

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About Higher Education Press

Founded in May 1954, Higher Education Press Limited Company (HEP), affiliated with the Ministry of Education, is one of the earliest institutions committed to educational publishing after the establishment of P. R. China in 1949. After striving for six decades, HEP has developed into a major comprehensive publisher, with products in various forms and at different levels. Both for import and export, HEP has been striving to fill in the gap of domestic and foreign markets and meet the demand of global customers by collaborating with more than 200 partners throughout the world and selling products and services in 32 languages globally. Now, HEP ranks among China’s top publishers in terms of copyright export volume and the world’s top 50 largest publishing enterprises in terms of comprehensive strength.

The Frontiers Journals series published by HEP includes 28 English academic journals, covering the largest academic fields in China at present. Among the series, 12 have been indexed by SCI, 6 by EI, 2 by MEDLINE, 1 by A&HCI. HEP’s academic monographs have won about 300 different kinds of publishing funds and awards both at home and abroad.

About Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering

Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering (FESE) is the leading edge forum for peer-reviewed original submissions in English on all main branches of environmental disciplines. FESE welcomes original research papers, review articles, short communications, and views & comments. All the papers will be published within 6 months since they are submitted. The Editors-in-Chief are Prof. Jiuhui Qu from Tsinghua University, and Prof. John C. Crittenden from Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. The journal has been indexed by almost all the authoritative databases such as SCI, Ei, INSPEC, SCOPUS, CSCD, etc.

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JOURNAL

Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering

DOI

10.1007/s11783-023-1656-6 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Relationship between groundwater cadmium and vicinity resident urine cadmium levels in the non-ferrous metal smelting area, China

 

A symbiosis in the open ocean

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PNAS NEXUS

 

IMAGE: EPI-FLUORESCENT MICROGRAPH OF A CHAIN OF THE HEMIAULUS-RICHELIA SYMBIOSIS COMBINING BRIGHTFIELD AND GREEN EXCITATION TO EXCITE THE AUTOFLUORESCENCE OF THE RICHELIA FILAMENTS (HERE SHOWN IN YELLOW). USUALLY, ONE OR TWO RICHELIA SYMBIONTS ARE OBSERVED PER HOST DIATOM. view more 

CREDIT: SEPEHR BARDI

A study explores the genetic expression of a photosynthetic symbiont that lives inside an abundant marine organism. Marine diatoms are responsible for one-fifth of global photosynthesis. Many are coastal, but diatom-diazotroph associations thrive in open ocean waters that are low in nutrients thanks to a symbiotic relationship between a diatom host and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Rachel Foster, Enrique Flores, and colleagues collected the diatom Hemiaulus hauckii, along with the cyanobacterium Richelia euintracellularis, which lives inside the diatom’s cells, from multiple locations in the western tropical North Atlantic. Cyanobacteria are bacteria which can perform plant-like photosynthesis. As researchers are currently unable to grow Richelia euintracellularis in the laboratory, the authors explored the function of proteins found in the endosymbiont by expressing the proteins in model organisms, including Escherichia coli and Anabaena sp. One protein was found to split sucrose into glucose and fructose. The presence of a sucrose-specific solute binding protein, which participates in shuttling molecules across the cell membrane, suggests that the sucrose is provided to the bacteria by the diatom hosts. Other solute binding proteins were found that participate in the transport of amino acids (glutamate, phenylalanine) and a polyamine (spermidine). The expression of genes that encode these proteins was verified in wild populations from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the authors, the study paints a picture of a system in which the diatom supplies the bacteria with reduced organic carbon compounds to sustain a high rate of nitrogen fixation.

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JOURNAL

PNAS Nexus

DOI

10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad194 

ARTICLE TITLE

Heterologous expression of genes from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont highlights substrate exchanges with its diatom host

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jun-2023

Reading for pleasure early in childhood linked to better cognitive performance and mental wellbeing in adolescence

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Children who begin reading for pleasure early in life tend to perform better at cognitive tests and have better mental health when they enter adolescence, a study of more than 10,000 young adolescents in the US has found.

In a study published today in Psychological Medicine, researchers in the UK and China found that 12 hours a week was the optimal amount of reading, and that this was linked to improved brain structure, which may help explain the findings.

Reading for pleasure can be an important and enjoyable childhood activity. Unlike listening and spoken language, which develop rapidly and easily in young children, reading is a taught skill and is acquired and developed through explicit learning over time.

During childhood and adolescence, our brains develop, making this an important time in which to establish behaviours that support our cognitive development and promote good brain health.  However, until now it has been unclear what impact – if any – encouraging children to read from an early age will have on their brain development, cognition and mental health later in life.

To investigate this, researchers from the universities of Cambridge and Warwick in the UK and Fudan University in China looked at data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort in the US, which recruited more than 10,000 young adolescents.

The team analysed a wide range of data including from clinical interviews, cognitive tests, mental and behavioural assessments and brain scans, comparing young people who began reading for pleasure at a relatively early age (between two and nine years old) against those who began doing so later or not at all. The analyses controlled for many important factors, including socio-economic status.

Of the 10,243 participants studied, just under a half (48%) had little experience of reading for pleasure or did not begin doing so until later in their childhood. The remaining half had spent between three and ten years reading for pleasure.

The team found a strong link between reading for pleasure at an early age and a positive performance in adolescence on cognitive tests that measured such factors as verbal learning, memory and speech development, and at school academic achievement.

These children also had better mental wellbeing, as assessed using a number of clinical scores and reports from parents and teachers, showing fewer signs of stress and depression, as well as improved attention and fewer behavioural problems such as aggression and rule-breaking.

Children who began reading for pleasure earlier also tended to spend less screen time – for example watching TV or using their smartphone or tablet – during the week and at weekends in their adolescence, and also tended to sleep longer.

When the researchers looked at brain scans from the adolescent cohort, they found that those participants who had taken to reading for pleasure at an early age showed moderately larger total brain areas and volumes, including in particular brain regions that play critical roles in cognitive functions. Other brain regions that were different among this group were those that have been previously shown to relate to improved mental health, behaviour and attention.

Professor Barbara Sahakian from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge said: “Reading isn’t just a pleasurable experience – it’s widely accepted that it inspires thinking and creativity, increases empathy and reduces stress. But on top of this, we found significant evidence that it’s linked to important developmental factors in children, improving their cognition, mental health, and brain structure, which are cornerstones for future learning and well-being.”

The optimal amount of reading for pleasure as a young child was around 12 hours per week. Beyond this, there appeared to be no additional benefits. In fact, there was a gradual decrease in cognition, which the researchers say may be because it suggests they are spending more time sedentary and less time at other activities that could be cognitively enriching, including sports and social activities.

Professor Jianfeng Feng from Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and the University of Warwick, UK, said: “We encourage parents to do their best to awaken the joy of reading in their children at an early age. Done right, this will not only give them pleasure and enjoyment, but will also help their development and encourage long-term reading habits, which may also prove beneficial into adult life.”

Funders included: Wellcome and the National Institute for Health & Care Research (UK) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.*

Reference

Yun-Jun Sun & Barbara J. Sahakian et al. Early-Initiated Childhood Reading for Pleasure: Associations with Better Cognitive Performance, Mental Well-being and Brain Structure in Young Adolescence. Psychological Medicine; 28 June 2023; DOI: 10.1017/S0033291723001381.

*A full list of funders can be found in the paper.

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JOURNAL

Psychological Medicine

DOI

10.1017/S0033291723001381 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Early-Initiated Childhood Reading for Pleasure: Associations with Better Cognitive Performance, Mental Well-being and Brain Structure in Young Adolescence

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-Jun-2023