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At least 955 records · Page 53

Combining Force Fields and Neural Networks for an Accurate Representation of Chemically Diverse Molecular Interactions

A key goal of molecular modeling is the accurate reproduction of the true quantum mechanical potential energy of arbitrary molecular ensembles with a tractable classical approximation. The challenges are that analytical expressions found in general purpose force fields struggle to faithfully represent the intermolecular quantum potential energy surface at close distances and in strong interaction regimes; that the more accurate neural network approximations do not capture crucial physics concepts, e.g., nonadditive inductive contributions and application of electric fields; and that the ultra-accurate narrowly targeted models have difficulty generalizing to the entire chemical space. We therefore designed a hybrid wide-coverage intermolecular interaction model consisting of an analytically polarizable force field combined with a short-range neural network correction for the total intermolecular interaction energy. Here, we describe the methodology and apply the model to accurately determine the properties of water, the free energy of solvation of neutral and charged molecules, and the binding free energy of ligands to proteins. The correction is subtyped for distinct chemical species to match the underlying force field, to segment and reduce the amount of quantum training data, and to increase accuracy and computational speed. For the systems considered, the hybrid ab initio parametrized Hamiltonian reproduces the two-body dimer quantum mechanics (QM) energies to within 0.03 kcal/mol and the nonadditive many-molecule contributions to within 2%. Simulations of molecular systems using this interaction model run at speeds of several nanoseconds per day.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Multimodal In Situ Characterization Uncovers Unexpected Stability of a Cobalt Electrocatalyst for Acidic Sustainable Energy Technologies

An accelerated development of durable and affordable sustainable energy technologies is often hindered by a limited understanding of how non-precious materials within these systems degrade. In acidic proton exchange membrane fuel cells and water electrolyzers, metallic cobalt (Co) is considered an unstable component that is often combined with precious metals or other stabilizers. To understand the mechanisms behind Co instability, we employ an experimental platform that quantifies dissolution with on-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and product formation with electrochemical mass spectrometry during electrochemical testing, along with ex- situ characterization. Under varied conditions (electrocatalysis, time, gas-type saturation, and ion concentration), windows of Co stability are observed that are different than predicted with classical chemical thermodynamics, suggesting new stabilization and degradation mechanisms than previously understood. Notably, Co is active for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), with prolonged stability that is ~300 mV different than thermodynamically projected. Additionally, in an oxygenated environment, Co concurrently performs the HER and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) yet undergoes different morphology changes and dissolution mechanisms. Interestingly, in the absence of electrocatalysis, there is a 22x decrease in dissolution in an oxygen-free environment, proposing a route to decrease Co losses during device shutdown protocols. Lastly, under more extreme operating conditions, Co becomes stable after a substantial amount of dissolution, suggesting that high concentrations of Co 2+ ions in the microenvironment induce the formation of a stable CoHO 2 surface. Altogether, these results can be leveraged to improve the design and development of more robust and cost-effective sustainable energy technologies, as well as promote strategic strategies for prolonged material utilization.

Dissolution↗

Competition between Hydrogen and Chalcogen Bonding in Homodimers of Chalcogen Hydrides (H 2 X) 2 , X = O, S, Se, Te

The structural and chemical bonding motifs manifested by the competition between hydrogen and chalcogen bonding in the homodimers of chalcogen hydrides (H 2 X) 2 , where X = O, S, Se, Te have been characterized using high-level electronic structure calculations and analysis of the electron density based on Quasi-atomic orbital (QUAO) and the Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) methods. The QUAO analysis clearly identifies a three-center interaction responsible for either hydrogen or chalcogen bonds: in the former, the σ-bond connecting the donor and hydrogen atom participating in the hydrogen bond interacts with the lone pair on the nucleophile acceptor via the hydrogen atom, while in the latter this same σ-bond interacts with the nucleophile lone pair via the donor chalcogen. The number of minimum energy structures increase dramatically from one for (H 2 O) 2 , three for (H 2 S) 2 , four for (H 2 Se) 2 , and finally six for (H 2 Te) 2 . Furthermore, the emergence of the chalcogen-bonded arrangements appears for (H 2 S) 2 with their subsequent energetic stabilization over the hydrogen-bonded minima manifesting in (H 2 Se) 2 and (H 2 Te) 2 . In particular, one of the (H 2 S) 2 , two of the (H 2 Se) 2 , and three of the (H 2 Te) 2 dimers are chalcogen bonded. Induction plays a small but important role in stabilizing hydrogen over chalcogen-bonded structures, while dispersion is more important for chalcogen bonds.

