Impact of vegetation composition and seasonality on sensitivity of modelled CO2 exchange in temperate raised bogs

Encroachment of vascular plants (VP) in temperate raised bogs, as a consequence of altered hydrological conditions and nutrient input, is widely observed. Effects of such vegetation shift on water and carbon cycles are, however, largely unknown and identification of responsible plant physiological traits is challenging. Process-based modelling offers the opportunity of gaining insights into ecosystem functioning beyond observations, and to infer decisive trait shifts of plant functional groups. We adapted the Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer model pyAPES to a temperate raised bog site by calibration against measured peat temperature, water table and surface CO2 fluxes. We identified the most important traits determining CO2 fluxes by conducting Morris sensitivity analysis (MSA) under changing conditions throughout the year and simulated VP encroachment. We further investigated transferability of results to other sites by extending MSA to parameter ranges derived from literature review. We found highly variable intra-annual plant traits importance determining ecosystem CO2 fluxes, but only a partial shift of importance of photosynthetic processes from moss to VP during encroachment. Ecosystem respiration was dominated by peat respiration. Overall, carboxylation rate, base respiration rate and temperature sensitivity (Q10) were most important for determining bog CO2 balance and parameter ranking was robust even under the extended MSA.

Evidence for the additivity of rare and common variant burden throughout the spectrum of intellectual disability

Intellectual disability (ID) is a common disorder, yet there is a wide spectrum of impairment from mild to profoundly affected individuals. Mild ID is seen as the low extreme of the general distribution of intelligence, while severe ID is often seen as a monogenic disorder caused by rare, pathogenic, highly penetrant variants. To investigate the genetic factors influencing mild and severe ID, we evaluated rare and common variation in the Northern Finland Intellectual Disability cohort (n = 1096 ID patients), a cohort with a high percentage of mild ID (n = 550) and from a population bottleneck enriched in rare, damaging variation. Despite this enrichment, we found only a small percentage of ID was due to recessive Finnish-enriched variants (0.5%). A larger proportion was linked to dominant variation, with a significant burden of rare, damaging variation in both mild and severe ID. This rare variant burden was enriched in more severe ID (p = 2.4e-4), patients without a relative with ID (p = 4.76e-4), and in those with features associated with monogenic disorders. We also found a significant burden of common variants associated with decreased cognitive function, with no difference between mild and more severe ID. When we included common and rare variants in a joint model, the rare and common variants had additive effects in both mild and severe ID. A multimodel inference approach also found that common and rare variants together best explained ID status (ΔAIC = 16.8, ΔBIC = 10.2). Overall, we report evidence for the additivity of rare and common variant burden throughout the spectrum of intellectual disability.

Autonomous quantum heat engine based on non-Markovian dynamics of an optomechanical Hamiltonian

We propose a recipe for demonstrating an autonomous quantum heat engine where the working fluid consists of a harmonic oscillator, the frequency of which is tuned by a driving mode. The working fluid is coupled two heat reservoirs each exhibiting a peaked power spectrum, a hot reservoir peaked at a higher frequency than the cold reservoir. Provided that the driving mode is initialized in a coherent state with a high enough amplitude and the parameters of the utilized optomechanical Hamiltonian and the reservoirs are appropriate, the driving mode induces an approximate Otto cycle for the working fluid and consequently its oscillation amplitude begins to increase in time. We build both an analytical and a non-Markovian quasiclassical model for this quantum heat engine and show that reasonably powerful coherent fields can be generated as the output of the quantum heat engine. This general theoretical proposal heralds the in-depth studies of quantum heat engines in the non-Markovian regime. Further, it paves the way for specific physical realizations, such as those in optomechanical systems, and for the subsequent experimental realization of an autonomous quantum heat engine.

Functional synergy of a human-specific and an ape-specific metabolic regulator in human neocortex development

Metabolism has recently emerged as a major target of genes implicated in the evolutionary expansion of human neocortex. One such gene is the human-specific gene ARHGAP11B. During human neocortex development, ARHGAP11B increases the abundance of basal radial glia, key progenitors for neocortex expansion, by stimulating glutaminolysis (glutamine-to-glutamate-to-alpha-ketoglutarate) in mitochondria. Here we show that the ape-specific protein GLUD2 (glutamate dehydrogenase 2), which also operates in mitochondria and converts glutamate-to-αKG, enhances ARHGAP11B's ability to increase basal radial glia abundance. ARHGAP11B + GLUD2 double-transgenic bRG show increased production of aspartate, a metabolite essential for cell proliferation, from glutamate via alpha-ketoglutarate and the TCA cycle. Hence, during human evolution, a human-specific gene exploited the existence of another gene that emerged during ape evolution, to increase, via concerted changes in metabolism, progenitor abundance and neocortex size.

Revealing myopathy spectrum: integrating transcriptional and clinical features of human skeletal muscles with varying health conditions

Myopathy refers to a large group of heterogeneous, rare muscle diseases. Bulk RNA-sequencing has been utilized for the diagnosis and research of these diseases for many years. However, the existing valuable sequencing data often lack integration and clinical interpretation. In this study, we integrated bulk RNA-sequencing data from 1221 human skeletal muscles (292 with myopathies, 929 controls) from both databases and our local samples. By applying a method similar to single-cell analysis, we revealed a general spectrum of muscle diseases, ranging from healthy to mild disease, moderate muscle wasting, and severe muscle disease. This spectrum was further partly validated in three specific myopathies (97 muscles) through clinical features including trinucleotide repeat expansion, magnetic resonance imaging fat fraction, pathology, and clinical severity scores. This spectrum helped us identify 234 genuinely healthy muscles as unprecedented controls, providing a new perspective for deciphering the hallmark genes and pathways among different myopathies. The newly identified featured genes of general myopathy, inclusion body myositis, and titinopathy were highly expressed in our local muscles, as validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Self-assembly of stabilized droplets from liquid-liquid phase separation for higher-order structures and functions

Dynamic microscale droplets produced by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) have emerged as appealing biomaterials due to their remarkable features. However, the instability of droplets limits the construction of population-level structures with collective behaviors. Here we first provide a brief background of droplets in the context of materials properties. Subsequently, we discuss current strategies for stabilizing droplets including physical separation and chemical modulation. We also discuss the recent development of LLPS droplets for various applications such as synthetic cells and biomedical materials. Finally, we give insights on how stabilized droplets can self-assemble into higher-order structures displaying coordinated functions to fully exploit their potentials in bottom-up synthetic biology and biomedical applications.

