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Abstract Cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-EM) of frozen hydrated specimens is an efficient method for the structural analysis of purified biological molecules. However, cryo-EM and cryo-electron tomography are limited by the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of recorded images, making detection of smaller particles challenging. For dose-resilient samples often studied in the physical sciences, electron ptychography – a coherent diffractive imaging technique using 4D scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) – has recently demonstrated excellent SNR and resolution down to tens of picometers for thin specimens imaged at room temperature. Here we apply 4D-STEM and ptychographic data analysis to frozen hydrated proteins, reaching sub-nanometer resolution 3D reconstructions. We employ low-dose cryo-EM with an aberration-corrected, convergent electron beam to collect 4D-STEM data for our reconstructions. The high frame rate of the electron detector allows us to record large datasets of electron diffraction patterns with substantial overlaps between the interaction volumes of adjacent scan positions, from which the scattering potentials of the samples are iteratively reconstructed. The reconstructed micrographs show strong SNR enabling the reconstruction of the structure of apoferritin protein at up to 5.8 Å resolution. We also show structural analysis of the Phi92 capsid and sheath, tobacco mosaic virus, and bacteriorhodopsin at slightly lower resolutions.

Abstract Ultrasonic processing of solidifying metals in additive manufacturing can provide grain refinement and advantageous mechanical properties. However, the specific physical mechanisms of microstructural refinement relevant to laser-based additive manufacturing have not been directly observed because of sub-millimeter length scales and rapid solidification rates associated with melt pools. Here, high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging is used to observe the effect of ultrasonic vibration directly on melt pool dynamics and solidification of Al6061 alloy. The high temporal and spatial resolution enabled direct observation of cavitation effects driven by a 20.2 kHz ultrasonic source. We utilized multiphysics simulations to validate the postulated connection between ultrasonic treatment and solidification. The X-ray results show a decrease in melt pool and keyhole depth fluctuations during melting and promotion of pore migration toward the melt pool surface with applied sonication. Additionally, the simulation results reveal increased localized melt pool flow velocity, cooling rates, and thermal gradients with applied sonication. This work shows how ultrasonic treatment can impact melt pools and its potential for improving part quality.

Abstract Due to climate change the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio vulnificus proliferates along brackish coastlines, posing risks to public health, tourism, and aquaculture. Here we investigated previously suggested regulation measures to reduce the prevalence of V. vulnificus, locally through seagrass and regionally through the reduction of eutrophication and consequential formation of algal blooms. Field samples collected in the summer of 2021 covered the salinity and eutrophication gradients of the Baltic Sea, one of the largest brackish areas worldwide. Physico-, biological- and hydrochemical parameters were measured and variables explaining V. vulnificus occurrence were identified by machine learning. The best V. vulnificus predictors were eutrophication-related features, such as particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, as well as occurrence of potential phytoplankton blooms and associated species. V. vulnificus abundance did not vary significantly between vegetated and non-vegetated areas. Thus, reducing nutrient inputs could be an effective method to control V. vulnificus populations in eutrophied brackish coasts.

ABSTRACTRecent accounts of predictive processing in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that trauma-exposed individuals struggle to update trauma-related hypotheses predicting danger, which may be involved in the etiology and maintenance of this disorder. Initial research supports this account, documenting an association between trauma-exposure, impaired expectation updating, and PTSD symptoms. Yet, no study to date has examined biased belief updating in PTSD using a scenario-based approach.Objective: Here, we examined the predictive processing account among trauma-exposed and non-trauma-exposed individuals using a modified Trauma-Related version of the Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence task.Method: The task presents both danger-and safety-related scenarios highly relevant for trauma-exposed individuals. For each scenario, participants viewed several explanations and rated their plausibility. Their ability to update their initial interpretation following new-contradictory information was assessed.Results: Preregistered analyses did not reveal any significant findings. Based on indications that our sample may not have been sufficiently powered, we conducted exploratory analyses in an extended sample of participants. These analyses yielded a significant association between reduced belief updating and PTSD symptoms which was evident for disconfirming both safety and danger scenarios. However, the effect sizes we found were in the small-to-medium range.Conclusion: Although preliminary, our current findings support initial evidence that individuals with higher PTSD symptoms show a higher resistance to update their beliefs upon new disconfirmatory evidence. Our results should be interpreted cautiously in light of the extended sample and the limitations of the current study.

