Browse Articles

Unveiling in situ oxygen, carbon and nutrient cycling of a sponge-driven biological hotspot in the arctic

Abstract Deep-sea sponge grounds are habitat-forming benthic communities characterized by high biomass and structural complexity. Despite their ecological significance, their role for the deep-sea environment remains poorly understood and their functioning is often inferred from ex situ studies. We hypothesized that deep-sea sponge grounds exhibit substantially higher respiration and nutrient turnover than surrounding soft sediments, making them hotspots of carbon and nutrient cycling in the deep sea. Integrated respiration and nutrient cycling were quantified in a sponge ground on the summit of an Arctic seamount (Schulz Bank, ~ 580 m depth). We used in-situ incubation chambers measuring oxygen consumption, prokaryotic cell removal, and inorganic nutrient fluxes. Respiration rates ranged from 0.13 to 0.93 mmol O₂ m⁻² h⁻¹, which is comparable to cold-water coral reefs and up to 7–21 times higher than reported for soft sediments of the Arctic deep sea. This indicates a high organic carbon demand exceeding surface-derived supply, suggesting the uptake of additional food resources. All incubations showed net release of ammonium, phosphate, nitrite and nitrate, with fluxes correlating with sponge biomass. Our results demonstrate that deep-sea sponge grounds function as hotspots of carbon and nutrient cycling and suggest distinct functional contributions of sponge groups and their microbiome.

Photonic spin-Hall effect in chiral plasmonic assemblies

Abstract Directional light splitting based on the photonic spin-Hall effect is a desired feature for the development of spin-dependent optical elements. Here, we report on the routing of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) by using chiral gold nanocubes (Au NCs) and silver nanowires (Ag NWs). We experimentally and theoretically observe the photonic spin-Hall effect in Ag NWs under circularly polarized excitation and show that, when Au NCs of opposite chirality are attached to the NWs, linearly polarized illumination can modulate the SPPs formed on the NWs. We achieve directional emission of valley-polarized excitons from hybrid structures made of (chiral Au NC)–(Ag NW) assembled with transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers and observe an enhanced degree of valley polarization. The underlying mechanism of the routing effect is understood through numerical simulations, confirming that the observed chirality-dependent routing effect can have important implications for the development of valleytronic circuits.

Scalable flow synthesis of ultrasmall inorganic nanoparticles for biomedical applications via a confined impinging jet mixer

Supramolecular coupling of cylindrical micelles following seeded-growth

Abstract Macromolecular coupling is a widely used technique for industrial materials, while supramolecular coupling is ubiquitous in biological systems. Although the designed synthesis of one-dimensional self-assembled nanostructures via crystallization-driven self-assembly and liquid-crystallization-driven self-assembly has been realized, end-to-end coupling of cylindrical micelles is rarely reported. Unlike crystallization, liquid-crystallization features fluidity under certain conditions. The cylindrical micelles prepared via liquid-crystallization-driven self-assembly possess less organized liquid crystalline blocks at the two partially open ends, originating the end-to-end coupling to lower the free energy. The interaction strength of solvents with liquid crystalline blocks is a pivotal parameter that can be used to switch on or off the coupling. Theoretical simulation is consistent with experimental work, supporting the mechanism. The supramolecular coupling offers opportunities for designing complex polymeric liquid crystalline nanostructures.

Development and pilot testing of the AMPS model for predicting ICU mortality in low and middle income countries

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals hair growth retardation mediated by aberrant connective tissue sheath contraction in male androgenetic alopecia

Potential impacts of landuse changes on the supply–demand relationship of water resources in semiarid loess hilly regions

Abstract In ecologically fragile semiarid loess hilly agricultural regions, water resources constitute a critical constraint on sustainable development. Previous studies have demonstrated that landuse changes significantly affect the spatiotemporal distribution of water through vegetation cover modifications and hydrological process shifts. This study aims to predict future landuse changes and assess their impacts on water supply and demand, thereby providing a basis for sustainable water resource management. The current study employed an integrated PLUS-Markov chain approach (with a high validation accuracy, OA > 0.9 and Kappa > 0.83) complemented by the InVEST model to project landuse arrangements under three scenarios (NIS, FSS, and EDS) for Guyuan city in 2030, 2040, and 2050, and to analyze the consequent spatiotemporal evolution of water supply and demand risks. The results indicated that by 2050, the cropland under the NIS scenario decreased by 6.7%, primarily transitioning to grassland. In contrast, the FSS scenario led to a substantial increase in cropland by 10.7%, resulting in an overall reduction in built-up area. Meanwhile, the EDS scenario drove rapid urbanization, with a built-up area expansion rate reaching 2.99 km²/year, largely at the expense of cropland. By 2050, landuse change was projected to exert minor influences on the regional water supply, with only a 7.8% variation projected compared with 2030 levels, whereas substantial impacts were projected for the water demand, which increased by 43.3% during the same period. Notably, approximately 90% of Guyuan’s area may face water security risks by 2050, particularly in ecological reserves and urban zones, with the risk severity increasing over time. Several adaptive strategies were proposed to reconcile land–water relationships, thereby offering practical solutions for sustainable agroecosystem management in semiarid loess hilly regions.

Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance

Abstract Amazon rainforests face intensifying water stress due to increases in vapour pressure deficit and changing hydrological regimes. Embolism resistance (Ψ 50 ) is a critical metric of tree survival under drought conditions, it is defined as a plant’s capacity to resist disruption of xylem water flow due to air bubble formation from water stress. However, measurements of Ψ 50 are only available for a limited number of Amazon locations and species. Conversely, data on forest taxonomic composition are abundant across Amazonia, and if Ψ 50 is conserved phylogenetically, these data could provide a way to scale-up drought resistance patterns. Here we evaluate Ψ 50 measurements across non-flooded Amazonian tree taxa and reveal a moderate phylogenetic signal, with phylogenetic conservatism evident at the family-level. Notably, Fabaceae is amongst the most embolism-resistant tree families in Amazonia. Leveraging the phylogenetic signal we use species composition and tree size data from 448 forest plots across Amazonia to produce a macroecological assessment of Amazonian vulnerability to embolism. The resulting estimate spatial pattern reveals that forests in the Brazilian and Guiana Shield regions, where Fabaceae abundance is high, show strong resistance to embolism. In contrast, tree communities in Western Amazonia appear more vulnerable to embolism, suggesting a reduced capacity to withstand future drought conditions.

Gel helps mini spinal cords to heal from injury

Self-reported respiratory allergic symptoms and eczema in schoolchildren in Peja region-west Kosovo

Author Correction: H3.3 deposition counteracts the replication-dependent enrichment of H3.1 at chromocenters in embryonic stem cells

Innovative fuzzy reinforcement learning based energy management for smart homes through optimization of renewable energy resources with starfish optimization algorithm

Disrupted temperature-sleep coupling mechanism in a Dravet syndrome mouse model

Abstract Dravet syndrome (DS) is associated with epilepsy, developmental delays, thermal dysregulation, and sleep disturbances. While seizures have been linked to hippocampal dysfunction, what drives sleep disturbances and thermal dysregulation is poorly understood. Using DS mice ( Scn1a A1783V ), we identified a link between sleep and thermoregulation. We found that DS mice exhibited lower core body temperature. Next, using electrocorticography, local field potential recordings, and core temperature monitoring, we showed that DS mice exhibited a lack of core temperature change during the transition from waking to non-rapid eye movement sleep. This is in contrast to wild-type (WT) mice, in which sleep onset coincided with a temperature drop. Additionally, warmth promoted sleep in WT, but not in DS mice. Vector-mediated expression of SCN1A or chemogenetic stimulation of the anterior hypothalamus restored the warmth-induced somnogenesis in DS mice. These findings highlight a connection between sleep and thermal dysregulation in DS, implicating altered neuronal activity of the hypothalamus.

Ligand-specific activation trajectories dictate GPCR signalling in cells

Abstract G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are key mediators of cell communication and represent the most important class of drug targets 1,2 . Biophysical studies with purified GPCRs in vitro have suggested that they exist in an equilibrium of distinct inactive and active states, which is modulated by ligands in an efficacy-dependent manner 3–11 . However, how efficacy is encoded and whether multiple receptor states occur in living cells remain unclear. Here we use genetic code expansion 12 and bioorthogonal labelling 13–16 to generate a panel of fluorescence-based biosensors for a prototypical GPCR, the M 2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M 2 R). These biosensors enable real-time monitoring of agonist-promoted conformational changes across the receptor’s extracellular surface in intact cells. We demonstrate that different agonists produce equilibria of at least four distinct active states of the G-protein-bound M 2 R, each with a different ability to activate G proteins. The formation of these M 2 R–G-protein complexes occurs over 0.2–5 s along trajectories that involve both common and ligand-specific conformational changes and appear to determine G-protein selectivity. These observations reveal the molecular nature of ligand efficacy in intact cells. Selectively exploiting such different GPCR activation trajectories and conformational equilibria may open new avenues for GPCR drug discovery.

Multiple antenna performance parameters estimation of folded dipole antenna using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System trained with Particle Swarm Optimization

Gut microbiome composition and strain-sharing in multiplex autism spectrum disorder families

Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with alteration of gut microbiome, but the influence of familial structure on it remains poorly understood. We investigate gut microbiota across 429 children from multiplex families with multiple affected children, simplex families with one affected child, and single-child ASD families, alongside typically developing controls. We found that children from multiplex families exhibit the most distinct microbiome compositions. Cohabiting siblings in ASD families display higher microbiome similarity than those in healthy families, with a clear gradient in strain-sharing rates that is highest in multiplex, intermediate in simplex, and lowest in healthy siblings. This increased sharing involves specific taxa with reported opportunistic pathogenic potential, such as Eubacterium rectale , alongside reduced sharing of the commensal bacterium Bacteroides xylanisolvens . This suggests that their gut microbiome configurations, which are potentially influenced by shared environmental and host factors, are associated with increased persistence or detectability of specific bacterial strains. Our results underscore the significant contribution of family type to microbial heterogeneity in ASD and provide a hypothesis-generating context for future studies to explore the role of the shared microbial environment in a familial context.

Super-sticky feet help a robot to climb the walls

Correction: Discrimination of missing data types in metabolomics data based on particle swarm optimization algorithm and XGBoost model

An engineered linear cap-independent mRNA vaccine with intrinsic adjuvanticity induces potent anti-tumor immunity in mice

Some new quantitative randomized response models using optional and partial scrambling for sensitive data

Abstract This research proposes four new optional and partial quantitative randomized response models to be used for the estimation of mean and sensitivity level of quantitative variables. These models are constructed based on the current quantitative scrambling and randomization methods and seek to produce unbiased estimators with better efficiency and privacy. We compare the proposed models based on standard comparison measures, such as relative efficiency, privacy protection, and a new weighted score. The results show that proposed models provide better performance compared to the current methods and are, therefore, very appropriate for surveys dealing with sensitive information.