Concerted transformation of a hyper-paused transcription complex and its reinforcing protein

RfaH, a paralog of the universally conserved NusG, binds to RNA polymerases (RNAP) and ribosomes to activate expression of virulence genes. In free, autoinhibited RfaH, an α-helical KOW domain sequesters the RNAP-binding site. Upon recruitment to RNAP paused at an ops site, KOW is released and refolds into a β-barrel, which binds the ribosome. Here, we report structures of ops-paused transcription elongation complexes alone and bound to the autoinhibited and activated RfaH, which reveal swiveled, pre-translocated pause states stabilized by an ops hairpin in the non-template DNA. Autoinhibited RfaH binds and twists the ops hairpin, expanding the RNA:DNA hybrid to 11 base pairs and triggering the KOW release. Once activated, RfaH hyper-stabilizes the pause, which thus requires anti-backtracking factors for escape. Our results suggest that the entire RfaH cycle is solely determined by the ops and RfaH sequences and provide insights into mechanisms of recruitment and metamorphosis of NusG homologs across all life.

Rhythmicity of neuronal oscillations delineates their cortical and spectral architecture

Neuronal oscillations are commonly analyzed with power spectral methods that quantify signal amplitude, but not rhythmicity or 'oscillatoriness' per se. Here we introduce a new approach, the phase-autocorrelation function (pACF), for the direct quantification of rhythmicity. We applied pACF to human intracerebral stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) data and uncovered a spectrally and anatomically fine-grained cortical architecture in the rhythmicity of single- and multi-frequency neuronal oscillations. Evidencing the functional significance of rhythmicity, we found it to be a prerequisite for long-range synchronization in resting-state networks and to be dynamically modulated during event-related processing. We also extended the pACF approach to measure 'burstiness' of oscillatory processes and characterized regions with stable and bursty oscillations. These findings show that rhythmicity is double-dissociable from amplitude and constitutes a functionally relevant and dynamic characteristic of neuronal oscillations.

Droplet slipperiness despite surface heterogeneity at molecular scale

Friction determines whether liquid droplets slide off a solid surface or stick to it. Surface heterogeneity is generally acknowledged as the major cause of increased contact angle hysteresis and contact line friction of droplets. Here we challenge this long-standing premise for chemical heterogeneity at the molecular length scale. By tuning the coverage of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), water contact angles change gradually from about 10° to 110° yet contact angle hysteresis and contact line friction are low for the low-coverage hydrophilic SAMs as well as high-coverage hydrophobic SAMs. Their slipperiness is not expected based on the substantial chemical heterogeneity of the SAMs featuring uncoated areas of the substrate well beyond the size of a water molecule as probed by metal reactants. According to molecular dynamics simulations, the low friction of both low- and high-coverage SAMs originates from the mobility of interfacial water molecules. These findings reveal a yet unknown and counterintuitive mechanism for slipperiness, opening new avenues for enhancing the mobility of droplets.

The genome and population genomics of allopolyploid Coffea arabica reveal the diversification history of modern coffee cultivars

Coffea arabica, an allotetraploid hybrid of Coffea eugenioides and Coffea canephora, is the source of approximately 60% of coffee products worldwide, and its cultivated accessions have undergone several population bottlenecks. We present chromosome-level assemblies of a di-haploid C. arabica accession and modern representatives of its diploid progenitors, C. eugenioides and C. canephora. The three species exhibit largely conserved genome structures between diploid parents and descendant subgenomes, with no obvious global subgenome dominance. We find evidence for a founding polyploidy event 350,000-610,000 years ago, followed by several pre-domestication bottlenecks, resulting in narrow genetic variation. A split between wild accessions and cultivar progenitors occurred ~30.5 thousand years ago, followed by a period of migration between the two populations. Analysis of modern varieties, including lines historically introgressed with C. canephora, highlights their breeding histories and loci that may contribute to pathogen resistance, laying the groundwork for future genomics-based breeding of C. arabica.

Effects of reduced sedentary time on resting, exercise and post-exercise blood pressure in inactive adults with metabolic syndrome - a six-month exploratory RCT

Evidence on the long-term effects of reducing sedentary behaviour (SB) on blood pressure (BP) is scarce. Therefore, we performed a sub-analysis of the BP effects of a six-month intervention that aimed at reducing SB by 1 h/day and replacing it with non-exercise activities. Sixty-four physically inactive and sedentary adults with metabolic syndrome (58% female, 58 [SD 7] years, BP 143/88 [16/9] mmHg, SB 10 [1] h/day) were randomised into intervention (INT, n = 33) and control (CON, n = 31) groups. Resting BP and BP at each stage during and after a graded maximal bicycle ergometer test were measured before and after the intervention. SB, standing, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and light physical activity (LPA) were measured in six-second intervals at baseline and during the whole six-month intervention using hip-worn accelerometers. The analyses were adjusted for BP medication status. The intervention resulted in a 40 min/day reduction in SB and concomitant 20 min/day increase in MVPA. Resting systolic BP was lower in the CON group before and after the intervention. No group x time interactions were observed in resting BP or BP during exercise at submaximal or maximal intensities, or during recovery. The changes in LPA and MVPA were inversely correlated with the changes in BP during light-to-moderate intensity exercise. An intervention that resulted in a 40 min/day reduction in SB for six months was not sufficient at influencing BP at rest, during or after exercise in adults with metabolic syndrome. However, successfully increasing LPA or MVPA might lower BP during light-to-moderate-intensity activities.

Genetic contribution to microglial activation in schizophrenia

Several lines of evidence indicate the involvement of neuroinflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Microglia are brain resident immune cells responding toward invading pathogens and injury-related products, and additionally, have a critical role in improving neurogenesis and synaptic functions. Aberrant activation of microglia in SCZ is one of the leading hypotheses for disease pathogenesis, but due to the lack of proper human cell models, the role of microglia in SCZ is not well studied. We used monozygotic twins discordant for SCZ and healthy individuals to generate human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia to assess the transcriptional and functional differences in microglia between healthy controls, affected twins and unaffected twins. The microglia from affected twins had increased expression of several common inflammation-related genes compared to healthy individuals. Microglia from affected twins had also reduced response to interleukin 1 beta (IL1β) treatment, but no significant differences in migration or phagocytotic activity. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) showed abnormalities related to extracellular matrix signaling. RNA sequencing predicted downregulation of extracellular matrix structure constituent Gene Ontology (GO) terms and hepatic fibrosis pathway activation that were shared by microglia of both affected and unaffected twins, but the upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II receptors was observed only in affected twin microglia. Also, the microglia of affected twins had heterogeneous response to clozapine, minocycline, and sulforaphane treatments. Overall, despite the increased expression of inflammatory genes, we observed no clear functional signs of hyperactivation in microglia from patients with SCZ. We conclude that microglia of the patients with SCZ have gene expression aberrations related to inflammation response and extracellular matrix without contributing to increased microglial activation.

