Contents
May 2021
Vol 7, Issue 19
Vol 7, Issue 19
Neurosciences
- Photoactivated voltage imaging in tissue with an archaerhodopsin-derived reporter
A photoactivated fluorescent voltage sensor protein combines high sensitivity and optical sectioning in tissue.
- Optogenetic pacing of medial septum parvalbumin-positive cells disrupts temporal but not spatial firing in grid cells
Spatial code of grid cells is independent of theta oscillations and phase precession.
- A distinct parabrachial–to–lateral hypothalamus circuit for motivational suppression of feeding by nociception
A specific neural circuit for resolving the motivational conflict between feeding and acute pain.
Earth, Environmental, Ecological, and Space Sciences
- Respiratory capacity is twice as important as temperature in explaining patterns of metabolic rate across the vertebrate tree of life
Oxygen supply from respiratory organs explains patterns of oxygen demand across the vertebrate tree of life.
- Selectivity and the effect of mass extinctions on disparity and functional ecology
Fossils reveal that morphological disparity, ecology, and taxonomic richness can remain coupled across nonselective mass extinctions.
- Isotopic evidence for acidity-driven enhancement of sulfate formation after SO2 emission control
Observed 17O excess of ice core sulfate suggests recent changes in sulfate production pathways due to lower acidity.
- International socioeconomic inequality drives trade patterns in the global wildlife market
Wealth inequality between nations influences patterns in the international wildlife trade.
- Sulfate-dependent reversibility of intracellular reactions explains the opposing isotope effects in the anaerobic oxidation of methane
Electron acceptor availability affects the net isotopic fractionation of a global biogeochemical reaction in marine sediments.
- Epitranscriptomic regulation of insecticide resistance
A cytochrome P450 that confers insecticide resistance in whitefly is regulated by an epitranscriptomic mechanism.
Physical and Materials Sciences
- Electrochemically controlled metasurfaces with high-contrast switching at visible frequencies
Electrochemically controlled metasurfaces that exhibit excellent switching functions at visible frequencies are demonstrated.
- Charged skyrmions and topological origin of superconductivity in magic-angle graphene
Pairing from topology explains superconductivity in magic-angle graphene and predicts other unconventional superconductors.
- Morphing pasta and beyond
Flat pasta with designed surface grooves can dynamically morph into three-dimensional shapes when boiled.
- Effect of body stiffness distribution on larval fish–like efficient undulatory swimming
Larval fish–like soft robots reveal the effect of stiffness distribution on efficient swimming in the intermediate flow regime.
- Realizing a 14% single-leg thermoelectric efficiency in GeTe alloys
This work demonstrates GeTe alloys for efficient thermoelectric waste-heat recovery.
- Engendering persistent organic room temperature phosphorescence by trace ingredient incorporation
Ultralong room temperature phosphorescence could be generated after adding trace-specific ingredients into organic compounds.
- Tissue-like skin-device interface for wearable bioelectronics by using ultrasoft, mass-permeable, and low-impedance hydrogels
A tissue-like skin-device interface was prepared by using ultrathin functionalized hydrogels for wearable bioelectronics.
- Persistent spectral–based machine learning (PerSpect ML) for protein-ligand binding affinity prediction
PerSpect-based machine learning models can significantly improve prediction accuracy for protein-ligand binding affinity.
- Fractional Coulomb blockade for quasi-particle tunneling between edge channels
Magnetic field periodic conductance of a quantum dot in fractional quantum Hall regime indicates fractional charge tunneling.
- Application of a sub–0.1-mm3 implantable mote for in vivo real-time wireless temperature sensing
This paper presents a sub–0.1-mm3, fully integrated, injectable ultrasonic wireless device for biomedical temperature sensing.
- Nonlinear infrared polaritonic interaction between cavities mediated by molecular vibrations at ultrafast time scale
Strong coupling enables delocalized intercavity nonlinearity by combining the photon delocalization and molecular anharmonicity.
- Programmable Bloch polaritons in graphene
When light-matter polaritons travel in periodic media, they acquire properties akin to Bloch quasi-particles in crystals.
