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Kinematic measurements of the Perseus galaxy cluster reveal two drivers of gas motions: a small-scale driver in the inner core associated with black-hole feedback and a large-scale driver in the outer core powered by mergers.

XRISM observations show the presence of odd-numbered elements chlorine and potassium in Cas A. These findings suggest that stellar activity plays an important role in cosmic chemical evolution, enriching space with elements vital for planets and life.

This focus review describes the utilization of M13 phage, a filamentous virus, for the development of a novel class of materials. Recently, the preparation of ordered structures composed of M13 phages based on liquid crystal formation has generated great interest as a means of utilizing the outstanding properties of phages for the development of novel soft materials. The combination of genetic engineering-based functionalization and liquid crystal formation can be effectively used to develop structurally regular hybrid materials composed of M13 phages and inorganic or organic materials. M13 phages can be used for various functional soft materials.

The XRISM Resolve spectrum of the galactic neutron star X-ray binary, GX 13+1, reveals one of the densest winds ever seen in absorption lines.

X-ray spectroscopic observations of the Centaurus galaxy cluster with the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission satellite show that the hot gas flows along the line of sight relative to the central galaxy.

It is difficult to construct hydrogels with high stiffness at ultralow solid content. Here, low-molecular-weight cellulose was synthesized in the presence of cellulose-binding polysaccharides to construct stiff hydrogels that exhibit Young’s modulus of 386 kPa at a low solid content of 1.34% (w/v).

Existing neural network potentials are generally designed for narrow target materials. Here the authors develop a neural network potential which is able to handle any combination of 45 elements and show its applicability in multiple domains.

Observations of a luminous quasar from the high-resolution spectrometer Resolve aboard XRISM revealed highly inhomogeneous wind structure outflowing from a supermassive black hole, which probably consists of up to a million clumps.

The multicenter phase 2 TRIUMPH trial shows the utility of ctDNA genotyping as a screening platform to select patients with HER2-amplified metastatic colorectal cancer who benefit from dual-HER2 blockade with trastuzumab and pertuzumab

Using more than 100 independent iPSC lines derived from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the authors discovered loci associated with the neuronal production of amyloid β and confirmed their influence using RNA interference.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has widely been used in essential daily items and biomedical materials. The application range of PTFE should be greatly expanded if it can be flexibly functionalized. However, the functionalization method is still limited. In this study, peptides with affinity to PTFE were identified through affinity-based selection from a phage-displayed peptide library. The peptides had potential as a molecular glue to immobilize functional proteins and biomolecular assemblies, i.e., phages, onto PTFE films.

Cellulose oligomers were synthesized via cellodextrin phosphorylase-catalyzed reactions using α-D-glucose 1-phosphate monomers and D-glucose primers. The products prepared at relatively high primer concentrations self-assembled into highly grown nanoribbon network structures. The nanoribbons were composed of cellulose oligomers with degree-of-polymerization (DP) values of 8-9 with certain degrees of DP distribution and displayed the cellulose II allomorph. A formation mechanism for the unique nanostructures was proposed based on analyses of reaction time-dependent differences of the product solutions.

Utilization of chemical modification of M13 phage with oligo(ethylene glycol) to improve its solubility and resistance to organic solvents successfully expands the applicability of M13 phage-based thermally conductive assemblies. The high thermal diffusivity of the assemblies composed of M13 phage modified with longer ethylene glycol chains was maintained when the assemblies were prepared using a mixed solvent of water and tetrahydrofuran. Our results will contribute to construction of novel thermally conductive soft materials composed of biomacromolecular assemblies using organic solvents on substrates with complex surface morphologies and/or hydrophobic surfaces.

Noncovalent functionalization of multi-walled boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) was achieved through water-soluble synthetic polymers wrapping. This led to the excellent disentanglement and dispersion of BNNTs in an aqueous phase. Various spectroscopic techniques revealed that π-π stacking interactions played the key role for the polymer-functionalization of BNNT. To show a prospective application of polymer-functionalized BNNTs in surface engineering fields, the disentangled BNNTs were used as the raw/starting materials for the creation of superhydrophobic surfaces.

The assembly of molecular components into regular structures is a key ambition of nanoscience and nanotechnology. In this study, we constructed regular assemblies composed of filamentous M13 phages and gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Mixed solutions of gold-binding peptide-displaying phages at the termini (A3 phages) and GNPs behaved as viscous solutions, and GNPs in the solutions were self-assembled into regularly assembled structures. Then, hydrogels composed of A3 phages and GNPs were successfully constructed by chemical crosslinking of phages. In the hydrogels, A3 phages showed liquid-crystalline properties, suggesting high orientation of phages.

Cellulose-based hydrogels have attracted much attention due to their potential for a wide variety of applications. Recently, we demonstrated the production of nanoribbon network hydrogels through a crystallization-driven self-assembly of cellulose oligomers synthesized by enzymatic reactions under macromolecular crowding conditions. However, the detailed mechanism underlying hydrogel production remains unclear. This study investigated the effect of solution viscosity on hydrogel production by using a highly branched polymer, Ficoll. We propose that a certain level of solution viscosity is an essential requirement for hydrogel production.

Newly designed β-sheet peptides bearing the calcium ion binding Glu residue were self-assembling into self-supporting hydrogels. The hydrogelation from the viscous sol-state solution can be induced by a slower self-assembly process followed by a rapid injection to Ca²⁺ solution. Peptide gel strings can be easily constructed. Cell culture experiments demonstrated low toxicity and high-adhesive abilities of the peptide hydrogels.

Artificial sheet-like nanocelluloses composed of cellulose oligomers with the cellulose II allomorph were synthesized by phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic reactions, and their hydrolytic activities against ester substrates were characterized. The as-prepared nanocelluloses exhibited relatively low hydrolytic activities. However, distorted and smaller nanocelluloses with larger surface areas, which were prepared by sonication-based mechanical treatment of the as-prepared nanocelluloses, exhibited significantly greater hydrolytic activities.

Simulation-based materials informatics shows that when the detachment energies of the odd-numbered amino acids with –COOCH₃ are high, and when the detachment energies of the even-numbered amino acids with –CH₃ are high, the binding free energy between the peptide and PMMA resin becomes high. From this guideline, W, R, and E are found to be effective as odd-numbered amino acids, and W and R are found to be effective as even-numbered amino acids for strong adhesion to PMMA resin.

Block co-oligomers have gained attention for fine and precise control of self-assembled nanostructures. In this study, we investigated the enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of block co-oligomers composed of cello-oligosaccharide and oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) chains. The propagation of cello-oligosaccharide chains from bifunctional OEG primers with d-glucose or cellobiose ends, namely, glycosyl acceptors was systematically analyzed. It was plausible from systematic characterizations that diblock and triblock co-oligomers were produced by using the respective primers.

The self-assembly of biomolecules is an important strategy for fabricating structurally ordered artificial nanomaterials. In this study, we investigated the cellodextrin phosphorylase-catalyzed synthesis and self-assembled structures of cellulose oligomers in the presence of protein denaturants. The modulation of intermolecular interactions between oligomers by protein denaturants under adequate synthesis conditions resulted in the production of oligomers with greater degrees of polymerization and different crystal structures.