“We found three walls of a monumental structure that evidence suggests belonged to a Roman temple that dates to Constantine’s period,” Boin said. “It dates to the fourth century AD and it would be a remarkable addition to the landscape of this corner of Italy. It will significantly aid in the understanding of the ancient town, the ancient townscape and city society in the later Roman Empire because it shows the continuities between the classical pagan world and early Christian Roman world that often get blurred out or written out of the sweeping historical narratives.”

Boin and his excavation team made the monumental discovery over the summer. Boin, an expert in ancient Roman and its religious transitions, had been digging in the town of Spello, the famous medieval hilltop city about 20 minutes from Assisi and 2.5 hours north of Rome. Boin selected the town based on a rescript of a 4th century letter from Emperor Constantine to the townspeople regarding a religious holiday.

This rescript, which was discovered in the 18th century, allowed the people of Spello to celebrate a religious festival in their hometown rather than travel a great distance to another festival. However, in order to do so, the town was told it must erect a temple to Constantine’s divine ancestors, the Flavian family, and worship them, showcasing how multicultural Roman society was at the time.

“There was a remarkable religious continuity between the Roman world and the early Christian world,” Boin said. “Things didn’t change overnight. Before our find, we never had a sense that there were actual physical, religious sites associated with this late ‘imperial cult practice.’ But because of the inscription and its reference to a temple, Spello offered a very tantalizing potential for a major discovery of an Imperial cult underneath a Christian ruler.”

Boin traveled to Spello and oversaw underground imaging to determine if there were any potential ruins below the surface that needed to be uncovered. After many weeks, and almost by chance, Boin finally received promising images underneath a parking lot where the temple was suspected to be.

Very carefully, the team dug into the ground until they found two adjoining walls. More digging unearthed what Boin believes to be the inside walls of the temple. This temple immediately became what Boin calls the largest evidence ever of the Imperial Cult in both fourth-century Italy and the late Roman Empire..

“There’s evidence from other places throughout the Roman world that Christian rulers supported imperial cult practices,” Boin said. “We’ve known that pagans worshiped at their temples in the fourth century, but those findings have all been small and inconsequential. And we’ve known that Christians supported the imperial cult, and we’ve known that without any sense of where it would have happened. This temple bridges those two landmarks, and in that respect, it is unlike any temple that I know about from the Mediterranean world of the fourth century Roman Empire. Any study of the imperial cult in the fourth century Roman Empire is now going to have to take account of this temple, which is an incredible discovery to make.”

With the discovery, Boin now can show how the societal changes of the time moved very slowly. Though Constantine was the first Roman emperor to famously convert to Christianity, it would take almost 70 years for Christianity to become the official religion of the Roman Empire, under the Emperor Theodosius. During that time it still took many convincing and gradual shifts for those who worshiped pagan gods to convert to Christianity.

“This changes everything about how we perceive the pace of social change and our impression of the impact of social and cultural change,” Boin said. “This building, in a very radical way on its own, shows us the staying power of the pagan traditions that had been on the ground for centuries prior to the rise of Christianity, and it shows us how the Roman emperors continued to negotiate their own values, their own hopes and dreams for the future of the emperor and the Empire without knocking down or burying the past.”

Boin and his team will return to Spello next summer to completely excavate the area to examine the full temple, where he hopes to make even more significant discoveries.

“We are on the cusp of giving people a very visible piece of evidence that really upends the neat and tidy ways people think about big moments of cultural change,” Boin said “Cultural changes are never as big as we think they are when living through them, and there’s a lot of gray area in between people’s customs and the broader society and culture. And a lot of those can be left out of the story. So to have this temple potentially be a temple dedicated to Constantice’s divine ancestors as a way to worship the emperor in an increasingly Christian world at the time, it’s so weird and I love that we can bring it to light.”

A research team led by Professor Jonghun Kam and PhD candidate Kwang-Hun Lee from the Division of Environmental Science and Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), has implemented an advanced technique employing an uncrewed surface vehicle to concurrently assess the reservoir water depths and nitrate (NO₃^–) concentrations from the reservoir water surface. The findings from their research were featured in Water Resources Research, an international journal dedicated to the water environment.

