This study presents a preliminary evaluation of the physicochemical characteristics of cocoa liquors from Ecuador, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire, and assesses their impact on the color, texture, and rheological properties of milk and dark chocolates. The moisture content, cocoa butter content, and color properties of cocoa liquors from three geographical locations were analyzed. The cocoa butters extracted from cocoa liquors were examined for solid fat content (SFC), fatty acid composition, free fatty acidity, and peroxide value. Milk and dark chocolates were prepared differing only in the origin of the cocoa liquor and tested for color, texture, and rheological properties. Cocoa liquors differed in moisture, fat content, and color depending on their geographical origin (p < 0.05). Stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1), and palmitic (C16:0) acids were the most prevalent fatty acids in all cocoa butters, constituting more than 90% of total fatty acids. SFC of the cocoa butters showed no significant variation. The application of cocoa liquors from different origins resulted in comparable color, texture, or rheological properties in either milk or dark chocolates. However, differences were observed between milk and dark chocolates, with dark chocolates exhibiting lower luminosity and chroma and greater penetration hardness. All samples exhibited a time-dependent decrease in viscosity, indicating that the cocoa liquor source did not markedly affect the flow characteristics of chocolate. PCA and HCA clearly differentiated cocoa liquors according to geographical origin, whereas chocolate samples were primarily grouped by formulation type (milk or dark chocolate). In conclusion, this preliminary study suggests that although geographical origin influences the physicochemical characteristics of cocoa liquors, its effect on the textural and rheological properties of milk and dark chocolates appears to be limited. These findings are based on a single production batch and require confirmation through independent process replicates.
Using (10087±44)×10^{6}  J/ψ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider at the center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=3.097  GeV, we report the first search for η→π^{0}S→π^{0}χχ[over ¯] with S denoting an on-shell dark scalar boson and χ an invisible dark matter particle. No significant signals are observed with S mass ranging from 0 to 400  MeV/c^{2}. The upper limits on the branching fractions and the new physics coupling strengths between S and quarks are set to be (1.8-5.5)×10^{-5} and (1.3-3.2)×10^{-5} at the 90% confidence level, respectively. The constraints on the dark-matter-nucleon scattering cross section is improved by approximately five orders of magnitude over previous dark-matter-nucleon scattering experiments, providing unique insights into sub-GeV dark matter.
The generation of exciton valley coherence typically requires linearly polarized (LP) light as an external coherent drive, whereas circularly polarized (CP) light fails to induce coherence. Here, we develop a unified, microscopically grounded open-quantum-system framework within a five-level model incorporating bright-dark exciton interactions in monolayer WSe_{2}, and demonstrate that the polarization ellipticity of the excitation field provides selective control over distinct exciton species contributing to valley coherence. Specifically, LP and CP excitations generate bright and dark coherence, respectively, with continuous ellipticity tuning enabling controlled transitions between these states. We further reveal dual magnetic advantages for manipulating dark coherence even in the absence of initial coherence: (i) an out-of-plane magnetic field suppresses coherence decay and (ii) an in-plane field enables its optical readout, with quantitatively realistic field strengths. These findings provide a powerful mechanism for accessing hidden dark states via ellipticity-driven coherence transfer, and establish a new pathway for harnessing bright-dark valley-coherence transitions in future quantum control.
Optical microcombs provide phase-correlated wavelength grids for parallel photonic systems. For applications requiring matched or synchronized combs, relative carrier-frequency and repetition-rate drift between independent sources can degrade comb-line alignment. Here, we numerically investigate two-line-seeded cloning of normal-dispersion dark-soliton microcombs. A transmitter dark-soliton comb is first generated using a localized pump-mode resonance perturbation, and its pump and μ = -1 comb lines are then used as a coherent two-line seed to regenerate a receiver dark-soliton comb without a receiver-side avoided-mode-crossing perturbation. Simulations based on the Lugiato-Lefever equations show that free-spectral-range mismatch induces temporal walk-off, spectral asymmetry, and a reduction of the receiver soliton existence range, defined as the detuning interval over which the cloned dark-soliton state is sustained. Independent control of the two seed-line powers enlarges the receiver soliton existence range from approximately 15 MHz to above 1 GHz in the matched case and maintains a near-GHz best accessible soliton existence range over the tested mismatch range, while the high soliton existence range operating area narrows.