Focal adhesions contain three specialized actin nanoscale layers

Focal adhesions (FAs) connect inner workings of cell to the extracellular matrix to control cell adhesion, migration and mechanosensing. Previous studies demonstrated that FAs contain three vertical layers, which connect extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton. By using super-resolution iPALM microscopy, we identify two additional nanoscale layers within FAs, specified by actin filaments bound to tropomyosin isoforms Tpm1.6 and Tpm3.2. The Tpm1.6-actin filaments, beneath the previously identified α-actinin cross-linked actin filaments, appear critical for adhesion maturation and controlled cell motility, whereas the adjacent Tpm3.2-actin filament layer beneath seems to facilitate adhesion disassembly. Mechanistically, Tpm3.2 stabilizes ACF-7/MACF1 and KANK-family proteins at adhesions, and hence targets microtubule plus-ends to FAs to catalyse their disassembly. Tpm3.2 depletion leads to disorganized microtubule network, abnormally stable FAs, and defects in tail retraction during migration. Thus, FAs are composed of distinct actin filament layers, and each may have specific roles in coupling adhesions to the cytoskeleton, or in controlling adhesion dynamics.

The Arctic Plant Aboveground Biomass Synthesis Dataset

Plant biomass is a fundamental ecosystem attribute that is sensitive to rapid climatic changes occurring in the Arctic. Nevertheless, measuring plant biomass in the Arctic is logistically challenging and resource intensive. Lack of accessible field data hinders efforts to understand the amount, composition, distribution, and changes in plant biomass in these northern ecosystems. Here, we present The Arctic plant aboveground biomass synthesis dataset, which includes field measurements of lichen, bryophyte, herb, shrub, and/or tree aboveground biomass (g m-2) on 2,327 sample plots from 636 field sites in seven countries. We created the synthesis dataset by assembling and harmonizing 32 individual datasets. Aboveground biomass was primarily quantified by harvesting sample plots during mid- to late-summer, though tree and often tall shrub biomass were quantified using surveys and allometric models. Each biomass measurement is associated with metadata including sample date, location, method, data source, and other information. This unique dataset can be leveraged to monitor, map, and model plant biomass across the rapidly warming Arctic.

SCGB1D2 inhibits growth of Borrelia burgdorferi and affects susceptibility to Lyme disease

Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia. The host factors that modulate susceptibility for Lyme disease have remained mostly unknown. Using epidemiological and genetic data from FinnGen and Estonian Biobank, we identify two previously known variants and an unknown common missense variant at the gene encoding for Secretoglobin family 1D member 2 (SCGB1D2) protein that increases the susceptibility for Lyme disease. Using live Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) we find that recombinant reference SCGB1D2 protein inhibits the growth of Bb in vitro more efficiently than the recombinant protein with SCGB1D2 P53L deleterious missense variant. Finally, using an in vivo murine infection model we show that recombinant SCGB1D2 prevents infection by Borrelia in vivo. Together, these data suggest that SCGB1D2 is a host defense factor present in the skin, sweat, and other secretions which protects against Bb infection and opens an exciting therapeutic avenue for Lyme disease.

Distinct and shared genetic architectures of gestational diabetes mellitus and type 2 diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disorder affecting more than 16 million pregnancies annually worldwide1,2. GDM is related to an increased lifetime risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D)1-3, with over a third of women developing T2D within 15 years of their GDM diagnosis. The diseases are hypothesized to share a genetic predisposition1-7, but few studies have sought to uncover the genetic underpinnings of GDM. Most studies have evaluated the impact of T2D loci only8-10, and the three prior genome-wide association studies of GDM11-13 have identified only five loci, limiting the power to assess to what extent variants or biological pathways are specific to GDM. We conducted the largest genome-wide association study of GDM to date in 12,332 cases and 131,109 parous female controls in the FinnGen study and identified 13 GDM-associated loci, including nine new loci. Genetic features distinct from T2D were identified both at the locus and genomic scale. Our results suggest that the genetics of GDM risk falls into the following two distinct categories: one part conventional T2D polygenic risk and one part predominantly influencing mechanisms disrupted in pregnancy. Loci with GDM-predominant effects map to genes related to islet cells, central glucose homeostasis, steroidogenesis and placental expression.

Genome-wide polygenic risk scores for colorectal cancer have implications for risk-based screening

BACKGROUND

Hereditary factors, including single genetic variants and family history, can be used for targeting colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, but limited data exist on the impact of polygenic risk scores (PRS) on risk-based CRC screening.

METHODS

Using longitudinal health and genomics data on 453,733 Finnish individuals including 8801 CRC cases, we estimated the impact of a genome-wide CRC PRS on CRC screening initiation age through population-calibrated incidence estimation over the life course in men and women.

RESULTS

Compared to the cumulative incidence of CRC at age 60 in Finland (the current age for starting screening in Finland), a comparable cumulative incidence was reached 5 and 11 years earlier in persons with high PRS (80-99% and >99%, respectively), while those with a low PRS (< 20%) reached comparable incidence 7 years later. The PRS was associated with increased risk of post-colonoscopy CRC after negative colonoscopy (hazard ratio 1.76 per PRS SD, 95% CI 1.54-2.01). Moreover, the PRS predicted colorectal adenoma incidence and improved incident CRC risk prediction over non-genetic risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate that a CRC PRS can be used for risk stratification of CRC, with further research needed to optimally integrate the PRS into risk-based screening.