Monitoring available water quantity and quality uses indicators such as water depth and nitrate concentration. Nitrates, originating from atmospheric and soil nutrients, enter streams through various pathways, posing a potential threat to aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity when their levels become excessive. Fluctuation of precipitation and water usage further impact water quality, and rising water temperatures contribute to decreased dissolved oxygen, resulting in diminished water quality.

Effective management of water resources requires the dual monitoring of nitrate concentration and water depth. However, these measurements can vary significantly based on the timing and location of assessment. Traditional water depth measurement, typically taken at a single point, introduces uncertainty in estimating the total reservoir water volume. In recent times, uncrewed devices or instruments have been introduced to address this challenge, yet simultaneous measurement of nitrate concentration and water depth has proven challenging.

The research team has achieved the simultaneous measurement of nitrate concentration and water depth using an uncrewed surface vehicle. Over the course of a year, starting in 2021, an uncrewed boat equipped with electrochemical sensors and acoustic doppler current profile sensors was employed to gauge nitrate concentration and water depth in a reservoir (Daljeonji) in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. The 30 measurements revealed seasonal variations with nitrate levels ranging from 1 ton to 4 tons. Following intense rainfall, the observed nitrate amount was up to 17% lower than previous readings due to rapid water expansion. This underscores the importance of considering timing and weather conditions in water quality assessments, as measurements may lead to over- or underestimation.

Furthermore, the team successfully generated a high-resolution map illustrating the cumulative nitrate content in Daljeonji Reservior based on data collected by the uncrewed surface vehicle. Despite a one-year measurement period and the study’s confinement to Pohang, its significance lies in the independent development of technology capable of simultaneous measurement of nitrate concentration and water depth.

Professor Jonghun Kam who led the research explained, “Our study has outlined both the possibilities and constraints of employing uncrewed robotics in water environment research.” He added, “It is envisioned that this research will provide a guiding framework for the development of the next generation of the Korean national water resources management system, leveraging advanced technologies like uncrewed aerial vehicles to enhance prediction accuracy and optimize water management.”

The study was conducted with the support from the Group Research in Science and Engineering Program and the Ocean, Land, and Atmosphere Carbon Cycle System Research Program of the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea (2021M3I6A1086808).

According to research conducted by a team of researchers including Professor Kitack Lee from the Division of Environmental Science & Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), and Professor Tongsup Lee and So-Yun Kim from the Department of Oceanography at Pusan National University, the cold atmosphere in the Arctic is influencing the absorption of carbon dioxide by the East Sea. The research findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters, an international journal by the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

The research team investigated the correlation between the East Sea’s surface-deep circulation and its carbon dioxide absorption capacity, drawing insights from observations in 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2019. During the initial period (1992-1999), the ocean absorbed 20 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. In the subsequent period (1999-2007), this amount decreased to under 10 million tons per year. However, in the final period (2007-2019), the carbon dioxide uptake surged to 30 million tons per year.

The team observed that the internal circulation along the East Coast within the East Sea was influenced by the Arctic cold wave. Cold air from the Arctic infiltrates the East Sea, causing the surface water, laden with carbon dioxide, to become denser. This process induces vertical ventilation as the water descends into the middle and deep ocean layers. Consequently, the intensified descent of cold air from the Arctic strengthens the internal circulation, leading to a heightened uptake of carbon dioxide in the East Sea.

Professor Kitack Lee who led the research remarked, ” The oceans represent an immense reservoir of carbon dioxide and offer a secure and sustainable avenue for mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.” He further stated, “It is crucial to anticipate the global ocean’s capacity for carbon removal as we navigate future climate changes and identify suitable methods to leverage this potential.”

In a related development, the team’s earlier research uncovered the mechanism through which the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide. Approximately half of the carbon dioxide generated by human activities remains in the atmosphere with the other half entering marine and terrestrial ecosystems. With a carbon content 400,000 times greater than that of the atmosphere, the oceans present vast and promising potential for storing carbon dioxide.

The research was sponsored by the Ocean, Land, and Atmosphere Carbon Cycle System Research Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea and a research contract program of the National Institute of Fisheries Sciences of Korea.

Insulin sensitivity is how responsive cells are to insulin, an essential hormone that controls blood glucose levels. An increase in insulin sensitivity means insulin can more effectively lower the blood glucose. Reduced insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance is a feature of Type 2 diabetes. Thus, improved insulin sensitivity can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes or improve its treatment.

