Discovery of antimicrobial peptides clostrisin and cellulosin from Clostridium: insights into their structures, co-localized biosynthetic gene clusters, and antibiotic activity.

Antimicrobial resistance presents a substantial threat to global public health, demanding urgent attention and action. This study focuses on lanthipeptides, ribosomally encoded peptides that display significant structural diversity and hold promising potential as antibiotics. Genome mining was employed to locate biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) containing class II lanthipeptide synthetases encoded by genes.

Little evidence for homoeologous gene conversion and homoeologous exchange events in Gossypium allopolyploids.

Premise: A complicating factor in analyzing allopolyploid genomes is the possibility of physical interactions between homoeologous chromosomes during meiosis, resulting in either crossover (homoeologous exchanges) or non-crossover products (homoeologous gene conversion). Homoeologous gene conversion was first described in cotton by comparing SNP patterns in sequences from two diploid progenitors with those from the allopolyploid subgenomes. These analyses, however, did not explicitly consider other evolutionary scenarios that may give rise to similar SNP patterns as homoeologous gene conversion, creating uncertainties about the reality of the inferred gene conversion events.

Chromosome 7 Gain Compensates for Chromosome 10 Loss in Glioma.

The co-occurrence of chromosome 10 loss and chromosome 7 gain in gliomas is the most frequent loss-gain co-aneuploidy pair in human cancers. This phenomenon has been investigated since the late 1980s without resolution. Expanding beyond previous gene-centric studies, we investigated the co-occurrence in a genome-wide manner, taking an evolutionary perspective.

UV-Vis spectrophotometric determination of rare earth elements (REE) speciation at near-neutral to alkaline pH. Part I: -cresol purple properties from 25-75 °C and Er hydrolysis.

The speciation and mobility of rare earth elements (REE) strongly depends on pH, which controls the formation of charged aqueous hydroxyl species. The latter potentially play an important role in controlling heavy REE adsorption on clay minerals in near-neutral to alkaline waters such as in regolith-hosted REE mineral deposits. However, accurate REE hydrolysis constants are needed for developing geochemical models that can predict the role of these charged species in natural systems.

The evolution of organic material on Asteroid 162173 Ryugu and its delivery to Earth.

The recent return of samples from asteroid 162173 Ryugu provides a first insight into early Solar System prebiotic evolution from known planetary bodies. Ryugu's samples are CI chondrite-like, rich in water and organic material, and primarily composed of phyllosilicate. This phyllosilicate surrounds micron to submicron macromolecular organic particles known as insoluble organic matter.

Utica/Point Pleasant brine isotopic compositions (δLi, δB, δBa) elucidate mechanisms of lithium enrichment in the Appalachian Basin.

Global Li production will require a ∼500 % increase to meet 2050 projected energy storage demands. One potential source is oil and gas wastewater (i.e.

Self-Replication Without Hydrogen-Bonds: An Exobiotic Design.

Life on Earth uses DNA as the central template for self-replication, genetic encoding, and information transfer. However, there are no physical laws precluding life's existence elsewhere in space, and alternative life forms may not need DNA. In the search for exobiology, knowing what to look for as a biosignature remains a challenge - especially if it is not from the obvious list of biologic building blocks.

First Search for Dark-Trident Processes Using the MicroBooNE Detector.

We present a first search for dark-trident scattering in a neutrino beam using a dataset corresponding to 7.2×10^{20} protons on target taken with the MicroBooNE detector at Fermilab. Proton interactions in the neutrino target at the main injector produce π^{0} and η mesons, which could decay into dark-matter (DM) particles mediated via a dark photon A^{'}.

Putative mechanism of a multivitamin treatment against insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is caused by the abnormal secretion of proinflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue, which is induced by an increase in lipid accumulation in adipocytes, hepatocytes, and myocytes. The inflammatory pathway involves multiple targets such as nuclear factor kappa B, inhibitor of nuclear factor κ-B kinase, and mitogen-activated protein kinase. Vitamins are micronutrients with anti-inflammatory activities that have unclear mechanisms.

Mechanisms and influential factors of soil chromium long-term stability by an accelerated aging system after chemical stabilization.

Chemical stabilization is one of the most widely used remediation strategies for chromium (Cr)-contaminated soils by reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III), and its performance is affected by human and natural processes in a prolonged period, challenging long-term Cr stability. In this work, we established a method for evaluating the long-term effectiveness of remediation of Cr-contaminated soils, and developed an accelerated aging system to simultaneously simulate acid rain leaching and freeze-thaw cycles. The mechanisms and influencing factors of long-term (50-year) change in soil Cr speciation were unravelled after stabilization with Metafix®.

Studies on invariant measures of fractional stochastic delay Ginzburg-Landau equations on R.

This paper is concerned with invariant measures of fractional stochastic delay Ginzburg-Landau equations on the entire space $ \mathbb{R}^n $. We first derive the uniform estimates and the mean-square uniform smallness of the tails of solutions in corresponding space. Then we deduce the weak compactness of a set of probability distributions of the solutions applying the Ascoli-Arzel$ \grave{a} $.

Nanocrystal Assemblies: Current Advances and Open Problems.