Chemical structure↗

Enantioselective Hydrodifluoroalkylation of Alkenes with Conformationally Tuned Peptidyl Hydrogen Atom Transfer Catalysts

Here, we report the enantioselective hydrodifluoroalkylation of alkenes proceeding via an asymmetric hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) event catalyzed by thiol-containing tetrapeptides. Photocatalytic generation of a difluoroacetyl radical followed by carbon–carbon bond formation results in a prochiral carbon-centered radical that engages with the chiral catalyst. A trialkylamine reductant is proposed to turn over the catalyst in this net-reductive transformation. Notably, incorporating an (S)-β-methyl-substituted cysteine as the N-terminal residue improved selectivity relative to that of the native N-terminal cysteine (Cys) residue, and X-ray crystallographic analysis supports the conformational underpinning of this effect. A range of enantioenriched γ-substituted amides were synthesized in up to a 96:4 enantiomeric ratio, demonstrating the broad functional group tolerance of this method. Models accounting for asymmetric induction are proposed with supporting DFT calculations.

08 HYDROGEN↗

A Solvatochromic Near Infrared Fluorophore Sensitive to the Full Amyloid Beta Aggregation Pathway

Alzheimer's disease has long been associated with the aggregation of amyloid beta peptides (Aβ42) into macroscale plaques, although specific neurodegenerative agents have not been definitively identified. Much evidence has pointed to the soluble nanoscale oligomers that form early in the Aβ42 aggregation pathway, but there is little understanding of these structures, their mechanisms of formation, or how they grow into plaques. Here, we show that a solvatochromic fluorophore with near-infrared (NIR) emission can track synthetic Aβ42 aggregation through environment-sensitive spectral shifts from the earliest time points through plaque formation. This azide-functionalized phosphine oxide azetidine rhodol (Phazr-N3) shows large polarity-dependent changes in fluorescence emission, with maxima shifting from 630 nm in toluene to 703 nm in aqueous buffer, and a maximum quantum yield of 62%. Upon induction of Aβ42 aggregation, we observe immediate solvatochromic changes in Phazr-N3 fluorescence, with multiple apparent phases over 12 h, and which culminate before the onset of any major fluorescence changes of conformation-specific aggregation fluorophore thioflavin T. Solution anisotropy measurements show a low micromolar affinity of Phazr-N3 for disordered, free Aβ42 in solution, and real-time measurements are consistent with rapid liquid-liquid phase separation and slow dehydration of the growing aggregate. Spectral imaging of synthetic plaques stained in the presence of live cells and lipid-binding protein albumin shows over 4000-fold Phazr-N3 fluorescence intensity above background under no-wash conditions, and over 100-fold intensity above coplated microglial cells or a large excess of albumin. This use of a solvatochromic probe with structure-independent binding to free Aβ42 offers real-time, minimally invasive insight into the full Aβ42 aggregation pathway.

Wang, Zeming↗

Strained-Induced Morphological Reconstruction of RuO 2 (110) Thin-Film Electrocatalysts

Strain is a widely used strategy for electrocatalyst engineering. Overstraining, however, can lead to unintentional materials transformation. We investigate the impact of strain on the surface morphology of a rutile RuO 2 (110) film grown on a symmetry-matching rutile TiO 2 (110) substrate. When the film thickness exceeds 9 nm, the RuO 2 surface relaxes by forming step edges that expose the {011} plane. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation shows that the (011) facet is among the lower energy surfaces of rutile RuO 2 , suggesting that this formation incurs minimal energetic penalties. In situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows that the film maintains the (110) structure of the terrace during electrochemistry. Inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) further reveals the insensitivity of the Ru dissolution to strain. Here, our findings show a strain-relieving pathway via surface reconstruction in RuO 2 (110) and provide an example of a strain-relieving mechanism that does not affect dissolution.

