Children's cost-benefit analysis about agents who act for the greater good.

Acting for the greater good often involves paying a personal cost to benefit the collective. In two studies, we investigate how children (N = 184, M = 8.02 years, SD = 1.

Omics-driven onboarding of the carotenoid producing red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous CBS 6938.

Transcriptomics is a powerful approach for functional genomics and systems biology, yet it can also be used for genetic part discovery. Here, we derive constitutive and light-regulated promoters directly from transcriptomics data of the basidiomycete red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous CBS 6938 (anamorph Phaffia rhodozyma) and use these promoters with other genetic elements to create a modular synthetic biology parts collection for this organism. X.

High sound pressure piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers using sputtered potassium sodium niobate.

This work presents air-coupled piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) with high sound pressure level (SPL) under low-driving voltages by utilizing sputtered potassium sodium niobate KNaNbO (KNN) films. A prototype single KNN pMUT has been tested to show a resonant frequency at 106.3 kHz under 4 V with outstanding characteristics: (1) a large vibration amplitude of 3.

Patterns in coarse root decomposition of woody plants: effects of climate, root quality, mycorrhizal associations and phylogeny.

Coarse roots represent a globally important belowground carbon pool, but the factors controlling coarse root decomposition rates remain poorly understood relative to other plant biomass components. We compiled the most comprehensive dataset of coarse root decomposition data including 148 observations from 60 woody species, and linked coarse root decomposition rates to plant traits, phylogeny and climate to address questions of the dominant controls on coarse root decomposition. We found that decomposition rates increased with mean annual temperature, root nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations.

Perception of a pathogenic signature initiates intergenerational protection.

Transmission of immune responses from one generation to the next represents a powerful adaptive mechanism to protect an organism's descendants. Parental infection by the natural C. elegans pathogen Pseudomonas vranovensis induces a protective response in progeny, but the bacterial cues and intergenerational signal driving this response were previously unknown.

Social, environmental, and developmental factors affect the microbiota of barn owls (Tyto alba) in a cross-fostering experiment.

Background: Species host diverse microbial communities that can impact their digestion and health, which has led to much interest in understanding the factors that influence their microbiota. We studied the developmental, environmental, and social factors that influence the microbiota of nestling barn owls (Tyto alba) through a partial cross-fostering experiment that manipulated the social and nest environment of the nestlings. We then examined the nestling microbiota before and three weeks after the exchange of nestlings between nests, along with the microbiota of the adults at the nest and nestlings in unmanipulated nests.

Chiral effects at the metal center in Fe(III) spin crossover coordination salts.

Evidence of chirality was observed at the Fe metal center in Fe(III) spin crossover coordination salts [Fe(qsal)][Ni(dmit)] and [Fe(qsal)](TCNQ)from x-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopy at the Fe 2pcore threshold. Based on the circularly polarized XAS data, the x-ray natural circular dichroism for [Fe(qsal)][Ni(dmit)] and [Fe(qsal)](TCNQ)is far stronger than seen for [Fe(qsal)]Cl suggesting this natural circular dichroism signature is a ligand effect rather than a result of just a loss of octahedral symmetry on the Fe core. The larger the chiral effects in the Fe 2p core to bound XAS, the greater the perturbation of the Fe 2pto 2pspin-orbit splitting seen in the XAS spectra.

Assessing the predicted impact of single amino acid substitutions in calmodulin for CAGI6 challenges.

Recent thermodynamic and functional studies have been conducted to evaluate the impact of amino acid substitutions on Calmodulin (CaM). The Critical Assessment of Genome Interpretation (CAGI) data provider at University of Verona (Italy) measured the melting temperature (T) and the percentage of unfolding (%unfold) of a set of CaM variants (CaM challenge dataset). Thermodynamic measurements for the equilibrium unfolding of CaM were obtained by monitoring far-UV Circular Dichroism as a function of temperature.

Coherent-Precipitation-Stabilized Phase Formation in Over-Stoichiometric Rocksalt-Type Li Superionic Conductors.