The European Union of Aquarium Curators (EUAC) boasts a membership of 150 dedicated individuals, standing as a vital cornerstone within the European public aquarium community. Since 2004, the EUAC Conservation Fund has granted over a quarter of a million euros to approximately 50 conservation projects spanning the globe. These initiatives, diverse in nature and scale, have yielded tangible impacts on local populations and their focal species. This paper delves into the outcomes of these conservation endeavors and proposes enhancements to ensure that the funding is unequivocally channeled towards conservation efforts. One resounding observation gleaned from the array of projects spotlighted in this study is the profound community engagement that emerges, irrespective of the final project outcomes. These endeavors serve as a catalyst for local communities, shedding light on subjects that would otherwise remain shrouded in obscurity. Furthermore, the EUAC-backed projects illuminate the expansive reach of public aquarium initiatives, transcending the confines of acrylic tank walls and institutional boundaries to resonate globally, heightening local awareness about the imperative to safeguard biodiversity. These findings underscore a prospective trajectory for both the EUAC and the public aquaria it comprises: an intensified advocacy and collaboration with legislative bodies to fortify in situ conservation measures. In essence, it is imperative that the public comprehends the pivotal role played by aquaria in preserving a multitude of species and acknowledges that their visits directly contribute to funding projects aimed at safeguarding species within their natural habitats.

Laminar flow offers significant potential for increasing the energy efficiency of future transport aircraft. At the Cluster of Excellence SE2A—Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Aviation—the laminarization of the wing by means of hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) is being investigated. The aim is to maintain the boundary layer as laminar for up to 80% of the chord length of the wing. This is achieved by active suction on the leading edge and the rear part of the wing. The suction panels are constructed with a thin micro-perforated skin and a supporting open-cellular core structure. The mechanical requirements for this kind of sandwich structure vary depending on its position of usage. The suction panel on the leading edge must be able to sustain bird strikes, while the suction panel on the rear part must sustain bending loads from the deformation of the wing. The objective of this study was to investigate the energy absorption properties of a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure that can be used as a bird strike-resistant core in the wing leading edge. To this end, cubic-sheet-based gyroid specimens of different polymeric materials and different geometric dimensions were manufactured using additive manufacturing processes. The specimens were then tested under quasi-static compression and dynamic crushing loading until failure. It was found that the mechanical behavior was dependent on the material, the unit cell size, the relative density, and the loading rate. In general, the weight-specific energy absorption (SEA) at 50% compaction increased with increasing relative density. Polyurethane specimens exhibited an increase in SEA with increasing loading rate, as opposed to the specimens of the other investigated polymers. A smaller unit cell size induced a more consistent energy absorption, due to the higher plateau force.

Das Böckenförde-Diktum ist so ein Satz, auf den sich auch in unsicheren Zeiten viele einigen können. Statt sich in ständiger Reproduktion des „Böckenförde-Diktums“ und gekünstelter Neutralität auf der Stelle zu drehen und dabei allenfalls „midcult“ zu betreiben, sollten auch die Verantwortlichen im Bereich der Demokratieförderung diese Tiefe endlich ausschöpfen. Die Strukturentscheidungen des Grundgesetzes sind als Aufruf dafür zu verstehen.

Am 4. April ging es vor dem Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg um die Frage, ob das Bundespräsidialamt der Presse eine Liste der Gnadenentscheidungen von Frank-Walter Steinmeier und seiner Vorgänger aus den Jahren 2004 bis 2021 zur Verfügung stellen muss. Ob dem Gericht das Missbrauchspotenzial des Gnadenrechts vor Augen stand?

