Distinct Architectures Research Articles

A new strategy for efficient detection of triflumuron residues in food: An electrochemical sensor derived from a Cu/Fe-BTC MOF-polymer

Triflumuron is an insect growth regulator belonging to the class of insecticides. It finds its primary application in the agricultural sector for the control of various pests, particularly certain beetles, aphids, locusts, and mites. In this paper, a Cu/Fe-BTC composite was synthesized through a straightforward solvothermal approach, subsequently employed as a precursor for the fabrication of an electrochemical sensor denoted as CuFe2O4@C. The latter exhibited a distinctive core-shell architecture achieved through annealing, and its application was focused on the sensitive detection of triflumuron. The electrochemical behaviour of CuFe2O4@C for the detection of triflumuron was evaluated by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) under optimal conditions in wide concentrations from 1.0 × 10−4 to 1.0 × 10−12 mol·L−1, where there existed a superior linear relationship between the current and the concentration of triflumuron with R2 being 0.995. Meanwhile, CuFe2O4@C had a low limit of detection (LOD) of 922 fM for triflumuron. The CuFe2O4@C/GCE exhibited remarkable sensitivity, long-term stability, excellent reproducibility, and repeatability, as well as effective anti-interference capabilities. Additionally, CuFe2O4@C demonstrated its applicability for the quantitative determination of triflumuron in diverse real samples with commendable recovery rates. In conclusion, the electrochemical sensor not only displayed exceptional performance in terms of stability, reproducibility, and anti-interference, but also showcased its practical utility in quantifying triflumuron across various real-world samples.

The Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Structure of Bi x -Sn1-x O2 Used for Ultrasensitive Detection of Butanone under UV Irradiation.

Recent studies have identified butanone as a promising biomarker in the breath of lung cancer patients, yet the understanding of its gas-sensing properties remains limited. A key challenge has been to enhance the gas-sensing performance of materials toward butanone, particularly under ultraviolet light exposure. Herein, we report the synthesis of a novel three-dimensional composite material composed of SnO2 incorporated with Bi2O3 using facile hydrothermal and impregnation precipitation methods. Detailed physical and chemical characterizations were performed to assess the properties of the developed material. Upon activation with ultraviolet light, our composite exhibited exceptionally high sensitivity to butanone. Remarkably, the butanone response was nearly 3 times greater for the Bi2O3-loaded SnO2 composite than for pristine SnO2, achieving a response value of 70. This substantial improvement is due to the synergistic effect of the material's distinctive three-dimensional architecture and the presence of Bi2O3, which significantly augmented the gas-sensing capability of butanone. To elucidate the underlying gas-sensing mechanism, we conducted first-principles calculations using density functional theory (DFT). The computational analysis revealed that the Bi2O3-containing system possesses superior adsorption energy for butanone. Ultimately, our findings suggest that the Bi-SnO2 composite holds great promise as an optimal sensing material for the detection of butanone under ultraviolet illumination.

NiO/MnO2 nanocomposite in addition of layered Reduced Graphene oxide (RGO) electrode for accountable supercapacitor application

Reduced Graphene oxide/Nickel oxide/Magnesium dioxide) RGO/NiO/MnO2 nanocomposite electrode was successfully prepared by simple co-precipitation method. The synthesised nanocomposite was characterised by XRD, FESEM, EDAX, FTIR, UV, CV, GCD, EIS. The RGO/NiO/MnO2 nanocomposite was pretreated by ultrasonication, followed by thermal annealing at 350 oC. The crystalline face and size of nanocomposite were analysed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). The sandwich-like structure of RGO/NiO/MnO2 was analysed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). This structure promoted an efficient contact between electrolyte and active materials, and the distinct architecture could offer fast transfer channels of ion and electrons. The nanocomposite exhibited high conductivity owing to the presence of RGO. The electrochemical performance of prepared nanocomposite was done by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD), Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). The synthesised RGO/NiO/MnO2 nanocomposite acquired high specific capacitance of 1167F/g at current density of 1 A/g. The low cost, low temperature RGO/NiO/MnO2 nanocomposite electrode could be the promising electrode for Energy storage devices.

Global diversity, recurrent evolution, and recent selection on amylase structural haplotypes in humans.

