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A Biomimetic Twisting Strategy Enables Efficient Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Energy-Dense Hydrazine Hydrate on FeN₂₊₂C₄₊₄ Sites

Star Power: Early life stages of an endangered sea star are robust to current and near-future warming

The sunflower star, Pycnopodia helianthoides , was a top benthic predator throughout its former range from Alaska to northern Mexico, until its populations were devastated starting in 2013 by a disease known as seastar wasting. The subsequent absence of sunflower stars from northern California waters was coincident with a dramatic ecological phase shift from healthy bull kelp forests ( Nereocystis luetkeana ) to barrens formed by purple sea urchins ( Strongylocentrotus purpuratus ), a prey of sunflower stars. Modeling suggests that restoration and resilience of kelp forests can be enhanced by the return of sunflower stars. Towards this end we run a conservation breeding program for sunflower stars in the Salish Sea of Washington, where sunflower stars have persisted in much reduced numbers. We here report on a variety of investigations into the temperature tolerance of sunflower stars, focusing on their poorly studied early life stages from their planktonic embryos and larvae, through metamorphosis and settlement as they transition to the benthos, and then for eight months of juvenile growth. Our results indicate that the optimum temperature for early life stage sunflower stars is more than 4°C higher than ambient temperatures in the Salish Sea, and that the juveniles demonstrate enhanced performance to a simulated marine heat wave. These results suggest that Salish Sea-derived sunflower stars would be robust to current and even near-future predicted temperatures in the south of their former range.

Red Light-Driven, Oxygen-Tolerant RAFT Polymerization Enabled by Methylene Blue

Transcriptome analysis reveals rootstock-driven effects on growth and photosynthesis in Camellia chekiangoleosa: A phenotypic and biochemical perspective

Camellia chekiangoleosa is a significant oil-bearing tree species, known for its high oleic acid content and shorter reproductive cycle compared to traditional oil-tea plants. However, there are few studies on the molecular mechanism and compatibility of the interaction between oil-Camellia scion and rootstock, which poses certain challenges to the cultivation and promotion of oil-Camellia. This study systematically evaluates the effects of hetero-grafting Camellia chekiangoleosa scions onto divergent rootstocks (Camellia chekiangoleosa, Camellia oleifera, and Camellia yuhsienensis). Then the research investigates how rootstock selection alters scion growth and development through phenotypic, biochemical, and transcriptomic analyses. Our findings reveal that the combination of C. oleifera scion grafted onto C. yuhsienensis suppresses auxin (IAA) and cytokinin (ZR) levels while elevating abscisic acid (ABA). Transcriptomic analysis identified that the PYL1, AMY, and INV1 screened by transcriptome data were mainly enriched in starch and sucrose metabolic pathways and plant hormone signal transduction, which collectively prioritize carbon allocation toward growth over storage. Meanwhile, hetero-grafting improved photosynthetic capacity by upregulating light-harvesting complex (LHC) genes and carotenoid biosynthesis enzymes (ZEP), optimizing light energy conversion and photoprotection. These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying rootstock-scion interactions in oil-Camellia, bridging a critical knowledge gap in this economically important genus.

Computationally Designed Nanobinders as Affinity Ligands in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications

Introducing CACIE: Development of the first Conceptual Assessment of Children’s Ideas about Evolution

The theory of evolution is the core theory of the life sciences. However, due to its counterintuitive nature, learners of all ages have difficulties building coherent knowledge about evolution. Researchers propose to facilitate learning about evolution in school by introducing the topic to children at a younger age to foster learners’ pre-scientific ideas and prevent the establishment of inaccurate beliefs. However, assessment tools that could be used with young children are still lacking. This article presents the development and psychometric evaluation of the interview-based Conceptual Assessment of Children’s Ideas about Evolution (CACIE). The CACIE comprises 20 items about 10 concepts of the evolutionary principles variation, inheritance, and selection. They can be used with six different animal and plant species. The CACIE was tested with 85 children (1) in cross-sectional interviews and (2) in a test-retest design (n = 14). The instrument was developed using an empirically validated theoretical framework, informed by published instruments and interviews, and refined through pilot studies and observations. The assessment showed good agreement between raters and moderate test-retest reliability. The validity evidence for the responses generated by the CACIE is discussed, and guidelines for its use to measure children’s ideas about evolution are provided.

