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Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Work family conflict, marital quality and fertility intention in a sample of employed Iranian women
Climate scientists sharpen tools for linking global warming to extreme weather
National Academies report says more rigorous results will boost confidence in fast-growing field
Wet-processed high-areal-capacity electrodes via transformative spandex–poly(acrylic acid) binder toward 450 Wh kg−1 lithium-ion batteries
Abstract Driven by the increasing interest in lithium-ion batteries with high energy density, the design of high-mass-loading electrodes with Ni-rich positive materials has recently been considered one of the most promising strategies to achieve this goal. However, the conventional binder, poly(vinylidene fluoride), cannot ensure structural integrity and uniform charge transfer in high-mass-loading electrodes. Herein, we propose a dual-acting hybrid polymer as an advanced wet-processable binder, comprising a crosslinked network of spandex and polyacrylic acid. Spandex imparts high elasticity and strong affinity with Ni-rich positive electrode, while poly(acrylic acid) forms lithium polyacrylate on the electrode surface to enhance interfacial Li + transport. The distinct roles of each polymer ensure mechanical robustness, enhance Li + transport, and suppress binder migration during the drying process, thereby alleviating chronic issues in high-mass-loading electrodes. Notably, proposed hybrid polymer binder enables the fabrication of high-mass-loading electrodes (70 mg cm −2 ) with stable cyclability, despite a low binder content of 2 wt%. Moreover, pouch cell employing high-loading positive electrode based on the hybrid polymer binder exhibited improved cycling stability over its conventional poly(vinylidene fluoride)-based counterparts, ultimately highlighting its industrial applicability. This study provides practical insights into rational design of binders and highlights their potential to enable wet-processable fabrication of high-mass-loading electrodes.
Quantum simulation of noise-slowed domain-wall motion in a phenomenological spin model
Abstract Metastable domain-wall networks in correlated materials can relax on timescales vastly longer than the microscopic processes that move their elementary constituents. Motivated by the slow domain-wall rearrangements observed in 1T-TaS $$_2$$ , we study a phenomenological spin model designed to isolate the interplay between local domain-wall hopping and environmental noise. The model contains discrete registry-like configurations, energetic costs for domain walls, and a transverse-field-induced hopping channel, and is implemented on a superconducting quantum annealer with more than 2000 logical degrees of freedom. A Schrieffer–Wolff analysis shows that the intrinsic hopping amplitude arises at second order in the transverse field and is therefore fast on device timescales. However, the measured reconfiguration rate saturates to a finite value at low effective temperature and depends only weakly on the hopping amplitude. This indicates that domain-wall motion is not limited by bare tunnelling, but by quasi-static longitudinal-field noise that detunes neighboring configurations and intermittently permits local hopping events. These results demonstrate how noise can slow domain-wall motion in a minimal quantum-simulation model and suggest a possible mechanism for ultra-slow relaxation in charge-ordered materials.
Ebola’s rapid spread spurs new drug and vaccine trials
Pioneering studies are underway amid difficult conditions to address Bundibugyo’s threat
Nanofiber-like polar configurations enable ultrahigh energy storage in relaxor ferroelectrics via high-entropy design
Ecological and health risk assessment of heavy metal in dust from various medical centers
Nanocrystal-tailored recombination for all-perovskite tandem solar modules
In Other Journals
Editors’ selections from the current scientific literature
Direct lipid interactions control SARS-CoV-2 M protein conformational dynamics and virus assembly
Abstract M is the most abundant structural membrane protein in coronaviruses and is essential for the formation of infectious virus particles. SARS-CoV-2 M adopts two conformations, M short and M long , and regulated transition between states is hypothesized to coordinate viral assembly and budding. However, the factors that regulate M conformation and roles for each state are unknown. Here, we discover a direct M-sphingolipid interaction that controls M conformational dynamics, interaction with other structural proteins, and virus assembly. We show M binds Golgi-enriched anionic lipids including ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P). Molecular dynamics simulations show C1P interaction promotes a long to short transition and energetically stabilizes M short . Cryo-EM structures show C1P specifically binds M short at a conserved site bridging transmembrane and cytoplasmic regions. Disrupting M short -C1P interaction alters M subcellular localization, reduces colocalization with Spike and E, and reduces virus-like particle formation and cell entry. Together, these results show endogenous signaling lipids regulate M structure and support a model in which M short is stabilized in the early endomembrane system to organize other structural proteins prior to viral budding.
