Browse Articles

High-entropy alloy enables multi-path electron synergism and lattice oxygen activation for enhanced oxygen evolution activity

Improving an endangered marine species distribution using reliable and localized environmental DNA detections combined with trawl captures

Abstract The description of marine fish distributions generally relies on trawl survey observations. For rare species, sporadic catches necessitate the combination of multiannual trawl surveys to accurately describe the distribution, limiting short term monitoring. Recent studies suggest that combining traditional capture methods and environmental DNA (eDNA) detections enhance rare species’ occurrence. In this study, the reliability and localization of eDNA detections (single- and multi-species) of an endangered marine species, the Atlantic wolffish Anarhichas lupus, was assessed during fine scale surveys. eDNA was detected at all six stations sampled with Niskin bottles over caves housing one or two A. lupus. Detections from samples collected with syringes by divers along a 15 m transect perpendicular to each cave were limited to the fish cave entrance. Trawl-captures and eDNA detections were then combined to test if the species distribution is improved for broad scale surveys. The station-based frequency of species occurrence was 13% with trawl captures and increased to 23% when combined with eDNA detections. Single-species detections were generally more sensitive than multi-species detections. Our results showed that a rare marine species distribution improves combining traditional methods and eDNA detections in oceanographic surveys. Strategies for integrating optimal eDNA detections in marine surveys are discussed.

Order–disorder transition in multidirectional crowds

One of the archetypal examples of active flows is a busy concourse crossed by people moving in different directions according to their personal destinations. When the crowd is isotropic—comprising individuals moving in all different directions—the collective motion is disordered. In contrast, if it is possible to identify two dominant directions of motion, for example in a corridor, the crowd spontaneously organizes into contraflowing lanes or stripes. In this article, we characterize the physics of the transition between these two distinct phases by using a synergy of theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and stylized experiments. We develop a hydrodynamic theory for collisional flows of heterogeneous populations, and we analyze the stability of the disordered configuration. We identify an order–disorder transition occurring as population heterogeneity exceeds a theoretical threshold determined by the collision avoidance maneuvers of the crowd. Our prediction for the onset of pedestrian ordering is consistent with results of agent-based simulations and controlled experiments with human crowds.

Single-nucleus and spatial transcriptomics identify brain landscape of gene regulatory networks associated with behavioral maturation in honeybees

Transcriptomic characterization of human pancreatic CD206- and CD206 + macrophages

Abstract Macrophages reside in all organs and participate in homeostatic- and immune regulative processes. Little is known about pancreatic macrophage gene expression. In the present study, global gene expression was characterized in human pancreatic macrophage subpopulations. CD206- and CD206 + macrophages were sorted separately from pancreatic islets and exocrine tissue to high purity using flow cytometry, followed by RNA-seq analysis. Comparing CD206- with CD206 + macrophages, CD206- showed enrichment in histones, proliferation and cell cycle regulation, glycolysis and SPP1-associated immunosuppressive polarization while CD206 + showed enrichment in complement and coagulation-, IL-10 and IL-2RA immune regulation, as well as scavenging-related gene sets. Comparing islet CD206- with exocrine CD206-, enrichments in islet samples included two sets involved in immune regulation, while enrichments in exocrine samples included sets related to extracellular matrix and immune activation. Fewer differences were found between CD206 + macrophages, with enrichments in islet samples including two IL2-RA related gene sets, while enrichments in exocrine samples included sets related to extracellular matrix and immune activation. Comparing macrophages between individuals with normoglycemia, elevated HbA1c or type 2 diabetes, only a few diverse differentially expressed genes were identified. This work characterizes global gene expression and identifies differences between CD206- and CD206 + macrophage populations within the human pancreas.

Prolonged 187Os/188Os excursion implies hydrothermal influence after the Chicxulub impact in the Gulf of Mexico

An atomic clock synchronized versatile all-in-one digital ‘LockBox’