The adoption of agriculture, first documented ~12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, triggered a rapid shift toward starch-rich diets in human populations. Amylase genes facilitate starch digestion and increased salivary amylase copy number has been observed in some modern human populations with high starch intake, though evidence of recent selection is lacking. Here, using 52 long-read diploid assemblies and short read data from ~5,600 contemporary and ancient humans, we resolve the diversity, evolutionary history, and selective impact of structural variation at the amylase locus. We find that amylase genes have higher copy numbers in populations with agricultural subsistence compared to fishing, hunting, and pastoral groups. We identify 28 distinct amylase structural architectures and demonstrate that nearly identical structures have arisen recurrently on different haplotype backgrounds throughout recent human history. AMY1 and AMY2A genes each exhibit multiple duplications/deletions with mutation rates >10,000-fold the SNP mutation rate, whereas AMY2B gene duplications share a single origin. Using a pangenome graph-based approach to infer structural haplotypes across thousands of humans, we identify extensively duplicated haplotypes present at higher frequencies in modern day populations with traditionally agricultural diets. Leveraging 533 ancient human genomes we find that duplication-containing haplotypes (i.e. haplotypes with more amylase gene copies than the ancestral haplotype) have increased in frequency more than seven-fold over the last 12,000 years providing evidence for recent selection in West Eurasians. Together, our study highlights the potential impacts of the agricultural revolution on human genomes and the importance of long-read sequencing in identifying signatures of selection at structurally complex loci.

Elucidation of Dithiol-yne Comb Polymer Architectures by Tandem Mass Spectrometry and Ion Mobility Techniques.

Polymers have a wide range of applications depending on their composition, size, and architecture. Varying any of these three characteristics can greatly impact the resulting chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. While many techniques are available to determine polymer composition and size, determining the exact polymer architecture is more challenging. Herein, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) methods are utilized to derive crucial architectural information about dithiol-yne comb polymers. Based on their unique fragmentation products and IM drift times, dithiol-yne oligomers with distinct architectures were successfully differentiated and characterized. Additionally, experimental collision cross-sections (Ω) derived via IM-MS were compared to theoretically extracted Ω values from molecular dynamics simulated structures to deduce the architectural motif of these comb oligomers. Overall, this work demonstrates the benefits of combining various mass spectrometry techniques in order to gain a complete understanding of a complex polymer mixture.

The Wnt/β-catenin/TCF/Sp5/Zic4 Gene Network That Regulates Head Organizer Activity in Hydra Is Differentially Regulated in Epidermis and Gastrodermis.

Hydra head formation depends on an organizing center in which Wnt/β-catenin signaling, that plays an inductive role, positively regulates Sp5 and Zic4, with Sp5 limiting Wnt3/β-catenin expression and Zic4 triggering tentacle formation. Using transgenic lines in which the HySp5 promoter drives eGFP expression in either the epidermis or gastrodermis, we show that Sp5 promoter activity is differentially regulated in each epithelial layer. In intact animals, epidermal HySp5:GFP activity is strong apically and weak along the body column, while in the gastrodermis, it is maximal in the tentacle ring region and maintained at a high level along the upper body column. During apical regeneration, HySp5:GFP is activated early in the gastrodermis and later in the epidermis. Alsterpaullone treatment induces a shift in apical HySp5:GFP expression towards the body column where it forms transient circular figures in the epidermis. Upon β-catenin(RNAi), HySp5:GFP activity is down-regulated in the epidermis while bud-like structures expressing HySp5:GFP in the gastrodermis develop. Sp5(RNAi) reveals a negative Sp5 autoregulation in the epidermis, but not in the gastrodermis. These differential regulations in the epidermis and gastrodermis highlight the distinct architectures of the Wnt/β-catenin/TCF/Sp5/Zic4 network in the hypostome, tentacle base and body column of intact animals, as well as in the buds and apical and basal regenerating tips.

