Mechanism of maltogenic α-amylase modification on barley granular starches spanning the full range of amylose.

Amylopectin (AP)-only (APBS), normal (NBS), and amylose (AM) only (AOBS) barley starches were selected here to investigate catalysis pattern of maltogenic α-amylase (MA) on hydrolyzing AP and AM granular starches. MA shortened starch side chains with degree of polymerization (DP) 11-30. MA-treated APBS exhibited porous granular structures and dramatically increased degree of branching (DB, 17-20 %), and reduced ordered degrees, suggesting high hydrolysis and transglycosylation activities of MA.

An ultra-short-period super-Earth with an extremely high density and an outer companion.

We present the discovery and characterization of a new multi-planetary system around the Sun-like star K2-360 (EPIC 201595106). K2-360 was first identified in K2 photometry as the host of an ultra-short-period (USP) planet candidate with a period of 0.88 d.

Plausible, robust biological oscillations through allelic buffering.

Biological oscillators can specify time- and dose-dependent functions via dedicated control of their oscillatory dynamics. However, how biological oscillators, which recurrently activate noisy biochemical processes, achieve robust oscillations remains unclear. Here, we characterize the long-term oscillations of p53 and its negative feedback regulator Mdm2 in single cells after DNA damage.

Characterization and structural analysis of alcohol-fractionated lignin biofuels processed at ambient temperature.

This study introduces Cold-processed Lignin in (M)ethanol Oil (CLEO/CLiMO), a novel biofuel technology derived from the alcohol-fractionation of lignin at ambient temperatures, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional marine fuels. The production process achieved solid loadings of up to 60 wt% lignin and a volumetric energy density 39 % higher than pure alcohols. Lignin concentrations above 30 wt% promoted colloidal stability through the proposed formation of a spanning network of lignin aggregates, associated with a 100-fold increase of viscosity.

A single-photon emitter coupled to a phononic-crystal resonator in the resolved-sideband regime.

A promising route towards the deterministic creation and annihilation of single-phonons is to couple a single-photon emitter to a mechanical resonator. The challenge lies in reaching the resolved-sideband regime with a large coupling rate and a high mechanical quality factor. We achieve this by coupling self-assembled InAs quantum dots to a small mode-volume phononic-crystal resonator with mechanical frequency Ω/2π = 1.

Search for the Exclusive W Boson Hadronic Decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ with the ATLAS Detector.

A search for the exclusive hadronic decays W^{±}→π^{±}γ, W^{±}→K^{±}γ, and W^{±}→ρ^{±}γ is performed using up to 140  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV. If observed, these rare processes would provide a unique test bench for the quantum chromodynamics factorization formalism used to calculate cross sections at colliders. Additionally, at future colliders, these decays could offer a new way to measure the W boson mass through fully reconstructed decay products.

Scale-Dependent Growth Modes of Selective Area Grown III-V Nanowires.

Due to their flexible geometry, in-plane selective area grown (SAG) nanowires (NWs) encompass the advantages of vapor-liquid-solid NWs and planar structures. The complex interplay of growth kinetics and NW dimensions provides new pathways for crystal engineering; however, their growth mechanisms remain poorly understood. We analyze the growth mechanisms of GaAs(Sb) and InGaAs/GaAs(Sb) in-plane SAG NWs using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE).

Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: The hidden circumgalactic medium.

Our knowledge of galaxy formation and evolution has incredibly progressed through multi-wavelength observational constraints of the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies at all cosmic epochs. However, little is known about the physical properties of the more diffuse and lower surface brightness reservoir of gas and dust that extends beyond ISM scales and fills dark matter haloes of galaxies up to their virial radii, the circumgalactic medium (CGM). New theoretical studies increasingly stress the relevance of the latter for understanding the feedback and feeding mechanisms that shape galaxies across cosmic times, whose cumulative effects leave clear imprints into the CGM.

String Invention, Viable 3-3-1 Model, Dark Matter Black Holes.

With our very limited memories, we provide a brief review of Paul Frampton's memories of the discovery of the Veneziano model, with this indeed being string theory, with Y. Nambu, and, secondly, his 3-3-1 theory. The latter is, indeed, a non-excluded replacement for the Standard Model with triangle anomalies being cancelled, as they must in a truly viable theory.

Switching dynamics in Al/InAs nanowire-based gate-controlled superconducting switch.

The observation of the gate-controlled supercurrent (GCS) effect in superconducting nanostructures increased the hopes for realizing a superconducting equivalent of semiconductor field-effect transistors. However, recent works attribute this effect to various leakage-based scenarios, giving rise to a debate on its origin. A proper understanding of the microscopic process underlying the GCS effect and the relevant time scales would be beneficial to evaluate the possible applications.