[Background] Hope is an integral, multi-dimensional part of seeking medical treatment. The aim of this study was to develop a self-report scale, the Hope in Medicine (HIM) scale, to measure different modes of hoping in relation to the course of symptoms, the effects of treatment, and supporting medical research. [Method] We examined the psychometric properties of the scale in a sample of 74 allergic rhinitis patients participating in a 2-week randomized-controlled trial comparing open-label placebos (OLP) with treatment as usual (TAU). [Results] The HIM scale had a Cronbach’s α of .78. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: realistic hope (i.e., hoping for specific positive outcomes such as improvement in symptoms), transcendent hope (i.e., non-directed hoping that things will turn out positively), utopian hope (i.e., hoping to contribute to greater knowledge), and technoscience hope (i.e., hoping for scientific breakthroughs). Speaking to the convergent validity of the scale, realistic hope was moderately related to treatment expectancies (r = .54); transcendent hope was related to optimism (r = .50), treatment expectancies (r = .37), self-efficacy (r = .36), and inversely correlated with pessimism (r = -.43). Hope subscales predicted neither course of symptoms nor impairment. [Conclusion] The HIM scale is a questionnaire with adequate internal consistency allowing to assess four modes of hoping. Preliminary results for its convergent validity are promising. Yet, further validation is needed.

Experiments on fusion plasmas produce high-dimensional data time series with ever-increasing magnitude and velocity, but turn-around times for analysis of this data have not kept up. For example, many data analysis tasks are often performed in a manual, ad-hoc manner some time after an experiment. In this article, we introduce the Delta framework that facilitates near real-time streaming analysis of big and fast fusion data. By streaming measurement data from fusion experiments to a high-performance compute center, Delta allows computationally expensive data analysis tasks to be performed in between plasma pulses. This article describes the modular and expandable software architecture of Delta and presents performance benchmarks of individual components as well as of an example workflow. Focusing on a streaming analysis workflow where electron cyclotron emission imaging (ECEi) data is measured at KSTAR on the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center's (NERSC's) supercomputer we routinely observe data transfer rates of about 4 Gigabit per second. In NERSC, a demanding turbulence analysis workflow effectively utilizes multiple nodes and graphical processing units and executes them in under 5 min. We further discuss how Delta uses modern database systems and container orchestration services to provide web-based real-time data visualization. For the case of ECEi data we demonstrate how data visualizations can be augmented with outputs from machine learning models. By providing session leaders and physics operators, results of higher-order data analysis using live visualizations may make more informed decisions on how to configure the machine for the next shot.

Abstract The underlying atomistic mechanism of deformation is a central problem in mechanics and materials science. Whereas deformation of crystalline metals is fundamentally understood, the understanding of deformation of amorphous metals lacks behind, particularly identifying the involved temporal and spatial scales. Here, we reveal that at small scales the size-dependent deformation behavior of amorphous metals significantly deviates from homogeneous flow, exhibiting increasing deformation rate with reducing size and gradually shifted composition. This transition suggests the deformation mechanism changes from collective atomic transport by viscous flow to individual atomic transport through interface diffusion. The critical length scale of the transition is temperature dependent, exhibiting a maximum at the glass transition. While viscous flow does not discriminate among alloy constituents, diffusion does and the constituent element with higher diffusivity deforms faster. Our findings yield insights into nano-mechanics and glass physics and may suggest alternative processing methods to epitaxially grow metallic glasses.

Phytoplasmas are associated with important bacterial diseases, causing severe symptoms in agricultural and ornamental crops. ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma rubi’, associated with the Rubus stunt in raspberries (Rubus idaeus) and blackberries (Rubus subgenus Rubus), causes shortened internodes, elongated sepals, proliferation, phyllody, and virescence. The recently published genome of ‘Ca. P. rubi’ RS enabled a comprehensive genomic comparison to the complete genomes of 16SrV phytoplasmas, comprising strains of the flavescence dorée-associated phytoplasma CH and two ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi’ strains. Besides the typical transporters and metabolic features of phytoplasmas, the phosphorolysis of sucrose and the utilization of the carboxylic acid L-lactate became apparent for the 16SrV-group. With respect to the effector repertoire and the encoded immunodominant membrane proteins involved in host colonization, the group revealed conserved features that comprise the variable membrane proteins A and B. However, SAP11- and SAP54 orthologs were limited to ‘Ca. P. rubi’ RS and ‘Ca. P. ziziphi’. Genome-sequence-based phylogenetic analysis supports the close relationship of these genomes relative to alder yellows phytoplasmas. The analyses supported the impact of the mobilome on phytoplasma evolution but also highlighted that there is the possibility of identifying phytoplasmas with a larger metabolic repertoire in the future.

