Parkin Deficiency Impairs Mitochondrial DNA Dynamics and Propagates Inflammation.

Background: Mutations in the E3 ubiquitin ligase parkin cause autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease (PD). Together with PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), parkin regulates the clearance of dysfunctional mitochondria. New mitochondria are generated through an interplay of nuclear- and mitochondrial-encoded proteins, and recent studies suggest that parkin influences this process at both levels.

Gene-corrected p.A30P SNCA patient-derived isogenic neurons rescue neuronal branching and function.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised by the degeneration of A9 dopaminergic neurons and the pathological accumulation of alpha-synuclein. The p.A30P SNCA mutation generates the pathogenic form of the alpha-synuclein protein causing an autosomal-dominant form of PD.

Nanoscale interfacial engineering enables highly stable and efficient perovskite photovoltaics.

We present a facile molecular-level interface engineering strategy to augment the long-term operational and thermal stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) by tailoring the interface between the perovskite and hole transporting layer (HTL) with a multifunctional ligand 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid. The solar cells exhibited high operational stability (maximum powering point tracking at one sun illumination) with a stabilized (the time over which the device efficiency reduces to 80% after initial burn-in) of ≈5950 h at 40 °C and a stabilized power conversion efficiency (PCE) over 23%. The origin of high device stability and performance is correlated to the nano/sub-nanoscale molecular level interactions between ligand and perovskite layer, which is further corroborated by comprehensive multiscale characterization.

Methyl-Induced Polarization Destabilizes the Noncovalent Interactions of N-Methylated Lysines.

Lysine methylation can modify noncovalent interactions by altering lysine's hydrophobicity as well as its electronic structure. Although the ramifications of the former are documented, the effects of the latter remain largely unknown. Understanding the electronic structure is important for determining how biological methylation modulates protein-protein binding, and the impact of artificial methylation experiments in which methylated lysines are used as spectroscopic probes and protein crystallization facilitators.

PINK1 deficiency impairs adult neurogenesis of dopaminergic neurons.

Recent evidence suggests neurogenesis is on-going throughout life but the relevance of these findings for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) is poorly understood. Biallelic PINK1 mutations cause early onset, Mendelian inherited PD. We studied the effect of PINK1 deficiency on adult neurogenesis of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in two complementary model systems.

Advanced analysis of magnetic nanoflower measurements to leverage their use in biomedicine.

Magnetic nanoparticles are an important asset in many biomedical applications ranging from the local heating of tumours to targeted drug delivery towards diseased sites. Recently, magnetic nanoflowers showed a remarkable heating performance in hyperthermia experiments thanks to their complex structure leading to a broad range of magnetic dynamics. To grasp their full potential and to better understand the origin of this unexpected heating performance, we propose the use of Kaczmarz' algorithm in interpreting magnetic characterisation measurements.

Mitochondria interaction networks show altered topological patterns in Parkinson's disease.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is linked to pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, individual mitochondria-based analyses do not show a uniform feature in PD patients. Since mitochondria interact with each other, we hypothesize that PD-related features might exist in topological patterns of mitochondria interaction networks (MINs).

Scientific misconduct and accountability in teams.

Increasing complexity and multidisciplinarity make collaboration essential for modern science. This, however, raises the question of how to assign accountability for scientific misconduct among larger teams of authors. Biomedical societies and science associations have put forward various sets of guidelines.

Cognitive, Emotional, and Psychosocial Functioning of Girls Treated with Pharmacological Puberty Blockage for Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty.

Central precocious puberty (CPP) develops due to premature activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, resulting in early pubertal changes and rapid bone maturation. CPP is associated with lower adult height and increased risk for development of psychological problems. Standard treatment of CPP is based on postponement of pubertal development by blockade of the HPG axis with gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) leading to abolition of gonadal sex hormones synthesis.

Developmental Dynamics of General and School-Subject-Specific Components of Academic Self-Concept, Academic Interest, and Academic Anxiety.

The present study investigated the developmental dynamics of general and subject-specific (i.e., mathematics, French, and German) components of students' academic self-concept, anxiety, and interest.

Constraint Based Modeling Going Multicellular.

Constraint based modeling has seen applications in many microorganisms. For example, there are now established methods to determine potential genetic modifications and external interventions to increase the efficiency of microbial strains in chemical production pipelines. In addition, multiple models of multicellular organisms have been created including plants and humans.

A longitudinal study of higher-order thinking skills: working memory and fluid reasoning in childhood enhance complex problem solving in adolescence.

Scientists have studied the development of the human mind for decades and have accumulated an impressive number of empirical studies that have provided ample support for the notion that early cognitive performance during infancy and childhood is an important predictor of later cognitive performance during adulthood. As children move from childhood into adolescence, their mental development increasingly involves higher-order cognitive skills that are crucial for successful planning, decision-making, and problem solving skills. However, few studies have employed higher-order thinking skills such as complex problem solving (CPS) as developmental outcomes in adolescents.

Interoception and symptom reporting: disentangling accuracy and bias.

Anxiety and anxiety sensitivity are positively related to accuracy in the perception of bodily sensations. At the same time, research consistently reports that these traits are positively related to bias, resulting in the report of more and more intense symptoms that poorly correspond with physiological dysfunction. The aim of this study was to test the relationship of accuracy and bias in interoception.

The neural stem cell fate determinant TRIM32 regulates complex behavioral traits.

In mammals, new neurons are generated throughout the entire lifespan in two restricted areas of the brain, the dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus and the subventricular zone (SVZ)-olfactory bulb (OB) system. In both regions newborn neurons display unique properties that clearly distinguish them from mature neurons. Enhanced excitability and increased synaptic plasticity enables them to add specific properties to information processing by modulating the existing local circuitry of already established mature neurons.

The relation between language and arithmetic in bilinguals: insights from different stages of language acquisition.

Solving arithmetic problems is a cognitive task that heavily relies on language processing. One might thus wonder whether this language-reliance leads to qualitative differences (e.g.

Predicting first-grade mathematics achievement: the contributions of domain-general cognitive abilities, nonverbal number sense, and early number competence.

Early number competence, grounded in number-specific and domain-general cognitive abilities, is theorized to lay the foundation for later math achievement. Few longitudinal studies have tested a comprehensive model for early math development. Using structural equation modeling and mediation analyses, the present work examined the influence of kindergarteners' nonverbal number sense and domain-general abilities (i.

Enhanced cardiac perception predicts impaired performance in the Iowa Gambling Task in patients with panic disorder.

Objective: Somatic marker theory predicts that somatic cues serve intuitive decision making; however, cardiovascular symptoms are threat cues for patients with panic disorder (PD). Therefore, enhanced cardiac perception may aid intuitive decision making only in healthy individuals, but impair intuitive decision making in PD patients.

Methods: PD patients and age-and sex-matched volunteers without a psychiatric diagnosis (n = 17, respectively) completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) as a measure of intuitive decision making.

Breath holding duration as a measure of distress tolerance: examining its relation to measures of executive control.

Recent research considers distress (in)tolerance as an essential component in the development of various forms of psychopathology. A behavioral task frequently used to assess distress tolerance is the breath holding task. Although breath holding time (BHT) has been associated with behavioral outcomes related to inhibitory control (e.

Temporal decision making in simultaneous timing.

With two experiments it was examined whether one or two clocks operate the timing of two intervals presented simultaneously. The target interval always preceded the distracter interval, and was longer than it. Thus, the distracter was completely embedded within the target interval.