Browse Articles

Mutational landscape of the G-quadruplex DNA in cMyc proto-oncogene promoter: Insights into the structural polymorphism and transcriptional regulation

Bridging knowledge gaps: An observational study on HPV awareness and misconceptions among young adults in China

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection associated with genital warts and multiple cancers. HPV awareness and vaccine coverage remain low in mainland China. With the rise of digital social media, young people increasingly acquire knowledge and information online, influencing their perceptions and decisions. Impact of social media on HPV knowledge and vaccine hesitancy remains unclear. The study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of HPV and its vaccines hesitancy among young adults in China using an online structured questionnaire with implied consent. Our findings showed that 94.4% of respondents had heard of HPV, with most aware of its sexual transmission and risks to both men and women. However, gaps in knowledge and misconceptions were identified, particularly concerning the asymptomatic nature of HPV infections and the lack of effective antiviral treatments for HPV. Misconceptions about HPV and vaccine safety were notable, contributing to vaccine hesitancy. Yet 78.4% of participants believed in the effectiveness of HPV vaccine, and 83.5% expressed their willingness to receive vaccination if recommended by a doctor. Although overall awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination was high, significant knowledge gaps and misconceptions remain. Thereby reshaping public perception and enhancing awareness, trust and motivation for HPV vaccination are under challenge. Addressing misinformation through strategic educational initiatives could enhance trust in HPV vaccination and improve coverage, ultimately reducing the burden of HPV-related diseases in China.

A systematic comparison of in-house prepared transfection reagents in the delivery of mRNA or DNA to a wide range of cultured cells

Fluorinated Lead‐Chelating Molecules Boost Performance, Stability, and Safety of Hole Transport Layer‐Free Carbon‐Based Perovskite Solar Cells

Abstract Hole transport layer‐free carbon‐based perovskite solar cells (HTL‐free C‐PSCs) hold promise for low‐cost, stable photovoltaics but suffer from poor interfacial charge extraction, inferior defect passivation, and unresolved environmental risk. Here, we reported a multifunctional interfacial engineering strategy using fluorinated lead‐chelating (FLC) molecules containing sulfonate groups, fluoride atoms, and metal ions. Sulfonate groups coordinated with undercoordinated Pb 2+ ions, fluoride atoms formed hydrogen bonds with organic cations, and K + ions stabilized halide anions, synergistically passivating deep‐level defects and enhancing thermal stability. FLC modification also reduced the perovskite work function (from −4.14 to −4.39 eV), improving energy level alignment and facilitating hole extraction at the perovskite/carbon interface. As a result, the optimized devices achieved a champion power conversion efficiency of 20.7%, among the highest for fully solution‐processed planar HTL‐free C‐PSCs. Unencapsulated devices retained over 93% of initial efficiency after 2000 h in ambient air or after 500 h at 60 °C. Importantly, strong FLC‐Pb 2+ chelation significantly reduced lead leakage from severely damaged devices under acidic aqueous environment (334.7 to 53.7 mg m −2  h −1 ), achieving ∼84% sequestration efficiency. This work presents a unified strategy to enhance efficiency, stability, and environmental safety of simplified perovskite photovoltaics.

Birth prevalence and parental stress associated with neural tube defects in Amhara’s public comprehensive specialized hospitals, Ethiopia, 2024

Background Neural tube defects (NTDs) are severe congenital anomalies resulting from the incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube, affecting around 300,000 newborns globally each year and leading to significant mortality and disability. While high-income countries have seen a reduction in NTD prevalence, developing nations like Ethiopia continue to face high rates. Families impacted by NTDs often endure emotional challenges, including grief, anxiety, and social isolation. This study aims to investigate the birth prevalence of NTDs and the associated parental stress, emphasizing the wider effects on families. Methodology An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dessie and Deber Berhan comprehensive specialized hospitals from July 24, 2023, to July 24, 2024, to evaluate the birth prevalence of NTDs and the associated parental stress among parents of children aged 1 month to 12 years diagnosed with NTDs. A total of 308 parent-child pairs participated in the study. Data were gathered using a pretested questionnaire and an 18-item Parenting Stress Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata version 17, where linear regression was utilized to identify significant predictors after verifying the necessary assumptions. The findings were presented in multiple formats for clarity and comprehensibility. Results The overall birth prevalence of neural tube defects was found to be 0.0052 (95% CI: 0.0038, 0.0067), which translates to 52 cases per 10,000 deliveries. Key factors associated with increased parental stress included being a mother (β = 2.51), older parental age (β = 0.18), the child’s age (β = 0.81), a prior history of having children with NTDs (β = 7.88), and the presence of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in the child (β = 4.66). Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that the birth prevalence of NTDs is becoming a significant public health concern. Additionally, several factors contributing to increased parental stress were identified, including older parental age, the child’s age, a previous history of NTDs in siblings, and the presence of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. These results highlight the urgent need for targeted support and resources for affected families to help mitigate the psychological impact associated with these conditions.