The development of technologies that promote environmental stewardship while maintaining or improving the efficiency of food animal production is essential to the sustainability of producing a food supply to meet the demands of a growing population. As such, Elanco (Greenfield, IN) pursued an environmental indication for a selective β-modulator (lubabegron; LUB). LUB was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be fed to feedlot cattle during the last 14 to 91 d of the feeding period for reductions in gas emissions/kg of unshrunk final BW and HCW. A 4 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used with the factors of dose (0.0, 1.38, 5.5, or 22.0 mg·kg-1 DM basis) and sex (steers or heifers). Three 91-d cycles were conducted (112 cattle/cycle) with each dose × sex combination being represented by a single cattle pen enclosure (CPE; 14 cattle/CPE) resulting in a total of 168 steers and 168 heifers (n = 6 replicates/dose). There were no interactions observed between dose and sex for any variable measured in the study (P ≥ 0.063). Five gases were evaluated for all pens based on CPE concentrations relative to ambient air: NH3, CH4, N2O, H2S, and CO2. Cumulative NH3 gas emissions were reduced by feeding cattle 5.5 and 22.0 mg·kg-1 LUB (P ≤ 0.023) and tended (P = 0.076) to be lower for the cattle fed 1.38 mg·kg-1 LUB compared with the negative controls (CON). The cumulative NH3 gas emission reductions of 960 to 1032 g, coupled with HCW increases (P ≤ 0.019) of 15 to 16 kg for all LUB doses vs. CON, led to reductions in NH3 gas emissions/kg HCW for all three LUB treatments (P ≤ 0.004). Similar to HCW, reductions in NH3 gas emissions/kg of unshrunk final BW were observed for all LUB doses (P ≤ 0.009) and were attributable to both decreases in NH3 gas emissions and numerical increases in BW. Dose had no effect on cumulative emissions or emissions standardized by BW or HCW for the other four gases (P ≥ 0.268). LUB is a novel tool to reduce emissions of NH3 gas per kilogram of unshrunk live BW and hot carcass weight.

Introduction: Self-dosing of off-the-shelf cannabidiol (CBD) for a myriad of health conditions is common in the USA. These CBD products are often mislabeled, suggesting that much less or much more CBD is being consumed than indicated on the label. This study examined the relationship between long-term self-dosing of CBD and (a) indications and, when a verified concentration of CBD is being consumed, (b) the daily CBD dosage, (c) the impact on general health and symptoms, and (d) over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) drug usage. Methods: US adults 18–75 years of age who had used unverified CBD products for >1 month were recruited to participate in this decentralized, observational, IRB-approved study and provided a concentration-verified CBD product of their choice from 15 different vendors for 4 weeks. Prior to receiving product, they were queried on their primary reason for use (PRfU), primary symptom for use (PSfU), general health score (GHS), symptom score (SS), OTC and Rx drug use, and daily CBD dose. Individuals were queried daily on OTC and Rx drug use and CBD dose and weekly on SS and GHS prior to (pre-CBD) and after (post-CBD) ingestion of CBD on that day. Results: The PRfU included chronic pain, mental health, general health and wellness, sleep disorders, the central nervous system, digestive health, and others, while the PSfU included anxiety, back and/or joint pain, sleep, inflammation, and others. The mean daily dose was normally distributed, with a mean, median, and range of 53.1, 40.8, 8–390 mg/day, respectively. For both GHS and SS, the post-CBD was significantly higher than the pre-CBD score for each category of PRfU. The GHS scores did not change over the study, but pre- and post-CBD SS improved over time, with pre-improving more than post-CBD SS. The percentage of individuals decreasing or completely stopping OTC drugs or Rx drugs over the 4 weeks was 31.2% and 19.2%, respectively, with those taking CBD for chronic pain, decreasing drug use the most. OTC and Rx drug usage decreased when the CBD dose was changed and when GHS and SS improved. Conclusion: Pain, mental health (primarily anxiety/stress), and sleep are the most common reasons for CBD use. Self-administration of CBD reduced OTC and Rx drug usage at daily doses less than those reported in controlled studies. CBD self-administration significantly improves self-perception of general health and decreases symptom severity, and as these improve, fewer OTC and Rx drugs are used.

