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To study the effect of thinning intensity on the carbon sequestration by natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in Xiaoxing'an Mountains, China, we established six 100 m × 100 m experimental plots in Dongfanghong Forest that varied in thinning intensity: plot A (10%), B (15%), C (20%), D (25%), E (30%), F (35%), and the control sample area (0%). A principal component analysis was performed using 50 different variables, including species diversity, soil fertility, litter characteristics, canopy structure parameters, and seedling regeneration parameters. The effects of thinning intensity on carbon sequestration were strongest in plot E (0.75), followed by D (0.63), F (0.50), C (0.48), B (0.22), A (0.11), and the control (0.06). The composite score of plot E was the highest, indicating that the carbon sequestration effect was strongest at a thinning intensity of 30%. These findings provide useful insights that could aid the management of natural mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests in Xiaoxing'an Mountains, China. This information has implications for future studies of these forests, and the methods used could aid future ecological assessments of the natural forests in Xiaoxing'an Mountains, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lassa virus (LASV) infection is expanding outside its traditionally endemic areas in West Africa, posing a pandemic biothreat. LASV-neutralizing antibodies, moreover, have proven difficult to elicit. To gain insight into LASV neutralization, here we develop a prefusion-stabilized LASV glycoprotein trimer (GPC), pan it against phage libraries comprising single-domain antibodies (nanobodies) from shark and camel, and identify one, D5, which neutralizes LASV. Cryo-EM analyses reveal D5 to recognize a cleavage-dependent site-of-vulnerability at the trimer apex. The recognized site appears specific to GPC intermediates, with protomers lacking full cleavage between GP1 and GP2 subunits. Guinea pig immunizations with the prefusion-stabilized cleavage-intermediate LASV GPC, first as trimer and then as a nanoparticle, induce neutralizing responses, targeting multiple epitopes including that of D5; we identify a neutralizing antibody (GP23) from the immunized guinea pigs. Collectively, our findings define a prefusion-stabilized GPC trimer, reveal an apex-situated site-of-vulnerability, and demonstrate elicitation of LASV-neutralizing responses by a cleavage-intermediate LASV trimer.Gorman et al. designed a Lassa virus prefusion-stabilized soluble glycoprotein complex trimer (GPC), with which they identified a Lassa virus-neutralizing nanobody that bound the GPC apex and elicited neutralizing antibody responses in guinea pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the previous studies on body image dissatisfaction mainly focused on the populations of adolescents and middle-aged people, however little is known about the body image dissatisfaction of older adults and its correlates. This study examined the possible patterns of relationship between body image dissatisfaction, sense of control, social support (i.e., family support and friend support), and subjective well-being in older adults. A sample of 814 older adults completed measures of body image dissatisfaction, sense of control, social support, and subjective well-being. The results indicated that body image dissatisfaction is significantly associated with subjective well-being. In addition, sense of control mediated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that family support moderated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and sense of control and that friend support moderated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being. These results of the current study can deepen our understanding of the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being as well as their intermediate variables and may contribute to theories addressing well-being in older adults. The results may also have a practical value by guiding older adults to make rational use of social support and increase their sense of control to reduce the negative effect of body image dissatisfaction and improve their subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV-1 fusion peptide (FP) represents a promising vaccine target, but global FP sequence diversity among circulating strains has limited anti-FP antibodies to ~60% neutralization breadth. Here we evolve the FP-targeting antibody VRC34.01 in vitro to enhance FP-neutralization using site saturation mutagenesis and yeast display. Successive rounds of directed evolution by iterative selection of antibodies for binding to resistant HIV-1 strains establish a variant, VRC34.01_mm28, as a best-in-class antibody with 10-fold enhanced potency compared to the template antibody and ~80% breadth on a cross-clade 208-strain neutralization panel. Structural analyses demonstrate that the improved paratope expands the FP binding groove to accommodate diverse FP sequences of different lengths while also recognizing the HIV-1 Env backbone. These data reveal critical antibody features for enhanced neutralization breadth and potency against the FP site of vulnerability and accelerate clinical development of broad HIV-1 FP-targeting vaccines and therapeutics. Antibodies targeting the HIV-1 fusion peptide rarely achieve more than 60% neutralization breadth. Here, the authors develop an anti-FP antibody enhancing its potency to 80% and structurally resolve the expanded FP-binding site that allows the antibody to target diverse viral variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While several COVID-19 vaccines have been in use, more effective and durable vaccines are needed to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we report highly immunogenic self-assembling SARS-CoV-2 spike-HBsAg nanoparticles displaying a six-proline-stabilized WA1 (wild type, WT) spike S6P on a HBsAg core. These S6P-HBsAgs bound diverse domain-specific SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies. In mice with and without a HBV pre-vaccination, DNA immunization with S6P-HBsAgs elicited significantly more potent and durable neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses against diverse SARS-CoV-2 strains than that of soluble S2P or S6P, or full-length S2P with its coding sequence matching mRNA-1273. The nAb responses elicited by S6P-HBsAgs persisted substantially longer than by soluble S2P or S6P and appeared to be enhanced by HBsAg pre-exposure. These data show that genetic delivery of SARS-CoV-2 S6P-HBsAg nanoparticles can elicit greater and more durable nAb responses than non-nanoparticle forms of stabilized spike. Our findings highlight the potential of S6P-HBsAgs as next generation genetic vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thinning is a widely used forest management tool but systematic research has not been carried out to verify its effects on carbon storage and plant diversity at the ecosystem level. In this study, the effect of thinning was assessed across seven thinning intensities (0, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35%) in a low-quality secondary forest in NE China over a ten-year period. Thinning affected the carbon storage of trees, and shrub, herb, and soil layers (P < 0.05). It first increased and then decreased as thinning intensity increased, reaching its maximum at 30% thinning. Carbon storage of the soil accounted for more than 64% of the total carbon stored in the ecosystem. It was highest in the upper 20-cm soil layer. Thinning increased tree species diversity while decreasing shrub and herb diversities (P < 0.05). Redundancy analysis and a correlation heat map showed that carbon storage of tree and shrub layers was positively correlated with tree diversity but negatively with herb diversity, indicating that the increase in tree diversity increased the carbon storage of natural forest ecosystems. Although thinning decreased shrub and herb diversities, it increased the carbon storage of the overall ecosystem and tree species diversity of secondary forest. Maximum carbon storage and the highest tree diversity were observed at a thinning intensity of 30%. This study provides evidence for the ecological management of natural and secondary forests and improvement of ecosystem carbon sinks and biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of a malaria vaccine that blocks transmission of different parasite stages to humans and mosquitoes is considered critical for elimination efforts. A vaccine using Pfs25, a protein on the surface of zygotes and ookinetes, is under investigation as a transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) that would interrupt parasite passage from mosquitoes to humans. The most extensively studied Pfs25 TBVs use Pichia pastoris-produced recombinant forms of Pfs25, chemically conjugated to a recombinant carrier protein, ExoProtein A (EPA). The recombinant form of Pfs25 first used in humans was identified as Pfs25H, which contained a total of 14 heterologous amino acid residues located at the amino- and carboxyl-termini including a His6 affinity tag. A second recombinant Pfs25, identified as Pfs25M, was produced to remove the heterologous amino acid residues and conjugated to EPA (Pfs25M-EPA). Here, monomeric Pfs25M was characterized biochemically and biophysically for identity, purity, and integrity including protein structure to assess its comparability with Pfs25H. Although the biological activities of Pfs25H and Pfs25M, whether generated by monomeric forms or conjugated nanoparticles, appeared similar, fine-mapping studies with two transmission-blocking monoclonal antibodies detected structural and immunological differences. In addition, evaluation of antisera generated against conjugated Pfs25H or Pfs25M nanoparticles in nonhuman primates identified polyclonal IgG that recognized these structural differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative emotions have been prevalent with older adults and negatively affect their physical and mental health. On the basis of self-affirmation theory, the present study explored a set of simple and effective time-saving early intervention programs for older adults whose negative emotions are in a normal and controllable range. We designed a three-week intervention program to boost self-integrity and relieve negative emotions in older adults. The self-affirmation intervention group (n = 88) and control group (n = 85) received three different experimental manipulations, respectively. Self-integrity, depression, anxiety, and loneliness were assessed before and after the intervention. Results showed that the self-affirmation intervention highly improved self-integrity and further relieved the negative emotions of older adults in the intervention group. Further mediation analyses indicated that self-integrity mediated the effect of self-affirmation intervention on negative emotions. These findings enrich the field of research on the relationship between self-integrity and negative emotions. They also have important practical implications for interventions aimed at mitigating negative emotions among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenyl content is a crucial quality indicator for phenyl silicone oils, but the current 1H NMR method for determining it is still unreliable because of the possibility of interference from methylphenylcyclosiloxane or solvents such as toluene and xylene. Here, a novel method for the determination of the phenyl content in phenyl silicone oils for has been developed using gel permeation chromatography–ultraviolet detection (GPC-UV) analysis. Under optimized parameters, the standard curve has been established in the linear range of 5–1000 μg mL−1 with a squared correlation coefficient of more than 0.999, and a quantification limit of 0.972 μg mL−1 has been obtained. Potential interference-causing substances, such as methylphenylcyclosiloxane, toluene or xylene, and various silicone oils can be readily ruled out using the GPC-UV method. The phenyl content in 9 samples of phenyl silicone oil that were readily available was determined with a recovery in the range of 84.63–106.74%. The amount (0.613 mg g−1) of phenyl in sample H1 by GPC-UV was in good agreement with that (0.603 mg g−1) by the 1H NMR analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females are considered to be at a disadvantage in spatial perspective taking. In this study, we examined whether stereotype threat negatively affects females' spatial perspective-taking ability and executive functions. Then we explored which components of executive function play a mediating role in the effect of stereotype threat on females' spatial perspective-taking ability. We carried out two experiments. In Experiment 1, female participants in a stereotype threat condition or a control condition completed a spatial perspective-taking test. The results showed that females' spatial perspective-taking ability was reduced by stereotype threat. In Experiment 2, female participants were again assigned to a stereotype threat condition or a control condition; then they were asked to complete tasks measuring three executive functions (inhibition, shifting, and updating), following which they completed the spatial perspective-taking test. Experiment 2 found that stereotype threat decreased inhibition, updating, and spatial perspective-taking performance. The results also showed that only inhibition accounted for the effect of stereotype threat on spatial perspective taking. To sum up, the results from the current study shed new light on the relationship between stereotype threat and spatial perspective-taking ability and explained the relationship from a more detailed perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We examined the developmental trajectories of emotional exhaustion and sub-components of self-compassion (i.e., self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), as well as the longitudinal relationships between emotional exhaustion and three components of self-compassion. Methods: A total of 427 Chinese adolescent students reported their emotional exhaustion and self-compassion at about 2-month intervals from the