manipulate

Rapid postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD) of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) storage roots is a major constraint that limits the potential of this plant as a food and industrial crop. Extensive studies have been performed to explore the regulatory mechanisms underlying the PPD processes in cassava to understand their molecular and physiological responses. However, the exceptional functional versatility of alternative splicing (AS) remains to be explored during the PPD process in cassava. Here, we identified several aberrantly spliced genes during the early PPD stage...

Animal models are critical for understanding the initiation and progression of myopia, a refractive condition that causes blurred distance vision. The prevalence of myopia is rapidly increasing worldwide, and myopia increases the risk of developing potentially blinding diseases. Current pharmacological, optical, and environmental interventions attenuate myopia progression in children, but it is still unclear how this occurs or how these interventions can be improved to increase their protective effects. To optimize myopia interventions, directed mechanistic studies are needed...

Magnetic skyrmions are topological magnetic textures that hold great promise as nanoscale bits of information in memory and logic devices. Although room-temperature ferromagnetic skyrmions and their current-induced manipulation have been demonstrated, their velocity has been limited to about 100 meters per second. In addition, their dynamics are perturbed by the skyrmion Hall effect, a motion transverse to the current direction caused by the skyrmion topological charge. Here, we show that skyrmions in compensated synthetic antiferromagnets can be moved by current along the current direction at velocities of up to 900 meters per second...

Hollow carbonaceous spheres are extraordinarily attractive for their unique structural features and wide applications in various fields. Herein, a facile and effective synthesis methodology based on the extended Stöber process for construction of phenolic resin hollow spheres has been presented. Combined with a series of characterization techniques, the synthesis process was systematically investigated, and a possible synthesis mechanism was proposed. It is revealed that the structural inhomogeneity of the polymer product achieved by using dodecylamine and alkane is responsible for the formation of hollow architecture, which depends on spontaneous selective dissolution during the synthesis process...

Public perception of regulated sexual behavior is a crucial factor in considering policy, particularly when UK sexual consent laws could criminalize the many young people who are increasingly engaging in underage sex. In contrast, other countries have progressively implemented consent age-spans to respect sexual autonomy while simultaneously protecting young people from sexual exploitation. This study investigated UK perceptions of consensual underage sex between similar-aged adolescents, with predominant focus on age-spans, as an adaptive alternative to dropping consent age...

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycemia threatens cognitive function and driving safety. Previous research investigated in-vehicle voice assistants as hypoglycemia warnings. However, they could startle drivers. To address this, we combine voice warnings with ambient LEDs. OBJECTIVE: The study assesses the effect of in-vehicle multimodal warning on emotional reaction and technology acceptance among drivers with type 1 diabetes. METHODS: Two studies were conducted, one in simulated driving and the other in real-world driving...

Greedy phenomena have dramatically increased in societies. However, despite the universality of greedy behaviour, empirical research on the causes of greed is scarce. In this context, we propose that perceived economic inequality may be an important factor influencing greed. Study 1 provided primary evidence of a positive relationship between perceived economic inequality and greed, based on data from a large-scale social survey (CFPS 2018, N = 14,317). Employing well-established questionnaires, Study 2A (N = 200) and Study 2B (N = 399) revealed that perceived economic inequality positively predicts greed, with relative deprivation playing a mediating role...

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the interaction between message framing and point-of-reference (self vs. others) for vaccine benefits on young adults' COVID-19 vaccine confidence and intentions. It also examines how COVID-19-related health beliefs-such as perceived severity of COVID-19 and perceived benefits of obtaining the vaccine to protect others-mediate these interactions. METHOD: In a 2 (framing: gain vs. loss) × 3 (reference point: self, others, university community) between-subjects experiment (Fall 2021), 202 participants ages 18-23 were shown animated messages with embedded manipulations to convey vaccine information...

This article explores the contribution of the double error dynamic asymptote computational associative learning model to understanding the role of mediated learning mechanisms in the generation of spurious associations, as those postulated to characterize schizophrenia. Three sets of simulations for mediated conditioning, mediated extinction, and a mediated enhancement of latent inhibition, a unique model prediction, are presented. For each set of simulations, a parameter that modulates the impact of associative memory retrieval and the dissipation of nonperceptual activated representations through the network was manipulated...

Associating a neutral conditioned stimulus (CS) with the absence of a biologically significant unconditioned stimulus (US) confers conditioned inhibitory properties upon the CS, referred to as conditioned inhibition. Conditioned inhibition and conditioned excitation, an association of a CS with the presence of the US, are fundamental components of associative learning. While the neural substrates of conditioned excitation are well established, those of conditioned inhibition remain poorly understood. Recent research has shed light on the lateral habenula (LHb) engagement in conditioned inhibition, along with the midbrain dopaminergic neurons...

