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Author Correction: “Pink power”—the importance of coralline algal beds in the oceanic carbon cycle
A reduction in energy costs induces integrated states of brain dynamics
Author Correction: Marine biogenic humic substances control iron biogeochemistry across the Southern Ocean
The evolution of the 2022–2024 eruption at Home Reef, Tonga, analyzed from space shows vent migration due to erosion
Abstract On September 9, 2022, a new eruption period began at the submarine volcano Home Reef, part of the Tonga Volcanic Arc. We integrated multi-sensor/multi-platform satellite datasets, including very high spatial resolution TerraSAR-X radar and PlanetScope multispectral data, together with Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8/9 as well as MODIS and VIIRS thermal data to monitor and characterize this latest eruption at Home Reef over a two-year period. Here, we present the results from this multi-sensor approach, used to investigate eruption dynamics (thermal activity and relative intensity level) and delineate changes in the shape and area of the newly formed island. The eruption showed four distinct phases: During September–October 2022, lava flows formed a ~ 54,900 m² circular island. In the following three eruption phases, the island grew towards the south (September–November 2023) and east (January 2024 and June–September 2024), expanding the island’s area to over 122,000 m². During each subsequent phase, the eruptive vent migrated toward the side of the island where the most erosion had occurred since the previous phase. This has implications for volcanic and tsunami hazards from island-forming eruptions of this type.
‘Anxiety is palpable’: detention of researchers at US border spurs travel worries
A cryptic pocket in CB1 drives peripheral and functional selectivity
Intrapleural pressure-controlled piezo-catalytic nanozyme for the inhibition of malignant pleural effusion
Synergistic activity of tafasitamab and metronomic chemotherapy on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma through inhibition of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway
Abstract Tafasitamab is a novel humanized anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody, designed for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. Our study aims to enhance the direct, non-immune-mediated, activity of tafasitamab (TAFA) with the combination of metronomic chemotherapy (mCHEMO), including vinorelbine (mVNR) and etoposide (mETO), in preclinical models of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In vitro, the 144 h exposure of thrice-weekly mVNR, daily mETO, and single-dose TAFA significantly inhibited the viability of human CD19+ DLBCL cell lines (i.e., Toledo, OCI-LY3, and SU-DHL10) in a concentration-dependent manner. In all cell lines, the concomitant treatment with TAFA and mVNR or mETO showed a marked synergism, except for TAFA + mETO on SU-DHL10 cells. The TAFA + mCHEMO treatments promoted apoptosis, and the TAFA + mVNR combination significantly inhibited, already after 24 h, the phosphorylation of GSK3α/β, mTOR, p70S6K, RPS6, and TSC2 proteins in DLBCL cells. TAFA significantly increased the VNR and ETO intracellular concentrations in all DLBCL cells after 24 h, except for ETO levels in SU-DHL10. The TAFA + mCHEMO treatment strongly reduced the ABCB1, ABCG2, and c-MYC gene expression in SU-DHL10 cells. In vivo, the TAFA + mVNR combination was well tolerated, significantly reduced the volumes of subcutaneous DLBCL masses, and increased the overall survival of mice affected by systemic DLBCL. We report additional mechanisms to enhance the direct activity of TAFA with mCHEMO synergistically in DLBCL cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting the use of this combination schedule into future clinical trials.
Sulphostin-inspired N-phosphonopiperidones as selective covalent DPP8 and DPP9 inhibitors
Abstract Covalent chemical probes and drugs combine unique pharmacologic properties with the availability of straightforward compound profiling technologies via chemoproteomic platforms. These advantages have fostered the development of suitable electrophilic “warheads” for systematic covalent chemical probe discovery. Despite undisputable advances in the last years, the targeted development of proteome-wide selective covalent probes remains a challenge for dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP) 8 and 9 (DPP8/9), intracellular serine hydrolases of the pharmacologically relevant dipeptidyl peptidase 4 activity/structure homologues (DASH) family. Here, we show the exploration of the natural product Sulphostin, a DPP4 inhibitor, as a starting point for DPP8/9 inhibitor development. The generation of Sulphostin-inspired N-phosphonopiperidones leads to derivatives with improved DPP8/9 inhibitory potency, an enhanced proteome-wide selectivity and confirmed DPP8/9 engagement in cells, thereby representing that structural fine-tuning of the warhead’s leaving group may represent a straightforward strategy for achieving target selectivity in exoproteases such as DPPs.