beginning to the end of the spring semester which is a complete learning cycle. A latent growth curve analytical approach was used in our study. Results: The results of univariate latent growth curve models suggested that the mean level of emotional exhaustion increased over time, while the mean levels of self-kindness and mindfulness decreased through time. Additionally, parallel process models indicated that the initial levels of emotional exhaustion predicted the initial levels of self-kindness and mindfulness. Changes in emotional exhaustion predicted changes in self-kindness and mindfulness. Finally, initial levels of emotional exhaustion predicted changes in self-kindness, which suggests that high emotional exhaustion may be an antecedent to decreasing self-kindness. An additional analysis showed that gender did not moderate the above relationship patterns, indicating that the effects of emotional exhaustion on the sub-components of self-compassion were consistent across gender. Conclusions: This study enriches the understanding of the longitudinal relationships between emotional exhaustion and sub-components of self-compassion in adolescent students. In addition, it provides promising information for future educational interventions, in that practitioners can promote self-compassion by alleviating emotional exhaustion in adolescent students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between self-sacrifice and hope as well as the possible intervening roles of perceived family support and attitudes to aging in this relationship among Chinese older adults. A total of 475 older adults participated in the current study. They completed measures related to self-sacrifice, hope, perceived family support, and attitudes to aging. Attitudes to aging measured the extent to which older adults hold positive and negative attitudes toward aging in three domains of physical change, psychological growth, and psychosocial loss. The results showed that self-sacrifice was positively associated with older adults' hope. Mediation analyses revealed that perceived family support mediated the relationship between self-sacrifice and older adults' hope. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that attitudes to physical change moderated the relationship between self-sacrifice and older adults' hope, and attitudes to psychological growth moderated the relationship between perceived family support and older adults' hope. Specifically, the association between self-sacrifice and hope was stronger for older adults with less positive attitudes to physical change than for those with more positive attitudes to physical change. The association between perceived family support and hope was stronger for older adults with more positive attitudes to psychological growth than for those with less positive attitudes to psychological growth. The findings can contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between self-sacrifice and hope and can aid in designing effective interventions aimed at improving older adults' hope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous interfaces are of particular interest for developing highly efficient microwave absorbing materials. In this work, nanocarbon layer was in situ grown on the surface of Ni particles by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), which created heterogeneous interfaces between nanocarbon materials and Ni particles via physical interactions. The defects of nanocarbon layer could be controlled by changing the mixture of reaction gas, resulting in tunable permittivity. Significant enhancement of microwave absorbing performance was obtained for the nanocarbon-coated Ni composites due to the enhanced impedance matching and polarization relaxations. The percentage bandwidths with reflection loss ≤ − 10 dB for the nanocarbon-coated composites were considerably larger than that for the original composite at any specified thickness in the range of 1.50 ∼ 5.00 mm. Quantitative loss analysis revealed that the energy dissipations of nanocarbon-coated composites originated from synergistic magnetic and dielectric losses, where dielectric loss was even predominate in high-frequency region. It is expected that the current method would provide an effective way for the optimal design of microwave absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrolytic acidification process has a strong ability to conduct denitrogenation and increase the biological oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand ratio in O/H/O coking wastewater treatment system. More than 80% of the total nitrogen (TN) was removed in the hydrolytic bioreactor, and the hydrolytic acidification process contributed to the provision of carbon sources for the subsequent nitrification process. The structure and diversity of microbial communities were elaborated using high-throughput MiSeq of the 16S rRNA genes. The results revealed that the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonged to phyla Bacteroidetes, Betaproteobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria were the dominant taxa involved in the denitrogenation and degradation of refractory contaminants in the hydrolytic bioreactor, with relative abundances of 22.94 ± 3.72, 29.77 ± 2.47, and 18.23 ± 0.26%, respectively. The results of a redundancy analysis showed that the OTUs belonged to the genera Thiobacillus, Rhodoplanes, and Hylemonella in the hydrolytic bioreactor strongly positively correlated with the chemical oxygen demand, TN, and the removal of phenolics, respectively. The results of a microbial co-occurrence network analysis showed that the OTUs belonged to the phylum Bacteroidetes and the genus Rhodoplanes had a significant impact on the efficiency of removal of contaminants that contained nitrogen in the hydrolytic bioreactor. The potential function profiling results indicate the complementarity of nitrogen metabolism, methane metabolism, and sulfur metabolism sub-pathways that were considered to play a significant role in the process of denitrification. These results provide new insights into the further optimization of the performance of the hydrolytic bioreactor in coking wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CAP256V2LS, a broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody (bNAb), is being pursued as a promising drug for HIV-1 prevention. The total level of tyrosine-O-sulfation, a post-translational modification, was known to play a key role for antibody biological activity. More importantly, here wedescribe for the first time the significance of the tyrosine-O-sulfation proteoforms. We developed a hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) method to separate and quantify different sulfation proteoforms, which led to the direct functionality assessment of tyrosine-sulfated species. The fully sulfated (4-SO3) proteoform demonstrated the highest in vitro relative antigen binding potency and neutralization efficiency against a panel of HIV-1 viruses. Interestingly, highly variable levels of 4-SO3 were produced by different clonal CHO cell lines, which helped the bNAb process development