Elements

The oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC), known as oxi-mCs, garners significant interest in plants as potential epigenetic marks. While research in mammals has established a role in cell reprogramming, carcinogenesis and gene regulation, their functions in plants remain unclear. In rice, 5hmC has been associated with transposable elements and heterochromatin. This study utilizes Silene latifolia, a dioecious plant with heteromorphic sex chromosomes and a genome with a large proportion of transposable elements, which provides a favourable environment for the study of oxi-mCs in individual sexes...

This study critically reevaluates reported Biginelli-like reactions using a Kamlet-Abboud-Taft-based solvent effect model. Surprisingly, structural misassignments were discovered in certain multicomponent reactions, leading to the identification of pseudo three-component derivatives instead of the expected MCR adducts. Attempts to replicate literature conditions failed, prompting reconsideration of the described MCRs and proposed mechanisms. Electrospray ionization (tandem) mass spectrometry, NMR, melting points, elemental analyses and single-crystal X-ray analysis exposed inaccuracies in reported MCRs and allowed for the proposition of a complete catalytic cycle...

Mn-doped Bi3 O4 Br has been synthesized using a solvothermal route. The undoped Bi3 O4 Br and Mn-Bi3 O4 Br materials possess orthorhombic unit cells with two distinct Bi sites forming a layered atomic arrangement. The shift in the (020) plane in the powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) pattern confirms Mn-doping in the Bi3 O4 Br lattice. Elemental mapping indicated 7% Mn doping in the Bi3 O4 Br lattice structure. A core-level X-ray photoelectron study (XPS) indicates the presence of BiIII and MnII valence-states in Mn-Bi3 O4 Br...

In this work, a measurement setup to study the Seebeck and Nernst effect at high temperatures and high magnetic fields is introduced and discussed. The measurement system allows for simultaneous measurements of both thermoelectric effects up to 700 K and magnetic fields up to 12 T. Based on theoretical concepts, measurement equations are derived that counteract constant spurious offset voltages and, therefore, inhibit systematic errors in the measurement setup. The functionality is demonstrated on polycrystalline samples of elemental bismuth as well as various full-Heusler materials, exhibiting an anomalous Nernst effect...

Elemental surface segregation in cathode materials is critical for determining the phase and interfacial reaction between the electrode and electrolyte, which consequently affects the electrochemical properties. Single-crystal cathodes of Li1.2 Ni0.2 Mn0.6 O2 and Li1.2 Ni0.2 Mn0.6 O1.95 F0.05 with octahedral morphologies of (102)- and (003)-dominated facets have been manifested to show enhanced electrochemical properties. However, the surface structural features of such single crystals have not been investigated...

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical effects of clear aligner (CA) with different shape designs at extraction space (CAES) area during space closing. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A finite-element method (FEM) model of mandibular dentition, periodontal ligaments, attachments, and corresponding CA was established. The connecting rod design of CAES was modelled for the control group. Eight test groups with different heights of CAES from -4 mm to +4 mm were designed...

UNLABELLED: Integration of carbapenemase gene bla IMP into the chromosome of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has not been reported. The aim of this study was to explore the genomic characteristics of CRAB AB322 isolated from a Taiwanese patient diagnosed with bacteremia in 2011, whose chromosome harbors bla IMP-19 . Disk diffusion and broth microdilution were employed to analyze the antimicrobial susceptibility of AB322 to 14 antimicrobials. Nanopore whole-genome sequencing platform was utilized for AB322 genome sequencing, and conjugation was further performed to investigate the transferability of bla IMP-19 to amikacin-resistant A...

Many neutralophilic bacterial species try to evade acid stress with an escape strategy, which is reflected in the increased expression of genes coding for flagellar components. Extremely acid-tolerant bacteria, such as Escherichia coli , survive the strong acid stress, e.g., in the stomach of vertebrates. Recently, we were able to show that the induction of motility genes in E. coli is strictly dependent on the degree of acid stress, i.e., they are induced under mild acid stress but not under severe acid stress...

INTRODUCTION: Chimney technique (chimney graft in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair [ChEVAR]) can be used to treat patients with pararenal aortic aneurysm unfit for open surgery and not suitable for custom-made fenestrated endograft. Since almost 1 in 5 patients undergo a reintervention within 3 years, features associated with higher risk of complications need to be investigated to tailor the follow-up schedule to each patient. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of mural thrombus in the pararenal aorta on perioperative and follow-up complications after ChEVAR...

The observation of multiple conformations of a functional loop (termed M20) in the Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase ( ec DHFR) enzyme triggered the proposition that large-scale motions of protein structural elements contribute to enzyme catalysis. The transition of the M20 loop from a closed conformation to an occluded conformation was thought to aid the rate-limiting release of the products. However, the influence of charged species in the solution environment on the observed M20 loop conformations, independent of charged ligands bound to the enzyme, had not been considered...

