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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to control chicken skeletal muscle growth, however, the potential function of the miR-181-5p family in chicken myogenesis remains largely unknown. Here, our study identified the two chicken (Gallus gallus; Gga) miR-181-5p family members widely expressed in various tissues, specifically miR-181a-5p and miR-181b-5p. Besides, the breast muscles of fast-growing broilers expressed higher levels of miR-181a-5p and miR-181b-5p than those of slow-growing layers. Functionally, miR-181a-5p and miR-181b-5p both promote the expression level of myogenic factors including myogenin (MyoG), myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD1), and myosin heavy chain (MyHC), meanwhile accelerating the myotube formation of skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs). Mechanistically, miR-181a-5p and miR-181b-5p directly bind to the 3´ untranslated region (UTR) of the transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1) mRNA, further reducing the expression of TGFBR1. TGFBR1 is a key Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling transduction receptor and had a negative function in muscle cell differentiation. Furthermore, knockdown of TGFBR1 facilitated the expression of chicken myogenic factors, boosted myotube formation, and decreased the SMAD family member 2/3 (SMAD2/3) phosphorylation in chicken SMSCs. SMAD2/3 are downstream of TGF-β signaling, and miR-181a-5p and miR-181b-5p could reduce the expression of TGFBR1 to further diminish the SMAD2/3 phosphorylation. Our findings revealed that the miR-181-5p family targets TGFBR1 to break the TGF-β signaling transduction, which resulted in promoting chicken skeletal muscle development.

The façades of photogrammetric building mesh models frequently lack detailed semantics, such as windows, doors, and balconies. To address this, we introduce SemanticMesh, a methodology designed to enrich façades with detailed semantics by integrating discrete components seamlessly. The process begins by transforming a localized area of the building surface into a 2D planar mesh using geodesic vectors, based on the component poses. This is followed by the application of 2D constrained triangulation to map the component boundaries onto the parameterized plane, after which the mesh is reconverted into 3D space. To achieve a smooth and aesthetically pleasing integration, we employ a Laplacian mesh deformation technique along the 3D embedding boundary. Our experiments across three distinct datasets – featuring near-planar, non-planar, and noisy surfaces – demonstrate that SemanticMesh provides superior modeling outcomes compared to conventional approaches.

Abstract In this study, the removal effect of a new MOF-on MOF adsorbent based on Cu–Co bimetallic organic frameworks on tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) in water system was studied. The adsorbent (Cu-MOF@Co-MOF) were synthesized by solvothermal and self-assembly method at different concentrations of Co2+/Cu2+. The characterization results of SEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR and BET indicated that the MOF-on MOF structure of Cu-MOF@Co-MOF exhibited the best recombination and physicochemical properties when the molar ratio of Co2+: Cu2+ is 5:1. In addition, the Cu-MOF@Co-MOF have a high specific surface area and bimetallic clusters, which can achieve multi-target synergistic adsorption of TCs. Based on above advantages, Cu-MOF@Co-MOF provided a strong affinity and could efficiently adsorb more than 80% of pollutants in just 5 to 15 min using only 10 mg of the adsorbent. The adsorption capacity of tetracycline and doxycycline was 434.78 and 476.19 mg/g, respectively, showing satisfactory adsorption performance. The fitting results of the experimental data were more consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that the adsorption process of TC and DOX occurred at the homogeneous adsorption site and was mainly controlled by chemisorption. Thermodynamic experiments showed that Cu-MOF@Co-MOF was thermodynamically advantageous for the removal of TCs, and the whole process was spontaneous. The excellent adsorption capacity and rapid adsorption kinetics indicate the prepared MOF-on MOF adsorbent can adsorb TCs economically and quickly, and have satisfactory application prospects for removing TCs in practical environments. The results of the study pave a new way for preparing novel MOFs-based water treatment materials with great potential for efficient removal.

