Chirally doped ferroelectric nematics in antiparallel-rubbed cells produce Grandjean textures of helical twist that can be unwound via field-induced polar surface reorientation transitions. Fields required are in the 3-V/mm range, indicating an in-plane polar anchoring energy of w P ∼3 × 10-3 J/m2.Recombinant influenza virus vaccines based on hemagglutinin (HA) hold the potential to accelerate production timelines and improve efficacy relative to traditional egg-based platforms. Here, we assess a vaccine adjuvant system comprised of immunogenic liposomes that spontaneously convert soluble antigens into a particle format, displayed on the bilayer surface. When trimeric H3 HA was presented on liposomes, antigen delivery to macrophages was improved in vitro, and strong functional antibody responses were induced following intramuscular immunization of mice. Protection was conferred against challenge with a heterologous strain of H3N2 virus, and naive mice were also protected following passive serum transfer. When admixed with the particle-forming liposomes, immunization reduced viral infection severity at vaccine doses as low as 2 ng HA, highlighting dose-sparing potential. In ferrets, immunization induced neutralizing antibodies that reduced the upper respiratory viral load upon challenge with a more modern, heterologous H3N2 viral strain. To demonstrate the flexibility and modular nature of the liposome system, 10 recombinant surface antigens representing distinct influenza virus strains were bound simultaneously to generate a highly multivalent protein particle that with 5 ng individual antigen dosing induced antibodies in mice that specifically recognized the constituent immunogens and conferred protection against heterologous H5N1 influenza virus challenge. Taken together, these results show that stable presentation of recombinant HA on immunogenic liposome surfaces in an arrayed fashion enhances functional immune responses and warrants further attention for the development of broadly protective influenza virus vaccines.How small eukaryotic cells can interpret dynamic, noisy, and spatially complex chemical gradients to orient growth or movement is poorly understood. We address this question using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where cells orient polarity up pheromone gradients during mating. Initial orientation is often incorrect, but polarity sites then move around the cortex in a search for partners. We find that this movement is biased by local pheromone gradients across the polarity site that is, movement of the polarity site is chemotactic. A bottom-up computational model recapitulates this biased movement. The model reveals how even though pheromone-bound receptors do not mimic the shape of external pheromone gradients, nonlinear and stochastic effects combine to generate effective gradient tracking. This mechanism for gradient tracking may be applicable to any cell that searches for a target in a complex chemical landscape.Urgent action is needed to prevent the demise of coral reefs as the climate crisis leads to an increasingly warmer and more acidic ocean. Propagating climate change-resistant corals to restore degraded reefs is one promising strategy; however, empirical evidence is needed to determine whether stress resistance is affected by transplantation beyond a coral's native reef. Here, we assessed the performance of bleaching-resistant individuals of two coral species following reciprocal transplantation between reefs with distinct pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, sedimentation, and flow dynamics to determine whether heat stress response is altered following coral exposure to novel physicochemical conditions in situ. Critically, transplantation had no influence on coral heat stress responses, indicating that this trait was relatively fixed. In contrast, growth was highly plastic, and native performance was not predictive of performance in the novel environment. Coral metabolic rates and overall fitness were higher at the reef with higher flow, salinity, sedimentation, and diel fluctuations of pH and dissolved oxygen, and did not differ between native and cross-transplanted corals, indicating acclimatization via plasticity within just 3 mo. Conversely, cross-transplants at the second reef had higher fitness than native corals, thus increasing the fitness potential of the recipient population. This experiment was conducted during a nonbleaching year, so the potential benefits to recipient population fitness are likely enhanced during bleaching years. In summary, this study demonstrates that outplanting bleaching-resistant corals is a promising tool for elevating the resistance of coral populations to ocean warming.Ambient light detection is important for the synchronization of the circadian clock to the external solar cycle. Light signals are sent to the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the site of the major circadian pacemaker. It has been assumed that cone photoreceptors contribute minimally to synchronization. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/sch-900776.html Here, however, we find that cone photoreceptors are sufficient for mediating entrainment and transmitting photic information to the SCN, as evaluated in mice that have only cones as functional photoreceptors. Using in vivo electrophysiological recordings in the SCN of freely moving cone-only mice, we observed light responses in SCN neuronal activity in response to 60-s pulses of both ultraviolet (UV) (λmax 365 nm) and green (λmax 505 nm) light. Higher irradiances of UV light led to irradiance-dependent enhancements in SCN neuronal activity, whereas higher irradiances of green light led to a reduction in the sustained response with only the transient response remaining. Responses in SCN neuronal activity decayed with a half-max time of ∼9 min for UV light and less than a minute for green light, indicating differential input between short-wavelength-sensitive and mid-wavelength-sensitive cones for the SCN responsiveness. Furthermore, we show that UV light is more effective for photoentrainment than green light. Based on the lack of a full sustained response in cone-only mice, we confirmed that rapidly alternating light levels, rather than slowly alternating light, caused substantial phase shifts. Together, our data provide strong evidence that cone types contribute to photoentrainment and differentially affect the electrical activity levels of the SCN.