Scientific Opportunities Research Articles

When subcellular chemical imaging enlightens our understanding on intestinal absorption, intracellular fate and toxicity of PFOA in vitro

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a persistent organic pollutant that accumulates in the human body, leading to major health issues. Upon oral uptake, the gastrointestinal tract is the first biological barrier against PFOA. However, the localization of PFOA and its impact on the intestinal wall are largely unknown. Here we achieve a breakthrough in the knowledge of intestinal absorption, intracellular fate and toxicity of PFOA using in vitro assays combined with novel analytical imaging techniques. For the first time, we localized PFOA in the cytosol of Caco-2 cells after acute exposure using high spatial resolution mass spectrometry imaging, and we estimated the PFOA cytosolic concentration. Knowing that PFOA enters and accumulates in the intestinal cells, we also performed common toxicity assays assessing cell metabolic activity, membrane integrity, oxidative stress response, and cell respiration. This study integrating powerful analytical techniques with widely used toxicology assays provides insightful information to better understand potential negative impacts of PFOA and opens new opportunities in toxicology and life science in general.

Preservice Teachers’ Early Lesson Planning for Justice-Oriented Elementary Science

ABSTRACT Building on the literature, we designed a practical framework to support attention to equity and justice in science teacher education coursework. This framework presents four approaches for including justice moves in elementary science lessons, from increasing opportunity and access in science, to increasing identity and representation in science, to expanding what counts as science, to seeing science as a part of justice movements. We analyzed the lesson plans of 16 preservice elementary teachers who were using the practical justice framework in their very first lesson planning experience. In addition to extensive attention to varying participation structures to support children’s science discourse, preservice teachers also took up more challenging moves such as attending to how children are positioned as scientists, inviting children’s science ideas and hearing the science in their ideas, encouraging decision-making in science practices, and connecting science to issues of justice. They varied in both the number of unique justice moves they took up and the specificity with which they planned for incorporating the moves. We discuss implications for practice and theory-building in relation to supporting preservice teachers in learning to teach science toward equity and justice.

The Nonproliferation Stewardship Program

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN) initiated the Nonproliferation Stewardship Program (NSP) in 2020 to provide an enduring pipeline of nonproliferation subject matter experts to Department of Energy (DOE)/NNSA laboratories, sites, and plants. This program provides nonproliferation-relevant science and technology opportunities through a modernized facility infrastructure. This paper provides an overview of NSP, highlights ongoing efforts in uranium and plutonium processing, and describes examples of hands-on experimental work and associated modeling and simulation.

Toward a Conceptual Model of Academic Translation Competence

ABSTRACTDifferent cultures have distinct conceptions of knowledge and ways of defining, generating and communicating knowledge. Therefore, multilingualism in academia has been shown to be instrumental in preserving the various systems of knowledge, equality of opportunity in science and enhancing the international competitiveness of scholars whose native language is not the lingua franca. The actors of translation and the strategies they work with (domestication and foreignisation) play a unique role in this, as their decisions may foster or hinder linguistic and epistemic diversity. Despite its pronounced significance, however, relatively little is known about the stereotypical competences required for academic translation. As translation in science is not merely a philological issue, this conceptual study follows a consilient approach and integrates the outcomes of research from several disciplines and research perspectives to propose a theory‐based, multi‐componential model of academic translation competence as a macrocompetence. Based on the model, a conceptual definition of the construct of academic translation competence is provided to identify what exactly is to be observed and measured for its study and to generate preliminary hypotheses related to the construct. The study has implications not only for the theory, practice and training of academic translation but also for the disciplinary training of researchers.

Versatile Mechanochemical Reactions Via Tailored Force Transmission in Mechanophores.

