Liposome-based systems serve as essential membrane-bound compartments in synthetic cells however, their long-term stability is often limited by membrane leakage. This project aims to determine whether the disaccharide sugar trehalose can reduce liposome permeability and improve membrane stability under temperature-induced stress including multiple freeze-thaw cycles. To test this, liposomes containing calcium chloride will be formed and transferred to an exogenous buffer containing the calcium-sensitive fluorescent indicator Indo-1 pentapotassium salt (IPPS).

Heavy metal contamination in water resources poses a significant threat to public health, especially in regions where water scarcity limits access to proper purification methods. In regions where reliable water treatment infrastructure is limited, finding accessible and sustainable water purification solutions is vital to mitigating significant health risks. This study investigated the adsorption of iron from aqueous solution using peat as a biosorbent.

mRNA therapeutics enable direct cytoplasmic protein expression without genomic integration, which makes them safer than DNA-based methods. But mRNA is unstable, therefore it needs delivery vehicles. Although viral vectors and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are highly efficient, concerns about immunogenicity and cost have driven interest in alternatives. Polymeric micelles, formed from amphiphilic block copolymers, offer tunable design and scalable production.

Cells within a tissue orient themselves along body axes during development. When cells cannot orient properly, this can cause neural tube defects such as incomplete closure, which impacts animal viability. Cell polarity is determined by the asymmetric distribution of polarity proteins, giving cells their orientation. When cells polarize across a planar field, this is called Planar Cell Polarity (PCP). One of the core PCP proteins, Celsr1, creates complexes at cell junctions with the other core PCP proteins. These are Fzd6 and Vangl2.

We previously reported that tDCS combined with cognitive training may increase functional connectivity between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) and the negative emotionality network, reducing relapse risk in substance use disorder (SUD) (Camchong et al., 2023). The present study further investigated potential mechanisms underlying this intervention, with a focus on cognitive flexibility, a core executive function involved in adaptive decision-making, behavioral control, and resistance to habitual substance-use patterns.

Current AI research assistants can observe what a researcher is doing in the moment, but lack understanding of the intention and context behind each action, making their suggestions shallow and often unhelpful. To build cognitively-aligned AI research assistants, we need to capture the full research workflow and understand the intention behind each activity and how each activity influences the ones that follow.

Since the creation of automation, income disparities have grown rapidly, disproportionately affecting middle-skill working Americans. This analysis investigates the extent to which automation has widened the income gap within the manufacturing sector. In particular, we focus on how wage polarization varies across skill levels, firm size, and a variety of labor markets within the United States. Using a comparative regression analysis in addition to an examination of peer-reviewed literature, the relationship between automation and earning disparity is investigated.

Stress is a prevalent experience among college students and is found to be a factor influencing sleep, academic performance, and physical and mental health (Pascoe et al., 2020). While prior research has identified various stressors affecting students, less is known about the coping strategies they use to navigate their struggles (Labrague et al., 2017). Coping styles have also been identified as a predictor of stress among university students, as negative coping strategies correlate with higher stress levels (Alkhawaldeh et al., 2023).

Sugar transport proteins (STPs) are members of the major facilitator superfamily; STPs are transmembrane proteins embedded in the plasma membrane that symport hexose sugars and are proton (H+) coupled. This experiment sought to investigate the structural basis for increased substrate affinity at depolarized potentials in Arabidopsis thaliana’s STP13 and other homologs, as opposed to increased substrate affinity at hyperpolarized potentials in AtSTP1.