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Background: This study aimed to develop a simple self-administered screening tool for odor memory, which allowed users to self-test their olfactory function repeatedly even at home. Methods: One hundred and ten participants were recruited (30 men, age = 50.1 ± 9.9 years; 80 women, age = 47.1 ± 11.5 years); half of them were heathy volunteers, the other half were patients with olfactory dysfunction. Fifty-one healthy participants volunteered for a retest within an interval of a maximum of 14 days. Olfactory function was assessed using the extended Sniffin' Sticks test (SST) comprising tests for odor threshold, identification, and discrimination. All participants received the Novel Olfactory Sorting Task (NOST) which is based on the sorting of 12 matching pairs of odors involving olfactory and cognitive functions. After that, all participants rated questions related to their test performance and the practicability of the test. Results: Consistent with the previous literature, significant effects of age were found. Results showed an acceptable test-retest reliability and a satisfactory validity of the NOST. The NOST score not only had positive correlations with SST, but also was capable of differentiating severe hyposmia/anosmia from normosmia by the score of 5.5 (sensitivity of 76.2%, specificity of 77.6%). Conclusion: The present study showed the good reliability, validity, and possible clinical usefulness of the NOST. As a self-performed screening test, it can be comprehended and conducted easily, which may provide a quick and simple approach to obtaining a global estimation of olfactory and cognitive functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenza A virus (IAV) can rapidly disseminate among animals through various transmission routes, with emerging evidence suggesting the ocular surface as an important entrance. However, it remains unclear how the virus invades the respiratory tract after ocular exposure. Here, we demonstrated that H1N1 (A/swine/Guangdong/1/2011) utilizes the nasolacrimal system to rapidly spread from the ocular surface to the respiratory tract in the porcine model. In vivo and ex vivo, IAV could efficiently attach and replicate in conjunctiva epithelium, which has abundance of α‐2,6‐linked and α‐2,3‐linked sialic acid. After ocular inoculation, infectious virions swiftly migrate to the nasolacrimal duct of piglets and, via continual drainage, disseminate to the respiratory tract. Moreover, the detection of continual virus shedding as well as the successful isolation of virus from conjunctiva and respiratory tract tissue indicated the establishment of productive infection after the transocular route. This study presents evidence suggesting that IAVs could utilize the nasolacrimal system to swiftly spread to the respiratory tract following ocular exposure, which contributes to understanding the modes of transocular transmission of IAVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon neutrality by 2050 has become one of the most urgent challenges the world faces today. To address the issue, it is necessary to develop and promote new technologies related with CO2 recycling. Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes performing oxygenic photosynthesis, capable of fixing CO2 into biomass under sunlight and serving as one of the most important primary producers on earth. Notably, recent progress on synthetic biology has led to utilizing model cyanobacteria such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 and Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 as chassis for "light-driven autotrophic cell factories" to produce several dozens of biofuels and various fine chemicals directly from CO2. However, due to the slow growth rate and low biomass accumulation in the current chassis, the productivity for most products is still lower than the threshold necessary for large-scale commercial application, raising the importance of developing high-efficiency cyanobacterial chassis with fast growth and/or higher biomass accumulation capabilities. In this article, we critically reviewed recent progresses on identification, systems biology analysis, and engineering of fast-growing cyanobacterial chassis. Specifically, fast-growing cyanobacteria identified in recent years, such as S. elongatus UTEX 2973, S. elongatus PCC 11801, S. elongatus PCC 11802 and Synechococcus sp. PCC 11901 was comparatively analyzed. In addition, the progresses on their recent application in converting CO2 into chemicals, and genetic toolboxes developed for these new cyanobacterial chassis were discussed. Finally, the article provides insights into future challenges and perspectives on the synthetic biology application of cyanobacterial chassis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare retronasal and orthonasal perception in parosmic COVID-19 patients, in order to determine whether COVID-19 has a differential effect on these functions. Methods: Using the Sniffin Sticks test battery orthonasal function was examined for odor threshold, discrimination and identification. Retronasal function was assessed using 20 tasteless aromatized powders. Gustatory function was measured using the Taste Strips test. Results: This study included 177 patients (127 women, 50 men; mean age 45 years), of whom 127 (72%) were hyposmic and 50 (28%) normosmic. Compared to patients without parosmia, parosmic patients performed worse in odor identification for both orthonasal (F = 4.94, p = 0.03) and retronasal tests (F = 11.95, p < 0.01). However, an interaction effect between route of odor identification (orthonasal or retronasal) and parosmia status was found (F = 4.67, p = 0.03): patients with parosmia had relatively lower retronasal scores than patients without parosmia. Conclusion: Our results suggest that COVID-19 may affect the olfactory mucosa differently along the anterior–posterior axis, thereby possibly contributing to the pathophysiology of parosmia. Patients with parosmia also exhibit a higher degree of impairment when odors are presented through the retronasal route during eating and drinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparation methods (heat-induced, pH-induced, ethanol-induced, metal-coordinated bonding and chemical cross-linking), properties (mechanical, adhesion, responsiveness, self-healing, fluorescence and biological properties) and applications (delivery of drugs or nutrients, wound dressings, cell engineering, tissue engineering and biosensors) of BSA-based hydrogel. [Display omitted] • Different methods for the preparation of hydrogels from bovine serum albumin are summarized. • The main properties of bovine serum albumin-based hydrogels, such as mechanical properties, adhesion and biological properties, are discussed. • The biological applications of bovine serum albumin-based hydrogels are summarized. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a common raw material for preparing hydrogels owing to its rich amino acid residues. In addition, because it has a structure and properties similar to those of albumin in the human body, it has more advantages than those of other traditional polymers used in the field of hydrogel research. Hydrogels constructed using BSA have a wide application potential in the biomedical field owing to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this paper, the research on BSA-based hydrogels over the past decade is reviewed in detail. First, the preparation methods and mechanisms of BSA-based hydrogels, including physical and chemical crosslinking, are briefly summarized. Second, the typical properties of BSA-based hydrogels, including their mechanical, adhesion, self-healing, responsiveness, fluorescence, and biological properties are reviewed. Subsequently, the applications of BSA-based hydrogels in the delivery of drugs or nutrients, wound dressings, cell engineering, tissue engineering, and biosensors are discussed. Finally, challenges and future directions are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first-order optimizers in deep neural networks (DNN) are of pivotal essence for a concrete loss function to reach the local minimum or global one on the loss surface within convergence time. However, each optimizer possesses its own superiority and virtue when encountering a specific application scene and environment. In addition, the existing modified optimizers mostly emphasize a given optimizer without any transfer property. In this paper, a zeroing neural dynamics (ZND) based optimization approach for the first-order optimizers is proposed, which can assist ZND via the activation function to expedite the process of solving gradient information, with lower loss and higher accuracy. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first work to integrate the ZND in control domain with the first-order optimizers in DNN. This generic work is an optimization method for the most commonly-used first-order optimizers to handle different application scenes, rather than developing a brand-new algorithm besides the existing optimizers or their modifications. Furthermore, mathematic derivations concerning the gradient information transformation of the ZND are systematically provided. Finally, comparison experiments are implemented, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach with different loss functions and network frameworks on the Reuters, CIFAR, and MNIST data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of hydrogels to mimic natural cartilage implantation can effectively solve the current problems of insufficient cartilage donors and low rate of injury healing. In particular, injectable hydrogels are less invasive in clinical applications and better able to fill uneven injury surfaces. Here, we prepared NorCS and CS-SH by modifying chitosan with 5-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid and N-Acetyl-L-cysteine, respectively. Dual-network hydrogels were prepared by using UV-triggered thiol-ene click reaction between NorCS and CS-SH and the metal coordination between SA and Ca2+. The prepared hydrogels can be cross-linked quickly and exhibit excellent degradability, self-healing and injectable properties. At the same time, the hydrogel also showed good cytocompatibility and could significantly restore the motor function of mice. This study provides an effective strategy for preparing injectable hydrogels capable of rapid cross-linking. • Two novel chitosan derivatives containing norbornene and sulfhydryl were synthesized. • Coordination bonds give hydrogels stability, self-healing and injectable properties. • By adjusting the proportion of different components in the hydrogel, the performance of the hydrogel can be adjusted. • The synthesized hydrogels have good biocompatibility and have potential for cartilage repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, using carboxyl-modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a photothermal agent, combining the chemical amide bond and intermolecular hydrogen bond crosslinking force, a photothermal hydrogel with enhanced mechanical properties was designed and prepared. Our results indicate that the carboxyl-modified Fe3O4 not only gave hydrogel photothermal properties, but also provided carboxyl sites for the formation of amide crosslinks with the amino group of carboxymethyl chitosan. Compared with carboxymethyl chitosans–acrylamide (CMCS–AM), the mechanical properties of carboxymethyl chitosans–Fe3O4–acrylamide (CMCS–Fe3O4–AM) have been significantly improved. In addition, adjusting the ratio of Fe3O4, CMCS, and AM can change the structural density, mechanical strength, and photothermal properties of the nano-composite hydrogel. The hydrogel also showed good drug loading and antibacterial properties. This research is of great significance to guide the design of new hydrogels with good mechanical properties, controllable crosslink density and photothermal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The superior traffic control system can promote the efficiency of mainstream expressway. As the effective method to smooth traffic system, the variable speed limits (VSL) strategies are discussed in an expressway traffic network. The dynamic OD estimation model is used to produce the real traffic information, which is loaded to the traffic network. Then, the prediction information of traffic variables and the VSL strategy are introduced to macro hierarchical control traffic flow model. A solution algorithm is further developed to find the optimal parameters of VSL by minimizing the total travel time and delay. The simulation results show that the proposed strategy perfects well, the traffic congestion is effectively alleviated, and the traffic efficiency of the road section is significantly improved. This framework can be adopted by transit managers for traffic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban expressway network is the main part of the urban traffic network carrying most of the city's traffic pressure for its continuity and rapidity, but the control method of the traffic flow was too simple to other control methods in application in addition to the ramp control and the fixed speed control. In this paper, the theory of variable speed limit (VSL) was used to develop an optimal control model based on the improved traffic flow simulation model according to the characteristics of urban expressway traffic flow. The objective of the proposed model is to minimize the delay and maximize the traffic flow. It can adjust the traffic flow on the network in space time so that the whole network is in a state of equilibrium which not only is conducive to the control of the local traffic congestion and avoids the spread of congestion but also improves the traffic safety. The SPSA-based solution algorithm was proposed by taking into account the needs of real-time online applications. It can not only ensure the accuracy of the solution but also meet the requirements of the simulation time. The simulation results show that the variable speed limit can be optimized in moderate demand, and the proposed model and algorithm are effective and feasible in this paper. The conclusions are useful to help the traffic management department to formulate reasonable traffic control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Labelling of Type IV pili (TFP) can greatly improve our understanding of the pivotal roles of TFP in a variety of bacterial activities including motility, surface sensing and DNA‐uptake etc. Here we show a simple and switchable pili‐labelling method by plasmid‐based inducible replacement of PilA without genetic modification in bacterial genome employed by complicated methods. Using this method, we characterized pili morphology and twitching motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in details. More importantly, we demonstrate its application in studying the replenishment dynamics of pilin pool of P. aeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effect of recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) on the premature ovarian failure (POF) of rats. After cyclophosphamide treatments, the POF rats were divided into the following groups: normal control group (NC), low-dose group (LD), medium-dose group (MD) and high-dose group (HD) of rhLF. After drug administrations, the ovarian indexes and hormonal levels were detected. After follicle number count, the proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed with the expressions of genes related with oogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis detected, followed by the calculation of oxidative stress and protein expressions. After 4-hydroperoxy cyclophosphamide (4-HC) treatments, the effect of rhLF on the proliferation, ROS production and gene expressions of primary rat granulosa cells (GCs) cultured in vitro were detected. After mating, the fertilities of POF rats were recorded. The result showed that the rhLF administrations up-regulated the ovarian index with the number of developing follicles increased and the decreases of hormonal levels conferred. The Ki-67 intensities of the MD and HD groups were up-regulated with the Tunnel intensities decreased. The rhLF treatments significantly promoted the expression of oogenesis, antioxidant and anti-apoptosis related genes. The expression of Bax and Caspase 3 were decreased with the expression of Bcl-2 up-regulated after rhLF administrations. The in vitro treatments of rhLF effectively conferred the toxicity of 4-HC on primary rat GCs. The fertility assessment showed the rhLF treatments up-regulated the offspring's' folliculogenesis, which confirmed the ameliorative role of rhLF on the POF damages via the inhibition of ROS production in GCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of bioactive peptides (BAPT) from animal sources on the development of mouse preantral follicles in vitro. Preantral follicles were isolated and randomly divided into the following groups: an untreated group (control) and three groups supplemented with 20, 40 and 60 μg/mL BAPT, respectively. After establishing the in vitro follicle culture, the gene expression levels and hormone levels were quantified. After in vitro maturation, the developmental rates, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production levels and mitochondrial distributions of MII oocytes were investigated, followed by the analyses of embryonic developmental rates after in vitro fertilization. The results showed that BAPT promoted the growth of mouse preantral follicles. Notably, after 14 d of in vitro culture, the levels of 17 β-estradiol and progesterone were up-regulated with BAPT treatments. Moreover, the expression levels of Oct4, Bmp15, GDF9, FOXO3, Zp3, FOXL2, Inhibin alpha, SOD2, Catalase, GPx and Bcl-2 in the developing follicles were significantly up-regulated after BAPT treatments (P < 0.05), while BAPT significantly inhibited the expression levels of BAX (P < 0.05). Following BAPT treatments, the ROS production levels of MII oocytes were decreased while the mitochondrial distributions were significantly enhanced. Furthermore, increased maturation rates, fertilization and embryonic developmental rates were found in these BAPT-treated groups (P < 0.05). These results demonstrated that BAPT significantly improved the development of preantral follicles in vitro by reducing ROS-dependent cellular damages and by enhancing mitochondrial distributions, thereby promoting the further applications of animal-derived BAPT in biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple commercial porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) modified live vaccines are currently utilized in Chinese swine herds due to the limited cross‐protection of vaccines and coexistence of different PRRS viruses. In this study, an infectious cDNA clone of the highly pathogenic PRRS (HP‐PRRS) vaccine JXA1‐R strain was generated. We successfully rescued the virus from direct in vitro DNA transfection of rJXA1‐R clone, which has similar growth kinetics to the parental JXA1‐R virus in Marc‐145 cells. To further evaluate the potential use of the cloned rJXA1‐R virus as a live vector for foreign gene expression, the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was inserted between non‐structural and structural genes. Our results showed that the dynamic expression of EGFP can be visualized by live cell imaging system during the infection in Marc‐145 cells. The availability of our cloned JXA1‐R viruses provides a crucial platform to study the fundamental biology of HP‐PRRS virus vaccine and also serves as a potential effective vector for developing live vector vaccines against swine pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water and nitrogen stresses are major constraints for agricultural and forest productivity. Although the effects of water scarcity or nitrogen stress on plant growth, physiology, and yield have been widely studied, few studies have assessed the combined effects of both stresses. In the present study, we investigated the effects of different nitrogen forms (NO3−N, NH4+-N, and a combination of NO3−N + NH4+-N) on antioxidant enzyme activity, osmotic regulatory substances, and nitrogen assimilation in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantlets under drought stress (induced by 10% polyethylene glycol). We found that different N ionic forms had different effects on drought-stressed plantlets. Nitrogen supply greatly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) when plantlets were exposed to water stress. The malondialdehyde (MDA) contents significantly decreased under the NH4+ + water stress treatment. The proline (Pr) contents significantly increased in both the NO3−N and NH4+-N + water stress treatment. The nitrate reductase (NR) increased by 7.1% in the NO3− + water stress treatment, and the glutamine synthetase (GS), and the glutamate synthase (GOGAT) activity increased in all the nitrogen + water stress treatments. These results suggested that nitrogen supply could alleviate the adverse effects of drought stress on plants by enhancing antioxidant defense and improving nitrogen assimilation, while the effects on plant tolerance to drought stress varied with nitrogen ionic forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimicrobial food-packaging films can improve the safety of food and prolong shelf life. In the present work, we first prepared the pullulan derivative and then added chitosan to form a pullulan derivative/chitosan composite film. The active amino groups on the pullulan derivative backbone and chitosan impart antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. Also, the addition of chitosan made the composite film show reasonable mechanical properties, when the ratio of pullulan derivative:chitosan = 2:8 and the tensile strength was 21 MPa. The composite film also behaved with the excellent film-forming property, Water vapor barrier, and light barrier properties. This work is opening the door on preparing a novel antibacterial packaging film. • Synthesis and characterization of adipic acid dihydrazide modified pullulan. • The ADH-OxPullulan/Chitosan composite film was successfully prepared and characterized. • The ADH-OxPullulan/Chitosan composite film had good water vapor barrier, UV blocking properties and antibacterial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the national expressway has more than 120,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world. Unfortunately, the attendant problems such as the traffic congestion, traffic accidents, environmental pollution, and other negative effects also increased rapidly almost day by day. In this article, the mesoscopic traffic flow simulation model has been improved by inputting the expressway data. The estimated method of the expressway network running state is proposed, which takes approach proportion, or choice probability of intersection movements, as input information. Upon the designed mesoscopic traffic simulation process, the traffic accidents detection method is put forward under the condition of lacking the real-time data on road. The real expressway network of Shandong province and the toll data are used to test the validity of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed model and method can be more accurate in estimating the real-time network running state and the relevant macroparameters, such as the traffic flow speed, the averaged density, and flow. It is also feasible and effective to detect traffic accidents on road sections of the network. The proposed model and method can help expressway management department publish information, lay detectors, and conceal accident cover-up by the subordinate departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid cancer; however, the specific genes and signaling pathways involved in this cancer remain largely unclear. The present study analyzed three profile datasets, GSE6004, GSE29265 and GSE60542, which were comprised of 47 PTC and 41 normal thyroid tissue samples, to identify key genes and pathways associated with PTC. Initially, differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between PTC and normal thyroid tissue were screened using R 3.4.0 (2017-04-21, R Foundation, Vienna, Austria, http://www.R-project.org/). These DEGs were then clustered by gene ontology functional terms and representative signaling pathways. Additionally, specific key gene nodes were filtered out from a constructed protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The results identified a total of 423 shared DEGs associated with PTC, including 211 upregulated and 212 downregulated genes. These 423 genes were primarily enriched in glycosaminoglycan binding, sulfur compound binding, heparin binding, enzyme activator activity, peptidase activator activity and hsa04512: Extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction. A total of 21 central node genes were identified as key genes in the PTC disease process including complement factor D (CFD), Collagen Type I α 1 Chain (COL1A1), Extracellular Matrix Protein 1 (ECM1) and Fibronectin 1 (FN1). These genes are involved in protease binding, G-protein coupled receptor binding, extracellular matrix structural constituent and peptidase regulator activity. To conclude, using bioinformatics analysis, the present study identified candidate DEGs and critical pathways in PTC that may improve the current understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms of PTC. These genes and pathways may be used as potential therapeutic targets of PTC in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast-growing cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (hereafter Synechococcus 2973) has been considered a good chassis candidate for “microbial cell factory” as it can perform oxygenic photosynthesis and its doubling time can be as short as 1.9 h. However, the limited genetic tools currently restrict its further research and application efforts using synthetic biology approaches. In this study, a series of genetic tools were systematically developed and optimized for Synechococcus 2973. First, the introduction of Tfp pilus assembly protein encoding gene pilN into Synechococcus 2973 successfully recovered its natural transformability, which greatly simplified the DNA transformation process. Second, a series of promoters with different strengths were evaluated and the super-strong promoters including P cpc560 from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, native P psbA2 and P psbA3 of Synechococcus 2973 were found with the highest activity of β -galactosidase among those evaluated by miller values. Some promoters related to photosystems (i.e., P psbA2 , P psbA3 , P 6803psbA2 and P cpc560 ) were also demonstrated to be induced by high intensity of light. Third, three lactose induction systems were evaluated, among which P lac combined with lacI q showed the best application prospect with great induction capacity, low leakage and middle induced expression. Fourth, the translational on riboswitch theoE*  , the transcriptional off riboswitches theo/yitJ and xpt(C74U)/metE and an artificial inducing system combining theoE*  with T7 RNA polymerase were successfully developed and characterized in Synechococcus 2973. Finally, by using T7 induction system to control the expression of both small RNA and chaperone Hfq, a small RNA regulatory tool was developed and optimized to be a strictly inducible off system for gene regulation in Synechococcus 2973. The work here presented valuable genetic toolboxes necessary for metabolic engineering and synthetic biology research in Synechococcus 2973, which will facilitate the future application of the fast growing cyanobacterial chassis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are important primary producers and model organisms for studying photosynthesis and elements cycling on earth. Due to the ability to absorb sunlight and utilize carbon dioxide, cyanobacteria have also been proposed as renewable chassis for carbon-neutral “microbial cell factories”. Recent progresses on cyanobacterial synthetic biology have led to the successful production of more than two