Kiwa is a membrane-embedded defense supercomplex activated at phage attachment sites

Bacteria and archaea deploy diverse antiviral defense systems, many of which remain mechanistically uncharacterized. Here, we characterize Kiwa, a widespread two-component system composed of the transmembrane sensor KwaA and the DNA-binding effector KwaB. Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) analysis reveals that KwaA and KwaB assemble into a large, membrane-associated supercomplex. Upon phage binding, KwaA senses infection at the membrane, leading to KwaB binding of ejected phage DNA and inhibition of replication and late transcription, without inducing host cell death. Although KwaB can bind DNA independently, its antiviral activity requires association with KwaA, suggesting spatial or conformational regulation. We show that the phage-encoded DNA-mimic protein Gam directly binds and inhibits KwaB but that co-expression with the Gam-targeted RecBCD system restores protection by Kiwa. Our findings support a model in which Kiwa coordinates membrane-associated detection of phage infection with downstream DNA binding by its effector, forming a spatially coordinated antiviral mechanism

Monitoring robustness and individual fairness

In automated decision-making, it is desirable that outputs of decision-makers be robust to slight perturbations in their inputs, a property that may be called input-output robustness. Input-output robustness appears in various different forms in the literature, such as robustness of AI models to adversarial or semantic perturbations and individual fairness of AI models that make decisions about humans. We propose runtime monitoring of input-output robustness of deployed, black-box AI models, where the goal is to design monitors that would observe one long execution sequence of the model, and would raise an alarm whenever it is detected that two similar inputs from the past led to dissimilar outputs. This way, monitoring will complement existing offline ''robustification'' approaches to increase the trustworthiness of AI decision-makers. We show that the monitoring problem can be cast as the fixed-radius nearest neighbor (FRNN) search problem, which, despite being well-studied, lacks suitable online solutions. We present our tool Clemont, which offers a number of lightweight monitors, some of which use upgraded online variants of existing FRNN algorithms, and one uses a novel algorithm based on binary decision diagrams--a data-structure commonly used in software and hardware verification. We have also developed an efficient parallelization technique that can substantially cut down the computation time of monitors for which the distance between input-output pairs is measured using the L∞norm. Using standard benchmarks from the literature of adversarial and semantic robustness and individual fairness, we perform a comparative study of different monitors in Clemont, and demonstrate their effectiveness in correctly detecting robustness violations at runtime

On a question of Davenport and diagonal cubic forms over Fq(t)

Given a non-singular diagonal cubic hypersurface X⊂Pn−1 over Fq(t) with char(Fq)≠3, we show that the number of rational points of height at most |P| is O(|P|3+ε) for n=6 and O(|P|2+ε) for n=4. In fact, if n=4 and char(Fq)>3 we prove that the number of rational points away from any rational line contained in X is bounded by O(|P|3/2+ε). From the result in 6 variables we deduce weak approximation for diagonal cubic hypersurfaces for n≥7 over Fq(t) when char(Fq)>3 and handle Waring's problem for cubes in 7 variables over Fq(t) when char(Fq)≠3. Our results answer a question of Davenport regarding the number of solutions of bounded height to x31+x32+x33=x34+x35+x36 with xi∈Fq[t]

Aharonov–Casher theorems for Dirac operators on manifolds with boundary and APS boundary condition

The Aharonov–Casher theorem is a result on the number of the so-called zero modes of a system described by the magnetic Pauli operator in R2. In this paper we address the same question for the Dirac operator on a flat two-dimensional manifold with boundary and Atiyah–Patodi–Singer boundary condition. More concretely we are interested in the plane and a disc with a finite number of circular holes cut out. We consider a smooth compactly supported magnetic field on the manifold and an arbitrary magnetic field inside the holes

Quantum rotor in a two-dimensional mesoscopic Bose gas

We investigate a molecular quantum rotor in a two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate. The focus is on studying the angulon quasiparticle concept in the crossover from few- to many-body physics. To this end, we formulate the problem in real space and solve it with a mean-field approach in the frame co-rotating with the impurity. We show that the system starts to feature angulon characteristics when the size of the bosonic cloud is large enough to screen the rotor. More importantly, we demonstrate the departure from the angulon picture for large system sizes or large angular momenta where the properties of the system are determined by collective excitations of the Bose gas