Evolution reactions↗

Attractive Noncovalent Interactions versus Steric Confinement in Asymmetric Supramolecular Catalysis

The remarkable catalytic performance of enzymes stems from their ability to engage in precise noncovalent interactions (NCIs) within a sterically confined space. Supramolecular catalysis seeks to emulate and understand these strategies through the rational design of simple and controlled catalyst microenvironments. While both steric confinement and attractive interactions have been invoked as key to host activity, their relative contribution to rate enhancement and selectivity, as well as potential trade-offs, remains an outstanding question. Here, we address this question by systematically comparing two metal–organic supramolecular catalysts, which differ in the strength of their attractive noncovalent interactions and in their cavity volume. Our findings reveal that the catalyst with the larger cavity, and with stronger available NCIs, exhibits both significant rate acceleration (100-fold) and enhanced enantioselectivity (84% vs 14% ee) in a model ketone reduction compared to its smaller analogue. Mechanistic analysis, binding competition experiments, and computational modeling indicate that these differences predominantly stem from stabilizing noncovalent interactions in the larger catalyst, a result that challenges existing steric-based models of supramolecular stereoinduction. Understanding the governing factors of asymmetric induction and rate acceleration in supramolecular hosts will undoubtedly inform future catalyst design.

Catalysts↗

Why Seeding Works When Nucleation Barriers Vanish

Crystallization is a process governed by the interplay between nucleation and growth. While crystalline seeds are known to reduce nucleation barriers and accelerate crystallization under nucleation-limited conditions, their influence when nucleation is not the limiting step remains poorly understood. This creates a mechanistic puzzle in systems where nucleation barriers are already negligible, yet seeding still accelerates crystallization. Here, the synthesis of zeolites is a quintessential example of growth-limited crystallization in which seeds accelerate the process despite negligible homogeneous nucleation barriers. Using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations─validated across two zeolites and the unrelated case of ice crystallization─we establish that growth-limited crystallization produces many small, misoriented crystallites whose slow coarsening into larger domains controls the emergence of X-ray-detectable crystallinity. Local crystalline order, structural coherence, and X-ray detectability are therefore kinetically decoupled milestones: the first can be reached rapidly while the latter two lag significantly. Seeds resolve this lag by imposing a common orientational registry on nascent crystallites, enabling their coherent coalescence into large seed-bound domains. This early coherence-building step produces a crystallite-size asymmetry that accelerates subsequent coarsening, advancing the onset of X-ray-detectable crystallinity without necessarily increasing the nucleated fraction. We conclude that under growth-limited conditions, the apparent induction period observed in powder X-ray diffraction reflects the time required to build long-range coherence, not the time to form crystalline material. Accordingly, seeds function not primarily by reducing nucleation barriers but by enforcing spatial coherence, thereby shortening the time required to develop long-range order detectable by X-ray diffraction.

Growth-Limited Crystallization↗

Explore Spatio‐Temporal Learning of Large Sample Hydrology Using Graph Neural Networks

Abstract Streamflow forecasting over gauged and ungauged basins play a vital role in water resources planning, especially under the changing climate. Increased availability of large sample hydrology data sets, together with recent advances in deep learning techniques, has presented new opportunities to explore temporal and spatial patterns in hydrological signatures for improving streamflow forecasting. The purpose of this study is to adapt and benchmark several state‐of‐the‐art graph neural network (GNN) architectures, including ChebNet, Graph Convolutional Network (GCN), and GraphWaveNet, for end‐to‐end graph learning. We explicitly represent river basins as nodes in a graph, learn the spatiotemporal nodal dependencies, and then use the learned relations to predict streamflow simultaneously across all nodes in the graph. The efficacy of the developed GNN models is investigated using the Catchment Attributes and MEteorology for Large‐sample Studies (CAMELS) data set under two settings, fixed graph topology (transductive learning), and variable graph topology (inductive learning), with the latter applicable to prediction in ungauged basins (PUB). Results indicate that GNNs are generally robust and computationally efficient, achieving similar or better performance than a baseline model trained using the long short‐term memory (LSTM) network. Further analyses are conducted to interpret the graph learning process at the edge and node levels and to investigate the effect of different model configurations. We conclude that graph learning constitutes a viable machine learning‐based method for aggregating spatiotemporal information from a multitude of sources for streamflow forecasting