This study was conducted to elucidate the fermentation-dependent remodeling of sensory attributes, non-volatile metabolites, flavonoid profiles, and bitterness-related mechanisms in Eucommia ulmoides dark tea processed at different fermentation degrees, including non-fermented tea (NFT), slightly fermented tea (SFT), fungal flowered tea (FFT), and prolonged fermentation tea (PFT). Fermentation was found to markedly reshape the taste profile of Eucommia ulmoides dark tea, with bitterness, sweetness, saltiness, and complexity being progressively reduced, whereas sourness and umami were enhanced, particularly in PFT. A total of 1799 non-volatile metabolites and 102 flavonoid metabolites were identified. Slightly fermented stage favored the accumulation of flavonoids, with the total flavonoid content reaching the highest level in SFT (4703.77 ± 15.75 mg/kg), representing increases of 188.26%, 52.13%, and 137.58% compared with NFT, FFT, and PFT. Molecular docking analysis indicated that catechin, (-)-epicatechin, isoorientin, and hesperidin may interact with the T2R14 receptor with relatively strong predicted binding affinities.
Photomultiplication-type organic photodetectors (PM OPDs), which rely on signal amplification via electron trapping, suffer from a fundamental trade-off: high gain is typically accompanied by a steep increase in dark current under high reverse bias. Here, we overcome this challenge by employing ionic conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE)-based electron blocking layers (EBLs) with an alternating fluorene-co-triphenylamine backbone. CPE-based EBLs in PM OPDs enable robust dark current stability under reverse bias up to -10 V while maintaining external quantum efficiencies (EQE) exceeding 2000%. Charge-dynamics analysis using Fowler-Nordheim plots reveals that a nanometer-thick CPE layer provides electron-blocking performance comparable to that of a ∼20 nm Al2O3 layer. At the same time, we show that the nature of the ionic side chains (cationic vs anionic) in CPEs governs interfacial energy-level alignment, thereby modulating hole selectivity and photocarrier dynamics. The design principles establish a general framework for interfacial and field engineering across a broad range of photodetector platforms-from organic to hybrid systems-guiding the development of next-generation photodetectors.
Metal nanoparticles, such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), are widely used as biosensing materials. In previous studies, dark-field microscopy (DFM) has been utilised to examine target-induced AuNP aggregation for molecular sensing. The intensity of scattering light of each spot observed by DFM was analysed at the single-cluster level for sensitive molecular detection. However, changes in the intensity and colour of AuNP aggregates were not significant when the inter-particle distance was large because of the insufficient effect of the surface plasmon resonance, suggesting difficulty in the sensitive detection of large molecules such as proteins. In this study, we developed a machine learning-based method to distinguish target-induced dimers from monomers by DFM, given large inter-particle distance, using two types of nanoparticles with different spot colours. When the two types of nanoparticles form a dimer (heterodimer), observation of a new spot colour derived from the heterodimer could be expected. As a proof-of-concept study, Protein A-modified silver nanoparticles and BSA-modified gold nanourchins were used to detect anti-BSA antibody; in the presence of the target, heterodimer was formed. The colours of individual spots observed by DFM at the single-cluster level were utilised for machine learning-based classification, and spots derived from heterodimers were identified for molecular detection. Our results demonstrate that the heterodimer formation increased in a target concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, scattered lights from non-specific aggregates and impurities such as dust can be discriminated by this method. This assay is expected to be applicable to the detection of large molecules, such as proteins.
The most famous chemicals produced by mushrooms are the psychedelic compound psilocybin from "magic mushrooms" and amatoxins from deadly poisonous mushrooms. These compounds are known to occur in multiple phylogenetically disjunct fungal lineages but have never been shown to co-occur within a single species. Here we show that the "dark magic mushroom" Galerina indica produces both psilocybin and amatoxins. Mass spectrometry revealed psilocybin and amatoxins in mushroom tissues, and genomic analyses identified corresponding biosynthetic genes. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that G. indica acquired psilocybin biosynthesis via horizontal gene transfer after amatoxin biosynthesis was already established, and that psilocybin biosynthesis was acquired twice independently within Galerina . Intriguingly, acquisition of psilocybin biosynthesis in G. indica may have coincided with reduced amatoxin potency. These findings reveal how horizontal gene transfer can combine powerful bioactive systems in a single species, potentially altering the ecological roles of both compound classes and the evolutionary fitness of the species.