A theoretical construction of an antiferromagnetic polymer multilayered field-effect transistor with polymers stretched between the source and drain contacts was undertaken. The model employed a quantum approach to the on-chain spin-charge distribution, which was self-consistently coupled with the charge distribution controlled by the gate voltage. Contrary to standard field-effect transistors, we found that the current firstly increased superlinearly with the drain voltage, then it achieved the maximum for drain voltages notably lower than the gate voltage, and after that, it decreased with the drain voltage with no saturation...

When we become engrossed in novels, films, games, or even our own wandering thoughts, we can feel present in a reality distinct from the real world. Although this subjective sense of presence is, presumably, a ubiquitous aspect of conscious experience, the mechanisms that produce it are unknown. Correlational studies conducted in virtual reality have shown that we feel more present when we are afraid, motivating claims that physiological changes contribute to presence; however, such causal claims remain to be evaluated...

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite infecting humans and nearly all warm-blooded animals. Successful parasitism in diverse hosts at various developmental stages requires the parasites to fine tune their metabolism according to environmental cues and the parasite's needs. By manipulating the β and γ subunits, we have previously shown that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has critical roles in regulating the metabolic and developmental programmes. However, the biological functions of the α catalytic subunit have not been established...

PURPOSE: Currently, the rigid instruments used for laparoscopic radical resection of prostate cancer not only have the risk of damage to tissues, blood vessels, and nerves, but their limited freedom will also cause surgical blind areas. Soft robots are expected to solve these issues due to inherent flexibility, compliance, and safe interaction with tissues and organs. In addition, to achieve high surgical accuracy and provide precise guidance for surgeons, the navigation method should be studied for the soft robot...

The use of a soft multi-fingered hand in handling fragile objects has been widely acknowledged. Nevertheless, high flexibility often results in decreased load capacity, necessitating the need for variable stiffness. This article introduces a new soft multi-fingered hand featuring variable stiffness. The finger of the hand has three chambers and an endoskeleton mechanism. Two chambers facilitate bending and swinging motions, whereas the third adjusts stiffness. An endoskeleton mechanism is embedded in the third chamber, and the friction between its moving parts increases as negative air pressure rises, causing the finger's stiffness to increase...

We describe and assess the efficiency of a novel technique of placing implantable collamer lens (ICL) footplates in the sulcus in poorly dilated pupils utilizing perioptic holes and two instruments simultaneously (Sinskey hook and ICL manipulator). Twelve eyes of 10 patients underwent ICL implantation through this technique. The technique employs a bimanual approach engaging perioptic holes in the eyes with intraoperative miosis. Perioptic holes were engaged with a Sinskey hook and pulled slightly back, while the footplates were tucked under the iris by using an ICL manipulator...

Proton conductors are essential functional materials with a wide variety of potential applications in energy storage and conversion. In order to address the issues of low proton conductivity and poor stability in conventional proton conductors, a simple and valid ion-exchange method was proposed in this study for the introduction of stable and ultrahigh proton conductivity in layered rare earth hydroxides (LRHs). Test analyses by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction revealed that the exchange of H2 PO4 - not only does not disrupt the layered structure of LRHs, but also creates more active proton sites and channels necessary for proton transport, thereby creating a high-performance proton conductor (LRH-H2 PO4 - )...

Atomically precise nanoclusters hold promise for supramolecular assembly and (opto)electronic- as well as magnetic materials. Herein, this work reports that treating palladium(0) precursors with a triphosphirane affords strongly colored Pd8 (PDip)6 that is fully characterized by mass spectrometry, heteronuclear and Cross-Polarization Magic-Angle Spinning (CP-MAS) NMR-, infrared (IR), UV-vis, and X-ray photoelectron (XP) spectroscopies, single-crystal X-Ray diffraction (sc-XRD), mass spectrometry, and cyclovoltammetry (CV)...

Drylands, comprising semi-arid, arid, and hyperarid regions, cover approximately 41% of the Earth's land surface and have expanded considerably in recent decades. Even under more optimistic scenarios, such as limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2100, semi-arid lands may increase by up to 38%. This study provides an overview of the state-of-the-art regarding changing aridity in arid regions, with a specific focus on its effects on the accumulation and availability of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in plant-soil systems...

A coupled ring-waveguide structure is at the core of bosonic wave-based information processing systems, enabling advanced wave manipulations such as filtering, routing, and multiplexing. However, its miniaturization is challenging due to momentum conservation issues in rings with larger curvature that induce significant backscattering and radiation leakage and hampering stable operation. Here, we address it by taking an alternative approach of using topological technology in wavelength-scale and microwave ring-waveguide coupled systems built in nanoengineered phononic crystals...