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Charge stripe order has been predicted to be the ground state for the parent compounds of copper oxide superconductors. Using resonant X-ray diffraction, Schüßler-Lagenheineet al. probe the surface region of 12 percent doped La2−xSrxCuO4, and observe charge-stripe order.
Multi-partite entanglement is essential not only to understand large quantum ensembles but also to build useful quantum technologies. Armstronget al. demonstrate multimode entanglement of up to eight modes using programmable virtual networks based on linear optics that can be switched in real time.
The optical transitions that occur in rare-earth-doped crystals offer promise for quantum information storage and processing. Kolesovet al.report the optical detection of a single praseodymium ion residing in a crystal host by using an excited-state absorption process to enhance its fluorescence yield.
Supramolecular interactions allow some small molecules to self-assemble into nanofibres and hydrogels in aqueous environments. Gaoet al.report a hydrogelator that forms fluorescent nanofibres within cells, leading to the visualization of their self-assembly at the endoplasmic reticulum.
Small- and intermediate-conductance K+channels are activated by calcium-bound calmodulin and modulated by small molecules. In this study, a functional binding pocket for the 1-EBIO class of modulators is described and is located at the calmodulin-channel interface.
The torque contributions exerted by spin-polarized currents on magnetic structures are not fully understood due to the difficulty in discerning their relative weight. Pollardet al. propose a novel method to directly determine the value of the competing spin transfer torques by in-situLorentz microscopy.
Membrane-based technologies to separate oil–water mixtures are energy-intensive, suffer from fouling or cannot separate a wide range of mixtures. Now, a new membrane is reported that is superhydrophilic and superoleophobic, and can separate a range of oil–water mixtures with high efficiency, without an external energy source.
Calcium-sensing fluorescent proteins such as TN-XXL are valuable tools for studying cellular function but, when expressed in mice, may affect animal physiology and behaviour. The authors of this paper create transgenic mice expressing TN-XXL and show that long-term expression of TN-XXL is tolerated well.
Vesicle trafficking in the cell is likely to involve a tug-of-war between motor proteins of opposing directionality. Guet al. use high-speed single-particle tracking in neurons to uncover rotation of paused cargo vesicles, providing insight into the changing forces as the vesicles change direction.
The spectral position of Raman peaks is a useful diagnostic for determining the degree of strain and excess electronic charges present in graphene. This study demonstrates that these two contributions can be separated from each other and therefore be obtained at the same time.
Fibre-based technologies provide miniaturization, flexibility and the capability to access hard to reach areas. Čižmár and Dholakia exploit disorder in multimode fibres to enable a variety of imaging modalities, including bright- and dark-field microscopy and fluorescent imaging, using a single waveguide.
Reverse rotation of the F1-ATPase results in the synthesis, rather than hydrolysis of ATP. Adachiet al. show that the molecular mechanism of ATP synthesis is the reverse of hydrolysis-driven rotation of the motor, and that ADP and ATP are discriminated by angle-dependent binding.
Semi-automated imaging systems help with the task of classifying large numbers of biological images. This study presents a novel framework—CARTA—with an active learning algorithm combined with a genetic algorithm, whose applications include the classification of magnetic resonance imaging of cancer cells.
Mother's milk contains a number of protective factors, such as the anti-inflammatory enzyme PAFAH. Here, Duet al. show that the VLDL receptor protects nursing newborns from systemic inflammation by maintaining secretion of PAFAH from maternal macrophages into mother's milk.
Speech is encoded by the firing patterns of speech-controlling neurons in different regions of the brain, which Tankus and colleagues analyse in this study. They find highly specific encoding of vowels in medial–frontal neurons and nonspecific tuning in superior temporal gyrus neurons.
Signal modulation is a mechanism which embeds an information-carrying signal into a carrier wave to broadcast information and is essential for high-speed communication. Zhonget al. report a flexible, transparent all-graphene modulator circuit performing quaternary modulation schemes with only two transistors.
Molybdenum disulphide offers some tantalizing advantages over graphene as a material with which to fabricate field-effect transistors. Kimet al. present a comprehensive study of field-effect transistors made from multilayer samples of MoS2and find that they can achieve high carrier mobilities.
The mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) mediates both mitochondrial transcription and DNA compaction, but how it achieves these two functions is unknown. In this study, TFAM is shown to slide along DNA and cause local melting, suggesting a mechanism for how TFAM modulates both transcription and compaction.
Pupylation is a bacterial posttranslational modification pathway with functional analogies to ubiquitination. Here, Özceliket al.report the structures of the Pup Ligase, PafA and the Depupylase, Dop. Mutational analysis revealed residues required for catalysis and for the interaction with Pup.
The amyloid beta peptide can aggregate into insoluble plaques, which may indicate the onset of Alzheimer's disease. In a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, Cao and colleagues report a phenotype of altered connectivity in the olfactory neuronal circuit that precedes amyloid plaque deposition.