Design of Functional Coassembling Organic-Inorganic Hydrogels for Hierarchical Mineralization and Neovascularization.

Synthetic nanostructured materials incorporating both organic and inorganic components offer a unique, powerful, and versatile class of materials for widespread applications due to the distinct, yet complementary, nature of the intrinsic properties of the different constituents. We report a supramolecular system based on synthetic nanoclay (Laponite, ) and peptide amphiphiles (PAs, ) rationally designed to coassemble into nanostructured hydrogels with high structural integrity and a spectrum of bioactivities. Spectroscopic and scattering techniques and molecular dynamic simulation approaches were harnessed to confirm that nanofibers electrostatically adsorbed and conformed to the surface of nanodisks.

Uncovering the RNA-binding protein landscape in the pluripotency network of human embryonic stem cells.

Embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and cell fate decisions are driven by a broad array of molecular signals. While transcriptional regulators have been extensively studied in human ESCs (hESCs), the extent to which RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) contribute to human pluripotency remains unclear. Here, we carry out a proteome-wide screen and identify 810 proteins that bind RNA in hESCs.

Network geometry and market instability.

The complexity of financial markets arise from the strategic interactions among agents trading stocks, which manifest in the form of vibrant correlation patterns among stock prices. Over the past few decades, complex financial markets have often been represented as networks whose interacting pairs of nodes are stocks, connected by edges that signify the correlation strengths. However, we often have interactions that occur in groups of three or more nodes, and these cannot be described simply by pairwise interactions but we also need to take the relations between these interactions into account.

Trends in Molecular Diagnosis and Diversity Studies for Phytosanitary Regulated .

Bacteria in the genus infect a wide range of crops and wild plants, with most species responsible for plant diseases that have a global economic and environmental impact on the seed, plant, and food trade. Infections by spp. cause a wide variety of non-specific symptoms, making their identification difficult.

The Potential Role of Dopamine in Mediating Motor Function and Interpersonal Synchrony.

Motor functions in general and motor planning in particular are crucial for our ability to synchronize our movements with those of others. To date, these co-occurring functions have been studied separately, and as yet it is unclear whether they share a common biological mechanism. Here, we synthesize disparate recent findings on motor functioning and interpersonal synchrony and propose that these two functions share a common neurobiological mechanism and adhere to the same principles of predictive coding.

Genetics of psychic ability - A pilot case-control exome sequencing study.

Introduction: It is commonly believed that psychic ability, like many mental and physical traits, runs in families. This suggests the presence of a genetic component. If such a component were found, it would constitute a biological marker of psychic ability and inform environmental or pharmacologic means of enhancing or suppressing this ability.

The role of children in the spread of COVID-19: Using household data from Bnei Brak, Israel, to estimate the relative susceptibility and infectivity of children.

One of the significant unanswered questions about COVID-19 epidemiology relates to the role of children in transmission. This study uses data on infections within households in order to estimate the susceptibility and infectivity of children compared to those of adults. The data were collected from households in the city of Bnei Brak, Israel, in which all household members were tested for COVID-19 using PCR (637 households, average household size of 5.

Entropy-Based Approach for the Detection of Changes in Arabic Newspapers' Content.

A new method for the recognition of meaningful changes in social state based on transformations of the linguistic content in Arabic newspapers is suggested. The detected alterations of the linguistic material in Arabic newspapers play an indicator role. The currently proposed approach acts in an "online" fashion and uses pre-trained vector representations of Arabic words.

Evaluating the number of different genomes in a metagenome by means of the compositional spectra approach.

Determination of metagenome composition is still one of the most interesting problems of bioinformatics. It involves a wide range of mathematical methods, from probabilistic models of combinatorics to cluster analysis and pattern recognition techniques. The successful advance of rapid sequencing methods and fast and precise metagenome analysis will increase the diagnostic value of healthy or pathological human metagenomes.

Ultrasound-induced and MRI-monitored CuO nanoparticles release from micelle encapsulation.

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) have anticancer and antimicrobial activities. Moreover, they have a contrast enhancing effect in both MRI and ultrasound. Nonetheless, encapsulation is needed to control their toxic side effects and a mechanism for release on demand is required.

Novel insights into the function of CD24: A driving force in cancer.

CD24 is a highly glycosylated protein with a small protein core that is linked to the plasma membrane via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor. CD24 is primarily expressed by immune cells but is often overexpressed in human tumors. In cancer, CD24 is a regulator of cell migration, invasion and proliferation.

Kinetics of CaCO precipitation in seeded aeration softening of brackish water desalination concentrate.

Desalination of brackish water is energetically attractive, but the concentrate produced poses a major environmental issue. Intensive research has been carried out to develop demineralization techniques of such concentrates to facilitate their utilization and disposal. Aeration was reported to allow chemical-free and effective demineralization through CaCO precipitation.