The interaction of electronic spin and molecular vibrations mediated by spin-orbit coupling governs spin relaxation in molecular qubits. We derive an extended molecular spin Hamiltonian that includes both adiabatic and non-adiabatic spin-dependent interactions, and we implement the computation of its matrix elements using state-of-the-art density functional theory. The new molecular spin Hamiltonian contains a novel spin-vibrational orbit interaction with a non-adiabatic origin, together with the traditional molecular Zeeman and zero-field splitting interactions with an adiabatic origin...

Light-element-based fluorescent materials, colloidal graphene quantum dots, and carbon dots (CDs) have sparked an immense amount of scientific interest in the past decade. However, a significant challenge in practical applications has emerged concerning the development of solid-state fluorescence (SSF) materials. This study addresses this knowledge gap by exploring the unexplored photonic facets of C-based solid-state microphotonic emitters. The proposed synthesis approach focuses on carbonized polymer microspheres (CPMs) instead of conventional nanodots...

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex (KpSC) is an important disseminator of carbapenemase-encoding genes, mainly blaKPC-2 and blaNDM-1 , from hospitals to the environment. Consequently, carbapenem-resistant strains can be spread through the agrifood system, raising concerns about food safety. Therefore, this study aimed to isolate carbapenem-resistant KpSC strains from agricultural and environmental sectors and characterize them by phenotypic, molecular, and genomic analyses...

Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) is a term addressed to describe negative, psychopathological feelings, thinking and behaviours, including hostility and fear, exhibited by children who have been alienated from one parent by the other parent. Despite its relevance in the clinical psychology field, theoretical and empirical contributions to understanding and deepening the many facets of this concept are still few. In particular, literature aimed at disentangling the alienating parent's psychological characteristics is scarce and fragmented...

Visual cues are of critical importance for the attraction of animal pollinators, however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underpinning intraspecific floral colour variation. Here, we combined comparative spectral analysis, targeted metabolite profiling, multi-tissue transcriptomics, differential gene expression, sequence analysis and functional analysis to investigate a bee-pollinated orchid species, Glossodia major with common purple- and infrequent white-flowered morphs. We found uncommon and previously unreported delphinidin-based anthocyanins responsible for the conspicuous and pollinator-perceivable colour of the purple morph and three genetic changes underpinning the loss of colour in the white morph - (1) a loss-of-function (LOF; frameshift) mutation affecting dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR1) coding sequence due to a unique 4-bp insertion, (2) specific downregulation of functional DFR1 expression and (3) the unexpected discovery of chimeric Gypsy transposable element (TE)-gene (DFR) transcripts with potential consequences to the genomic stability and post-transcriptional or epigenetic regulation of DFR...

Over the past few decades, asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) has emerged as a robust technique for the separation of colloid-associated trace elements (TEs) in aqueous samples. Nevertheless, little is known about potential artifacts and how to control them when measuring the concentrations of colloid-associated elements at low (μg L-1 ) or ultralow concentrations (ng L-1 ) using AF4-UV-ICP-MS. Water from a boreal river was selected as a challenging test material due to its high concentrations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and Fe-rich colloids...

Blood plasma storage is a crucial element of pediatric biobanking. Improperly stored or handled specimens (e.g., at > -30°C) can result in altered biomolecular compositions that no longer reflects in vivo reality. We report application of a previously developed assay in adults-the ΔS-Cys-Albumin assay, which facilitates estimation of plasma and serum exposure to thawed conditions-to a population of pediatric EDTA plasma samples from patients aged 3-18 years to determine the assay's applicability, estimate its reference range for pediatric samples, and assess the impact of pre-centrifugation delay at 0°C...

Endometrial somatically derived yolk sac tumors are characterized by yolk sac morphology with AFP, SALL-4, and/or Glypican-3 immunoexpression. Yolk sac marker expression, however, is not limited to tumors with overt yolk sac histology. Three hundred consecutive endometrial malignancies were assessed for immunomarkers of yolk sac differentiation. Of these, 9% expressed ≥1 yolk sac marker, including 29% of high-grade tumors. Only 3 (1%) met morphologic criteria for yolk sac differentiation; these were originally diagnosed as serous, high-grade NOS, and dedifferentiated carcinoma...

BACKGROUND: Narrative written feedback given to students by faculty often fails to identify areas for improvement and recommended actions to lead to this improvement. When these elements are missing, it is challenging for students to improve and for medical schools to use narrative feedback in promotion decisions, to guide coaching plans and to pass on meaningful information to residency programs. Large-group faculty development has improved narrative written feedback, but less is known about individualised faculty development to supplement large-group sessions...

Polycyclic energetic materials make up a distinctive class of conjugated structures that consist of two or more rings. In this work, 1,3-bis(3,5-dinitro-1 H -pyrazol-4-yl)-4,6-dinitrobenzene ( BDPD ) was synthesized and investigated in detail as a polycyclic heat-resistant energetic molecule that can be deprotonated by bases to obtain its anionic ( 3 - 5 ) salts. All compounds were thoroughly characterized by 1 H and 13 C NMR, infrared spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis...