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Uniaxial random field disorder induces a spontaneous transverse magnetization in the XY model. Adding a rotating driving field, we find a critical point attached to the number of driving cycles needed to complete a limit cycle, the first discovery of this phenomenon in a magnetic system. Near the critical drive, time crystal behavior emerges, in which the period of the limit cycles becomes an integer n  > 1 multiple of the driving period. The period n can be engineered via specific disorder patterns. Because n generically increases with system size, the resulting period multiplication cascade is reminiscent of that occurring in amorphous solids subject to oscillatory shear near the onset of plastic deformation, and of the period bifurcation cascade near the onset of chaos in nonlinear systems, suggesting it is part of a larger class of phenomena in transitions of dynamical systems. Applications include magnets, electron nematics, and quantum gases. In the XY model, the application of a disordered uniaxial magnetic field leads to a long range magnetic order. Here, using a numerical approach, the authors find that at a critical rotating driving field, the number of driving cycles needed to complete a limit cycle diverges.

Collective behaviors in groups emerge from complex webs of direct and indirect interactions among individuals. While pairwise interactions are fundamental to understanding group dynamics, each agent’s historical trajectory confounds causal inference, making it challenging to disentangle direct interactions from those mediated by hidden intermediaries. Here, we address the question: given observational tracking data from only a single pair of agents, can we determine whether their interaction is direct or mediated by an unseen third agent? We propose a framework based on modified transfer entropy analysis across delay times to detect the presence of a hidden intermediary. Our approach reveals a distinct signature: direct interactions exhibit a consistently decreasing modified transfer entropy with increasing delay time, whereas indirect interactions deviate from this trend. This method provides a simple yet versatile tool for uncovering hidden structures in complex systems, with broad implications for networked dynamics in biological, social, and artificial systems.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are frequently overexpressed in broad range of cancer types, where they alter cellular epigenetic programming to promote cell proliferation and survival. However, the mechanism by which HDACs become overexpressed in human cancers remains somewhat of a mystery. In this study, we investigated the expression and functional significance of miR-449a in prostate cancer cells. Using real-time PCR, we found that miR-449a is downregulated in prostate cancer tissues relative to patient-matched control tissue. Introduction of miR-449a into PC-3 prostate cancer cells resulted in cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and a senescent-like phenotype. In silico analysis of 3′-UTR regions identified a number of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation as putative targets of miR-449a. Using a luciferase 3′-UTR reporter system, we established that HDAC-1 (histone deacetylase 1), a gene that is frequently overexpressed in many types of cancer, is a direct target of miR-449a. Further, our data indicate that miR-449a regulates cell growth and viability in part by repressing the expression of HDAC-1 in prostate cancer cells. Our findings provide new insight into the function of miRNA in regulating HDAC expression in normal versus cancerous tissue.

A new mechano-chemical formulation is developed for making flame resistant sisal fibre rope with low chemical loading. Sisal yarn is treated with a different formulation of ammonium sulfamate (AS) (50 g/L and 100 g/L) by following dip-dry approach at room temperature. Limiting oxygen index (LOI) measures the minimum amount of oxygen required in the mixture of nitrogen and oxygen for burning of the sample. Treated sisal showed LOI values of 28–32 and self-extinguishment in vertical flammability test whereas control sisal yarn showed LOI value of 21 and burnt easily within a minute. Forced combustion results revealed that AS treated sisal yarn exhibited 50% lower peak heat release rate (PHRR) than the control sisal yarn. Sisal yarn based rope was prepared by following braiding technique with three single yarns, using different combinations of untreated and treated sisal yarn. Fire retardant sheath yarn is used to cover the untreated sisal yarn present in the core by twisting or braiding. Rope made from sisal yarn has shown LOI value 30–40. Besides, a new method of simultaneous dyeing and flame retardant finishing of sisal rope is also proposed. The physical properties of the ropes were measured and it was found that the extent of strength loss is statistically insignificant at 95% confidence level. The thermal stability of the AS-treated sisal yarn is measured by thermo-gravimetric analysis. Charring behaviour of the control and AS treated sisal fibre was examined using microscopic images and scanning electron microscopy. Besides, in detail mechanism behind flame retardancy is revealed in the context with the help of XRD and FTIR analysis techniques.

