Cryo-EM phase-plate images reveal unexpected levels of apparent specimen damage.

Apoferritin (apoF) is commonly used as a test specimen in single-particle electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM), since it consistently produces density maps that go to 3 Å resolution or higher. When we imaged apoF with a laser phase plate (LPP), however, we observed more severe particle-to-particle variation in the images than we had previously thought to exist. Similarly, we found that images of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rubisco) also exhibited a much greater amount of heterogeneity than expected.

NeuralFeels with neural fields: Visuotactile perception for in-hand manipulation.

To achieve human-level dexterity, robots must infer spatial awareness from multimodal sensing to reason over contact interactions. During in-hand manipulation of novel objects, such spatial awareness involves estimating the object's pose and shape. The status quo for in-hand perception primarily uses vision and is restricted to tracking a priori known objects.

Highly Responsive Polar Vortices in All-Ferroelectric Heterostructures.

The discovery of polar vortices and skyrmions in ferroelectric-dielectric superlattices [such as (PbTiO)/(SrTiO)] has ushered in an era of novel dipolar topologies and corresponding emergent phenomena. The key to creating such emergent features has generally been considered to be related to counterpoising strongly polar and non-polar materials thus creating the appropriate boundary conditions. This limits the utility these materials can have, however, by rendering (effectively) half of the structure unresponsive to applied stimuli.

Tribute to Kenneth Sauer (1931-2022): a mentor, a role-model, and an inspiration to all in the field of photosynthesis.

Kenneth (Ken) Sauer was a mainstay of research in photosynthesis at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for more than 50 years. Ken will be remembered by his colleagues, and other workers in the field of photosynthesis as well, for his pioneering work that introduced the physical techniques whose application have enriched our understanding of the basic reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis. His laboratory was a training ground for many students and postdocs who went on to success in the field of photosynthesis and many others.

A Nanosized {Ni } Cluster with a 'Flying Saucer' Topology Exhibiting Slow Relaxation of Magnetisation Phenomena at Both 15 K and 1.3 K.

A high-nuclearity {Ni} complex (1) with a unique 'flying saucer' motif has been prepared from the organic chelate, α-methyl-2-pyridine-methanol (mpmH), in conjunction with bridging azido (N ) and peroxido (O ) ligands. Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed the presence of both ferro- and antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between the metal centres in 1, and the stabilization of spin states with appreciable S values at two different temperature regimes. The end-on bridging azido and alkoxido groups are in all likelihood the ferromagnetic mediators, while the η:η:μ-bridging peroxides most likely promote the antiparallel alignment of the metals' spin vectors, yielding an overall non-zero spin ground state for the centrosymmetric compound 1.

Indoor radon trends with building code change in two Canadian cities.

Radon studies were conducted in two Canadian cities, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, to evaluate trends in indoor radon before and after the 2010 National Building Code of Canada was adopted into the legally binding provincial building codes in 2011. Participants were recruited in neighbourhoods characterized by newer housing developments. A postcard campaign in each city offered free radon testing to every house in the target areas, and free testing kits were mailed to study participants.

Interdisciplinary insights into the cultural and chronological context of chili pepper ( var. L.) domestication in Mexico.

This study investigates the temporal and spatial factors driving the domestication of var. L. in Mexico.

Hematite U-Pb dating of Snowball Earth meltwater events.

The Snowball Earth hypothesis predicts global ice cover; however, previous descriptions of Cryogenian (720-635 Ma) glacial deposits are limited to continental margins and shallow marine basins. The Tavakaiv (Tava) sandstone injectites and ridges in Colorado, USA, preserve a rare terrestrial record of Cryogenian low-latitude glaciation. Injectites, ridges, and chemically weathered crystalline rock display features characteristic of fluidization and pervasive deformation in a subglacial environment due to glacial loading, fluid overpressure, and repeated sand injection during meltwater events.

Mitigating coherent loss in superconducting circuits using molecular self-assembled monolayers.