Sun, Alexander Y.↗

Coupled Transport, Reactivity, and Mechanics in Fractured Shale Caprocks

Abstract Shales are low‐permeability caprocks that confine fluid, such as CO 2 , nuclear waste, and hydrogen, in storage formations. Stress‐induced fractures in shale caprocks provide pathways for fluid to leak and potentially contaminate fresh water aquifers. Fractured shales are also increasingly considered as resources for CO 2 sequestration, enhanced geothermal, and unconventional energy recovery. Injecting reactive fluids into shales introduces chemical disequilibrium, causing an onset of a series of dissolution, precipitation, and fines mobilization mechanisms. The reactions have rapid kinetics and significant impact on porosity and permeability; consequently, flow and storage properties of caprocks. While previous research has explored the separate effects of these reactions, this study aims to uncover their simultaneous occurrence and collective influence. This study unveils these highly coupled transport and reactivity mechanisms by tracking and visualizing the reaction‐induced alterations in the matrix, microcracks, and fractures of shales over time. We conducted brine injection experiments sequentially at pH 4 and 2 in a naturally fractured Wolfcamp shale sample while simultaneously imaging the dynamic processes using X‐ray computed tomography (CT). CT images are validated by finer resolution images obtained using micro‐CT and scanning electron microscopy. We also tracked the sample permeability and fluid chemistry using brine permeability and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, respectively. Findings show that fluid primarily flowed through fractures, dissolving reactive minerals and mobilizing fines on fracture surfaces. Dissolution of fracture asperities under confining stress resulted in the closing of fractures. Clogging in narrow fracture pathways, caused by fines accumulation, diverted fluid flow into matrix pores.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

A ModEx Framework for Watershed Subsurface Investigation With Limited Geophysical Data Using Machine Learning and Hydrologic Modeling

Abstract Subsurface heterogeneity influences watershed hydrology strongly but remains difficult to characterize at catchment scales with sparse and costly field data. Geophysical surveys such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) provide local spatial subsurface images yet scaling them to watershed scales and converting EMI‐derived resistivity into hydraulic properties remains a challenge. We present a Model–Experiment (ModEx) framework that integrates limited EMI data with machine learning (ML) and hydrologic modeling to improve process representation and guide field investigations. Sparse EMI surveys were scaled to the catchment scale using a Random Forest model, and the resulting resistivity fields were combined with nearby borehole constraints to parameterize a hydrologic model. The EMI‐informed hydrological simulations improved predictions of streamflow sustained by subsurface flow and shallow saturation patterns. By combining EMI data and ML with hydrologic modeling, the ModEx framework guides future subsurface surveys, providing a transferable and efficient strategy for data–model integration across diverse watersheds. Plain Language Summary Mapping the underground network of soil and rock that controls water is essential for predicting floods and droughts, but seeing underground is difficult and expensive. We cannot drill everywhere, so scientists use geophysical tools to scan broad areas. There are two key challenges: these geophysical scans are often sparse across the whole watershed, and the geophysical data is hard to translate into water‐related properties. We used artificial intelligence to solve these problems. We taught a computer to find patterns linking the limited geophysical data to the land surface properties. This allowed it to fill in the gaps and create a complete, useful subsurface map for the entire watershed. This new map improves hydrologic simulations, leading to more accurate predictions of water movement in the watershed. It also helps scientists build better models with less data and generates a priority map showing where to measure next, making future investigations more efficient. Key Points Limited EMI scaled with ML improves catchment‐scale subsurface parameterization for hydrologic models The framework integrates hydrologic modeling with limited geophysical data to support subsurface investigation design ModEx framework offers a transferable data–model integration strategy that quantifies and reduces uncertainty guiding watershed studies