Multidisciplinary assessment of patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer: A geriatric tumor board

Rewiring PTH receptor signaling: Hormone dimerization restores endosomal signaling lost in hypocalcemia-linked PTH mutant

Unlocking the Potential of Phosphorus Anodes for Sodium‐Ion Batteries via Tailored Reversible Na/Polyphosphide Chemistry

Abstract To surmount the inherent limitations and fully harness the remarkable ultra‐high specific capacity (2,596 mAh g −1 ) of phosphorus (P) anode for sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs), we unveil an alternative fast and reversible electrochemical pathway based on Na 2 P 16 ↔Na 3 P, which transcends the barriers posed by sluggish reaction kinetics in solid‐state red P. It entails the immobilization of dissolved sodium polyphosphide (Na 2 P 16 ) onto carbon cloth (CC) matrices via robust C─O─P bonding (Na 2 P 16 @CC), and the intrinsic superior malleability of Na 2 P 16 effectively mitigates the issue of electrode pulverization caused by volumetric changes of red P during (de)sodiation. Additionally, the profound chemical adsorption of surface oxygen‐doped CC toward phosphorus species and the utilization of weakly solvating cyclic carbonate solvents synergistically inhibit the vexing dissolution of high‐order polyphosphides in the electrolyte. By capitalizing on the advances of the novel reaction mechanism, the Na 2 P 16 @CC composite anode material achieves improved sodium storage performance with a high initial reversible capacity of 1.75 mAh cm −2 at 0.1 mA cm −2 and a capacity retention of 81% over 600 cycles. This work opens an avenue toward the rational design of P‐based anodes for high‐energy SIBs.

A novel framework for educational Q&A: Leveraging RAG and Code Interpreters for knowledge retrieval and logical computation

This paper presents a novel approach to enhancing educational question-answering (Q&A) systems by combining Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with Large Language Model (LLM) Code Interpreters. Traditional educational Q&A systems face challenges in areas such as knowledge updates, reasoning accuracy, and the handling of complex computational tasks. These limitations are particularly evident in domains requiring multi-step reasoning or access to real-time, domain-specific knowledge. To address these issues, we propose a system that utilizes RAG to dynamically retrieve up-to-date, relevant information from external knowledge sources, thus mitigating the common “hallucination” problem in LLMs. Additionally, the integration of an LLM Code Interpreter enables the system to perform multi-step logical reasoning and execute Python code for precise calculations, significantly improving its ability to solve mathematical problems and handle complex queries. We evaluated our proposed system on five educational datasets—AI2_ARC, OpenBookQA, E-EVAL, TQA, and ScienceQA—which represent diverse question types and domains. Compared to vanilla Large Language Models (LLMs), our approach combining Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) with Code Interpreters achieved an average accuracy improvement of 10−15 percentage points. Among tested models, GPT-4o and Gemini-pro-1.5 consistently showed the strongest performance, excelling particularly in scientific reasoning, multi-step computations. Despite these advancements, we identify several challenges that remain, including knowledge retrieval failures, code execution errors, difficulties in synthesizing cross-disciplinary information, and limitations in multi-modal reasoning, particularly when combining text and images. These challenges provide important directions for future research aimed at further optimizing educational Q&A systems. Our work shows that integrating RAG and Code Interpreters offers a promising path toward more accurate, transparent, and personalized educational Q&A systems, and can significantly improve the learning experience in various educational contexts.

