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Consumer attitudes and perceptions on consumption of edible insects among communities in western Kenya
Edible insects are a highly sustainable and nutritional food source despite their low consumption in many communities. This study evaluated consumer attitudes and perceptions on consumption of edible insects in western Kenya. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in four rural and four urban markets in Kisumu and Vihiga counties. The FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. A total of 59 respondents consisting of 27 male and 32 females participated in the FGDs. The results showed higher acceptability and consumption of edible insects in rural areas compared to urban centers. The most popular edible insects were flying termites, grasshoppers, soldier termites and locusts. Consumption of these insects was mostly determined by their perceived high nutritional value, pleasant taste and familiarity as food sources. Seasonal capturing of the insects, especially during off-season also contributed to their low consumption. Respondents’ willingness to taste insect-based products was based on curiosity, packaging and familiarity with the product forms. These results suggest that there is need for interventions that promote public awareness and enhance the availability of edible insects and insect-based products, to support wider acceptability and consumption.
My experience of speaking at a conference with a baby
Correction for Luo et al., An acetyltransferase moonlights as a regulator of the RNA binding repertoire of the RNA chaperone Hfq in <i>Escherichia coli</i>
Correction for Rachuri et al., Mutational analysis of an antimalarial drug target, <i>Pf</i> ATP4
Correction for Borniego et al., Diverse plant RNAs coat <i>Arabidopsis</i> leaves and are distinct from apoplastic RNAs
Correction for Talukder et al., Olfaction with legs—Spiders use wall-pore sensilla for pheromone detection
Correction to Supporting Information for Chan and Fried: Structural stability and thermodynamics of artistic composition
Correction for Gao et al., Cold-blooded vertebrate utilizes behavioral fever to alleviate T cell apoptosis and optimize antimicrobial immunity
Ultrafast structural dynamics of carbon–carbon single-bond rotation in transient radical species at non-equilibrium
Abstract Bond rotation is an important phenomenon governing the fate of reactions. In particular, heterogeneously substituted ethane derivatives provide distinct structural conformations around the bond, empowering them as ideal systems for studying the rotation along carbon-containing single bonds. However, structural dynamics of ultrafast single-bond rotation, especially along C–C• bonds, have remained elusive as tracking the detailed changes in structural parameters during the rotational isomerization is challenging with conventional spectroscopic tools. Here, we employ femtosecond time-resolved X-ray liquidography to visualize the rotational isomerization between anti and gauche conformers of tetrafluoroiodoethyl radical (C2F4I•) and 1,2-tetrafluorodiiodoethane (C2F4I2), simultaneously. The TRXL data captures perturbations in conformer ratios and structures of each reacting species, revealing that the rotational isomerization of C2F4I• and C2F4I2 follows anti-to-gauche and gauche-to-anti paths with time constants of 1.2 ps and 26 ps, respectively. These findings also align with the computational predictions. This work offers an atomic-level insight into the kinetics and structural dynamics of single-bond rotation.
Electrically-driven reversible phonon transport manipulation in two-dimensional heterostructures
GORK K+ channel structure and gating vital to informing stomatal engineering
Detection of ferrihydrite in Martian red dust records ancient cold and wet conditions on Mars
Abstract Iron oxide-hydroxide minerals in Martian dust provide crucial insights into Mars’ past climate and habitability. Previous studies attributed Mars’ red color to anhydrous hematite formed through recent weathering. Here, we show that poorly crystalline ferrihydrite (Fe 5 O 8 H · nH 2 O) is the dominant iron oxide-bearing phase in Martian dust, based on combined analyses of orbital, in-situ, and laboratory visible near-infrared spectra. Spectroscopic analyses indicate that a hyperfine mixture of ferrihydrite, basalt and sulfate best matches Martian dust observations. Through laboratory experiments and kinetic calculations, we demonstrate that ferrihydrite remains stable under present-day Martian conditions, preserving its poorly crystalline structure. The persistence of ferrihydrite suggests it formed during a cold, wet period on early Mars under oxidative conditions, followed by a transition to the current hyper-arid environment. This finding challenges previous models of continuous dry oxidation and indicates that ancient Mars experienced aqueous alteration before transitioning to its current desert state.
Ergodic seismic precursors and transfer learning for short term eruption forecasting at data scarce volcanoes
Abstract Seismic data recorded before volcanic eruptions provides important clues for forecasting. However, limited monitoring histories and infrequent eruptions restrict the data available for training forecasting models. We propose a transfer machine learning approach that identifies eruption precursors—signals that consistently change before eruptions—across multiple volcanoes. Using seismic data from 41 eruptions at 24 volcanoes over 73 years, our approach forecasts eruptions at unobserved (out-of-sample) volcanoes. Tested without data from the target volcano, the model demonstrated accuracy comparable to direct training on the target and exceeded benchmarks based on seismic amplitude. These results indicate that eruption precursors exhibit ergodicity, sharing common patterns that allow observations from one group of volcanoes to approximate the behavior of others. This approach addresses data limitations at individual sites and provides a useful tool to support monitoring efforts at volcano observatories, improving the ability to forecast eruptions and mitigate volcanic risks.
Author Correction: A single-cell transcriptomic landscape of primate arterial aging
Fatigue-resistant and super-tough thermocells
Author Correction: Multi-objective observational constraint of tropical Atlantic and Pacific low-cloud variability narrows uncertainty in cloud feedback
Harnessing organic electrolyte for non-corrosive and wide-temperature Na-Cl2 battery
Structural basis for lipid-mediated activation of G protein-coupled receptor GPR55
Abstract GPR55 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and represents a promising drug target for cancer, inflammation, and metabolic diseases. The endogenous activation of lipid GPCRs can be solely mediated by membrane components and different lipids have been proposed as endogenous activators of GPR55, such as cannabinoids and lysophosphatidylinositols. Here, we determine high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of the activated GPR55 in complex with heterotrimeric G13 and two structurally diverse ligands: the putative endogenous agonist 1-palmitoyl-2-lysophosphatidylinositol (LPI) and the synthetic agonist ML184. These results reveal insights into ligand recognition at GPR55, G protein coupling and receptor activation. Notably, an orthosteric binding site opening towards the membrane is observed in both structures, enabling direct interaction of the agonists with membrane lipids. The structural observations are supported by mutagenesis and functional experiments employing G protein dissociation assays. These findings will be of importance for the structure-based development of drugs targeting GPR55.
Dual functional POGases from bacteria encompassing broader O-glycanase and adhesin activities
Abstract Mucin-type O-glycans on glycoproteins are pivotal for biology and impact the quality of biotherapeutics. Furthermore, glycans on host cells serve as ligands for lectins/adhesins on bacteria for bacterium-host interactions in the colonization or attachment/invasion of bacteria. Defining the structure-function relationship of O-glycans is hindered by a lack of enzyme(s) to release sialylated O-glycans from glycoproteins. Here we show identification of endo-α-N-acetylgalactosaminidases (O-glycanases, GH101) with broad substrate specificities, termed Peptide:O-Glycosidase (POGase). In 5 POGase orthologs identified, we characterize one that releases sialylated O-glycans from glycopeptides, glycoproteins and biotherapeutics. Three peptide motifs differentiate the POGase existing in phylum Actinomycetota from known O-glycanases in other bacteria. While the GH101 domain classifies POGases, other domains confer the efficient enzyme activity and binding to major glycans decorating epithelial cells. The dual functional POGases encompassing broader O-glycanase and adhesin activities will facilitate the study of O-glycomics, quality assessment of biotherapeutics, and development of microbiology and medicine.