Dynamic evolutionary interplay between ontogenetic skull patterning and whole-head integration

The arrangement and morphology of the vertebrate skull reflect functional and ecological demands, making it a highly adaptable structure. However, the fundamental developmental and macroevolutionary mechanisms leading to different vertebrate skull phenotypes remain unclear. Here we exploit the morphological diversity of squamate reptiles to assess the developmental and evolutionary patterns of skull variation and covariation in the whole head. Our geometric morphometric analysis of a complex squamate ontogenetic dataset (209 specimens, 169 embryos, 44 species), covering stages from craniofacial primordia to fully ossified bones, reveals that morphological differences between snake and lizard skulls arose gradually through changes in spatial relationships (heterotopy) followed by alterations in developmental timing or rate (heterochrony). Along with dynamic spatiotemporal changes in the integration pattern of skull bone shape and topology with surrounding brain tissues and sensory organs, we identify a relatively higher phenotypic integration of the developing snake head compared with lizards. The eye, nasal cavity and Jacobson's organ are pivotal in skull morphogenesis, highlighting the importance of sensory rearrangements in snake evolution. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate the importance of early embryonic, ontogenetic and tissue interactions in shaping craniofacial evolution and ecological diversification in squamates, with implications for the nature of cranio-cerebral relations across vertebrates.

Multi-decadal improvements in the ecological quality of European rivers are not consistently reflected in biodiversity metrics

Humans impact terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems, yet many broad-scale studies have found no systematic, negative biodiversity changes (for example, decreasing abundance or taxon richness). Here we show that mixed biodiversity responses may arise because community metrics show variable responses to anthropogenic impacts across broad spatial scales. We first quantified temporal trends in anthropogenic impacts for 1,365 riverine invertebrate communities from 23 European countries, based on similarity to least-impacted reference communities. Reference comparisons provide necessary, but often missing, baselines for evaluating whether communities are negatively impacted or have improved (less or more similar, respectively). We then determined whether changing impacts were consistently reflected in metrics of community abundance, taxon richness, evenness and composition. Invertebrate communities improved, that is, became more similar to reference conditions, from 1992 until the 2010s, after which improvements plateaued. Improvements were generally reflected by higher taxon richness, providing evidence that certain community metrics can broadly indicate anthropogenic impacts. However, richness responses were highly variable among sites, and we found no consistent responses in community abundance, evenness or composition. These findings suggest that, without sufficient data and careful metric selection, many common community metrics cannot reliably reflect anthropogenic impacts, helping explain the prevalence of mixed biodiversity trends.

Designing patient-oriented combination therapies for acute myeloid leukemia based on efficacy/toxicity integration and bipartite network modeling

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a heterogeneous and aggressive blood cancer, does not respond well to single-drug therapy. A combination of drugs is required to effectively treat this disease. Computational models are critical for combination therapy discovery due to the tens of thousands of two-drug combinations, even with approved drugs. While predicting synergistic drugs is the focus of current methods, few consider drug efficacy and potential toxicity, which are crucial for treatment success. To find effective new drug candidates, we constructed a bipartite network using patient-derived tumor samples and drugs. The network is based on drug-response screening and summarizes all treatment response heterogeneity as drug response weights. This bipartite network is then projected onto the drug part, resulting in the drug similarity network. Distinct drug clusters were identified using community detection methods, each targeting different biological processes and pathways as revealed by enrichment and pathway analysis of the drugs' protein targets. Four drugs with the highest efficacy and lowest toxicity from each cluster were selected and tested for drug sensitivity using cell viability assays on various samples. Results show that ruxolitinib-ulixertinib and sapanisertib-LY3009120 are the most effective combinations with the least toxicity and the best synergistic effect on blast cells. These findings lay the foundation for personalized and successful AML therapies, ultimately leading to the development of drug combinations that can be used alongside standard first-line AML treatment.

Genetic constraints in genes exhibiting splicing plasticity in facultative diapause

Phenotypic plasticity is produced and maintained by processes regulating the transcriptome. While differential gene expression is among the most important of these processes, relatively little is known about other sources of transcriptional variation. Previous work suggests that alternative splicing plays an extensive and functionally unique role in transcriptional plasticity, though plastically spliced genes may be more constrained than the remainder of expressed genes. In this study, we explore the relationship between expression and splicing plasticity, along with the genetic diversity in those genes, in an ecologically consequential polyphenism: facultative diapause. Using 96 samples spread over two tissues and 10 timepoints, we compare the extent of differential splicing and expression between diapausing and direct developing pupae of the butterfly Pieris napi. Splicing differs strongly between diapausing and direct developing trajectories but alters a smaller and functionally unique set of genes compared to differential expression. We further test the hypothesis that among these expressed loci, plastically spliced genes are likely to experience the strongest purifying selection to maintain seasonally plastic phenotypes. Genes with unique transcriptional changes through diapause consistently had the lowest nucleotide diversity, and this effect was consistently stronger among genes that were differentially spliced compared to those with just differential expression through diapause. Further, the strength of negative selection was higher in the population expressing diapause every generation. Our results suggest that maintenance of the molecular mechanisms involved in diapause progression, including post-transcriptional modifications, are highly conserved and likely to experience genetic constraints, especially in northern populations of P. napi.

Allopurinol and prostate cancer survival in a Finnish population-based cohort

BACKGROUND

Allopurinol is gout medication that inhibits uric acid formation. Its possible anti-carcinogenic properties have been under research in past years. Studies based on Taiwanese registries showed that long term allopurinol use might reduce prostate cancer (PCa) incidence. However, our studies based on Finnish registries did not support those findings. In this study, we evaluate whether allopurinol use is associated with prostate cancer-specific survival (CSS) or overall survival (OS) in a Finnish population-based cohort.

METHODS

The study cohort was originally enrolled for the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (FinRSPC). We included all newly diagnosed PCa cases during 1996-2015, 9252 men in total. Information on allopurinol purchases was from the national prescription registry of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Information about deaths, treatments, and use of other medications was obtained from registries, and tumor stage and PSA at diagnosis from medical records. Follow-up started at diagnosis, and we analysed separately two endpoints: PCa-specific death and overall death. We used an extended Cox regression with adjustment for age at diagnosis, Charlson comorbidity index, FinRSPC trial arm, use of other drugs and EAU PCa risk group.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up of 9.86 years, 2942 deaths occurred, including 883 from PCa. There was no difference in CSS between allopurinol user and non-users, but allopurinol users had lower OS (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio 1.77; 95% CI: 1.57-2.00). However, this decrease in OS was mitigated along with increasing intensity of allopurinol use.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no marked difference in CSS by allopurinol use. Allopurinol users had lower OS but there were no significant differences by duration or intensity of allopurinol use. Allopurinol use may not have anticancer effects against prostate cancer; instead, it may be a surrogate for metabolic problems causing shorter OS among men with PCa.

