Contents
April 2020
Vol 6, Issue 18
Vol 6, Issue 18
Contents
Research Articles
- Phytoplankton pangenome reveals extensive prokaryotic horizontal gene transfer of diverse functions
Bacterial horizontal gene transfer provides functions that help explain the evolutionary success of aquatic primary producers.
- Soft sensors for a sensing-actuation system with high bladder voiding efficiency
Helping a dysfunctional bladder in micturition requires a system capable of both fullness detection and complete emptying.
- Timing of the martian dynamo: New constraints for a core field 4.5 and 3.7 Ga ago
MAVEN magnetic field data indicate that a martian dynamo field was active 4.5 and 3.7 Ga ago.
- Robust, high-performance n-type organic semiconductors
A state-of-the-art organic semiconductor that has high effective electron mobility and outstanding robustness was developed.
- Nanovesicles derived from iron oxide nanoparticles–incorporated mesenchymal stem cells for cardiac repair
Increased therapeutic factors and retention of IONP-NVs substantially enhance therapeutic potential for cardiac repair.
- Lightweight, tough, and sustainable cellulose nanofiber-derived bulk structural materials with low thermal expansion coefficient
A sustainable bulk structural material is fabricated with great dimensional stability and mechanical properties.
- Pulse-driven robot: Motion via solitary waves
Nonlinear waves can be harnessed to make flexible structures crawl.
- Vanadium spin qubits as telecom quantum emitters in silicon carbide
Observation of single vanadium telecom emitters with spin registers provides a promising platform for quantum communication.
- Intracellular delivery of Parkin rescues neurons from accumulation of damaged mitochondria and pathological α-synuclein
Cell-permeable Parkin ameliorates Parkinson’s disease-like phenotypes induced by mitochondrial poisons and aggregated α-synuclein.
- Augmentation of brain tumor interstitial flow via focused ultrasound promotes brain-penetrating nanoparticle dispersion and transfection
Focused ultrasound is leveraged to markedly augment the delivery of tissue-penetrating gene nanocarriers to brain tumors.
- Tumor microenvironment-activatable Fe-doxorubicin preloaded amorphous CaCO3 nanoformulation triggers ferroptosis in target tumor cells
This study describes a ferroptosis/apoptosis-based treatment strategy via the cooperation between Fe2+ and doxorubicin.
- The vertebrate-specific VENTX/NANOG gene empowers neural crest with ectomesenchyme potential
Vertebrate-specific ventx/nanog genes are essential for vertebrate neural crest multipotency and ectomesenchyme formation.
- Magnetic excitation and readout of methyl group tunnel coherence
A nearby electron spin breaks symmetry of methyl protons and thus provides a handle on the tunnel transitions.
- Warm Circumpolar Deep Water transport toward Antarctica driven by local dense water export in canyons
Mid-depth heat transport toward Antarctica is focused in “cold” regions, mechanically forced by overflowing dense water.
- Graphene quantum dots as anti-inflammatory therapy for colitis
Graphene quantum dots attenuate intestinal inflammation by modulating immune homeostasis.
- Quantitative and correlative extreme ultraviolet coherent imaging of mouse hippocampal neurons at high resolution
Imaging using coherent extreme ultraviolet radiation from laser sources provides high-resolution images of biological samples.
- miR-26a regulates extracellular vesicle secretion from prostate cancer cells via targeting SHC4, PFDN4, and CHORDC1
MicroRNA-based screening identifies the novel regulators of EV secretion from cancer cells.
- Evolutionary trade-off in reproduction of Cambrian arthropods
An evolutionary trade-off between quantity and quality of offspring is demonstrated in two closely related Cambrian arthropods.
- A brief social-belonging intervention in college improves adult outcomes for black Americans
For black Americans, addressing worries about belonging early in college supported a better trajectory into adult life.
- Direct detection of molecular intermediates from first-passage times
Model-free method reveals details of underlying energy landscapes from dynamics in experimental systems across a range of scales.
- Attenuated diphtheria toxin mediates siRNA delivery
Hitching a ride out of the endosome results in gene knockdown and functional response after siRNA delivery to brain cancer cells.
- CDK13 cooperates with CDK12 to control global RNA polymerase II processivity
CDK12 and CDK13 regulate POLII elongation rate and processivity and influence the selection of transcription termination sites.
- Lineage hierarchies and stochasticity ensure the long-term maintenance of adult neural stem cells
Adult neural stem cells in vertebrates are maintained at long term through a hierarchy of subfunctionalized stem cell pools.
- Effects of a deep-sea mining experiment on seafloor microbial communities and functions after 26 years
Simulated deep-sea mining disturbs the sediment integrity and reduces microbial cell numbers and activities after 26 years.
- Global agricultural economic water scarcity
We advance the notion of agricultural economic water scarcity to identify where irrigation expansion may increase food production.