Rationalizing synthetic pathways is crucial for material design and property optimization, especially for polymorphic and metastable phases. Over-stoichiometric rocksalt (ORX) compounds, characterized by their face-sharing configurations, are a promising group of materials with unique properties; however, their development is significantly hindered by challenges in synthesizability. Here, taking the recently identified Li superionic conductor, over-stoichiometric rocksalt Li-In-Sn-O (o-LISO) material as a prototypical ORX compound, the mechanisms of phase formation are systematically investigated.

Fe starvation induces a second LHCI tetramer to photosystem I in green algae.

Iron (Fe) availability limits photosynthesis at a global scale where Fe-rich photosystem (PS) I abundance is drastically reduced in Fe-poor environments. We used single-particle cryo-electron microscopy to reveal a unique Fe starvation-dependent arrangement of light-harvesting chlorophyll (LHC) proteins where Fe starvation-induced TIDI1 is found in an additional tetramer of LHC proteins associated with PSI in and . These cosmopolitan green algae are resilient to poor Fe nutrition.

Cell surface crowding is a tunable biophysical barrier to cell-cell fusion.

Cell-cell fusion is fundamental to developmental processes such as muscle formation, as well as to viral infections that cause pathological syncytia. An essential step in fusion is close membrane apposition, but cell membranes are crowded with proteins, glycoproteins, and glycolipids, all of which must be cleared before a fusion pore can be nucleated. Here, we find that cell surface crowding drastically reduces fusogenicity in multiple systems, independent of the method for driving fusion.

Temporal dynamics in a red alga dominated geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park.

Alga-dominated geothermal spring communities in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA, have been the focus of many studies, however, relatively little is known about the composition and community interactions which underpin these ecosystems. Our goal was to determine, in three neighboring yet distinct environments in Lemonade Creek, YNP, how cells cope with abiotic stressors over the diurnal cycle. All three environments are colonized by two photosynthetic lineages, and , both of which are extremophilic Cyanidiophyceae red algae.

Dual Infrared 2-Photon Microscopy Achieves Minimal Background Deep Tissue Imaging in Brain and Plant Tissues.

Traditional deep fluorescence imaging has primarily focused on red-shifting imaging wavelengths into the near-infrared (NIR) windows or implementation of multi-photon excitation approaches. Here, we combine the advantages of NIR and multiphoton imaging by developing a dual-infrared two-photon microscope to enable high-resolution deep imaging in biological tissues. We first computationally identify that photon absorption, as opposed to scattering, is the primary contributor to signal attenuation.

Accelerating the Electrochemical Formation of the δ Phase in Manganese-Rich Rocksalt Cathodes.

Mn-rich disordered rocksalt materials with Li-excess (DRX) materials have emerged as a promising class of earth-abundant and energy-dense next-generation cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. Recently, an electrochemical transformation to a spinel-like "δ" phase has been reported in Mn-rich DRX materials, with improved capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability compared with previous DRX compositions. However, this transformation unfolds slowly over the course of cycling, complicating the development and understanding of these materials.

Experimental horizontal transfer of phage-derived genes to Drosophila confers innate immunity to parasitoids.

Metazoan parasites have played a major role in shaping innate immunity in animals. Insect hosts and parasitoid wasps are excellent models for illuminating how animal innate immune systems have evolved to neutralize these enemies. One such strategy relies on symbioses between insects and intracellular bacteria that express phage-encoded toxins.

A fully contained sample holder capable of electron-yield detection at soft X-ray energies.

A holder has been developed that enables electron yield-detected soft X-ray spectroscopy of fully contained samples at low temperature. Crucially, this design uses elements of the sample containment to collect ejected electrons, removing the need to expose samples directly to the vacuum environment of the spectrometer. The design is modular and should be adaptable to a number of different endstation configurations, enabling spectroscopy of air-sensitive, radioactive and vacuum-sensitive (biological) samples.

RNA elements required for the high efficiency of West Nile virus-induced ribosomal frameshifting.

