VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology

The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) integrates sensory and mnemonic information to support spatial orientation and navigation, yet how visuospatial processing differs across its subregions remains unclear. Here, we combined cellular imaging in navigating mice with brain-wide anatomical input tracing to characterize how multimodal sensory and positional signals are integrated along the anterior–posterior axis of dorsal RSC. We identified consistent differences between anterior and posterior subregions in both functional response properties and long-range connectivity. Anterior RSC neurons displayed sharper and more reliable position tuning during tactile-cued navigation and preferential sensitivity to fast, low–spatial-frequency visual motion. In contrast, posterior RSC neurons showed broader position selectivity, stronger responses to slow, high–spatial-frequency visual patterns, and enhanced tuning in visually immersive virtual environments. Consistent with these differences, anterior RSC received denser projections from motor, somatosensory, and parietal areas, whereas posterior RSC received stronger input from primary and posteromedial visual cortices. Together, these findings identify an anterior–posterior functional gradient in RSC, with subregions differing in how they integrate sensory and positional signals during navigation.

Abstract Recent variationist research indicates that grammatical intra-speaker variation (or: optionality) is unproblematic in speech production. Optionality contexts do not coincide with dysfluencies. In this study, we ask a theoretically significant follow-up question about optionality contexts that strongly cue grammatical variant choice: are optionality contexts in which all variants are probabilistically equally likely more problematic than those that strongly cue choice of grammatical variant? After all, unbiased (un-cued or freer) choices are sometimes theorized as being more difficult than biased (cued) ones. We empirically analyzed a subset of the SWITCHBOARD corpus of spoken American English on a turn-by-turn basis. The dataset covers 7,295 conversational turns containing 7,001 optionality contexts (spread over 20 grammatical alternation types), 2,970 filled pauses, and 41,297 unfilled pauses. Contrary to claims in the literature, weak probabilistic cueing does not trigger more production difficulties than strong probabilistic cueing. Unpredictable grammatical choices are not harder than predictable grammatical choices.

Although peptides are essential for many areas of chemistry, key limitations still remain in their synthesis, such as high costs and poor atom economy. An ideal alternative is the catalytic peptide bond formation directly from nonactivated amino acids; however, the high‐energy barrier associated with this reaction hampers the development of suitable alternatives. In this work, we evaluated the catalytic activity of discrete zirconium oxo clusters for direct peptide bond formation, using dipeptide cyclization as model reaction. The clusters afforded several 2,5‐diketopiperazine derivatives in good‐to‐excellent yields under straightforward open‐flask conditions, without requiring the water byproduct to be scavenged from the reaction. Further mechanistic study through density functional theory calculations revealed that the mechanism involves a second substrate molecule near the reactive site of the catalysts, to streamline proton transfers that push the reaction forward. These results underline the promising potential of discrete ZrOCs as an emerging class of catalysts for the formation of peptide bonds under green, straightforward reaction conditions.

Numerical modeling of reinforced concrete (RC) elements is well established, but hybrid rebar–fiber-reinforced concrete (RFRC) systems introduce additional challenges due to high nonlinearity from complex material behavior and fiber-rebar interaction. With Eurocode 2 (2027) incorporating fiber-reinforced concrete provisions, reliable constitutive models are essential. This study evaluates modeling strategies for RFRC beams in Abaqus using the Concrete Damaged Plasticity model. Two post-cracking tensile laws are examined: the Eurocode 2 Annex L formulation and an inverse-analysis model derived from notched beam tests. Rebar–concrete interaction is modeled using both embedded constraints and cohesive zone approaches. Moel validation is performed against four-point bending tests from an ongoing program on minimally reinforced beams with three polypropylene fiber volume fractions. Results show that the Annex L model provides reasonable predictions for polypropylene fibers. Both interaction approaches capture global structural behavior with respective advantages in computational efficiency and deformation accuracy, although the final failure response remains mesh-sensitive when strain-based material criteria are used.

In this study, the effect of vanadium microalloying in simplified ternary Fe–(0.074–0.244 wt%) C–(0.25–1.01 wt%)V and quaternary (+0.2 wt% Mo) alloys on transformation temperatures and hardness is presented. For this matter, dilatometric investigations of the continuous cooling transformation behavior were performed and correlated with the obtained microstructure. It is shown that Widmanstätten ferrite was formed at higher cooling rates, followed by an increase in the polygonal ferrite fraction with decreasing cooling rates. Widmanstätten ferrite has been fully replaced by polygonal ferrite at faster cooling rates as C and V contents increase. Mo addition retards the kinetics of austenite‐to‐ferrite transformation and leads to a reduced hardening effect during continuous cooling. The more significant hardening at a ferrite finish temperature of 650°C with rising C and V contents, combined with the nearly suppressive effect on pearlite formation and in‐row precipitates observed in scanning electron microscope, supports the presence of a large volume fraction of vanadium interphase precipitates.

ABSTRACT Aim European grasslands rank among the most species‐rich ecosystems at small spatial scales, yet their biodiversity and functioning face significant threats from climate change and land‐use intensification. Functional traits more effectively explain ecosystem functions (EFs) than species identity or diversity. This study examines how future climate and land cover changes will shape grassland functional composition, addressing gaps in trait‐environment relationships and large‐scale functional predictions. Location Europe. Time Period 1971–2000 and 2081–2100. Major Taxa Studied 4406 distinct grassland plant species. Methods We used Boosted Regression Trees to model trait‐environment relationships based on vegetation plot data from sPlotOpen, GrassPlot, and the Nordic‐Baltic Grassland Vegetation Database (NBGVD). We mapped the 17 trait community‐weighted means (CWMs) and three functional richness (FRic) metrics under historical conditions and two future climate scenarios to assess temporal and spatial changes in grassland functional composition. Results The trait–environment relationships are highly trait‐dependent: structural and size‐related traits such as plant height, leaf area and seed number were consistently well‐predicted, whereas other traits were less well predicted. Mean annual temperature emerged as the strongest predictor of grassland functional composition. Climate and land cover change were predicted to drive significant spatial shifts in trait CWMs and FRic. Specifically, leaf area was predicted to decline in the Baltic Sea region and Pannonian Basin, while plant height was expected to increase across Europe. Seed number was predicted to rise at higher latitudes and in mountainous regions. Moreover, FRic was expected to decrease in temperate grasslands but increase at high latitudes and mountainous regions. Main Conclusions Our findings reveal distinct spatial patterns in functional shifts, reflecting plant adaptation to future environmental conditions. The increase in FRic at high latitudes and mountainous regions also signals ecosystem transitions that may pose additional threats to further complicate grassland conservation efforts.

SummaryTrigeminal nerve injury can lead to chronic and difficult-to-treat orofacial neuropathic pain. Here, we uncover a key role for the cation channel TRPM3 in the chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (IoN-CCI) mouse model of trigeminal neuropathic pain. Wild-type (WT) mice develop spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia for up to 6 weeks following IoN-CCI, whereas Trpm3−/− mice do not develop such symptoms. Using longitudinal RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, we obtain a detailed time course of transcriptome alterations in trigeminal ganglia during progression of the IoN-CCI model; notably, gene expression regulation is not different between WT and Trpm3−/− mice. Two structurally distinct TRPM3 antagonists, primidone and isosakuranetin, effectively reverse spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia, whereas mavatrep, a potent TRPV1 antagonist, is without analgesic effect. These data indicate that TRPM3 is essential for ongoing pain and allodynia following trigeminal nerve injury, making it a potential target for treating trigeminally mediated neuropathic pain.