Browse Articles

Effectiveness of nutrition literacy intervention on pregnancy weight and eating behavior: a randomized controlled trial

A gain-reconfigurable flat gradient refractive index plasma lens

Analysis of molecular and cellular bases of honey bee mushroom body development

Abstract In the honey bee, mushroom bodies (MBs), a higher-order center of the insect brain, comprise three class I Kenyon cell (KC) subtypes (lKC, mKC, and sKC) with distinct somata sizes and locations and gene expression profiles. While these KC subtypes have been suggested to function in different behavioral regulations, the molecular and cellular basis of their development remains obscure. Here, we showed that lKCs, mKCs, and sKCs are produced in that order at different pupal stages by labeling proliferating MB cells with 5-ethynil-2’-deoxyuridine at various pupal stages. RNA-sequencing analysis of FACS-sorted pupal MB cells identified genes that were upregulated in proliferating and non-proliferating MB cells, respectively. Furthermore, in situ hybridization of some of these genes labeled the proliferating cells or immature KCs in the MBs at pupal stages producing each subtype. We found that the expression patterns of SoxNeuro , optix , and asense were consistent with those in Drosophila MBs, while odd-paired , which functions in neuroblasts in Drosophila , was preferentially expressed in immature KCs in honey bees. Our findings revealed the basic scheme of the molecular and cellular processes of honey bee MB development and suggested that they are at least partially different from those of Drosophila MB development.

A new bacteriolytic amidase Ami of Lysobacter capsici XL1

Abstract One of the most pressing issues in modern biomedicine is the search for new antimicrobial agents – antibiotics, peptides, bacteriolytic enzymes. This study, using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches, identified a new extracellular bacteriolytic enzyme of Lysobacter capsici XL1 – the amidase Ami. The enzyme was isolated and characterized. Ami was found to hydrolyze the amide bond between the carbohydrate and peptide fragments in bacterial peptidoglycans of chemotypes A1γ, A3α, and A4α. Ami lysed live target cells of opportunistic bacteria Micrococcus luteus Ac-2230T, Bacillus cereus 217, Staphylococcus aureus 209P, Enterococcus faecium FS86, phytopathogenic bacteria Bacillus megaterium MS941, Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens, and pathogenic bacteria of various strains of B. anthracis, including plasmid strains 71/12 and ΔAmes, as well as strains of B. cereus with hemolytic, lecithinase, and phosphatase activities. Thus, the bacteriolytic amidase Ami is a promising candidate for the development of next-generation antimicrobial drugs.

Associations of acute stress disorder and depression with coping self-efficacy and perceived social support in healthcare workers during COVID-19

Highly efficient catalytic propane dehydrogenation driven by MFI zeolite defect sites

Integrated dopamine sensing and 40 Hz hippocampal stimulation improves cognitive performance in Alzheimer’s mouse models

Benzotrifuran‐Based Covalent Organic Frameworks for Artificial Photosynthesis of H ₂ O ₂ from H ₂ O, O ₂ , and Sunlight

Abstract Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is an important green chemical and a potential energy carrier. Artificial photosynthesis of H 2 O 2 from only H 2 O and O 2 under sunlight is a fascinating and sustainable tactic. However, deficient proton sources come from the kinetically sluggish H 2 O oxidation process (∼s) seriously impede half‐reaction of O 2 reduction (µs∼ms), leading to inferior photocatalytic efficiency. Herein, we prepare a benzotrifuran‐based covalent organic framework featuring electron donor–acceptor character with hydrazone linkage. Spatially separated donor–acceptor π‐stacking columns offer rich O 2 reduction and H 2 O oxidation active sites, also serve as channels for photoinduced charge separation and transport. Importantly, the 1D pore containing abundant heteroatoms facilitates H 2 O delivery to oxidation sites and reduces reaction energy barrier, thus improving the kinetic of H 2 O oxidation. Accordingly, this porous framework achieves efficient H 2 O 2 photocatalysis with an average mass rate of up to 9800 µmol g −1 h −1 from H 2 O and O 2 in the absence of any sacrificial reagent under simulated sunlight by balancing O 2 reduction and H 2 O oxidation reactions.

Isolation and identification of Alcaligenes faecalis W2-3 with high-yield production of dimethyl disulfide

Multi-model statistical approaches for assessing the stability of Cicer interspecific derivatives in the trans and upper gangetic regions of India

Role of plate convergence rate in shaping earthquake recurrence in subduction zones