GLP-1R agonists are medications that influence metabolism, such as decreasing blood sugar levels by promoting insulin secretion. Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors block the degradation of the body’s own endogenous GLP-1, as well as other peptide hormones such as glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP).

“We know that GLP-1R agonists promote weight loss, but we were surprised to find that the GLP-1R agonist liraglutide also has rapid effects on insulin sensitivity, independent from weight loss,” said Mona Mashayekhi MD, PhD, assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism. “This effect requires activation of the GLP-1 receptor, but increasing the body’s own endogenous GLP-1 through the use of the DPP4 inhibitor sitagliptin does not achieve similar effects.”

“Our research suggests that liraglutide, and presumably other GLP-1R agonists, are having important metabolic effects in a way that’s different from increasing endogenous GLP-1 levels, even though they’re using the same receptor. Future research will focus on potential mechanisms of how GLP-1R agonists are improving insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss.”

Eighty-eight individuals with obesity and pre-diabetes were randomized for 14 weeks to receive the GLP-1R agonist liraglutide, the dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitor sitagliptin, or weight loss without drug using a low-calorie diet.

To further investigate the GLP-1R-dependent effects of the treatments, the GLP-1R antagonist exendin and a placebo were given in a two-by-two crossover study during mixed meal tests. Crossover studies allow the response of a subject to treatment A to be compared with the same subject’s response to treatment B.

Liraglutide was shown to rapidly improve insulin sensitivity as well as decrease blood glucose within two weeks of beginning treatment and before any weight loss.

“GLP-1R agonists are an exciting class of medications, given their strong glucose-lowering effects combined with tremendous weight-loss benefits, and they have transformed how we manage diabetes and obesity in the clinic,” Mashayekhi said. “Since the number of medications in this class is rapidly expanding, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of benefit is crucial so we can design the right drugs for the desired effects in the right patients.”

The investigators’ prior research demonstrated that liraglutide, but not sitagliptin or diet, improves measures of heart disease and inflammation. This matches the clinical findings of reduced cardiovascular disease with GLP-1R agonist treatment.

Future studies will continue to explore both receptor- and weight loss-dependent effects of GLP-1R agonists in humans.

This research was supported by the American Heart Association (17SFRN33520017), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (5UL1TR002243), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (T32DK007061) This work utilized the cores of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Research and Training Center funded by grant DK020593 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease. Novo Nordisk provided liraglutide and matching placebo.

“Despite more than a century of study on the mechanobiology of bone development, the cellular and molecular basis largely has remained a mystery,” said the study’s senior author, Joel Boerckel, PhD, an associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Here, we identify a new population of cells that are key to turning the body’s early cartilage template into bone, guided by the force-activated gene regulating proteins, YAP and TAZ.”

By combing through the genes expressed by individual cells in developing mouse limbs, through single-cell sequencing, Boerckel and the study’s first author, former Penn Bioengineering doctoral student Joseph Collins, PhD, along with their colleagues, found and described a class of cells that they named “‘vessel-associated osteoblast precursors (VOPs),” which “invade” early cartilage alongside blood vessels. Since osteoblasts are the cells required to form (and fix) bones, these cells would essentially be the grandparents to bones, with osteoblasts being bones’ parents.

And, importantly, a pair of proteins called YAP and TAZ that are sensitive to the natural movement of the body — which the team’s previous work has shown is crucial to early bone development and regeneration — serve as guides to the VOPs, passing on signals they glean from the body’s mechanobiology.

The researchers found that YAP and TAZ help direct blood vessel integration into the cartilage, a vital aspect of bone development. They were able to demonstrate this role by first genetically removing YAP and TAZ from human cell models, which appeared to stop angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels form. Then, the researchers treated those human cell models with a special variety of protein called CXCL12, which restored YAP and TAZ and restarted normal angiogenesis.

The study is a result of a long-time collaboration with Dr. Niamh Nowlan of University College Dublin, whose laboratory focuses on how mechanical forces direct skeletal development in animal models and in human patients.

It’s also appropriate that Boerckel, Collins, and their team are using their exploration of bone development as a lens to further the understanding of mechanobiology.

“The study of bone development is the birthplace of mechanobiology,” Boerckel said. “For example, Wolff’s Law of Bone Transformation, says that trabecular — spongy — bone adapts in a manner depending on the stresses placed on it, but Julius Wolff spent more time in his 1894 book focused on bone development than on trabecular bone.”

