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The surface of Mercury is highly space weathered, and the products of space weathering are different than on the Moon. Here we simulate the interaction of solar wind ions with the surface of Mercury by implanting low-iron-bearing (∼3 wt% Fe) olivine slices with 4 keV He+ ions both under ambient conditions and at 450 °C during the irradiation. The sample irradiated under ambient conditions shows a ∼140 nm thick partially amorphous layer on top of the grain with high concentrations of bubbles and cavities. However, the sample irradiated at 450 °C has a 110–140 nm thick polycrystalline layer with 1–5 nm sized nanoparticles of metallic iron and no bubbles or cavities. Mg atoms are preferentially sputtered from the ion-damaged layer present on the sample irradiated under ambient conditions, but no difference in composition is seen between the crystalline olivine and the ion-damaged layer in the sample irradiated at 450 °C. In addition, a thin amorphous film deposited on a micro-electromechanical systems–based chip is heated up to 1200 °C in situ inside a transmission electron microscope for a few milliseconds, and it produced nanoparticles of size 5–30 nm. Our results show that solar wind irradiation of low-iron-bearing olivine in the equatorial regions of Mercury will produce nanoparticles of iron whose sizes will be larger than that on the surface of the Moon and that the size will further increase during impacts of dust particles. Solar-wind-implanted He can diffuse out of regolith grains and can be a source of He observed in the exosphere of Mercury.
Low pressure capacitively coupled radiofrequency plasmas operated in a mixture of aniline vapor and argon are used for the deposition of thin films on silicon substrates. The influence of the aniline vapor fraction in the gas mixture upon the plasma properties and the characteristics of the deposited thin film is analyzed. Plasmas diagnostics are carried out using mass spectrometry and optical emission spectroscopy and the thin films are characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and near-edge X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy. Experiments highlight that the use of a low aniline/argon ratio leads to the deposition of an amorphous film whereas high-aniline/argon ratios allow the synthesis of a plasma polymer similar to polyaniline. The properties of such plasmas and the mechanisms involved in the deposition process are discussed in detail.
The design of novel and abundant catalytic materials for electrolysis is crucial for reaching carbon neutrality of the global energy system. A deliberate approach to catalyst design requires both theoretical and experimental knowledge not only of the target reactions but also of the supplementary mechanisms affecting the catalytic activity. In this study, we focus on the interplay of hydrogen mobility and reactivity in the hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst MoS2. We have studied the diffusion of atomic hydrogen and water by means of neutron and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies combined with classical molecular dynamics simulations. The observed interaction of water with single-crystal MoS2 shows the possibility of intercalation within volume defects, where it can access edge sites of the material. Our surface studies also demonstrate that atomic hydrogen can be inserted into MoS2, where it then occupies various adsorption sites, possibly favoring defect vicinities. The motion of H atoms parallel to the layers of MoS2 is fast with D ≈ 1 × 10−9 m2/s at room temperature and exhibits Brownian diffusion behavior with little dependence on temperature, i.e., with a very low diffusion activation barrier.
Rare vascular diseases such as hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) represent a big challenge in biomedicine: complex pathomechanisms, limited patient material, and fragmented research communities slow down therapeutic progress. We argue that two elements are pivotal to bypass this problem. First, genuine partnership with patients—ranging from biospecimen donation to agenda setting—can unlock critical resources and align research with real-world needs. Second, molecular intersections between HHT and related pathologies call for coordinated, cross-disease programmes rather than isolated efforts. Recent multi-stakeholder gatherings hosted by patient organisations in Germany and elsewhere, such as the Second Scientific Symposium by the German HHT self-help group (Morbus Osler Selbsthilfe e.V.) in May 2025, have shown that when clinicians, basic scientists from different disciplines, and affected families co-design research questions, novel in vitro models can be generated more accurately, and pragmatic clinical trials emerge. Here, we outline actual opportunities for patient-integrated cellular model systems, shared biobanking, and comparative approaches across vascular malformation syndromes. In our opinion, letting informed and well-organised patient communities assemble such meetings opens unique opportunities twofold: on the one hand, the field can finally break out of its disease-specific silos; on the other hand, the development of novel HHT therapies could be accelerated by learning from progress in related pathologies.
In vertebrates and plants, dsRNA plays crucial roles as PAMP and as a mediator of RNAi. How higher fungi respond to dsRNA is not known. We demonstrate that Magnaporthe oryzae (Mo), a globally significant crop pathogen, internalizes dsRNA across a broad size range of 21 to about 3000 bp. Incubation of fungal conidia with 10 ng/μL dsRNA, regardless of size or sequence, induced aberrant germ tube elongation, revealing a strong sequence-unspecific effect of dsRNA in this fungus. Accordingly, the synthetic dsRNA analogue poly(I:C) and dsRNA of various sizes and sequences elicited canonical fungal stress pathways, including nuclear accumulation of the stress marker mitogen-activated protein kinase Hog1p and production of ROS. Leaf application of dsRNA to the cereal model species Brachypodium distachyon suppressed the progression of leaf blast disease. Notably, the sequence-unspecific effect of dsRNA depends on higher doses, while pure sequence-specific effects were observed at low concentrations of dsRNA ( < 0.03 ng/μL). The protective effects of dsRNA were further enhanced by maintaining a gap of at least seven days between dsRNA application and inoculation, and by stabilising the dsRNA in alginate-chitosan nanoparticles. Overall, our study opens up additional possibilities for the development and use of dsRNA pesticides in agriculture.
In this study, a novel approach was developed to increase the intracellular trehalose concentration in M. brunneum blastospores by uptake from the medium, improving their desiccation tolerance. Briefly, placing the blastospores in a hypotonic environment induced solute excretion, allowing significantly increased trehalose uptake during subsequent trehalose treatment. Conductivity changes and GC–MS analysis revealed that glycerol and lactate excretion is triggered in a hypotonic NaCl solution. After hypotonic + trehalose treatment, intracellular glycerol, lactate, and glucose levels increased, while other desiccation‑protective solutes remained unaffected. A fluorescence‑based single‑cell analysis of membrane stress and death during osmotic desiccation and rehydration showed that membrane stress and cell death were strongly amplified upon rehydration. Trehalose treatment reduced this amplification, while hypotonic + trehalose treatment minimised cell death and prevented a stress response during rehydration, though it increased membrane stress during desiccation. Newly formed germ tubes were identified as critical points of membrane failure during desiccation. Ultimately, the drying survival of blastospores was significantly improved by the hypotonic + trehalose treatment compared to untreated or trehalose‑only‑treated blastospores. In summary, this technique successfully enhanced blastospore desiccation tolerance and could be adapted to load cells with other solutes.
We developed a formulation of long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) using interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) composed of the biopolymers chitosan and alginate, in order to protect the dsRNA from biotic and abiotic factors. Our primary objectives were to enhance stability of dsRNA against environmental nucleases and, secondarily, to mitigate the negative charge of the dsRNA, which may promote foliar uptake. Our approach relies on submicron particles with adjustable surface charge being either positive or negative. Following this approach, we obtained a high encapsulation efficiency of 94 %. Subsequently, we investigated the influence of the charge ratio and total polymer content on the size, size distribution and ζ-potential of the IPECs. We discovered that formulating at low polymer concentrations ≤0.05 g/L with charge ratios of ≤0.9 (+/ ) and ≥ 1.25 (+/ ), respectively, produced <100 nm particles. Furthermore, the IPEC formulation protected dsRNA from enzymatic degradation by RNase III and micrococcal nuclease. In addition, we observed outstanding protection of formulated dsRNA from heat degradation. Experiments on Nicotiana benthamiana plants showed that formulated dsRNA offered protection against tobacco mosaic virus. In essence, this formulation demonstrates versatility for the production of IPECs with customizable size, surface charge, and nucleic acid content.
From 2035 onwards, the European Union will no longer register any new vehicles that are not powered in a climate-neutral way. In alignment with this policy, Germany aims to perceived carbon neutrality by 2045, with the electrification of transport playing a central role. Corporate fleets are particularly well-suited for electrification due to their relatively short ownership cycles and frequent vehicle renewals. However, the pace of adoption in organizations remains slow. The success of such technological transitions depends largely on acceptance at the decision-making level. This study investigates the determinants of organizational decision-makers’ behavioral intention to electrify their corporate fleets prior to implementation. To this end, the newly developed Acceptance Model for Electrification (eAM) integrates the two-stage innovation decision-making process within companies. The model accounts for 60% of the variance in behavioral intention. Drawing on the findings, this paper proposes practical recommendations for policy development.
Rivers face constant anthropogenic stress, resulting in significant changes in microbial community composition. What remains unclear is whether stream microbiomes exhibit distinct resilience patterns in composition and/or activity upon exposure to different stressors. By subjecting 64 river-connected mesocosms to multiple stressors, we show that sediment microbiomes of small lowland rivers are highly sensitive to low flow velocity. This stress results in altered community compositions incapable of mitigating the applied stressor within a two-week timeframe despite functional stability (inferred via metagenomics). Transcriptomics revealed a systematic heat shock response in the community and a highly active, metabolically versatile, uncharacterized anaerobic keystone species. Increases in temperature (+ 3.5°C) or salinity (+ 0.5 mS/cm) elicited minor responses at community and transcriptomic levels (e.g., upregulation of photosystems). Following a two-week recovery, transcriptomic-inferred stress responses vanished completely, underscoring the river microbiome resilience. Given the complex community responses observed at the activity and compositional levels, we conclude that maintaining natural river flow is vital to preventing energy loss and reduced microbiome activity in river sediments.
The discharge of treated wastewater (TWW) into freshwater ecosystems poses a significant impact on microbial communities, particularly protists, which play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and ecosystem stability. While the ecological effects of TWW on microbial diversity have been studied, understanding the functional responses of protist communities remains limited. This study employs metatranscriptomics to unravel the temporal dynamics of protist community functions in response to TWW exposure. Using mesocosm experiment, water samples were analyzed over a ten-day period to monitor shifts in metabolic pathways and community interactions. Our results indicate that processed metatranscriptomic data, focusing on treatment-significant pathways, is more sensitive than traditional methods, such as meta-barcoding, and non-target screening, in detecting wastewater-induced perturbations. Early exposure to TWW significantly altered expression of pathways associated with signal transduction and environmental interaction, while general metabolic pathways showed resilience. Over time, the protist community showed signs of adaptation with expression levels stabilizing towards the end of the experiment. This study underscores the importance of focussing on functional shifts rather than just taxonomic changes for assessing wastewater impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Our findings advocate for the use of metatranscriptomics as a robust indicator for TWW detection, aiding in development of targeted environmental management strategies.