Abstract Uncaria rhynchophylla is an important traditional herbal medicine in China, and the yield and quality of Uncaria rhynchophylla can be improved by suitable soil conditioners because of changing the soil properties. In this paper, Uncaria rhynchophylla associated alkaloids and soil microbial communities were investigated. The field experiment was set up with the following control group: (M1, no soil conditioner) and different soil conditioner treatment groups (M2, biomass ash; M3, water retention agent; M4, biochar; M5, lime powder and M6, malic acid). The results showed that M2 significantly increased the fresh and dry weight and the contents of isorhynchophylline, corynoxeine, isocorynoxeine, and total alkaloids. Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi were major bacterial phyla. Correlation analysis showed that fresh and dry weight was significantly positively correlated with Acidobacteria, while alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, phosphatase activity, fresh and dry weight, corynoxeine, and isocorynoxeine were significantly negatively correlated with Chloroflexi. The application of soil conditioner M2 increased the abundance of Acidobacteria and decreased the abundance of Chloroflexi, which contributed to improving the soil nutrient content, yield, and quality of Uncaria rhynchophylla. In summary, biomass ash may be a better choice of soil conditioner in Uncaria rhynchophylla growing areas.

Abstract Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV; genus Tobamovirus) is one of the most prevailing pathogens that seriously affects the quality and yield of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves. Cross-protection using mild strains is a potential strategy for the biological prevention of plant viral diseases. Complementary mutations in attenuated strains may cause attenuated ones to suddenly evolve into virulent strains, which limits the application of cross-protection in practice. To data there has been no study on engineering the complementary mutation sites to generate stable attenuated mutants for cross-protection. In this study, we found that the substitution of the conserved arginine at position 88 (R88) in p126 protein with alanine (A) abolished the cell-to-cell movement and reduced the replication of TMV. However, a spontaneous complementary mutation of serine at position 114 (S114) to lysine (K) in p126 restored TMV virulence. Substitution of S114 with R in p126 restored the systemic infection but not the virulence of TMV, therefore, the mutant TMV-R88A/S114R was an attenuated one. Furthermore, our results showed that TMV-R88A/S114R was a stable attenuated mutant, and could effectively protect tobacco plants against the wild-type TMV infection. This study reports a promising TMV mild mutant for cross-protection in tobacco plants by modifying the complementary mutation site in p126.

Abstract As a typical E3 ligase, TRIM65 (tripartite motif containing 65) is involved in the regulation of antiviral innate immunity and the pathogenesis of certain tumors. However, the role of TRIM65 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and the underlying mechanism has not been determined yet. In this study, we identified TRIM65 as a novel oncogene in RCC, which enhanced the tumor cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth abilities both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we found that TRIM65-regulated RCC proliferation mainly via direct interaction with BTG3 (BTG anti-proliferation factor 3), which in turn induced the K48-linked ubiquitination and subsequent degradation through K41 amino acid. Furthermore, TRIM65 relieved G2/M phase cell cycle arrest via degradation of BTG3 and regulated downstream factors. Further studies revealed that TRIM65 acts through TRIM65-BTG3-CyclinD1 axis and clinical sample IHC chip data indicated a negative correction between TRIM65 and BTG3. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that TRIM65 promotes RCC cell proliferation via regulation of the cell cycle through degradation of BTG3, suggesting that TRIM65 may be a promising target for RCC therapy.

Abstract Background Aldosterone plays important parts in development of cardio-metabolic diseases as end product of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. However, factors elevating circulating aldosterone are not clear, and lifestyle-related factors are suggested to be involved, whereas less studied. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association of lifestyle factors with plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) in community population. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we recruited participants using multistage random sampling from Emin China in 2019, and collected data and fasting blood samples. The considered lifestyle factors included obesity parameters (neck circumference, abdominal circumference), alcohol consumption, blood pressure (BP), physical activity, sleep duration, sleep quality, mental state (depression and anxiety), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and lipid profiles (total cholesterol and triglyceride). PAC was measured using radioimmunoassay. We performed sex-stratified linear and logistic regressions to explore associated factors of PAC. Component analysis was further performed to identify the main factors affecting PAC. Results Twenty-seven thousand four hundred thirty-six participants with 47.1% men were included. Obesity parameters (neck circumference, abdominal circumference), glucose metabolism (FBG), psychological status (anxiety status in men and women, depression status in men), BP, liver function (in men), lipid metabolism (TC and TG in men), sleep parameters (sleep quality in women), and renal function (in women) are the main factors associated with elevated PAC. Conclusion lower physical activity, alcohol consumption, higher BP, fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, higher fasting blood glucose, and presence of depression and anxiety were the main factors associated with eleveated PAC.

