Learning, economies of scale, and knowledge gap effects on power generation technology cost improvements.

Cost reductions are essential for accelerating clean technology deployment. Because multiple factors influence costs, traditional one-factor learning models, solely relying on cumulative installed capacity as an explanatory variable, may oversimplify cost dynamics. In this study, we disentangle learning and economies of scale effects at unit and project levels and introduce a knowledge gap concept to quantify rapid technological change's impact on costs.

Dual opposing quadrature-PT symmetry.

Our recent research on type-I quadrature parity-time (PT) symmetry, utilizing an open twin-beam system, not only enables observing genuine quantum photonic PT symmetry amid phase-sensitive amplification (PSA) and loss in the presence of Langevin noise but also reveals an additional classical-to-quantum (C2Q) transition in noise fluctuations. In contrast to the previous setup, our exploration of an alternative system assuming no loss involves a type-II PSA-only scheme. This scheme facilitates dual opposing quadrature-PT symmetry, offering a comprehensive and complementary comprehension of C2Q transitions and PT-enhanced quantum sensing with optimal performance in the symmetry unbroken region.

Efficient ternary organic solar cells with suppressed nonradiative recombination via B‒N based polymer donor.

Organic solar cells (OSCs) have developed rapidly in recent years. However, the energy loss ( ) remains a major obstacle to further improving the photovoltaic performance. To address this issue, a ternary strategy has been employed to precisely tune the and boost the efficiency of OSCs.

Environmental impacts of restructuring the EU's natural gas supply and consumption: Learnings from the 2022 energy crisis.

In 2022, the European Union put forward the REPowerEU plan in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, aiming at enhancing short-term energy security by diversifying imports and reducing natural gas demand while accelerating the deployment of renewable alternatives in the long term. Here, we quantify the life cycle environmental impacts of both REPowerEU's short-term measures, including the controversial extended coal-fired power plant operations, and how the first year of the crisis was managed in practice. We find that the policy measures' impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be negligible, although they could have detrimental effects on other environmental categories.

Placode and neural crest origins of congenital deafness in mouse models of Waardenburg-Shah syndrome.

Mutations in the human genes encoding the endothelin ligand-receptor pair and cause Waardenburg-Shah syndrome (WS4), which includes congenital hearing impairment. The current explanation for auditory dysfunction is defective migration of neural crest-derived melanocytes to the inner ear. We explored the role of endothelin signaling in auditory development in mice using neural crest-specific and placode-specific mutation plus related genetic resources.

FOXP2-immunoreactive corticothalamic neurons in neocortical layers 6a and 6b are tightly regulated by neuromodulatory systems.

The / gene, linked to fine motor control in vertebrates, is a potential candidate gene thought to play a prominent role in human language production. It is expressed specifically in a subset of corticothalamic (CT) pyramidal cells (PCs) in layer 6 (L6) of the neocortex. These L6 FOXP2+ PCs project exclusively to the thalamus, with L6a PCs targeting first-order or both first- and higher-order thalamic nuclei, whereas L6b PCs connect only to higher-order nuclei.

Nicotinamide mononucleotide restores impaired metabolism, endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis in old sedentary male mice.

Aging is accompanied by a decline in neovascularization potential and increased susceptibility to ischemic injury. Here, we confirm the age-related impaired neovascularization following ischemic leg injury and impaired angiogenesis. The age-related deficits in angiogenesis arose primarily from diminished EC proliferation capacity, but not migration or VEGF sensitivity.

Predicting phage-host interaction via hyperbolic Poincaré graph embedding and large-scale protein language technique.

Bacteriophages (phages) are increasingly viewed as a promising alternative for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. However, the diversity of host ranges complicates the identification of target phages. Existing computational tools often fail to accurately identify phages across different bacterial species.

IFN-γ licenses normal and pathogenic ALPK1/TIFA pathway in human monocytes.

Alpha-kinase 1 (ALPK1) is an immune receptor sensing the bacterial nucleotide sugar ADP-heptose. ALPK1 phosphorylates TIFA leading to its oligomerization and downstream NF-κB activation. Specific mutations in are associated with an autoinflammatory syndrome termed ROSAH and with spiradenoma (skin cancers with sweat gland differentiation).

Mechanism of hsa_circ_0069443 promoting early pregnancy loss through ALKBH5/FN1 axis in trophoblast cells.

Studies have shown that circRNAs play an important regulatory role in trophoblast function and embryonic development. Based on sequencing and functional experiments, we found that hsa_circ_0069443 can regulate the function of trophoblast cells, and its presence is found in the exosomes secreted by trophoblast cells. It is known that exosomes mediate the interaction between the uterus and embryo, which is crucial for successful pregnancy.

Magnitude of cancer-associated thrombosis in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Comprehensive data on the epidemiology of cancer-related thrombosis in Africa has been sparse until recently. Thus, this review was aimed to investigate the magnitude of cancer-related thrombosis in Africa. To obtain key articles, comprehensive search was conducted using various databases.

Profiling signaling mediators for cell-cell interactions and communications with microfluidics-based single-cell analysis tools.

Cell-cell interactions and communication represent the fundamental cornerstone of cells' collaborative efforts in executing diverse biological processes. A profound understanding of how cells interface through various mediators is pivotal across a spectrum of biological systems. Recent strides in microfluidic technologies have significantly bolstered the precision and prowess in capturing and manipulating cells with exceptional spatial and temporal resolution.

Generative design of crystal structures by point cloud representations and diffusion model.