- Cation-induced shape programming and morphing in protein-based hydrogels
Dosing protein hydrogels with divalent cations allows for programming of complex shapes and shape morphing.
- Mathematical prediction of clinical outcomes in advanced cancer patients treated with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy
A mathematical model of checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy yields patient-specific prognosis of tumor kill and patient survival.
- Macrophages of diverse phenotypes drive vascularization of engineered tissues
Macrophages enhance tissue vascularization in different ways depending on their phenotypes.
- Silicon nanomembrane phototransistor flipped with multifunctional sensors toward smart digital dust
Flexible phototransistors are integrated with stimuli-responsive materials for multimodal sensing via CMOS-compatible strategy.
- Cellular backpacks for macrophage immunotherapy
Backpacks enable a new strategy to control cellular phenotypes in vivo by attaching to macrophages and guiding their phenotypes.
- Enhanced therapeutic index of an antimicrobial peptide in mice by increasing safety and activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria
Enantiomeric optimization markedly increased safety and efficacy of a cationic peptide against multidrug-resistant pathogens.
- Optically pumped spin polarization as a probe of many-body thermalization
Select nuclear spins in a solid isolated from the rest due to local fields reach equilibrium via multielectron spin interactions.
- RasGRP1 is a causal factor in the development of l-DOPA–induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease
A novel molecular target that signals abnormal involuntary movement in Parkinson’s disease treatment is discovered.
- Vapor-phase linker exchange of metal-organic frameworks
A solvent-free strategy of vapor-phase linker exchange is developed for postsynthetic modification of metal-organic frameworks.
- Inhibition of Vps34 reprograms cold into hot inflamed tumors and improves anti–PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy
Targeting Vps34 makes melanoma and CRC eligible to anti–PD-1/PD-L1 blockade.
- Small-molecule inhibitor targeting orphan nuclear receptor COUP-TFII for prostate cancer treatment
We identified inhibitors targeting COUP-TFII for the treatment of diseases including prostate cancer.
- Refined symmetry indicators for topological superconductors in all space groups
A general framework is developed to aid the diagnosis of nontrivial topology in superconductors using their symmetry properties.
- Optogenetic stimulation of phosphoinositides reveals a critical role of primary cilia in eye pressure regulation
An optogenetic approach targeting phospholipids regulates eye pressure in mice with glaucoma.
- Sulfur K-edge micro- and full-field XANES identify marker for preparation method of ultramarine pigment from lapis lazuli in historical paints
Identification of marker in ultramarine pigment for the heat treatment of lapis lazuli rock as used in historical paintings.
- Structural monitoring of a transient intermediate in the hemagglutinin fusion machinery on influenza virions
Structural mass spectrometry enables dissection of a transient activated ensemble in influenza hemagglutinin fusion machinery.
- Supramolecular prodrug hydrogelator as an immune booster for checkpoint blocker–based immunotherapy
A prodrug hydrogelator serves as an effective immune booster for checkpoint blocker–based cancer immunotherapy.
- Chemomechanical origin of directed locomotion driven by internal chemical signals
Motion of a bio-inspired photosensitive gel is governed by its internal dynamics and the level of homogeneous illumination.
- Targeted pathological collagen delivery of sustained-release rapamycin to prevent heterotopic ossification
We revealed the importance of mTOR in tendon HO and established a drug delivery system that targets pathological collagen.
- Road development in Asia: Assessing the range-wide risks to tigers
Roads are encroaching on tiger range in Asia, increasing tiger extinction risk and necessitating bold new planning strategies.
- Three-dimensional magnetism and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in S = 3/2 kagome staircase Co3V2O8
Spin wave measurements in Co3V2O8 reveal fundamentally 3D magnetic interactions and a large Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.
Editorial
About The Cover
ONLINE COVER Although roads are known to have serious impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, including those occupied by tigers, many previous road ecology studies have focused on localized patterns of wildlife behavior and mortality. To glean broader insights at the regional level, Carter et al.calculated the extent and potential impacts of road networks across the tiger's 13-country range that spans India, many countries in Southeast Asia, and both sides of the China-Russia border. The researchers focused on 76 tiger conservation landscapes (TCLs), which are highly important for efforts to conserve the endangered species. On average, road densities are 34% greater in portions of TCLs that lack governmental protection than in strictly protected areas, Carter et al. found. Meanwhile, 57% of TCLs and 43% of areas where tigers breed are close enough to a road to be impacted by human disturbances, such as habitat fragmentation, hunting and illegal harvesting, and noise and light pollution. The study could inform policy decisions regarding where and how to build an estimated 24,000 kilometers of new roads that, by 2050, will be added to 132,000 kilometers of roads that already exist in these ecologically sensitive regions. [CREDIT: KATRINE ALGNER/MINDEN PICTURES]
