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Persisting even when the rewards of continued effort are fading is essential for achieving long-term goals, skills, and good health, alike. Yet, we often quit when things get hard. Here, we tested whether augmenting the feeling of control through external measures increases persistence under such discouraging circumstances. In two laboratory experiments, we first induced illusory control by manipulating the base-rate of positive outcomes and then tested the effect of this elevation of participants’ perceived control upon their persistence under diminishing returns and in a competition against a stronger opponent. Induced illusory control significantly enhanced people’s persistence in both of these motivationally challenging situations. Our findings demonstrate that motivation is dependent upon perceived, rather than objective, control, and reveal that this can be leveraged to counteract quitting behavior when things get hard, for instance in rehabilitation, physical activity interventions, or other training settings.

The hypothalamus in the central nervous system (CNS) has important functions in controlling systemic metabolism. A calorie-rich diet triggers CNS immune activation, impairing metabolic control and promoting obesity and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), but the mechanisms driving hypothalamic immune activation remain unclear. Here we identify regulatory T cells (Tregs) as key modulators of hypothalamic immune responses. In mice, calorie-rich environments activate hypothalamic CD4 + T cells, infiltrating macrophages and microglia while reducing hypothalamic Tregs. mRNA profiling of hypothalamic CD4 + T cells reveals a Th1-like activation state, with increased Tbx21 , Cxcr3 and Cd226 but decreased Ccr7 and S1pr1 . Importantly, results from Treg loss-of function and gain-of-function experiments show that Tregs limit hypothalamic immune activation and reverse metabolic impairments induced by hyper-caloric feeding. Our findings thus help refine the current model of Treg-centered immune-metabolic crosstalk in the brain and may contribute to the development of precision immune modulation for obesity and diabetes. Hypothalamus participates in systemic metabolic processes, while high calorie intake increases immune activation in the central nervous system. Here the authors show that reduced regulatory T cells in the hypothalamus contribute to elevated immune activation in a high calorie environment, thereby prompting a potential therapy target for metabolic diseases.

The collection of solid waste and the recovery of recyclable material from waste are major challenges Cuba has been facing for many years. In this paper, we briefly sketch the actual waste situation and analyse the causes of the obvious deficiencies of the waste sector. We conducted a small survey in Havana city to assess people's awareness of the garbage problem, their appraisal of the actual situation and their willingness to contribute personally to an improvement of the waste situation. Based on the insights gained from this survey and from our theoretical analysis of the Cuban waste management we develop suggestions for an improvement of the waste situation in Cuba. These suggestions take into account that the financial means available to reform the waste management system in Cuba are severely restricted. Therefore, our suggestions are more focused on organisational and motivational changes than on the introduction of high technology.

To control the final grain structure and the density of structural crystalline defects in silicon (Si) ingots is still a main issue for Si used in photovoltaic solar cells. It concerns both innovative and conventional fabrication processes. Due to the dynamic essence of the phenomena and to the coupling of mechanisms at different scales, the post-mortem study of the solidified ingots gives limited results. In the past years, we developed an original system named GaTSBI for Growth at high Temperature observed by Synchrotron Beam Imaging, to investigate in situ the mechanisms involved during solidification. X-ray radiography and X-ray Bragg diffraction imaging (topography) are combined and implemented together with the running of a high temperature (up to 2073 K) solidification furnace. The experiments are conducted at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Both imaging techniques provide in situ and real time information during growth on the morphology and kinetics of the solid/liquid (S/L) interface, as well as on the deformation of the crystal structure and on the dynamics of structural defects including dislocations. Essential features of twinning, grain nucleation, competition, strain building, and dislocations during Si solidification are characterized and allow a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of its growth.

In this study, the nucleation and growth characteristics of equiaxed dendrites in near-isothermal solidification experiments, performed during two sounding rocket missions, MAPHEUS-6 and 7, are investigated. Two samples of the composition Al–15 wt pct Cu and one sample of the composition Al–46 wt pct Ge were processed in microgravity and several samples on ground. In situ X-radiography was performed to observe the nucleation dynamics and microstructure evolution during solidification of the 200 µm thin, disc-shaped samples. The measured dendritic growth rates and observed concentration distributions in the liquid indicate no difference between microgravity and on-ground horizontal experiments, in line with previous observations. On the contrary, a difference in the nucleation behavior was found. In all microgravity experiments bursts of nucleation were observed, which is different from comparable on-ground solidification experiments, where the nucleation occurs continuously. The combined analyses suggest that small variations of the concentration fields that probably originate from convective flow and buoyancy of the grains in the on-ground experiments, lead to a spatially variable nucleation undercooling distribution and hence to continuous nucleation. In contrast, the absence of convective flow in microgravity results in a more uniform nucleation undercooling distribution. The grains therefore nucleate in bursts at the surface walls, when the necessary nucleation undercooling is reached.