Elevated extinction risk in over one-fifth of native North American pollinators

Pollinators are critical for food production and ecosystem function. Although native pollinators are thought to be declining, the evidence is limited. This first, taxonomically diverse assessment for mainland North America north of Mexico reveals that 22.6% (20.6 to 29.6%) of the 1,579 species in the best-studied vertebrate and insect pollinator groups have elevated risk of extinction. All three pollinating bat species are at risk and bees are the insect group most at risk (best estimate, 34.7% of 472 species assessed, range 30.3 to 43.0%). Substantial numbers of butterflies (19.5% of 632 species, range 19.1 to 21.0%) and moths (16.1% of 142 species, range 15.5 to 19.0%) are also at risk, with flower flies (14.7% of 295 species, range 11.5 to 32.9%), beetles (12.5% of 18 species, range 11.1 to 22.2%), and hummingbirds (0% of 17 species) more secure. At-risk pollinators are concentrated where diversity is highest, in the southwestern United States. Threats to pollinators vary geographically: climate change in the West and North, agriculture in the Great Plains, and pollution, agriculture, and urban development in the East. Woodland, shrubland/chaparral, and grassland habitats support the greatest numbers of at-risk pollinators. Strategies for improving pollinator habitat are increasingly available, and this study identifies species, habitats, and threats most in need of conservation actions at state, provincial, territorial, national, and continental levels.

Multifunctional electrolyte additive for high power lithium metal batteries at ultra-low temperatures

Abstract Ultra-low-temperature lithium metal batteries face significant challenges, including sluggish ion transport and uncontrolled lithium dendrite formation, particularly at high power. An ideal electrolyte requires high carrier ion concentration, low viscosity, rapid de-solvation, and stable interfaces, but balancing these attributes remains a formidable task. Here, we design and synthesize a multifunctional additive, perfluoroalkylsulfonyl quaternary ammonium nitrate (PQA-NO 3 ), which features both cationic (PQA + ) and anionic (NO 3 − ) components. PQA + reacts in situ with lithium metal to form an inorganic-rich solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) that enhances Li + transport through the SEI film. NO 3 − creates an anion-rich, solvent-poor solvation structure, improving oxidation stability at the positive electrode/electrolyte interface and reducing Li + -solvent interactions. This allows ether-based electrolytes to achieve high voltage tolerance, increased ionic conductivity, and lower de-solvation energy barriers. The Li (40 µm)||NMC811 (3 mAh cm −2 ) coin cells with the developed electrolyte exhibited stable cycling at -60 °C and a 450 Wh kg −1 pouch cell retained 48.1% capacity at -85 °C, achieving a specific energy (except tabs and packing foil, same hereafter) of 171.8 Wh kg −1 . Additionally, the pouch cell demonstrated a discharge rate of 3.0 C at -50 °C, reaching a specific power (except tabs and packing foil, same hereafter) of 938.5 W kg −1 , indicating the electrolyte’s suitability for high-rate lithium metal batteries in extreme low-temperature environments.

ACSL5 mediates macrophage infiltration and lipid metabolism in erythrotelangiectasia rosacea via potential pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets

A keyword-based approach to analyzing scientific research trends: ReRAM present and future

Molecule subtypes play important roles for second primary malignancies development based on 324,661 breast cancer survivors

Modeling the spatial resolution of magnetic solitons in magnetic force microscopy and the effect on their sizes

Abstract In this work, we explored theoretically the spatial resolution of magnetic solitons and the variations of their sizes when subjected to a magnetic force microscopy (MFM) measurement. Next to tip-sample separation, we considered reversal in the magnetization direction of the tip, showing that the magnetic soliton size measurement can be strongly affected by the magnetization direction of the tip. In addition to previous studies that only consider thermal fluctuations, we developed a theoretical method to obtain the minimum observable length of a magnetic soliton and its length variation due to the influence of the MFM tip by minimizing the soliton’s magnetic energy. We show that a simple spherical model for the MFM tip can capture most of the physics underlying tip-sample interactions, with the key requirement being an estimate of the magnetization field within the sample. Our model uses analytical and numerical calculations and prevents overestimating the characteristic length scales from MFM images. We compared our method with available data from MFM measurements of domain wall widths, and we performed micromagnetic simulations of a skyrmion-tip system, finding a good agreement for both attractive and repulsive domain wall profile signals and for the skyrmion diameter in the presence of the magnetic tip. In addition, the theoretically calculated frequency shift presents good qualitative agreement with experimental measurements. Our results provide significant insights for a better interpretation of MFM measurements of different magnetic solitons and will be helpful in the design of potential reading devices based on magnetic solitons as information carriers.