dozen of fuels and fine chemicals directly from CO 2 , demonstrating their potential for scale-up application in the future. However, compared with popular heterotrophic chassis like Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae , where abundant genetic tools are available for manipulations at levels from single gene, pathway to whole genome, limited genetic tools are accessible to cyanobacteria. Consequently, this significant technical hurdle restricts both the basic biological researches and further development and application of these renewable systems. Though still lagging the heterotrophic chassis, the vital roles of genetic tools in tuning of gene expression, carbon flux re-direction as well as genome-wide manipulations have been increasingly recognized in cyanobacteria. In recent years, significant progresses on developing and introducing new and efficient genetic tools have been made for cyanobacteria, including promoters, riboswitches, ribosome binding site engineering, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated nuclease (CRISPR/Cas) systems, small RNA regulatory tools and genome-scale modeling strategies. In this review, we critically summarize recent advances on development and applications as well as technical limitations and future directions of the genetic tools in cyanobacteria. In addition, toolboxes feasible for using in large-scale cultivation are also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The survival rate of vitrified-thawed ovarian tissues after autotransplantation still needs to be improved. Therefore finding an ideal cryoprectant to reduce the damage to ovaries that caused by vitrification will pave the way for application of ovary cryopreservation on clinics. Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of sodium alginate in cryoprotectant solution on mouse ovaries during the vitrification process. The ovaries obtained from 6-weeks old CD1 were assigned into six groups from A to F. Group A without treatment was used as the normal control. Group B cryopreserved with the basic cryoprotectant solution containing 15% each Me 2 SO and EG was used as the experimental control. Groups C, D, E, and F cryopreserved with the basic cryoprotectant solution supplemented with 0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15%, and 0.20% of sodium alginate, respectively, were assigned for the experimental groups. The in vitro analyses showed that the developmental capability of the oocytes isolated from vitrified-thawed ovaries significantly increased with increasing concentration of sodium alginate in the cryoprotectant solution (groups: A = 70 ± 2; B = 43 ± 2; C = 48 ± 3; D = 53 ± 3; E = 60 ± 3; B < C < D < A, P < 0.05), and reached its highest level in group E with 0.15% of sodium alginate (P < 0.05). The lowest developmental capability of all groups was group F (41 ± 1%)(P < 0.05) with 0.20% of sodium alginate. The similar results were obtained by the autotransplantation in vivo . These finding demonstrated that sodium alginate can significantly reduce the damage to ovaries by vitrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an improved scheme for coherent beam combination using a type of non-separable phase-controlled Dammann grating (NPDG), which is capable of generating multiple equal-intensity diffraction orders with good uniformity and high efficiency in the far field. Compared with conventional separable two-dimensional (2D) Dammann gratings, the efficiency of such gratings is significantly improved around 10% due to the non-separable structure. Such improvement in the diffraction efficiency is of high significance for coherent laser combination. Furthermore, the phases of those diffraction orders for this type of gratings are only two-valued in the far field, which leads to a great simplification of phase matching during the procedure of coherent beam combination. As an example, a 5 × 5 NPDG with efficiency of 73.6% is theoretically designed and a NPDG sample with efficiency as high as 66.8% is experimentally fabricated by lithography and wet-etching techniques. Also, we implemented further a proof-of-principle experiment for coherent beam combination based on the 5 × 5 NPDG sample, and the results show that the combining efficiency is as high as 65.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels, promising biological materials, need to have both strong mechanical properties and also inherent self-healing properties. In this work a double cross-linked network (DN) hydrogel was designed and prepared by combining a Diels-Alder click reaction and coordination effects. This DN hydrogel had good thermodynamic properties, anti-EDTA performance and self-healing properties. In addition, the mechanical properties, swelling properties and surface morphology of DN hydrogels can be controlled by adjusting the ratio of Fe 3 + -catechol. The adjustment of pH value can change the color, crosslinking mode and mechanical properties of the DN hydrogel. This smart hydrogel created from DA click chemistry and coordination effects has significance for guiding the design of new hydrogels with good mechanical properties, self-healing properties and controlled cross-link density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three types of amphiphilic dextran derivatives were synthesized via the connection of different diamine compounds between the carboxyl group of stearic acid (SA) and aldehyde group of oxidized dextran. These three amphiphilic dextran derivatives self-assemble to form polymer micelles in aqueous medium. The critical micelle concentration depended on the graft ratio of SA, which ranged from 0.0700 to 0.158 mg mL. These three amphiphilic dextran micelles can form typical core-shell structures of various sizes. Curcumin (Cur) was used as a model drug, and all amphiphilic micelle dextran derivatives had excellent drug loading capacity and drug encapsulation efficiency. The in vitro drug release from amphiphilic dextran derivatives/Cur micelles could be prolonged by adjusting the type of diamine compounds and composition of Cur content. These results show the superior properties of polymer micelles and suggest that these micelles are promising carriers for drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainline freeway traffic flow control is one of the primary methods of traffic management, which can present the best network situation. In this paper, we integrate variable speed limit (VSL) strategy into the cell transmission model (CTM). Then the implementation of the integrated model on freeway traffic network is discussed. A novel optimal model of controlling freeway traffic flow is proposed for minimizing the total travelling time in the network. A solution algorithm is designed by using a simulation method. Considering the main purpose of the speed limit strategy is to control the mainstream flow, we compare the case where the VSL is used with the one without VSL. A simulation is implemented to show that the control strategy is efficient in describing system's dynamic performance and the dynamic speed limit strategy significantly alleviates congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a novel method of mode suppression in a slanted grating; this can reveal the physical diffraction mechanism in the grating region. Analytical expressions are derived to illustrate the diffraction process based on the simplified modal method. Owing to the odd mode suppression, only two even grating modes determine the even symmetry field distribution at the output plane. In addition, a slanted grating is designed to make the oblique light mainly couple into the normal emission; this is notably different from a rectangular grating, which can never be used to realize this goal. Numerical simulation results verify the validity of the simplified modal method. We hope that this theoretical work can lay a solid foundation for potential applications of slanted gratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the simplified modal method for the slanted grating based on the accurate dispersion equation. The vividly physical insight is presented to interpret the diffraction process for slanted grating. We also present that the simplified modal method with the two-lowest mode condition is effective for a large slanted angle up to 26°. By examining the eignefunction, the mode index, and the two-lowest mode condition, we provide new evidences to verify the assumption that a slanted grating with subwavelength period can be analyzed as an equivalent rectangular grating using the simplified modal method, which is right and convenient to use for a small slanted angle up to 20°. Numerical simulations of the simplified modal method are coincident with rigorous coupled wave analysis for small slanted angle gratings. Thus the simplified modal method can be used for small slanted angle grating since the equivalence of slanted grating and rectangular grating is verified due to its vivid physical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) frequently causes diarrhea outbreaks. However, whether newly discovered enteric viruses such as porcine kobuvirus (PKV) and porcine astroviruses (PAstVs) are also correlated with diarrhea is still unclear. Diarrhea outbreaks were reported in a PEDV-vaccinated pig farm in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China from 2019 to 2020. PEDV was a common pathogen detected in fecal samples by routine RT-PCR assays. The PEDV positive fecal sample was used for pathogenic analysis due to the failure isolation of PEDV. The challenged neonatal piglets appeared watery diarrhea within one day post infection (dpi) and all died within 6 dpi. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations supported that PEDV is a major pathogen causing intestinal lesions. To further explore enteric viruses associated with neonatal piglet diarrhea, metagenomics sequencing was performed for the diarrheic piglets. Remarkably, PKV was the most abundant virus (58.33%) followed by PEDV (34.45%) and PAstVs (7.22%), which were also confirmed by real-time RT-PCR assays. Significant in vivo replications of PEDV and PKV could only be observed in challenged piglets whilst PAstVs maintained similar virus loads in both challenged and mock infected piglets. Overall, this study provides first pathogenic and metagenomic evidence that significant proliferations of PEDV and PKV are closely associated with severe diarrhea in neonatal piglets, while PAstVs likely play limited roles in neonatal piglet diarrhea. • Pathogenic analysis suggested that PEDV is likely associated with 2019–2020 Xinjiang diarrhea outbreaks. • Metagenomics sequencing identified PEDV, PKV and PAstVs from severe diarrheic piglets. • Significant in vivo replications of PEDV and PKV were only detected in diarrheic neonatal piglets. • PAstVs maintained similar virus loads in both challenged and mock infected piglets during the animal study. • PEDV and PKV are closely associated with diarrheic diseases while PAstVs may play a limited role in neonatal piglet diarrhea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two chimeric PRRSV strains containing consensus sequences of ORF2-4 or ORF5-6 genes were generated. • These chimeric viruses had distinct in vitro and in vivo replication efficacy. • Pig inoculation of both chimeric viruses did not cause obvious clinical signs. • Both chimeric viruses could induce heterologous nAbs but only confer partial cross protection. • Minor and major envelope proteins probably have synergistic effects on inducing heterologous nAbs and conferring cross protection. High genetic diversity of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolates is a major obstacle for the development of effective PRRS vaccines. A chimeric highly pathogenic PRRSV2 (HP-PRRSV2) strain containing the consensus sequence of ORF2-6 genes was constructed in our previous study, which could induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) and confer satisfied cross protection against virulent NADC30-like isolate. To further elucidate the roles of minor and major envelope proteins encoded by ORF2-4 and ORF5-6 genes in conferring cross protection, two chimeric HP-PRRSV2 strains (rJS-ORF2-4-CON and rJS-ORF5-6-CON) containing consensus sequences of ORF2-4 or ORF5-6 were constructed and rescued in this study. The rJS-ORF5-6-CON strain has similar replication efficiency as the backbone HP-PRRSV2 rJSTZ1712-12 virus, while rJS-ORF2-4-CON has significantly lower in vitro and in vivo replication efficiency comparing to rJS-ORF5-6-CON. Animal inoculation indicated that both rJS-ORF2-4-CON and rJS-ORF5-6-CON did not cause obvious clinical signs in piglets and could induce heterologous nAbs after immunization. Challenge with a virulent heterologous NADC30-like SD17-38 isolate showed that even though both immunized groups presented lower viremia, faster virus elimination, less fever and alleviated lung gross lesions when compared with the only challenged pigs, rJS-ORF2-4-CON and rJS-ORF5-6-CON could not confer enough cross protection. Considering the bnAbs and satisfied cross protection induced by the chimeric virus containing ORF2-6 consensus sequence, our results support that minor and major envelope proteins play synergistic roles in inducing broader nAbs and conferring better cross protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most abundant natural polymer on the pl anet, cellulose has a wide range of applications in the biomedical field. Cellulose-based hydrogels further expand the applications of this class of biomaterials. However, a number of publications and technical reports are mainly about traditional preparation methods. Sonochemistry offers a simple and green route to material synthesis with the biomedical application of ultrasound. The tiny acoustic bubbles, produced by the propagating sound wave, enclose an incredible facility where matter interact among at energy as high as 13 eV to spark extraordinary chemical reactions. Ultrasonication not only improves the efficiency of cellulose extraction from raw materials, but also influences the hydrogel preparation process. The primary objective of this article is to review the literature concerning the biomedical cellulose-based hydrogel prepared via sonochemistry and application of ultrasound for hydrogel. An innovated category of recent generations of hydrogel materials prepared via ultrasound was also presented in some details. [Display omitted] • The application of ultrasonic treatment in cellulose extraction are introduced. • The key control parameters of ultrasonic treatment are described. • The role of ultrasonic treatment in the preparation of cellulose hydrogels are summarized. • The application and future development direction of ultrasonic treatment in cellulose-based hydrogels are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since we first reported porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus 1 (PRRSV1) wild type strains in mainland China in 2011, PRRSV1 infection has been detected in more than 20 provinces in China. During the routine investigation of PRRSV1 epidemiology in 2022, we isolated a novel PRRSV1 strain (SD1291) from an adult slaughter pig in Linyi, Shandong Province. The SD1291 could only be isolated with primary alveolar macrophages (PAMs), not with Marc-145 cells. In addition, the 2022 SD1291 isolate has higher in vitro replication efficacy than the 2014 PRRSV1 HLJB1 isolate in PAMs. Due to high genetic variation, the complete genome of SD1291 was determined by metagenomic sequencing, which showed that SD1291 shares the highest genome similarity (88.12%) with the PRRSV1 HeB47 isolate. Sequence alignment results identified a four-amino-acid deletion in nsp2 and a five-amino-acid deletion in the GP3 and GP4 overlap region of SD1291. A complete-genome-based phylogenetic tree showed that SD1291 is grouped with BJEU06-1-like PRRSV1 isolates. A piglets' challenge study showed that SD1291 can cause high fever (the highest is 41°C), reduced weight gain, mild lung consolidation, and interstitial pneumonia indicating that SD1291 is a pathogenic PRRSV1 isolate. Overall, this study first identified a novel pathogenic PRRSV1 isolate from an adult slaughter pig in China. Our findings also suggested that new PRRSV1 variants could escape the current PRRSV vaccination system and circulate in adult swine herds, which deserve more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolates show high genetic and pathogenic diversity. The mechanisms underlying different virulence of PRRSV isolates are still not fully clarified. Two highly homologous PRRSV isolates (XJ17-5 and JSTZ1712-12) with distinct virulence were identified in our previous study. To evaluate the association between host responses and different virulence, here we investigated the transcriptomic profiles of porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) infected with these two isolates. RNA-Seq results showed that there are 1932 differential expression genes (DEGs) between two PRRSV infected groups containing 1067 upregulation and 865 downregulation genes. Compared with the avirulent JSTZ1712-12 infected group, GO analysis identified significant enrichment gene sets not only associated with virus infection but also innate immune response in the virulent XJ17-5 infected group. In addition, KEGG analysis indicated significantly enriched genes associated with NOD-like and RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathways in XJ17-5 vs JSTZ1712-12 group. Furthermore, XJ17-5 isolate induced significantly higher levels of innate immune response associated genes (IL-1β, CXCL2, S100A8, OAS2, MX1, IFITM3, ISG15 and IFI6) than JSTZ1712-12 isolate, which were further confirmed by real-time PCR. Given that these two isolates share similar replication efficiency in vivo and in vitro , our results indicated that distinct virulence of PRRSV isolates is associated with different host innate immune responses. • PRRSV virulent XJ and avirulent JS isolates had similar replication efficiency in PAMs. • RNA-seq analysis identified significantly different expression genes in XJ vs JS group. • GO analysis suggested that XJ and JS infection induced different innate immune responses. • KEGG analysis identified DEGs associated with NOD-like and RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathways in XJ vs JS group. • Real-time PCR results supported that XJ and JS infection induced different innate immune responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been generally accepted that the number of oocyte pool in mammalian ovaries is limited and irreversibly consumed throughout the adulthood until menopause, which has been challenged by the existence of female germline stem cells (FGSCs) and their differentiation potentials into