Enhancing identification of nonaffective psychosis in register-based studies

The Finnish Quality of Psychosis Care Register assesses nonaffective psychosis (NAP) care, acknowledging treatment outside specialized psychiatric services. This approach, while providing a holistic view, raises concerns about diagnostic inaccuracies. Here, we studied situations where the register-based diagnosis might be inaccurate, and whether the first episode can be reliably identified using a 14-year wash-out period. People with first register-based NAP (ICD-10 F20-F29) between years 2010 and 2018 and without NAP diagnoses in 1996-2009 were identified from the Care Register for Health Care. A diagnosis of NAP was deemed unreliable before age 7, when dementia preceded NAP diagnosis, and when a NAP diagnosis had been assigned at admission or during psychiatric hospitalization but was not confirmed by discharge diagnosis. Despite a 14-year follow-back the first register diagnosis may miss the first treatment episode in older patients. Register-based studies on psychotic disorders should pay attention to exclusion criteria and to the definition of treatment onset.

Spatial analysis of the osteoarthritis microenvironment: techniques, insights, and applications

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating degenerative disease affecting multiple joint tissues, including cartilage, bone, synovium, and adipose tissues. OA presents diverse clinical phenotypes and distinct molecular endotypes, including inflammatory, metabolic, mechanical, genetic, and synovial variants. Consequently, innovative technologies are needed to support the development of effective diagnostic and precision therapeutic approaches. Traditional analysis of bulk OA tissue extracts has limitations due to technical constraints, causing challenges in the differentiation between various physiological and pathological phenotypes in joint tissues. This issue has led to standardization difficulties and hindered the success of clinical trials. Gaining insights into the spatial variations of the cellular and molecular structures in OA tissues, encompassing DNA, RNA, metabolites, and proteins, as well as their chemical properties, elemental composition, and mechanical attributes, can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the disease subtypes. Spatially resolved biology enables biologists to investigate cells within the context of their tissue microenvironment, providing a more holistic view of cellular function. Recent advances in innovative spatial biology techniques now allow intact tissue sections to be examined using various -omics lenses, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, with spatial data. This fusion of approaches provides researchers with critical insights into the molecular composition and functions of the cells and tissues at precise spatial coordinates. Furthermore, advanced imaging techniques, including high-resolution microscopy, hyperspectral imaging, and mass spectrometry imaging, enable the visualization and analysis of the spatial distribution of biomolecules, cells, and tissues. Linking these molecular imaging outputs to conventional tissue histology can facilitate a more comprehensive characterization of disease phenotypes. This review summarizes the recent advancements in the molecular imaging modalities and methodologies for in-depth spatial analysis. It explores their applications, challenges, and potential opportunities in the field of OA. Additionally, this review provides a perspective on the potential research directions for these contemporary approaches that can meet the requirements of clinical diagnoses and the establishment of therapeutic targets for OA.

Mechanical forces across compartments coordinate cell shape and fate transitions to generate tissue architecture

Morphogenesis and cell state transitions must be coordinated in time and space to produce a functional tissue. An excellent paradigm to understand the coupling of these processes is mammalian hair follicle development, which is initiated by the formation of an epithelial invagination-termed placode-that coincides with the emergence of a designated hair follicle stem cell population. The mechanisms directing the deformation of the epithelium, cell state transitions and physical compartmentalization of the placode are unknown. Here we identify a key role for coordinated mechanical forces stemming from contractile, proliferative and proteolytic activities across the epithelial and mesenchymal compartments in generating the placode structure. A ring of fibroblast cells gradually wraps around the placode cells to generate centripetal contractile forces, which, in collaboration with polarized epithelial myosin activity, promote elongation and local tissue thickening. These mechanical stresses further enhance compartmentalization of Sox9 expression to promote stem cell positioning. Subsequently, proteolytic remodelling locally softens the basement membrane to facilitate a release of pressure on the placode, enabling localized cell divisions, tissue fluidification and epithelial invagination into the underlying mesenchyme. Together, our experiments and modelling identify dynamic cell shape transformations and tissue-scale mechanical cooperation as key factors for orchestrating organ formation.

Metabolic changes in response to varying whole-grain wheat and rye intake

Epidemiological studies have shown associations between whole-grain intake and lowered disease risk. A sufficient level of whole-grain intake to reach the health benefits has not been established, and there is limited knowledge about the impact of whole-grain intake on metabolite levels. In this clinical intervention study, we aimed to identify plasma and urine metabolites associated with two different intake levels of whole-grain wheat and rye and to correlate them with clinical plasma biomarkers. Healthy volunteers (N = 68) were divided into two groups receiving either whole-grain wheat or whole-grain rye in two four-week interventions with 48 and 96 g/d of whole grains consumed. The metabolomics of the plasma samples was performed with UPLC-QTOF-MS. Plasma alkylresorcinols were quantified with GC-MS and plasma and urinary mammalian lignans with HPLC-ECD. The high-dose intervention impacted the metabolite profile, including microbial metabolites, more in the rye-enriched diet compared with wheat. Among the increased metabolites were alkylresorcinol glucuronides, sinapyl alcohol, and pipecolic acid betaine, while the decreased metabolites included acylcarnitines and ether lipids. Plasma alkylresorcinols, urinary enterolactone, and total mammalian lignans reflected the study diets in a dose-dependent manner. Several key metabolites linked with whole-grain consumption and gut microbial metabolism increased in a linear manner between the two interventions. The results reveal that an increase in whole-grain intake, particularly rye, is strongly reflected in the metabolite profile, is correlated with clinical variables, and suggests that a diet rich in whole grains promotes the growth and/or metabolism of microbes producing potentially beneficial microbial metabolites.