Universal Formation, Dynamics, and Reactivities of *CO_bridge Accompanying Spontaneous Reconstruction of Cu during Electrochemical CO₂ or CO Reduction

Radiotherapy continuity for cancer treatment: Lessons learned from natural disasters

Background The contemporary world is challenged by natural disasters accelerated by climate change, affecting a growing world population. Simultaneously, cancer remains a persistent threat as a leading cause of death, killing 10 million people annually. The efficacy of radiotherapy, a cornerstone in cancer treatment worldwide, depends on an uninterrupted course of therapy. However, natural disasters cause significant disruptions to the continuity of radiotherapy services, posing a critical challenge to cancer treatment. This paper explores how natural disasters impact radiotherapy practice, compares them to man-made disasters, and outlines strategies to mitigate adverse effects of natural disasters. Through this analysis, the study seeks to contribute to developing resilient healthcare frameworks capable of sustaining essential cancer treatment amidst the challenges posed by natural disasters. Method We conducted a Structured Literature Review to investigate this matter comprehensively, gathering and evaluating relevant academic publications. We explored how natural disasters affected radiotherapy practice and examined the experience of radiotherapy centres worldwide in resuming operations after such events. Subsequently, we validated and extended our research findings through a global online survey involving radiotherapy professionals. Results The Structured Literature Review identified twelve academic publications describing hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes as the primary disruptors of radiotherapy practice. The analysis confirms and complements risk mitigation themes identified in our previous research, which focused on the continuity of radiotherapy practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work describes nine overarching themes, forming the basis for a taxonomy of 36 distinct groups. The subsequent confirmative online survey supported and solidified our findings and served as a basis for developing a conceptual framework for natural disaster-resilient radiotherapy as well as a checklist for practitioners. Discussion The growing threat posed by natural disasters underscores the need to develop business continuity programs and define risk mitigation measures to ensure the uninterrupted provision of radiotherapy services. By drawing lessons from past disasters, we can better prepare for future hazards, supporting disaster management and planning efforts, particularly enhancing the resilience of radiotherapy practice. Additionally, our study can serve as a resource for shaping policy initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of natural hazards.

How the brain’s amygdala reacts when making decisions to avoid losses

Photo-Triggerable Polymerization and Depolymerization of Stiff-Stilbene Lactones

A Later Stone Age quartz knapping workshop and fireplace dated to the Early Holocene in Senegal: The Ravin Blanc X site (RBX)

Well-dated and well-preserved Later Stone Age sites are unfortunately scarce in West Africa. The few known ones exhibit significant typo-technical variability, reflecting diverse socio-cultural behaviors that remain poorly understood. The Ravin Blanc X (RBX) site in eastern Senegal provides new insights into this period. Excavations at one of the sectors of the site (RBX-1) have revealed a well-preserved Early Holocene occupation, featuring a quartz knapping workshop associated with a fireplace. This site is the latest known LSA occupation in the Falémé valley and bridges a critical gap in the region’s prehistoric sequence. The lithic industry at RBX-1 is dominated by a very homogeneous quartz, which was specifically selected for its high-quality knapping properties. Two main categories of sought blanks were produced: broad, thick, and rectilinear blanks, and elongated, thin and narrow blanks with an oblique distal termination forming a natural asymmetric point. The strong investment in blank standardization from the extraction stage significantly reduced the need for subsequent retouching, which was rarely observed in the RBX-1 lithic assemblage. Comparisons with other LSA sites in West Africa suggest that RBX-1 shares technological similarities with the sites of Fatandi V (Falémé valley, Senegal) and Damatoumou 1 (Ounjougou, Mali), possibly indicating a West African Late LSA Sahelo-Sudanian facies. In contrast, sites located in Guineo-Congolian forest contexts exhibit different knapping strategies and typological choices. The discovery of RBX-1 enhances our understanding of the LSA in West Africa by providing a rare, well-dated stratigraphic context (around 9100 calBP/7100 calBCE) which highlights the complexity of regional lithic traditions and raises new hypotheses about cultural transitions during the Pleistocene-Holocene shift.

