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Lymphocyte receptors independently evolved in both jawed and jawless vertebrates with similar adaptive immune responses. However, the diversity of functional subtypes and molecular architecture in jawless vertebrate lymphocytes, comparable to jawed species, is not well defined. Here, we profile the gills, intestines, and blood of the lamprey, Lampetra morii, with single-cell RNA sequencing, using a full-length transcriptome as a reference. Our findings reveal higher tissue-specific heterogeneity among T-like cells in contrast to B-like cells. Notably, we identify a unique T-like cell subtype expressing a homolog of the nonlymphoid hematopoietic growth factor receptor, MPL-like (MPL-L). These MPL-L+ T-like cells exhibit features distinct from T cells of jawed vertebrates, particularly in their elevated expression of hematopoietic genes. We further discovered that MPL-L+ VLRA+ T-like cells are widely present in the typhlosole, gill, liver, kidney, and skin of lamprey and they proliferate in response to both a T cell mitogen and recombinant human thrombopoietin. These findings provide new insights into the adaptive immune response in jawless vertebrates, shedding new light on the evolution of adaptive immunity. Lymphocyte subsets remain inadequately understood in jawless vertebrates, relative to jawed vertebrates. In this study, the authors combine single-cell RNA and whole-transcriptome sequencing to demonstrate that the lamprey, Lampreta morii, harbours specialised T-like cells that are distinct from those found in jawed vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elucidating cellular architecture and cell-type evolution across species is central to understanding immune system function and susceptibility to disease. Adaptive immunity is a shared trait of the common ancestor of cartilaginous and bony fishes. However, evolutionary features of lymphocytes in these two jawed vertebrates remain unclear. Here, we present a single-cell RNA sequencing atlas of immune cells from cartilaginous (white-spotted bamboo shark) and bony (zebrafish and Chinese tongue sole) fishes. Cross-species comparisons show that the same cell types across different species exhibit similar transcriptional profiles. In the bamboo shark, we identify a phagocytic B cell population expressing several pattern recognition receptors, as well as a T cell sub-cluster co-expressing both T and B cell markers. In contrast to a division by function in the bony fishes, we show close linkage and poor functional specialization among lymphocytes in the cartilaginous fish. Our cross-species single-cell comparison presents a resource for uncovering the origin and evolution of the gnathostome immune system. Both cartilaginous and bony fishes have adaptive immune cells, but the evolutionary features of these diverse cell populations remain understudied. Here the authors report single-cell RNA sequencing atlas of both species to define these features and to find reduced evolutionary diversification of immune cells in cartilaginous fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the transmission dynamics of maize streak virus infection, in the paper, we first formulate a stochastic maize streak virus infection model, in which the stochastic fluctuations are depicted by a logarithmic Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. This approach is reasonable to simulate the random impacts of main parameters both from the biological significance and the mathematical perspective. Then we investigate the detailed dynamics of the stochastic system, including the existence and uniqueness of the global solution, the existence of a stationary distribution, the exponential extinction of the infected maize and infected leafhopper vector. Especially, by solving the five-dimensional algebraic equations corresponding to the stochastic system, we obtain the specific expression of the probability density function near the quasi-endemic equilibrium of the stochastic system, which provides valuable insights into the stationary distribution. Finally, the model is discretized using the Milstein higher-order numerical method to illustrate our theoretical results numerically. Our findings provide a groundwork for better methods of preventing the spread of this type of virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems surpass certain human intelligence abilities in a statistical sense as a whole, but are not yet the true realization of these human intelligence abilities and behaviors. There are differences, and even contradictions, between the cognition and behavior of AI systems and humans. With the goal of achieving general AI, this study contains a review of the role of cognitive science in inspiring the development of the three mainstream academic branches of AI based on the three-layer framework proposed by David Marr, and the limitations of the current development of AI are explored and analyzed. The differences and inconsistencies between the cognition mechanisms of the human brain and the computation mechanisms of AI systems are analyzed. They are found to be the cause of the differences and contradictions between the cognition and behavior of AI systems and humans. Additionally, eight important research directions and their scientific issues that need to focus on brain-inspired AI research are proposed: highly imitated bionic information processing, a large-scale deep learning model that balances structure and function, multi-granularity joint problem solving bidirectionally driven by data and knowledge, AI models that simulate specific brain structures, a collaborative processing mechanism with the physical separation of perceptual processing and interpretive analysis, embodied intelligence that integrates the brain cognitive mechanism and AI computation mechanisms, intelligence simulation from individual intelligence to group intelligence (social intelligence), and AI-assisted brain cognitive intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common cause of kidney injury in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and is associated with increased mortality. DNA methylation, one of the most important epigenetic modifications, has been reported as a key player in the pathogenesis of SLE. Hence, our article aimed to explore DNA methylation in CD4+ T cells from LNs to identify additional potential biomarkers and pathogenic genes involved in the progression of LN. Methods: Our study enrolled 46 SLE patients with or without kidney injury and 23 healthy controls from 2019 to 2022. CD4+ T cells were sorted for DNA methylation genotyping and RNA-seq. Through bioinformatics analysis, we identified the significant differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs) only in the LN group and validated them by Bisulfite PCR. Integration analysis was used to screen for differentially methylated and expressed genes that might be involved in the progression of LN, and the results were analyzed via cell experiments and flow cytometry. Results: We identified 243 hypomethylated sites and 778 hypermethylated sites only in the LN cohort. Three of these DMPs, cg08332381, cg03297029, and cg16797344, were validated by Bisulfite PCR and could be potential biomarkers for LN. Integrated analysis revealed that the expression of BCL2L14 and IFI27 was regulated by DNA methylation, which was validated by azacytidine (5-aza) treatment. The overexpression of BCL2L14 in CD4+ T cells might induce renal fibrosis and inflammation by regulating the differentiation and function of Tfh cells. Conclusion: Our study identified novel aberrant DMPs in CD4+ T cells only in LN patients and DNA methylation-regulated genes that could be potential LN biomarkers. BCL2L14 is likely involved in the progression of LN and might be a treatment target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphological adjustments of euhalophytes are well-known to be influenced by the soil-soluble salt variation; however, whether and how these changes in morphological traits alter the biomass allocation pattern remains unclear, especially under different NaCl levels. Therefore, an allometric analysis was applied to investigate the biomass allocation pattern and morphological plasticity, and the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometric characteristics of the euhalophyte Suaeda Salsa (S. salsa) at the four soil-soluble salt levels of no salt (NS), light salt (LS), moderate salt (MS), and heavy salt (HS). The results showed that