Unraveling the impact of marine heatwaves on the Eukaryome of the emblematic Mediterranean red coral .

Global warming is intensifying heatwaves worldwide, leading to more frequent and severe temperature extremes. This study investigates the impact of the unprecedented 2022 Mediterranean heatwaves on the coral eukaryome, which has received little attention despite its known importance to coral holobiont functioning. Fifty-six colonies of the iconic red coral from the Mediterranean Sea were collected at different sites, depths, and health states.

Toward the Controlled Synthesis of Nanostructured Si and SiO Anodes for Li-Ion Batteries via SiO Magnesiothermic Reduction Reaction.

Nanostructured SiOx (0 ≤ ≤ 2) materials are key for boosting energy density in next-generation Li-ion battery anodes, with the magnesiothermic reduction reaction (MgTR) emerging as a scalable pathway for their production from nanoporous SiO. In MgTR, SiO reacts with Mg at moderate temperatures to form Si and MgO, enabling the preservation of nanostructured features. However, the widespread application of MgTR is hindered by the strong influence of reaction parameters on process dynamics, which leads to the uncontrolled formation of multiple byproducts that not only reduce the Si yield but also require the use of hazardous hydrofluoric acid (HF) for their removal, hampering the synthesis of SiO due to HF's reactivity with SiO.

Phylogenomics of coral-infecting corallicolids reveal multiple independent losses of chlorophyll biosynthesis in apicomplexan parasites.

The transition from free-living to parasitic lifestyles induces major shifts in evolution, and nowhere is this more acute than in apicomplexans-obligate intracellular parasites of animals that evolved from photosynthetic algae. In other cases where photosynthesis has been lost, including most apicomplexans, chlorophyll is also absent, but in coral-infecting apicomplexans (corallicolids), chlorophyll biosynthesis genes are retained in the plastid genome despite their lack of photosystems. This suggests that the loss of photosynthesis and chlorophyll were decoupled in this lineage, but because these observations are only based on plastid genomes, two fundamental questions remain unclear.

Tip-to-base bark cross-sectional areas contribute to understanding the drivers of carbon allocation to bark and the functional roles of bark tissues.

Along their lengths, stems experience different functional demands. Because bark and wood traits are usually studied at single points on stems, it remains unclear how carbon allocation changes along tip-to-base trajectories across species. We examined bark vs wood allocation by measuring cross-sectional areas of outer and inner bark (OB and IB), IB regions (secondary phloem, cortex, and phelloderm), and wood from stem tips to bases of 35 woody angiosperm species of diverse phylogenetic lineages, climates, fire regimes, and bark morphologies.

Study of the pH effects on water-oil-illite interfaces by molecular dynamics.

Illite mineral is present in shale rocks, and its wettability behavior is significant for the oil and gas industry. In this work, the pH effects on the affinity between the (001) and (010) crystallographic planes of illite K(SiAl)(AlMg)O(OH) and direct and inverse emulsions were studied using molecular dynamics simulations. To develop the simulations, an atomistic model of illite was constructed following Löwenstein's rule.

Protective antibodies target cryptic epitope unmasked by cleavage of malaria sporozoite protein.

The most advanced monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines against malaria target the central repeat region or closely related sequences within the circumsporozoite protein (PfCSP). Here, using an antigen-agnostic strategy to investigate human antibody responses to whole sporozoites, we identified a class of mAbs that target a cryptic PfCSP epitope that is only exposed after cleavage and subsequent pyroglutamylation (pGlu) of the newly formed N terminus. This pGlu-CSP epitope is not targeted by current anti-PfCSP mAbs and is not included in the licensed malaria vaccines.

A multi-residue method based on solid phase extraction followed by HPLC-HRMS/MS analysis for the determination of dyes and additives released from polyester fibres after degradation.

Microfibres released from textiles are one of the most common types of microplastics (MPs) found in the environment. Whether they are synthetic or natural, they can undergo degradation in different environmental matrices. This may result in the leaching of a variety of chemicals, mainly textile dyes and additives of high toxicity that need to be regulated.

A Spontaneous Magnetic Moment in an Organic Radical: Synthesis and Characterization of Benzodioxepinyl-1,3,2-dithiazolyl.