Optimized conditions for GTP loading of Ras

Post-copulatory competition in a social monogamy system: Sperm morphology correlates with components of reproductive success

Males in socially monogamous species can achieve reproductive success through multiple tactics– by defending paternity within the social nest and siring extra-pair offspring, or both. Previous studies have found that sperm morphology may differentially affect fertilization success in extra-pair compared to within-pair matings; therefore, we explored whether sperm morphological traits can predict the probability of success within components of reproductive success. Here, we measured sperm component traits (head length and flagellum length) and derived traits (total length and flagellum:head ratio) in free-living Mountain White-crowned Sparrows ( Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha ) and examined how these morphological traits relate to extra-pair and within-pair reproductive components of reproductive success. We found no evidence for correlations between sperm morphology and total seasonal reproductive success. However, we did find that sperm morphology appeared to be associated with whether a male was successful at acquiring extra-pair offspring or defending his own paternity within his nest: males that achieved extra-pair success had longer flagella and longer total length of sperm cells compared to males that did not sire outside of their social nest. In contrast, males that successfully defended all paternity within their social nest tended to have shorter heads and larger flagellum:head ratios compared to males that lost paternity in their social nest. While these patterns suggest that different sperm traits may be linked to success in different components of reproductive success, they should be interpreted with caution given the exploratory nature of this study and limited sample size, and further investigation is warranted.

Transcriptomic plasticity of cholinergic adipose macrophages in the acute thermogenic response

Molecular Engineering of Wastewater Nickel into Single‐Site Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Peroxide Production with Industrial Level Current

Abstract The persistent environmental threat posed by nickel‐laden industrial wastewater demands advanced strategies beyond conventional treatment‐and‐dispose methods. Here, we propose a coordination chemistry‐guided approach to molecularly engineer nickel complexes from wastewater into single‐site electrocatalysts for the two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e − ORR). By precisely tailoring the ligand fields using sodium dimethyl dithiocarbamate (SDD), the derived SDD‐Ni catalyst exhibits >95% Faradaic efficiency for H 2 O 2 synthesis across industrial‐level current densities (200–800 mA cm −2 ) in flow‐cell. Notably, at 781 mA cm −2 , the catalyst delivers a record H 2 O 2 productivity of 70.75 mol g cat −1 h −1 . Real‐wastewater‐derived SDD‐Ni catalysts showed similar performance and sustained >450 h stability in continuous flow‐cell operation, underscoring their practical feasibility. Mechanistic studies reveal that the square‐planar Ni–S 4 coordination structure enables end‐on O 2 adsorption and optimal *OOH intermediates binding, ensuring exceptional 2e − ORR selectivity. This work provides a molecular‐level solution for decentralized H 2 O 2 production by repurposing hazardous Ni wastes into high‐value electrocatalytic systems.

Navigating decision space: Causal structure improves performance in a branching choice task

Previous research has shown that the causal structure of events influences how well they are recalled in episodic memory later on. Here, we aimed to investigate whether these effects apply not only to events that are passively observed but also situations directly shaped by an individual’s decisions. We designed a task in which participants had to traverse decision trees of varying causal structure: ‘Coherent’ trees where each decision followed from the consequences of the preceding decision, and ‘fragmented’ trees where each subsequent decision was only statistically (but not causally) contingent on the preceding decision. In a between-subjects experiment, participants first completed an exploration phase in which they had to explore the decision trees without a specific goal; in a subsequent search phase, they had to reach a target outcome in as few attempts as possible. Analyses of participants’ performance showed that those in the coherent group required significantly fewer attempts to reach a correct outcome than those in the fragmented group. A follow-up experiment surprisingly found that the advantage of causal structure does not depend on episodic memory: Removing the exploration phase barely diminished the positive effect causal coherence had on participants’ performance. In further follow-up experiments without an exploration phase, neither the additional removal of ‘process images’ that show how a choice leads to an outcome, nor the removal of text labels describing decisions, was individually sufficient to equalize performances. Only when both were eliminated at once did participants perform equally well on coherent and fragmented trees. This indicates that cues relating to causal mechanisms (images) and predictive cues (text) each facilitate goal-directed decision making without relying on extensive learning, and that only the absence of both is sufficient to suppress the advantage causal structure provides.

