Molecular dynamics and factors governing recalcitrance of dissolved organic matter: Insights from laboratory incubation and ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry.

The oceanic dissolved organic matter (DOM) reservoir is one of Earth's largest carbon pools, yet the factors contributing to its recalcitrance and persistence remain poorly understood. Here, we employed ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (UHRMS) to examine the molecular dynamics of DOM from terrestrial, marine and mixed sources during bio-incubation over weekly, monthly, and one year time spans. Using Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), we classified DOM into three distinct categories (Consumed, Resistant and Product) based on their presence or absence at the start and end of the incubation.

Drug Screening of Flavonoids as Potential VEGF Inhibitors Through Computational Docking and Cell Models.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), also known as VEGF-A, has been linked to various diseases, such as wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) and cancer. Even though there are VEGF inhibitors that are currently commercially available in clinical applications, severe adverse effects have been associated with these treatments. There is still a need to develop novel VEGF-based therapeutics against these VEGF-related diseases.

Comparative analysis of certified emission reduction methodologies for methane emission reduction in China.

As one of the top emitters of methane (CH), China must take action to achieve its carbon neutrality goal. Programs to reduce CH emissions would benefit from the establishment of the China Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) trading market. However, studies investigating the impact of the CCER trading market on CH reduction remain limited.

Educational attainment, Aβ, tau, and structural brain reserve in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with higher educational attainment (EA) often exhibit better cognitive function. However, the relationship among EA status, AD pathology, structural brain reserve, and cognitive decline requires further investigation.

Methods: We compared cognitive performance across different amyloid beta (Aβ) positron emission tomography (A ±) statuses and EA levels (High EA/Low EA).

Enhancement of Fracture Toughness of NiTi Alloy by Controlling Grain Size Gradient.

Fracture toughness is a critical indicator for the application of NiTi alloys in medical fields. We propose to enhance the fracture toughness of NiTi alloys by controlling the spatial grain size (GS) gradient. Utilizing rolling processes and heat treatment technology, three categories of NiTi alloys with distinct spatial GS distributions were fabricated and subsequently examined through multi-field synchronous fracture tests.

Random resistive memory-based deep extreme point learning machine for unified visual processing.

Visual sensors, including 3D light detection and ranging, neuromorphic dynamic vision sensor, and conventional frame cameras, are increasingly integrated into edge-side intelligent machines. However, their data are heterogeneous, causing complexity in system development. Moreover, conventional digital hardware is constrained by von Neumann bottleneck and the physical limit of transistor scaling.

Dynamics of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex revealed by in-situ structural analysis.

The multi-enzyme pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHc) links glycolysis to the citric acid cycle and plays vital roles in metabolism, energy production, and cellular signaling. Although all components have been individually characterized, the intact PDHc structure remains unclear, hampering our understanding of its composition and dynamical catalytic mechanisms. Here, we report the in-situ architecture of intact mammalian PDHc by cryo-electron tomography.

Characterization of extracellular vesicles released from MED4 at the steady state and under a light-dark cycle.

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vesicles secreted by bacteria into the extracellular environment. Containing DNA, RNA and proteins, EVs are implicated to mediate intercellular communications. The marine cyanobacterium , the most abundant photosynthetic organism in marine ecosystems, has been shown to generate EVs continuously during cell growth.

Observation of Extraordinary Vibration Scatterings Induced by Strong Anharmonicity in Lead-Free Halide Double Perovskites.

Lead-free halide double perovskites provide a promising solution for the long-standing issues of lead-containing halide perovskites, i.e., the toxicity of Pb and the low stability under ambient conditions and high-intensity illumination.

Coplanar Dimeric Acceptors with Bathochromic Absorption and Torsion-Free Backbones through Precise Fluorination Enabling Efficient Organic Photovoltaics with 18.63% Efficiency.

Giant dimeric acceptors (GDAs), a sub-type of acceptor materials for organic solar cells (OSCs), have garnered much attention due to the synergistic advantages of their monomeric and polymeric acceptors, forming a well-defined molecular structure with a giant molecular weight for high efficiency and stability. In this study, for the first time, two new GDAs, DYF-V and DY2F-V are designed and synthesized for OSC operation, by connecting one vinylene linker with the mono-/di-fluorinated end group on two Y-series monomers, respectively. After fluorination, both DYF-V and DY2F-V exhibit bathochromic absorption and denser packing modes due to the stronger intramolecular charge transfer effect and torsion-free backbones.

Structure and metabolic function of spatiotemporal pit mud microbiome.

Background: Pit mud (PM) hosts diverse microbial communities, which serve as a medium to impart flavor and quality to Baijiu and exhibit long-term tolerance to ethanol and acids, resulting in a unique ecosystem. However, the ecology and metabolic functions of PM remain poorly understood, as many taxa in PM represent largely novel lineages. In this study, we used a combination of metagenomic analysis and chemical derivatization LC-MS analysis to provide a comprehensive overview of microbial community structure, metabolic function, phylogeny, horizontal gene transfer, and the relationship with carboxyl compounds in spatiotemporal PM samples.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

A dendritic hexamer acceptor enables 19.4% efficiency with exceptional stability in organic solar cells.

To achieve the commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs), it is crucial not only to enhance power conversion efficiency (PCE) but also to improve device stability through rational molecular design. Recently emerging giant molecular acceptor (GMA) materials offer various advantages, such as precise chemical structure, high molecular weight (beneficial to film stability under several external stress), and impressive device efficiency, making them a promising candidate. Here, we report a dendritic hexamer acceptor developed through a branch-connecting strategy, which overcomes the molecular weight bottleneck of GMAs and achieves a high production yield over 58%.