Collective migration of cells is a fundamental behavior in biology. For the quantitative understanding of collective cell migration, live-cell imaging techniques have been used using e.g., phase contrast or fluorescence images. Particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) is a common recipe to quantify cell motility with those image data. However, the precise tracking of cells is not always feasible. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is an alternative to PTV, corresponding to Eulerian picture of fluid dynamics, which derives the average velocity vector of an aggregate of cells. However, the accuracy of PIV in capturing the underlying cell motility and what values of the parameters should be chosen is not necessarily well characterized, especially for cells that do not adhere to a viscous flow. Here, we investigate the accuracy of PIV by generating images of simulated cells by the Vicsek model using trajectory data of agents at different noise levels. It was found, using an alignment score, that the direction of the PIV vectors coincides with the direction of nearby agents with appropriate choices of PIV parameters. PIV is found to accurately measure the underlying motion of individual agents for a wide range of noise level, and its condition is addressed.

Pomegranate rind ( Punica granatum ) extracts (PRE), a widely available wastage material, are explored as new multifunctional finishing agent (fire retardant, natural dye, mordanting and antimicrobial agent) on cellulosic textiles. PRE has been applied on the cellulosic cotton fabric at higher temperature (90 °C, 30 min) in different concentrations. 400 g/L PRE extract treated fabric showed 15 times lower burning rate as compared to the control cotton fabric. Thermo-gravimetry of the PRE treated fabric showed earlier dehydration phenomenon and more amount of char mass formation. The resulting fire retardancy of the treated fabric is the combined reaction effect of the acid source (carbamic acid, ammonium salt, hexacontanoic acid, etc.), carbon source (carbonic dihydrazide, nona hexacontanoic acid, 1 hydroxy 2 pentanone, sugar based material) and blowing agent [nitrogen containing bases like guaninidine, asparigine (amino acid of protein), di amino guanidine and ethanamine, piperidine] present in the PRE extracts as observed from the Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy analysis. Antimicrobial efficacy of the PRE extract on cotton substrate has also been demonstrated successfully against both the Gram-positive and the Gram-negative bacteria because of its tannin and positively metal ion as well as amino acid contents. Furthermore, cotton fabric dyed from the PRE medium with anionic acid dye showed dark colour compared to the acid dyed cotton fabric from water medium, characteristics of the mordanting efficacy of the extract. Extract also has been explored as natural dye for the dyeing of the cotton textile substrates because of the presence of natural colouring material (betacyanin, coumarin, etc.) in it as observed from the phytochemical analysis of the extracts. Graphical abstract

Inflation is the leading theory of the first instant of the universe. Inflation, which postulates that the universe underwent a period of rapid expansion an instant after its birth, provides convincing explanation for cosmological observations. Recent advancements in detector technology have opened opportunities to explore primordial gravitational waves generated by the inflation through “B-mode” (divergent-free) polarization pattern embedded in the cosmic microwave background anisotropies. If detected, these signals would provide strong evidence for inflation, point to the correct model for inflation, and open a window to physics at ultra-high energies. LiteBIRD is a satellite mission with a goal of detecting degree-and-larger-angular-scale B-mode polarization. LiteBIRD will observe at the second Lagrange point with a 400 mm diameter telescope and 2622 detectors. It will survey the entire sky with 15 frequency bands from 40 to 400 GHz to measure and subtract foregrounds. The US LiteBIRD team is proposing to deliver sub-Kelvin instruments that include detectors and readout electronics. A lenslet-coupled sinuous antenna array will cover low-frequency bands (40–235 GHz) with four frequency arrangements of trichroic pixels. An orthomode-transducer-coupled corrugated horn array will cover high-frequency bands (280–402 GHz) with three types of single frequency detectors. The detectors will be made with transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers cooled to a 100 milli-Kelvin base temperature by an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The TES bolometers will be read out using digital frequency multiplexing with Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) amplifiers. Up to 78 bolometers will be multiplexed with a single SQUID amplifier. We report on the sub-Kelvin instrument design and ongoing developments for the LiteBIRD mission.

