Search for Cosmic-Ray Boosted Sub-GeV Dark Matter Using Recoil Protons at Super-Kamiokande.

We report a search for cosmic-ray boosted dark matter with protons using the 0.37  megaton×years data collected at Super-Kamiokande experiment during the 1996-2018 period (SKI-IV phase). We searched for an excess of proton recoils above the atmospheric neutrino background from the vicinity of the Galactic Center.

Field-effect transistor antigen/antibody-TMDs sensors for the detection of COVID-19 samples.

We fabricated sensors by modifying the surface of MoS and WS with COVID-19 antibodies and investigated their characteristics, including stability, reusability, sensitivity, and selectivity. Thiols and disulfanes in antibodies strongly interact with vacant Mo or W sites of MoS or WS, yielding durable devices that are stable for several days in the air or water. More importantly, detachment of the antibodies is suppressed even during the aggressive cleaning process of the devices at pH 3, which allows reusing the same device in several experiments without appreciable loss of sensitivity.

Diversity of Na allocation in salt-tolerant species of the genus .

Wild species in the genus are a great resource of tolerance to various stresses including salinity. We have previously screened the genetic resources of the genus and identified several accessions that have independently evolved salt tolerance. However, many aspects of such tolerance have remained unknown.

, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is responsible for loss of awns during African rice domestication.

Two species of rice have been independently domesticated from different ancestral wild species in Asia and Africa. Comparison of mutations that underlie phenotypic and physiological alterations associated with domestication traits in these species gives insights into the domestication history of rice in both regions. Asian cultivated rice, and African cultivated rice, , have been modified and improved for common traits beneficial for humans, including erect plant architecture, nonshattering seeds, nonpigmented pericarp, and lack of awns.

Machine-Learning Classification for the Prediction of Catalytic Activity of Organic Photosensitizers in the Nickel(II)-Salt-Induced Synthesis of Phenols.

Catalytic systems using a small amount of organic photosensitizer for the activation of an inorganic (on-demand ligand-free) nickel(II) salt represent a cost-effective method for cross-coupling reactions, while C(sp )-O bond formation remains less developed. Herein, we report a strategy for the synthesis of phenols with a nickel(II) salt and an organic photosensitizer, which was identified via an investigation into the catalytic activity of 60 organic photosensitizers consisting of various electron donor and acceptor moieties. To examine the effect of multiple intractable parameters on the catalytic activity of photosensitizers, machine-learning (ML) models were developed, wherein we embedded descriptors representing their physical and structural properties, which were obtained from DFT calculations and RDKit, respectively.

Control of Plant Cell Growth and Proliferation by MO25A, a Conserved Major Component of the Mammalian Sterile 20-Like Kinase Pathway.

The precise control of cell growth and proliferation underpins the development of plants and animals. These factors affect the development and size of organs and the body. In plants, the growth and proliferation of cells are regulated by environmental stimuli and intrinsic signaling, allowing different cell types to have specific growth and proliferation characteristics.

Evolutionary conservation and diversification of auditory neural circuits that process courtship songs in Drosophila.

Acoustic communication signals diversify even on short evolutionary time scales. To understand how the auditory system underlying acoustic communication could evolve, we conducted a systematic comparison of the early stages of the auditory neural circuit involved in song information processing between closely-related fruit-fly species. Male Drosophila melanogaster and D.

Synthesis of Isomeric Tb -Phthalocyanine Double-Decker Complexes Depending on the Difference in the Direction of Coordination Plane and Their Magnetic Properties.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Kentaro Tanaka at Nagoya University and co-workers. The image depicts three isomers of a terbium(III) phthalocyanine double-decker complex made from C symmetrically substituted phthalocyanines and their magnetic properties. Read the full text of the article at 10.

F-actin regulates the polarized secretion of pollen tube attractants in Arabidopsis synergid cells.