Chen, Hang↗

Early Solar Wind and Dynamo Magnetic Field Topology Predictions for (16) Psyche and Other Asteroids

Abstract Asteroid (16) Psyche is a metal‐rich body that might record an ancient coherent magnetization if some relict crust or mantle is preserved. Herein, we use magnetohydrodynamic simulations to predict (16) Psyche's field topology for several distinct pathways: (i) an early solar wind‐induced magnetization imparted after a larger body was impacted, forming the present‐day asteroid, (ii) a core dynamo magnetization imparted in an asteroid that is either presently largely intact or was a rubble pile, and (iii) magnetization in the turbulent solar nebula disk. For pathway (i) we find the field to be predominantly dipolar and spin axis‐aligned. For pathway (ii) we find the field to be either dipolar and spin axis‐misaligned, or highly multipolar. We also find that (iii) a field produced earlier before the solar nebula cleared, would be highly multipolar. In cases (i) and (ii) we also place constraints on the field strength. Simple detection of a magnetic field without constraining its topology and temporal variability would be insufficient to confirm a remanent source, due to the influence of the present‐day solar wind, electromagnetic induction, and (16) Psyche's high obliquity. For sufficiently strong fields however, the field topology and orientation may reveal key observable consequences of the nature and history of (16) Psyche. Our framework is also broadly applicable to the study of magnetic fields from other asteroids.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Host population diversity as a driver of viral infection cycle in wild populations of green sulfur bacteria with long standing virus-host interactions

Abstract Temperate phages are viruses of bacteria that can establish two types of infection: a lysogenic infection in which the virus replicates with the host cell without producing virions, and a lytic infection where the host cell is eventually destroyed, and new virions are released. While both lytic and lysogenic infections are routinely observed in the environment, the ecological and evolutionary processes regulating these viral dynamics are still not well understood, especially for uncultivated virus-host pairs. Here, we characterized the long-term dynamics of uncultivated viruses infecting green sulfur bacteria (GSB) in a model freshwater lake (Trout Bog Lake, TBL). As no GSB virus has been formally described yet, we first used two complementary approaches to identify new GSB viruses from TBL; one in vitro based on flow cytometry cell sorting, the other in silico based on CRISPR spacer sequences. We then took advantage of existing TBL metagenomes covering the 2005–2018 period to examine the interactions between GSB and their viruses across years and seasons. From our data, GSB populations in TBL were constantly associated with at least 2-8 viruses each, including both lytic and temperate phages. The dominant GSB population in particular was consistently associated with two prophages with a nearly 100% infection rate for >10 years. We illustrate with a theoretical model that such an interaction can be stable given a low, but persistent, level of prophage induction in low-diversity host populations. Overall, our data suggest that lytic and lysogenic viruses can readily co-infect the same host population, and that host strain-level diversity might be an important factor controlling virus-host dynamics including lytic/lysogeny switch.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Mutational signatures in tumours induced by high and low energy radiation in Trp53 deficient mice

Lonising radiation (IR) is a recognised carcinogen responsible for cancer development in patients previously treated using radiotherapy, and in individuals exposed as a result of accidents at nuclear energy plants. However, the mutational signatures induced by distinct types and doses of radiation are unknown. Here, we analyse the genetic architecture of mammary tumours, lymphomas and sarcomas induced by high ( 56 Fe-ions) or low (gamma) energy radiation in mice carrying Trp53 loss of function alleles. In mammary tumours, high-energy radiation is associated with induction of focal structural variants, leading to genomic instability and Met amplification. Gamma-radiation is linked to large-scale structural variants and a point mutation signature associated with oxidative stress. The genomic architecture of carcinomas, sarcomas and lymphomas arising in the same animals are significantly different. Our study illustrates the complex interactions between radiation quality, germline Trp53 deficiency and tissue/cell of origin in shaping the genomic landscape of IR-induced tumours.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