The budding yeast Fkh1 Forkhead associated (FHA) domain promoted a G1-chromatin state and the activity of chromosomal DNA replication origins.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the forkhead (Fkh) transcription factor Fkh1 (forkhead homolog) enhances the activity of many DNA replication origins that act in early S-phase (early origins). Current models posit that Fkh1 acts directly to promote these origins' activity by binding to origin-adjacent Fkh1 binding sites (FKH sites). However, the post-DNA binding functions that Fkh1 uses to promote early origin activity are poorly understood. Fkh1 contains a conserved FHA (forkhead associated) domain, a protein-binding module with specificity for phosphothreonine (pT)-containing partner proteins. At a small subset of yeast origins, the Fkh1-FHA domain enhances the ORC (origin recognition complex)-origin binding step, the G1-phase event that initiates the origin cycle. However, the importance of the Fkh1-FHA domain to either chromosomal replication or ORC-origin interactions at genome scale is unclear. Here, S-phase SortSeq experiments were used to compare genome replication in proliferating FKH1 and fkh1-R80A mutant cells. The Fkh1-FHA domain promoted the activity of 100 origins that act in early to mid- S-phase, including the majority of centromere-associated origins, while simultaneously inhibiting 100 late origins. Thus, in the absence of a functional Fkh1-FHA domain, the temporal landscape of the yeast genome was flattened. Origins are associated with a positioned nucleosome array that frames a nucleosome depleted region (NDR) over the origin, and ORC-origin binding is necessary but not sufficient for this chromatin organization. To ask whether the Fkh1-FHA domain had an impact on this chromatin architecture at origins, ORC ChIPSeq data generated from proliferating cells and MNaseSeq data generated from G1-arrested and proliferating cell populations were assessed. Origin groups that were differentially regulated by the Fkh1-FHA domain were characterized by distinct effects of this domain on ORC-origin binding and G1-phase chromatin. Thus, the Fkh1-FHA domain controlled the distinct chromatin architecture at early origins in G1-phase and regulated origin activity in S-phase.

Adaptation of a eukaryote-like ProRS to a prokaryote-like tRNAPro.

Prolyl-tRNA synthetases (ProRSs) are unique among aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) in having two distinct structural architectures across different organisms: prokaryote-like (P-type) and eukaryote/archaeon-like (E-type). Interestingly, Bacillus thuringiensis harbors both types, with P-type (BtProRS1) and E-type ProRS (BtProRS2) coexisting. Despite their differences, both enzymes are constitutively expressed and functional in vivo. Similar to BtProRS1, BtProRS2 selectively charges the P-type tRNAPro and displays higher halofuginone tolerance than canonical E-type ProRS. However, these two isozymes recognize the primary identity elements of the P-type tRNAPro-G72 and A73 in the acceptor stem-through distinct mechanisms. Moreover, BtProRS2 exhibits significantly higher tolerance to stresses (such as heat, hydrogen peroxide, and dithiothreitol) than BtProRS1 does. This study underscores how an E-type ProRS adapts to a P-type tRNAPro and how it may contribute to the bacterium's survival under stress conditions.

Chemical Dynamics of Selenium Nanoparticles in Archaeal Systems.

Methanogenic archaea, characterized by their cell membrane lipid molecules consisting of isoprenoid chains linked to glycerol-1-phosphate via ether bonds, exhibit exceptional adaptability to extreme environments. However, this distinct lipid architecture also complicates the interactions between methanogenic archaea and nanoparticles. This study addresses this challenge by exploring the interaction and transformation of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) within archaeal Methanosarcina acetivorans C2A. We demonstrated that the effects of SeNPs are highly concentration-dependent, with chemical stimulation of cellular processes at lower SeNPs concentrations as well as oxidative stress and metabolic disruption at higher concentrations. Notably, we observed the formation of a protein corona on SeNPs, characterized by the selective adsorption of enzymes critical for methylotrophic methanogenesis and those involved in selenium methylation, suggesting potential alterations in protein function and metabolic pathways. Furthermore, the intracellular transformation of SeNPs into both inorganic and organic selenium species highlighted their bioavailability and dynamic transformation within archaea. These findings provide vital insights into the nano-bio interface in archaeal systems, contributing to our understanding of archaeal catalysis and its broader applications.