In polymer mechanochemistry, regulating the intrinsic mechanical reactivity of a mechanophore offers extensive opportunities in material science, enabling the development of hierarchical and multifunctional polymer-based materials. Recent advances have focused on innovating various types of mechanophores with inherent reactivity (e.g. regioselectivity and stereoselectivity). However, little attention has been given to modulating their reactivity by tailoring force transmission within mechanophores. Here, we introduce a novel approach through the implementation of a cyclic pulling geometry into an anthracene-maleimide (AM) mechanophore. This approach manipulates force transmission within the mechanophore and effectively regulates its reactivity from 0.0160 min-1 to 0.00133 min-1, achieving up to a 12-fold change. Mechanochemical coupling analysis indicates that the split force transmission along ring chains contributes to the significant difference in mechanochemical reactivity. By leveraging the distinct force transmission pathways within cyclic and linear AM mechanophores, we covalently integrate them with a spiropyran mechanophore to design tandem mechanophore systems for hierarchical mechanochemical activation. These findings highlight the efficacy and versatility of the cyclic pulling strategy in modulating mechanophore reactivity, providing valuable insights for the design of tunable multifunctional polymer-based materials.

Versatile Mechanochemical Reactions via Tailored Force Transmission in Mechanophores

In polymer mechanochemistry, regulating the intrinsic mechanical reactivity of a mechanophore offers extensive opportunities in material science, enabling the development of hierarchical and multifunctional polymer‐based materials. Recent advances have focused on innovating various types of mechanophores with inherent reactivity (e.g. regioselectivity and stereoselectivity). However, little attention has been given to modulating their reactivity by tailoring force transmission within mechanophores. Here, we introduce a novel approach through the implementation of a cyclic pulling geometry into an anthracene‐maleimide (AM) mechanophore. This approach manipulates force transmission within the mechanophore and effectively regulates its reactivity from 0.0160 min‐1 to 0.00133 min‐1, achieving up to a 12‐fold change. Mechanochemical coupling analysis suggests that the split force transmission within the ring may suppress the sequential bond rupture mechanism in AM mechanophores under applied forces. By leveraging the distinct force transmission pathways within cyclic and linear AM mechanophores, we covalently integrate them with a spiropyran mechanophore to design tandem mechanophore systems for hierarchical mechanochemical activation. These findings highlight the efficacy and versatility of the cyclic pulling strategy in modulating mechanophore reactivity, providing valuable insights for the design of tunable multifunctional polymer‐based materials.

Accurate and efficient AI-assisted paradigm for adding granularity to ERA5 precipitation reanalysis

Scientific inquiry has long relied on deterministic algorithms for systematic problem-solving and predictability. However, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized data analysis, allowing us to uncover complex patterns in large datasets. In this study, we combine these two approaches by using AI to improve the reconstruction of past precipitation events, which is crucial for understanding climate change. Our objective is to leverage AI to map large-scale atmospheric proxies from the ERA5 climate reanalysis and multi-satellite historical precipitation data from the NASA-IMERG GPM constellation to observed precipitation, enhancing the accuracy and the resolution of climate reanalysis. Accurate climate reanalyses are essential, as they provide the most realistic representations of past atmospheric conditions, serving as benchmarks against which climate models are validated. Our AI-enhanced method offers a more accurate and computationally efficient solution compared to deterministic high-resolution precipitation downscaling methods. Additionally, it shows the capability to generalize predictions to new, previously unobserved locations, making it applicable across various regions. By integrating AI with traditional reanalysis techniques, we open up new opportunities for climate science and geosciences, with the potential to improve the accuracy and reliability of climate data, contributing to a better understanding of climate dynamics.

Simple rules and heuristic decision making using the quick screen tool: A JD Bioscience case study

ABSTRACT This case study examines JD Bioscience (JDB), a South Korean pharmaceutical start-up, using the quick screen framework and its scorecard tool. The underlying rationale (the “why”) is to combat the decision-making complexities involved with new assets for licensing and acquisition within the life science industry by utilizing simple rules (the “how”) via the quick screen tool (the “what”). This article aims to explore simple rules and heuristic decision making in life science opportunities. JDB’s final score of 2.87 reflects unique attributes and developmental risks around the firm, its lead asset, and its management team. The analysis supports the application of a simple rules decision-making framework for entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. This framework identifies an opportunity’s maturation stage and roadblocks the venture needs to address. The findings shed light on JDB’s trajectory and underscore the significance of employing strategic decision-making tools in navigating the complexities of the life sciences landscape.