towards production of a highly potent CAP256V2LS clinical product with high 4-SO3 proteoform. This study presents powerful insight for any biotherapeutic protein development where sulfation may play an important role in product efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibody-Framework-to-Antigen Distance (AFAD) – the distance between the body of an antibody and a protein antigen – is an important parameter governing antibody recognition. Here, we quantify AFAD for ~2,000 non-redundant antibody-protein-antigen complexes in the Protein Data Bank. AFADs showed a gaussian distribution with mean of 16.3 Å and standard deviation (σ) of 2.4 Å. Notably, antibody-antigen complexes with extended AFADs (>3σ) were exclusively human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV-1)-neutralizing antibodies. High correlation (R2 = 0.8110) was observed between AFADs and glycan coverage, as assessed by molecular dynamics simulations of the HIV-1-envelope trimer. Especially long AFADs were observed for antibodies targeting the glycosylated trimer apex, and we tested the impact of introducing an apex-glycan hole (N160K); the cryo-EM structure of the glycan hole-targeting HIV-1-neutralizing antibody 2909 in complex with an N160K-envelope trimer revealed a substantially shorter AFAD. Overall, extended AFADs exclusively recognized densely glycosylated surfaces, with the introduction of a glycan hole enabling closer recognition. Here, the authors analyse the distance between the body of an antibody and a protein antigen denoted as the Antibody-Framework-to-Antigen Distance (AFAD) for about 2000 non-redundant antibody-protein antigen complexes in the Protein Data Bank. They observe that antibodies with exceptionally long AFADs were all broad HIV-1-neutralizing antibodies that targeted densely glycosylated regions on the HIV-1-envelope trimer. The connection between long AFAD and dense glycan was further validated by the cryo-EM structure of antibody 2909 recognizing a glycan hole and by glycan shielding analyses based on molecular dynamics simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RIFIN, a large family of Plasmodium variant surface antigens, plays a crucial role in malaria pathogenesis by mediating immune suppression through activation of inhibitory receptors such as LAIR1, and antibodies with LAIR1 inserts have been identified that bind infected erythrocytes through RIFIN. However, details of RIFIN-mediated LAIR1 recognition and receptor activation have been unclear. Here, we use negative-stain EM to define the architecture of LAIR1-inserted antibodies and determine crystal structures of RIFIN-variable 2 (V2) domain in complex with a LAIR1 domain. These structures reveal the LAIR1-binding region of RIFIN to be hydrophobic and membrane-distal, to exhibit extensive structural diversity, and to interact with RIFIN-V2 in a one-to-one fashion. Through structural and sequence analysis of various LAIR1 constructs, we identify essential elements of RIFIN-binding on LAIR1. Furthermore, a structure-derived LAIR1-binding sequence signature ascertained >20 LAIR1-binding RIFINs, including some from P. falciparum field strains and Plasmodium species infecting gorillas and chimpanzees. RIFINs are Plasmodium surface antigens that suppress the immune response by binding inhibitory receptors such as LAIR1. Here, Xu et al. characterize the interaction between RIFIN-variable 2 domain and a LAIR1 domain and identify LAIR1-binding RIFINs in several Plasmodium species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread effects across the globe, and its causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, continues to spread. Effective interventions need to be developed to end this pandemic. Single and combination therapies with monoclonal antibodies have received emergency use authorization1–3, and more treatments are under development4–7. Furthermore, multiple vaccine constructs have shown promise8, including two that have an approximately 95% protective efficacy against COVID-199,10. However, these interventions were directed against the initial SARS-CoV-2 virus that emerged in 2019. The recent detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.1.7 in the UK11 and B.1.351 in South Africa12 is of concern because of their purported ease of transmission and extensive mutations in the spike protein. Here we show that B.1.1.7 is refractory to neutralization by most monoclonal antibodies against the N-terminal domain of the spike protein and is relatively resistant to a few monoclonal antibodies against the receptor-binding domain. It is not more resistant to plasma from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 or sera from individuals who have been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. The B.1.351 variant is not only refractory to neutralization by most monoclonal antibodies against the N-terminal domain but also by multiple individual monoclonal antibodies against the receptor-binding motif of the receptor-binding domain, which is mostly due to a mutation causing an E484K substitution. Moreover, compared to wild-type SARS-CoV-2, B.1.351 is markedly more resistant to neutralization by convalescent plasma (9.4-fold) and sera from individuals who have been vaccinated (10.3–12.4-fold). B.1.351 and emergent variants13,14 with similar mutations in the spike protein present new challenges for monoclonal antibody therapies and threaten the protective efficacy of current vaccines.The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 can be neutralized by convalescent sera or sera from vaccinated individuals, whereas the B.1.351 variant is resistant to neutralization by these sera and by several monoclonal antibodies that are in clinical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 are Plasmodium falciparum transmission-blocking (TB) vaccine candidates that form a membrane-bound protein complex on gametes. The biological role of Pfs230 or the Pfs230-Pfs48/45 complex remains poorly understood. Here, we present the crystal structure of recombinant Pfs230 domain 1 (Pfs230D1M), a 6-cysteine domain, in complex with the Fab fragment of a TB monoclonal antibody (mAb) 4F12. We observed the arrangement of Pfs230 on the surface of macrogametes differed from that on microgametes, and that Pfs230, with no known membrane anchor, may exist on the membrane surface in the absence of Pfs48/45. 