In planar superconducting circuits, decoherence due to materials imperfections, especially two-level-system (TLS) defects at different interfaces, is a primary hurdle for advancing quantum computing and sensing applications. Traditional methods for mitigating TLS loss, such as etching oxide layers at metal and substrate interfaces, have proven to be inadequate due to the persistent challenge of oxide regrowth. In this work, we introduce a novel approach that employs molecular self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to chemically bind at different interfaces of superconducting circuits.

Thermal stability and coalescence dynamics of exsolved metal nanoparticles at charged perovskite surfaces.

Exsolution reactions enable the synthesis of oxide-supported metal nanoparticles, which are desirable as catalysts in green energy conversion technologies. It is crucial to precisely tailor the nanoparticle characteristics to optimize the catalysts' functionality, and to maintain the catalytic performance under operation conditions. We use chemical (co)-doping to modify the defect chemistry of exsolution-active perovskite oxides and examine its influence on the mass transfer kinetics of Ni dopants towards the oxide surface and on the subsequent coalescence behavior of the exsolved nanoparticles during a continuous thermal reduction treatment.

Space radiation research with heavy ions at HIMAC.

The HIMAC (Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba) was originally designed principally for carbon ion therapy, but heavy ion research projects in medicine, physics, chemistry and biology have been conducted under a collaborative research framework since 1994. One major application is space radiation research. The radiation in space of greatest interest for human space exploration consists of energetic protons and heavy ions which can affect the health of space crew and lead to the failure of electronic devices.

An injectable dual-layer chitosan-alginate nano-hydrogel incorporated Cu(I)-isopolymolybdate-based metal-organic framework tailored for three-in-one anti-cancer nanotherapy.

Designing potential agents and constructing hydrophilic nano-hydrogel platforms for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, especially for polyoxometalate-based metal-organic frameworks (PMOF), present both great desirability and significant challenges. A unique open porous Cu(I)-isopolymolybdate-based metal-organic framework (CCUT) has been self-assembled through ionothermal processes for in vivo synergistic anti-cancer therapy. The periodicity of Drugs@CCUT-1 (nano-crystals of CCUT after cation exchange and anti-cancer drugs upload) has been investigated by synchrotron wide-angle X-ray scattering, confirming the lattice structure unchanged.

Development of over 30-years of high spatiotemporal resolution air pollution models and surfaces for California.

California's diverse geography and meteorological conditions necessitate models capturing fine-grained patterns of air pollution distribution. This study presents the development of high-resolution (100 m) daily land use regression (LUR) models spanning 1989-2021 for nitrogen dioxide (NO), fine particulate matter (PM), and ozone (O) across California. These machine learning LUR algorithms integrated comprehensive data sources, including traffic, land use, land cover, meteorological conditions, vegetation dynamics, and satellite data.

Emerging Trends and Technologies Used for the Identification, Detection, and Characterisation of Plant-Parasitic Nematode Infestation in Crops.

Accurate identification and estimation of the population densities of microscopic, soil-dwelling plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) are essential, as PPNs cause significant economic losses in agricultural production systems worldwide. This study presents a comprehensive review of emerging techniques used for the identification of PPNs, including morphological identification, molecular diagnostics such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), high-throughput sequencing, meta barcoding, remote sensing, hyperspectral analysis, and image processing. Classical morphological methods require a microscope and nematode taxonomist to identify species, which is laborious and time-consuming.

Computational Advances in Ionic Liquid Applications for Green Chemistry: A Critical Review of Lignin Processing and Machine Learning Approaches.

The valorization and dissolution of lignin using ionic liquids (ILs) is critical for developing sustainable biorefineries and a circular bioeconomy. This review aims to critically assess the current state of computational and machine learning methods for understanding and optimizing IL-based lignin dissolution and valorization processes reported since 2022. The paper examines various computational approaches, from quantum chemistry to machine learning, highlighting their strengths, limitations, and recent advances in predicting and optimizing lignin-IL interactions.