Protected areas and disparate data: understanding geospatial data synthesis in poaching mitigation

Wildlife poaching remains a global threat to endangered species and human health, yet knowledge gaps remain. As new geospatial technologies are developed, evaluated, and put into practice in protected areas we need to know how protected areas synthesize geospatial data derived from these technologies. In this article, we evaluate results from a survey of protected area personnel and from in-depth interviews with personnel from two protected areas. Our structured survey focused on identifying workflows, characterizing the use of geospatial technologies, understanding how geospatial information is synthesized, and learning about the geospatial tools used by practitioners to make sense of protected area data. In addition, we conducted semi-structured interviews with protected area practitioners to provide added context to complement online survey results. We investigate how geospatial data from protected areas is synthesized by practitioners through the collection, organization, analysis, and fusion of geospatial datasets to support the protection of endangered species from poaching activities. Our results show how protected areas currently utilize two key types of geospatial data: device-based and human-generated. We highlight five themes which emerge via analysis of survey, interview, and observational data. These themes include organizational bureaucracy, trust in data collection and sharing, technical limitations, workforce limitations, and financial stressors. We conclude by outlining a series of challenges and opportunities in geographic information science to guide further research to understand geospatial synthesis in the context of protected area management.

Globalisation: The physics landscape today

Abstract This paper discusses how physics has become globalised in the context of the Oxford Department of Physics and its permanent academic staff over the period from 1987 to 2017. Modern émigrés move to new institutions for scientific opportunities and a physicist will typically work in several over the course of their career.

Efficient Point-spread Function Modeling with ShOpt.jl: A Point-spread Function Benchmarking Study with JWST NIRCam Imaging

With their high angular resolutions of 30–100 mas, large fields of view, and complex optical systems, imagers on next-generation optical/near-infrared space observatories, such as the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope, present new opportunities for science and also new challenges for empirical point-spread function (PSF) characterization. In this context, we introduce ShOpt, a new PSF fitting tool developed in Julia and designed to bridge the advanced features of PSFs in the full field of view (PIFF) with the computational efficiency of PSF Extractor (PSFEx). Along with ShOpt, we propose a suite of nonparametric statistics suitable for evaluating PSF fit quality in space-based imaging. Our study benchmarks ShOpt against the established PSF fitters PSFEx and PIFF using real and simulated COSMOS-Web Survey imaging. We assess their respective PSF model fidelity with our proposed diagnostic statistics and investigate their computational efficiencies, focusing on their processing speed relative to the complexity and size of the PSF models. We find that ShOpt can already achieve PSF model fidelity comparable to PSFEx and PIFF while maintaining competitive processing speeds, constructing PSF models for large NIRCam mosaics within minutes.

Photosynthetic biohybrid systems for solar fuels catalysis.

Photosynthetic reaction center (RC) proteins are finely tuned molecular systems optimized for solar energy conversion. RCs effectively capture and convert sunlight with near unity quantum efficiency utilizing light-induced directional electron transfer through a series of molecular cofactors embedded within the protein core to generate a long-lived charge separated state with a useable electrochemical potential. Of current interest are new strategies that couple RC chemistry to the direct synthesis of energy-rich compounds. This Feature Article highlights recent work from our lab on RC and RC-inspired hybrid systems that capture the Sun's energy and convert it to chemical energy in the form of H2, a carbon-neutral energy source derived from water. Biohybrids made from the Photosystem I (PSI) RC are among the best photocatalytic H2-producing protein hybrids to date. Targeted self-assembly strategies that couple abiotic catalysts to PSI translate to catalyst incorporation at intrinsic PSI sites within thylakoid membranes to achieve complete solar water-splitting systems. RC-inspired biohybrids interface synthetic photosensitizers and molecular catalysts with small proteins to create photocatalytic systems and enable the spectroscopic discernment of the structural features and electron transfer processes that underpin solar-driven proton reduction. In total, these studies showcase the incredible scientific opportunities photosynthetic biohybrid research provides for harnessing the optimal qualities of both artificial and natural photosynthetic systems and developing materials that capture, convert, and store solar energy as a fuel.