4F12 appears to sterically interfere with Pfs230 function. Combining mAbs against different epitopes of Pfs230D1 or of Pfs230D1 and Pfs48/45, significantly increased TB activity. These studies elucidate a mechanism of action of the Pfs230D1 vaccine, model the functional activity induced by a polyclonal antibody response and support the development of TB vaccines targeting Pfs230D1 and Pfs230D1-Pfs48/45. With the aim to advance the development of a P. falciparum transmission blocking vaccine, Singh et al. determine the crystal structure of Pfs230D1 in complex with the Fab fragment of TB mAb 4F12. They further study the cellular localization of Pfs230 on the surface of sexual stages of parasites and the effect of combining TB mAbs against Pfs230 and Pfs48/45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical synthesis of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) provides a clean and safe technology for large-scale H2O2 production. The core of this project is the development of highly active and highly selective catalysts. Recent studies demonstrate that carbonaceous materials are favorable catalysts because of their low-cost and tunable surface structures. This brief review first summarizes the strategies of carbonaceous material engineering for selective two-electron O2 reduction reaction and discusses potential mechanisms. In addition, several device designs using carbonaceous materials as catalysts for H2O2 production are introduced. Finally, research directions are proposed for practical application and performance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research has confirmed that negative emotions play a key role in the framing effect. Yet little is known about whether and how malicious envy modulates the framing effect. To examine the potential impact and mechanism of malicious envy on the framing effect, two experiments were conducted in which participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a malicious envy condition and a control condition. In Experiment 1, after malicious envy was activated and measured, the participants were asked to complete a framing task. The results showed that participants in the malicious envy group made more risk-averse choices in the gain frame than those in the control group, but these two groups of participants did not exhibit a behavioral difference in the loss frame. In Experiment 2, the procedure was identical to Experiment 1, except that, after the malicious envy scale was administered, two scales were used to measure hope for success and fear of failure. Experiment 2 revealed the same effect of malicious envy on decision making in the framing task. Experiment 2 also found that malicious envy activated two types of achievement motivation. Further, fear of failure mediated the effect of malicious envy on risky decision making in the framing task, while hope for success did not mediate the effect. The relationships between malicious envy, framing effect, and achievement motivation have important implications with respect to interventions for malicious envy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer mediates cell entry and is conformationally dynamic1–8. Imaging by single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) has revealed that, on the surface of intact virions, mature pre-fusion Env transitions from a pre-triggered conformation (state 1) through a default intermediate conformation (state 2) to a conformation in which it is bound to three CD4 receptor molecules (state 3)8–10. It is currently unclear how these states relate to known structures. Breakthroughs in the structural characterization of the HIV-1 Env trimer have previously been achieved by generating soluble and proteolytically cleaved trimers of gp140 Env that are stabilized by a disulfide bond, an isoleucine-to-proline substitution at residue 559 and a truncation at residue 664 (SOSIP.664 trimers)5,11–18. Cryo-electron microscopy studies have been performed with C-terminally truncated Env of the HIV-1JR-FL strain in complex with the antibody PGT15119. Both approaches have revealed similar structures for Env. Although these structures have been presumed to represent the pre-triggered state 1 of HIV-1 Env, this hypothesis has never directly been tested. Here we use smFRET to compare the conformational states of Env trimers used for structural studies with native Env on intact virus. We find that the constructs upon which extant high-resolution structures are based predominantly occupy downstream conformations that represent states 2 and 3. Therefore, the structure of the pre-triggered state-1 conformation of viral Env that has been identified by smFRET and that is preferentially stabilized by many broadly neutralizing antibodies—and thus of interest for the design of immunogens—remains unknown. Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging of conformational states of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers on intact virus and of trimers used in previous structural studies reveal the latter as downstream—rather than pre-triggered—conformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through using a latent growth curve model (LGCM), the present study investigated longitudinal relationships between examination stress, self-esteem, and psychological well-being in Chinese high school students. This paper presents results of a three-wave longitudinal study among 248 Chinese high school students who were followed over the course of one semester. The students completed questionnaires about once every 2 months from the beginning to the end of a school semester for a total of three questionnaires including the shorten version of Academic Stress Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Chinese version of Psychological Well-Being Scale. The results obtained from latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) showed that the initial examination stress level negatively predicted the students' initial level of psychological well-being. Also, changes in examination stress over time negatively predicted changes in psychological well-being. In addition, self-esteem can mediate the effects of examination stress on psychological well-being: first, initial level of examination stress can influence the initial level of psychological well-being via self-esteem; second, examination stress at Time 1 predicted psychological well-being at Time 3 mediated by self-esteem at Time 2. These findings contributed the theoretical explanation about the effect of stress in damaging psychological well-being and the mediating mechanism of self-esteem. There are also some practical implications on improving psychological well-being among the high school students through reducing the levels of examination stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the negative effects of overconfidence are more likely to be mentioned in the literature, some researchers have argued that the benefits of overconfidence may outweigh its costs. We attempted to explore the positive effects of overconfidence in competitive situations. We had participants compete against fake opponents who were overconfident and then measured their competitive performance in two studies. In Study 1 we examined the effects of overconfidence on competitive performance in a competitive situation and the possible mechanism for this overconfidence. In Study 2 we investigated the characteristics of the performance in a competition after a mismatch between the level of confidence and the fake opponent's actual competence was revealed. Our results indicated that overconfident individuals tend to be perceived as more competent and more likely to benefit in the process of competition. Even after a mismatch between the level of confidence and the real competence was revealed, the overconfident individuals were not punished in that they made as much money as the