Earth’s capacity to store carbon could max out surprisingly soon

Hydrogen Atom Transfer-Mediated <i>N</i>-Heterocycles Dehydrogenation Coupled with the CO₂ Photoreduction to Syngas

LSWOA: An enhanced whale optimization algorithm with Levy flight and Spiral flight for numerical and engineering design optimization problems

Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) suffers from issues such as premature convergence, low population diversity in the later stages of iteration, slow convergence rate, low convergence accuracy, and an imbalance between exploration and exploitation. Thus, an enhanced Whale Optimization Algorithm (LSWOA) based on multiple strategies is proposed, aiming to overcome the limitations of the canonical WOA. The performance of the canonical WOA is improved through innovative strategies: first, an initialization process using Good Nodes Set is introduced to ensure that the search starts from a higher-quality baseline; second, a distance-based guided search strategy is employed to adjust the search direction and intensity by calculating the distance to the optimal solution, which enhances the algorithm’s ability to escape local optima; and lastly, LSWOA introduces an enhanced spiral updating strategy, while the enhanced spiral-enveloping prey strategy effectively balances exploration and exploitation by dynamically adjusting the spiral shape parameters to adapt to different stages of the search, thereby more accurately updating the positions of individuals and improving convergence speed. In the experimental section, we validate the efficiency and superiority of LSWOA by comparing it with outstanding metaheuristic algorithms and excellent WOA variants. The experimental results show that LSWOA exhibits significant optimization performance on the benchmark functions with various dimensions. Additionally, LSWOA is tested on seven engineering design optimization problems, and the results demonstrate that it performs excellently in these application scenarios, effectively solving complex optimization problems in different dimensions and showing its potential for a wide range of applications in real-world engineering challenges.

Bench-Stable Carbamoylzinc Pivalates for Modular Access to Amides, Ureas, and Thiocarbamates

One health approach unravels worrying antimicrobial resistance patterns: A cross-sectional study in Kisii, Kenya

Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where diagnostic and surveillance capacities are limited. Enterobacterales significantly contribute to AMR, with environmental reservoirs facilitating transmission between humans, animals, and the environment. Methods This study investigated the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of selected Enterobacterales in human, water, animal feces, and soil samples in Kenya. A cross-sectional study including 200 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms was conducted at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital and surrounding areas. AMR testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. Results A total of 365 samples were collected: 200 human and 55 each of water, animal feces, and soil specimens from the homesteads of patients with resistant isolates. 343 isolates were obtained (Escherichia coli: 280/343 [81.6%], Salmonella spp.: 28/343 [8.2%], Klebsiella spp.: 25/343 [7.3%], Shigella spp.: 10/343 [2.9%]). A significant proportion of isolates exhibited AMR, particularly to piperacillin-tazobactam (up to 87%) and ampicillin (up to 79%). Resistance to piperacillin-tazobactam in E. coli was the highest, observed in humans (100/139, 71.9%), water (42/49, 85.7%), animal feces (9/46, 19.6%), and soil (33/46, 71.7%). Almost half (45%) of the human isolates showed ESBL production or resistance to imipenem, with water, animal feces, and soil samples, revealing similar resistance patterns. Resistance to chloramphenicol (71.7% vs 20.1%; p &lt; 0.001) and third-generation cephalosporins were higher among animal and environmental isolates (animal feces: cefotaxime – 25/46, 54.3%; ceftazidime – 27/46, 58.7%) as compared to human isolates (cefotaxime – 40/139, 28.8%; ceftazidime – 28/139, 20.1%) (p &lt; 0.001). In human isolates, the most prevalent genes were blaTEM (53/187, 28.3%), blaOXA-48 (43/187, 23.0%), blaSHV (32/187, 17.1%), and blaCTXM-15 (41/187, 21.9%); in animal isolates, blaCTXM-8 (11/55, 20.0%), blaVIM (8/55, 14.5%), and blaTEM (8/55, 14.5%) were most detected; while in soil and water isolates, blaCTXM-8 was the most common (10.9% and 9.1% respectively). Conclusion Shared resistance patterns across human, animal, and environmental samples highlight interconnected AMR pathways. These findings reinforce the need for a One Health approach through integrated AMR surveillance and interventions.