Straightforward microwave-assisted synthesis of ultrasmall gold nanoparticles acnhored on reduced graphene oxide for enhanced antibacterial application

Graphene derivative materials, such as graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), have garnered significant attention from scientists for over two decades due to their distinctive characteristics and versatile applications across various fields, particularly in biomedical applications. Incorporating gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) into rGO sheets as rGO-Au nanocomposites further enhances its performance in biomedical applications. This study presents a rapid and efficient method for synthesizing ultrasmall AuNPs anchored on reduced graphene oxide (rGO-Au) using microwave irradiation and ascorbic acid. The optimum microwave treatment was 4 min, ensuring the highest GO reduction degree. Structural characterization by TEM reveals a distinctive architecture with ultrasmall AuNPs (average size of 2.2 nm) distributed on the rGO sheets. Interestingly, while the synthesized rGO-Au did not exhibit any antibacterial activities against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in disk diffusion assays, it demonstrated bacteriostatic effect at remarkably low concentrations when assessed by optical density measurement. The effective concentration of rGO-Au to inhibit E. coli growth was determined to be 2.5 ppm, while for S. aureus, it was 5 ppm, resulting in growth inhibition of 53.1% and 50.0%, respectively. These findings provide a straightforward synthesis route for rGO-Au nanocomposites and underscore the importance of AuNPs’ size and quantity in modulating antibacterial properties.

Interrogating the tumor microenvironment (TME) in patients (pts) with head and neck mucosal squamous cell carcinoma (HNmSCC) treated with programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors.

6048 Background: Survival in recurrent/metastatic HNmSCC remain poor. PD-1 inhibitors have become standard of care, demonstrating improved overall survival and toxicity when compared to chemotherapy and targeted therapy. Biomarkers such as PD-Ligand(L)1 combined proportion score (CPS) remain rudimentary, with CPS >20 showing a response rate of only 23% to pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-048). We used high-dimensional imaging mass cytometry (IMC) to explore predictive biomarkers in HNmSCC pts receiving PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy. Methods: We retrospectively analysed 27 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue samples from 24 pts prior to receiving PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy between May 2016 – April 2021. Clinicopathological characteristics including PD-L1, p16 status, prior treatment and survival data were collected. Pts were classified into responders (RES, Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 complete response (CR) or partial response (PR), stable disease (SD) >6 months (mths)) and non-responders (non-RES, RECIST SD <6 mths or disease progression (PD)). An antibody panel (n = 40) was created to interrogate specific components of interest within the TME and was analysed by IMC using the HyperionTM Imaging System. Results: Of the 24 patients, 16/24 were male and median age 57.6 year. 8 pts were RES (RECIST CR, n = 1; PR, n = 3; SD > 6 mths, n = 4) and 14 pts were non-RES (RECIST SD < 6 mths, n = 1; PD, n = 11; clinical PD, n = 4). Four patients underwent rapid clinical disease progression prior to progress imaging and were categorised as non-RES. At time of data cut off on January 2024, and 23/24 pts had progressed on treatment. The cellular landscape within the TME was similar, irrespective of the location of the primary and p16 status. However, distinct immune profiles were observed between RES vs non-RES: RES showed higher infiltrates of CD4+ T cells, B cells, PD-1+ CD8+ T cells (P < 0.05) and both central memory and effector memory T cell subsets (p < 0.01). In contrast, non-RES showed high frequencies of CD44+ NK cells. Key cell interactions within the TME identified proliferating malignant squamous cells closely interacting with CD8+ T cells, CD4+ Tregs and endothelial cell in RES but not interacting in non-RES. Further spatial regional analysis identified a distinct tissue architecture with hallmarks of Tertiary Lymphoid-like Structures (TLS), present in higher proportions in RES. RES pts with TLS proportions >20% (n = 3) had a progression free survival of 80.3 mths, 26.8 mths and NE (unrelated death at 15.6 mths). Conclusions: The findings of this study identify mechanisms of PD-1 inhibitor response and resistance in HNmSCC pts, providing a unique opportunity to guide combination strategies and improve outcome.