Long-lived cellular molecules in the brain

In long-lived mammals, including humans, brain cell homeostasis is critical for maintaining brain function throughout life. Most neurons are generated during development and must maintain their cellular identity and plasticity to preserve brain function. Although extensive studies indicate the importance of recycling and regenerating cellular molecules to maintain cellular homeostasis, recent evidence has shown that some proteins and RNAs do not turn over for months and even years. We propose that these long-lived cellular molecules may be the basis for maintaining brain function in the long term, but also a potential convergent target of brain aging. We highlight key discoveries and challenges, and propose potential directions to unravel the mystery of brain cell longevity

Unlocking plant regeneration: The role for glutathione

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Lee et al. identify a pivotal role for glutathione (GSH) in plant regeneration, a vital biological process enabling plants to regrow tissues and organs after injury. Applying single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and live imaging, the authors demonstrate that GSH, released upon tissue damage, accelerates cell-cycle transitions, particularly shortening the G1 phase, thereby facilitating efficient organ regeneration

Operator-valued twisted Araki–Woods algebras

We introduce operator-valued twisted Araki–Woods algebras. These are operator-valued versions of a class of second quantization algebras that includes q-Gaussian and q-Araki–Woods algebras and also generalize Shlyakhtenko’s von Neumann algebras generated by operator-valued semicircular variables. We develop a disintegration theory that reduces the isomorphism type of operator-valued twisted Araki–Woods algebras over type I factors to the scalar-valued case. Moreover, these algebras come with a natural weight, and we characterize its modular theory. We also give sufficient criteria that guarantee the factoriality of these algebras

Prussian blue analogues as anode materials for battery applications: Complexities and horizons

Prussian blue (PB) and Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) are a class of porous materials composed of transition metal cations, cyanide ligands, and alkali metal cations. Their ability to intercalate and deintercalate ions within their framework pores, coupled with the adaptability of their crystal structure to electrochemical changes, underpins their success in battery applications. PBAs with Fe or Co as the active site exhibit high redox potentials (vs SHE) and have been extensively explored as cathode materials, with well-documented chemistry, crystal structures, and electrochemical properties. In contrast, PBAs with Cr or Mn as the active site display lower redox potentials and remain significantly underexplored as anode materials. This gap has led to fewer reported compounds and a less comprehensive understanding of their structural and electrochemical behavior, leaving the field relatively opaque. In this perspective, we comprehensively analyze the challenges involved in producing and employing PBAs with low redox potentials as active battery materials. Conversely, we propose numerous horizons and ask fundamental questions that should pave the way for future research to advance the field

ISTA Thesis

Cooperation, that is, one person paying a cost for another's benefit, is a fundamental principle without which no form of society could exist. The extent to which humans cooperate with each other is also an essential feature that differentiates them from other animals. Cooperation occurs even in the absence of altruistic motivations, when it is selfishly incentivised by the expectation of a future reward. For example, many economic interactions are well described that way. This kind of cooperation requires that people exhibit reciprocal behaviour that acts as a mechanism that rewards cooperation. With game-theoretic models, it is possible to formally study potential such mechanisms and under what conditions they can exist. This thesis contributes to this effort by analysing recently introduced models of cooperation that advance on previous work by taking into account the potential for pre-existing inequality among cooperating individuals as well as the different forms that reciprocity can take. Individuals may differ both intrinsically, in their abilities, as well as extrinsically, in the amount of resources they have available. Allowing for such differences in a model of cooperation helps to understand how inequality affects the potential for, and outcomes of, cooperation among unequals. In this thesis, it is shown that in the presence of intrinsic inequality, a similar unequal distribution of resources can increase the potential for cooperation. This effect is stronger the smaller the group is in which cooperation takes place. It is also shown that under particular assumptions, if the unequal members of a group vary the size of their contributions to a cooperative effort over time, they can thereby increase their efficiency and improve the collective outcome. Cooperative behaviour in a two-person interaction can be rewarded either by direct reciprocation whenever the same two people interact again, or indirectly by a third party who observed the interaction. In the latter case of indirect reciprocity, individuals are proximally rewarded by a good reputation, which ultimately translates to being rewarded with cooperative behaviour by others. This mechanism can enable selfishly motivated cooperation even in circumstances where individuals are unlikely to meet again, akin to how money facilitates trade. While these two forms of reciprocity have mostly been studied in isolation, this thesis analyses both direct and indirect reciprocity in a general model in order to compare their relative effectiveness under different circumstances. The contribution of this thesis is an extension of previous work regarding a specific kind of interaction, whose parameters allow for convenient mathematical analysis, to the most general set of possible interactions