While circadian rhythms are critical regulators of cardiovascular physiopathology, their role in Takotsubo Syndrome (TTS) remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the influence of time-of-day on cardiac hypertrophy and inflammation in a mouse model of TTS induced by isoproterenol (ISO) administration. Female mice were injected with saline (Sal) or ISO at the beginning of the light (ZT0) or dark phase (ZT12). Our data show that mice treated with ISO at ZT12 developed more prominent cardiac hypertrophy and exhibited worse cardiomyocyte calcium handling. This was accompanied by an enhanced accumulation of leukocytes in the hearts of ISO/ZT12 compared with ISO/ZT0 mice. Flow cytometry analysis revealed an exacerbation in the number CD64hi/intLy6Chi/loCCR2+ monocytes/macrophages at ZT12 indicating a time-of-day influence on the inflammatory response following ISO administration. Of note, these differences were not secondary to differences in initial tissue injury as assessed by Evans Blue uptake by necrotic cells. However, cardiac expression of Ccl2/7 was significantly higher in the hearts of ISO/ZT12 in comparison to ISO/ZT0, suggesting the involvement of the CCL2/CCR2 signaling axis in the enhanced recruitment of monocytes. Finally, pharmacological and genetic strategies used to prevent CCR2-dependent recruitment of monocytes ameliorated the cardiac hypertrophy induced by ISO at ZT12, indicating that the CCL2/CCR2 signaling axis is crucial to the temporal dependent effects of ISO. Taken together, our data show a previously unrecognized role of the time-of-day on cardiac inflammation following adrenergic overload.
Non-coding regions of eukaryotic genomes, once considered transcriptionally inert, are increasingly recognized as potential sources of bioactive peptides. Here, we mined the intergenic "genomic dark matter" of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify peptide ligands targeting the angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis. Intergenic sequences were computationally translated in all reading frames and screened for short peptides with sequence and structural similarity to angiotensin-(1-7), a key modulator of the renin-angiotensin system. Two candidates showing 72-86% similarity were identified and structurally modeled. A homology-independent model of the human Mas receptor was generated, followed by molecular docking and 100-ns membrane-embedded molecular dynamics simulations to assess binding modes and complex stability. Both peptides adopted angiotensin-(1-7)-like conformations and engaged conserved receptor residues involved in ligand recognition. Docking and dynamics analyses indicated stable binding and sustained receptor engagement, with one peptide exhibiting enhanced interaction density and conformational stability relative to the native ligand. Overall, our results support the concept that non-coding genomic regions can encode functional peptide ligands and provide a scalable in silico framework for discovering peptide modulators of clinically relevant G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).
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[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1782229.].
Photoreceptor outer segments (OS) shorten and elongate in response to bleaching stimuli: these responses are measurable optically at nanometer scale resolution with OCT and collectively known as the optoretinogram (ORG). The molecular mechanisms underlying the ORG remain unresolved. Here we examine the role of G-protein in cone elongation by measuring ORGs in 2 female bradyopsia subjects caused by mutation in R9AP, the membrane anchor protein of RGS9, necessary for the latter's transport to the OS and for normal deactivation of phototransduction by the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) complex. The ORGs of bradyopsia subjects had normal activation kinetics, amplitude and photosensitivity, but markedly slowed recovery compared to controls (2 males, 1 female). The slowed recovery is attributable to a reduced level of RGS9 in the OS and localizes the molecular basis of the OS elongation in the G-protein cascade sequence at, or prior to, formation of the GAP complex. The recovery of the ORG, measured in a paired-flash paradigm, revealed that the elongation requires a substrate that is depleted and recovers in a bleach level-dependent manner. Recovery from the highest bleach (75%) tracked the time course of cone opsin regeneration, implying that unregenerated cone opsin produces "dark light", known to arise in rods from activation of G-protein by unregenerated rhodopsin. Overall, our results identify holo-trimeric G-protein as an essential and rapidly recyclable substrate for the ORG elongation response, and establish the ORG as a non-invasive, molecularly interpretable optical assay of G-protein signaling and dark adaptation suitable for evaluating diseases and therapies.Significance statement Photoreceptor outer segments shorten and elongate in response to bleaching stimuli: these responses are measurable optically at nanometer scale resolution with OCT and known as the optoretinogram (ORG). The molecular mechanisms underlying the ORG remain unresolved. By comparing control ORGs against subjects with a mutation in the anchor protein of regulator of G-protein signaling RGS9, we identified G-protein as an essential and rapidly recyclable substrate for the ORG elongation response. The recovery from exposures isomerizing 75% opsins tracked the time-course of pigment regeneration, indicating persistent activation of G-protein by unregenerated opsin. By linking ORG dynamics to defined molecular reactions, this work establishes the ORG as a quantitative, noninvasive assay of G-protein signaling and cone dark adaptation suitable for clinical translation.
