Understanding Oxygen-Induced Reactions and Their Impact on n-Type Polymeric Mixed Conductor-Based Devices.

Electron transporting (n-type) polymeric mixed conductors are an exciting class of materials for devices with aqueous electrolyte interfaces, such as bioelectronic sensors, actuators, and soft charge storage systems. However, their charge transport performance falls short of their p-type counterparts, primarily due to electrochemical side reactions such as the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). To mitigate ORR, a common strategy in n-type organic semiconductor design focuses on lowering the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level.

Bouncing bubbles do not show water slip on smooth hydrophobic surfaces.

Hypothesis: The presence of hydrodynamic slip of water on smooth hydrophobic surfaces has been debated intensely over the last decades. In recent experiments, the stronger bounce of free-rising bubbles from smooth hydrophobic surfaces compared to smooth hydrophilic surfaces was interpreted as evidence for a significant water slip on smooth hydrophobic surfaces.

Experiments: To examine the possible water-slip effect, we conduct well-controlled experiments comparing the bouncing dynamics of millimeter-sized free-rising bubbles from smooth hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces.

A calibration framework toward model generalization for bacteria concentration estimation in water resource recovery facilities.

Reduced bacteria concentrations in wastewater is a key indicator of the efficacy of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). However, monitoring the presence of bacterial concentrations in real time at each stage of the WRRF is challenging as it requires taking and processing water samples offline. Although few studies have been proposed to predict bacterial concentrations using data-driven models, generalizing these models to unseen data from different WRRFs remains challenging.

Ecological effects of micro/nanoplastics on plant-associated food webs.

Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs) contamination is a potential threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem functions, with unclear ecological impacts on aboveground (AG) and belowground (BG) food webs in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we discuss the uptake, ingestion, bioaccumulation, and ecotoxicological effects of MNPs in plants and associated AG-BG biota at various trophic levels. We propose key pathways for MNPs transfer between the AG-BG food webs and elaborate their impact on terrestrial ecosystem multifunctionality.

Carboxysomes: The next frontier in biotechnology and sustainable solutions.

Some bacteria possess microcompartments that function as protein-based organelles. Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) sequester enzymes to optimize metabolic reactions. Several BMCs have been characterized to date, including carboxysomes and metabolosomes.

Probabilistic prediction of phosphate ion adsorption onto biochar materials using a large dataset and online deployment.

Phosphate (PO(III)) contamination in water bodies poses significant environmental challenges, necessitating efficient and accurate methods to predict and optimize its removal. The current study addresses this issue by predicting the adsorption capacity of PO(III) ions onto biochar-based materials using five probabilistic machine learning models: eXtreme Gradient Boosting LSS (XGBoostLSS), Natural Gradient Boosting, Bayesian Neural Networks (NN), Probabilistic NN, and Monte-Carlo Dropout NN. Utilizing a dataset of 2952 data points with 16 inputs, XGBoostLSS demonstrated the highest R (0.

Integrative Metagenomic Analyses Reveal Gut Microbiota-Derived Multiple Hits Connected to Development of Diabetes Mellitus.

Background/objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder associated with gut dysbiosis. To investigate the association between gut microbiota and T2DM in a Saudi Arabian population.

Methods: We conducted a comparative analysis of fecal microbiota from 35 individuals, including both T2DM patients and healthy controls.

Angstrom-Scale Defect-Free Crystalline Membrane for Sieving Small Organic Molecules.

Crystalline membranes, represented by the metal-organic framework (MOF) with well-defined angstrom-sized apertures, have shown great potential for molecular separation. Nevertheless, it remains a challenge to separate small molecules with very similar molecular size differences due to angstrom-scale defects during membrane formation. Herein, a stepwise assembling strategy is reported for constructing MOF membranes with intrinsic angstrom-sized lattice aperture lattice to separate organic azeotropic mixtures separation.

Age-related differences in gene expression and pathway activation following heatstroke.

This study investigates the molecular responses to heatstroke in young and old patients by comparing whole-genome transcriptomes between age groups. We analyzed transcriptomic profiles from patients categorized into two age-defined cohorts: young (mean age = 44.9 ± 6 yr) and old (mean age = 66.

An integrated multi-source dataset of elasmobranchs in the Red Sea following the Red Sea Decade Expedition.

Red Sea elasmobranch populations are facing alarming declines. Effective conservation efforts require management strategies informed by extensive datasets and by developing an understanding of distribution patterns within the basin, which is currently lacking. This study introduces CERSE (Central and Eastern Red Sea Elasmobranchs), a comprehensive compilation of elasmobranch observations in the central and eastern Red Sea basin following the route of the Red Sea Decade Expedition.

A step towards non-invasive diagnosis of diabetes mellitus using synthesized MOF-MXene hybrid material with extended gate field-effect transistor integration.

The increasing demand for non-invasive and non-enzymatic glucose sensors is driven by the objective of eliminating the need for blood pricks from the body and enabling enzyme-free detection of glucose for diagnosing diabetes mellitus. To address this need, we synthesized Ni MOF-MXene (Ni) hybrid material through a one-pot synthesis method, which acts as a catalyst to detect salivary glucose using an extended gate field effect transistor (EGFET) method. The resulting sensor exhibits good selectivity towards glucose over common interfering molecules such as sucrose, fructose, maltose, uric acid, and ascorbic acid under physiological conditions in saliva.

