A new study found that urban rivers in Beijing harbor the highest burden of antibiotic resistance genes, while receiving waters show stronger mobilization signals, indicating a high risk of resistance exchange. The study highlights the need for risk-oriented water management in megacities.
A team of researchers found that SARS-CoV-2's 3CLpro protease can cleave and disable influenza virus's NP and PA proteins, leading to rapid protein degradation and cytoplasmic mislocalization. This mechanism may have contributed to the decline of influenza cases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People with unresolved health concerns may experience invisible work to maintain productivity and stability, while uncertainty can unsettle taken-for-granted assumptions about the body, identity, and routines. The study highlights the importance of workplace and relational support in managing health uncertainty.
Scientists introduce a second methyl group into the A-site cation of a perovskite framework, creating a one-dimensional chain structure with enhanced thermal stability. The material's structural flexibility promotes interchain energy dissipation, but reduces impact resistance.
Researchers developed a post-combustion reaction model for aluminum in thermobaric effects field, revealing the importance of balancing oxidizer-driven early combustion and oxygen-assisted afterburning. The model predicts that controlling this balance is key to understanding thermobaric formulation performance.
Researchers developed protein-coated CuS nanoparticles with excellent colloidal stability, pH-responsive behavior, and effective near-infrared-induced killing of breast cancer cells. The protein coating improved biocompatibility and reduced dark toxicity.
This collection features cutting-edge supramolecular hydrogel research, including applications for antibacterial therapy and diabetic wound treatment. Versatile materials are designed for biomedical use, offering potential solutions for various medical conditions.
Pharmaceutical contamination in soil and air has severe ecological impacts, affecting animal, plant, and microbial communities. The review highlights the need for interdisciplinary research to understand the dynamics of pharmaceuticals in soil and their long-term implications for ecosystem health.
Cobalt-based electrocatalysts have shown high efficiency in reducing nitrate to ammonia, with some achieving 100% Faradaic efficiency. Researchers have discovered alloying cobalt with other metals and engineering crystal structures can fine-tune the reaction pathway to favor ammonia production.
Researchers found OsSTP26 increases tiller number and grain yield by engaging distinct sugar-signaling pathways. The study identified OsSTP26 as a key link between source-to-sink carbon allocation and tiller development in rice.
Researchers at China Agricultural University have developed two novel Type I-C CRISPR systems, Aca I-C and Cja I-C, for efficient genome editing in maize. These systems enable targeted large-fragment deletion and expanded-window base editing, highlighting their potential for crop trait improvement.
Researchers found that calcium application strengthens stem structure and remodels cell wall components to improve lodging resistance and yield. The study demonstrated that calcium synergizes lodging resistance and yield potential in rapeseed by cell wall strengthening and photosynthesis.
Researchers found that sector labels in the S&P 500 only partially capture a company's financial situation. The study used machine learning models to group firms by financial similarity, revealing nine economically interpretable clusters that generally showed lower internal dispersion than conventional sectors.
Researchers developed an ultralight, anisotropic SiC aerogel with a density of less than 41.8 mg/cm³, demonstrating high-temperature insulation performance. The aerogel's orientation-dependent electromagnetic absorption properties were also shown, with the perpendicular-growth sample delivering outstanding comprehensive properties.
Researchers in Germany have developed a thermographic screening approach to identify short peptide sequences that respond to carbon dioxide. The study combines combinatorial solid-phase peptide synthesis with infrared thermography, identifying two tripeptides that show reproducible thermographic responses when exposed to CO2.
Researchers discovered Stutzerimonas nitrititolerans bacteria in geese feces in China carrying carbapenem and tigecycline resistance genes. The bacteria showed high resistance to meropenem and reduced susceptibility to tigecycline. Genome sequencing revealed two distinct resistance-associated regions, one carrying bla PST-2 and the oth...
Researchers found that smaller networks can be Pareto optimal, where no bank can be made better off without making another worse off. The study suggests that larger networks can lead to free-riding, reducing expected profits and market efficiency.