Caffeine, particularly after ingestion, is well known to exert various pharmacological effects. A growing body of evidence implicates the ingestion of caffeine with beneficial effects on several diseases. The easy penetration of caffeine across the skin barrier and into human skin makes caffeine an ideal compound for topical application. Hair loss is known to negatively affect the quality of life and predispose to depression and anxiety. Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in both men and women. To date, only few approved drug-based treatments for AGA exist, and these are inevitably associated with side effects. Therefore, the development of topical treatments based on well-tolerated natural ingredients such as caffeine to alleviate hair loss may provide a much-needed alternative to drug-based approaches.

N,N-dimethylglycine (DMG) is a naturally occurring compound being widely used as an oral supplement to improve growth and physical performance. Thus far, its effects on human skin have not been described in the literature. For the first time, we show that N,N-dimethylglycine sodium salt (DMG-Na) promoted the proliferation of cultured human epidermal HaCaT keratinocytes. Even at high doses, DMG-Na did not compromise the cellular viability of these cells. In a scratch wound-closure assay, DMG-Na augmented the rate of wound closure, demonstrating that it promotes keratinocyte migration. Further, DMG-Na treatment of the cells resulted in the upregulation of the synthesis and release of specific growth factors. Intriguingly, DMG-Na also exerted robust anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, as assessed in three different models of human keratinocytes, mimicking microbial and allergic contact dermatitis as well as psoriasis and UVB irradiation-induced solar dermatitis. These results identify DMG-Na as a highly promising novel active compound to promote epidermal proliferation, regeneration, and repair, and to exert protective functions. Further preclinical and clinical studies are under investigation to prove the seminal impact of topically applied DMG-Na on relevant conditions of the skin and its appendages.

The combination of micro synthetic structures with bacterial flagella motors represents an actual trend for the construction of self-propelled micro-robots. The development of methods for fabrication of these bacteria-based robots is a first crucial step towards the realization of functional miniature and autonomous moving robots. We present a novel scheme based on optical trapping to fabricate living micro-robots. By using holographic optical tweezers that allow three-dimensional manipulation in real time, we are able to arrange the building blocks that constitute the micro-robot in a defined way. We demonstrate exemplarily that our method enables the controlled assembly of living micro-robots consisting of a rod-shaped prokaryotic bacterium and a single elongated zeolite L crystal, which are used as model of the biological and abiotic components, respectively. We present different proof-of-principle approaches for the site-selective attachment of the bacteria on the particle surface. The propulsion of the optically assembled micro-robot demonstrates the potential of the proposed method as a powerful strategy for the fabrication of bio-hybrid micro-robots.

Background Male pattern hair loss is the most common form of hair loss in men, occurring in specific patterns. Contributing factors include hormonal changes, stress, malnutrition, and insufficient blood microcirculation. Objective Topical applied dimethylglycine sodium salt (DMG‐Na) has been identified to increase skin microcirculation by activating endothelial nitric oxide synthase and inducing nitric oxide production. Given the importance of sufficient microcirculation on hair growth, the goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of topically applied DMG‐Na in combination with caffeine against male pattern hair loss. Methods A 24‐week, double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled trial was conducted on 154 men with male pattern hair loss, treated with a DMG‐Na and caffeine‐containing shampoo or the corresponding placebo. The primary efficacy parameter was the change in the number of hairs pulled via hair pull test from baseline to 6 months of daily product application. Clinical efficacy was further evaluated via phototrichogram analysis on a subgroup of 30 subjects. Results The decreased number of hairs pulled during the hair pull test after 6 months of active shampoo application was significantly higher compared to the placebo (−2.8 ± 1.6 vs. 0.6 ± 2.2; p < 0.001), with no reported adverse events. Phototrichogram results showed an increase in the number of hairs, hair density, and percentage of anagen hairs after 6 months of active shampoo usage (p < 0.001). Conclusion The clinical efficacy of this novel DMG‐Na and caffeine‐containing shampoo demonstrates significant potential against male pattern hair loss, offering promising results without any undesirable side effects.