The synthesis of the 1,3,2-dithiazolyl radical () derived from 3,4-dihydro-2H-1,5-benzodioxepine is described. Crystals of were grown by vacuum sublimation and adopt the orthorhombic space group . DC SQUID magnetometry reveals Curie-Weiss behavior for > 20 K ( = 0.

The effect of Plasmodium falciparum exposure and maternal anti-circumsporozoite protein antibodies on responses to RTS,S/AS01 vaccination in infants and children: an ancillary observational immunological study to a phase 3, randomised clinical trial.

Background: The RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine showed lower antibody response and protective efficacy in infants aged 6-12 weeks compared with children aged 5-17 months (for whom this vaccine is recommended). We aimed to study the effect of previous Plasmodium falciparum exposure on the antibody responses to RTS,S/AS01 vaccination in infants and children, and the mediating effect of baseline (including maternal) anti-circumsporozoite protein (CSP) antibodies.

Methods: In this observational study, we included children and infants from six African countries (Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania) enrolled in the MAL067 immunology ancillary study of the RTS,S/AS01 phase 3 clinical trial from March 27, 2009, to Jan 21, 2011.

Effect of RTS,S/AS01 vaccine booster dose on cellular immune responses in African infants and children.

RTS,S/AS01, the first approved malaria vaccine, demonstrated moderate efficacy during the phase 3 pediatric trial. We previously investigated cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses following the primary 3-dose immunization and now report responses to the booster dose given 18 months later. Thirty CMI markers were measured by Luminex in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 709 children and infants after RTS,S/AS01 antigen stimulation, and their associations with malaria risk and antibodies one month post-booster and one year later were assessed.

How marine are Marine Stramenopiles (MAST)? A cross-system evaluation.

Marine Stramenopiles (MAST) were first described two decades ago through ribosomal RNA gene (rRNA gene) sequences from marine surveys of microbial eukaryotes. MAST comprise several independent lineages at the base of the Stramenopiles. Despite their prevalence in the ocean, the majority of MAST diversity remains uncultured.

The Anthropocene fingerprint: Hazardous elements in waters of a coastal Mediterranean alluvial plain (Valencia, Spain).

This study focuses on the alluvial plain spanning between the Turia and Jucar rivers (486 km) in Valencia, Spain - a highly productive agricultural area that also involves a Natural Park (La Albufera). Thirty-five points across different water sources and land uses were sampled to map the spatial distribution of 14 heavy metals (Al, As, B, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Ni, Pb, Sr, Tl, and Zn), and to study the potential influence of water characteristics and environmental factors on them. Two pollution indexes were applied, Heavy Metal Evaluation Index (HEI) and Water Pollution Index (WPI), to assess the water quality state in the area.

The eukaryome of modern microbialites reveals distinct colonization across aquatic ecosystems.

Protists are less studied for their role and diversity in ecosystems. Notably, protists have played and still play an important role in microbialites. Microbialites, or lithified microbial mats, represent the oldest evidence of fossil biofilms (~3.

Guidelines for communicating commensurate magnetic structures. A report of the International Union of Crystallography Commission on Magnetic Structures.

A report from the International Union of Crystallography Commission on Magnetic Structures outlining the recommendations for communicating commensurate magnetic structures.

Source and variation of the amazing live Sea-Monkey microbiome.

An embryonic diapause in unfavourable conditions has allowed brine shrimp to thrive in hypersaline environments and, unexpectedly, mail-order sachets and small, novelty tanks. Marketed as Sea-Monkeys®, each kit involves a 3-step process to generate adult Artemia within a matter of weeks. Whether these kits also allow for the maintenance of a host-associated microbiome is unclear.

Machine learning prediction of malaria vaccine efficacy based on antibody profiles.

Immunization through repeated direct venous inoculation of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) sporozoites (PfSPZ) under chloroquine chemoprophylaxis, using the PfSPZ Chemoprophylaxis Vaccine (PfSPZ-CVac), induces high-level protection against controlled human malaria infection (CHMI). Humoral and cellular immunity contribute to vaccine efficacy but only limited information about the implicated Pf-specific antigens is available. Here, we examined Pf-specific antibody profiles, measured by protein arrays representing the full Pf proteome, of 40 placebo- and PfSPZ-immunized malaria-naïve volunteers from an earlier published PfSPZ-CVac dose-escalation trial.