A study published in Virologica Sinica identifies three candidate antiviral compounds that interfere with different stages of the chikungunya virus life cycle. The compounds, MDL-12330A, bazedoxifene acetate, and anidulafungin, show distinct antiviral profiles, suggesting that CHIKV infection can be inhibited through different mechanisms.
A new study suggests that zinc oxide nanoparticles can improve key agronomic, nutritional and quality traits in direct-seeded rice, including increased zinc concentration, spikelets per panicle and 1000-grain weight, and reduced amylose content and chalkiness.
Physician David Wenzel's ethnographic fieldwork in acute hospital settings reveals how his clinical identity shapes interactions with staff. He found that introducing himself as a PhD student led to more open discussions about emotions and relational work, while wearing a student lanyard made him less visible to medical staff.
Researchers found that TMPRSS2 gene variants rs2070788 and rs12329760 are associated with COVID-19 susceptibility and severity in Jordanian adults. The study identified rs2070788 as a marker for COVID-19 susceptibility and rs12329760 as a predictor of severe disease, while clinical covariates such as BMI and age also played a role.
Researchers review functional hybrids of liquid crystals and nanomaterials, enabling advanced multifunctional materials with tunable properties. These materials can display photothermal response, color switching, and encryption, among other capabilities.
Hydrogels with high-order structures can regulate pathways for force transmission, molecular transport, and biological signaling. The architectures can also improve the performance of wearable sensors, regulate drug release, and provide precise mechanical and biochemical cues for cells.
Researchers found that pre-existing antibodies influence B-cell responses to influenza vaccination in distinct ways. Individuals with higher baseline antibody levels exhibited increased frequencies of specific B-cell receptor features, while those with lower levels showed greater mutation levels and broader neutralizing activity.
A recent study uses thermo-viscoelastic modeling to predict damage initiation strength in solid propellants, reducing experimental cost and complexity. The model accurately captures temperature and strain rate effects, enabling reliable prediction and supporting structural integrity assessment of solid rocket motors.
Researchers developed a dopamine-enhanced electrode that overcame common failure causes, operating for up to 15 hours and supporting effective electrically assisted delivery through skin. The dopamine-enhanced electrode combined improved electrical stability, structural durability, and wet-state adhesion in a simple polymer-based design.
Petroleum science is at a historic turning point, facing 100 grand challenges that span six domains. The challenges include low-carbon transition, AI-driven solutions, and interdisciplinary collaboration to address issues like CCUS, geothermal energy, and hydrogen energy.
Researchers developed CSwinUKAN, an enhanced U-Net architecture with Swin Transformer and Tokenized Kolmogorov-Arnold Network, to detect tunnel lining cracks. The model outperformed baselines on an integrated dataset of 10,422 images, achieving strong segmentation performance and recall.
A new review article proposes redefining watershed aquatic ecosystem health as a combined social–ecological property. The authors emphasize the need to integrate biological integrity, habitat structure, and governance for anticipatory decision-making and process-oriented governance.
Researchers developed a new 4D-printed breast cancer model that mimics the shape and movement of breast ducts. The study found that cancer cells behave differently when exposed to dynamic conditions, showing higher metabolic activity and greater survival after treatment with chemotherapy.
Jim Rogers emphasizes the importance of rigorous research, questioning, and emotional discipline in achieving successful investing outcomes. He identifies major risks in global markets, including rising U.S. debt and complacency, while highlighting China's potential for recovery and India's long-term promise.
Researchers have developed a new Fe–N–C catalyst using molten salts that outperforms commercial platinum in oxygen reduction reaction and zinc–air battery performance. The layered catalyst structure exposes single-atom iron sites, improving surface accessibility and mass transport.
Researchers from KAUST use nuclear magnetic resonance to study liquid battery electrolytes, revealing local environments and dynamic heterogeneity. This framework helps guide the design of more reliable batteries by interpreting electrolyte behavior and guiding the design of better electrodes.