Associating serum testosterone levels with African ancestral prostate cancer health disparities

Abstract Serum testosterone levels decrease in the aging male, while the risk for prostate cancer (PCa) increases concomitantly. Higher levels in younger men have been linked with racially driven PCa disparities, with African men disproportionately impacted. In turn, higher levels of serum lipids have been associated with aggressive disease, while racial disparity between serum testosterone, cholesterol and cancer mortality has been suggested. Having previously reported a 2.1-fold increased age-adjusted risk for aggressive PCa in Black South African over Black American men, we determined the serum testosterone and associated lipid levels in 250 Black South African men either with or without clinicopathologically diagnosed disease. Observing no associations with serum lipid levels, Black South Africans presented with testosterone levels between 1.24 (< 60 years) and 1.3-fold (≥ 60 years) greater than Black Americans. Notably, a rapid drop in total-, bioavailable- and free testosterone levels in men 65 years or older was significantly associated with PCa risk ( P  = 0.0057, 0.009 and 0.005, respectively), while irrespective of age, further associated with advanced disease ( P  = 0.004, 0.0012 and 0.0036, respectively). These preliminary data provide insights into the potential role of androgens in driving PCa health disparities, with important consequence for tailoring treatment for Black men.

The influence of information processing speed on memory processes in patients with relapsing-remitting and primary progressive multiple sclerosis

Abstract Slowed information processing speed (IPS) is the primary cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). Although it is known to affect memory processes, the relationships between verbal learning (VL), verbal memory (VM) and IPS in different phenotypes of multiple sclerosis (MS) remain underexplored. This bicentric study aimed to investigate in detail IPS, VL, and VM as well as the relationships between these cognitive domains in a large sample of 92 pwMS (61 with early relapsing-remitting MS (pwRRMS), 31 with primary-progressive MS (pwPPMS)) and 61 age-matched healthy controls (HC). Compared with HC, pwPPMS performed significantly worse on all cognitive measures, whereas pwRRMS performed worse than HC only on IPS and VL. Irrespective of phenotype, IPS impairment emerged as the core cognitive deficit in MS, affecting 25% of the RRMS group and 45% of the PPMS group. PwRRMS outperformed pwPPMS in all domains, with the most pronounced differences observed in VL. Isolated VL or VM impairments were rare, as most pwMS with these deficits also had concurrent IPS impairment. PwPPMS had significantly higher rates of IPS and VL impairment than pwRRMS, but not in VM. Regression analyses showed that IPS significantly predicted both VL and VM performance in both MS groups. In HC, IPS was only associated with VL performance, hinting at different cognitive mechanisms underlying the performance in this domain. This study provides evidence that pwPPMS experience more pronounced cognitive changes in IPS and VL compared to pwRRMS. It also highlights the pervasive impact of IPS on VL and VM performance in both subtypes, underscoring the importance of IPS-focused interventions in the management of MS-related cognitive dysfunction.

A point cloud segmentation network with hybrid convolution and differential channels

Adsorption-induced negative carbon isotope sequence in over-mature coal-type gas from the southwest Ordos Basin

Neon dimers in momentum and configuration spaces

Intrusion detection system based on machine learning using least square support vector machine

Genetic association between glucocorticoid receptor gene Bcl1 rs41423247 and rs6198 polymorphisms and risk of obesity in Egyptian children

Abstract Obesity represents a major global public-health problem during childhood and adolescence. The genetic contribution to obesity and its consequences is well-established. Variation in glucocorticoid (GC)-sensitivity can be partly explained by polymorphisms in GC receptor (GR) gene where NR3C1; Bcl1 rs41423247 and NR3C1 rs6198 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been linked to higher and lower GC sensitivity, respectively. We aimed to explore the potential association between the GR gene SNPs and risk of obesity in a cohort of Egyptian children. We included 100 pre-pubertal children; 60 obese children and 40 age-and sex-matched normal-weight controls. Bcl1 rs41423247 SNP was genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique and NR3C1 rs6198 SNP was genotyped using Real-time-PCR.In Bcl1 rs41423247, obese children had more frequent CG, GG genotypes and G allele compared to healthy controls (P = 0.039, 0.019 and 0.007 respectively). Moreover, insulin resistance was significantly higher in combined CG + GG group compared to CC group. On the contrary, no significant differences were found in genotypes, alleles frequencies or insulin resistance between obese and non-obese children in NR3C1 rs6198. GR Bcl1 rs41423247 gene polymorphism may play a role in genetic susceptibility to obesity that can be a future targeted therapy for obesity.