Efficiently generating energetically stable crystal structures has long been a challenge in material design, primarily due to the immense arrangement of atoms in a crystal lattice. To facilitate the discovery of stable materials, we present a framework for the generation of synthesizable materials leveraging a point cloud representation to encode intricate structural information. At the heart of this framework lies the introduction of a diffusion model as its foundational pillar.

Forest edge landscape context affects mosquito community composition and risk of pathogen emergence.

Forest edges, where humans, mosquitoes, and wildlife interact, may serve as a nexus for zoonotic arbovirus exchange. Although often treated as uniform interfaces, the landscape context of edge habitats can greatly impact ecological interactions. Here, we investigated how the landscape context of forest edges shapes mosquito community structure in an Amazon rainforest reserve near the city of Manaus, Brazil, using hand-nets to sample mosquitoes at three distinct forest edge types.

A review of electrospun metal oxide semiconductor-based photocatalysts.

In recent years, photocatalytic materials with a nanofiber-like morphology have garnered a surge of academic attention due to their distinctive properties, including an expansive specific surface area, a considerable high aspect ratio, a pronounced resistance to agglomeration, superior electron survivability, and robust surface activity. Consequently, the synthesis of photocatalytic nanofiber materials through various methodologies has drawn considerable attention. The electrospinning technique has been established as a prevalent method for fabricating nanofiber-structured materials, owing to its advantageous properties, including the ability for mass production and the assurance of high continuity.

Deep learning uncovers histological patterns of YAP1/TEAD activity related to disease aggressiveness in cancer patients.

Over the last decade, Hippo signaling has emerged as a major tumor-suppressing pathway. Its dysregulation is associated with abnormal expression of and -family genes. Recent works have highlighted the role of YAP1/TEAD activity in several cancers and its potential therapeutic implications.

A subunit vaccine Ag85A-LpqH focusing on humoral immunity provides substantial protection against tuberculosis in mice.

The importance of humoral immunity in combating TB has gained extensive recognition. In this study, a subunit vaccine named Ag85A-LpqH (AL) was prepared by fusing the antigen Ag85A proved to induce robust T cell immune responses, and LpqH was shown to produce protective antibodies. The prevention and BCG prime-boost mouse models were established to test the vaccine efficacy.

Bioprinting approaches in cardiac tissue engineering to reproduce blood-pumping heart function.

The heart, with its complex structural and functional characteristics, plays a critical role in sustaining life by pumping blood throughout the entire body to supply nutrients and oxygen. Engineered heart tissues have been introduced to reproduce heart functions to understand the pathophysiological properties of the heart and to test and develop potential therapeutics. Although numerous studies have been conducted in various fields to increase the functionality of heart tissue to be similar to reality, there are still many difficulties in reproducing the blood-pumping function of the heart.

New evidence for the earliest ornithischian dinosaurs from Asia.

The Early Jurassic ornithischian dinosaurs in Laurasia are dominated by armored dinosaurs, with other early ornithischian groups being rare. Here, a new taxon, gen. et sp.

Primitive to visceral endoderm maturation is essential for mouse epiblast survival beyond implantation.

The implantation of the mouse blastocyst initiates a complex sequence of tissue remodeling and cell differentiation events required for morphogenesis, during which the extraembryonic primitive endoderm transitions into the visceral endoderm. Through single-cell RNA sequencing of embryos at embryonic day 5.0, shortly after implantation, we reveal that this transition is driven by dynamic signaling activities, notably the upregulation of BMP signaling and a transient increase in Sox7 expression.

European agrifood and forestry education for a sustainable future - Gap analysis from an informatics approach.

Background: The NextFood Project ( www.nextfood-project.eu) started work in 2018 to identify 'Categories of Skills' that students should be equipped with to address the upcoming global challenges within agrifood and forestry disciplines, and involved concepts such as sustainability, technological adaptation and networking.

Transformative social innovation and rural collaborative workspaces: assembling community economies in Austria and Greece.

Background: Collaborative Workspaces are rapidly growing and evolving across the world. Traditionally understood as an urban phenomenon, most research understands them as either 'entrepreneurial-led', as profit-driven and commercial spaces such as business incubators and accelerators, or 'community-led' as being bottom-up, not-for-profit ventures aimed at catering for the needs of their community. Recent years however have seen their diffusion beyond large urban agglomerations to small towns and villages, with their functions assumed to be more community-orientated.

Devonian-Mississippian magmatism related to extensional collapse in Svalbard: implications for radiating dyke swarms.

Background: Despite extensive studies of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatic history of Svalbard, little has been done on the Paleozoic magmatism due to fewer available outcrops.

Methods: 2D seismic reflection data were used to study magmatic intrusions in the subsurface of eastern Svalbard.

Results: This work presents seismic evidence for west-dipping, Middle Devonian-Mississippian sills in eastern Spitsbergen, Svalbard.

Artificial intelligence-based framework for early detection of heart disease using enhanced multilayer perceptron.

Cardiac disease refers to diseases that affect the heart such as coronary artery diseases, arrhythmia and heart defects and is amongst the most difficult health conditions known to humanity. According to the WHO, heart disease is the foremost cause of mortality worldwide, causing an estimated 17.8 million deaths every year it consumes a significant amount of time as well as effort to figure out what is causing this, especially for medical specialists and doctors.

Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on fatigue in cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Fatigue is a prevalent issue among cancer patients. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an individualized intervention that empowers patients and caregivers to actively participate in the treatment process. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of CBT on fatigue in cancer patients.