Enhancing molecular oxygen activation by nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulating FeNi alloys with ultra-low Pt loading.

Modulating the electronic structure of noble metals via electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) has been proven effectively for facilitating molecular oxygen activation and catalytic oxidation reactions. Nevertheless, the investigation of the fundamental mechanisms underlying activity enhancement has primarily focused on metal oxides as supports, especially in the catalytic degradation of volatile organic compounds. In this study, a novel Pt catalyst supported on nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulating FeNi alloy, featuring ultrafine Pt nanoparticles, was synthesized.

Synergistic Adhesion and Shape Deformation in Nanowire-Structured Liquid Crystal Elastomers.

Nature provides many examples of the benefits of nanoscopic surface structures in areas of adhesion and antifouling. Herein, the design, fabrication, and characterization of liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) films are presented with nanowire surface structures that exhibit tunable stimuli-responsive deformations and enhanced adhesion properties. The LCE films are shown to curl toward the side with the nanowires when stimulated by heat or organic solvent vapors.

Acceptor Elongation Boosted Intersystem Crossing Affords Efficient NIR Type-I and AIE-Active Photosensitizers for Targeting Ferroptosis-Based Cancer Therapy.

Photosensitizers (PSs) featuring type I reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) activity offer a promising solution to achieve non-invasive and precise theranostics. However, the reported AIE luminogens (AIEgens) with both AIE characteristic and strong type-I ROS generation are still scarce and the structure-property relationship is still unclear. Herein, an innovative acceptor elongation boosted intersystem crossing (AEBIC) design strategy has been proposed to endow the AIEgen strong type-I ROS producibility.

Metabarcoding reveals high species diversity of Chaetoceros, Pseudo-nitzschia, and Thalassiosira in Hong Kong coastal waters, a typical subtropical region.

Chaetoceros, Pseudo-nitzschia, and Thalassiosira are ecologically important genera which formed blooms frequently in Hong Kong coastal waters in past decades. However, species identification based on microscopic observation for diatoms in these genera is difficult. In this study, we investigated species diversity of Chaetoceros, Pseudo-nitzschia, and Thalassiosira in Hong Kong coastal waters using metabarcoding approach.

A unified framework for cell-type-specific eQTL prioritization by integrating bulk and scRNA-seq data.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous genetic variants associated with complex traits, yet the biological interpretation remains challenging, especially for variants in non-coding regions. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) studies have linked these variations to gene expression, aiding in identifying genes involved in disease mechanisms. Traditional eQTL analyses using bulk RNA sequencing (bulk RNA-seq) provide tissue-level insights but suffer from signal loss and distortion due to unaddressed cellular heterogeneity.

To add or to remove? The role of working memory updating in preschool children's non-symbolic arithmetic abilities between addition and subtraction.

Early computational capacity sets the foundation for mathematical learning. Preschool children have been shown to perform both non-symbolic addition and subtraction problems. However, it is still unknown how different operations affect the representational precision of the non-symbolic arithmetic solutions.

Nanosize Non-Viral Gene Therapy Reverses Senescence Reprograming Driven by PBRM1 Deficiency to Suppress iCCA Progression.

Polybromo-1 (PBRM1) serves as a crucial regulator of gene transcription in various tumors, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA). However, the exact role of PBRM1 in iCCA and the mechanism by which it regulates downstream target genes remain unclear. This research has revealed that PBRM1 is significantly downregulated in iCCA tissues, and this reduced expression is linked to aggressive clinicopathological features and a poor prognosis.

Plasma N-terminal tau fragment is an amyloid-dependent biomarker in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Novel fluid biomarkers for tracking neurodegeneration specific to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are greatly needed.

Methods: Using two independent well-characterized cohorts (n = 881 in total), we investigated the group differences in plasma N-terminal tau (NT1-tau) fragments across different AD stages and their association with cross-sectional and longitudinal amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, tau tangles, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline.

Results: Plasma NT1-tau significantly increased in symptomatic AD and displayed positive associations with Aβ PET (positron emission tomography) and tau PET.

Global burden of bacterial skin diseases from 1990 to 2045: an analysis based on global burden disease data.

Bacterial skin diseases are a category of inflammatory skin conditions caused by bacterial infections, which impose a significant global disease burden. However, they have not been well assessed or predicted on a global scale. It is necessary to update the estimates and forecast future trends of the global burden of bacterial skin diseases to evaluate the impact of past healthcare policies and to provide guidance and information for new national and international healthcare strategies.

Molecular Strain Accelerates Electron Transfer for Enhanced Oxygen Reduction.

Fe-N-C materials are emerging catalysts for replacing precious platinum in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for renewable energy conversion. However, their potential is hindered by sluggish ORR kinetics, leading to a high overpotential and impeding efficient energy conversion. Using iron phthalocyanine (FePc) as a model catalyst, we elucidate how the local strain can enhance the ORR performance of Fe-N-Cs.

MXene Hollow Microsphere-Boosted Nanocomposite Electrodes for Thermocells with Enhanced Thermal Energy Harvesting Capability.

Thermal energy, constantly being produced in natural and industrial processes, constitutes a significant portion of energy lost through various inefficiencies. Employing the thermogalvanic effect, thermocells (TECs) can directly convert thermal energy into electricity, representing a promising energy-conversion technology for efficient, low-grade heat harvesting. However, the use of high-cost platinum electrodes in TECs has severely limited their widespread adoption, highlighting the need for more cost-effective alternatives that maintain comparable thermoelectrochemical performance.