less overconfident and still got higher competence ratings. Together those studies suggested that overconfidence has its advantages in competitive situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental pathways of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) against HIV are of great importance for the design of immunogens that can elicit protective responses. Here we show the maturation features of the HIV-neutralizing anti-V1V2 VRC26 lineage by simultaneously sequencing the exon together with the downstream intron of VRC26 members. Using the mutational landscapes of both segments and the selection-free nature of the intron region, we identify multiple events of amino acid mutational convergence in the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) of VRC26 members, and determine potential intermediates with diverse CDR3s to a late stage bNAb from 2 years prior to its isolation. Moreover, we functionally characterize the earliest neutralizing intermediates with critical CDR3 mutations, with some emerging only 14 weeks after initial lineage detection and containing only ~6% V gene mutations. Our results thus underscore the utility of analyzing exons and introns simultaneously for studying antibody maturation and repertoire selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Math-gender stereotypes have been prevalent with adolescent girls and negatively affect their developmental outcome. The discrepancy between these negative stereotypes and early adolescent girls’ pronounced mathematical performance provides a good opportunity for intervention on negative math-gender stereotypes. This study designed a three-month intervention program based on Identity Threat Model to reduce math-gender stereotypes for middle school girls. Nine intervention sessions were held in classrooms and targeted at changing adolescent girls’ collective representations, situational cues and personal characteristics. Three-wave measures were collected before the intervention (pre-test), immediately after the intervention (post-test), and three months after the end of the intervention (follow-up test). Intervention effect indicators included math-gender stereotypes, self-esteem, math scores and language-gender stereotypes. The results immediately after the intervention showed that math-gender stereotypes were significantly reduced, math scores were improved, and self-esteem and language-gender stereotypes were not significantly affected among girls in the intervention group compared with control group. Follow-up test showed no significant differences between the intervention group and the control group except that math-gender stereotypes in intervention group were still lower than control group, indicating that the intervention activities were effective to reduce adolescent girls’ math-gender stereotypes. The intervention program provided theoretical and educational implications for effective intervention on adolescent girls’ math-gender stereotypes in school or classroom settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon nanotubes/TiO (CNTs/TiO) composite photocatalysts composed of TiO nanoparticles and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized by a range of analytical techniques including X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, thermal gravimetric analysis and UV-Vis optical absorption spectra, etc. The amount of TiO nanoparticles growing on CNTs could be tuned by adjusting the dosage of precursor in the reaction solution. Both the adsorptivity and photocatalytic activities of pure CNTs, pure TiO, and the CNTs/TiO nanocomposites were tested by the removal of methylene blue from water in dark and under a simulated sunlight, respectively. By comparison, the improved photocatalytic activity of the CNTs/TiO nanocomposite is mainly due to that the CNTs can disperse the active component of TiO nanoparticles, provide a larger the specific surface area, as well as act as an electron sink to accelerate the separation of the photogenerated charges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explored the roles of differential social support in strengthening capability to cope with stress for positive responding against depressive symptoms and further explored the moderating role of gender with a sample of 1,674 junior high school students. Participants responded to a series of scales including their levels of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and quality of social supports. The results evidenced the mediating roles of family and others' support in the relationship between perceived stress and depression and the mediating effects were found to fit only boys instead of girls. What's more, the moderating effect of social support between perceived stress and depression was only found in the subcategory of friend support. The moderating effect of friend support between perceived stress and depression was found to have significant gender differences. The significance and limitations of the results were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study the association between father involvement and adolescents' resilience and the roles of male gender-role stereotype and male gender-role identity were examined. Data came from three high school samples of 748 students and was analyzed with structural equation model. Results showed that the data had a satisfactory fit for the model (GFI = .95, AGFI = .94, NFI = .91, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .03), indicating that male gender-role stereotype and male-role identity partially mediated the relationship between paternal involvement and resilience. And multi-group analysis indicated that the pattern of the mediating model of resilience did not differ across gender. But gender difference did exist in the pathway from male gender-role stereotypes to male gender-role identity. This study provided a new way to view father's scaffolding role of children's masculinity formation whereby children may increase their social capabilities. The significance and limitations of the results were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term in vivo expression of a broad and potent entry inhibitor could circumvent the need for a conventional vaccine for HIV-1. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors can stably express HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). However, even the best bNAbs neutralize 10-50% of HIV-1 isolates inefficiently (80% inhibitory concentration (IC80) > 5 μg ml−1), suggesting that high concentrations of these antibodies would be necessary to achieve general protection. Here we show that eCD4-Ig, a fusion of CD4-Ig with a small CCR5-mimetic sulfopeptide, binds avidly and cooperatively to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) and is more potent than the best bNAbs (geometric mean half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) < 0.05 μg ml−1). Because eCD4-Ig binds only conserved regions of Env, it is also much broader than any bNAb. For example, eCD4-Ig efficiently neutralized 100% of a diverse panel of neutralization-resistant HIV-1, HIV-2 and simian immunodeficiency virus isolates, including a comprehensive set of isolates resistant to the CD4-binding site bNAbs VRC01, NIH45-46 and 3BNC117. Rhesus macaques inoculated with an AAV vector stably expressed 17-77 μg ml−1 of fully functional rhesus eCD4-Ig for more than 40 weeks, and these macaques were protected from several infectious challenges with SHIV-AD8. Rhesus eCD4-Ig was also markedly less immunogenic than rhesus forms of four well-characterized bNAbs. Our data suggest that AAV-delivered eCD4-Ig can function like an effective HIV-1 vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (Env) spike, comprising three gp120 and three gp41 subunits, is a conformational machine that facilitates HIV-1 entry by rearranging from a mature unliganded state, through receptor-bound intermediates, to a post-fusion state. As the sole viral antigen on the HIV-1 virion surface, Env is both the target of neutralizing antibodies and a focus of vaccine efforts. Here we report the structure at 3.5 Å resolution for an HIV-1 Env trimer captured in a mature closed state by antibodies PGT122 and 35O22. This structure reveals the pre-fusion conformation of gp41, indicates rearrangements needed for fusion activation, and defines parameters of immune evasion and immune recognition. Pre-fusion gp41 encircles amino- and carboxy-terminal strands of gp120 with four helices that form a membrane-proximal collar, fastened by insertion of a fusion peptide-proximal methionine into a gp41-tryptophan clasp. Spike rearrangements required for entry involve opening the clasp and expelling the termini. N-linked glycosylation and sequence-variable regions cover the pre-fusion closed spike; we used chronic cohorts to map the prevalence and location of effective HIV-1-neutralizing responses, which were distinguished by their recognition of N-linked glycan and tolerance for epitope-sequence variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of current study was to examine the relationships between resources, activity, and subjective well-being in later life. Using a national sample (N = 3,795) of older adults randomly selected from major Chinese mainland cities, we integrated the constructs of resources and activity into a structural model of subjective well-being. In the model, the three key resources, health, economic status and family relations, were specified as having direct effects on both activity and subjective well-being. Additionally, activity was specified as having a direct effect on subjective well-being. AMOS software was used to test and compare the goodness of fit of various models. The data had a satisfactory fit to the model (GFI = 0.980, NNFI = 0.959, CFI = 0.973, RMSEA = 0.049), indicating that the three resources had significant contributions to subjective well-being. Comparisons using several nested models also suggested that family relations had a stronger effect than health and economic status on subjective well-being. Further, activity was a partial mediator in the relationships between resources and subjective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-1 uses a diverse N-linked-glycan shield to evade recognition by antibody. Select human antibodies, such as the clonally related PG9 and PG16, recognize glycopeptide epitopes in the HIV-1 V1-V2 region and penetrate this shield, but their ability to accommodate diverse glycans is unclear. Here we report the structure of antibody PG16 bound to a scaffolded V1-V2, showing an epitope comprising both high mannose-type and complex-type N-linked glycans. We combined structure, NMR and mutagenesis analyses to characterize glycan recognition by PG9 and PG16. Three PG16-specific residues, arginine, serine and histidine (RSH), were critical for binding sialic acid on complex-type glycans, and introduction of these residues into PG9 produced a chimeric antibody with enhanced HIV-1 neutralization. Although HIV-1-glycan diversity facilitates evasion, antibody somatic diversity can overcome this and can provide clues to guide the design of modified antibodies with enhanced neutralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterization of human monoclonal antibodies is providing considerable insight into mechanisms of broad HIV-1 neutralization. Here we report an HIV-1 gp41 membrane-proximal external region (MPER)-specific antibody, named 10E8, which neutralizes ?98% of tested viruses. An analysis of sera from 78 healthy HIV-1-infected donors demonstrated that 27% contained MPER-specific antibodies and 8% contained 10E8-like specificities. In contrast to other neutralizing MPER antibodies, 10E8 did not bind phospholipids, was not autoreactive, and bound cell-surface envelope. The structure of 10E8 in complex with the complete MPER revealed a site of vulnerability comprising a narrow stretch of highly conserved gp41-hydrophobic residues and a critical arginine or lysine just before the transmembrane region. Analysis of resistant HIV-1 variants confirmed the importance of these residues for neutralization. The highly conserved MPER is a target of potent, non-self-reactive neutralizing antibodies, suggesting that HIV-1 vaccines should aim to induce antibodies to this region of HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable regions 1 and 2 (V1/V2) of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) gp120 envelope glycoprotein are critical for viral evasion of antibody neutralization, and are themselves protected by extraordinary sequence diversity and N-linked glycosylation. Human antibodies such as PG9 nonetheless engage V1/V2 and neutralize 80% of HIV-1 isolates. Here we report the structure of V1/V2 in complex with PG9. V1/V2 forms a four-stranded ?-sheet domain, in which sequence diversity and glycosylation are largely segregated to strand-connecting loops. PG9 recognition involves electrostatic, sequence-independent and glycan interactions: the latter account for over half the interactive surface but are of sufficiently weak affinity to avoid autoreactivity. The structures of V1/V2-directed antibodies CH04 and PGT145 indicate that they share a common mode of glycan penetration by extended anionic loops. In addition to structurally defining V1/V2, the results thus identify a paradigm of antibody recognition for highly glycosylated antigens, which-with PG9-involves a site of vulnerability comprising just two glycans and a strand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Antigens displayed on self-assembling nanoparticles can stimulate strong immune responses and have been playing an increasingly prominent role in structure-based vaccines. However, the development of such immunogens is often complicated by inefficiencies in their production. To alleviate this issue, we developed a plug-and-play platform using the spontaneous isopeptide-bond formation of the SpyTag:SpyCatcher system to display trimeric antigens on self-assembling nanoparticles, including the 60-subunit Aquifex aeolicus lumazine synthase (LuS) and the 24-subunit Helicobacter pylori ferritin. LuS and ferritin coupled to SpyTag expressed well in a mammalian expression system when an N-linked glycan was added to the nanoparticle