Pollen tube attraction is a key event of sexual reproduction in flowering plants. In the ovule, two synergid cells neighboring the egg cell control pollen tube arrival via the active secretion of attractant peptides such as AtLURE1 and XIUQIU from the filiform apparatus (FA) facing toward the micropyle. Distinctive cell polarity together with longitudinal F-actin and microtubules are hallmarks of the synergid cell in various species, though the functions of these cellular structures are unclear.

Attachment and detachment of cortical myosin regulates cell junction exchange during cell rearrangement in the Drosophila wing epithelium.

Epithelial cells remodel cell adhesion and change their neighbors to shape a tissue. This cellular rearrangement proceeds in three steps: the shrinkage of a junction, exchange of junctions, and elongation of the newly generated junction. Herein, by combining live imaging and physical modeling, we showed that the formation of myosin-II (myo-II) cables around the cell vertices underlies the exchange of junctions in the Drosophila wing epithelium.

Coordination-Induced Trigger for Activity: N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Decorated Ceria Catalysts Incorporating Cr and Rh with Activity Induction by Surface Adsorption Site Control.

A coordination-induced trigger for catalytic activity is proposed on an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-decorated ceria catalyst incorporating Cr and Rh (ICy--CrRhCeO). ICy--CrRhCeO was prepared by grafting 1,3-dicyclohexylimidazol-2-ylidene (ICy) onto H-reduced CrRhCeO (-CrRhCeO) surfaces, which went on to exhibit substantial catalytic activity for the 1,4-arylation of cyclohexenone with phenylboronic acid, whereas -CrRhCeO without ICy was inactive. FT-IR, Rh -edge XAFS, XPS, and photoluminescence spectroscopy showed that the ICy carbene-coordinated Rh nanoclusters were the key active species.

Deshima 2.0: Rapid Redshift Surveys and Multi-line Spectroscopy of Dusty Galaxies.

We present a feasibility study for the high-redshift galaxy part of the Science Verification Campaign with the 220-440 GHz deshima 2.0 integrated superconducting spectrometer on the ASTE telescope. The first version of the deshima 2.

Tip-scan high-speed atomic force microscopy with a uniaxial substrate stretching device for studying dynamics of biomolecules under mechanical stress.

High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is a powerful tool for studying the dynamics of biomolecules in vitro because of its high temporal and spatial resolution. However, multi-functionalization, such as combination with complementary measurement methods, environment control, and large-scale mechanical manipulation of samples, is still a complex endeavor due to the inherent design and the compact sample scanning stage. Emerging tip-scan HS-AFM overcame this design hindrance and opened a door for additional functionalities.

Synthesis of Isomeric Tb -Phthalocyanine Double-Decker Complexes Depending on the Difference in the Direction of Coordination Plane and Their Magnetic Properties.

A C symmetrically substituted phthalocyanine, 1,8,15,22-tertrakis(2,4-dimethylpent-3-oxy)phthalocyanine (H TdMPPc), was used to synthesize Tb -phthalocyanine double-decker complexes ([Tb(TdMPPc) ]s). Because H TdMPPc has C symmetry, S,S, R,R, and meso isomers of [Tb(TdMPPc) ] were obtained depending on the difference in the direction of the coordination plane of two C -type phthalocyanines with respect to a central Tb ion. We investigated the physical properties of these [Tb(TdMPPc) ] isomers, including their single-ion magnetic properties, and found that the spin-reversal energy barrier (U ) of the meso isomer was apparently higher than that of the enantiomers.

Polarized x-rays constrain the disk-jet geometry in the black hole x-ray binary Cygnus X-1.

A black hole x-ray binary (XRB) system forms when gas is stripped from a normal star and accretes onto a black hole, which heats the gas sufficiently to emit x-rays. We report a polarimetric observation of the XRB Cygnus X-1 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. The electric field position angle aligns with the outflowing jet, indicating that the jet is launched from the inner x-ray-emitting region.

Polarized x-rays from a magnetar.