soil-soluble salts significantly change the biomass allocation to the stems and leaves (p < 0.05). With the growth of S. salsa, the NS treatment produced a downward leaf mass ratio (LMR) and upward stem mass ratio (SMR); this finding was completely different from that for the salt treatments. When S. salsa was harvested on the 100th day, the HS treatment had the highest LMR (61%) and the lowest SMR (31%), while the NS treatment was the opposite, with an LMR of 44% and an SMR of 50%. Meanwhile, the soil-soluble salt reshaped the morphological characteristics of S. salsa (e.g., root length, plant height, basal stem diameter, and leaf succulence). Combined with the stoichiometric characteristics, N uptake restriction under salt stress is a vital reason for inhibited stem growth. Although the NS treatment had the highest biomass (48.65 g root box−1), the LS treatment had the highest salt absorption (3.73 g root box−1). In conclusion, S. salsa can change its biomass allocation pattern through morphological adjustments to adapt to different saline–alkali habitats. Moreover, it has an optimal biological desalting effect in lightly saline soil dominated by NaCl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This explorative research aimed to elucidate the stock profile and optimum catch limit of the king mackerel (Scomberomorus guttatus) stock by collecting data in the upper Bay of Bengal. This study used three length-based methods and a catch-based method to determine the growth parameters and biological reference points (BRPs) of king mackerel. A negative allometric growth pattern (b = 2.50) was observed in the length–weight relationship. The life history parameters were estimated as L∞ = 117.35 cm, k = 0.42 year−1 and the mortality estimates were the total mortality (Z = 1.18 year−1), natural mortality (M = 0.46 year−1) and fishing mortality (F = 0.72 year−1). The results show that this fishery is currently likely to be overfished due to overexploitation (F/M = >1) and the stock's spawning biomass (SPR = 9%) is substantially lower than the target reference point because most of the catch (70%) was found to have under the maturity level. The recommended minimum total length for the catch is >59 cm and a yearly catch limit of 2400 mt as OFL (Over Fishing Limit) for the next ten years coordinated with the existing precautionary measures such as an annual fishing ban to raise the stock's biomass over the BMSY level for maintaining sustainable yield of 4516 mt as MSY. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a complex multifactorial clinical syndrome leading to abnormal cardiac structure and function. The severe form of this ailment is characterized by high disability, high mortality, and morbidity. Worldwide, 2–17% of patients die at first admission, of which 17–45% die within 1 year of admission and >50% within 5 years. Yangshen Maidong Decoction (YSMDD) is frequently used to treat the deficiency and pain of the heart. The specific mechanism of action of YSMDD in treating CHF, however, remains unclear. Therefore, a network pharmacology-based strategy combined with molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations was employed to investigate the potential molecular mechanism of YSMDD against CHF. The effective components and their targets of YSMDD and related targets of CHF were predicted and screened based on the public database. The network pharmacology was used to explore the potential targets and possible pathways that involved in YSMDD treated CHF. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to elucidate the binding affinity between the YSMDD and CHF targets. Screen results, 10 main active ingredients, and 6 key targets were acquired through network pharmacology analysis. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that intersectional targets associated pathways were enriched in the Prostate cancer pathway, Hepatitis B pathway, and C-type lectin receptor signaling pathways. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations analysis suggested 5 critical active ingredients have high binding affinity to the 5 key targets. This research shows the multiple active components and molecular mechanisms of YSMDD in the treatment of CHF and offers resources and suggestions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zn‐ion batteries (ZIBs) have gathered unprecedented interest recently benefiting from their intrinsic safety, affordability, and environmental benignity. Nevertheless, their practical implementation is hampered by low rate performance, inferior Zn2+ diffusion kinetics, and undesired parasitic reactions. Innovative solutions are put forth to address these issues by optimizing the electrodes, separators, electrolytes, and interfaces. Remarkably, polymers with inherent properties of low‐density, high processability, structural flexibility, and superior stability show great promising in tackling the challenges. Herein, the recent progress in the synthesis and customization of functional polymers in aqueous ZIBs is outlined. The recent implementations of polymers into each component are summarized, with a focus on the inherent mechanisms underlying their unique functions. The challenges of incorporating polymers into practical ZIBs are also discussed and possible solutions to circumvent them are proposed. It is hoped that such a deep analysis could accelerate the design of polymer‐derived approaches to boost the performance of ZIBs and other aqueous battery systems as they share similarities in many aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-generational asexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. will cause seedling species degeneration. Sexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. seed is an effective method to solve the problem of degeneration. The development of Gastrodia elata Bl. seeds cannot be separated from the germination fungus. However, there are few strains of germination fungus in production, and there is also the problem of species degradation in application for many years. It is very important for the sexual reproduction of Gastrodia elata Bl. to isolate more new strains of excellent germination fungus from the origin. This study used the Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds germination vegetative propagation corms capture method to isolate its symbiotic germination fungus, and comprehensively identified the species of germination fungus by colony morphology, ITS, sporocarps regeneration and germination function, and compared the growth characteristics and germination ability with other germination fungus (Mycena purpureofusca, Mycena dendrobii and Mycena osmundicola). The germination fungus was isolated from the vegetative propagation corms of Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds and named GYGL-1. After comprehensive identification, GYGL-1 was Mycetinis scorodonius. Compared with other germination fungus, GYGL-1 has fast germination speed, vigorous growth, and high germination ability for Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds. Innovated the isolation method of Gastrodia elata Bl. seeds germination fungus, obtained the regenerated sporocarps of the germination fungus, and discovered that Mycetinis scorodonius has a new function of germinating Gastrodia elata Bl. f. glauca S. chow seeds, enriching the resource library of Gastrodia elata Bl. germination fungus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a malignant tumor with low overall cure and survival rates. Uncovering abnormally expressed genes is significantly important for developing novel targeted therapies in NSCLC. This study aimed to discover new differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of NSCLC. The DEGs of NSCLC were identified in eight data sets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The expression profiles and the prognostic significance of SCN4B in LUAD and LUSC were analyzed using GEPIA database. LinkedOmics was used to identify co‐expressed genes with SCN4B, which were further subjected to KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. SCN4B‐overexpressing plasmid (pcDNA/SCN4B) was transfected into A549 and NCI‐H2170 cells to elevate the expression of SCN4B. MTT and TUNEL assays were performed to evaluate cell viability and apoptosis. Relying on the screened DEGs from GEO database, we identified that SCN4B was significantly downregulated in LUAD and LUSC. We confirmed the downregulation of SCN4B in NSCLC tissues using GEPIA database. SCN4B has a prognostic value in LUAD, but not LUSC. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of SCN4B‐related genes showed that cGMP‐PKG signaling pathway might be involved in the role of SCN4B in NSCLC. Overexpression of SCN4B in A549 and NCI‐H2170 cells inhibited the cell viability. Besides, SCN4B overexpression induced apoptosis of A549 and NCI‐H2170 cells. SCN4B inhibited the expression of PKG1 and p‐CREB in NSCLC cells. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of SCN4B on tumor malignancy were attenuated by the activator of PKG. In conclusion, integrated bioinformatical analysis proved that SCN4B was downregulated and had a prognostic significance in NSCLC. In vitro experimental studies demonstrated that SCN4B regulated NSCLC cells viability and apoptosis via inhibiting cGMP‐PKG signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dactylicapnos is a climbing herbaceous vine, distributed from the Himalayas to southwestern China, and some of the species have important medicinal values. However, the chloroplast genomes of Dactylicapnos have never been investigated. In this study, chloroplast genomes of seven Dactylicapnos species covering all three sections and one informal group of Dactylicapnos were sequenced and assembled, and the detailed comparative analyses of the chloroplast genome structure were provided for the first time. Results: The results showed that the chloroplast genomes of Dactylicapnos have a typical quadripartite structure with lengths from 172,344 bp to 176,370 bp, encoding a total of 133–140 genes, containing 88–94 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs and 37–39 tRNAs. 31 codons were identified as relative synonymous codon usage values greater than one in the chloroplast genome of Dactylicapnos genus based on 80 protein-coding genes. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that seven Dactylicapnos species can be divided into three main categories. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that seven species form three major clades which should be treated as three sections. Conclusions: This study provides the initial report of the chloroplast genomes of Dactylicapnos, their structural variation, comparative genomic and phylogenetic analysis for the first time. The results provide important genetic information for development of medical resources, species identification, infrageneric classification and diversification of Dactylicapnos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Papaveraceae, Corydalis sunhangii, in the section Trachycarpae, is described and illustrated from Nyingchi City, Xizang, China. The new species has some resemblance to Corydalis kingdonis, but differs by radical leaves prominent, usually several, blade tripinnate (vs. insignificant, few, blade bi‐ to triternate); cauline leaf usually one, much smaller than radical leaves, usually situated in lower half of stem (vs. usually two, larger than radical leaves, concentrated in upper third of stem); racemes densely 13–35‐flowered (vs. rather lax, 4–11‐flowered); claw of lower petal shallowly saccate (vs. very prominently and deeply saccate); capsule oblong, with raised lines of dense papillae (vs. broadly obovoid, smooth). Phylogenetic analysis, based on 68 protein‐coding plastid genes of 49 samples, shows that C. sunhangii is not closely related to any hitherto described species, which is consistent with our morphological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of Papaveraceae, Corydalis sunhangii, in the section Trachycarpae, is described and illustrated from Nyingchi City, Xizang, China. The new species has some resemblance to Corydalis kingdonis, but differs by radical leaves prominent, usually several, blade tripinnate (vs. insignificant, few, blade bi‐ to triternate); cauline leaf usually one, much smaller than radical leaves, usually situated in lower half of stem (vs. usually two, larger than radical leaves, concentrated in upper third of stem); racemes densely 13–35‐flowered (vs. rather lax, 4–11‐flowered); claw of lower petal shallowly saccate (vs. very prominently and deeply saccate); capsule oblong, with raised lines of dense papillae (vs. broadly obovoid, smooth). Phylogenetic analysis, based on 68 protein‐coding plastid genes of 49 samples, shows that C. sunhangii is not closely related to any hitherto described species, which is consistent with our morphological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Zoo visitors frequently interact with animals, heightening the potential for the transmission of zoonotic parasitic diseases between humans and animals. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of zoonotic gastrointestinal protozoa in animals from five cities in China, elucidating the species and infection rates of these parasites. The findings revealed a high incidence of intestinal parasitic protozoal infections in zoo animals, with the identified zoonotic species and genotypes including Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Blastocystis spp. The imperative to prevent and control parasitic diseases in zoos extends beyond the realm of protection and management; it holds significant public health implications. Zoo animals, harboring zoonotic gastrointestinal protozoal diseases, pose potential hazards to the safety of visitors and animal keepers. This study involved the collection and examination of 400 fresh fecal samples from 68 animal species, obtained from five zoos. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence, genetic characteristics, and zoonotic potential of common gastrointestinal protists. PCR or nested PCR analysis was conducted on these samples to detect four specific parasites: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, and Blastocystis spp. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp was 0.5% (2/400), G. duodenalis was 6.0% (24/400), Blastocystis spp. was 24.5% (98/400), and E. bieneusi was 13.5% (54/400). G. duodenalis, Blastocystis spp., and E. bieneusi were detected in all of the zoos, exhibiting various zoonotic genotypes or subtypes. G. duodenalis-positive samples exhibited three assemblages (D, E, and B). Blastocystis spp. subtypes (ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST5, ST8, ST10, ST13, and ST14) and one unknown subtype (ST) were identified. A total of 12 genotypes of E. bieneusi were identified, including SC02, BEB6, Type IV, pigEBITS 7, Peru8, PtEb IX, D, CD9, EbpC, SCBB1, CM4, and CM7. Moreover, significant differences in the positive rates among different zoos were observed (p < 0.01). The findings indicate that zoo animals in China are affected by a range of intestinal protozoa infections. Emphasizing molecular identification for specific parasite species or genotypes is crucial for a better understanding of the zoonotic risk. Preventing and controlling parasitic diseases in zoos is not only vital for zoo protection and management but also holds significant public health implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neospora caninum is an apicomplexan parasite that is particularly responsible for abortions in cattle and neuromuscular disease in dogs. Due to the limited effectiveness of currently available drugs, there is an urgent need for new therapeutic approaches to control neosporosis. Luciferase-based assays are potentially powerful tools in the search for antiprotozoal compounds, permitting the development of faster and more automated assays. The aim of this study was to construct a luciferase-expressing N. caninum and evaluate anti-N. caninum drugs. Methods: Luciferase-expressing N. caninum (Nc1-Luc) was constructed using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9). After testing the luciferase expression and phenotype of the Nc1-Luc strains, the drug sensitivity of Nc1-Luc strains was determined by treating them with known positive or negative drugs and calculating the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The selective pan-rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (pan-RAF) inhibitor TAK-632 was then evaluated for anti-N. caninum effects using Nc1-Luc by luciferase activity reduction assay and other in vitro and in vivo studies. Results: The phenotypes and drug sensitivity of Nc1-Luc strains were consistent with those of the parental strains Nc1, and Nc1-Luc strains can be used to determine the IC50 for anti-N. caninum drugs. Using the Nc1-Luc strains, TAK-632 showed promising activity against N. caninum, with an IC50 of 0.6131 μM and a selectivity index (SI) of 62.53. In vitro studies demonstrated that TAK-632 inhibited the invasion, proliferation, and division of N. caninum tachyzoites. In vivo studies showed that TAK-632 attenuated the virulence of N. caninum in mice and significantly reduced the parasite burden in the brain. Conclusions: In conclusion, a luciferase-expressing N. caninum strain was successfully constructed, which provides an effective tool for drug screening and related research on N. caninum. In addition, TAK-632 was found to inhibit the growth of N. caninum, which could be considered as a candidate lead compound for new therapeutics for neosporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), significantly impacts agriculture in Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands as a major pest. Its widespread distribution, robust invasive ability, and detrimental effects on market access categorize it as a significant threat to numerous countries. Irradiation treatment is recognized as an effective and promising approach, considered as a potential alternative to the traditional phytosanitary treatment method, methyl bromide fumigation. However, the low-oxygen environment can influence the efficacy of irradiation treatment. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of low-oxygen levels on the phytosanitary irradiation effects against larvae of B. dorsalis. The effects of normoxic (21% O2), hypoxic (5% O2), and super-hypoxic (0.5% O2) conditions on the development and metabolic profile of third-instar larvae of B. dorsalis were evaluated and compared at phytosanitary irradiation dose. Our research emphasizes the importance of lipid metabolism pathways and their associated metabolites in the irradiation tolerance of insects; moreover, neither hypoxic nor super-hypoxic conditions have increased the emergence rate of the evaluated fruit fly species under the current phytosanitary irradiation dose. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of radioprotection in insects under low-oxygen environments and advocate for international organizations and regulatory agencies to update guidelines on the application of phytosanitary irradiation under hypoxic conditions. X-ray irradiation and modified atmospheres (MAs) provide eco-friendly, chemical-free methods for pest management. Although a low-oxygen atmospheric treatment improves the performance of some irradiated insects, its influence on the irradiation of quarantine insects and its impacts on pest control efficacy have yet to be investigated. Based on bioassay results, this study employed direct immersion solid-phase microextraction (DI-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine metabolic profiles of late third-instar B. dorsalis larvae under normoxia (CON, Air), hypoxia (95% N2 + 5% O2, HY), super-hypoxia (99.5% N2 + 0.5% O2, Sup-HY), irradiation-alone (116 Gy, IR-alone), hypoxia + irradiation (HY + IR) and super-hypoxia + irradiation (Sup-HY + IR). Our findings reveal that, compared to the IR-alone group, the IR treatment under HY and Sup-HY (HY + IR and Sup-HY + IR) increases the larval pupation of B. dorsalis, and weakens the delaying effect of IR on the larval developmental stage. However, these 3 groups further hinder adult emergence under the phytosanitary IR dose of 116 Gy. Moreover, all IR-treated groups, including IR-alone, HY + IR, and Sup-HY + IR, lead to insect death as a coarctate larvae or pupae. Pathway analysis identified changed metabolic pathways across treatment groups. Specifically, changes in lipid metabolism-related pathways were observed: 3 in HY vs. CON, 2 in Sup-HY vs. CON, and 5 each in IR-alone vs. CON, HY + IR vs. CON, and Sup-HY + IR vs. CON. The treatments of IR-alone, HY + IR, and Sup-HY + IR induce comparable modifications in metabolic pathways. However, in the HY + IR, and Sup-HY + IR groups, the third-instar larvae of B. dorsalis demonstrate significantly fewer changes. Our research suggests that a low-oxygen environment (HY and Sup-HY) might enhance the radiation tolerance in B. dorsalis larvae by stabilizing lipid metabolism pathways at biologically feasible levels. Additionally, our findings indicate that the current phytosanitary IR dose contributes to the effective management of B. dorsalis, without being influenced by radioprotective effects. These results hold significant importance for understanding the biological effects of radiation on B. dorsalis and for developing IR-specific regulatory guidelines under MA environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron is an indispensable nutrient for the survival of Toxoplasma gondii; however, excessive amounts can lead to toxicity. The parasite must overcome the host's "nutritional immunity" barrier and compete with the host for iron. Since T. gondii can infect most nucleated cells, it encounters increased iron stress during parasitism. This study assessed the impact of iron stress, encompassing both iron depletion and iron accumulation, on the growth of T. gondii. Iron accumulation disrupted the redox balance of T. gondii while enhancing the parasite's ability to adhere in high-iron environments. Conversely, iron depletion promoted the differentiation of tachyzoites into bradyzoites. Proteomic analysis further revealed proteins affected by iron depletion and identified the involvement of phosphotyrosyl phosphatase activator proteins in bradyzoite formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To establish a cognitive appraisal path model that examines the impact of stroke knowledge on stigma with the parallel mediating effects of negative and positive coping traits, as well as the moderating effects of family functioning. Background: Stroke‐related stigma, a 'mixture' of negative emotions involving internal criticism and external judgement, has been shown to impair patients' health outcomes. However, the specific factors underlying cognitive appraisals and their pathways remain unknown. Design: A cross‐sectional design. Methods: The cross‐sectional sample was from two stroke centres in China. Questionnaires were administered to collect sociodemographic data, stroke knowledge, coping traits, family functioning and stigma. Hierarchical regression models and the moderated parallel mediation model were constructed to analyse influencing pathways. The study adhered to the strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology guideline. Results: All 144 samples reported stigma symptoms with a moderate‐to‐high standardising score. The best hierarchical regression model explains 55.5% of the variance in stigma. The parallel mediation model indicated that negative and positive coping traits co‐mediating the association of stroke knowledge and stigma. After adding the family functioning as a moderator, the moderated parallel mediation model was confirmed with adequate fit indices. Conclusion: Among the cognitive appraisal factors affecting stroke‐related stigma, stroke knowledge reduces stigma by modifying coping traits, while poor family functioning may serve as an opposing moderator. Notably, when family support is insufficient, enhanced stroke knowledge might paradoxically exacerbate the stigma. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study contributes knowledge on transforming health education and emphasises the pivotal roles of clinical nursing practitioners. In similar global contexts, the study highlights integrating health education, psychological counselling and family support to advance systematic nursing practices. Patient or Public Contribution: None. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive hydrogels have attracted extensive attention in the field of flexible electronics due to their excellent biocompatibility, suitable Young's modulus, and outstanding electrical conductivity. However, the inherent water-rich feature and insufficient interfacial adhesion of hydrogels hinder the stability and reliability of hydrogel-based devices for applications in complex environments. Herein, we design a novel polyacrylamide/polydopamine hydrogel using deep eutectic solvent (DES) and alkaline solution as the polymerization medium, and the as-obtained hydrogel has both self-adhesive (20.20 kPa for tissue) and anti-freezing properties (−20 °C). The combination of DES and alkaline solution replaces pure DES, which provides the conditions for oxidative polymerization of dopamine to ensure the adhesion performance of the hydrogel and also makes the hydrogel retain the conductivity and low melting point characteristics of DES. Furthermore, biocompatible carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CCNFs) are embedded into the hydrogel to further enhance the mechanical properties by about 3 times through non-covalent interactions, physical entanglement and friction between CCNFs and the polymer. Remarkably, the hydrogel can be adhered to the skin as a bioelectrode for electrocardiography and can be used as a strain sensor to monitor human movements even after storing for 15 days at −20 °C. Meanwhile, the electrochemical characterization of supercapacitors using this hydrogel as an electrolyte shows great application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cholera is a global epidemic infectious disease that seriously endangers human life. It is disturbed by random factors in the process of transmission. Therefore, in this paper, a class of stochastic SIRB cholera model with Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process is established. On the basis of verifying that the model exists a unique global solution to any initial value, a sufficient criterion for the existence of a stationary distribution of the positive solution of the random model is established by constructing an appropriate random Lyapunov function. Furthermore, under the same condition that there is a stationary distribution, the specific expression of the probability density function of the random model around the positive equilibrium point is calculated. Finally, the theoretical results are verified by numerical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow of calcium ions (Ca2+) is involved in numerous vital activities of Toxoplasma gondii. Calreticulin is a type of Ca2+-binding protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that is involved in Ca2+ signaling pathway regulation, Ca2+ storage, and protein folding. In this work, the calreticulin (CALR), a protein predicted to possess a conserved domain of calreticulin in T. gondii, was characterized. The CALR localized in the ER. Using reverse genetics, we discovered that CALR is not necessary for the lytic cycle, including invasion and replication. However, depletion of CALR affected microneme secretion triggered by A23187, which is a Ca2+ ionophore used to increase cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration. Furthermore, we discovered that CALR influences Ca2+ release. Transcriptomic comparison between Δcalr and Δku80 parasites showed that 226 genes in the Δcalr parasites were significantly downregulated (p < 0.05). The cellular biological functions of the downregulated genes were mainly involved in calmodulin-dependent protein kinase pathways. Furthermore, in the absence of CALR, tachyzoites were still able to cause acute infection in mice. These results imply that by influencing ER Ca2+ release content, CALR may further impair the ionophore-induced secretion of the parasite. However, this protein is not required for the completion of the parasite’s lytic cycle or for the acute virulence of the parasite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS) falls within the category of connective tissue diseases, characterized by the presence of autoantibodies such as antinuclear antibodies (ANA). However, according to the classification criteria for pSS, some patients may exhibit a negative result for autoantibodies. Patients with a negative result for autoantibodies may lack typical features of connective tissue diseases, and the immunological state as well as the extent of organ involvement and damage may differ from those with positive autoantibodies. This study aims to compare the clinical phenotypes of patients with positive and negative autoantibodies, providing insights for disease classification and treatment selection for clinicians. Patients with pSS were grouped based on the presence and titers of their autoantibodies. Subsequently, differences in organ damage and laboratory indicators were compared between these groups, aiming to analyze the value of autoantibody titers in assessing the condition of pSS. (1) Patients with positive ANA exhibited elevated levels of inflammatory indicators, including ESR, IgG levels, lip gland biopsy pathology grade, and overall organ involvement, in comparison with patients with negative ANA (P < 0.05). Furthermore, ANA-positivity correlated with a higher occurrence of multi-organ damage, particularly affecting the skin, mucous membranes, and the hematological system (P < 0.05). (2) As ANA titers increased, patients demonstrated elevated levels of IgG and an escalation in organ involvement (P < 0.05). (3) Patients in the positive autoantibody group (positive for antinuclear antibodies, anti-SSA, or anti-SSB antibodies) had higher IgG levels compared to the negative group (P < 0.05). (4) Patients with positive anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies exhibited higher levels of inflammatory indicators and IgG compared to other patients (P < 0.05); however, no significant differences were observed in terms of organ involvement and organ damage. Patients with positive ANA in pSS typically exhibit higher levels of inflammation and an increased likelihood of experiencing multi-organ damage. Furthermore, as the ANA titers increase, both inflammation levels and the risk of multi-organ damage also escalate. Additionally, the presence of anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies may contribute to an elevated risk of increased inflammation levels, but does not increase the risk of organ damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, assuming the certain variable satisfies the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, we formulate a stochastic within-host dengue model with immune response to obtain further understanding of the transmission dynamics of dengue fever. Then we analyze the dynamical properties of the stochastic system in detail, including the existence and uniqueness of the global solution, the existence of a stationary distribution, and the extinction of infected monocytes and free viruses. In particular, it is worth revealing that we get the specific form of covariance matrix in its probability density around the quasi-endemic equilibrium of the stochastic system. Finally, numerical illustrative examples are depicted to confirm our theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant nutrient uptake and productivity are driven by a multitude of factors that have been modified by human activities, like climate change and the activity of decomposers. However, interactive effects of climate change and key decomposer groups like earthworms have rarely been studied. In a field microcosm experiment, we investigated the effects of a mean future climate scenario with warming (+ 0.50 °C to + 0.62 °C) and altered precipitation (+ 10% in spring and autumn, − 20% in summer) and earthworms (anecic—two Lumbricus terrestris, endogeic—four Allolobophora chlorotica and both together within 10 cm diameter tubes) on plant biomass and stoichiometry in two land-use types (intensively used meadow and conventional farming). We found little evidence for earthworm effects on aboveground biomass. However, future climate increased above- (+40.9%) and belowground biomass (+44.7%) of grass communities, which was mainly driven by production of the dominant Festulolium species during non-summer drought periods, but decreased the aboveground biomass (− 36.9%) of winter wheat. Projected climate change and earthworms interactively affected the N content and C:N ratio of grasses. Earthworms enhanced the N content (+1.2%) thereby decreasing the C:N ratio (− 4.1%) in grasses, but only under ambient climate conditions. The future climate treatment generally decreased the N content of grasses (aboveground: − 1.1%, belowground: − 0.15%) and winter wheat (− 0.14%), resulting in an increase in C:N ratio of grasses (aboveground: + 4.2%, belowground: +6.3%) and wheat (+5.9%). Our results suggest that climate change diminishes the positive effects of earthworms on plant nutrient uptakes due to soil water deficit, especially during summer drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA-Seq analysis of Formalin-Fixed and Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) samples has emerged as a highly effective approach and is increasingly being used in clinical research and drug development. However, the processing and storage of FFPE samples are known to cause extensive degradation of RNAs, which limits the discovery of gene expression or gene fusion-based biomarkers using RNA sequencing, particularly methods reliant on Poly(A) enrichment. Recently, researchers have developed an exome targeted RNA-Seq methodology that utilizes biotinylated oligonucleotide probes to enrich RNA transcripts of interest, which could overcome these limitations. Nevertheless, the standardization of this experimental framework, including probe designs, sample multiplexing, sequencing read length, and bioinformatic pipelines, remains an essential requirement. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive comparison of three main commercially available exome capture kits and evaluated key experimental parameters, to provide the overview of the advantages and limitations associated with the selection of library preparation protocols and sequencing platforms. The results provide valuable insights into the best practices for obtaining high-quality data from FFPE samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of phosphine (PH3) resistance in stored grain pests is an essential component of implementing timely and effective pest control strategies. The prevailing standard method for PH3 resistance testing involves the exposure of adult insects to a specific concentration over a fixed period. Although it is widely adopted, this method necessitates an extensive period for assay preparation and diagnosis. To address this issue, this study employed Direct Immersion Solid-Phase Microextraction (DI-SPME) coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to compare and analyze the metabolic profiles of PH3-sensitive (TC-S), PH3 weak-resistant (TC-W), and PH3 strong-resistant (TC-SR) Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) adults. A total of 36 metabolites were identified from 3 different PH3-resistant strains of T. castaneum; 29 metabolites were found to present significant differences (p < 0.05) across these groups, with hydrocarbon and aromatic compounds being particularly prevalent. Seven metabolites showed no significant variations among the strains, consisting of four hydrocarbon compounds, two iodo-hydrocarbon compounds, and one alcohol compound. Further multivariate statistical analysis revealed a total of three, two, and nine differentially regulated metabolites between the TC-S versus TC-W, TC-S versus TC-SR, and TC-W versus TC-SR groups, respectively. Primarily, these metabolites comprised hydrocarbons and iodo-hydrocarbons, with the majority being associated with insect cuticle metabolism. This study demonstrates that DI-SPME technology is an effective method for studying differentially expressed metabolites in T. castaneum with different levels of PH3 resistance. This approach may help to provide a better understanding of the development of insect PH3 resistance and act as a valuable reference for the establishment of rapid diagnostic techniques for insect PH3 resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The control measures of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic had influenced the activity of the influenza virus, and we were wondering the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward seasonal influenza vaccine among college students were having at the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: Online questionnaire survey of the college students was conducted and the data was collected anonymously, cross‐sectional study were used to describe the distribution of the KAP. Results: There were 815 respondents in our study. Most participants have a high recognition of the effectiveness and safety of the influenza vaccine. However, a low awareness rate of influenza vaccine knowledge and vaccination rate (18%) against influenza was observed among college students. The education level and major would have a higher weight on the influence of KAP among the college students. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the sex (OR = 2.163, p <.001), age (OR = 2.242, p <.001), heard of the influenza vaccine (OR = 2.655, p =.014), and "How necessary do you think vaccinating every year is?" (OR = 3.947, p <.001) of the college students were the main factors that affect the KAP on influenza vaccination. Conclusions: Our study provided an insight into the KAP of influenza vaccine among college students in South China. The vaccination rate and acceptability of influenza vaccine in college students are higher than that in the whole population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a stochastic predator–prey model with two competitive preys and Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process is formulated and analysed, which is used to obtain a better understanding of the population dynamics. At first, we validate that the stochastic system has a unique global solution with any initial value. Then we analyse the stochastic dynamics of the model in detail, including pth moment boundedness, asymptotic pathwise estimation in turn. After that, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of a stationary distribution of the system by adopting stochastic Lyapunov function methods. In addition, under some mild conditions, we derive the specific form of covariance matrix in the probability density near the quasi-positive equilibrium of the stochastic system. Finally, numerical illustrative examples are depicted to confirm our theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpretation of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps requires building and fitting 3D atomic models of biological molecules. AlphaFold-predicted models generate initial 3D coordinates; however, model inaccuracy and conformational heterogeneity often necessitate labor-intensive manual model building and fitting into cryo-EM maps. In this work, we designed a protein model-building workflow, which combines a deep-learning cryo-EM map feature enhancement tool, CryoFEM (Cryo-EM Feature Enhancement Model) and AlphaFold. A benchmark test using 36 cryo-EM maps shows that CryoFEM achieves state-of-the-art performance in optimizing the Fourier Shell Correlations between the maps and the ground truth models. Furthermore, in a subset of 17 datasets where the initial AlphaFold predictions are less accurate, the workflow significantly improves their model accuracy. Our work demonstrates that the integration of modern deep learning image enhancement and AlphaFold may lead to automated model building and fitting for the atomistic interpretation of cryo-EM maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite that is very common in livestock. Meat products from livestock infected with T. gondii are one of the important transmission routes of toxoplasmosis. Rapid and reliable diagnosis is a prerequisite for the prevention and control of toxoplasmosis. Neospora caninum and T. gondii are similar in morphology and life history, and there are a large number of cross antigens between them, making clinical diagnosis of toxoplasmosis more difficult. In this study, immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry (IP-MS) was used to screen for T. gondii–specific antigens, and the specific antigen was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The specific antigen was then used to establish an indirect ELISA diagnostic method. A total of 241 specific antigens of T. gondii and 662 cross antigens between T. gondii and N. caninum were screened by IP-MS. Through bioinformatics analysis and homology comparison, seven proteins were selected for gene cloning and prokaryotic expression, and the most suitable antigen, TgGRA54, was selected to establish an indirect ELISA for T. gondii. Compared with the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT), the positive coincidence rate of the ELISA based on rTgGRA54 was 100% (72/72) and the negative coincidence rate was 80.95% (17/21). The indirect ELISA method based on TgGRA54 recombinant protein was established to detect T. gondii antibodies in bovine sera, and the recombinant protein reacted well with T. gondii positive sera from sheep, mouse, and swine, indicating that the recombinant protein is a good diagnostic antigen for T. gondii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, image completion models are often used to handle images in public datasets and are not competent for tasks in practical scenarios such as USV scenes. On one hand, the practical missing regions are often located at the boundaries, which presents a challenge for the model to extract image features. On the other hand, real images are often blurred, and filling the content without optimizing the image quality will limit the application of completed images. To address