Osterix-mCherry Expression Allows for Early Bone Detection in a Calvarial Defect Model.

The process of new bone formation following trauma requires the temporal recruitment of cells to the site, including mesenchymal stem cells, preosteoblasts, and osteoblasts, the latter of which deposit minerals. Hence, bone repair, a process that is assessed by the extent of mineralization within the defect, can take months before it is possible to determine if a treatment is successful. Here, a fluorescently tagged Osterix, an early key gene in the bone formation cascade, is used as a predictive measure of bone formation.

Analytical techniques for multiplex analysis of protein biomarkers.

Introduction: The importance of biomarkers for pharmaceutical drug development and clinical diagnostics is more significant than ever in the current shift toward personalized medicine. Biomarkers have taken a central position either as companion markers to support drug development and patient selection, or as indicators aiming to detect the earliest perturbations indicative of disease, minimizing therapeutic intervention or even enabling disease reversal. Protein biomarkers are of particular interest given their central role in biochemical pathways.

Characterization of an endophytic bacterium (), originating from tomato ( L.), and its ability to inhabit the parasitic weed .

is an obligate holo-parasitic weedlacking a functional photosynthetic system, which subsists on roots of a wide range of host crops, causing severe losses in yield quality and quantity. The parasite and its host are connected through their vascular system, forming a unique ecological system that enables the exchange of various substances. In a previous study, it was suggested that endophytic bacteria, which naturally inhabit the internal tissues of plants, can also be transmitted from the parasitic weed to its host and .

Ant collective cognition allows for efficient navigation through disordered environments.

The cognitive abilities of biological organisms only make sense in the context of their environment. Here, we study longhorn crazy ant collective navigation skills within the context of a semi-natural, randomized environment. Mapping this biological setting into the 'Ant-in-a-Labyrinth' framework which studies physical transport through disordered media allows us to formulate precise links between the statistics of environmental challenges and the ants' collective navigation abilities.

A novel class of polymorphic toxins in Bacteroidetes.

Bacteroidetes are Gram-negative bacteria that are abundant in the environment as well as in the gut microbiota of animals. Many bacteroidetes encode large proteins containing an N-terminal domain of unknown function, named TANFOR. In this work, we show that TANFOR-containing proteins carry polymorphic C-terminal toxin domains with predicted antibacterial and anti-eukaryotic activities.

A comparative genomics methodology reveals a widespread family of membrane-disrupting T6SS effectors.

Gram-negative bacteria deliver effectors via the type VI secretion system (T6SS) to outcompete their rivals. Each bacterial strain carries a different arsenal of effectors; the identities of many remain unknown. Here, we present an approach to identify T6SS effectors encoded in bacterial genomes of interest, without prior knowledge of the effectors' domain content or genetic neighborhood.

Effect of Cold-Sintering Parameters on Structure, Density, and Topology of Fe-Cu Nanocomposites.

The design of advanced nanostructured materials with predetermined physical properties requires knowledge of the relationship between these properties and the internal structure of the material at the nanoscale, as well as the dependence of the internal structure on the production (synthesis) parameters. This work is the first report of computer-aided analysis of high pressure consolidation (cold sintering) of bimetallic nanoparticles of two immiscible (Fe and Cu) metals using the embedded atom method (EAM). A detailed study of the effect of cold sintering parameters on the internal structure and properties of bulk Fe-Cu nanocomposites was conducted within the limitations of the numerical model.

Antimicrobial Activity of Metabolites Secreted by the Endophytic Bacterium .

Phytoplasma, the causative agent of yellows disease, inflicts substantial damage on several hundred plant species including perennials and annual plants. The endophytic bacterium reduces the symptoms of yellows disease in a number of agricultural crops. One possible mode of action is that the bacterium secretes antimicrobial metabolites.

Correlation between cytotoxicity in cancer cells and free radical-scavenging activity: evaluation of 57 medicinal and edible plant extracts.

Cancer is a complex interaction among multiple signaling pathways involving a variety of target molecules. Cancer causes morbidity and mortality in millions of people worldwide, and due to its prevalence, the discovery of novel anticancer drugs is urgently required. Nature is considered an important source of the discovery of anticancer treatments, and many of the cytotoxic medicines in clinics today are derived from plants and other natural sources.

Partially Acetylated Cellulose Dissolved in Aqueous Solution: Physical Properties and Enzymatic Hydrolysis.

Cellulose acetate is one of the most important cellulose derivatives. The use of ionic liquids in cellulose processing was recently found to act both as a solvent and also as a reagent. A recent study showed that cellulose dissolution in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazoliumacetate (EMIMAc) mixed with dichloromethane (DCM) resulted in controlled homogenous cellulose acetylation; yielding water-soluble cellulose acetate (WSCA).