Terracotta to Terraces: Tracing the Unique Temple Architecture of Bengal

This paper explores the diverse architectural styles of temple construction in Bengal from the 9th to the 19th centuries. Through a detailed examination of structural variations and decorations, the study highlights how the intermingling of Hindu, Islamic, and later European influences shaped the distinctive temple architecture in this region. The research uses architectural analysis and historical texts to identify key styles, such as the 'do-chala' and 'char-chala' huts, alongside the more ornate 'Ratna' and 'naba-ratna' structures. These styles reflect the religious and cultural synthesis and the geographical and material constraints influencing temple architecture in Bengal. The findings underscore the role of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and regional patronage in fostering a unique architectural heritage characterized by its terracotta embellishments and innovative structural forms. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of South Asian architectural diversity and its socio-religious contexts, offering insights into the region's broader patterns of cultural interchange.

Architectural Study of Colonial Building Facades in Indentifying the Existence of Heritage Tourism in Bireuen City

Abstract Conservation of historycal buildings is one of the objectives of sustainable heritage tourism. Bireuen City is one of the cities that has historycal heritage during the dutch-colonial colonial period in the form of buildings and environments. The purpose of this historycal building conservation research is to provide education to the community in the Bireuen City environment, in an effort to form a sense of belonging to heritage tourism assets and build Environmental Awareness so that it can then encourage a sense of responsibility to maintain its sustainability. Unique, distinctive and characterful architecture can be observed on a number of building facades such as past buildings and become a continuous comparison of the value of construction resilience, adaptation to the environment, and natural disasters. This research uses qualitative descriptive methods with field observation, interview, and documentation techniques. The results of the study are the discovery of the heritage tourism area, identification of the physical identity of colonial architectural facades, historycal values of colonial architecture and education to the public

An analysis of treatment trends in sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma.

e23547 Background: Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma (SEF) is a rare, malignant, soft tissue sarcoma found in the arms, legs, head, and neck. Histologically, SEF is characterized by a distinctive architecture composed of cords, nests, and/or sheets of uniform epithelioid cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that surgery with wide surgical margins is associated with superior outcomes in SEF patients. However, on account of the rare nature of SEF, insufficient research has been conducted on the association of treatment types with long-term survival. Using the National Cancer Database (NCDB), this study analyzed the receipt of different types of surgery and adjuvant treatments on the overall survival of patients with SEF. Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify patients diagnosed with SEF from 2004 to 2020 using histology code 8840 as assigned by the Commission on Cancer Accreditation program. Kaplan-Meier, ANOVA Chi-Square, and Logistic Regression tests were performed, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 29. Statistical significance was set at α = 0.05. Results: Out of the 1226 patients with SEF, 1088 patients ( 88.7%) received a tumor resection at the primary site. Receipt of surgery was associated with a greater median overall survival compared to not receiving surgery ( 123.6 months vs 45.7 months; p < 0.05). Of the surgical patients, 419 patients received a wedge/segmental resection ( 38.5%) and 609 patients received a lobectomy ( 56%). Wedge/segmental resections and lobectomy had improved outcomes compared to other surgery types ( p < 0.001). In addition to tumor resection, 140 patients ( 12.9%) received adjuvant chemotherapy, 21 patients ( 1.9%) received adjuvant radiation, and 11(1%) patients received adjuvant chemoradiation. Furthermore, the receipt of adjuvant therapies including adjuvant chemo, adjuvant radiation, and adjuvant chemoradiation, was associated with improved overall survival compared to receiving surgery alone ( p = 0.03; p = 0.005; p < 0.001, respectively). Patients who received adjuvant chemoradiation experienced 9.5 months longer median survival time than patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: SEF patients who received tumor resection had a marked increase in overall survival. Receiving wedge/segmental and lobectomy surgery types were associated with improved patient outcomes compared to other surgery types. Furthermore, receiving any adjuvant therapy was associated with improved overall survival compared to receiving surgery alone. Receiving adjuvant chemoradiation was associated with superior outcomes in SEF patients compared to receiving other adjuvant therapies and surgery alone. To improve overall survival in SEF patients, further research is needed to assess what factors influence treatment trends.

