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Patch-sampled contrastive learning for dense prediction pretraining in metallographic images
Integration of affective cues in context-rich and dynamic scenes varies across individuals
Abstract Humans need to make rapid and accurate judgments of others’ emotions to understand and navigate the social world around them. To do so, humans combine multiple sources of emotional information from facial expressions and contextual information. However, it is not well understood how different sources of information are integrated, let alone how observers assess which signals should be combined. Across three studies (n = 944) using data from new and previously collected datasets, we investigate whether affective inferences follow a Bayesian framework where information is optimally weighted based on its ambiguity and then combined. We compare this model to a more parsimonious Heuristic integration model that averages cues without considering cue ambiguity. We find that the Bayesian model best predicts individual observers’ inferences of affect, but there are significant individual differences in integration strategies, with some individual observers adopting a Heuristic strategy. We also find that integration models that use stable weights instead of dynamic weights, as well as non-integration models, fail to predict observers’ affective judgments. Our findings suggest that there are significant idiosyncratic differences in how humans combine affective cues, where some observers use a Bayesian framework to weigh individual cues before integration, while others use efficient but less optimal strategies.
<i> <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> </i> biofilm matrix assembly and growth are shaped by a glutamate-specific TAXI/TRAP protein
Biofilms are critical for the environmental persistence, survival, and infectivity of Vibrio cholerae , the causative agent of cholera. Here, we find that GluP, a glutamate-specific TRAP-TAXI protein, is an uncharacterized matrix component that plays a critical role in biofilm architecture. Loss of GluP reduces biofilm corrugation, expands colony size, and disperses cells from microcolonies, arguing that this factor maintains biofilm structure and organization. While GluP does not affect the abundance or localization of known matrix proteins, its absence reduces Vibrio exopolysaccharide (VPS) production. We determined the crystal structure of GluP, which revealed that GluP binds glutamate, and its biofilm-related phenotypes depend on this binding capability. We further examined the role of GluP in V. cholerae growth under defined conditions where L-glutamate serves as a carbon source, nitrogen source, or both. GluP-deficient strains specifically showed reduced growth when glucose was the carbon source and glutamate the nitrogen source. This defect is dependent on glutamate binding by GluP and highlights its role in coordinating nutrient acquisition and biofilm formation. Importantly, both biofilm assembly and growth defects occurred independently of the predicted membrane component of the Glu TRAP-TAXI system, GluQM. These findings indicate that GluP plays a dual role in biofilm assembly and growth, providing insight into its functional importance in V. cholerae physiology.
Correction: Fabrication of novel vildagliptin loaded ZnO nanoparticles for anti diabetic activity
Hg-free electro-thermal cascade catalysis for acetylene upgrading into polyvinyl chloride precursor
HLA-DQB1*03:01 strongly affects age of onset of type 1 narcolepsy independently of DQA1 and ethnicity
Type 1 narcolepsy (T1N), an autoimmune disease associated with a disruption of hypocretin/orexin neurons, has conserved genetic effects transcending cultures and ethnicities. We pooled data from 5,339 cases from China, Europe, Korea, Japan, and the United States to conduct the first transethnic genome-wide association study (GWAS) on age of onset. Only one strong GWAS significant effect was observed across all ethnicities, summarized by the presence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1*03:01, and centered around the coding region of this gene. In contrast, HLA-DQB1*06:02-positive heterodimer (DQ0602) dosage did not strongly affect onset, and other known narcolepsy-associated genetic loci had minor effects. The HLA-DQB1*03:01 effect (mean −3.47 y, P = 1.7 × 10 −18 ) showed no heterogeneity across ethnic groups and was independent of common allelic variation at HLA-DQA1 in cis of HLA-DQB1*03:01 (DQA1*03:03; DQA1*05:05; DQA1*06:01). This effect may be due to a peptide being presented by all DQ0301 heterodimers (which are tolerant at the P1 binding position), or it may stem from genetic effects of HLA on T cell receptor genes TCRA and TCRB usage that influence the TCR repertoire. Using bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing data across Chinese and Caucasians, who have distinct patterns of linkage disequilibrium around DQB1*03:01, we found that HLA-DQB1*03:01 alters TCR repertoire at specific positions, most significantly within the CDR2α, CDR2β, and CDR3β loops. These results illustrate the remarkable conservation of genetic effects in narcolepsy across ethnicity. The identification of the disease-causing T cells will be crucial for elucidating how this finding relates to the underlying pathophysiology.
Association of social support with sleep and subjective health outcomes in Ghanaian artisanal miners
Dynamic release of extracellular particles after opening of the blood-brain barrier predicts glioblastoma susceptibility to paclitaxel
Heterogeneous template-dependent transcription dynamics of T7 RNAP revealed by single-molecule imaging
Bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) is commonly used for large-scale RNA synthesis in science and industry. Although T7 RNAP exhibits high processivity, its usage faces two major challenges: During initiation, the enzyme frequently aborts transcription, producing potentially immunogenic short RNA by-products; transient pausing during elongation facilitates premature termination, which leads to shorter transcripts and reduces the overall product yield. Here, we present a single-molecule high-throughput transcription assay using DNA curtains to study initiation, elongation, pausing, and termination of individual polymerases and examine what drives transcription aborts. We introduced two different promoter sites on the template DNA and found that transcription initiation is directly influenced by the DNA shape parameters of the initiation region downstream of the conserved promoter sequence. Furthermore, we showed that dimethyl sulfoxide can alleviate the effects of suboptimal initiation sequences. During elongation, we identified two sequence-dependent pause types that differ in length, of which the short pauses relate to ubiquitous pauses in bacterial polymerases. Longer pauses emerged by direct contact of the enzyme with a recognition motif on the template and were stabilized through interactions of the nascent RNA with the enzyme. These insights into transcriptional initiation and pausing highlight common impediments to the performance of the T7 RNAP transcription system.