Environmental enrichment reverses noise induced impairments in learning and memory associated with the hippocampus in female rats
How to know whether a conference is right for you
A novel PLpro inhibitor improves outcomes in a pre-clinical model of long COVID
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has highlighted the vulnerability of a globally connected population to zoonotic viruses. The FDA-approved coronavirus antiviral Paxlovid targets the essential SARS-CoV-2 main protease, Mpro. Whilst effective in the acute phase of a COVID infection, Paxlovid cannot be used by all patients, can lead to viral recurrence, and does not protect against post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), commonly known as long COVID, an emerging significant health burden that remains poorly understood and untreated. Alternative antivirals that are addressing broader patient needs are urgently required. We here report our drug discovery efforts to target PLpro, a further essential coronaviral protease, for which we report a novel chemical scaffold that targets SARS-CoV-2 PLpro with low nanomolar activity, and which exhibits activity against PLpro of other pathogenic coronaviruses. Our lead compound shows excellent in vivo efficacy in a mouse model of severe acute disease. Importantly, our mouse model recapitulates long-term pathologies matching closely those seen in PASC patients. Our lead compound offers protection against a range of PASC symptoms in this model, prevents lung pathology and reduces brain dysfunction. This provides proof-of-principle that PLpro inhibition may have clinical relevance for PASC prevention and treatment going forward.
An experimental study on the susceptibility of purchasing managers to greenwashing
Abstract Greenwashing—the deliberate exaggeration or fabrication of environmental claims—undermines trust, disrupts transparency, and poses a significant barrier to genuine progress toward sustainability. This scenario-based experimental study examines whether purchasing managers, key stakeholders in organizational procurement, can reliably differentiate between greenwashed and certified sustainable products. Using three carefully designed purchasing scenarios—laptops, safety gloves, and copy paper—responses were collected from 465 purchasing managers across the EU, a region notable for its regulatory emphasis on eco-certifications. The findings reveal no statistically significant differences in willingness to pay (WTP) for products with greenwashed claims versus those backed by stringent certifications, with average WTP values varying only slightly between groups. These findings highlight a critical vulnerability to greenwashing, even among experienced professionals, raising concerns about the credibility of sustainability claims in influencing procurement decisions. The study underscores the need for systemic reforms, including the standardization of certification systems and enhanced decision-making tools, to mitigate greenwashing’s pervasive impact and foster authentic corporate sustainability.
Polycystins recruit cargo to distinct ciliary extracellular vesicle subtypes in C. elegans
Preclinical assessment of anti-arthritic activity of methanolic extract from processed Plumbago zeylanica roots
Research on the mining of candidate genes for pepper fruit color and development of SNP markers based on SLAF-seq technology
Quantum phase constraints as the origin of zero-field splitting: the case of [Ni(Me6tren)Cl](ClO4)
Genus-wide plant pangenome could inform next-generation crop design
Learning produces an orthogonalized state machine in the hippocampus
Abstract Cognitive maps confer animals with flexible intelligence by representing spatial, temporal and abstract relationships that can be used to shape thought, planning and behaviour. Cognitive maps have been observed in the hippocampus1, but their algorithmic form and learning mechanisms remain obscure. Here we used large-scale, longitudinal two-photon calcium imaging to record activity from thousands of neurons in the CA1 region of the hippocampus while mice learned to efficiently collect rewards from two subtly different linear tracks in virtual reality. Throughout learning, both animal behaviour and hippocampal neural activity progressed through multiple stages, gradually revealing improved task representation that mirrored improved behavioural efficiency. The learning process involved progressive decorrelations in initially similar hippocampal neural activity within and across tracks, ultimately resulting in orthogonalized representations resembling a state machine capturing the inherent structure of the task. This decorrelation process was driven by individual neurons acquiring task-state-specific responses (that is, ‘state cells’). Although various standard artificial neural networks did not naturally capture these dynamics, the clone-structured causal graph, a hidden Markov model variant, uniquely reproduced both the final orthogonalized states and the learning trajectory seen in animals. The observed cellular and population dynamics constrain the mechanisms underlying cognitive map formation in the hippocampus, pointing to hidden state inference as a fundamental computational principle, with implications for both biological and artificial intelligence.