The police hunch: the Bayesian brain, active inference, and the free energy principle in action.

In the realm of law enforcement, the "police hunch" has long been a mysterious but crucial aspect of decision-making. Drawing on the developing framework of Active Inference from cognitive science, this theoretical article examines the genesis, mechanics, and implications of the police hunch. It argues that hunches - often vital in high-stakes situations - should not be described as mere intuitions, but as intricate products of our mind's generative models.

X-ray Fiber Diffraction and Computational Analyses of Stacked Hexads in Supramolecular Polymers: Insight into Self-Assembly in Water by Prospective Prebiotic Nucleobases.

Aqueous solutions of equimolar mixtures of 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) and carboxylic acid substituted cyanuric acid (CyCo6 or 4MeCyCo6) monomers self-assemble into gel-forming supramolecular polymers. Macroscopic fibers drawn from these mixtures were analyzed by X-ray diffraction to determine their molecular structures. Computational methods were used to explore the intrinsic intermolecular interactions that contribute to the structure and stability of these assemblies.

Enhanced purification coupled with biophysical analyses shows cross-β structure as a core building block for Streptococcus mutans functional amyloids.

Streptococcus mutans is an etiologic agent of human dental caries that forms dental plaque biofilms containing functional amyloids. Three amyloidogenic proteins, P1, WapA, and Smu_63c were previously identified. C123 and AgA are naturally occurring amyloid-forming fragments of P1 and WapA, respectively.

Cyto-Immuno-Therapy for Cancer: A Pathway Elicited by Tumor-Targeted, Cytotoxic Drug-Packaged Bacterially Derived Nanocells.

Immunotherapy has emerged as a powerful new chapter in the fight against cancer. However, it has yet to reach its full potential due in part to the complexity of the cancer immune response. We demonstrate that tumor-targeting EDV nanocells function as an immunotherapeutic by delivering a cytotoxin in conjunction with activation of the immune system.

A 31-residue peptide induces aggregation of tau's microtubule-binding region in cells.

The self-propagation of misfolded conformations of tau underlies neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's. There is considerable interest in discovering the minimal sequence and active conformational nucleus that defines this self-propagating event. The microtubule-binding region, spanning residues 244-372, reproduces much of the aggregation behaviour of tau in cells and animal models.