Severe and frequent extreme weather events undermine economic adaptation gains of tree-species diversification

Forests and their provision of ecosystem services are endangered by climate change. Tree-species diversification has been identified as a key adaptation strategy to balance economic risks and returns in forest stands. Yet, whether this synergy between ecology and economics persists under large-scale extreme weather events remains unanswered. Our model accounts for both, small-scale disturbances in individual stands and extreme weather events that cause spatio-temporally correlated disturbances in a large number of neighboring stands. It economically optimizes stand-type allocations in a large forest enterprise with multiple planning units. Novel components are: spatially explicit site heterogeneity and a comparison of economic diversification strategies under local and regionally coordinated planning by simplified measures for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]-diversity of stand types. [Formula: see text]-diversity refers to the number and evenness of stand types in local planning units, [Formula: see text]-diversity to the dissimilarity of the species composition across planning units, and [Formula: see text]-diversity to the number and evenness of stand types in the entire enterprise. Local planning led to stand-type diversification within planning units ([Formula: see text]-diversity), while regionally coordinated planning led to diversification across planning units ([Formula: see text]-diversity). We observed a trend towards homogenization of stand-type composition likely selected under economic objectives with increasing extreme weather events. No diversification strategy fully buffered the adverse economic consequences. This led to fatalistic decisions, i.e., selecting stand types with low investment risks but also low resistance to disturbances. The resulting forest structures indicate potential adverse consequences for other ecosystem services. We conclude that high tree-species diversity may not necessarily buffer economic consequences of extreme weather events. Forest policies reducing forest owners' investment risks are needed to establish stable forests that provide multiple ecosystem services.

Proteomic insights into mental health status: plasma markers in young adults

Global emphasis on enhancing prevention and treatment strategies necessitates an increased understanding of the biological mechanisms of psychopathology. Plasma proteomics is a powerful tool that has been applied in the context of specific mental disorders for biomarker identification. The p-factor, also known as the "general psychopathology factor", is a concept in psychopathology suggesting that there is a common underlying factor that contributes to the development of various forms of mental disorders. It has been proposed that the p-factor can be used to understand the overall mental health status of an individual. Here, we aimed to discover plasma proteins associated with the p-factor in 775 young adults in the FinnTwin12 cohort. Using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, 13 proteins with a significant connection with the p-factor were identified, 8 of which were linked to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. This exploratory study provides new insight into biological alterations associated with mental health status in young adults.

Patterns of tropical forest understory temperatures

Temperature is a fundamental driver of species distribution and ecosystem functioning. Yet, our knowledge of the microclimatic conditions experienced by organisms inside tropical forests remains limited. This is because ecological studies often rely on coarse-gridded temperature estimates representing the conditions at 2 m height in an open-air environment (i.e., macroclimate). In this study, we present a high-resolution pantropical estimate of near-ground (15 cm above the surface) temperatures inside forests. We quantify diurnal and seasonal variability, thus revealing both spatial and temporal microclimate patterns. We find that on average, understory near-ground temperatures are 1.6 °C cooler than the open-air temperatures. The diurnal temperature range is on average 1.7 °C lower inside the forests, in comparison to open-air conditions. More importantly, we demonstrate a substantial spatial variability in the microclimate characteristics of tropical forests. This variability is regulated by a combination of large-scale climate conditions, vegetation structure and topography, and hence could not be captured by existing macroclimate grids. Our results thus contribute to quantifying the actual thermal ranges experienced by organisms inside tropical forests and provide new insights into how these limits may be affected by climate change and ecosystem disturbances.

Soluble and multivalent Jag1 DNA origami nanopatterns activate Notch without pulling force

The Notch signaling pathway has fundamental roles in embryonic development and in the nervous system. The current model of receptor activation involves initiation via a force-induced conformational change. Here, we define conditions that reveal pulling force-independent Notch activation using soluble multivalent constructs. We treat neuroepithelial stem-like cells with molecularly precise ligand nanopatterns displayed from solution using DNA origami. Notch signaling follows with clusters of Jag1, and with chimeric structures where most Jag1 proteins are replaced by other binders not targeting Notch. Our data rule out several confounding factors and suggest a model where Jag1 activates Notch upon prolonged binding without appearing to need a pulling force. These findings reveal a distinct mode of activation of Notch and lay the foundation for the development of soluble agonists.

Systemwide energy return on investment in a sustainable transition towards net zero power systems

The Glasgow Climate Pact articulated the vital importance of renewables in reducing emissions on the way to net-zero pledges. During the power sector transition, foreseeing conditions affecting the plausibility of pathway options is crucial for specifying an optimal system development strategy. This study examines the net energy performance of nine decarbonisation global energy transition scenarios until 2050 by applying a newly developed systemwide energy return on investment (EROI) model. All scenarios result in an EROI value above the upper limit of the net energy cliff, expected to be around 10. EROI trends heavily depend on transition paths. Once achieving higher renewable energy shares begin requiring significant enabling technologies, EROI continually declines as the shares increase. Shortening the transition period leads to a sharper declining of EROI, which stabilises after achieving 100% renewables. The vulnerability arising from natural gas and oil depletions may have worst impact on EROI of fossil fuels dominated systems.

KRAS allelic imbalance drives tumour initiation yet suppresses metastasis in colorectal cancer in vivo

Oncogenic KRAS mutations are well-described functionally and are known to drive tumorigenesis. Recent reports describe a significant prevalence of KRAS allelic imbalances or gene dosage changes in human cancers, including loss of the wild-type allele in KRAS mutant cancers. However, the role of wild-type KRAS in tumorigenesis and therapeutic response remains elusive. We report an in vivo murine model of colorectal cancer featuring deletion of wild-type Kras in the context of oncogenic Kras. Deletion of wild-type Kras exacerbates oncogenic KRAS signalling through MAPK and thus drives tumour initiation. Absence of wild-type Kras potentiates the oncogenic effect of KRASG12D, while incidentally inducing sensitivity to inhibition of MEK1/2. Importantly, loss of the wild-type allele in aggressive models of KRASG12D-driven CRC significantly alters tumour progression, and suppresses metastasis through modulation of the immune microenvironment. This study highlights the critical role for wild-type Kras upon tumour initiation, progression and therapeutic response in Kras mutant CRC.

Recessive TMOD1 mutation causes childhood cardiomyopathy

Familial cardiomyopathy in pediatric stages is a poorly understood presentation of heart disease in children that is attributed to pathogenic mutations. Through exome sequencing, we report a homozygous variant in tropomodulin 1 (TMOD1; c.565C>T, p.R189W) in three individuals from two unrelated families with childhood-onset dilated and restrictive cardiomyopathy. To decipher the mechanism of pathogenicity of the R189W mutation in TMOD1, we utilized a wide array of methods, including protein analyses, biochemistry and cultured cardiomyocytes. Structural modeling revealed potential defects in the local folding of TMOD1R189W and its affinity for actin. Cardiomyocytes expressing GFP-TMOD1R189W demonstrated longer thin filaments than GFP-TMOD1wt-expressing cells, resulting in compromised filament length regulation. Furthermore, TMOD1R189W showed weakened activity in capping actin filament pointed ends, providing direct evidence for the variant's effect on actin filament length regulation. Our data indicate that the p.R189W variant in TMOD1 has altered biochemical properties and reveals a unique mechanism for childhood-onset cardiomyopathy.

