Consortium profile: the methylation, imaging and NeuroDevelopment (MIND) consortium.

Epigenetic processes, such as DNA methylation, show potential as biological markers and mechanisms underlying gene-environment interplay in the prediction of mental health and other brain-based phenotypes. However, little is known about how peripheral epigenetic patterns relate to individual differences in the brain itself. An increasingly popular approach to address this is by combining epigenetic and neuroimaging data; yet, research in this area is almost entirely comprised of cross-sectional studies in adults.

When is Not Enough: Evaluating Simple Metrics for Predicting Phase Separation of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.

Understanding and predicting the phase behavior of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) is of significant interest due to their role in many biological processes. However, effectively characterizing phase behavior and its complex dependence on protein primary sequence remains challenging. In this study, we evaluate the efficacy of several simple computational metrics to quantify the propensity of single-component IDP solutions to phase separate; specific metrics considered include the single-chain radius of gyration, the second virial coefficient, and a newly proposed quantity termed the expenditure density.

PAX3-FOXO1 Drives Targetable Cell State-Dependent Metabolic Vulnerabilities in Rhabdomyosarcoma.

PAX3-FOXO1, an oncogenic transcription factor, drives a particularly aggressive subtype of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) by enforcing gene expression programs that support malignant cell states. Here, we showed that PAX3-FOXO1+ RMS cells exhibit altered pyrimidine metabolism and increased dependence on enzymes involved in de novo pyrimidine synthesis, including dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Consequently, PAX3-FOXO1+ cells displayed increased sensitivity to inhibition of DHFR by the chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate, and this dependence was rescued by provision of pyrimidine nucleotides.

Origami frustration and its influence on energy landscapes of origami assemblies.

Harnessing instabilities of multicomponent multistable structural assemblies can potentially lead to scalable and reversible functionalities, which can be enhanced by exploring frustration. For instance, standard Kresling origami cells exhibit nontunable intrinsic energy landscapes determined by their geometry and material properties, limiting their adaptability after fabrication. To overcome this limitation, we introduce frustration to enable fine-tuning of the energy landscape and resulting deformation states.

Impact of Monomer Sequence and Interaction Parameter on Polymer Glass Transition Temperature.

Control of the glass transition temperature () is a major goal in polymer engineering as is a key determinant of mechanical behavior, barrier properties, and material processability. In copolymers of nonpolar monomers, the Fox equation can provide an approximate description of the dependence of on copolymer composition (monomer ratio), based on a harmonic weighted average of values for the individual homopolymers. However, the Fox equation does not consider the influence of intermonomer interactions, nor does it account for self-concentration effects.

Tutorial on computing nonadiabatic proton-coupled electron transfer rate constants.

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is pervasive throughout chemistry, biology, and physics. Over the last few decades, we have developed a general theoretical formulation for PCET that includes the quantum mechanical effects of the electrons and transferring protons, including hydrogen tunneling, as well as the reorganization of the environment and the donor-acceptor fluctuations. Analytical rate constants have been derived in various well-defined regimes.

Density-dependent network structuring within and across wild animal systems.

Theory predicts that high population density leads to more strongly connected spatial and social networks, but how local density drives individuals' positions within their networks is unclear. This gap reduces our ability to understand and predict density-dependent processes. Here we show that density drives greater network connectedness at the scale of individuals within wild animal populations.

Tumors hijack macrophages for iron supply to promote bone metastasis and anemia.

Bone marrow is both a primary site for hematopoiesis and a fertile niche for metastasis. The mechanism of the common occurrence of anemia among patients with bone metastasis remains poorly understood. Here, we show that a specialized population of VCAM1CD163CCR3 macrophages, normally essential for erythropoiesis by transporting iron to erythroblasts, are highly enriched in the bone metastatic niche in mouse models.

Tuning Magnetism Through Stoichiometric Potassium Intercalation into VOCl.

Layered van der Waals (vdW) materials, characterized by their interlayer vdW gaps, offer exceptional tunability of magnetic properties via intercalation chemistry. A wide range of magnetic behaviors have been observed in nonmagnetic transition-metal dichalcogenides intercalated with magnetic atoms. Beyond the incorporation of magnetic ions, we propose the controlled alkali-ion intercalation of intrinsic vdW magnets as a strategy to probe and manipulate spin populations and exchange interactions within individual magnetic layers.

Meaning-making behavior in a small-brained hominin, , from the late Pleistocene: contexts and evolutionary implications.

Explorations in the Dinaledi Subsystem of the Rising Star cave system have yielded some of the earliest evidence of a mortuary practice in hominins. Because the evidence is attributable to the small-brained , these analyses call into question several assumptions about behavioral and cognitive evolution in Pleistocene hominins. The evidence from the Dinaledi Subsystem, and at other locations across the Rising Star cave system may widen the phylogenetic breadth of mortuary, and possibly funerary, behaviors.

An integrated framework for modelling respiratory disease transmission and designing surveillance networks using a sentinel index.

Defining epidemiologically relevant placements for sentinel units is critical for establishing effective health surveillance systems. We propose a novel methodology to identify optimal sentinel unit locations using network approaches and metapopulation modelling. Disease transmission dynamics were modelled using syndromic data on respiratory diseases, integrated with road mobility data.

Iron(III)-Mediated C-H Alkylation: One-Electron Differentiation Increases Activity and Chemoselectivity.