Abstract Understanding the complex interplay of subduction zone processes is key to unravelling the timing and distribution of great earthquake cycles within the framework of the plate tectonics paradigm. Megathrust earthquakes, though extensively investigated and their quasi-repetitive nature well recognised, remain challenging to assess globally due to their long recurrence intervals and limited historical data. Slow earthquakes in the brittle-to-ductile transition zone interact dynamically with megathrust events, but their potential to trigger or delay large earthquakes remains unclear. The periodic nature of slow earthquakes (typically recurring over timescales of months to years) has enabled detailed seismic and geodetic catalogs, offering new insights into subduction zone dynamics. Here, we adopt a tripartite approach, integrating natural observations, numerical simulations, and laboratory experiments to investigate relationship between megathrust and slow earthquakes in subduction zones. Analysis of tremor catalogs of Cascadia and Nankai subduction zones, reveal a systematic logarithmic inverse relationship between recurrence intervals (Tr) and plate convergence rates (VL), with downdip tremor patches exhibiting shorter recurrence times than updip segments. Quasidynamic rate-and-state friction (RSF) simulations, calibrated against geodetic displacements, demonstrate that this periodicity arises from frictional healing modulated by VL (Tr ∞ -VL ). Laboratory stick-slip experiments validate this scaling, showing force drop and recurrence times decrease logarithmically with increasing loading velocity, consistent with natural and numerical observations. Crucially, the logarithmic dependency persists across tectonic (months–years), numerical (stick-slip cycles), and laboratory (seconds–minutes) scales, resolving ambiguities in scaling fault mechanics from lab to tectonic regimes. We propose that SSEs in the brittle-ductile transition zone episodically transfer stress to adjacent locked megathrust segments, acting as real-time ‘stress-meters’ for seismogenic zone dynamics. This framework bridges geophysical monitoring, Rate and State Friction theory, and experimental fault mechanics, offering a predictive tool to infer stress accumulation on megathrusts. By linking slow earthquake periodicity to plate kinematics, our findings advance a unified paradigm for earthquake cycle dynamics, directly informing probabilistic hazard models and mitigation strategies in subduction zones. The integration of multi-scale constraints underscores the potential of tremor networks to monitor stress evolution, enhancing our capacity to identify regions at risk of large seismic events.

Sentiment classification for telugu using transformed based approaches on a multi-domain dataset

Mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention during pregnancy changes maternal brain

Tempo oscillations in rhythmic human networks

Postzygotic mosaicism in SMC1A and the first reported case of a female with Cornelia de Lange syndrome

A Cross-Sectional Study of Drowning in Saudi Arabia Using First Responder Data

Abstract Drowning is a significant public health issue and is considered one of the most avoidable yet underappreciated causes of mortality worldwide. Drowning likely presents a significant public health burden in Saudi Arabia, especially in children. To our knowledge only three studies have been conducted investigating drowning in Saudi Arabia, all of which were single center hospital-based studies. This is the first national cross-sectional study to assess drowning epidemiology in Saudi Arabia and the first to utilize first responder data. This study’s main objectives are to quantify the burden of drowning in Saudi Arabia, and describe the epidemiological profile and geographic distribution of drowning cases across the country. We conducted a cross-sectional study using electronic data from the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) on drowning incidents between January 2019 to November 2021. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), software for Windows (version 23.0). Men and children under 4 had the highest incidence of drowning, with 2021 incidence rates of 19.86 and 54.08 per million, respectively. The regions of Makkah, Riyadh, and Dammam, had the largest number of cases, accounting for 30.49% (n = 501), 19.84% (n = 326), and 13.02% (n = 214) of all cases respectively. The regions with the highest drowning incidence in 2021 were Tabuk, Al-baha, Makkah, Jizan, and Hail with incidence rates of 32.32, 27. 96, 22.28, 20.97, and 20.5 per million people, respectively. Drowning is a leading cause of death in Saudi Arabia and globally, with young children most at risk. Our study identifies data gaps and high-incidence areas requiring further investigation. The low bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rate and high mortality call for better public education on drowning prevention and first aid.

ER-related E2-E3 ubiquitin enzyme pair regulates ethylene response by modulating the turnover of ethylene receptors

Disentangling the components of a multiconfigurational excited state in isolated chromophore with light-scanning-tunneling microscopy

Streamlining SuFEx Inhibitor Development: A Unified Approach Using Photolabile and Orthogonal Sulfinate Protecting Groups

Abstract Sulfonyl fluorides (SFs) have gained significant importance due to their classification as a click reaction and therefore have seen increased use in drug discovery and biochemistry. Their use, however, is complicated by the methods by which they are synthesized and their general synthetic instability. This results in SFs being introduced late in a synthetic route with minimal structural diversity. Masking the reactivity of a sulfonyl fluoride by protecting the parent sulfinate is one method to ameliorate these issues. Current sulfinate protecting groups (SPGs), however, possess limited stability. This study outlines the discovery and selection of SPGs based on their overall stability, ease of synthesis, and simple deprotection conditions. This includes the discovery of two novel, photolabile SPGs, para ‐methoxybenzyl Rongalite and ortho ‐nitrobenzyl Rongalite that can be directly converted to the sulfonyl fluoride using light and selectfluor. Along with known SPG, 2‐trimethylsilylethyl sulfone (SES), all three SPGs were found to possess broad stability when exposed to numerous common synthetic conditions and are easily coupled to aryl halides from their sulfinate salt precursor. Their utility is then demonstrated in the synthesis of SPG containing building blocks that are incorporated into several bioactive small molecules.

Effects of different activation strategies on standing start performance in elite female track cyclists