Robust scoring of selective drug responses for patient-tailored therapy selection

Most patients with advanced malignancies are treated with severely toxic, first-line chemotherapies. Personalized treatment strategies have led to improved patient outcomes and could replace one-size-fits-all therapies, yet they need to be tailored by testing of a range of targeted drugs in primary patient cells. Most functional precision medicine studies use simple drug-response metrics, which cannot quantify the selective effects of drugs (i.e., the differential responses of cancer cells and normal cells). We developed a computational method for selective drug-sensitivity scoring (DSS), which enables normalization of the individual patient's responses against normal cell responses. The selective response scoring uses the inhibition of noncancerous cells as a proxy for potential drug toxicity, which can in turn be used to identify effective and safer treatment options. Here, we explain how to apply the selective DSS calculation for guiding precision medicine in patients with leukemia treated across three cancer centers in Europe and the USA; the generic methods are also widely applicable to other malignancies that are amenable to drug testing. The open-source and extendable R-codes provide a robust means to tailor personalized treatment strategies on the basis of increasingly available ex vivo drug-testing data from patients in real-world and clinical trial settings. We also make available drug-response profiles to 527 anticancer compounds tested in 10 healthy bone marrow samples as reference data for selective scoring and de-prioritization of drugs that show broadly toxic effects. The procedure takes <60 min and requires basic skills in R.

Blue-shift photoconversion of near-infrared fluorescent proteins for labeling and tracking in living cells and organisms

Photolabeling of intracellular molecules is an invaluable approach to studying various dynamic processes in living cells with high spatiotemporal precision. Among fluorescent proteins, photoconvertible mechanisms and their products are in the visible spectrum (400-650 nm), limiting their in vivo and multiplexed applications. Here we report the phenomenon of near-infrared to far-red photoconversion in the miRFP family of near infrared fluorescent proteins engineered from bacterial phytochromes. This photoconversion is induced by near-infrared light through a non-linear process, further allowing optical sectioning. Photoconverted miRFP species emit fluorescence at 650 nm enabling photolabeling entirely performed in the near-infrared range. We use miRFPs as photoconvertible fluorescent probes to track organelles in live cells and in vivo, both with conventional and super-resolution microscopy. The spectral properties of miRFPs complement those of GFP-like photoconvertible proteins, allowing strategies for photoconversion and spectral multiplexed applications.

Strongly interacting matter exhibits deconfined behavior in massive neutron stars

Neutron-star cores contain matter at the highest densities in our Universe. This highly compressed matter may undergo a phase transition where nuclear matter melts into deconfined quark matter, liberating its constituent quarks and gluons. Quark matter exhibits an approximate conformal symmetry, predicting a specific form for its equation of state (EoS), but it is currently unknown whether the transition takes place inside at least some physical neutron stars. Here, we quantify this likelihood by combining information from astrophysical observations and theoretical calculations. Using Bayesian inference, we demonstrate that in the cores of maximally massive stars, the EoS is consistent with quark matter. We do this by establishing approximate conformal symmetry restoration with high credence at the highest densities probed and demonstrating that the number of active degrees of freedom is consistent with deconfined matter. The remaining likelihood is observed to correspond to EoSs exhibiting phase-transition-like behavior, treated as arbitrarily rapid crossovers in our framework.

Edge effects on tree architecture exacerbate biomass loss of fragmented Amazonian forests

Habitat fragmentation could potentially affect tree architecture and allometry. Here, we use ground surveys of terrestrial LiDAR in Central Amazonia to explore the influence of forest edge effects on tree architecture and allometry, as well as forest biomass, 40 years after fragmentation. We find that young trees colonising the forest fragments have thicker branches and architectural traits that optimise for light capture, which result in 50% more woody volume than their counterparts of similar stem size and height in the forest interior. However, we observe a disproportionately lower height in some large trees, leading to a 30% decline in their woody volume. Despite the substantial wood production of colonising trees, the lower height of some large trees has resulted in a net loss of 6.0 Mg ha-1 of aboveground biomass - representing 2.3% of the aboveground biomass of edge forests. Our findings indicate a strong influence of edge effects on tree architecture and allometry, and uncover an overlooked factor that likely exacerbates carbon losses in fragmented forests.

Cortical time-course of evidence accumulation during semantic processing

Our understanding of the surrounding world and communication with other people are tied to mental representations of concepts. In order for the brain to recognize an object, it must determine which concept to access based on information available from sensory inputs. In this study, we combine magnetoencephalography and machine learning to investigate how concepts are represented and accessed in the brain over time. Using brain responses from a silent picture naming task, we track the dynamics of visual and semantic information processing, and show that the brain gradually accumulates information on different levels before eventually reaching a plateau. The timing of this plateau point varies across individuals and feature models, indicating notable temporal variation in visual object recognition and semantic processing.

Systemically administered wound-homing peptide accelerates wound healing by modulating syndecan-4 function

CAR (CARSKNKDC) is a wound-homing peptide that recognises angiogenic neovessels. Here we discover that systemically administered CAR peptide has inherent ability to promote wound healing: wounds close and re-epithelialise faster in CAR-treated male mice. CAR promotes keratinocyte migration in vitro. The heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-4 regulates cell migration and is crucial for wound healing. We report that syndecan-4 expression is restricted to epidermis and blood vessels in mice skin wounds. Syndecan-4 regulates binding and internalisation of CAR peptide and CAR-mediated cytoskeletal remodelling. CAR induces syndecan-4-dependent activation of the small GTPase ARF6, via the guanine nucleotide exchange factor cytohesin-2, and promotes syndecan-4-, ARF6- and Cytohesin-2-mediated keratinocyte migration. Finally, we show that genetic ablation of syndecan-4 in male mice eliminates CAR-induced wound re-epithelialisation following systemic administration. We propose that CAR peptide activates syndecan-4 functions to selectively promote re-epithelialisation. Thus, CAR peptide provides a therapeutic approach to enhance wound healing in mice; systemic, yet target organ- and cell-specific.