Enhancing early breast cancer diagnosis through automated microcalcification detection using an optimized ensemble deep learning framework

Background Breast cancer remains a pressing global health concern, necessitating accurate diagnostics for effective interventions. Deep learning models (AlexNet, ResNet-50, VGG16, GoogLeNet) show remarkable microcalcification identification (>90%). However, distinct architectures and methodologies pose challenges. We propose an ensemble model, merging unique perspectives, enhancing precision, and understanding critical factors for breast cancer intervention. Evaluation favors GoogleNet and ResNet-50, driving their selection for combined functionalities, ensuring improved precision, and dependability in microcalcification detection in clinical settings. Methods This study presents a comprehensive mammogram preprocessing framework using an optimized deep learning ensemble approach. The proposed framework begins with artifact removal using Otsu Segmentation and morphological operation. Subsequent steps include image resizing, adaptive median filtering, and deep convolutional neural network (D-CNN) development via transfer learning with ResNet-50 model. Hyperparameters are optimized, and ensemble optimization (AlexNet, GoogLeNet, VGG16, ResNet-50) are constructed to identify the localized area of microcalcification. Rigorous evaluation protocol validates the efficacy of individual models, culminating in the ensemble model demonstrating superior predictive accuracy. Results Based on our analysis, the proposed ensemble model exhibited exceptional performance in the classification of microcalcifications. This was evidenced by the model’s average confidence score, which indicated a high degree of dependability and certainty in differentiating these critical characteristics. The proposed model demonstrated a noteworthy average confidence level of 0.9305 in the classification of microcalcification, outperforming alternative models and providing substantial insights into the dependability of the model. The average confidence of the ensemble model in classifying normal cases was 0.8859, which strengthened the model’s consistent and dependable predictions. In addition, the ensemble models attained remarkably high performances in terms of accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and area under the curve (AUC). Conclusion The proposed model’s thorough dataset integration and focus on average confidence ratings within classes improve clinical diagnosis accuracy and effectiveness for breast cancer. This study introduces a novel methodology that takes advantage of an ensemble model and rigorous evaluation standards to substantially improve the accuracy and dependability of breast cancer diagnostics, specifically in the detection of microcalcifications.

Exploring Platform Migration Patterns between Twitter and Mastodon: A User Behavior Study

A recent surge of users migrating from Twitter to alternative platforms, such as Mastodon, raised questions regarding what migration patterns are, how different platforms impact user behaviors, and how migrated users settle in the migration process. In this study, we elaborate on how we investigate these questions by collecting data over 10,000 users who migrated from Twitter to Mastodon within the first ten weeks following the ownership change of Twitter. Our research is structured in three primary steps. First, we develop algorithms to extract and analyze migration patterns. Second, by leveraging behavioral analysis, we examine the distinct architectures of Twitter and Mastodon to learn how user behaviors correspond with the characteristics of each platform. Last, we determine how particular behavioral factors influence users to stay on Mastodon. We share our findings of user migration, insights, and lessons learned from the user behavior study.

Genome-wide association study reveals shared and distinct genetic architecture underlying fatty acid and bioactive oxylipin metabolites in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

Bioactive fatty acid-derived oxylipin molecules play key roles in mediating inflammation and oxidative stress, which underlie many chronic diseases. Circulating levels of fatty acids and oxylipins are influenced by both environmental and genetic factors; characterizing the genetic architecture of bioactive lipids could yield new insights into underlying biological pathways. Thus, we performed a genome wide association study (GWAS) of n=81 fatty acids and oxylipins in n=11,584 Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) participants with genetic and lipidomic data measured at study baseline (58.6% female, mean age = 46.1 years, standard deviation = 13.8 years). Additionally, given the effects of central obesity on inflammation, we examined interactions with waist circumference using two-degree-of-freedom joint tests. Heritability estimates ranged from 0% to 47.9%, and 48 of the 81oxylipins and fatty acids were significantly heritable. Moreover, 40 (49.4%) of the 81 oxylipins and fatty acids had at least one genome-wide significant (p< 6.94E-11) variant resulting in 19 independent genetic loci involved in fatty acid and oxylipin synthesis, as well as downstream pathways. Four loci (lead variant minor allele frequency [MAF] range: 0.08-0.50), including the desaturase-encoding FADS and the OATP1B1 transporter protein-encoding SLCO1B1, exhibited associations with four or more fatty acids and oxylipins. The majority of the 15 remaining loci (87.5%) (lead variant MAF range = 0.03-0.45, mean = 0.23) were only associated with one oxylipin or fatty acid, demonstrating evidence of distinct genetic effects. Finally, while most loci identified in two-degree-of-freedom tests were previously identified in our main effects analyses, we also identified an additional rare variant (MAF = 0.002) near CARS2, a locus previously implicated in inflammation. Our analyses revealed shared and distinct genetic architecture underlying fatty acids and oxylipins, providing insights into genetic factors and motivating future multi-omics work to characterize these compounds and elucidate their roles in disease pathways.