Researchers developed a method to reduce stress and cracking in sodium-ion batteries by tailoring the c-axis dimension of layered oxide cathodes. The optimized cathode retained 96.7% of its capacity after 300 cycles, pointing to a practical design route for more durable sodium-ion battery materials.
Two-terminal perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are vulnerable to current mismatch due to shifting outdoor spectra, reducing energy output. Despite this, they produce more electricity per land area than single-junction silicon, offering practical routes for efficient solar deployment.
Researchers developed a synergistic strategy to address stability issues in wearable strain sensors. By creating a covalent co-vulcanisation network with the rubber matrix, they maintained stable sensing performance over 15,000 tensile cycles and operated reliably under harsh environmental conditions.
Researchers explore bacterial extracellular vesicles as a tool for cancer diagnosis and treatment, with potential for targeted delivery of therapeutic molecules and immunotherapy. However, consistency and safety remain major challenges in this emerging field.
Researchers identified and cloned a new semi-dwarfing gene, Sdd1, which modulates plant height and spike architecture through a distinct hormonal balancing mechanism. The study found that Sdd1 integrates multiple hormone signals in a complex manner, offering breeders a fresh genetic resource to fine-tune wheat architecture.
The Journal of Energy Infrastructure is publishing cutting-edge studies on energy infrastructure design, intelligent construction, and low-carbon transformation. The open access journal covers a broad spectrum of energy systems, supporting the transformation of energy infrastructure towards a safer and more sustainable future.
Researchers from China Agricultural University have discovered the crucial role of two plasma membrane hexose transporters, ZmSWEET6a and ZmSWEET6b, in regulating pollen wall development and maintaining anther redox balance. These findings shed light on how carbohydrate allocation influences reproductive success in plants.
Researchers have developed an electrochemical approach for diastereoselective glycosylation using glycosyl acetates. This process consumes only a catalytic quantity of charge and achieves complete substrate conversion within 10 minutes at room temperature.
Researchers used combined experiments and simulations to understand the thermal response of hexanitrostilbene (HNS) charges during programmed-heating cook-off. Increasing heating rate and charge size enhances internal thermal lag, leading to higher apparent ignition temperatures.
Researchers developed a novel thermal interface material using graphene oxide-bridged carbon fibers, achieving a 41-fold increase in thermal conductivity and a 57.6% improvement over traditional composites. The composite demonstrated excellent mechanical stability and resilience, making it suitable for advanced electronics cooling.
Researchers developed a new method to create smart multifunctional materials by combining vanadium oxide and gold nanoparticles in a single process. The resulting films show temperature-dependent optical changes and exhibit enhanced antibacterial activity under light irradiation.
The Advanced Light Materials journal presents research on lightweight and multifunctional materials. Featured papers are now available online at ScienceDirect.
An international team of researchers from China, Australia, and New Zealand propose a collaborative approach to next-generation water quality modeling. The researchers identified four collaboration themes: emerging technologies, uncertainty quantification, tackling climate change and urbanization, and shared modeling guidelines.
Researchers describe microneedles as a minimally invasive platform for precision health, offering timely progress in multifunctional systems for wearable devices and intelligent healthcare. Despite challenges to be overcome, the technologies hold promise for more precise, convenient, and individualized healthcare solutions.
Researchers developed Fe-doped carbon composite catalysts to regulate the thermal decomposition and combustion behavior of DAP-4. The catalysts improved decomposition and combustion reactions by accelerating hydrogen transfer and forming reactive intermediates.
Researchers found that larger departing bubbles can improve hydrogen evolution reaction efficiency by up to 30% through coalescence, a self-driven cleaning and mixing process. This design principle has broader applications in industrial electrolysis, where surface bubble removal and interfacial transport remain major limits.
Researchers have found that the alpine plant Rheum nobile has four distinct species, each with unique characteristics. The study suggests that geographic isolation and genetic drift led to the formation of these four lineages, with historical gene flow influencing their evolutionary paths.