Wood-based superblack

Light is a powerful and sustainable resource, but it can be detrimental to the performance and longevity of optical devices. Materials with near-zero light reflectance, i.e. superblack materials, are sought to improve the performance of several light-centered technologies. Here we report a simple top-down strategy, guided by computational methods, to develop robust superblack materials following metal-free wood delignification and carbonization (1500 °C). Subwavelength severed cells evolve under shrinkage stresses, yielding vertically aligned carbon microfiber arrays with a thickness of ~100 µm and light reflectance as low as 0.36% and independent of the incidence angle. The formation of such structures is rationalized based on delignification method, lignin content, carbonization temperature and wood density. Moreover, our measurements indicate a laser beam reflectivity lower than commercial light stoppers in current use. Overall, the wood-based superblack material is introduced as a mechanically robust surrogate for microfabricated carbon nanotube arrays.

African dust transport and deposition modelling verified through a citizen science campaign in Finland

African desert dust is emitted and long-range transported with multiple effects on climate, air quality, cryosphere, and ecosystems. On 21-23 February 2021, dust from a sand and dust storm in northern Africa was transported to Finland, north of 60°N. The episode was predicted 5 days in advance by the global operational SILAM forecast, and its key features were confirmed and detailed by a retrospective analysis. The scavenging of dust by snowfall and freezing rain in Finland resulted in a rare case of substantial mineral dust contamination of snow surfaces over a large area in the southern part of the country. A citizen science campaign was set up to collect contaminated snow samples prepared according to the scientists' instructions. The campaign gained wide national interest in television, radio, newspapers and social media, and dust samples were received from 525 locations in Finland, up to 64.3°N. The samples were utilised in investigating the ability of an atmospheric dispersion model to simulate the dust episode. The analysis confirmed that dust came from a wide Sahara and Sahel area from 5000 km away. Our results reveal the features of this rare event and demonstrate how deposition samples can be used to evaluate the skills and limitations of current atmospheric models in simulating transport of African dust towards northern Europe.

Agricultural input shocks affect crop yields more in the high-yielding areas of the world

The industrialization of agriculture has led to an increasing dependence on non-locally sourced agricultural inputs. Hence, shocks in the availability of agricultural inputs can be devastating to food crop production. There is also a pressure to decrease the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in many areas. However, the combined impact of the agricultural input shocks on crop yields has not yet been systematically assessed globally. Here we modelled the effects of agricultural input shocks using a random forest machine learning algorithm. We show that shocks in fertilizers cause the most drastic yield losses. Under the scenario of 50% shock in all studied agricultural inputs, global maize production could decrease up to 26%, and global wheat production up to 21%, impacting particularly the high-yielding 'breadbasket' areas of the world. Our study provides insights into global food system resilience and can be useful for preparing for potential future shocks or agricultural input availability decreases at local and global scales.

Primate-specific ZNF808 is essential for pancreatic development in humans

Identifying genes linked to extreme phenotypes in humans has the potential to highlight biological processes not shared with all other mammals. Here, we report the identification of homozygous loss-of-function variants in the primate-specific gene ZNF808 as a cause of pancreatic agenesis. ZNF808 is a member of the KRAB zinc finger protein family, a large and rapidly evolving group of epigenetic silencers which target transposable elements. We show that loss of ZNF808 in vitro results in aberrant activation of regulatory potential contained in the primate-specific transposable elements it represses during early pancreas development. This leads to inappropriate specification of cell fate with induction of genes associated with liver identity. Our results highlight the essential role of ZNF808 in pancreatic development in humans and the contribution of primate-specific regions of the human genome to congenital developmental disease.

High-fidelity 3D live-cell nanoscopy through data-driven enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuation

Live-cell super-resolution microscopy enables the imaging of biological structure dynamics below the diffraction limit. Here we present enhanced super-resolution radial fluctuations (eSRRF), substantially improving image fidelity and resolution compared to the original SRRF method. eSRRF incorporates automated parameter optimization based on the data itself, giving insight into the trade-off between resolution and fidelity. We demonstrate eSRRF across a range of imaging modalities and biological systems. Notably, we extend eSRRF to three dimensions by combining it with multifocus microscopy. This realizes live-cell volumetric super-resolution imaging with an acquisition speed of ~1 volume per second. eSRRF provides an accessible super-resolution approach, maximizing information extraction across varied experimental conditions while minimizing artifacts. Its optimal parameter prediction strategy is generalizable, moving toward unbiased and optimized analyses in super-resolution microscopy.

Bolometric detection of Josephson inductance in a highly resistive environment

The Josephson junction is a building block of quantum circuits. Its behavior, well understood when treated as an isolated entity, is strongly affected by coupling to an electromagnetic environment. In 1983, Schmid predicted that a Josephson junction shunted by a resistance exceeding the resistance quantum RQ = h/4e2 ≈ 6.45 kΩ for Cooper pairs would become insulating since the phase fluctuations would destroy the coherent Josephson coupling. However, recent microwave measurements have questioned this interpretation. Here, we insert a small Josephson junction in a Johnson-Nyquist-type setup where it is driven by weak current noise arising from thermal fluctuations. Our heat probe minimally perturbs the junction's equilibrium, shedding light on features not visible in charge transport. We find that the Josephson critical current completely vanishes in DC charge transport measurement, and the junction demonstrates Coulomb blockade in agreement with the theory. Surprisingly, thermal transport measurements show that the Josephson junction acts as an inductor at high frequencies, unambiguously demonstrating that a supercurrent survives despite the Coulomb blockade observed in DC measurements.

Cation-induced changes in the inner- and outer-sphere mechanisms of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction

The underlying mechanism of cation effects on CO2RR remains debated. Herein, we study cation effects by simulating both outer-sphere electron transfer (OS-ET) and inner-sphere electron transfer (IS-ET) pathways during CO2RR via constrained density functional theory molecular dynamics (cDFT-MD) and slow-growth DFT-MD (SG-DFT-MD), respectively. Our results show without any cations, only OS-ET is feasible with a barrier of 1.21 eV. In the presence of K+ (Li+), OS-ET shows a very high barrier of 2.93 eV (4.15 eV) thus being prohibited. However, cations promote CO2 activation through IS-ET with the barrier of only 0.61 eV (K+) and 0.91 eV (Li+), generating the key intermediate (adsorbed CO[Formula: see text]). Without cations, CO2-to-CO[Formula: see text](ads) conversion cannot proceed. Our findings reveal cation effects arise from short-range Coulomb interactions with reaction intermediates. These results disclose that cations modulate the inner- and outer-sphere pathways of CO2RR, offering substantial insights on the cation specificity in the initial CO2RR steps.