Browse Articles

Astrocyte fatty acid metabolism as a driver of risk for major depressive disorder

Retraction: ICN intrusion detection method based on GA-CNN

Direct synthesis of amorphous metal–organic frameworks from nanoclusters

Sims: An interactive tool for geospatial matching and clustering

Acquiring, processing, and visualizing geospatial data requires significant computing resources, especially for large spatio-temporal domains. This challenge hinders the rapid discovery of predictive features, which are essential for advancing geospatial modeling. To address this, we developed Similarity Search (Sims). This no-code web tool enables users to perform clustering and similarity search over defined regions of interest utilizing Google Earth Engine as its backend. Sims is designed to complement existing modeling tools by focusing on feature exploration rather than model creation. We demonstrate the utility of Sims through a case study analyzing simulated maize yield data in Rwanda, where we evaluate how different combinations of soil, weather, and agronomic features affect the clustering of yield response zones. Sims is open source and available at https://github.com/microsoft/Sims .

Enhanced energy storage in high-entropy superparaelectrics via local ferroelectric polarization

Abstract Dielectric ceramic capacitors with ultrahigh power density have become essential in modern power electronics. Guided by phase-field simulations and experiments, we propose a “local ferroelectric–global superparaelectric” strategy. This approach enhances P m by introducing local ferroelectric polarization within a superparaelectric matrix, enabling superior energy storage performance. Introducing strong ferroelectric PbTiO₃ into a (Bi 0.2 Na 0.2 K 0.2 La 0.2 Sr 0.2 )Ti 0.9 Zr 0.1 O 3 high-entropy superparaelectric achieves an ultrahigh energy storage density of ~21 J/cm³ with an efficiency of ~87% at 110 kV/mm. Multiscale structural characterization and theoretical calculations reveal the atomic-scale mechanism for this performance enhancement. At ≤ 30% PbTiO 3 , the Pb 2+ lone pair effect is locally confined, boosting local ferroelectric distortion while maintaining a superparaelectric average structure for superior energy storage. At 40-50%, this effect extends throughout the matrix, inducing submicro-scale domains and macroscopic piezoelectricity. This work presents a design and material system for high-performance energy storage ceramics, laying the theoretical foundation for advanced high-entropy ferroelectric applications.

Retraction: Signal processing for enhancing railway communication by integrating deep learning and adaptive equalization techniques

Organic carbon recycling in subduction zones

Abstract Abiotic solid organic compounds constitute a ubiquitous byproduct of oceanic lithosphere serpentinization but their evolution and fate during subduction remains largely unexplored. Here, we assess the role of prograde metamorphism in modifying the chemical structure and isotopic signature of both biological and abiotic organic carbon hosted in sediments and serpentinites, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that these two carbon types undergo distinct maturation pathways under increasing pressure and temperature, with abiotic solid organic compounds retaining H-, O- and N-bearing organic functional groups along subduction. Notably, abiotic solid organic compounds are the sole carriers of isotopically light carbon in eclogitic terrains thanks to silicate armoring. Their recycling into the deep mantle therefore provides a plausible source for the extremely light δ ¹³ C signatures observed in some mantle reservoirs, including sub-lithospheric and eclogitic diamonds, and more broadly represents a key factor in generating mantle carbon isotope variability.

Peripheral modulation of Pumilio in intestinal stem cells and the corpus allatum affects sleep latency in Drosophila

While central circuits governing sleep are well-studied, the contribution of signaling from peripheral tissues remains a critical yet less understood aspect of sleep regulation. The highly conserved RNA-binding protein Pumilio (Pum) is a post-transcriptional regulator expressed in multiple tissues that influence systemic physiology, but its role in modulating basal sleep from peripheral tissues has not been established. Although Pumilio’s function in central neurons has been linked to sleep homeostasis following deprivation, whether it regulates sleep through peripheral mechanisms remains unknown. Here, we use conditional genetic tools in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to demonstrate that genetic manipulation of Pumilio targeting the intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and the endocrine corpus allatum (CA) regulates the transition to sleep. Reducing Pumilio function in either the ISCs or the CA independently and significantly accelerates nighttime sleep onset, while overexpression produces the opposite effect. This behavioral change is accompanied by widespread transcriptional alterations in the head, characterized by a robust upregulation of genes involved in cellular stress responses. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized gut-endocrine-brain signaling axis and identify peripheral post-transcriptional regulation as a key input to the central control of sleep behavior.

One-step construction of robust protocells and prototissues in water

Abstract Bottom-up assembly of protocell building blocks into self-supporting, macroscopic, and robust prototissues that are stable in water and exhibit biomimetic behaviors remains a fundamental challenge. Here, we present a gas-liquid microfluidics-assisted diffusion-inhibited complexation strategy that enables low-cost, high-throughput fabrication of protocells and precise, large-scale (>10 cm) 3D construction of prototissues. The resulting prototissues display good mechanical integrity in both water and air and resist disintegration under external perturbations. By modulating the surrounding matrix or integrating bioactive components into the prototissue framework, programmable deformation/motion can be achieved through chemo-mechanical transduction. This strategy provides a platform for modeling the intricate behaviors of living systems and may facilitate applications in synthetic biology and bioengineering.

Retraction: Optimizing the impact of time domain segmentation techniques on upper limb EMG decoding using multimodal features

Proviral NUP153 binding to viral proteins and RNA regulates structural–nonstructural protein ratios in orthoflavivirus infection

Abstract Orthoflaviviruses are RNA viruses that cause serious diseases in humans, with currently no antivirals available. Targeting host factors is emerging as an attractive antiviral approach. However, as a first step, there is a need to understand which host proteins are hijacked and for what purpose. Here, using a combination of fluorescence microscopy, knock-down, crosslinking immunoprecipitation sequencing, mass spectrometry, and in vitro and biophysical assays, we identify nucleoporin-153 (NUP153) as a proviral factor during orthoflavivirus infection. We show that NUP153 is recruited to the virus amplification site on the endoplasmic reticulum to impact the structural to nonstructural viral protein ratios. We find that NUP153 interacts with both the viral proteins NS3 and NS5, and a highly conserved G-rich motif on the viral RNA. These interactions specifically promote the production of viral structural proteins, leading to an efficient virion assembly, virus release and spread to new cells. We propose that NUP153 acts as a key regulator in viral protein ratios, a mechanism that appears conserved among orthoflaviviruses.

Retraction: 3, 3′-diindolylmethane Enhances the Effectiveness of Herceptin against HER-2/Neu-Expressing Breast Cancer Cells

A unified performance–cost landscape of parallel p-bit Ising machines based on update dynamics

The safety margin of small-scale tree cover loss in global fragmented forests

Deep learning for adaptive chemotherapy: A DDPG-based approach to optimizing tumor-immune dynamics

In this article, we propose a deep reinforcement learning based chemotherapy regulation framework to realize personalized and dynamic optimization of cancer treatment. We use a nonlinear dynamic system to model the dynamic evolution of the tumor microenvironment including tumor cell, normal cell and immune cell interactions, with drug concentration serving as the control input variable. The Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm makes agents can study optimal dosing strategy in a continuous space of movement to inhibit tumor growth effectively and minimize damage to normal tissues. To make the strategy more stable, Gauss noise is added to the model to simulate physiological oscillations and uncertainties in the treatment reaction. Experimental results show that it can control the growth of tumor in various initial scenarios and the accumulation of the drug concentration with high flexibility and safety. Our technique provides a feasible technical way for precision, low toxicity adaptive chemotherapy.

The impact of improved export quality on urban green total factor productivity

Turing-patterned Ta2S3 enables sub-2 nm diffusion barrier for advanced Cu interconnects

MosQNet-SA: Explainable convolutional-attention network for mosquito classification with application as a RESTful API for dengue and malaria risk mapping

Mosquito-borne diseases represent a significant global health challenge. Over 700,000 people succumb to mosquito-borne diseases annually, highlighting the important need for accurate and efficient mosquito classification systems. Current approaches face limitations in accuracy, computational efficiency, and interpretability, creating a gap that artificial intelligence can help address. This paper presents MosQNet-SA, a novel convolutional-attention network designed for mosquito classification that addresses these limitations through architectural choices. The proposed model incorporates a spatial attention mechanism and depthwise separable convolutions to enhance feature extraction while maintaining computational efficiency—achieving comparable performance with 10-fold fewer parameters than existing approaches. MosQNet-SA achieves 99.42% accuracy on a dataset of 1,000 images across three mosquito species ( Aedes , Anopheles , and Culex ), demonstrating strong performance compared to existing CNN architectures. The model’s explainability is enhanced through multiple methods, including Saliency, GradCAM, LIME, and Kernel SHAP, providing valuable insights into the decision-making process for public health practitioners. Additionally, we present a RESTful API implementation for real-time mosquito classification and disease risk mapping, demonstrating the practical applicability of our approach in public health surveillance systems.

Semantic cues modulate brain activity in different Dunhuang narrative murals appreciation: an fNIRS study

Abstract Dunhuang murals are an important part of China’s cultural heritage. Due to the influence of painting space and painting techniques, they have given rise to various narrative structures. The impact of different narrative structures on viewers’ aesthetic experience still lacks empirical exploration. This study used fNIRS to investigate the influence of semantic cues and narrative structure on aesthetic judgment of Dunhuang narrative paintings. The results showed that compared to other narrative types, participants rated serial paintings higher in both aesthetic comprehension and liking. Semantic cues significantly improved comprehension ratings for both serial and multi-segment narrative paintings. The results of fNIRS revealed that serial narratives significantly activated the frontopolar areas, while multi-segment narratives notably activated the premotor cortex. Compared to the uncued condition, the presence of semantic cues significantly activated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontopolar areas, premotor cortex, and frontal eye fields. Results revealed that participants rated serial murals higher in both understanding and liking. Semantic cues selectively improved understanding depending on mural type but did not affect liking, and exploratory fNIRS results showed cuing- and mural-related modulations in prefrontal/premotor channels that should be interpreted cautiously.

SMARCB1 missense mutants disrupt SWI/SNF complex stability and remodeling activity

Abstract Chromatin remodeling complexes, such as the SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) complex, play key roles in regulating gene expression by modulating nucleosome positioning. The core subunit SMARCB1 is essential for these functions, as it anchors the complex to the nucleosome acidic patch, enabling effective chromatin remodeling. While biallelic inactivation of SMARCB1 is a hallmark of several aggressive pediatric malignancies, the functional implication of missense mutations is not fully understood. Current diagnostic approaches focus on detecting the presence or absence of SMARCB1 by immunohistochemistry often without consideration of mutation status. Here, we present a comprehensive deep mutational scanning of SMARCB1 , encompassing 8418 alterations, to assess their functional impact. We show that RPT2 missense mutations disrupt SMARCB1 antiproliferation function by destabilizing the SWI/SNF complex and impairing chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation comparable to nonsense mutations. These functional defects occur despite maintaining detectable protein expression thereby challenging current diagnostic reliance on IHC. These findings provide deeper understanding of the role of SMARCB1 in chromatin remodeling and cancer biology, highlighting limitations of mutation classification approaches.