Metagenomic insights into the resistome, mobilome, and virulome of dogs with diverse lifestyles.

Background: Dogs-whether pets, rural, or stray-exhibit distinct living styles that influence their fecal microbiota and resistomes, yet these dynamics remain underexplored. This study aimed to analyze and compare the fecal microbiota and resistomes of three groups of dogs (37 pets, 20 rural, and 25 stray dogs) in Shanghai, China.

Results: Metagenomic analysis revealed substantial differences in fecal microbial composition and metabolic activities among the dog groups.

Phage biocontrol in water treatment and reuse systems: a nascent field with significant innovation opportunities.

While the use of phages in the food and biomedical sectors occurs commercially, their application in the water sector is less common and is typically demonstrated at a lower technological readiness level. This is so despite the potential that phages have to enhance the control of problematic bacteria (including pathogens) and protect infrastructure within the water sector. Fulfilling the great potential of this nascent field requires more research and development.

Genome sequence of the Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum.

Objectives: Corallium rubrum, the precious red coral, is an octocoral endemic to the western Mediterranean Sea. Like most octocorals, it produces tiny, calcified structures called sclerites. Uniquely, it also produces a completely calcified axial skeleton that is a bright red color.

Boosting Photovoltaic Efficiency: The Role of Functional Group Distribution in Perovskite Film Passivation.

The utilization of small organic molecules with appropriate functional groups and geometric configurations for surface passivation is essential for achieving efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, two isomers, 4-sulfonamidobenzoic acid (4-SA) and 3-sulfamobenzoic acid (3-SA), both featuring sulfanilamide and carboxyl functional groups arranged in different positions, are evaluated for their effectiveness in passivating defects of the perovskite layer. The calculation and characterization results reveal that 3-SA, with its meta-substitution, offered superior passivation compared to the para-substituted 4-SA, leading to enhanced charge carrier dynamics and extraction efficiency.

From Elementary to Advanced Design of Functional Metal-Organic Frameworks: A User Guide to Deciphering the Reticular Chemistry Toolbox.

Here, the fundamental requirements are described for understanding and using topology tools in the design of porous materials, emphasizing the relationships between nets, metal-organic framework (MOF) structures, nodes, and building blocks. Common design approaches are discussed, highlighting prerequisites for the rational design of MOFs, such as those with simple pcu topology through the molecular building block approach, or axial-to-axial pillaring. The importance of highly connected nets and building units is emphasized for achieving structural predictability.

Oxylipin Receptors and Their Role in Inter-Partner Signalling in a Model Cnidarian-Dinoflagellate Symbiosis.

Oxylipin signalling is central in biology, mediating processes such as cellular homeostasis, inflammation and molecular signalling. It may also facilitate inter-partner communication in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis, though this aspect remains understudied. In this study, four oxylipin receptors were characterised using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting in the sea anemone Exaiptasia diaphana ('Aiptasia'): Prostaglandin E2 receptor 2 (EP2) and 4 (EP4), Transient Receptor Potential cation channel A1 (TRPA1) and Glutamate Receptor Ionotropic, Kainate 2 (GRIK2).

Seasonal changes in coral thermal threshold suggest species-specific strategies for coping with temperature variations.

Coral thermotolerance research has focused on the ability of coral holobionts to maximize withstanding thermal stress exposure. Yet, it's unclear whether thermal thresholds adjust across seasons or remain constant for a given species and location. Here, we assessed the thermal tolerance thresholds over time spanning the annual temperature variation in the Red Sea for Pocillopora verrucosa and Acropora spp.

Rapid and scalable ruthenium catalyzed meta-C-H alkylation enabled by resonant acoustic mixing.

Synthetic chemistry approaches for direct C-H bond alkylation offers a promising alternative to traditional functional-group-centered strategies which often involve multi-step procedures and may suffer from a variety of challenges including scalability. Here, we introduce resonant mixing as an efficient method for meta-C-H alkylation of arenes using a Ru-catalyst, avoiding the need for bulk solvents, external temperature, or light. The described methodology is highly rapid, enabling multigram-scale synthesis of meta-alkylation products within a short reaction time and achieving a very high turnover frequency.

Genome assembly of a diversity panel of Chenopodium quinoa.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is an important crop for the future challenges of food and nutrient security. Deep characterization of quinoa diversity is needed to support the agronomic improvement and adaptation of quinoa as its worldwide cultivation expands. In this study, we report the construction of chromosome-scale genome assemblies of eight quinoa accessions covering the range of phenotypic and genetic diversity of both lowland and highland quinoas.

An HuR mutant, HuR-V225I, identified in adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma, alters the pro-apoptotic function of HuR.

The RNA-binding protein HuR regulates various cellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, and cell fate. Moreover, recent studies have shown that HuR modulates the expression of factors important for tumor growth and progression. Despite its prominent role in tumorigenesis, until recently, there have been no reported mutations in HuR that have been associated to cancer.