Evolution and development of complex floral displays.

Flowering plants - angiosperms - display an astounding diversity of floral features, which have evolved in response to animal pollination and have resulted in the most species-rich plant clade. Combinations of macroscale (e.g.

VPS26 Moonlights as a β-Arrestin-like Adapter for a 7-Transmembrane RGS Protein in .

Extracellular signals perceived by 7-transmembrane (7TM)-spanning receptors initiate desensitization that involves the removal of these receptors from the plasma membrane. Agonist binding often evokes phosphorylation in the flexible C-terminal region and/or intracellular loop 3 of many 7TM G-protein-coupled receptors in animal cells, which consequently recruits a cytoplasmic intermediate adaptor, β-arrestin, resulting in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and downstream signaling such as transcriptional changes. Some 7TM receptors undergo CME without recruiting β-arrestin, but it is not clear how.

Stabilisation of Bromenium Ions in Macrocyclic Halogen Bond Complexes.

Halenium ions (X) are highly reactive electron deficient species that are prevalent transient intermediates in halogenation reactions. The stabilisation of these species is especially challenging, with the most common approach to sequester reactivity through the formation of bis-pyridine (Py) complexes; [(Py)X]. Herein, we present the first example of a macrocyclic stabilisation effect for halenium species.

Determining Ion-Pair Binding Affinities of Heteroditopic Receptor Systems.

Determining ion-pair affinities in heteroditopic receptor systems presents a persistent and significant challenge. The plethora of technical and experimental problems implicated in measuring ion-pair affinities have encouraged the use of several expedient experimental practices as a means of characterising ion-pair recognition behaviour. Exploiting a model heteroditopic receptor system, we interrogate the reliability of these methods and demonstrate that these commonly used techniques can be highly questionable and without extreme care can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Proteome- and Transcriptome-Wide Genetic Analysis Identifies Biological Pathways and Candidate Drug Targets for Preeclampsia.

Background: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. However, the current understanding of its underlying biological pathways remains limited.

Methods: In this study, we performed a cross-platform proteome- and transcriptome-wide genetic analysis aimed at evaluating the causal relevance of >2000 circulating proteins with preeclampsia, supported by data on the expression of over 15 000 genes across 36 tissues leveraging large-scale preeclampsia genetic association data from women of European ancestry.

Transient haemoptysis after taking sildenafil.

We report a case of a man in his 70s who developed haemoptysis 3 days after commencing sildenafil. Before postulating a potential connection between sildenafil use and haemoptysis, it is important to rule out potential other causative factors and comorbidities. The patient suffers from multiple medical conditions and takes various medications.

Differential reorganization of episodic and semantic memory systems in epilepsy-related mesiotemporal pathology.

Declarative memory encompasses episodic and semantic divisions. Episodic memory captures singular events with specific spatiotemporal relationships, whereas semantic memory houses context-independent knowledge. Behavioural and functional neuroimaging studies have revealed common and distinct neural substrates of both memory systems, implicating mesiotemporal lobe (MTL) regions such as the hippocampus and distributed neocortices.

Social Media Use and Internalizing Symptoms in Clinical and Community Adolescent Samples: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: In response to widespread concerns about social media's influence on adolescent mental health, most research has studied adolescents from the general population, overlooking clinical groups.

Objective: To synthesize, quantify, and compare evidence on the association between social media use and internalizing symptoms in adolescent clinical and community samples.

Data Sources: Peer-reviewed publications from MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycInfo, and Scopus (initially reviewed in May 2022 and updated in October 2023) and preprints from Europe PubMed Central (February 2023) published in English between 2007 and 2023.

Epicardial placement of human placental membrane allografts in coronary artery bypass graft surgery is associated with reduced postoperative atrial fibrillation: a pilot study for a future multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Background: Post-operative atrial fibrillation (POAF) occurs in up to 40% of patients following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and is associated with a higher risk of stroke and mortality. This study investigates how POAF may be mitigated by epicardial placement of aseptically processed human placental membrane allografts (HPMAs) before pericardial closure in CABG surgery. This study was conducted as a pilot feasibility study to collect preliminary for a forthcoming multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Mechanical circulatory support in patients with congenital heart disease: a European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) study.

Objectives: This study aims to explore characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) in the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS).

Methods: This is a retrospective study of EUROMACS participants receiving MCS as bridge-to-transplant, possible bridge-to-transplant, or rescue therapy/bridge-to-recovery from 2011 to 2023 (n = 5340). Adult and paediatric cohorts were analysed separately.

Composition Dictates Octahedral Tilt and Photostability in Halide Perovskites.

Halide perovskites are excellent candidate materials for use in solar cell, LED, and detector devices, in part because their composition can be tuned to achieve ideal optoelectronic properties. Empirical efficiency optimization has led the field toward compositions rich in FA (formamidinium) on the A-site and I on the X-site, with additional small amounts of MA (methylammonium) or Cs A-site cations and Br X-site anions. However, it is not clear how and why the specific compositions of alloyed, that is, mixed component, halide perovskites relate to photo-stability of the materials.

From covalent transition states in chemistry to noncovalent in biology: from to value analysis of protein folding.

