Browse Articles

Asymmetric Catalytic Construction of 1,1-Diheteroquaternary Tetrahydro-β-carbolines Enables Collective Syntheses of Polycyclic Alkaloids

In situ visualization of Clostridioides difficile phenotypic heterogeneity and single-cell morphology during gut infection

Domain-general and domain-specific cognitive factors mediating the relationship between math anxiety and mathematical performance in primary school children

Abstract Math anxiety (MA) has been widely recognized as a barrier to mathematical achievement, yet the cognitive mechanisms underlying its effects on different mathematical outcomes remain poorly understood. This study applies a multiple mediation model to examine how MA affects three key domains of mathematical performance – word problem-solving, calculation, and math fluency – through both domain-general (working memory, inhibition, cognitive flexibility, selective attention) and domain-specific (transcoding, ordering, symbolic and non-symbolic comparison) cognitive factors. A sample of 472 French third-graders (aged 7.7–9.4 years) was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to identify cognitive mediators of the relationship between MA and mathematical outcomes, while controlling for sex, age, nonverbal IQ, socioeconomic status, and general anxiety. Results revealed that among domain-general factors, only working memory mediated the effects of MA on both word problem-solving and calculation. Among domain-specific factors, symbolic skills significantly mediated the link between MA and both calculation and math fluency abilities, whereas non-symbolic skills did not play a mediating role for any mathematical outcomes. Together, these findings provide novel insights into the interplay between domain-general and domain-specific processes in contributing to the effects of MA on mathematical performance, highlighting potential targets for educational interventions during the early years of formal schooling.

Diffusion Model-Guided Inverse Design of Bimetallic Catalysts for Ammonia Decomposition

Regulating zinc nucleation and growth with low-surface-tension electrolytes for practical aqueous zinc metal batteries

The influence of individual characteristics on children’s learning with a social robot versus a human

Visible Light-Driven <i>Contra</i> -Thermodynamic Functional Group Transposition of Chalcones

Dynamic allele usage of X-linked genes ameliorates neurodevelopmental disease phenotypes in brain organoids

Abstract While random X-chromosome inactivation in female cells of placental mammals silences one allele of the majority of X-chromosomal genes, a considerable fraction is only incompletely and variably inactivated. Human model systems to study the dynamics of incomplete X-inactivation are limited mostly to postmortem tissue, thereby disregarding developmental trajectories. Here, we used clonal human female induced pluripotent stem cells to track allele-specific expression of X-chromosomal genes along neural differentiation. We discovered dynamic reactivation and late-silencing of gene expression from the inactive X-chromosome leading to differentiation-induced locus- and lineage-specific usage of the two X-chromosomal alleles. In brain organoids modeling Opitz BBB/G syndrome, an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder, reactivation of alleles from the inactive X-chromosome rescued cellular phenotypes and led to intermediate manifestations in female tissue. Taken together, our data demonstrate that alleles on the inactive X-chromosome can serve as a critical reservoir dynamically used during differentiation, thereby enhancing resilience of female neural tissue.

Integration between radiation shielding performance, structural evolution, and mechanical features of co-doped sodium phosphate glasses

Abstract This study investigates the structural, mechanical, and radiation protection behavior of sodium phosphate glasses modified with 30 mol% Nb₂O₅ and varying MnO concentrations (0–7.5 mol%). Seven glass samples (S1–S7) were synthesized via the melt-quenching technique and characterized using FTIR, XRD, Vickers hardness testing, and MCNP simulations combined with XCOM theoretical calculations. FTIR analysis revealed that Nb₂O₅ primarily adopts octahedral coordination (NbO₆), acting as a network modifier, while MnO exhibits dual roles: Mn²⁺/Mn³⁺ ions modify the phosphate network at lower concentrations and participate in structural unit formation at higher concentrations. XRD confirmed the amorphous nature of all glasses. Mechanical testing demonstrated enhanced Vickers hardness (749–1800 MPa) with increasing MnO content, attributed to improved network rigidity. Radiation shielding evaluations highlighted superior gamma-ray attenuation for the S7 sample (7.5 mol% MnO), exhibiting the highest mass attenuation. coefficient (µ/ρ), lowest half-value layer (0.019–9.421 cm), and optimal radiation protection efficiency (100% at 30–100 keV). Neutron attenuation analysis revealed S7’s macroscopic removal cross-section (Σ r = 0.0956 cm⁻¹) outperformed conventional materials like concrete. The glasses demonstrated good stopping power and predicted range for protons and alpha particles with denser compositions (S7) showing enhanced charged particle attenuation. These findings position Nb₂O₅-MnO co-doped sodium phosphate glasses, particularly S7, as promising candidates for radiation shielding in medical, nuclear, and aerospace applications, combining mechanical durability with multi-radiation protection capabilities.