oocytes through mitosis. However, there have been a few reports about the existence of porcine FGSCs (pFGSCs) in the neonatal piglet ovarian tissues. In this study, the pFGSCs were isolated from the one day post partum (1 dpp) piglet ovaries by a differential anchoring velocity method combined with the magnetic cell sorting (MACS) using VASA antibody. The gene expression levels and in vitro differentiation potentials of pFGSCs were subsequently analyzed. The results showed that O ct4, C-kit, Vasa, Stella, Ifitm3 and Dazl were expressed in the pFGSCs. A small portion of pFGSCs (2.81 ± 0.76%) spontaneously differentiated into oocyte-like cells (OLCs) with a mean diameter of 50 μm and gene expressions of Vasa, Ifitm3, Blimp1, Gdf9, Zp3, Dazl and Stella. Compared with that of the spontaneous differentiation system, the differentiation rates of pFGSCs into OLCs were significantly increased after the co-supplementations of porcine follicular fluid (PFF) and retinoic acid (RA). Taken together, these above results revealed the direct evidences for the existence of pFGSCs in 1 dpp piglet ovaries and the in vitro differentiation potential of pFGSCs into OLCs, benefiting future research related to the in vitro establishment of livestock FGSCs and the in vitro differentiation of pFGSCs. • FGSCs were isolated from neonatal porcine ovary by differential anchoring velocity and magnetic cell sorting. • Co-supplementations of porcine follicular fluid and retinoic acid benefited the differentiation of pFGSCs into OLCs. • Different methylation modification patterns were found between the OLCs and GV oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real‐time automatic displacement monitoring of metro tunnels is vital for ensuring operational safety and contributes to carbon reduction goals by improving system efficiency. This study focuses on key monitoring elements such as displacement, settlement, convergence, and cracking. Through the analysis of continuous monitoring data, a real‐time displacement monitoring model for metro tunnels based on robotic total stations is proposed. This model can timely identify potential risks, thereby ensuring the safe operation of tunnels and reducing carbon emissions from unnecessary maintenance operations, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of metro operations. This article takes the Jinan Metro Tunnel Displacement Real‐time Monitoring Project in China as a case study and constructs a comprehensive monitoring framework using robotic total stations, intelligent automated deformation monitoring data collectors, and cloud servers. The implementation details of the project, displacement monitoring principles, monitoring system construction, and data analysis processes are elaborated in detail. Taking the monitoring data of Jinan Metro Line 2 from April 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023, as an example, the results show that the tunnel displacement is within the safe range, verifying the practical application value of the method proposed in this paper. It can effectively ensure the safe operation of the metro and promote sustainable development and low‐carbon metro construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canopy litter is an important component of coarse woody debris (CWD), which affects nutrient and carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. For marcescent plant species (characterized by dead branches and leaves remaining in the canopy for several years before abscission), nutrient resorption from senescing leaves is an important nutrient conservation strategy. However, investigating the ecological function of canopy litter is challenging due to its limited accessibility and also the heterogeneous canopy microclimate in terms of light transmission, temperature and moisture. We studied the spatiotemporal distribution of canopy litter mass and seasonal dynamics of leaf nutrients and nutrient resorption during senescence in the canopy along a chronosequence of Chinese fir [ Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook] plantations in southeast China. The dry mass weight of dead branches and dead leaves in the canopy significantly increased with stand stage (14.6, 14.2, and 17.4 t ha−1 for young, middle-aged, and mature stands respectively), accounting for high proportions of total aboveground litter of 85.7%, 79.1% and 80.0%, respectively, along with annual litterfall production (2.44, 3.75, and 4.34 t ha−1, respectively). The canopy height distribution of dead branches and leaves also increased with stand age, ranging from 0 to 4 m in young stands, 3–8 m in middle-aged stands, to 4–10 m in mature stands. The seasonal pattern of canopy litter mass was the inverse of litterfall production: canopy litter mass peaked, while litterfall production was lowest in winter. Mean N, P, K, and Mg nutrient resorption efficiencies across stands at each stage were 53.8–58.9%, 64.0–68.9%, 85.0–90.2%, and 46.5–56.6%, respectively, while Ca was not retranslocated from senescing leaves. In summary, Chinese fir plantations retain large amounts of dead branches and leaves in the canopy from which at least ~50% of the nutrients N, P, K and Mg are recycled, representing an important nutrient conservation strategy that has evolved to adapt to nutrient-limited habitats. Canopy litter therefore plays an important role in these forest plantation ecosystems and should be protected instead of being removed from the canopy to the forest floor. Unlabelled Image • Canopy litter mass spatiotemporal dynamics varied in a Chinese fir chronosequence. • Canopy litter biomass increased over time, accounting for ~80% aboveground litter. • N, P, K, and Mg concentrations decreased during senescence before litterfall. • N, P, K, and Mg resorption efficiencies varied seasonally and among developmental stages. • Resorption from canopy litter contributes significantly to nutrient cycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of an antibacterial film is imperative for the preservation and transportation of food. In the present work, we prepared a pullulan derivative/sodium alginate composite film. This composite film exhibited an excellent film-forming ability and water vapor barrier. In addition, with 11% light transmittance in the visible region, this film exhibited worthwhile light barrier properties. Further, the addition of sodium alginate improved the mechanical properties of the composite film (34 MPa). The active amino groups on the pullulan derivative backbone induced antimicrobial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus. This study can provide an essential guideline for the preparation of antibacterial food packaging films in the future. • Successfully synthesized two new pullulan polysaccharide derivatives. • Preparation and characterization of the composite film (pullulan derivatives/sodium alginate). • The composite films had good water vapor barrier, UV blocking properties and antibacterial properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural heterogeneity has been proposed as a key intrinsic feature and mechanism underline unique properties and dynamic behavior of metallic glasses; however, it is still challenging in precisely describing and effectively characterizing the atomic-scale heterogeneity in metallic glasses. In this work, we employed the Meissner effect of superconductivity in magnetic susceptibility measurements as a sensitive bulk probe and successfully revealed the three-dimensional structural heterogeneity and its two-way evolution tuned by structural aging or rejuvenation in a La-based metallic glass. Compared with the resistivity measurements which only signal the most superconductive loop in inhomogeneous materials, the diamagnetic susceptibility signal of the Meissner effect maps the volumetric distribution of all superconductive regions and the corresponding structural heterogeneity in metallic glasses with high sensitivity. The experimental results reported in this article can be well interpreted based on a structural model of tunable "soft liquid-like" regions with soft vibration modes mixed with "hard solid-like" regions, validating the heterogeneity models of metallic glasses with new experimental data and approach. • The Meissner effect can be used to uncover the intrinsic structural heterogeneity in superconductive metallic glasses. • The heterogeneity degree and volumetric distribution of metallic glasses can be estimated by the diamagnetic susceptibility. • The diamagnetic susceptibility is susceptible to structural changes caused by aging or rejuvenation of metallic glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the recent years, plant polyphenols have gained significant attention in oncotherapy. Accumulating evidence indicates that polyphenols have potential antitumor properties for multiple types of cancer. But their regulatory mechanisms are still elusive. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) were identified involving in regulating tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Recent evidence has suggested that a number of ncRNAs, including main small ncRNAs (microRNA, miRNA) and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), play crucial roles concerning the anticancer effects of polyphenols. Indeed, targeting the miRNAs or lncRNAs by polyphenols will be a novel and promising strategy in anticancer chemotherapy. Herein, we displayed the effects of plant polyphenols in different cancers, highlighted the double role of main ncRNAs as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes involved in different cancer developments, and critically reviewed the potential applications of polyphenols on main ncRNAs regulations involved in oncogenic and tumor suppressor ncRNAs, which implied that polyphenols regulating ncRNAs to exert antitumor effects may be a new strategy for tumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roses are important woody plants featuring a set of important traits that cannot be investigated in traditional model plants. Here, we used the restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) technology to develop a high-density linkage map of the backcross progeny (BC1F1) between Rosa chinensis 'Old Blush' (OB) and R. wichuraiana 'Basyes' Thornless' (BT). We obtained 643.63 million pair-end reads and identified 139,834 polymorphic tags that were distributed uniformly in the rose genome. 2,213 reliable markers were assigned to seven linkage groups (LGs). The length of the genetic map was 1,027.425 cM in total with a mean distance of 0.96 cM per marker locus. This new linkage map allowed anchoring an extra of 1.21/23.14 Mb (12.18/44.52%) of the unassembled OB scaffolds to the seven reference pseudo-chromosomes, thus significantly improved the quality of assembly of OB reference genome. We demonstrate that, while this new linkage map shares high collinearity level with strawberry genome, it also features two chromosomal rearrangements, indicating its usefulness as a resource for understanding the evolutionary scenario among Rosaceae genomes. Together with the newly released genome sequences for OB, this linkage map will facilitate the identification of genetic components underpinning key agricultural and biological traits, hence should greatly advance the studies and breeding efforts of rose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Photosynthetic cyanobacteria have attracted a significant attention as promising chassis to produce renewable fuels and chemicals due to their capability to utilizing solar energy and CO2. Notably, the enhancing supply of key precursors like malonyl-CoA would benefit the production of many bio-compounds. Nevertheless, the lacking of genetic tools in cyanobacteria, especially the knockdown strategies for essential pathways, has seriously restricted the attempts to re-direct carbon flux from the central carbohydrate metabolism to the synthesis of bioproducts. Results: Aiming at developing new genetic tools, two small RNA regulatory tools are reported for the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, based on paired termini RNAs as well as the exogenous Hfq chaperone and MicC scaffold (Hfq-MicC) previously developed in Escherichia coli. Both regulatory tools functioned well in regulating exogenous reporter gene lacZ and endogenous glgC gene in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803, achieving a downregulation of gene expression up to 90% compared with wildtype. In addition, the Hfq-MicC tool was developed to simultaneously regulate multiple genes related to essential fatty acids biosynthesis, which led to decreased fatty acids content by 11%. Furthermore, aiming to re-direct the carbon flux, the Hfq-MicC tool was utilized to interfere the competing pathway of malonyl-CoA, achieving an increased intracellular malonyl-CoA abundance up to 41% (~ 698.3 pg/mL/OD730 nm) compared to the wildtype. Finally, the Hfq-MicC system was further modified into an inducible system based on the theophylline-inducible riboswitch. Conclusions: In this study, two small RNA regulatory tools for manipulating essential metabolic pathways and re-directing carbon flux are reported for Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The work introduces efficient and valuable metabolic regulatory strategies for photosynthetic cyanobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aspartic proteases (APs) are a class of aspartic peptidases belonging to nine proteolytic enzyme families whose members are widely distributed in biological organisms. APs play essential functions during plant development and environmental adaptation. However, there are few reports about APs in fast-growing moso bamboo. Result: In this study, we identified a total of 129 AP proteins (PhAPs) encoded by the moso bamboo genome. Phylogenetic and gene structure analyses showed that these 129 PhAPs could be divided into three categories (categories A, B and C). The PhAP gene family in moso bamboo may have undergone gene expansion, especially the members of categories A and B, although homologs of some members in category C have been lost. The chromosomal location of PhAPs suggested that segmental and tandem duplication events were critical for PhAP gene expansion. Promoter analysis revealed that PhAPs in moso bamboo may be involved in plant development and responses to environmental stress. Furthermore, PhAPs showed tissue-specific expression patterns and may play important roles in rapid growth, including programmed cell death, cell division and elongation, by integrating environmental signals such as light and gibberellin signals. Conclusion: Comprehensive analysis of the AP gene family in moso bamboo suggests that PhAPs have experienced gene expansion that is distinct from that in rice and may play an important role in moso bamboo organ development and rapid growth. Our results provide a direction and lay a foundation for further analysis of plant AP genes to clarify their function during rapid growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This present study investigated the effect of bioactive peptide (BAPT) (BAPT) on the quality of ram semen during cryopreservation. Ram ejaculates were extended with Tris buffer supplemented with no antioxidants (as control group), 20 μg/mL BAPT (as BAPT20 group), 40 μg/mL BAPT (as BAPT40 group) and 60 μg/mL BAPT (as BAPT60 group). After cryopreservation, sperm quality including motility, vitality, the percentage of hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST)-positive spermatozoa and the percentage of intact acrosomes was assessed. Furthermore, the malondialdehyde (MDA) in seminal plasma and spermatozoa were analyzed, followed by the measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels in seminal plasma. After in vitro fertilization, the embryonic cleavage rates and development rates of different groups were analyzed to compare the developmental abilities of spermatozoa. The results showed that the post-thaw sperm motility was significantly higher in the BAPT60 group compared to those in the BAPT20, BAPT40 and control groups (P < 0.05). The percentage of live sperms significantly increased from 48.12 ± 2.35% for the BAPT20 group, 55.43 ± 2.16% for the BAPT40 group to 57.53 ± 3.15% for the BAPT60 group. The percentage of HOST-positive spermatozoa was significantly higher in the BAPT60 group than those in BAPT20, BAPT40 and control groups (P < 0.05). The MDA levels in seminal plasma and spermatozoa were significantly reduced with BAPT supplement (P < 0.05). Additionally, the SOD, CAT and GSH-Px levels in the BAPT experimental groups were significantly higher than those of the control group, which further indicated that BAPT significantly inhibit the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during the cryopreservation of ram semen. Furthermore, the embryonic cleavage rates and development rates of the BAPT40 and BAPT60 groups were significantly increased in comparison with the BAPT20 and control groups (P < 0.05). In conclusion, BAPT improved the ram sperm quality via inhibiting the ROS production during cryopreservation, and could be applied as a promising supplement for ram semen cryopreservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnOnps) into collagen is a promising strategy for fabricating biomaterials with excellent antibacterial activity, but modifications are necessary due to the low zinc binding affinity of native collagen, which can cause disturbances to the functions of both ZnOnps and collagen and result in heterogeneous effects. To address this issue, we have developed a genetically encoded zinc-binding collagen-like protein, Zn-eCLP3, which was genetically modified by Scl2 collagen-like protein. Our study found that Zn-eCLP3 has a binding affinity for zinc that is 3-fold higher than that of commercialized type I collagen, as determined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Using ZnOnps-coordinated Zn-eCLP3 protein and xanthan gum, we prepared a hydrogel that showed significantly stronger antibacterial activity compared to a collagen hydrogel prepared in the same manner. In vitro cytocompatibility tests were conducted to assess the potential of the Zn-eCLP3 hydrogel for wound repair applications. In vivo experiments, which involved an S. aureus -infected mouse trauma model, showed that the application of the Zn-eCLP3 hydrogel resulted in rapid wound regeneration and increased expression of collagen-1α and cytokeratin-14. Our study highlights the potential of Zn-eCLP3 and the hybrid hydrogel for further studies and applications in wound repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer, with unsatisfactory survival rates, is the leading cause of cancer‐related death in women worldwide. Recent advances in the genetic basis of breast