Molecular Engineering of Interlayer Exciton Delocalization in 2D Perovskites

Lung and abdominal ultrasound accuracy for tuberculosis: An Indian prospective cohort study

Background Tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis remains a challenge, particularly in low-resource settings. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has shown promise, but most studies focus on HIV-infected populations. In the case of TB, data on lung ultrasound (LUS) are sparse. Therefore, this study evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of lung and abdominal ultrasound for TB diagnosis in an Indian tertiary care hospital Methods We prospectively enrolled adults with presumed TB and performed comprehensive ultrasound assessments. Accuracy of individual and combined sonographic findings was evaluated against a robust reference standard (mycobacterial culture and PCR). Comparators were C-reactive protein at a cut-off of 5mg/l and chest x-ray (CXR). A multivariable model incorporating clinical and ultrasound findings was explored using generalized mixed models and a random forest approach. (Trial registry DRKS00026636). Findings Among 541 participants, 102 (19%) were diagnosed with TB and 1% were HIV-positive. The “Focused Assessment with Sonography for HIV-associated TB” (FASH) demonstrated moderate sensitivity (51%) and specificity (70%). Consolidations &lt;1 cm on LUS showed high sensitivity (93%) but low specificity (16%) and were also seen in non-TB lung infections and other conditions like bronchial asthma and COPD. Accuracy of larger (≥1 cm) consolidations (72% sensitive, 55% specific) on LUS was comparable with CXR suggesting possible TB (81% sensitive, 58% specific). Predictive modeling suggests moderate diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.79). Interpretation In our study, POCUS did not meet WHO targets for a stand-alone facility-based screening test. Nevertheless, diagnostic accuracy for some findings is comparable to CXR and could be integrated into diagnostic algorithms to improve TB screening where CXR cannot reach. Future research should explore artificial intelligence to enhance TB-POCUS accuracy and accessibility, as was previously reported for CXR. Research in context Prior to this study, lung ultrasound (LUS) for TB had been assessed in only a few studies, limited by uncertain sonographic characterization of TB-related findings, lack of consistent terminology, and small numbers of participants with confirmed non-TB diagnoses to determine specificity for TB. Studies evaluating Focused assessment with sonography for HIV-associated tuberculosis (FASH) almost exclusively included HIV-infected individuals and demonstrated moderate sensitivity and specificity. However, varying study designs and reference standards limit broader generalization of their findings. Our prospective study from a TB-endemic setting (India) recruited 541 predominantly HIV-negative participants with presumed TB. This is the largest cohort to date assessing LUS, FASH, and additional ultrasound findings for TB diagnosis. Our study demonstrates that no single ultrasound finding alone, or even in combination, reaches the accuracy targets of the target product profile for a facility-based screening test (triage) proposed by WHO. FASH accuracy in our study aligned with previously reported data in HIV-negative participants but was less specific in HIV-positive participants. The accuracy of additional ultrasound items of LUS and FASH was comparable to chest x-ray (CXR). In summary, this study demonstrates accuracy of ultrasound for TB diagnosis, backed by a robust study design and using a comprehensive reference standard and CXR comparator for LUS. Modelling suggests that an algorithmic approach combining ultrasound and clinical findings may be of highest value to inform risk of TB and guide further testing to confirm the diagnosis of TB. Other use cases of POCUS, which may aid clinical decision making in the assessment of disease severity, sampling strategy, and monitoring, should be evaluated by future studies. These should also focus on the accuracy of POCUS in people living with HIV and children, as well as evaluate POCUS more broadly as part of a diagnostic algorithm and by using artificial intelligence to improve the yield of TB-POCUS.

Quantifying Interface-Dependent Active Sites Induced by Topotactic Exsolution for CO₂ Electrolysis

Correction: Canadian natural science graduate stipends lie below the poverty line