Biomedicine and Life Sciences
- In situ cancer vaccination using lipidoid nanoparticles
In situ cancer vaccination by lipidoid nanoparticles enhances antigen cross-presentation and STING activation.
- SMARCAD1-mediated active replication fork stability maintains genome integrity
The interplay of SMARCAD1-mediated active fork and BRCA1-mediated stalled fork stability pathways maintains genome integrity.
- PHF8-promoted TOPBP1 demethylation drives ATR activation and preserves genome stability
PHF8-promoted non-histone methylation switch plays a critical role in replication stress response and genome integrity.
- Coadaptation between host genome and microbiome under long-term xenobiotic-induced selection
Long-term host microbiome structure selection drives host genome evolution and adaptation.
- A parental transcriptional response to microsporidia infection induces inherited immunity in offspring
Microsporidia infection initiates a transcriptional response in parents, resulting in pathogen-resistant progeny.
- A diverse member of the fungal Avr4 effector family interacts with de-esterified pectin in plant cell walls to disrupt their integrity
A fungal effector interferes with Ca2+ cross-linking in plant cell walls to loosen their structure in aid of infections.
- E3 ligase c-Cbl regulates intestinal inflammation through suppressing fungi-induced noncanonical NF-κB activation
c-Cbl suppresses RelB activation to facilitate protective benefits of commensal fungi and maintain intestinal homeostasis.
- NOX4 links metabolic regulation in pancreatic cancer to endoplasmic reticulum redox vulnerability and dependence on PRDX4
Reductive power in the cytosol of pancreatic cancer cells drives a dependency on the endoplasmic reticulum protein PRDX4.
- Alternative glycosylation controls endoplasmic reticulum dynamics and tubular extension in mammalian cells
Integration of multiomics and imaging identifies a glycosyltransferase enzyme regulating endoplasmic reticulum sizes.
- Combinatorial screen of dynamic mechanical stimuli for predictive control of MSC mechano-responsiveness
A previously unexplored mechanical loading strategy is found to promote efficient tissue synthesis by mesenchymal stem cells.
- Structural insights into integrin α5β1 opening by fibronectin ligand
Integrin α5β1 structures in resting and active states with ligand fibronectin reveal key interactions for integrin opening.
- Macrophage miR-210 induction and metabolic reprogramming in response to pathogen interaction boost life-threatening inflammation
Scientists found a new miRNA involved in macrophage responses, paving the way for an improved management of inflammatory diseases.
- A viral genome packaging motor transitions between cyclic and helical symmetry to translocate dsDNA
A virally encoded ASCE ATPase motor ratchets between helical and planar configurations to translocate dsDNA into viral procapsids.
- XBAT31 regulates thermoresponsive hypocotyl growth through mediating degradation of the thermosensor ELF3 in Arabidopsis
This paper reveals that XBAT31 ubiquitinates and degrades ELF3 to attenuate its inhibitory effects on PIF4.
About The Cover
ONLINE COVER To help ease society's reliance on plastic, a major contributor to landfill waste, researchers previously proposed designing foods that can be flat-packed during transportation and storage, and later take on 3D shapes during preparation. One technique explored to aid the morphing of flour-based foods that met with some success was surface grooves, but previous research failed to reveal a reliable design to precisely yield specific shapes on-demand. To explore this mechanism, Tao et al. conducted simulations based on a polymeric gel model, then an edible pasta model, finding that they could accurately predict morphing in both materials. Next, the researchers demonstrated the mechanism and its ability to morph food by creating simple surface grooves in semolina flour dough while preparing an authentic Italian pasta recipe. The pasta swelled when they cooked it in boiling water, assuming 3D shapes based on the positioning of the grooves. Tao et al. modelled this swelling process, observing that the morphing caused by the surfaces grooves was temporary and reversible. Further experiments confirmed that the specific parameters of the grooves, including side angle, gap, width, and depth, are critical for determining how the pasta morphs into different 3D forms. [CREDIT: MORPHING MATTER LAB, CMU]