cancer have benefitted the development of gene‐based medicines and therapies. Tissue engineering technologies, including tissue decellularizations and reconstructions, are potential therapeutic alternatives for cancer research and tissue regeneration. In our study, human breast cancer biopsies were decellularized by a detergent technique, with sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) solution, for the first time. And the decellularization process was optimized to maximally maintain tissue microarchitectures and extracellular matrix (ECM) components with minimal DNA compounds preserved. Histology analysis and DNA quantification results confirmed the decellularization effect with maximal genetic compounds removal. Quantification, immunofluorescence, and histology analyses demonstrated better preservation of ECM components in 0.5% SLES‐treated scaffolds. Scaffolds seeded with MCF‐7 cells demonstrated the process of cell recellularization in vitro, with increased cell migration, proliferation, and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. When treated with 5‐fluorouracil, the expressions of stem cell markers, including Oct4, Sox2, and CD49F, were maximally maintained in the recellularized scaffold with decreased apoptosis rates compared with monolayer cells. These results showed that the decellularized breast scaffold model with SLES treatments would help to simulate the pathogenesis of breast cancer in vitro. And we hope that this model could further accelerate the development of effective therapies for breast cancer and benefit drug screenings. In our study, human breast cancer biopsies were decellularized by the detergent technique with sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) solution for the first time. Scaffolds seeded with MCF‐7 cells demonstrated the process of cell recellularization in vitro, with increased cell migration, proliferation, and epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. When treated with 5‐fluorouracil (5‐Fu), the expressions of stem cell markers, including Oct4, Sox2, and CD49F, were maximally maintained in the recellularized scaffold with decreased apoptosis rates compared with monolayer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer‐related death in women with unsatisfactory survival rates. Advances in the understanding of the genetic basis of BC provide the opportunity to develop gene‐based medicines capable of treating metastatic diseases. Here, we first demonstrated efficient tissue engineering approaches applied to normal breast and BC extracellular matrix (ECM) starting from decellularized human biopsies to generate a three‐dimensional (3D) bioactive model with the sodium lauryl ether sulfate solution. The decellularized tissues maximized the genetic component removal from tissues and minimally injured ECM structures and native compositions by histology and ECM compositions analyses. Importantly, we proved that the 3D ECM retained tissues biological properties. We demonstrated that after 30 days of recellularization with MCF‐7 cell (human breast adenocarcinoma cell line), the 3D cancer ECM induced an overexpression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer proliferation. Meanwhile, normal ECM from the breast inhibited EMT and cell growth with the inducement of apoptosis. Given the biological activity preserved in the ECM after decellularization, we believe these approaches are powerful tools for future preclinical research for BC and breast development. The decellularized tissues of normal human breast tissues and cancer tissues maximized the genetic component removal from tissues and minimally injured extracellular matrix (ECM) structures and native compositions. After 30 days of recellularization with MCF‐7 cell, the three‐dimensional cancer ECM induced an overexpression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer proliferation. Meanwhile, normal ECM from breast inhibited EMT and cell growth with the inducement of apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus 1 (PRRSV-1) has been prevalent in more than 20 provinces of China. However, no PRRSV-1-specific vaccine is commercially available in China. To evaluate the feasibility of using a low virulent PRRSV-1 isolate against potential outbreaks caused by virulent Chinese PRRSV-1 isolates, here we evaluated the efficacy of a low virulent PRRSV-1 HLJB1 strain isolated in 2014 as live vaccine against a virulent PRRSV-1 SD1291 strain isolated in 2022. Genome-based phylogenetic analysis showed that both HLJB1 and SD1291 were grouped within BJEU06–1-like isolates. However, they shared only 85.27% genomic similarity. Piglet inoculation and challenge study showed that HLJB1 inoculation could reduce viremia but did not significantly alleviate clinical signs and tissue lesions. Virus neutralization test indicated that HLJB1 inoculation could induce homologous neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) but no heterologous NAbs at 42 dpi. In addition, flow cytometric analyses showed that no memory T follicular helper (Tfh) cells against SD1291 and SD1291-specific IFN-γ secreting cells were induced by HLJB1 pre-inoculation. These results supported that HLJB1 inoculation only provides partial cross-protection against SD1291 infection even though they are clustered within the same PRRSV-1 subgroup, which is closely related to the failure in conferring cross-protective adaptive immune responses. • HLJB1 and SD1291 are both BJEU06-1-like PRRSV-1 isolates. • HLJB1 inoculation only confers partial cross-protection against SD1291 challenge. • HLJB1 inoculation cannot induce memory Tfh cells against SD1291 infection. • HLJB1 inoculation may induce homologous NAbs but no heterologous NAbs. • HLJB1 inoculation cannot generate SD1291-specific IFN-γ secreting cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the features of congested traffic flow near the combination of off-ramp and on-ramp. Firstly, the stochastic off-ramp and on-ramp are designed. Then, a two-lane lattice hydrodynamic traffic flow model coupled with a combination bottleneck is proposed to reproduce the empirical phenomena. In the simulation, the asymmetric-lane change rules were adopted, and many congested traffic flow patterns were observed near the combination bottlenecks, such as homogeneous synchronized traffic (HST), moving localized cluster (MLC), triggered stop-and-go traffic (TSG), oscillating congested traffic (OCT), pinned localized cluster (PLC), and homogeneous congested traffic (HCT). The obtained simulation results suggest that the proposed model is good and can produce the observed congestion spatiotemporal traffic patterns well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Dyestuffs and heavy metal ions in water are seriously harmful to the ecological environment and human health. Three-dimensional (3D) flowerlike Fe(OH) 3 microspheres were synthesized through a green yet low-cost injection method, for the removal of organic dyes and heavy metal ions. The Fe(OH) 3 microspheres were characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The adsorption kinetics of Congo Red (CR) on Fe(OH) 3 microspheres obeyed the pseudo-second-order model. Cr6 + and Pb2 + adsorption behaviors on Fe(OH) 3 microspheres followed the Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacities of the synthesized Fe(OH) 3 were 308, 52.94, and 75.64 mg/g for CR, Cr6 +, and Pb2 + respectively. The enhanced adsorption performance originated from its surface properties and large specific surface area of 250 m2/g. The microspheres also have excellent adsorption stability and recyclability. Another merit of the Fe(OH) 3 material is that it also acts as a Fenton-like catalyst. These twin functionalities (both as adsorbent and Fenton-like catalyst) give the synthesized Fe(OH) 3 microspheres great potential in the field of water treatment. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, the chitosan and the glutaraldehyde (GA) were used to encapsulate pinecones polyphenols of Pinus koraiensis ( P. koraiensis ) by emulsification cross-linking technology. First, the prepared parameters (crosslinking agent amount, stirring speed, crosslinking temperature and emulsifying time) of the pinecones polyphenols microspheres (PPMs) were optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM). When chitosan concentration and crosslinking time were 2% and 80 min, respectively, the optimal conditions were 7.91 mL of crosslinking agent, stirring speed of 660.98 r/min, crosslinking temperature of 41.18 °C and emulsifying time of 198.65 min. The prepared PPMs embedding rate was 73.57%. The optimized PPM possessed a distinct core-shell structure and uniform spherical distribution with a particle size value of 3.4 μm. In addition, they had the excellent sustained-release characteristics in vitro . We also evaluated the radioprotective effects of PPMs against 60 Co-γ radiation in vivo . PPMs improved significantly the activity of the antioxidant enzyme SOD and reduce MDA level in the plasma of irradiated mice. Accordingly, PPMs could also significantly enhance the immunomodulation activity by promoting the proliferation of splenocytes and monocyte phagocytosis of irradiated mice. These results suggested that PPMs exert effective protection against radiation-induced injury by improving the antioxidant and immunomodulation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]