West Nile virus (WNV) requires programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting for translation of the viral genome. The efficiency of WNV frameshifting is among the highest known. However, it remains unclear why WNV exhibits such a high frameshifting efficiency.

Diverse microbiome functions, limited temporal variation and substantial genomic conservation within sedimentary and granite rock deep underground research laboratories.

Background: Underground research laboratories (URLs) provide a window on the deep biosphere and enable investigation of potential microbial impacts on nuclear waste, CO and H stored in the subsurface. We carried out the first multi-year study of groundwater microbiomes sampled from defined intervals between 140 and 400 m below the surface of the Horonobe and Mizunami URLs, Japan.

Results: We reconstructed draft genomes for > 90% of all organisms detected over a four year period.

Beyond the underlying cause of death: an algorithm to study multi-morbidity at death.

Background: In countries with high life expectancy, a growing share of the population is living with several diseases, a situation referred to as multi-morbidity. In addition to health data, cause-of-death data, based on the information reported on death certificates, can help monitor and characterize this situation. This requires going beyond the underlying cause of death and accounting for all causes on the death certificates which may have played various roles in the morbid process, depending on how they relate to each other.

Exploring the genetic expression of Wickerhamomyces anomalus during biosurfactant production from waste cooking oil.

Aims: Biosurfactants are valuable eco-friendly compounds with broad industrial applications, particularly when produced sustainably using yeast and renewable carbon sources. Despite the potential of yeast in biosurfactant synthesis, little is known about the specific gene expression changes underlying this process. This study investigates the genetic response of Wickerhamomyces anomalus CCMA 0358 to biosurfactant production using waste cooking oil (WCO) as a low-cost carbon source.

Tip-Induced 3D Printing on the Nanoscale with Field Emission Scanning Probes.

3D printing down to the nanoscale remains a significant challenge. In this paper, the study explores the use of scanning probes that emit low-energy electrons (<100 eV) coupled with the localized injection and electron-induced decomposition of precursor molecules, for the precise localized deposition of 3D nanostructures. The experiments are performed inside the chamber of a scanning electron microscope (SEM), enabling the use of the in-built gas injector system (GIS) with gaseous naphthalene precursor for carbon deposition, as well as immediate inspection of the deposits by SEM.

Century-old herbarium specimen provides insights into Pierce's disease of grapevines emergence in the Americas.

Fossils and other preserved specimens are integral for informing timing and evolutionary history in every biological system. By isolating a plant pathogen genome from herbarium-preserved diseased grapevine material from 1906 (Herb_1906), we were able to answer questions about an enigmatic system. The emergence of Pierce's disease (PD) of grapevine has shaped viticultural production in North America; yet, there are uncertainties about the geographic origin of the pathogen (Xylella fastidiosa subsp.

An attempted oxidative coupling approach to the scholarinine A framework.

In this manuscript, an oxidative carbon-carbon bond forming reaction to construct the framework of alkaloids such as scholarinine A is explored using a constrained substrate. Instead of the desired carbon-carbon bond formation between an indole C3 position and a malonate group, a competing carbon-nitrogen bond between the malonate and indole C3 position was observed to form. This work adds to the growing body of substrates for oxidative carbon-carbon bond formation and importantly, demonstrates that these reactions are challenging for some conformationally constrained substrates.

Continuous Flow Photoelectrochemical Reactor with Gas Permeable Photocathode: Enhanced Photocurrent and Partial Current Density for CO Reduction.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) CO reduction using a photocathode is an attractive method for making valuable chemical products due to its simplicity and lower overpotential requirements. However, previous PEC processes have often been diffusion-limited leading to low production rates of the CO reduction reaction, due to inefficient gas diffusion through the liquid electrolyte to the catalyst surface, particularly at high current densities. In this study, a gas-permeable photocathode in a continuous flow PEC reactor is incorporated, which facilitates the direct supply of CO gas to the photocathode-electrolyte interface, unlike dark reaction-based flow reactors.