Environmental drug resistance constitutes a serious impediment for therapeutic intervention in multiple myeloma. Tumor-promoting cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), induce nuclear factor-κB (NFκB)- driven expression of pro-survival factors, which confer resistance in myeloma cells to apoptotic insults from TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and other chemotherapeutic drugs. It is thought that RelA:p50 dimer, activated from IκBα-inhibited complex in response to TNF-induced canonical NFκB signal, mediates the pro-survival NFκB function in cancerous cells. Myeloma cells additionally acquire gain-of-function mutations in the non-canonical NFκB module, which induces partial proteolysis of p100 into p52 to promote RelB:p52/NFκB activation from p100-inhibited complex during immune cell differentiation. However, role of non-canonical NFκB signaling in the drug resistance in multiple myeloma remains unclear. Here we report that myeloma-associated non-canonical aberrations reinforce pro-survival TNF signaling in producing a protracted TRAIL-refractory state. These mutations did not act through a typical p52 NFκB complex, but completely degraded p100 to reposition RelB under IκBα control, whose degradation during TNF signaling induced an early RelB:p50 containing NFκB activity. More so, autoregulatory RelB synthesis prolonged this TNF-induced RelB:p50 activity in myeloma cells harboring non-canonical mutations. Intriguingly, TNF-activated RelB:p50 dimer was both necessary and sufficient, and RelA was not required, for NFκB-dependent pro-survival gene expressions and suppression of apoptosis. Indeed, high RelB mRNA expressions in myeloma patients correlated with the augmented level of pro-survival factors and resistance to therapeutic intervention. In sum, we provide evidence that cancer-associated mutations perpetuate TNF-induced pro-survival NFκB activity through autoregulatory RelB control and thereby exacerbate environmental drug resistance in multiple myeloma.

An alkali based method has been optimised and proposed to extract the cellulosic fibres from the corn husks. Physicochemical and morphological properties of the fibres extracted from corn husk have been studied in detail, and compared with the well-explored cellulosic fibre, like cotton and ligno-cellulosic fibre, like jute. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray were used to study the surface and cross-sectional morphology and the elemental analysis of the corn-husk fibres and compared with cotton and jute fibres. The analysis showed that the morphological and the physico-chemical properties of the extracted corn husk fibres are comparable with ligno-cellulosic jute fibre. Also, improvement in thermal stability of corn husk fibre was obtained by application of the agro-waste banana pseudostem sap (BPS). BPS treated corn husk fibre showed the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 32 against the LOI value of 21 for the control corn fibre. In vertical burning test BPS treated corn yarn showed self extinguishing behaviour and 50 mm char length whereas control corn yarn was burnt within 1 min with flame and afterglow. TG analysis of the BPS treated corn yarn showed more than 30% weight retention at 450 °C compared to the 20% weight retention of the control corn yarn at the said temperature. In addition, major mass loss peak in TG curve has been shifted from 350 to 300 °C after BPS treatment (signature of the dehydration effect of the treated corn yarn). The flame retardant treatment process is comparatively simple and cost-effective, as add-on remains only at 8% and the BPS is available in large quantity in many countries. Graphical abstract

A new method of manufacturing flexible composite has been developed by using cellulose-protein fibre blended needle punched non-woven structure and suitable chemical formulation of natural rubber, sulphur dispersion, accelerator, activator, stabilizer, natural filler antioxidant. Scoured proteinous wool fibre was used in different blend proportion with bleached cellulosic ramie fibre (ramie: wool = 80:10 and 80:20) for making non-woven structure having grammage of around 250 g/m2. One side of the developed fibre reinforced flexible composite was spray coated with optimised formulation of pigment and polyurethane in two phases (base coating and top coating), followed by hot-pressing and wax polishing. Physical properties like abrasion resistance, tensile strength, tear strength, puncture resistance, permeability and porosity of the developed product have been examined and compared with a marketed artificial leather and wet blue goat leather having same thickness and weight. The developed leather alternative presented tensile strength values 30% smaller than the natural goat leather, and both presented similar values of tear strength. Extensibility of the developed composites was within 23–27% whereas natural leather showed 70% extensibility. Ramie-wool reinforced rubberised flexible composites have shown 20–25% more thickness recovery as compared to the only ramie based flexible composites in dynamic loading test. Developed composite products were scientifically characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and compared with marketed synthetic leather. Biodegradability and antimicrobial property of the developed product were also examined as per standard test methods. Besides, commercialization prospect of the product with cost analysis also has been represented in the current context.