Sleep fragmentation disrupts physiological homeostasis, including thermoregulation, metabolism, and immune signaling; however, cellular mechanisms that stabilize core body temperature and sleep architecture during disrupted sleep remain poorly understood. Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system and play a central role in integrating neuroimmune signaling with hypothalamic regulation of thermoregulation and sleep-wake control. We tested the hypothesis that microglia are required to maintain both thermoregulatory and sleep stability during physiological sleep and when sleep is disrupted. Male and female C57BL/6J mice (n = 128) were implanted with telemetry devices for continuous core body temperature monitoring and maintained on either a control diet or diet containing the CSF1R-inhibitor PLX5622 (PLX) to pharmacologically deplete microglia. Body temperature and sleep-wake behavior were assessed across a two-week depletion period and during a subsequent 7-day sleep fragmentation paradigm. Hierarchical models were used to quantify the effects of microglial depletion (via diet), sex, and time-of-day (light/dark period). Microglial depletion produced sex- and diet-dependent alterations in both thermoregulation and sleep measures. PLX increased body temperature in females early during the depletion period, after which body temperature normalized and subsequently declined to pre-PLX baseline values. In contrast, PLX minimally influenced outcome metrics in males. During sleep fragmentation, microglial depletion induced time-of-day-specific hypothermia in males and females during the dark and light periods, respectively. Notably, microglial depletion dissociated components of sleep in a sex-dependent manner: Total sleep time increased in females, whereas males exhibited reduced sleep-wake transitions, suggesting increased sleep consolidation and therefore distinct regulation of sleep quantity versus stability. Across experimental conditions, body temperature was a strong nonlinear predictor of sleep, with higher temperatures (>35°C) associated with substantially reduced total sleep time (5-10 min reduction for every 1℃ increase), particularly during the dark (active) period. These findings collectively suggest that microglia contribute to thermoregulatory processes and sleep stability in a sex-dependent manner, supporting a role for microglia in coordinating physiological homeostasis. Together, our results support a neuroimmune framework in which microglia may help coordinate thermoregulation and sleep, as microglial depletion was associated with dysregulation of both processes.
A gradual and complex neurological disease, dementia significantly impairs cognitive abilities. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are the two common factors behind this. In this study, the neuroprotective effects of a hydro-ethanolic extract of Tecomella undulate (TUHEE) were investigated against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced dementia in adult zebrafish. Further, in this study, 60 adult zebrafish (470-530 mg) of approximately 3 months old were taken and divided into five groups (n = 12): Normal control-received normal saline, Negative control-received STZ (300 mg/kg), Positive control-received Donepezil (DPZ) (3 mg/kg), Test group 1-received TUHEE (200 mg/kg), Test group 2-received TUHEE (500 mg/kg). When adult zebrafish were exposed to STZ, their behaviour and biochemical parameters were significantly altered. When compared to the normal group, STZ-treated zebrafish showed a preference for the dark compartment in the light and dark test. Additionally, in the T-maze test, STZ-treated zebrafish spent more time in the unfavourable zone and had higher transfer latency (TL), and in the novel diving test, STZ-treated animals spent less time and made minimal entries to the top zone in the novel diving tank apparatus. Furthermore, TUHEE significantly decreased the cognitive dysfunction in the T-maze apparatus, light and dark test and novel diving test, rather than STZ treated group with a significant reduction in inflammatory, oxidative biomarkers & AChE activity. The in vitro study on SHSY-5Y cells, in which it decreased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), concentration of IL-6, and Nuclear Factor Kappa-B (NF-κB) translocation, further confirmed the potential. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-026-04915-8.
Melatonin (MTN) plays a direct role in fish ovulation, and we hypothesized that aligning ovulation with an endogenous MTN peak levels could improve reproductive performance. To that, in experiment 1, we assessed circadian variation of plasma MTN in pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) females. In experiment 2, pacu females were divided into two groups: one receiving the hypophysation dose at 7 pm (dark onset) and the other at midnight (five hours after dark). Experiment 1 showed that circulating MTN levels increased at 7 pm and remained stable through the dark phase. In experiment 2, no differences in latency or reproductive performance were observed between groups. However, MTN levels at ovulation increased significantly only in the 7 pm group. Strong positive correlations between MTN levels at ovulation and reproductive parameters, such as fertility, hatching rates, and fecundity, were observed. These results confirm that PGF2α and DHP peaks at ovulation are associated with successful ovulation in pacu, consistent with literature that shows that MTN influences ovulation by acting through the Mtnr1a receptor, triggering arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin synthesis. Our findings indicate that the timing of spawning induction influences MTN levels at ovulation, which are positively correlated with reproductive success. This is the first report linking plasma MTN levels at ovulation to successful reproductive performance in fish induced by hypophysation, highlighting the relevance of spawning timing for pacu reproduction.