Seeding biosensor cell line that reproduces the Alzheimer tau fold

Retraction: The relationship between political instability and stock market performance: An analysis of the MSCI index in the case of Pakistan

Distal tip cell migration mutants of Caenorhabditis elegans are rescued by bioequivalent outputs from chondroitin and N-glycosylation pathways

Iron (IV) Formation and the pH Dependent Kinetics of the Fenton Reaction

Abstract Despite its widespread importance for biological and environmental chemistry and decades of study, the mechanism underlying the Fenton reaction is still a matter of some controversy. To elucidate the pH dependence of this complex reaction, a new kinetic model is developed to explain the increase in rate and mechanistic shift that occurs from acidic to neutral conditions. This mechanism originated from a re‐analysis of a previously proposed model, which neglected explicit iron speciation, leading to unrealistic rate constants. Accounting for speciation suggests a much faster formation rate of Fe(IV), which is estimated to be on the order of 10 6  M −1  s −1 . Expanding on prior kinetic studies that include speciation under acidic conditions, we propose a unified kinetic model that captures the pH‐dependent rate acceleration in Fe(II) oxidation by H 2 O 2 , which is a significant step toward resolving the long‐standing mechanistic ambiguity of Fenton chemistry.

Single‐Atomic Ni‐N ₄ Biofuel Cell for Mimicking Intramolecular Electron‐Harnessing of Laccase

Abstract Ni–N 4 –PAN–NC, consisting of an atomic Ni–N 4  site, mimics the intramolecular electron‐harnessing of natural laccase (LAC) confined in a zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (LAC@ZIF‐8) for anodic electrooxidation of bisphenol‐A (BPA). We have introduced a facile π‐conjugated unit of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐resorcinol‐derived N‐doped conjugated ‐C≡N. The atomically dispersed Ni‐single‐atom in Ni–N 4 ‐ PAN–NC exhibits high activity for the paired electrolysis of ORR and the electrooxidation of BPA with an enhanced current density. The single Ni–N 4– PAN–NC electrode effectively withdraws the electrons from electrooxidizing BPA due to a built‐in electric field via incorporation of Ni–N 4 . The paired electrolysis of Ni–N 4– PAN–NC biofuel cells is determined by LSV, EIS, and power‐polarization curve for anodic electrooxidation of BPA. Machine learning molecular dynamics (ML‐MD) simulation depicts non‐covalent interaction (hydrogen bonding) between the O‐hydroxyl of BPA and the N of the Ni–N 4– PAN–NC, suggesting preferential adsorption on the Ni–N 4– PAN–NC surface via weak van der Waals interactions and π–π stacking between the aromatic rings of BPA and the conjugated PAN‐NC. An increased power density with increased concentration of BPA in the absence of ABTS suggests a DET mechanism of BPA electrooxidation on Ni–N 4 , unlike a MET in the presence of ABTS when using LAC@ZIF‐8. Thus, single atomic Ni − N 4  opens avenues with a DET mechanism.

Disambiguating sentiment annotation: A mixed methods investigation of annotator experience and impact of instructions on annotator agreement

Human-annotated datasets are central to the development and evaluation of sentiment analysis and other natural language processing systems. However, many existing datasets suffer from low annotator agreement and errors, raising concerns about the quality of data used to train and evaluate computational systems. Improving annotation reliability demands close examination of how datasets are created and how annotators interpret and approach the task. To this end, we create AmbiSent, a new sentiment dataset designed to capture cases of interpretive complexity that commonly challenge both annotators and computational models. Using a mixed-methods approach, we investigate how annotation instructions influence annotator experience and both inter-annotator agreement (Krippendorff’s alpha) and intra-annotator agreement (percent agreement). Two groups of 53 crowdworkers annotated 252 sentences under either detailed or minimal instructions, allowing comparison of inter- and intra-annotator agreement, using a permutation test and an independent samples t-test, respectively. Contrary to our hypotheses, our findings reveal that detailed instructions alone do not ensure more consistent annotations – either across or within individuals. A reflexive thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses further contextualised these findings, offering insights into the annotators’ cognitive effort involved and the practical challenges faced. Drawing from both quantitative and qualitative findings, the effectiveness of instructions appears contingent on participants’ level of task engagement and the extent to which the instructions align with intuitive annotation strategies. Despite the detailed guidance, participants often resorted to reductive annotation approaches. However, we also observed sentence types where detailed instructions may improve annotator agreement, (e.g., sentences with perspective-dependent sentiment, and rhetorical questions). Together, these results inform recommendations for enhancing task engagement and instruction adherence, offering practical insights for future dataset development. Finally, to support diverse use cases, we release three versions of the AmbiSent dataset, each accompanied by detailed annotator information and label distributions to better accommodate different user needs.