The C-H functionalization of arenes mediated by well-defined bis(phosphine)-supported organometallic iron(III) complexes is described. One-electron oxidation of -(depe)Fe(CH) (depe = 1,2-bis(diethylphosphino)ethane) generated the corresponding isolable iron(III) dimethyl derivative that was unstable toward Fe-CH homolysis. Oxidation of the corresponding iron(II) bis(aryl) complex -(depe)Fe(tolyl) resulted in rapid reductive elimination of the biaryl with formation of iron(I).

A brain-wide map of neural activity during complex behaviour.

A key challenge in neuroscience is understanding how neurons in hundreds of interconnected brain regions integrate sensory inputs with previous expectations to initiate movements and make decisions. It is difficult to meet this challenge if different laboratories apply different analyses to different recordings in different regions during different behaviours. Here we report a comprehensive set of recordings from 621,733 neurons recorded with 699 Neuropixels probes across 139 mice in 12 laboratories.

Brain-wide representations of prior information in mouse decision-making.

The neural representations of prior information about the state of the world are poorly understood. Here, to investigate them, we examined brain-wide Neuropixels recordings and widefield calcium imaging collected by the International Brain Laboratory. Mice were trained to indicate the location of a visual grating stimulus, which appeared on the left or right with a prior probability alternating between 0.

Morphological and morphometric variations in infecting Ovines from Kashmir valley, India.

Parasitic nematodes pose a significant threat to global livestock production, with emerging as a particularly devastating pathogen in small ruminants. Despite widespread use of anthelmintics, continues to evade control measures by developing anthelmintic resistance and adapting to diverse environments. Here, we investigate morphological and morphometric characteristics and the associated variations in recently reported anthelmintic resistant population of in sheep from Kashmir valley, a region where small ruminant production faces persistent challenges from this parasite.

Assessment of hepatitis C virus permissiveness in iteratively genetically humanized mice.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus causing chronic infections in over 50 million people who are at risk of developing severe liver disease. Greater understanding of HCV pathogenesis and vaccine development has been hampered by the lack of a fully immunocompetent small-animal model permissive to infection. Rodents are resistant to HCV infection due to a variety of factors at the levels of entry and replication, many of which have been discovered within the past decade.

A transcription factor-sRNA-mediated double-negative feedback loop confers pathogen-specific control of quorum-sensing genes.

The cell-to-cell communication process called quorum sensing enables bacteria to synchronize collective behaviors. Quorum sensing relies on the production, release, and detection of signaling molecules called autoinducers. In , the VqmA transcription factor, following binding of the DPO autoinducer, activates expression of the gene encoding the VqmR small regulatory RNA.

A Toolkit for Mapping and Modulating Neurotransmission at Single-Cell Resolution.

Understanding the organization and regulation of neurotransmission at the level of individual neurons and synapses requires tools that can track and manipulate transmitter-specific vesicles . Here, we present a suite of genetic tools in to fluorescently label and conditionally ablate the vesicular transporters for glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, and monoamines. Using a structure-guided approach informed by protein topology and evolutionary conservation, we engineered endogenously tagged versions for each transporter that maintain their physiological function while allowing for cell-specific, bright, and stable visualization.

A Descriptive Analysis of Tenant Right to Counsel Law and Praxis 2017-2024.

This article provides the first comprehensive description of state and local tenant right to counsel (RTC) policies. From July 2017 through June 2024, five states, 17 cities, and one county passed legislation to formally create a right to legal counsel for tenants in eviction proceedings. These policies contain heterogeneous provisions, including their intended purposes, design and administration requirements, eligibility criteria, and when in the eviction process the right is triggered.

Neural Reinstatement of Encoding Context Mediates the Switch between Fear and Extinction Recall.

Fear conditioning and extinction generate conflicting memory representations for a conditioned stimulus (CS). Retrieval of either memory is largely determined by the context where the CS is encountered. While fear typically generalizes to CSs encountered in new contexts, extinction is specific to the environment in which it was learned.

Conservation and divergence of ciprofloxacin persister survival mechanisms between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli.

Studies have shown that DNA damage repair systems, including homologous recombination (HR) and the SOS response, are important for fluoroquinolone (FQ) persistence of Escherichia coli, which has been the workhorse organism of persister research. We sought to explore whether those systems are also important for FQ persistence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common cause of lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients, which can be treated with FQs such as ciprofloxacin (CIP). Notably, P.

In situ and remote observations of the ultraviolet footprint of the moon Callisto by the Juno spacecraft.

Jupiter exhibits peculiar multiwavelength auroral emissions resulting from the electromagnetic interactions of Io, Europa, and Ganymede with the magnetospheric plasma flow. Characterizing the faint auroral footprint of the fourth Galilean moon, Callisto, has always been challenging because of its expected weakness and its proximity to Jupiter's bright main aurora. Here, we report on unusual magnetospheric conditions that led to an equatorward shift of Jupiter's main auroral oval unveiling the auroral footprints of the four Galilean moons in a single observation.

Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by .

In this study, we describe new results of excavations in the Dinaledi Subsystem of the Rising Star cave system, South Africa. In two areas within the Hill Antechamber and the Dinaledi Chamber, this work uncovered concentrations of abundant fossils including articulated, matrix-supported skeletal regions consistent with rapid covering by sediment prior to the decomposition of soft tissue. We additionally re-examine the spatial positioning of skeletal material and associated sediments within the Puzzle Box area, from which abundant remains representing a minimum of six individuals were recovered in 2013 and 2014.

Early-life gut microbiome maturity regulates blood-brain barrier and cognitive development.

The gut microbiome is an emerging factor in the neurobiology of disease. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity is essential for proper brain function. However, the role the initial microbiome plays in BBB and brain development is unclear.