Disparities in Food Insecurity and Academic Achievement Among California Public University Students: An Intersectional Approach.

: Historically racialized status (HRS) and low socioeconomic position (SEP) are independent risk factors for food insecurity and poor academic achievement among college students. Despite increased enrollment of students from historically racialized groups and low SEP, little is known regarding the intersectional experience of these contemporary student characteristics with food security status or academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine the intersections of racialized status and SEP with food insecurity and academic achievement among undergraduate students attending a public university system in California.

HIV Social-network intervention more effective in older populations in Kenya.

US President's Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS has been credited with saving 25 million lives in sub-Sahara Africa and, as such, constitutes a preeminent US foreign policy achievement of the twenty-first century. However, the implementation of effective HIV/AIDS pharmacological interventions remains a challenge in rural Kenyan communities. Of particular importance are patient retention and care engagement and their interaction with age disparities that are sensitive to different socioeconomic contexts, as well as time-in-treatment.

The interplay of age, gender and amyloid on brain and cognition in mid-life and older adults.

Deficits in memory are seen as a canonical sign of aging and a prodrome to dementia in older adults. However, our understanding of age-related cognition and brain morphology occurring throughout a broader spectrum of adulthood remains limited. We quantified the relationship between cognitive function and brain morphology (sulcal width, SW) using three cross-sectional observational datasets (PISA, AIBL, ADNI) from mid-life to older adulthood, assessing the influence of age, sex, amyloid (Aβ) and genetic risk for dementia.

Genetic barcodes for species identification and phylogenetic estimation in ghost spiders (Araneae: Anyphaenidae: Amaurobioidinae).

The identification of spider species presents many challenges, since in most cases the characters used are from genital structures that are only fully developed in the adult stage, hence the identification of immatures is most often not possible. Additionally, these structures usually also present some intra-specific variability, which in some cases makes the identification of closely related species difficult. The genetic barcode technique (DNA barcodes), based on sequencing of the mitochondrial marker cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI ), has proven a useful, complementary tool to overcome these limitations.

The Warburg Effect is the result of faster ATP production by glycolysis than respiration.

Many prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells metabolize glucose to organism-specific by-products instead of fully oxidizing it to carbon dioxide and water-a phenomenon referred to as the Warburg Effect. The benefit to a cell is not fully understood, given that partial metabolism of glucose yields an order of magnitude less adenosine triphosphate (ATP) per molecule of glucose than complete oxidation. Here, we test a previously formulated hypothesis that the benefit of the Warburg Effect is to increase ATP production rate by switching from high-yielding respiration to faster glycolysis when excess glucose is available and respiration rate becomes limited by proteome occupancy.

Biomarker potential of nuclear Nrf2 activation in the ABC subtype of diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma characterized by distinct subtypes and heterogeneous treatment outcomes. Oxidative stress and the dysregulation of related regulatory genes are prevalent in DLBCL, prompting an investigation into the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) signaling pathway and associated genes. The present study assessed pathological specimens and clinical data from 43 newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL, comparing the associations and correlations between the expression of Nrf2, Keap1, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3β (LC3B) and nitrotyrosine and the activated B-cell (ABC) and germinal center B-cell (GCB) subtypes of DLBCL using immunohistochemistry and digital image analysis software.

Anisotropic Ferroelectricity in Polar Vortices.

The exotic polarization configurations of topologically protected dipolar textures have opened new avenues for realizing novel phenomena absent in traditional ferroelectric systems. While multiple recent studies have revealed a diverse array of emergent properties in such polar topologies, the details of their atomic and mesoscale structures remain incomplete. Through atomic- and meso-scale imaging techniques, the emergence of a macroscopic ferroelectric polarization along both principal axes of the vortex lattice while performing phase-field modeling to probe the atomic scale origins of these distinct polarization components is demonstrated.