Hydro-geochemical characterization and evaluation of groundwater quality in the coastal aquifers of Puri District, India: a multivariate statistical approach
Abstract This study provides a hydrogeochemical characterization and quality assessment of groundwater in the coastal aquifers of Puri District, Odisha, India. Owing to rapid urbanization and proximity to the Bay of Bengal, understanding groundwater chemistry is critical for evaluating its suitability for domestic and agricultural use. A total of 80 groundwater samples collected across four seasons were analyzed for major ions and physicochemical parameters. The ionic abundance followed the order of Na + > Ca 2+ > Mg 2+ > K + for cations and Cl − > HCO > SO > NO for anions. Hydrochemical facies, interpreted through Piper tri-linear diagrams, indicate a seasonal transition from fresh Ca–HCO 3 types during the monsoon to mixed Ca–Mg–Cl and Na–Cl types during pre-monsoon and winter seasons, revealing active cation exchange and localized salinization. The Gibbs diagram demonstrates that rock weathering is the principal mechanism governing baseline mineralization for 90% of the samples, while 10% are driven by evaporative concentration. Thermodynamic modelling revealed consistent super-saturation for Calcite (SI = + 0.068 to + 0.524), whereas significant under-saturation of Halite (SI < − 6.5) and Gypsum (SI < − 2.2) indicated that evaporite dissolution is not the primary source of salinity. Together with Na + /Cl − ratios and chloride-dominant hydrochemical facies, these results suggest possible saline-water mixing within the coastal aquifer system. Multivariate statistical analysis using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in IBM-SPSS extracted three principal components explaining over 91% of the total cumulative variance, successfully isolating geogenic mineral dissolution from anthropogenic nitrate enrichment (PC3 loading = 0.92). Water Quality Index (WQI) evaluation showed that 58–83% of groundwater samples were classified as excellent to good for drinking purposes, while irrigation indices, particularly SAR, indicated that 74–92% of samples were suitable for agricultural use, with localized quality deterioration observed in a few coastal blocks. This integrated thermodynamic and statistical approach provides a quantifiable, diagnostic framework for groundwater pathways, supporting targeted, sustainable water resource management in vulnerable coastal zones in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
A geologist learns AI
A dual-receptor checkpoint primes enterovirus D68 for respiratory cell entry
Effect of composition ratio on chitosan-gum Arabic copolymers for methylene blue dye adsorption: comparative evaluation using a Box–Behnken model
Dynamic asymmetric strain imprinted into substrates by an oxide thin film
In film-substrate systems, the substrate role is often considered to be limited to providing static mechanical constraints. Dynamic film-substrate interactions when a structural change in the film modifies the substrate are generally disregarded. Using combined x-ray and electron microscopies, we observed that an electrically induced filament in a vanadium dioxide film created strong asymmetric strain in an underlying sapphire substrate. This asymmetric substrate strain fed back into the film and defined the filament expansion direction, revealing the importance of film-substrate dynamic interactions in determining film functionality. Furthermore, the strain imprint propagated at least tens of micrometers deep into the substrate, exceeding the film thickness by more than 200-fold, potentially enabling substrate functionalization as an active mechanical coupling media in three-dimensional integrated microelectronic architectures.
Activity-dependent ribosome profiling reveals the landscape of canonical and non-canonical translation in brain tissue
Abstract Neural activity-dependent translation is essential for synaptic plasticity and diverse brain functions. Translation involves not only canonical main open reading frames (mORFs) but also upstream ORFs (uORFs), which may regulate mORF expression. However, due to technical limitations, systematic investigation of activity-dependent uORFs and mORFs in brain tissues remains challenging. Here, we developed a ribosome tagging and purification strategy that bypasses the prolonged turnover of ribosomal proteins, enabling ribosome profiling with one-hour temporal resolution after neural stimulation. Applying this strategy to mouse hippocampal slices undergoing long-term potentiation, we identify hundreds of activity-induced mORFs and uORFs, including a previously unknown uORF from Egr1 . We demonstrate that this Egr1 -uORF translation is tightly regulated by neuronal activity, and its encoded peptide interacts with peroxisomal machinery, suggesting a potential link between synaptic stimulus and peroxisome biology. This study provides a useful technique and resources for deciphering molecular mechanisms underlying activity- and translation-dependent brain functions in health and disease.
Temporal trends in pediatric pharyngitis and antibiotic prescribing in Italian primary care from 2010 to 2024
Birdsong diversity across the world
Birdsong motifs are shaped by evolutionary history, biological traits, and environmental constraints
FAIMS-GPF XL-MS: crosslinking-mass spectrometry based on gas-phase fractionation
Abstract Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) underpin nearly all cellular processes; therefore, mapping PPI and protein-protein association networks is critical for understanding how biological systems function in health and disease. However, many functionally relevant PPIs are transient and mediated by weak affinity interactions, making them challenging to detect. Using chemical cross-linking together with mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has emerged as an important category of methods for mapping PPIs, including those that are more dynamic and transient. However, XL-MS workflows face limitations which hinder their routine use, especially in proteomic platforms. Here, to address these limitations, we develop a XL-MS workflow based on gas-phase fractionation (GPF) using high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS). Our optimized FAIMS-GPF XL-MS protocols exhibit improved performance when handling both low-complexity samples, such as purified Cdk7-Activating Kinase (CAK) heterotrimer, and high-complexity cross-linked HeLa lysates. In HeLa lysate, we identify 1269 cross-links accounting for 213 PPIs without any in-solution fractionation, starting from less than 20 µg of sample. The method also proves effective for analyzing low-abundance, high-complexity samples such as spliceosomes. Here we show that FAIMS-GPF enhances the detection of cross-linked peptides and improves PPI coverage, thus offering a scalable, high-sensitivity solution for XL-MS integration with structural biology and functional proteomics applications.