Scalable lens-enhanced broadbeam mmWave harvester delivering tens of milliwatts for wireless power transfer in next-generation smart city environments
Behavioural plasticity of a pest species may aggravate global wheat yield loss under climate change
Structural basis and evolutionary pathways of glycerol-1-phosphate transport in marine bacteria
All cells use lipid membranes to maintain cellular integrity and function, though Archaea utilize lipids composed of glycerol-1-phosphate (G1P), while Bacteria and Eukaryotes use glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P). Given that Archaea contribute significantly to global marine biomass, accounting for 0.3 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon in the oceans, we aimed to uncover how archaeal G1P is recycled by marine microorganisms. Through a multidisciplinary approach combining microbiology, biochemistry, and structural biology, we identified a G1P transporter in marine bacteria, which we named GpxB. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that GpxB belongs to the organic phosphonate transporter (PhnT) family and is widely distributed in the marine microbiome, found in approximately 5 to 10% of microbial cells in surface marine waters. Strikingly, we also identified a second G1P transporter, UgpB, that is known to transport G3P and belongs to the carbohydrate uptake transporter-1 (CUT1) family, in the model bacterium Phaeobacter sp. MED193. To explore the evolutionary pathways that led to the formation of G1P binding sites in both the PhnT and CUT1 families, we determined the structures of GpxB and UgpB bound to G1P and G3P. Using structure-guided mutagenesis and a comparative analysis of the binding pockets within the PhnT and CUT1 families, we traced their evolutionary trajectories, highlighting the distinct strategies through which G1P-binding sites developed in these two protein families.
Fetal Assessment Suite (FetAS): a web-based platform for automatic fetal MRI analysis using AI
Crosstalk between H3K4me3 and oxidative stress is a potential target for the improvement of ART-derived embryos
An electron transport complex required in the gut sensitizes <i>Bacteroides</i> to a pore-forming type VI secretion toxin
Data suggest that antagonism between bacteria is prevalent within the gut microbiome. Such antagonism could have profound consequences on the fitness of species; however, the susceptibility determinants to even the most pervasive antagonistic factors in this ecosystem remain incompletely understood. Here, we screened for genetic factors that impact the susceptibility of Bacteroides to type VI secretion system (T6SS)-delivered toxins. This revealed that the Bte2 family of pore-forming toxins, which are widespread in B. fragilis and other human gut-associated Bacteroidales, strictly requires the H + /Na + -translocating ferredoxin:NAD + reductase (Rnf) electron transport chain within target cells in order to intoxicate. In Bacteroides , the precise metabolic role of the conserved Rnf pathway has not been defined. We establish that the Rnf complex is important for redox balancing within cells utilizing sugars derived from dietary fiber and is critical for fitness in vivo. Surprisingly, we find that while the intact Rnf membrane complex is required for Bte2 intoxication, Rnf-catalyzed electron transport is dispensable. We propose that the Rnf complex facilitates Bte2 membrane insertion, leading to intoxication via membrane depolarization. Our data suggest that T6SS toxins may avoid collateral damage within a complex ecosystem by recognizing discriminatory features of competitor species.
Automated methodological approach using artificial intelligence and fuzzy inference for qualitative sustainable and economic assessment of buildings
Transcriptional regulation of protein synthesis by mediator kinase represents a therapeutic vulnerability in MYC-driven medulloblastoma
Upper mantle temperatures illuminate the Iceland hotspot track and understanding of ice–Earth interactions in Greenland
The thermal structure of the Earth beneath Greenland reflects the tectonic history of the region and impacts ice sheet evolution due to surface heat flow and the influence of temperature on Earth rheology, and thus glacial isostatic adjustment. We present results from a probabilistic joint inversion of multiple satellite and land-based datasets to determine the thermal structure of the lithosphere and upper mantle beneath Greenland and consider the implications for our understanding of the tectonic history, isostatic deformation, and Greenland ice sheet evolution. Passage of Greenland over the Iceland hotspot is well known but there remains considerable debate on the trajectory of this path. Our findings reveal strong lateral variability in thermal structure that is consistent with reconstructions of a west-to-east hotspot track across central Greenland. Applying our temperature model to infer mechanical properties of the solid Earth reveals viscosity variations reaching 3 orders of magnitude in the upper mantle. We generate an ensemble of plausible 3D viscosity models and produce quality fits to both paleo sea level and contemporary vertical land motion datasets. This result supports the veracity of our temperature model and questions the need for a large component of transient deformation to explain the observations. Our regional temperature and viscosity models can be used to develop improved reconstructions and understanding of past Greenland ice sheet changes and explore the influence of 3D Earth structure on simulating ice sheet and sea level evolution in the past and future.