IntroductionDepressive symptoms have been linked to difficulties in revising established negative beliefs in response to novel positive information. Recent predictive processing accounts have suggested that this bias in belief updating may be related to a blunted processing of positive prediction errors at the neural level. In this proof-of-concept study, pupil dilation in response to unexpected positive emotional information was examined as a psychophysiological marker of an attenuated processing of positive prediction errors associated with depressive symptoms.MethodsParticipants (N = 34) completed a modified version of the emotional Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence (BADE) task in which scenarios initially suggest negative interpretations that are later either confirmed or disconfirmed by additional information. Pupil dilation in response to the confirmatory and disconfirmatory information was recorded.ResultsBehavioral results showed that depressive symptoms were related to difficulties in revising negative interpretations despite disconfirmatory positive information. The eye tracking results pointed to a reduced pupil response to unexpected positive information among people with elevated depressive symptoms.DiscussionAltogether, the present study demonstrates that the adapted emotional BADE task can be appropriate for examining psychophysiological aspects such as changes in pupil size along with behavioral responses. Furthermore, the results suggest that depression may be characterized by deviations in both behavioral (i.e., reduced updating of negative beliefs) and psychophysiological (i.e., decreased pupil dilation) responses to unexpected positive information. Future work should focus on a larger sample including clinically depressed patients to further explore these findings.

IntroductionData on genomic susceptibility for adverse outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for recipients are scarce.MethodsWe performed a genome wide association study (GWAS) to identify genes associated with survival/mortality, relapse, and severe graft-versus-host disease (sGvHD), fitting proportional hazard and subdistributional models to data of n=1,392 recipients of European ancestry from three centres.ResultsThe single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17154454, intronic to the neuronal growth guidant semaphorin 3C gene (SEMA3C), was genome-wide significantly associated with event-free survival (p=7.0x10-8) and sGvHD (p=7.5x10-8). Further associations were detected for SNPs in the Paxillin gene (PXN) with death without prior relapse or sGvHD, as well as for SNPs of the Plasmacytoma Variant Translocation 1 gene (PVT1, a long non-coding RNA gene), the Melanocortin 5 Receptor (MC5R) gene and the WW Domain Containing Oxidoreductase gene (WWOX), all associated with the occurrence of sGvHD. Functional considerations support the observed associations.DiscussionThus, new genes were identified, potentially influencing the outcome of HSCT.

The investigation of atmospheric microplastic pollution is a rising topic within microplastic research. However, sampling strategies concerning atmospheric microplastics are not standardized yet and strongly depend on the scientific objectives investigated. A few research groups are currently focused on determining atmospherically deposited microplastics in moss, as it can be a biomonitoring system for other atmospheric pollutants such as heavy metals, nitrogen, and persistent organic components. In this context, and for atmospheric microplastics in general, almost all examinations focus on determining microplastic numbers and shapes, while polymer masses are barely investigated. However, particle- and mass-based information are needed to assess the fate of atmospherically transported microplastics in the environment. For this purpose, this study shows the development and evaluation of a new sample preparation method for determining microplastics in moss for both analytical approaches using thermal extraction desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS) and Raman microspectroscopy (µRaman). Further, this newly developed microplastics/moss separation method (µPEEL) was compared to oxidative digestion using Fenton's reagent, usually used as a sample preparation method for organic-rich samples and moss. The method comparison was performed concerning green analytical chemistry (GAC) and its respective method functionality. The greenness was assessed using the software tool AGREEprep, which covers ten comprehensive aspects of GAC. Both methods’ functionality was assessed regarding observable matrix interferences and the data quality achieved. It is demonstrated that µPEEL benefits GAC and method functionality since harmful chemicals can be avoided, matrix interferences can be minimized, and the separation quality is increased.