Solving the mechanism of a chemical reaction requires determining the structures of all the ground states on the pathway and the elusive transition states linking them. 2024 is the centenary of Brønsted's landmark paper that introduced the -value and structure-activity studies as the only experimental means to infer the structures of transition states. It involves making systematic small changes in the covalent structure of the reactants and analysing changes in activation and equilibrium-free energies.

ERG Responses in Albinism, Idiopathic Infantile Nystagmus, and Controls.

Purpose: Our primary aim was to compare adult full-field ERG (ffERG) responses in albinism, idiopathic infantile nystagmus (IIN), and controls. A secondary aim was to investigate the effect of within-subject changes in nystagmus eye movements on ffERG responses.

Methods: Dilated Ganzfeld flash ffERG responses were recorded using DTL electrodes under conditions of dark (standard and dim flash) and light adaptation in 68 participants with albinism, 43 with IIN, and 24 controls.

Granular solids transmit stress as two-phase composites.

A basic problem in the science of realistic granular matter is the plethora of heuristic models of the stress field in the absence of a first-principles theory. Such a theory is formulated here, based on the idea that static granular assemblies can be regarded as two-phase composites. A thought experiment is described, demonstrating that the state of such materials can be varied continuously from marginal stability, via a two-phase granular assembly, then porous structure, and finally be made perfectly elastic.

Gene-based COVID-19 vaccines: Australian perspectives in a corporate and global context.

Pandemic management requires societal coordination, global orchestration, respect for human rights and defence of ethical principles. Yet some approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by socioeconomic, corporate, and political interests, have undermined key pillars of ethical medical science. We explore significant mistakes that may have occurred in recent pandemic control, in order to better navigate the future.

Sex-specific lifetime risk of cardiovascular events: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk prospective population cohort study.

Aims: Better understanding of sex differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) is essential in tailoring appropriate preventative strategies. Using a large population-based study with follow-up >25 years, we aimed to determine sex-specific lifetime risks of incident CVD and cardiovascular (CV) mortality amongst populations with and without prevalent CVD.

Methods And Results: Participants were drawn from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk and followed up for a median of 26.

Cosmic-void observations reconciled with primordial magnetogenesis.

It has been suggested that the weak magnetic field hosted by the intergalactic medium in cosmic voids could be a relic from the early Universe. However, accepted models of turbulent magnetohydrodynamic decay predict that the present-day strength of fields originally generated at the electroweak phase transition (EWPT) without parity violation would be too low to explain the observed scattering of γ-rays from TeV blazars. Here, we propose that the decay is mediated by magnetic reconnection and conserves the mean square fluctuation level of magnetic helicity.

Period product disposal in India: the tipping point.

The UN projects that India is now the world's most populous nation. However, with this rising population comes a significant need for safer period product disposal systems. Current practices include local incineration or burial of sanitary products, with harmful health and environmental impacts.

High-frequency measurement of concentration in an isothermal methane-air gas mixture using spontaneous Raman spectroscopy.

A high-frequency (1.5 kHz) spontaneous Raman spectroscopy measurement technique is developed and applied to measure external fluctuations generated in the local concentration of an isothermal binary gas mixture of methane and air. Raman excitation is provided by a high-frequency laser at 527 nm in dual-pulsed mode.

The Economics of Scientific Publishing.

The peculiar nature of scientific publishing has allowed for a high degree of market concentration and a non-collusive oligopoly. The non-substitutable characteristic of scientific journals has facilitated an environment of market concentration. Acquisition of journals on a capabilities-based approach has seen market concentration increase in favor of a small group of dominant publishers.

Suppression of innate immunity by the vaccinia virus protein N1 promotes skin microbiota expansion and increased immune infiltration following vaccination.

Vaccinia virus (VACV) protein N1 is an intracellular immunomodulator that contributes to virus virulence via inhibition of NF-κB. Intradermal infection with a VACV lacking gene (vΔN1) results in smaller skin lesions than infection with wild-type virus (WT VACV), but the impact of N1 deletion on the local microbiota as well as the innate and cellular immune responses in infected ear tissue is mostly uncharacterized. Here, we analysed the bacterial burden and host immune response at the site of infection and report that the presence of protein N1 correlated with enhanced expansion of skin microbiota, even before lesion development.

Body Fat Percentage and the Long-term Risk of Fractures. The EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Cohort Study.

Background: This cohort study aimed to determine the association between body fat percentage (BF%), incident fractures and calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA).

Methods: Participants were drawn from the EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Population Cohort Study (median follow-up = 16.4 years).

'Phase transitions' in bacteria - From structural transitions in free living bacteria to phenotypic transitions in bacteria within biofilms.

Phase transitions are common in inanimate systems and have been studied extensively in natural sciences. Less explored are the rich transitions that take place at the micro- and nano-scales in biological systems. In conventional phase transitions, large-scale properties of the media change discontinuously in response to continuous changes in external conditions.

From preventive eugenics to slippery eugenics: Population control and contemporary sterilisations targeted to indigenous peoples in Mexico.

Eugenic ideas in Mexico were popularised after the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) as a way of 'modernising' and 'civilising' the nation. As a result, eugenic ideas were able to linger and be maintained through different departments, institutions, and individuals from all disciplines. After eugenics was considered a pseudoscience, its practices and ideas continued through population control measures that targeted indigenous populations for sterilisation, a trend that still prevails.