Magnetars are neutron stars with ultrastrong magnetic fields, which can be observed in x-rays. Polarization measurements could provide information on their magnetic fields and surface properties. We observed polarized x-rays from the magnetar 4U 0142+61 using the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer and found a linear polarization degree of 13.

Search for New Physics in Electronic Recoil Data from XENONnT.

We report on a blinded analysis of low-energy electronic recoil data from the first science run of the XENONnT dark matter experiment. Novel subsystems and the increased 5.9 ton liquid xenon target reduced the background in the (1, 30) keV search region to (15.

LRRK1-mediated NDEL1 phosphorylation promotes cilia disassembly via dynein-2-driven retrograde intraflagellar transport.

Primary cilia are antenna-like organelles that regulate growth and development via extracellular signals. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cilia dynamics, particularly those regulating their disassembly, are not well understood. Here, we show that leucine-rich repeat kinase 1 (LRRK1) plays a role in regulating cilia disassembly.

Laser-driven multi-MeV high-purity proton acceleration via anisotropic ambipolar expansion of micron-scale hydrogen clusters.

Multi-MeV high-purity proton acceleration by using a hydrogen cluster target irradiated with repetitive, relativistic intensity laser pulses has been demonstrated. Statistical analysis of hundreds of data sets highlights the existence of markedly high energy protons produced from the laser-irradiated clusters with micron-scale diameters. The spatial distribution of the accelerated protons is found to be anisotropic, where the higher energy protons are preferentially accelerated along the laser propagation direction due to the relativistic effect.

Detecting time-evolving phenotypic components of adverse reactions against BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine via non-negative tensor factorization.

Symptoms of adverse reactions to vaccines evolve over time, but traditional studies have focused only on the frequency and intensity of symptoms. Here, we attempt to extract the dynamic changes in vaccine adverse reaction symptoms as a small number of interpretable components by using non-negative tensor factorization. We recruited healthcare workers who received two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine at Chiba University Hospital and collected information on adverse reactions using a smartphone/web-based platform.

Structure of MotA, a flagellar stator protein, from hyperthermophile.

Many motile bacteria swim and swarm toward favorable environments using the flagellum, which is rotated by a motor embedded in the inner membrane. The motor is composed of the rotor and the stator, and the motor torque is generated by the change of the interaction between the rotor and the stator induced by the ion flow through the stator. A stator unit consists of two types of membrane proteins termed A and B.

Thermal and photoinduced electron transfer reactions of phthalocyanine complexes of Zn(II) and Cu(II) in acetonitrile.

Phthalocyanine that has four peripheral 2-methoxyphenyl substituents at the α-position and its Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes were synthesized. Chemical oxidation by the Cu(II) ion and electrochemical oxidation of these metal complexes were investigated spectrophotometrically in acetonitrile. The UV-visible absorption spectra of these metal complexes and their one-electron oxidized π-cation radicals showed no concentration dependence, indicating that these species exist as monomers in solution.

Genetic screens identified dual roles of microtubule-associated serine threonine kinase and CREB within a single thermosensory neuron in the regulation of Caenorhabditis elegans thermotaxis behavior.

Animals integrate sensory stimuli presented at the past and present, assess the changes in their surroundings and navigate themselves toward preferred environment. Identifying the neural mechanisms of such sensory integration is pivotal to understand how the nervous system generates perception and behavior. Previous studies on thermotaxis behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans suggested that a single thermosensory neuron AFD plays an important role in integrating the past and present temperature information and is essential for the neural computation that drives the animal toward the preferred temperature region.

Elevated CO induces rapid dephosphorylation of plasma membrane H -ATPase in guard cells.

Light induces stomatal opening, which is driven by plasma membrane (PM) H -ATPase in guard cells. The activation of guard-cell PM H -ATPase is mediated by phosphorylation of the penultimate C-terminal residue, threonine. The phosphorylation is induced by photosynthesis as well as blue light photoreceptor phototropin.