Bidirectional Epigenetic Editing Reveals Hierarchies in Gene Regulation

Bidirectional Epigenetic Editing Reveals Hierarchies in Gene Regulation Background and Research Motivation In the human genome, the role of non-coding elements such as enhancers in gene regulation is widely recognized. However, current CRISPR interference methods still have some limitations in studying non-coding elements and genetic interactions. ...

Principled distillation of UK Biobank phenotype data reveals underlying structure in human variation

In this report, we present a detailed evaluation of a research paper published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, titled “Principled Refinement of UK Biobank Phenotypic Data Reveals the Latent Structure of Human Variation.” The study, conducted by Caitlin E. Carey, Rebecca Shafee, Robbee Wedow, among others, was published online on XX XX, XXXX....

Multiplex Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomics Identifies Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease

Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteomics Study for Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease Background and Research Objectives Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to memory loss and cognitive decline, and currently, there is no effective cure globally. Traditionally, the pathological features of AD include β-amyloid (Aβ)...

Gene × Environment Effects and Mediation Involving Adverse Childhood Events, Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Substance Dependence

Study on the Genetic and Environmental Effects of Adverse Childhood Events, Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Substance Dependence I. Background and Significance Adverse childhood events (ACE) often have profound effects on an individual’s mental health and substance dependence. Previous studies have shown a close relationship between ACE and mood an...

Decision Uncertainty as a Context for Motor Memory

Decision Uncertainty as a Contextual Cue for Motor Memory Background In a penalty shootout during a soccer match, players may face two distinctly different decision-making scenarios. For example, a player may decisively kick the ball to the right corner after seeing the goalkeeper move to the other side, or he may kick the same way without being ce...

Mendelian Randomization Evidence for the Causal Effect of Mental Well-being on Healthy Aging

Research Report: Causal Effects of Mental Well-being on Healthy Aging Research Background With the significant increase in average life expectancy, aging issues have become increasingly prominent. Challenges such as comorbidity, disability, and the overall social stability of healthcare services and finances have become more severe. Achieving healt...

Comparing Experience- and Description-based Economic Preferences Across 11 Countries

Comparison of Experiences and Descriptions of Basic Economic Preferences in 11 Countries Background and Motivation Recent studies have shown that humans exhibit a high degree of context-dependency in encoding the value of rewards, which in some cases leads to suboptimal decisions. However, it remains unclear whether this computational limitation is...

The Necessity of Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Prosocial Motivation

The Necessity of the Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex for Prosocial Motivation Research Background and Motivation The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a crucial role in decision-making processes. Functional neuroimaging studies indicate that the vmPFC is key in handling rewards and efforts and is also associated with prosocial behav...

Artifactually Inflates Brain-Wide Functional Connectivity Throughout Functional MRI Scans

Functional Connectivity Across the Brain and Temporally Enhanced Non-neuronal Low-Frequency Oscillation (SLFO) Blood Flow Signal Based on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans In the field of neuroscience, a core question is how the brain’s connectivity reconfigures over time to support adaptive functional changes. These dynamically changing ...

CRISPRi-based Circuits to Control Gene Expression in Plants

CRISPRi-based Circuits to Control Gene Expression in Plants

Academic Background In the field of plant biotechnology, traditional gene manipulation methods focus on producing the desired phenotypes and cellular activities through continuous transgene expression. However, strong continuous promoters may lead to gene silencing, metabolic burdens, or other adverse effects on yield, preventing the full realizati...