Background: Previous research has shown that multiple traumatic experiences cumulatively increase the risk for the development of severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Yet, little is known about the specific psychological mechanism through which this increased risk comes about. Objective: In the present study, we examined a possible cognitive link between multiple traumatic events and PTSD symptom severity through dysfunctional cognitions and expectations. Methods: A sample of patients with a diagnosed PTSD (N = 70; MAge = 42.06; 82% female) and high symptom burden (IES-R M = 79.24) was examined. On average, patients had experienced 5.31 different traumatic events. In a structural equation model, we tested the hypothesis that the relationship between multiple traumatic experiences and PTSD symptom severity is mediated through dysfunctional general cognitions and dysfunctional situation-specific expectations. General trauma-related cognitions were assessed with the Posttraumatic Cognition Inventory (PTCI) and trauma-related situational expectations were assessed with the Posttraumatic Expectations Scale (PTES). Results: The direct effect of the number of traumatic events on PTSD symptom severity was non-significant. Instead, as hypothesised, there was evidence for a significant indirect effect via dysfunctional general cognitions and situation-specific expectations. Conclusions: The current results further specify the cognitive model of PTSD by indicating that the relationship between the number of traumatic events and PTSD symptom severity is mediated through dysfunctional cognitions and expectations. These findings emphasise the importance of focused cognitive treatment approaches that seek to modify dysfunctional cognitions and expectations in people with multiple traumatic experiences.

Introduction: Previous research indicated that cannabidiol (CBD) may result in low levels of male total testosterone (TT), elevations in liver tests (LTs), and daytime drowsiness (DD). We investigated the prevalences of TT and LT in a large adult sample self-administering CBD and determined the effect self-dosing of CBD has on the severity of DD. Methods: Adult participants (18–75 years of age) who self-dose CBD orally for a minimum of 30 days were recruited for this decentralized observational study from companies that offer CBD products. Participants were sent their usual CBD regimen. A clinical study platform was used on a phone app to obtain consent and collect study data. Data included demographic information, reasons for self-dosing, dosage, current medications and dosage, medical history, adverse effects, effects on DD, and efficacy. After 30 days, LT and TT were obtained and follow-up LT was offered to participants who demonstrated elevated values of alanine transaminase (ALT). Results: A total of 28,121 individuals were contacted, 1,475 met the criteria and were enrolled, and 1,061 (female: 65.2%, male: 34.8%) completed the study. Most of the participants used full-spectrum CBD oil or CBD isolate with the mean ± SD daily dose of CBD for all users of 55.4 ± 37.8 mg. CBD use was associated with a significant decrease in DD and a decrease in the prevalence of low TT in males >40 years of age. The prevalences of elevations in ALT and aspartate aminotransferase were not significantly different from those of the general adult population, and the prevalences of elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin were less than those of a healthy adult population. There was no relationship between LT and CBD dose. Conclusions: In this large-sample study, self-dosing CBD was not associated with an increased prevalence of elevation of LT or low levels of TT in men. Furthermore, CBD administration decreased DD and was associated with a lower prevalence of low testosterone levels in older men as compared to age-adjusted population norms.

