Socioeconomic Vulnerability and Natural Disasters: An Exploratory Analysis of Floods and Their Effects on Education in Rio Grande do Sul

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the association between the 2024 floods and education in Rio Grande do Sul. We used data from the Rio Grande do Sul State Department of Education (SEDUC‐RS) and the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (INEP). The results from a spatial analysis show that schools of low socioeconomic status located in municipalities prone to flooding were closed for longer, revealing inequalities in access to education in disaster situations. We stress the urgent need to develop and implement public policies that strengthen the resilience of schools in vulnerable areas, mitigating the adverse effects of these natural disasters on the continuity and quality of education.

The Frontier of Melanoma Treatment: Defeating Immunotherapy Resistance—A Systematic Review

Objectives Immunotherapy based on immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has become a key treatment for melanoma. However, the increasing number of cases of melanoma resistant to immunotherapy highlights the need to develop methods to overcome this resistance. This study aims to collect the most recent information on melanoma immunotherapy, discuss potential strategies to overcome resistance to immunotherapy, and identify areas that require further analysis.Methods To achieve this goal, scientific publications from 2021–2024 available in PubMed and Google Scholar databases were analyzed. The databases were searched using the following terms: “melanoma”, “immunotherapy”, “Immune Checkpoint Blockade”, and “immunoresistance”.Results The results of preclinical and early-stage clinical research indicate the potential application of tank-binding kinase 1 (TBK-1), fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9), lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) containing a stimulator of an interferon gene agonist (STING), BRAF inhibitors, Lymphocyte Activation Gene (LAG-3), T-Cell Immunoglobulin and ITIM Domain (TIGIT), and oncolytic viruses (OVs) as potential methods to enhance melanoma sensitivity to ICB.Discussion To optimize immunotherapy, further research is needed to determine the detailed mechanisms of action, safety profiles, tolerability, and precise patient selection criteria for methods capable of overcoming melanoma’s immunoresistance

Words Matter: How Prompt Framing Shapes Strategic Behaviour in Large Language Models

This study investigates how linguistic framing influences the strategic behaviour of large language models in repeated interactions. Four models (Mistral, Qwen3, Llama3.2, Llama3.3) were embedded as autonomous agents in a simulation of a 25-round iterated prisoner's dilemma under three prompt conditions: neutral, positively biased, and hunger-framed. Although payoff structures remained constant, linguistic variation produced substantial behavioural divergence. A one-way analysis of variance showed significant prompt effects in 13 out of 16 model pairings (adjusted p < 0.05). Positively biased prompts increased cooperation by 4–9 percentage points, while survival-framed prompts increased cooperation up to 80 percentage points. While Qwen3 and Llama3.3 were highly sensitive to framing, Llama3.2 showed minimal responsiveness. Several models exhibited emergent strategies such as conditional cooperation and end-game defection. These findings indicate that subtle linguistic cues can systematically modulate cooperative behaviour in large language model agents.

Uncertainty in Science and Among Early Career Investigators

Human PHOSPHO1 exhibits phosphatidylcholine‐ and phosphatidylethanolamine‐phospholipase C activities and interacts with diacylglycerol kinase δ

Phosphatidylcholine‐ and phosphatidylethanolamine‐specific phospholipase C (PC‐PLC and PE‐PLC) activities, which generate diacylglycerol (DG) and are tricyclodecan‐9‐yl‐xanthogenate (D609)‐sensitive, have been detected in both the membrane and cytosolic fractions. We have previously demonstrated that sphingomyelin synthase isozymes, which are transmembrane proteins, exhibit PC‐/PE‐PLC activities. However, mammalian cytosolic PC‐PLC and PE‐PLC remain unidentified. Here, we demonstrated that phosphatase orphan 1 (PHOSPHO1), a cytosolic protein, exhibits D609‐sensitive PC‐PLC and PE‐PLC activities. Moreover, the overexpression of PHOSPHO1 in HEK293 cells significantly increased the levels of cellular saturated and/or monounsaturated fatty acid‐containing DG. Furthermore, DGKδ cosedimented and colocalized with PHOSPHO1. Collectively, these in vitro findings provide, for the first time, a promising candidate for the long‐sought cytosolic PC‐/PE‐PLC, which may act as DG supply enzyme upstream of DGKδ.