A Bioinspired Design of Protective Al2O3/Polyurethane Hierarchical Composite Film Through Layer-By-Layer Deposition.

Structural materials such as ceramics, metals, and carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are frequently threatened by large compressive and impact forces. Energy absorption layers, i.e., polyurethane and silicone foams with excellent damping properties, are applied on the surfaces of different substrates to absorb energy. However, the amount of energy dissipation and penetration resistance are limited in commercial polyurethane foams. Herein, a distinctive nacre-like architecture design strategy is proposed by integrating hard porous ceramic frameworks and flexible polyurethane buffers to improve energy absorption and impact resistance. Experimental investigations reveal the bioinspired designs exhibit optimized hardness, strength, and modulus compared to that of polyurethane. Due to the multiscale energy dissipation mechanisms, the resulting normalized absorbed energy (≈8.557MJ m-3) is ≈20 times higher than polyurethane foams under 50% quasi-static compression. The bioinspired composites provide superior protection for structural materials (CFRP, glass, and steel), surpassing polyurethane films under impact loadings. It is shown CFRP coated with the designed materials can withstand more than ten impact loadings (in energy of 10 J) without obvious damage, which otherwise delaminates after a single impact. This biomimetic design strategy holds the potential to offer valuable insights for the development of lightweight, energy-absorbent, and impact-resistant materials.

Crape myrtle LiGAoxs displaying activities of gibberellin oxidases respond to branching architecture

In the realm of ornamental horticulture, crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) stands out for its aesthetic appeal, attributed largely to its vibrant flowers and distinctive branching architecture. This study embarked on a comprehensive exploration of the gibberellin oxidase (GAox) gene family in crape myrtle, illuminating its pivotal role in regulating GA levels, a key determinant of plant developmental processes. We identified and characterized 36 LiGAox genes, subdivided into GA2ox, GA3ox, GA20ox, and GAox-like subgroups, through genomic analyses. These genes' evolutionary trajectories were delineated, revealing significant gene expansions attributed to segmental duplication events. Functional analyses highlighted the divergent expression patterns of LiGAox genes across different crape myrtle varieties, associating them with variations in flower color and branching architecture. Enzymatic activity assays on selected LiGA2ox enzymes exhibited pronounced GA2 oxidase activity, suggesting a potential regulatory role in GA biosynthesis. Our findings offered a novel insight into the molecular underpinnings of GA-mediated growth and development in L. indica, providing a foundational framework for future genetic enhancements aimed at optimizing ornamental traits.

Sustained attention operates via dissociable neural mechanisms across different eccentric locations.

In primates, foveal and peripheral vision have distinct neural architectures and functions. However, it has been debated if selective attention operates via the same or different neural mechanisms across eccentricities. We tested these alternative accounts by examining the effects of selective attention on the steady-state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) and the fronto-parietal signal measured via EEG from human subjects performing a sustained visuospatial attention task. With a negligible level of eye movements, both SSVEP and SND exhibited the heterogeneous patterns of attentional modulations across eccentricities. Specifically, the attentional modulations of these signals peaked at the parafoveal locations and such modulations wore off as visual stimuli appeared closer to the fovea or further away towards the periphery. However, with a relatively higher level of eye movements, the heterogeneous patterns of attentional modulations of these neural signals were less robust. These data demonstrate that the top-down influence of covert visuospatial attention on early sensory processing in human cortex depends on eccentricity and the level of saccadic responses. Taken together, the results suggest that sustained visuospatial attention operates differently across different eccentric locations, providing new understanding of how attention augments sensory representations regardless of where the attended stimulus appears.