The mechanisms linking Golgi function to stress adaptation and senescence remain poorly understood. Here, we identify the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) subunit COG7 as a non-redundant determinant of Golgi integrity and stress adaptation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Functional disruption of COG7 reduces Golgi size, enhances Rapid Stress Response Element (RSRE)-dependent stress signaling, and accelerates dark-induced senescence. Complementation analyses reveal functional specialization within the COG complex, as only COG3, COG5, and COG6 partially restore stress signaling and senescence phenotypes. At the molecular level, cog7 exhibits altered glycosylation, increased ubiquitination, and elevated autophagy. However, disruption of glycosylation pathways or dark-induced candidate glycosyltransferases does not affect RSRE activation, proteostasis-associated responses, or senescence progression, indicating that glycosylation changes are downstream consequences rather than drivers of the stress phenotype. Similarly, CAMTA3-dependent RSRE activation is genetically separable from senescence and proteostasis pathways. Together, these findings show that Golgi dysfunction generates multiple parallel outputs rather than a single linear stress pathway and establish COG7 as a central regulator linking Golgi integrity to stress signaling, proteostasis, and senescence during dark-induced stress.
Heilongjiang Province is China's leading soybean-producing region, where the soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) has expanded across an increasing geographic range. Recent surveys reported SCN presence in at least 63 soybean-producing counties; however, eastern production zones remain insufficiently characterized. To evaluate the current distribution, population density, and virulence structure of SCN in the Sanjiang Plain, we collected 186 soil samples from 6 major soybean-producing counties in 2024. Samples represented four dominant soil types: black soil (Phaeozem), meadow soil, dark brown soil (Cambisol), and albic soil. SCN was detected in 93.5% of fields, confirming its widespread establishment. Cyst densities ranged from 2 to 10 cysts per 100 g dry soil, corresponding to 122-579 eggs and juveniles per 100 g soil. Population densities were lower under maize-soybean rotation (204 eggs and juveniles per 100 g soil) than under continuous soybean (252 per 100 g), though the difference was modest. Under continuous soybean cultivation, dark brown soils supported significantly higher densities (420 per 100 g of dry soil) compared with black and meadow soils, suggesting that soil type may strongly modulate SCN abundance within this cropping system. Virulence testing of nine representative populations classified all populations as race 3. Female index values remained below 10% on PI 88788, PI 90763, and Pickett, indicating no detectable shift toward broader virulence in this region. Collectively, these findings indicate that although SCN is widely distributed in the Sanjiang Plain, population pressure and virulence complexity remain moderate relative to western Heilongjiang. The dominance of race 3 suggests that current resistance sources remain effective, providing an opportunity for proactive resistance deployment and integrated management to prevent future virulence evolution in this expanding soybean production region.
Superconducting Nanowire Single-Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) are key building blocks for photonic quantum technologies due to their ability to detect single photons with ultra-high efficiency, low dark counts and fast temporal resolution. Superconducting materials exhibiting high uniformity, large absorption cross-section and atomic-scale thickness are desirable to extend single-photon detection from the near-infrared up to the terahertz regime, where existing material choices are especially constrained. Substrate independence would further open the way to integrating detectors onto functional materials and heterostructures, enhancing performance and enabling proximal readout of a wide range of individual excitations. Here, we pattern the prototypical two-dimensional superconductor niobium diselenide (NbSe2) into few-layer nanowires less than 100 nm wide and demonstrate single-photon detection at 780 nm and 1550 nm. At the same time, the dark-count rate remains below 1 Hz up to the switching current and we achieve a timing jitter below 50 ps. We estimate via a diffusive hot-spot model that materials and geometric parameters would allow a theoretical cut-off wavelength in the millimetre range, assuming state-of-the-art device parameters. Our results open up routes toward quantum-limited detectors integrated into quantum-photonic circuits and quantum devices, with the potential for novel detection capabilities and unprecedented energy sensitivity.
We show that oscillating (real-scalar) boson stars generically host an oscillating radial caustic. Sources near this caustic cross it every half period, thereby producing periodic caustic-crossing lensing. The resulting observables are phase locked to the lens oscillation: image-pair creation or annihilation, changing image morphology, achromatic photometric spikes, and astrometric motion. This signal provides a distinctive target for time-domain astronomy, and its detection would reveal an intrinsically time-dependent compact dark-sector object. Event-number estimates indicate a measurable discovery space with current astrometric and high-cadence photometric surveys, while null searches would constrain the abundance of such objects as dark matter. The predictions rely only on the dynamics of real-scalar condensates and extend naturally to self-interacting real scalars, including axionlike particles, and to ultralight vector bosons.