Dynamic methylation and expression of alternative promoters for oestrogen receptor alpha in cell line models of fulvestrant resistance

Oestrogen receptor alpha (ER; gene symbol ESR1 ) is the most important prognostic and treatment‐predictive biomarker in breast cancer. Drugs targeting oestrogen and ER for endocrine therapy of breast cancer include aromatase inhibitors, the selective ER modulator tamoxifen and the selective ER degrader fulvestrant. Tumours can develop resistance to endocrine therapy through several mechanisms, which is often linked to altered expression of ER. To investigate the role of promoter methylation in the regulation of ESR1 expression, we used bisulfite sequencing to measure methylation at CpG sites in alternative ER promoter regions for six cell line models of fulvestrant resistance. Both CpG methylation and expression of alternative first exons changed dynamically, with striking differences between cell lines that had stable or unstable resistance upon fulvestrant withdrawal. Methylation at some CpG sites was strongly negatively correlated with expression of specific first exons. In a breast tumour cohort, higher relative expression of upstream alternative first exons was associated with worse prognosis in post‐menopausal women with ER‐positive tumours who received endocrine therapy.

High‐Entropy Magnetism of Murunskite

Abstract Murunskite (K 2 FeCu 3 S 4 ) bridges the two known families of high‐temperature superconductors, cuprates and iron‐pnictides, structurally and electronically. Like these families, murunskite exhibits an antiferromagnetic (AF)‐like response with an ordered phase below 97 K. The magnetic iron atoms are randomly distributed over one‐quarter of the sites in two‐dimensional planes, while the remaining sites are occupied by non‐magnetic copper, evoking the notion of a high‐entropy magnetic alloy. This intriguing magnetic transition is studied by neutron, Mössbauer, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements on single crystals. The AF order has a nearly commensurate quarterzone wave vector. In the paramagnetic state, Mössbauer spectroscopy identifies two iron sites, associated with Fe 3 + or Fe 2 + oxidation states as observed by XPS, which merge into a third site upon cooling, indicating an orbital transition. This cascade of local transitions transforms iron atoms from a fully orbitally and magnetically disordered state to a homogeneously ordered state in inverse space, while still being randomly distributed in real space. This finding challenges the traditional paradigm of magnetism in insulators, which relies on a direct connection between crystal structure and the location of magnetic moments.

Copper‐Mediated C−C Coupling of Alkenyl Boronates and Bromodifluoroacetates

Abstract The reaction of alkenyl boronates and bromodifluoroacetates in the presence of copper powder and TMEDA as the catalytic system was developed. The corresponding C−C coupling products were obtained in 35–93% yield. The method tolerated a variety of functional groups, namely, phenol, (thio)ether, protected amino‐, hydroxy‐, ketone, and carboxylic acid moieties, as well as various saturated carbo‐ and heterocycles, and was compatible with multigram scale‐up (to 76 g). The diastereoselectivity of the process was typically low so that ca. 1:1 E / Z isomeric mixtures were formed from pure E or Z alkenyl boronates. Further functional group transformations demonstrated the utility of the prepared compounds as valuable building blocks for synthetic and medicinal chemistry. Based on the obtained results and the literature data, a plausible reaction mechanism was proposed involving the formation of radical and organocopper intermediates.

Starch‐Rich Rice By‐Products as a Renewable Resource for Sustainable Production of Flexible, Water Tolerant, Antioxidant, and UV‐Protective Bioplastics

Abstract The development of multifunctional materials from agrifood residues supports circular bioeconomy strategies by reducing waste and promoting renewable feedstocks. This study investigates rejected rice dust (RD) and colored rice (CR), two starch‐rich rice processing by‐products, as alternative sources for natural starch‐based bioplastics, using purified rice starch (PRS) as a benchmark. RD and CR contained 79.9% and 82.9% total carbohydrates (48.6% and 51.8% starch), versus 98.3% carbohydrates and 70.2% starch in PRS. CR exhibited the highest amylose (29.5%) and phenolic content (20.9 mg GAE/100 g), compared to RD (21.3%; 8.8 mg GAE/100 g) and PRS (15.8%; 2.3 mg GAE/100 g). Gelatinization peak temperatures are elevated in RD (74.2°C) and CR (73.9°C) versus PRS (66.7°C). RD‐based films showed mechanical strength (5.4 MPa) and modulus (146 MPa) comparable to PRS (5.5 MPa; 175 MPa), while CR‐based films have lower modulus (53 MPa) but greater elongation at break (20.2%). Contact angles are highest in CR (119°), followed by PRS (102°) and RD (70°). Antioxidant activity reached 88% (CR), 33% (RD), and 10% (PRS). Only CR‐based films provided UV‐B protection. These results highlight RD and CR as renewable matrices for producing environmentally sustainable, functionally enhanced starch‐based materials for packaging and coating applications.

Level of Clonal Plasma Cells in Hematopoietic Cell Autografts Reflects the Pre‐Transplant Bone Marrow Minimal Residual Disease in Multiple Myeloma Patients