The global nature of the ITER project along with its projected approximately petabyte-per-day data generation presents not only a unique challenge but also an opportunity for the fusion community to rethink, optimize, and enhance our scientific discovery process. Recognizing this, collaborative research with computational scientists was undertaken over the past several years to create a framework for large-scale data movement across wide-area networks to enable global near-real-time analysis of fusion data. This would broaden the available computational resources for analysis/simulation and increase the number of researchers actively participating in experiments. An official demonstration of this framework for fast, large data transfer and real-time analysis was carried out between the KSTAR tokamak in Daejeon, Korea, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) in Princeton, New Jersey. Streaming large data transfer, with near-real-time movie creation and analysis of the KSTAR electron cyclotron emission imaging data, was performed using the Adaptable Input Output (I/O) System (ADIOS) framework, and comparisons were made at PPPL with simulation results from the XGC1 code. These demonstrations were made possible utilizing an optimized network configuration at PPPL, which achieved over 8.8 Gbps (88% utilization) in throughput tests from the National Fusion Research Institute to PPPL. This demonstration showed the feasibility for large-scale data analysis of KSTAR data and provides a nascent framework to enable use of globally distributed computational and personnel resources in pursuit of scientific knowledge from the ITER experiment.

Phytoplasmas are linked to diseases in hundreds of economically important crops, including carrots. In carrots, phytoplasmosis is associated with leaf chlorosis and necrosis, coupled with inhibited root system development, ultimately leading to significant economic losses. During a field study conducted in Baden-Württemberg (Germany), two strains of the provisional taxon ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’ were identified within a carrot plot. For further analysis, strains M8 and M33 underwent shotgun sequencing, utilising single-molecule-real-time (SMRT) long-read sequencing and sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) paired-end short-read sequencing techniques. Hybrid assemblies resulted in complete de novo assemblies of two genomes harboring circular chromosomes and two plasmids. Analyses, including average nucleotide identity and sequence comparisons of established marker genes, confirmed the phylogenetic divergence of ‘Ca. P. asteris’ and a different assignment of strains to the 16S rRNA subgroup I-A for M33 and I-B for M8. These groups exhibited unique features, encompassing virulence factors and genes, associated with the mobilome. In contrast, pan-genome analysis revealed a highly conserved gene set related to metabolism across these strains. This analysis of the Aster Yellows (AY) group reaffirms the perception of phytoplasmas as bacteria that have undergone extensive genome reduction during their co-evolution with the host and an increase of genome size by mobilome.

Upon their introduction into a biological environment, nanoparticles are spontaneously covered by a variety of biomolecules, forming a (multi)layer called the “biocorona”. However, the interaction of small and large molecules with nanosized materials is not fully understood and in complex aqueous systems, even less, limiting their exploitation. The objective is to gain insights into the mass partitioning between the solid and the liquid phases for the most abundant groups of biological molecules in a biotechnological milieu. Herein, the biocorona composition is analyzed after the exposure of bare iron oxide nanoparticles to Microchloropsis salina lysates to evaluate the influence of the environment's pH, temperature, and ionic strength on the adsorption of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. Maximum adsorption capacities reach at pH 4.0 and yield 0.47, 0.08, and 0.11 g g−1 for proteins, fatty acids, and carbohydrates, respectively. The increase in ionic strength and temperature of the environment promotes protein adsorption, the decrease in temperature raises fatty acid adsorption, and acidic pHs foster the adsorption of the three types of biomolecules. Abundance of the biomolecules plays a key role in the biocorona content. This approach should lead to further studies on complex systems to modulate the adsorption at the bio–nano interface.

Die Ampel-Fraktionen diskutieren zur Stunde endlich über einen konkreten Entwurf für ein Stiftungsfinanzierungsgesetz (StiftFinG-E). Der aktuell diskutierte Entwurf enthält einen brauchbaren Instrumentenkasten, um der akuten Bedrohung durch die Desiderius-Erasmus-Stiftung zu begegnen. Das Gesetz muss jedoch auch für zukünftige, möglicherweise ganz andere politische Kräfteverhältnisse gewappnet sein und dafür die materiellen Bewertungen von den Einschätzungen des Verfassungsschutzes entkoppeln, Wissenschaft und Zivilgesellschaft mit einbeziehen und ein Verständnis der freiheitlich demokratischen Grundordnung verankern, das die Unteilbarkeit der Menschenwürde in den Mittelpunkt stellt.