these challenges, a novel image completion model using an attention mechanism and a joint enhancive discriminator, which can effectively fill in the missing and enhance the image quality in various missing situations, has been proposed in this paper. First, an attention mechanism is used as the condition of the generator to extract the related missing information according to different weights. To ensure that the output of the algorithm is semantically consistent with the original image and has a higher quality than the original image, a joint discriminator is introduced to constrain the conditional generator from different aspects. In particular, the cloud model (a cognitive model) in the joint enhancive discriminator can promote the quality and practicability of the generated images. Experimental results show that our model achieves better performance than state-of-the-art models in both qualitative and quantitative measurements on four public datasets and one USV real dataset. Compared with the baselines, our method has an average improvement of 4.90 % and 1.00 % in image completion evaluation and image quality evaluation, respectively. We also verify the performance of our model for practical application in real scenarios. The code is available at https://github.com/wrq-cqupt/IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the impacts of climatic factors and human activities on sedimentary records of heavy metal (HM) contamination in lakes is essential for decision-making in global environmental monitoring and assessment. Spatiotemporal distributions of grain size (GS) and HM (Al, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb) concentrations have been conducted in core sediments that are collected from two adjacent plateau fault-bound lakes in southwest China with contrasting environments, i.e., deep oligotrophic Lake Fuxian (FX) and shallow hypertrophic Lake Xingyun (XY). Results showed that the average value of d50 in FX (4.61 μm) was lower than that in XY (8.35 μm), but the average concentrations of HMs (except Cr and Mn) in XY were higher than those in FX. Heavy metal burial rates (HMBR) were mainly controlled by sediment accumulation rates (SARs) rather than HM concentrations. The correlation coefficients between GS and HM concentrations became strong as the increasing water depths were associated with a stable sedimentary environment. Time-integrated enrichment factors (EF) and source identification of HMs between FX and XY represented that Cr, Ni, and Cu originated from natural sources but Mn, Zn, As, and Pb from anthropogenic sources, respectively. Regardless of FX and XY, the transition times of HMs from natural to anthropogenic sources occurred in the mid-1960s. Comparison of qualification impacts of climatic factors and human-induced factors on increased anthropogenic HMBR by the partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) implied that socio-economic activities, such as population density (PD) and gross domestic product (GDP), provided higher contributors to increased anthropogenic HMBR in XY (0.23/0.71) than FX (0.11/0.18). The comparative results of this study provided new insights into environmental monitoring and management of HM contamination for adjacent lakes with contrasting environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing spatiotemporal fusion is currently a popular research field in remote sensing that can cost-effectively generate remote sensing images with high spatiotemporal resolution. The deep neural network-based approach has strong feature extraction capability and has achieved great success in the fields of signal and image processing, but the deep network lacks interpretability. In this paper, a new interpretable deep network-based spatiotemporal fusion (UNSTF) method is proposed. The method proposes a new network model by first establishing a concise a priori formulation using sparse representation, constructing the proposed network by unfolding the proximal gradient algorithm for solving the model, and carefully designing each basic network module in the model to have a reasonable physical meaning, making the whole network interpretable. In addition, the UNSTF network method proposes a new network iteration loss function, where the predicted images of each iteration stage of the network are constrained by the real images, and the final stage and the intermediate network stages conform well to their inherent prior structures, effectively improving the accuracy and reliability of model prediction. Through extensive experiments, it is shown that the proposed method outperforms existing fusion methods in terms of both subjective and objective metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information on size at maturity (Lm), peak spawning season, and sex ratio is crucial for sustainable management for fisheries production. Our study in mers of 655 Silver Pomfret, Pampus argenteus, 366 females and 289 males, collected monthly between February 2019 and January 2020, provides insight into the characteristics of size at sexual maturity, peak spawning season, and sex ratio of the species. Monthly variation in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) values and histological observations has revealed two spawning peaks, in spring (April-May) and fall (September). The maximum GSI has accounted to 4.70±1.45 and 5.01±1.75, which corresponded to warmer water temperature 29.68°C±0.60 in April and 29.72°C±0.28 in May, respectively, over the Bay of Bengal. At 50% sexual maturity (Lm), males mature at standard length of 145 mm and females at 163 mm. During the peak spawning time, the sex ratio significantly differed from 0.5, with females dominating over males, according to a Chi-squared test (p<0.05). To ensure sustainable exploitation of this valuable species, implemention of the mesh size regulation for protecting this species less than 145 mm and seasonal closures in the Bay of Bengal (BoB), Bangladesh would be very effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The six species of lungfish possess both lungs and gills and are the closest extant relatives of tetrapods. Here, we report a single-cell transcriptome atlas of the West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens). This species manifests the most extreme form of terrestrialization, a life history strategy to survive dry periods that can last for years, characterized by dormancy and reversible adaptive changes of the gills and lungs. Our atlas highlights the cell type diversity of the West African lungfish, including gene expression consistent with phenotype changes of terrestrialization. Comparison with terrestrial tetrapods and ray-finned fishes reveals broad homology between the swim bladder and lung cell types as well as shared and idiosyncratic changes of the external gills of the West African lungfish and the internal gills of Atlantic salmon. The single-cell atlas presented here provides a valuable resource for further exploration of the respiratory system evolution in vertebrates and the diversity of lungfish terrestrialization. The water-to-land transition of vertebrates is a landmark event in evolutionary history. This work utilizes single-cell RNA sequencing to explore the adaptations in African lungfish lungs and gills to terrestrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible lung disease characterized by pulmonary fibrosis and lung dysfunction, ultimately leading to respiratory failure. Many preclinical studies have investigated the therapeutic potential of stem cell-derived exosomes in this disease, particularly mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes. However, the effects of embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes in IPF remain unclear. Methods: We established a bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis mice model and administered human embryonic stem cell exosomes (hESC-exo) from the first day after BLM treatment. The effects of hESC-exo were assessed by pulmonary function tests, biochemical analysis, histochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and western blot (WB). RNA-seq was used to screen for the potential therapeutic targets of hESC-exo in fibrotic lungs; the identified signaling axis was characterized using a luciferase assay, qPCR, and WB. Results: Results indicated hESC-exo administration notably alleviated inflammation, removed deposited collagen, and rescued alveolar architecture in the lungs of BLM-induced mice. In vivo and in vitro tests revealed that hESC-exo-derived miR-17-5p directly bound thrombospondin-2 (Thbs2) to regulate inflammation and fibrosis; thus, hESC-exo protected against BLM toxicity in the lungs via the miR-17-5p/Thbs2 axis. Conclusion: These results suggest a promising new treatment for fibrosis-associated diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, a new species from Qiaojia, northeast Yunnan, southwest China, is described and illustrated herein based on its morphological characteristics and molecular evidence. This species is similar to C. christenseniana, and C. sinoerecta but can be distinguished easily by its stem, indumentum, leaf, and floral features, especially the corolla shape and size, the corolla tube and lobe characters. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, trnL‐trnF, trnS‐trnG, psbA‐trnH and rps16 sequences shows that this new species belongs to C. sect. Chionopegia H.Huber with strong support, which was mutually verified by morphology analyses. A table including the morphological characters of related species and a dichotomous key to all 25 species of Ceropegia in China are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneously harvesting electricity through a water evaporation process is renewable and environmentally friendly, and provides a promising way for self‐powered electronics. However, most of evaporation‐driven generators are suffering from a limited power supply for practical use. Herein, a high‐performance textile‐based evaporation‐driven electricity generator based on continuous gradient chemical reduced graphene oxide (CG‐rGO@TEEG) is obtained by a continuous gradient chemical reduction strategy. The continuous gradient structure not only greatly enhances the ion concentration difference between the positive and negative electrodes but also significantly optimizes the electrical conductivity of the generator. As a result, the as‐prepared CG‐rGO@TEEG can generate a voltage of 0.44 V and a considerable current of 590.1 µA with an optimized power density of 0.55 mW cm−3 when 50 µL of NaCl solution is applied. Such scale‐up CG‐rGO@TEEGs can supply sufficient power to directly drive a commercial clock for more than 2 h in ambient conditions. This work offers a novel approach for efficient clean energy harvesting based on water evaporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penaeus monodon (tiger shrimp), Metapenaeus monoceros (brown shrimp), and Fenneropenaeus indicus (white shrimp) are the most economically important shrimp species in the waters of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. This is the first analytical study to assess three major shrimp stocks using both length-based and catch-based methods, such as length-based Bayesian biomass estimation (LBB), length-based indicator (LBI), and a catch-based method entitled JABBA (Just Another Bayesian Biomass Assessment), to explore and process the data; estimate the growth parameters, with length at first capture; present relative biomasses; and approximate the reference points. The parameters of the von Bertalanffy Growth Function (VBGF) analysis for the tiger, brown, and white shrimps were L∞ = 113.0 mm, 85.4 mm, and 76.4 mm, respectively, for carapace length. Our results showed that the relative biomass level (B/BMSY) of the tiger shrimp was 0.43, suggesting an overfished status, and brown and white shrimps were 0.84 and 0.96, indicating that they were fully exploited but not overfished. This study, therefore, advised an optimum carapace length limit to catch from 57.0–70.0 mm for tiger shrimp, 44.0–53.0 mm for brown shrimp, and 40.0–48.0 mm for white shrimp. The estimated maximum sustainable yield (MSY) reference points were as follows: optimal biomass BMSY = 3116 mt, 15,885 mt, and 2649 mt for tiger, brown, and white shrimp, respectively, and optimal harvest rate uMSY = 12%, 33%, and 8% for tiger, brown, and white shrimp, respectively. The average annual catch values for the last ten years were 265 mt, 2396 mt, and 115 mt below the estimated MSY values of 389 mt, 4899 mt, and 209 mt for tiger, brown, and white shrimp, respectively. But, brown shrimp had the estimated highest carrying capacity (31,770 mt) and intrinsic growth rate (0.66) than the tiger and white shrimp, which was replicated distinctly in the graphical representation of the Kobe plot and the surplus production plot. Hence, the brown shrimp stock is estimated to be in a better state than the tiger and white shrimp stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We develop and study a stochastic dengue model with Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, in which we assume that the transmission coefficients between vector and human satisfy the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. We first show that the stochastic system has a unique global solution with any initial value. Then we use a novel Lyapunov function method to establish sufficient criteria for the existence of a stationary distribution of the system, which indicates the persistence of the disease. In particular, under some mild conditions which are applied to ensure the local asymptotic stability of the endemic equilibrium of the deterministic system, we obtain the specific form of covariance matrix in the probability density around the quasi-positive equilibrium of the stochastic system. In addition, we also establish sufficient criteria for wiping out of the disease. Finally, several numerical simulations are performed to illustrate our theoretical conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a stochastic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) model with logistic growth and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, which is used to describe the pathogenesis and transmission dynamics of HIV in the population. We first validate that the stochastic system has a unique global solution with any initial value. Then we use a novel Lyapunov function method to establish sufficient conditions for the existence of a stationary distribution of the system, which shows the coexistence of all CD4+ T cells and free viruses. Especially, under some mild conditions which are used to ensure the local asymptotic stability of the quasi-chronic infection equilibrium of the stochastic system, we obtain the specific expression of covariance matrix in the probability density around the quasi-chronic infection equilibrium of the stochastic system. In addition, for completeness, we also obtain sufficient criteria for elimination of all infected CD4+ T cells and free virus particles. Finally, several examples together with comprehensive numerical simulations are conducted to support our analytic results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Pre-hospital delay refers to the time span from the onset of symptoms to arrival at a hospital ≥ 3 h and is the main limitation of stroke reperfusion therapies. Family factors and stroke-related stigma may influence pre-hospital delay. However, few studies have confirmed the influence of stigma on pre-hospital delay or explored the relationships between family function, stigma, and pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke. This study aimed to explore the relationship between family function and pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke and examine the mediation role of stigma in this relationship. Methods and results A cross-sectional study was performed at the neurology departments of two hospitals in Guangzhou, China between July 2021 and April 2022. A total of 115 patients with recurrent stroke completed questionnaires and were included in the analysis. Data were collected using the Short Form Family Assessment Device, the Stroke Stigma Scale, and the Stroke Knowledge Questionnaire. Spearman's correlation and a structural equation model were used for data analysis. Family function directly influenced pre-hospital delay [ β =0.27, P = 0.033, 95% CI = (0.02–0.51)] and indirectly influenced pre-hospital delay [ β =0.17, P = 0.038, 95% CI = (0.02–0.34)] through stigma. Moreover, stigma partially mediated the effect of family function on pre-hospital delay. Conclusion Family function and stigma directly and indirectly influenced pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke. Future health education and interventions need to focus on strengthening and improving emotional support from family members to improve family function and reduce stigma, thereby reducing pre-hospital delay among patients with recurrent stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]