Filetype
The X-ray flux from X-ray free-electron lasers and storage rings enables new spatiotemporal opportunities for studying in-situ and operando dynamics, even with single pulses. X-ray multi-projection imaging is a technique that provides volumetric information using single pulses while avoiding the centrifugal forces induced by conventional time-resolved 3D methods like time-resolved tomography, and
Japan’s problem of vacant homes has drawn global media attention, but the situation may not be as dire as once predicted. While a 2015 report estimated a vacancy rate of 20.1 per cent by 2023, the actual figure was 13.8 per cent, thanks in part to policy reforms, awareness campaigns and grassroots efforts. Yet challenges remain amid an ageing population. Japan’s evolving approach offers valuable l
There is an increasing need for new biomarkers to improve prediction of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to identify blood-based epigenetic biomarkers associated with incident CKD and develop a methylation risk score (MRS) predicting CKD in individuals with newly diagnosed T2D. DNA methylation was analyzed epigenome wide in blood from 487 individuals
X-ray ptychography provides the highest resolution non-destructive imaging at synchrotron radiation facilities, and the efficiency of this method is crucial for coping with limited experimental time. Recent advancements in multi-beam ptychography have enabled larger fields of view, but spatial resolution for large 3D samples remains constrained by their thickness, requiring consideration of multip
Oxygen-defective metal oxides like cerium oxides exhibit giant electrostriction and field-induced piezoelectricity due to a dynamic electrosteric interplay between oxygen defects, V O ⋅ ⋅ , and the fluorite lattice. While such mechanisms are generally attributed to oxygen vacancies, recent results also highlight that trapped cationic defects, Ce Ce ′ , i.e. small polarons, can contribute to the el
In clinical practice, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a measurement of kidney functioning, is normally calculated using equations, such as the European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) equation. Despite being the most general equation, EKFC, just like previously proposed approaches, can still struggle to achieve satisfactory performance, limiting its clinical applicability. As a possible so
The trace element selenium is of essential importance for the synthesis of a set of redox active proteins. We investigated three complementary serum selenium status biomarkers in relation to overall survival and recurrence following diagnosis of primary invasive breast cancer in a large prospective cohort study. The Sweden Cancerome Analysis Network – Breast Initiative (SCAN-B) is a prospective po
Single-cell RNAseq is a routinely used method to explore heterogeneity within cell populations. Data from these experiments are often visualized using dimension reduction methods such as UMAP and tSNE, where each cell is projected in two or three dimensional space. Three-dimensional projections can be more informative for larger and complex datasets because they are less prone to merging and flatt
Control of crop pests by shifting host plant availability and natural enemy activity at landscape scales has great potential to enhance the sustainability of agriculture. However, mainstreaming natural pest control requires improved understanding of how its benefits can be realized across a variety of agroecological contexts. Empirical studies suggest significant but highly variable responses of n
Push-pull technology (PPT) is a strategy for controlling agricultural pests, improving soil fertility, diversifying farm output, and reducing gender and age disparities. The benefits of PPT have been demonstrated in East Africa, but efforts to upscale its adoption can face many challenges. Agroecosystems comprise social-ecological networks, with interactions that transcend spatial and temporal sca
The chemical composition of non-refractory submicron aerosol (NR-PM1) was characterized at the Villum Research Station (Villum) at Station Nord in North Greenland during spring-summer 2016 using a Time of Flight Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ToF-ACSM). The composition is dominated by sulfate (48%) and organic species (40%). Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) identified three key factors co
Small for gestational age (SGA) is considered an adverse birth outcome. Per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS) have become increasingly investigated as contributing environmental factors, thus far with inconclusive results. The current study aimed to investigate the hypothesized association between increased maternal PFAS levels in early pregnancy and an increased risk for SGA birth. This popul
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but more mechanistic studies are needed. Cigarette smoke extract (CSE) can elicit a strong response in many COPD-related cell types, but no studies have been performed in lung fibroblasts. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of CSE on gene expression in lung fibroblasts from hea
Compositional heterogeneity is commonly observed in mixed bromide/iodide perovskite photoabsorbers, typically with minimal effects on charge carrier recombination and photovoltaic performance. Consistently, it has so far received very limited attention in bromide/chloride-mixed perovskites, which hold particular significance for blue light-emitting diodes. Here, we uncover that even a minor degree
Developing efficient and robust computational models is essential to improve our understanding of protein solution behavior. This becomes particularly important to tackle the high-concentration regime. In this context, the main challenge is to put forward coarse-grained descriptions able to reduce the level of detail, while retaining key features and relevant information. In this work, we develop
Context: The global demand for food is expected to continue increasing for decades, which may drive both agricultural expansion and intensification. The associated environmental impacts are potentially considerable but will depend on how the agricultural sector develops. Currently, there are contrasting regional developments in agriculture; expansion and/or intensification in some regions and aban
The EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has had limited success in mitigating agriculture's environmental degradation. In this paper we simulate the impacts of the 2013 “greening” reform on biodiversity and ecosystem services in environmentally contrasting landscapes. We do this by integrating an agent-based model of structural change with spatial ecological production functions, and show that t
Ferroelectric thin films present a powerful platform for next-generation computing and memory applications. However, domain morphology and dynamics in buried ferroelectric stacks have remained underexplored, despite their importance for real device performance. Here, nanoprobe X-ray diffraction (nano-XRD) is used to image ferroelectric domains inside BiFeO3-based capacitors, revealing local disord
Bragg coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (BCDI) has emerged as a powerful technique for strain imaging and morphology reconstruction of nanometre-scale crystals. However, BCDI often suffers from angular distortions that appear during data acquisition, caused by radiation pressure, heating or imperfect scanning stages. This limits the applicability of BCDI, in particular for small crystals and high