Building a Historic Population Platform

ObjectivesWith the increasing digital availability of large population databases of historical census or vital event records, the tasks of storing, cleaning, processing, linking and analysing such data become more challenging. Suitable computing platforms and software systems are required to handle such databases, and facilitate the application of complex record linkage algorithms, for example to reconstruct populations that cover a full country over many decades. We present our efforts to achieve these goals on a database of over 20 million vital event records spanning over 120 years to create a “Historic Population Platform” (HiPP). ApproachWe created a graph database using the Neo4J software, where each birth, death and marriage certificate is represented as a node. We then generated actor nodes from these certificates which represent individuals (such as birth babies and their parents, or marriage brides and grooms). Data cleaning steps included the correction and imputation of invalid, corrupted, and missing age and date values using information from related certificates. ResultsOur initial graph database contains over 100 million nodes and nearly 200 million edges, while our data cleaning methods help to substantially increase the number of valid age and date values. ConclusionThe availability of large historical population databases provides exciting opportunities for social science and health research. However, existing methods have limitations in handling data quality and the sizes of such databases. We presented novel methods to deal with these challenges which we hope will be of use for other projects that aim to build a HiPP.

The problem of combating cybercrime: a comparative legal analysis

In the modern world, the development of information technologies opens up new opportunities for communication, business and science. The use and improvement of information technology has led to the emergence of cybercrime. The use and improvement of the field of information technology has led to the emergence of cybercrime. Cybercrime covers a wide range of criminal offenses from identity theft and financial fraud to attacks on critical infrastructure. Cybercrime has become a threat not only to individuals, but also to the state, which involves the destruction of the economic and information spheres, endangering the entire sphere of public life. The problem of countering cybercrime at both the national and international levels is an important issue. Despite the efforts of governments and international organizations to create effective countermeasures against cybercrime, the number and complexity of such criminal offenses continues to grow. This requires constant improvement of legal, technological and organizational protection mechanisms. Unfortunately, the fight against cybercrime in Ukraine is at an initial stage and is not as developed as in other countries of the world. The topic of combating cybercrime is very relevant in the conditions of martial law. Nowadays, a war in the information space can cause no less damage than a war on the battlefield, so cybercrime actors must take all necessary measures to reduce the number of cybercrimes committed by the enemy. One of the priority directions for improving the domestic legal system is the introduction of international concepts, principles and ideas, the use of positive experience of foreign countries in the issue of countering cybercrime.This article examines the main challenges faced by modern cyber security systems, analyzes existing methods of countermeasures in Ukraine and foreign countries, and suggests ways to improve them.

Protecting the play: An integrative review of cybersecurity in and for sports events

Although sport has become an important topic in management research, academics have not fully examined the area of cybersecurity and its strategic relevance in sports management, in particular in and for sports events. In the present study, we examined the relationship between sports and cybersecurity and conducted an integrative literature review that categorizes the research that has been published to date, based on technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework. The findings show that the role of cybersecurity in and for sports events is a heavily under-researched area that provides an abundance of scientific opportunities. It is also one that deserves further attention, because cyber-attacks on sports events and associated organisations are increasing. Our integrative literature review offers a more structured understanding of this field of investigation and led to the development of a comprehensive research agenda at the intersection between sports management and information security. As one of the first studies to use a literature review that specifically focuses on cybersecurity in and for sports events, we advance the state-of-the-art scholarship in this critical space, and we take the first step to disseminate best practices in cybersecurity and sports management.

Enhancing Students’ Science Literacy through Megedong-Gedongan: A Balinese Local Culture-based Flipbook

This study investigates the effectiveness of the Balinese megedong-gedongan local culture-based flipbook in enhancing science literacy among students. This research aims to increase scientific literacy through flipbooks based on Balinese culture, especially megedong-gedongan. Mastery of scientific literacy opens the door to various job opportunities in science, technology, and innovation. In the digital and knowledge-based era, the demand for human resources with a strong understanding of science and technology continues to increase. Employing a classroom action research methodology, the study involved 47 Biology and Marine Affairs students at the Ganesha University of Education, Indonesia. The study used a valid and reliable scientific literacy test as an instrument. The results reveal that the Bali megedong-gedongan flipbook effectively improved science literacy. This is evidenced by a significant increase in student science test scores after using the flipbook. The data analysis results show that using megedong-gedongan Balinese culture-based flipbooks can significantly increase student scientific literacy. In addition, students more easily relate learning material to their daily lives, which impacts increasing scientific literacy. This research suggests that integrating local culture into science teaching materials can effectively increase scientific literacy among students.