Calibration of Arctic ice core bromine enrichment records for past sea ice reconstructions.

Bromine in ice cores has been proposed as a qualitative sea ice proxy to produce sea ice reconstructions for the polar regions. Here we report the first statistical validation of this proxy with satellite sea ice observations by combining bromine enrichment (with respect to seawater, Br) records from three Greenlandic ice cores (SIGMA-A, NU and RECAP) with satellite sea ice imagery, over three decades. We find that during the 1984-2016 satellite-era, ice core Br values are significantly correlated with first-year sea ice formed in the Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea supporting that the gas-phase bromine enrichment processes, preferentially occurring over the sea ice surface, are the main driver for the Br signal in ice cores.

Imprints of massive black-hole binaries on neighbouring decihertz gravitational-wave sources.

The most massive black holes in our Universe form binaries at the centre of merging galaxies. The recent evidence for a gravitational-wave (GW) background from pulsar timing may constitute the first observation that these supermassive black-hole binaries (SMBHBs) merge. Yet, the most massive SMBHBs are out of reach of interferometric GW detectors and are exceedingly difficult to resolve individually with pulsar timing.

Quasi-periodic X-ray eruptions years after a nearby tidal disruption event.

Quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs) are luminous bursts of soft X-rays from the nuclei of galaxies, repeating on timescales of hours to weeks. The mechanism behind these rare systems is uncertain, but most theories involve accretion disks around supermassive black holes (SMBHs) undergoing instabilities or interacting with a stellar object in a close orbit. It has been suggested that this disk could be created when the SMBH disrupts a passing star, implying that many QPEs should be preceded by observable tidal disruption events (TDEs).

Trade-offs and thermodynamics of energy-relay proofreading.

Biological processes that are able to discriminate between different molecules consume energy and dissipate heat, using a mechanism known as proofreading. In this work, we thoroughly analyse the thermodynamic properties of one of the most important proofreading mechanisms, namely Hopfield's energy-relay proofreading. We discover several trade-off relations and scaling laws between several kinetic and thermodynamic observables.

Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals in Ultralight Dark Matter.

Previous works have argued that future gravitational-wave detectors will be able to probe the properties of astrophysical environments where binaries coalesce, including accretion disks, but also dark matter structures. Most analyses have resorted to a Newtonian modeling of the environmental effects, which are not suited to study extreme-mass-ratio inspirals immersed in structures of ultralight bosons. In this Letter, we use relativistic perturbation theory to consistently study these systems in spherical symmetry.

Legacy of Boson Clouds on Black Hole Binaries.

Superradiant clouds of ultralight bosons can leave an imprint on the gravitational waveform of black hole binaries through "ionization" and "resonances." We study the sequence of resonances as the binary evolves and show that there are only two possible outcomes, each with a distinct imprint on the waveform. If the cloud and the binary are nearly counterrotating, then the cloud survives in its original state until it enters the sensitivity band of future gravitational wave detectors, such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Entrainment and multi-stability of the p53 oscillator in human cells.

The tumor suppressor p53 responds to cellular stress and activates transcription programs critical for regulating cell fate. DNA damage triggers oscillations in p53 levels with a robust period. Guided by the theory of synchronization and entrainment, we developed a mathematical model and experimental system to test the ability of the p53 oscillator to entrain to external drug pulses of various periods and strengths.

Phasing and climate forcing potential of the Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu.

The Millennium Eruption of Mt. Baekdu, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in the Common Era, initiated in late 946. It remains uncertain whether its two main compositional phases, rhyolite and trachyte, were expelled in a single eruption or in two.

Physics-Based Protein Networks Might Recover Effectful Mutations─a Case Study on Cathepsin G.

Molecular dynamics simulations have been remarkably effective for observing and analyzing structures and dynamics of proteins, with longer trajectories being computed every day. Still, often, relevant time scales are not observed. Adequately analyzing the generated trajectories can highlight the interesting areas within a protein such as mutation sites or allosteric hotspots, which might foreshadow dynamics untouched by the simulations.

A Strategy for Modeling Nonstatistical Reactivity Effects: Combining Chemical Activation Estimates with a Vibrational Relaxation Model.

The kinetics of many chemical reactions can be readily explained with a statistical approach, for example, using a form of transition state theory and comparing calculated Gibbs energies along the reaction coordinate(s). However, there are cases where this approach fails, notably when the vibrational relaxation of the molecule to its statistical equilibrium occurs on the same time scale as the reaction dynamics, whether it is caused by slow relaxation, a fast reaction, or both. These nonstatistical phenomena are then often explored computationally using (quasi)classical ab initio molecular dynamics by calculating a large number of trajectories while being prone to issues such as zero-point energy leakage.