surface. The respiratory syncytial virus fusion (F) glycoprotein trimer—stabilized in the prefusion conformation and fused with SpyCatcher—could be efficiently conjugated to LuS-SpyTag or ferritin-SpyTag, enabling multivalent display of F trimers with prefusion antigenicity. Similarly, F-glycoprotein trimers from human parainfluenza virus-type 3 and spike-glycoprotein trimers from SARS-CoV-2 could be displayed on LuS nanoparticles with decent yield and antigenicity. Notably, murine vaccination with 0.08 µg of SARS-CoV-2 spike-LuS nanoparticle elicited similar neutralizing responses as 2.0 µg of spike, which was ~ 25-fold higher on a weight-per-weight basis. The versatile platform described here thus allows for multivalent plug-and-play presentation on self-assembling nanoparticles of trimeric viral antigens, with SARS-CoV-2 spike-LuS nanoparticles inducing particularly potent neutralizing responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effectively broadening microwave absorbing frequency of pure magnetic substances remains a huge challenge. Herein, micro-perspective structures can be controlled through a calcination route. Satisfactorily, the composites prepared at the calcination temperature of 900 °C exhibit excellent microwave attenuation performance with a broad working frequency and appropriate paraffin filling ratio. Remarkably, the composites can reach an extremely high reflection loss (RL) value of − 49.79 dB, and the extended effective working frequency range (RL < − 10 dB) of 6.84 GHz can also be obtained. Superb magnetic loss, admirable dielectric loss, sufficient dipole polarization, as well as superior impedance matching should be band together for obtaining ideal microwave absorbers. The CoNi hydroxides derived bimatallic alloy composites were fabricated via a cost-effective and facile synthesis process, and this work aroused inspirations of designing high-performance microwave absorbers for mataining the sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous progress of science and technology, the traditional magnetic material is no longer able to meet the new complex electromagnetic (EM) environment due to its high bulk density. Therefore, the novel excellent EM absorber with the feature of thin thickness, low density, broad absorption bandwidth and strong absorption intensity is highly desired. Herein, we fabricated a porous carbon with ultrahigh porosity through a facile KOH activation from biomass waste pumpkin seed shell for lightweight EM wave absorption application. By optimizing the porous structures, the strong absorption intensity of −50.55 dB is achieved at thin thickness of 1.85 mm under low filler content of only 10 wt %. More interestingly, a broad frequency bandwidth of 7.4 GHz could cover the whole Ku band. These outstanding microwave absorption performances, couple with low cost ingredients and ease of fabrication process enable the porous carbon framework as the next generation promising candidate for lightweight and remarkable EM absorber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diverse entry inhibitors targeting the gp120 subunit of the HIV-1 envelope (Env) trimer have been developed including BMS-626529, also called temsavir, a prodrug version of which is currently in phase III clinical trials. Here we report the characterization of a panel of small-molecule inhibitors including BMS-818251, which we show to be >10-fold more potent than temsavir on a cross-clade panel of 208-HIV-1 strains, as well as the engineering of a crystal lattice to enable structure determination of the interaction between these inhibitors and the HIV-1 Env trimer at higher resolution. By altering crystallization lattice chaperones, we identify a lattice with both improved diffraction and robust co-crystallization of HIV-1 Env trimers from different clades complexed to entry inhibitors with a range of binding affinities. The improved diffraction reveals BMS-818251 to utilize functional groups that interact with gp120 residues from the conserved β20-β21 hairpin to improve potency. Temsavir, a compound that inhibits HIV entry by binding envelope (Env), is currently in clinical development. Here, Lai et al. identify a more than 10-fold improved compound and, using lattice engineering, obtain crystal structures that give insights into improved inhibition between small molecules and Env. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus, a major cause of respiratory disease in calves, is closely related to human RSV, a leading cause of respiratory disease in infants. Recently, promising human RSV-vaccine candidates have been engineered that stabilize the metastable fusion (F) glycoprotein in its prefusion state; however, the absence of a relevant animal model for human RSV has complicated assessment of these vaccine candidates. Here, we use a combination of structure-based design, antigenic characterization, and X-ray crystallography to translate human RSV F stabilization into the bovine context. A "DS2" version of bovine respiratory syncytial virus F with subunits covalently fused, fusion peptide removed, and pre-fusion conformation stabilized by cavity-filling mutations and intra- and inter-protomer disulfides was recognized by pre-fusion-specific antibodies, AM14, D25, and MPE8, and elicited bovine respiratory syncytial virus-neutralizing titers in calves >100-fold higher than those elicited by post-fusion F. When challenged with a heterologous bovine respiratory syncytial virus, virus was not detected in nasal secretions nor in respiratory tract samples of DS2-immunized calves; by contrast bovine respiratory syncytial virus was detected in all post-fusion- and placebo-immunized calves. Our results demonstrate proof-of-concept that DS2-stabilized RSV F immunogens can induce highly protective immunity from RSV in a native host with implications for the efficacy of prefusion-stabilized F vaccines in humans and for the prevention of bovine respiratory syncytial virus in calves. Respiratory disease: A bovine model for respiratory syncytial virus vaccines Researchers have produced a vaccine that protects against bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV) in calves, with implications for humans. An international team comprising Geraldine Taylor, The Pirbright Institute, UK, Davide Corti and Antonio Lanzavecchia, Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Switzerland, and Peter Kwong, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, United States, and their teams constructed the subunit vaccine from an engineered bRSVfusion (F) glycoprotein that protected challenged calves by generating a highly protective immune response. This approach allays some of the dangers of whole-virus vaccines. The results warrant further investigation, as current bRSV vaccines have significant downsides.Moreover, as the engineered bRSV F glycoprotein is structurally and reactively similar to the prefusion-stabilized human RSV (hRSV) F glycoprotein, the findings highlight potential benefits of similar vaccines in humans, as no licensed hRSV vaccine is currently available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]