International Language Literacy: Technical Assistance in Proofreading Scientific Articles for Publication in Accredited Journals

This study aims to explore and analyse the process of technical assistance in proofreading scientific articles and measure its impact on the quality of writing and chances of publication in accredited journals. Technical assistance consists of six stages: (1) Needs Identification, (2) Training, (3) Individual Mentoring, (4) Use of Assistance Tools, (5) Evaluation and Feedback, and (6) Application of Results & Submit Articles. This research uses mixed methods, with data collection through questionnaires and documentation. The study population was 20 students, all of whom were sampled using a purposive sampling technique. The mentoring process involved 2 experts and 3 proofreaders. The results showed that this service activity produced 20 articles that were eligible for submission, with an initial score of 420 (70.00%) increasing to 478 (79.67%) at 78.33%. The articles have been written according to the template, corrected, translated, checked for plagiarism, and submitted to Sinta accredited national journals, with details: 1 article to S-5 journal, 14 articles to S-4 journal, 1 article to S-3 journal, 2 articles to S-2 journal, and 2 articles to international proceedings. This research shows that technical assistance is effective in improving the quality of scientific articles and publication opportunities in accredited journals. The findings can serve as a reference for educational and research institutions in developing similar programmes to increase the productivity of scientific publications.

Coherent Addressing of Single Molecular Electron Spin Qubits

AbstractWith rational designability, versatile tunability, and quantum coherence, molecular electron spin qubits could offer new opportunities for quantum information science, enabling simplified implementation of quantum algorithms and chemical‐specific quantum sensing. The development of these transformative technologies relies on coherent addressing of single molecular electron spin qubits with high initialization, manipulation, and readout fidelities. This is unfeasible to conventional electron spin resonance spectroscopy, which is widely used for coherent addressing of ensemble electron spins, due to its low initialization efficiency and readout sensitivity. Taking advantage of single spin detectability of single‐molecule spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and quantum metrology, several strategies have been developed to empower electron spin resonance spectroscopy with single qubit addressability. In this Emerging Topic, we introduce principles and technical implementation of strategies for coherent addressing of single molecular electron spin qubits, discuss their potential applicability in quantum technologies, and point out their challenges in terms of scalability, molecular design, and/or decoherence suppression. We discuss future directions to overcome these challenges and to improve single qubit addressing technologies, which will facilitate the advancement of molecular quantum information science.

Reimagining Archimedes: An innovative and accurate calculation of volumes and asserting another standard method for defining the surface area of quail and any avian eggs

Egg-related research promises unique opportunities for food science and technology. There is an urgent need to develop non-destructive methodologies for defining key egg parameters, e.g., egg volume (V) and surface area (S), based only on egg images. Herewith, V can be measured using the Archimedes’ principle (i.e., dipping in water), while S can be inferred using formulae that include V as one of its variables. Although the Archimedes’ principle is the best approach for determining V, dipping an egg into water cannot be practicable. In this study, we derived the appropriate mathematical approaches to calculate V and S based on measurements of quail eggs’ linear parameters. The proposed calculation formulae are suitable for eggs of any shape and species. This innovative procedure can be employed as the basis of the most accurate of all existing methods for computing S and is suitable for both analytical and industrial measurements of V.

What are the digital skills sought by scientific employers in potential candidates?

ABSTRACT The growth in digitalisation has led to an increasing demand for digital skills in various job sectors. In particular, employers in scientific job areas have shown interest in candidates possessing digital competencies. This study aims to analyse the digital skill requirements for candidates in scientific job opportunities. The content analysis is based on a dataset comprising 126,360 scientific job advertisements from Science Careers spanning the period from 2019 to 2023. The findings of this study reveal an upward trend in the demand for digital skills. Furthermore, jobs offering higher salaries are more likely to require digital skills compared to jobs offering lower salaries. Notably, skills such as data analysis, statistics, Python, and R demonstrate increasing demand, while other skills such as data collection show a declining trend. These results significantly contribute to our understanding of the impact of digitalisation on the scientific landscape.