We explore the potential of nanocrystals (a term used equivalently to nanoparticles) as building blocks for nanomaterials, and the current advances and open challenges for fundamental science developments and applications. Nanocrystal assemblies are inherently multiscale, and the generation of revolutionary material properties requires a precise understanding of the relationship between structure and function, the former being determined by classical effects and the latter often by quantum effects. With an emphasis on theory and computation, we discuss challenges that hamper current assembly strategies and to what extent nanocrystal assemblies represent thermodynamic equilibrium or kinetically trapped metastable states.

Raman spectroscopic study of anhydrous and hydrous REE phosphates, oxides, and hydroxides.

Rare earth elements (REE) include the lanthanides (La-Lu), Y, and Sc which are critical elements for the green energy transition. The REE show a decrease in ionic radii with increased atomic numbers, which results in a so-called lanthanide contraction systematically affecting crystal structures and mineral properties. Here we present a compilation of reference Raman spectra of ten REE sesquioxides (A-, B- and C-type), five REE hydroxides, eight xenotime-structured REE phosphate endmembers and two solid solutions, seven monazite-structured REE phosphate endmembers and two solid solutions and seven rhabdophane endmembers with up to five CeLREE rhabdophane solid solutions (LREE = La-Gd).

Data-driven stabilization of NiPd nanoalloys: a study using density functional theory and data mining approaches.

Green hydrogen, generated through the electrolysis of water, is a viable alternative to fossil fuels, although its adoption is hindered by the high costs associated with the catalysts. Among a wide variety of potential materials, binary nickel-palladium (NiPd) systems have garnered significant attention, particularly at the nanoscale, for their efficacious roles in catalyzing hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions. However, our atom-level understanding of the descriptors that drive their energetic stability at the nanoscale remains largely incomplete.

Spatial and Temporal Resolution of Cyanobacterial Bloom Chemistry Reveals an Open-Ocean as a Talented Producer of Specialized Metabolites.

While the ecological role that sp. play in nitrogen fixation has been widely studied, little information is available on potential specialized metabolites that are associated with blooms and standing stock colonies. While a collection of biological material from a bloom event from North Padre Island, Texas, in 2014 indicated that this species was a prolific producer of chlorinated specialized metabolites, additional spatial and temporal resolution was needed.

Origin and modern microbial ecology of secondary mineral deposits in Lehman Caves, Great Basin National Park, NV, USA.

Lehman Caves is an extensively decorated high desert cave that represents one of the main tourist attractions in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. Although traditionally considered a water table cave, recent studies identified abundant speleogenetic features consistent with a hypogenic and, potentially, sulfuric acid origin. Here, we characterized white mineral deposits in the Gypsum Annex (GA) passage to determine whether these secondary deposits represent biogenic minerals formed during sulfuric acid corrosion and explored microbial communities associated with these and other mineral deposits throughout the cave.

First Measurement of η Meson Production in Neutrino Interactions on Argon with MicroBooNE.

We present a measurement of η production from neutrino interactions on argon with the MicroBooNE detector. The modeling of resonant neutrino interactions on argon is a critical aspect of the neutrino oscillation physics program being carried out by the DUNE and Short Baseline Neutrino programs. η production in neutrino interactions provides a powerful new probe of resonant interactions, complementary to pion channels, and is particularly suited to the study of higher-order resonances beyond the Δ(1232).

An Unprecedented Metal Distribution in Silica Nanoparticles Determined by Single-Particle Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry.

Metal-containing nanoparticles are now common in applications ranging from catalysts to biomarkers. However, little research has focused on per-particle metal content in multicomponent nanoparticles. In this work, we used single-particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the per-particle metal content of silica nanoparticles doped with tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II).

Mechanochemically Enabled Metastable Niobium Tungsten Oxides.

Metastable compounds have greatly expanded the synthesizable compositions of solid-state materials and have attracted enormous amounts of attention in recent years. Especially, mechanochemically enabled metastable materials synthesis has been very successful in realizing cation-disordered materials with highly simple crystal structures, such as rock salts. Application of the same strategy for other structural types, especially for non-close-packed structures, is peculiarly underexplored.

Tuning Selectivity to f-Elements through Bonding and Solvation Effects of a Sulfur Donor Ligand.

Bis(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)dithiophosphinic acid, commonly referred to as HBTMPDTP or Cyanex301, is a sulfur-donating ligand that shows considerable promise in the challenging task of separating trivalent actinides (An) from lanthanides (Ln). Although its effectiveness has been established, the specific molecular details about the preference of HBTMPDTP for americium over europium have remained a mystery, puzzling researchers for over two decades. This study presents a comprehensive, dual-driven separation mechanism for this complex system combining experimental and theoretical approaches.

Critical Roles of pH and Activated Carbon on the Speciation and Performance of an Archetypal Organometallic Complex for Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries.

A lack of suitable high-potential catholytes hinders the development of aqueous redox flow batteries (RFBs) for large-scale energy storage. Hydrolysis of the charged (oxidized) catholyte typically occurs when its redox potential approaches that of water, with a negative impact on battery performance. Here, we elucidate and address such behavior for a representative iron-based organometallic complex, showing that the associated voltage and capacity losses can be curtailed by several simple means.

Plasmon assisted synthesis of TiN-supported single-atom nickel catalysts.

We report the deposition of single atom nickel catalyst on refractory plasmonic titanium nitride (TiN) nanomaterials supports using the wet synthesis method under visible light irradiation. TiN nanoparticles efficiently absorb visible light to generate photoexcited electrons and holes. Photoexcited electrons reduce nickel precursor to deposit Ni atoms on TiN nanoparticles' surface.