A Transformative Molecular Muscle Solid Electrolyte

EGFR inhibitor-resistant lung cancers exhibit collateral sensitivity to a covalent, cysteine-independent KEAP1 oligomerizing molecular bridge

Orientation Maps in Mouse Superior Colliculus Explained by Population Model of Non-Orientation Selective Neurons

Mouse superficial superior colliculus (sSC) has been found to have orientation selective maps, suggesting a fundamentally different selectivity than in primate SC. Moreover, orientation selectivity in mouse sSC appears to change with stimulus properties such as size, shape, and spatial frequency, in contradistinction to the computational principle of invariance in primates. To reconcile mouse and primate mechanisms for orientation selectivity, we constructed a computational model of mouse sSC populations with circular-symmetric, center-surround (i.e., not intrinsically orientation selective), stimulus-invariant receptive fields (RFs), classically used to describe monkey lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons. This model produced population maps similar to those found in mouse sSC, which show strong radial orientation preferences at retinotopic locations along stimulus edges. We show how this selectivity depended critically on spatial frequency tuning of the model units. The model predicted a shift from radial to anti-radial orientation preferences from the same simulated units at high stimulus spatial frequencies, also consistent with measurements from mouse sSC. We found intrinsically oriented RFs were largely unnecessary to explain the imaging data but could explain a possible small subpopulation of intrinsically orientation selective neurons. We conclude that to study orientation selectivity in mouse sSC and other systems, the problem is not the choice of stimulus. Rather than endless tweaks to find the perfect, unbiased stimulus, image-computable population modeling is the solution. Regardless of the stimulus presented, comparing how well models of intrinsically or non-intrinsically orientation selective units account for empirical data provides definitive evidence for underlying neural selectivity.

Enantioselective Intramolecular C–H Alkylation Catalyzed by a Nonsymmetric Chiral Cobalt Porphyrin

Phase-controlled growth of 2D crystals of the MB2T4 family via a flux-assisted method

Curvature-Dependent Phase Manipulation of Monodomain Three-Dimensional Helical Superstructures from Soft Confined Assembly

Towards high resolution, validated and open global wind power assessments

Abstract Wind power is widely recognized as a key component of future net-zero energy systems. However, substantial variability among current wind resource and power simulations used for wind farm deployment limits the reliability of siting and system integration decisions. Therefore, we present a transparent, open source, validated and evaluated, global wind power simulation workflow for the renewable energy simulation tool ETHOS.RESKit . As the first wind simulation workflow using the new Global Wind Atlas 4 and the fifth iteration of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Reanalysis, it is capable of simulating time-resolved energy output of wind turbines with high spatial resolution and customizable designs for both onshore and offshore wind turbines. The tool has undergone an extensive validation and calibration process using over 18 million global measurements from meteorological masts for wind speed bias correction and 8 million measurements from wind turbine sites across 6 countries during 2002 to 2021. In comparison with measured energy yield from wind turbine sites, we achieve a global average capacity factor mean error of 5.6% and Pearson correlation of 0.844. In addition, we evaluate its performance against annually aggregated energy production data from operational wind farms and country-level wind power generation statistics reported by energy agencies, demonstrating its accuracy across multiple spatial and temporal scales with a mean error of only 0.6%. Additionally, a final calibration step ensures alignment of the simulation with real world statistics. The release of ETHOS.RESKit is a step towards a fully open source and open data approach to accurate wind power modeling by incorporating comprehensive simulation advances in one model.

Correction to “Efficient and Stable Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution from MoTe _<i>x</i> /Ni(OH) ₂ Heterostructures”

A wideband tunable, nonreciprocal bandpass filter using magnetostatic surface waves with zero static power consumption

Near field optical visualization of the nanoscale phase percolation dynamics of a VO2 oscillator

Abstract Self-sustained resistance oscillation in vanadium dioxide (VO 2 ) are of significant interest for phase-based information encoding applications. However, the underlying mechanism behind the current-induced insulator-to-metal phase oscillation and its spatiotemporal dynamics remains elusive. Here, using high-resolution near-field optical imaging, we uncover distinct current-induced phase transition pathways in VO 2 (001) thin films. We show that the formation of a persistent metallic patch within active region, defined as the area between the electrodes in a two-terminal model device serves as a prerequisite for oscillations. In this region, transient conductive filaments as narrow as 140 nm bridge the patch to the electrodes. Additionally, we observe oscillation modulated optical signals that extend well beyond the active region, providing clear evidence for a mechanism that would couple neighboring oscillators. Our work provides direct insight into the percolation dynamics that controls the oscillatory state of a VO 2 oscillator, paving the way to optimally designed oxide electronics.

Robust Formate Electrosynthesis from Mixed Biomass Polyols by a Direct Carbon–Carbon Bond Cleavage Route