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RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A), as the most abundant modification of messenger RNA, can modulate insect behaviors, but its specific roles in aggregation behaviors remain unexplored. Here, we conducted a comprehensive molecular and physiological characterization of the individual components of the methyltransferase and demethylase in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. Our results demonstrated that METTL3, METTL14 and ALKBH5 were dominantly expressed in the brain and exhibited remarkable responses to crowding or isolation. The individual knockdown of methyltransferases (i.e., METTL3 and METTL14) promoted locust movement and conspecific attraction, whereas ALKBH5 knockdown induced a behavioral shift toward the solitary phase. Furthermore, global transcriptome profiles revealed that m6A modification could regulate the orchestration of gene expression to fine tune the behavioral aggregation of locusts. In summary, our in vivo characterization of the m6A functions in migratory locusts clearly demonstrated the crucial roles of the m6A pathway in effectively modulating aggregation behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel nonlinear anti-vibration ring with deformable crescent-shaped cross-sections (NAVR-DCCS) inspired by the petiole of palm leaf. The proposed NAVR-DCCS exhibits markedly enhanced nonlinear quasi-zero stiffness through deformable cross-sections, which endow it with advantageous vibration isolation attributes. A comprehensive investigation of the structural nonlinearities and dynamic behaviors of the NAVR-DCCS is undertaken, with emphasis on the principle of cross-sectional deformation and its nonlinear stiffness properties. This study explores the influence of pertinent parameters on the nonlinear characteristics and displacement transmissibility. Tensile-compression testing and transmissibility measurements are conducted to verify theoretical calculations, and the experimental results are found to be in congruity with theoretical predictions. The beneficial nonlinear characteristics of the NAVR-DCCS hold promise for providing a passive vibration isolation methodology, representing a potentially innovative solution with broad-reaching applicability and utility across diverse research domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart grids represent a transformative evolution in energy distribution, enabling bidirectional electricity flow, automation, and real-time data analysis. However, with large volumes of sensitive data becoming attractive targets for cyberattacks, the seamless data access in smart grids presents security challenges. Attribute-based encryption (ABE) offers one-to-many energy-efficient access control but faces inefficiency and revocation challenges in smart grid environments. This paper presents an edge-assisted, efficient ABE scheme to address these issues, which provides an efficient direct user revocation mechanism for dynamic user groups in smart grids, and employs edge-assisted computation to reduce decryption costs. It also gives rigorous security proofs, and the theoretical and experimental results show the practicality of smart grids and superiority over related representative works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells that can be obtained, enriched and proliferated in vitro. They owned enormous potential in fields like regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and immunomodulation. However, though isolated from the same origin, MSCs are still essentially heterogeneous cell populations with different phenotypes and functions. This heterogeneity of MSCs significantly affects their therapeutic efficacy and brings obstacles to scientific research. Thus, reliable sorting technology which can isolate or purify MSC subpopulations with various potential and differentiation pathways is urgently needed. This review summarized principles, application status and clinical implications for these sorting methods, aiming at improving the understanding of MSC heterogeneity as well as providing fresh perspectives for subsequent clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]