An optogenetic toolkit for light-inducible antibiotic resistance

Abstract Antibiotics are a key control mechanism for synthetic biology and microbiology. Resistance genes are used to select desired cells and regulate bacterial populations, however their use to-date has been largely static. Precise spatiotemporal control of antibiotic resistance could enable a wide variety of applications that require dynamic control of susceptibility and survival. Here, we use light-inducible Cre recombinase to activate expression of drug resistance genes in Escherichia coli . We demonstrate light-activated resistance to four antibiotics: carbenicillin, kanamycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. Cells exposed to blue light survive in the presence of lethal antibiotic concentrations, while those kept in the dark do not. To optimize resistance induction, we vary promoter, ribosome binding site, and enzyme variant strength using chromosome and plasmid-based constructs. We then link inducible resistance to expression of a heterologous fatty acid enzyme to increase production of octanoic acid. These optogenetic resistance tools pave the way for spatiotemporal control of cell survival.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Improved machine learning algorithm for predicting ground state properties

Finding the ground state of a quantum many-body system is a fundamental problem in quantum physics. In this work, we give a classical machine learning (ML) algorithm for predicting ground state properties with an inductive bias encoding geometric locality. The proposed ML model can efficiently predict ground state properties of an n-qubit gapped local Hamiltonian after learning from only $\mathcal{O}$(log(n)) data about other Hamiltonians in the same quantum phase of matter. This improves substantially upon previous results that require $\mathcal{O}$(n c ) data for a large constant c. Furthermore, the training and prediction time of the proposed ML model scale as $\mathcal{O}$(n log n) in the number of qubits n. Numerical experiments on physical systems with up to 45 qubits confirm the favorable scaling in predicting ground state properties using a small training dataset.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Structural studies of the IFNλ4 receptor complex using cryoEM enabled by protein engineering

Abstract IFNλ4 has posed a conundrum in human immunology since its discovery in 2013, with its expression linked to complications with viral clearance. While genetic and cellular studies revealed the detrimental effects of IFNλ4 expression, extensive structural and functional characterization has been limited by the inability to express and purify the protein, complicating explanations of its paradoxical behavior. In this work, we report a method for robust production of IFNλ4. We then use yeast surface display to affinity-mature IL10Rβ and solve the 72 kilodalton structures of IFNλ4 (3.26 Å) and IFNλ3 (3.00 Å) in complex with their receptors IFNλR1 and IL10Rβ using cryogenic electron microscopy. Comparison of the structures highlights differences in receptor engagement and reveals a distinct 12-degree rotation in overall receptor geometry, providing a potential mechanistic explanation for differences in cell signaling, downstream gene induction, and antiviral activities. Further, we perform a structural analysis using molecular modeling and simulation to identify a unique region of IFNλ4 that, when replaced, enables secretion of the protein from cells. These findings provide a structural and functional understanding of the IFNλ4 protein and enable future comprehensive studies towards correcting IFNλ4 dysfunction in large populations of affected patients.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Small subunits can determine enzyme kinetics of tobacco Rubisco expressed in Escherichia coli

Rubisco catalyses the first step in carbon fixation and is a strategic target to improve photosynthetic efficiency. In plants, Rubisco is composed of eight large and eight small subunits and its biogenesis requires multiple chaperones. We optimised a system to produce tobacco Rubisco in Escherichia coli by co-expressing chaperones in auto-induction medium. We successfully assembled tobacco Rubisco in E. coli with each small subunit that is normally encoded by the nuclear genome. Even though each enzyme carries only a single type of small subunit in E. coli, the enzymes exhibit carboxylation kinetics very similar to that of the native Rubisco. Tobacco Rubisco assembled with a recently discovered trichome small subunit has a higher catalytic rate and a lower CO 2 affinity than those assembled with other small subunits. Finally, our E. coli expression system will allow probing of features of both subunits of Rubisco that affect its kinetic properties.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