With the information the Penn researchers gleaned from their study on both bone development and mechanobiology, they believe they can now inform some of the knowledge and, hopefully, treatment of genetic and congenital musculo-skeletal conditions. That includes brittle bone disease — in which the body doesn’t make collagen correctly, causing bones that can break easily — or arthrogryposis — a condition in which joints develop improperly due to limited fetal movement.

“We are now working on using these findings to target these cells and pathways, either by direct mechanical or pharmacologic means, to restore cellular function and proper bone development in utero, potentially preventing these types of conditions,” Boerckel said.

This research was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (R01 AR073809, R01 AR074948, P30AR069619, NSF CMMI 1548571) and the European Research Council (336306).

According to its inventors, new devices made possible by this innovation will benefit from dynamically adjustable fluorescent and spectroscopic properties, ease of manufacturing, and potential for scaling to areas large enough to cover vehicles, billboards and even buildings. The bio-inspired creation is the subject of a study published recently in Nature Communications.

Hapalochlaena lunulata is a species of octopus native to the Western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. It uses a neurotoxin venom to stun its prey and can ward off predators with a flash of its blue rings. These iridescent circles on a brown background on the creature’s skin are what drew the attention of the UCI researchers.

“We are fascinated by the mechanisms underpinning the blue-ringed octopus’ ability to rapidly switch its skin markings between hidden and exposed states,” said senior co-author Alon Gorodetsky, UCI professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “For this project, we worked to mimic the octopus’ natural abilities with devices from unique materials we synthesized in our laboratory, and the result is an octopus-inspired deception and signaling system that is straightforward to fabricate, functions for a long time when operated continuously, and can even repair itself when damaged.”

The architecture of the innovation calls for a thin film consisting of wrinkled blue rings surrounding brown circles — much like those on the octopus — sandwiched between a topmost transparent proton-conducting electrode and an underlying acrylic membrane, with another identical electrode underneath.

Further technical creativity by the researchers occurs at the molecular level as they explored the use of acenes, which are organic compounds made up of linearly fused benzene rings. Designer nonacene-like molecules (with nine linearly fused rings) used by the team help give the platform some of its outstanding capabilities, according to Gorodetsky.

“For our devices, we conceptualized and designed a nonacene-like molecule with a unique architecture,” said co-lead author Preeta Pratakshya, who recently received her Ph.D. in UCI’s Department of Chemistry. “Acenes are organic hydrocarbon molecules with a host of advantageous characteristics, including ease of synthesis, tunable electronic characteristics, and controllable optical properties.”

She added, “Our nonacene-like molecules are exceptional among acenes because they can survive years of storage in air and over a day of continuous irradiation with bright light in air. No other expanded acene displays this combined long-term stability under such harsh conditions.”

According to Gorodetsky, the type of molecules used to fabricate the colored blue ring layer are what endow the devices with their most favorable features, including adjustable spectroscopic properties, the facilitation of straightforward benchtop manufacturing and ambient-atmosphere stability under illumination.

“Our co-author Sahar Sharifzadeh, a Boston University professor of electrical and computer engineering, demonstrated that the stimuli-responsive properties of the molecules can be computationally predicted, which opens paths for the in silico design of other camouflage technologies,” Gorodetsky said.

In their laboratory tests, many of which happened in UCI’s California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, the team found that the bioinspired devices could change their visible appearance over 500 times with little or no degradation, and they also could autonomously self-repair without user intervention.

The invention was demonstrated to possess a desirable combination of capabilities in the ultraviolet, visible light, and near-infrared parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, according to Gorodetsky. This would enable the devices to disguise other objects from detection or to clandestinely signal observers.

“The photophysical robustness and general processability of our nonacene-like molecule — and presumably its variants — opens opportunities for future investigation of these compounds within the context of traditional optoelectronic systems such as light-emitting diodes and solar cells,” added Gorodetsky.

Joining Gorodetsky and Pratakshya in this study were Chengyi Xu, Panyiming Liu, Reina Kurakake, and Robert Lopez in UCI’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering; David Josh Dibble and Anthony Burke in UCI’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Philip Denison in UCI’s Department of Chemistry; and Aliya Mukazhanova and Sharifzadeh of Boston University. The Office of Naval Research, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation provided funding support.