In this work, the phase transition process of β-Ga2O3 thin films under heating and (or) electron irradiation condition was investigated by in-situ transmission electron microscopy. It is found that only under the high temperature, β-Ga2O3 did not undergo phase transition even when the temperature was up to 1000 °C. When under electron irradiation condition, the unconventional phase transition from β-Ga2O3 to δ-Ga2O3 occurred with a slow rate. When electron irradiation was coupled with a thermal field, the initial temperature of phase transition decreased, and the speed of phase transition also greatly accelerated. The new phase maintains crystallography relationship with the β-Ga2O3 parent phase as following: [010]β//[011‾]δ, (200)β//(2‾11)δ, and (402‾)β//(411)δ. The results reveal that electron irradiation can trigger the phase transition process from β-Ga2O3 to δ-Ga2O3, and the high temperature obviously accelerates the rate of phase transition process.

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the differences in the microbiota composition of serum exosomes from patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis. Method Exosomes were isolated from the serum of cholecystitis patients through centrifugation and identified and characterized using transmission electron microscopy and nano-flow cytometry. Microbiota analysis was performed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Results Compared to patients with chronic cholecystitis, those with acute cholecystitis exhibited lower richness and diversity. Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences in the microbiota composition between patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria was significantly higher in exosomes from patients with acute cholecystitis, whereas Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were significantly more abundant in exosomes from patients with chronic cholecystitis. Furthermore, functional predictions of microbial communities using Tax4Fun analysis revealed significant differences in metabolic pathways such as amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and membrane transport between the two patient groups. Conclusions This study confirmed the differences in the microbiota composition within serum exosomes of patients with acute and chronic cholecystitis. Serum exosomes could serve as diagnostic indicators for distinguishing acute and chronic cholecystitis.

Background Although CA19-9 is an essential blood biomarker of pancreatic cancer (PC), its sensitivity and specificity are limited for early detection. Methods We analyzed the serum proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (sPCSK9) in PC patients, benign disease groups (BDG), and healthy controls (HC) by ELISA. Results Consistently, sPCSK9 was considerably lower in PC patients than in HC (Z = −2.546, P < 0.05), and sPCSK9 in PC patients was statistically significantly higher than in BDG (Z = −5.457, P < 0.001). sPCSK9 was linked to the invasion of lymph nodes (χ2 = 6.846, P < 0.01). According to ROC curves, combining sPCSK9 with CA19-9 could potentially enhance the diagnostic capability of CA19-9 in early-stage PC patients. Furthermore, the low sPCSK9 group (n = 41) exhibited statistically significantly prolonged overall survival compared to the high sPCSK9 group (n = 15), with median survival times of 27 months (95% CI [17.59–36.41]) and 11 months (95% CI [7.21–14.79]), respectively (P = 0.022). Conclusion The diagnostic performance of CA19-9 for early-stage PC patients could be improved by combining sPCSK9 with CA19-9. Moreover, the higher sPCSK9 group has a significantly shorter overall survival rate.

ABSTRACT: Within the poultry industry, hens' reproductive performance is of great economic significance. The development and growth of follicles is a key aspect of hen egg production, and ovarian follicle growth and development are closely associated with granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and the synthesis of steroid hormones. It has been confirmed by numerous studies that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the steroid hormone synthesis and proliferation of GCs. In this study, we examined the main miRNAs influencing hens' ability to reproduce, identified the miR-223 that is mainly expressed in atretic follicles based on sequencing, and investigated its role in GCs. Then, we used miR-223 mimic and inhibitor to knockdown or overexpress miR-223 expression. The result showed that miR-223 significantly inhibits both the steroid hormone synthesis and the proliferation of GCs. Subsequently, the results of the dual luciferase reporter experiment and bioinformatics prediction demonstrated that cysteine rich transmembrane BMP regulator 1 (CRIM1) was a downstream target gene of miR-223, and overexpression of miR-223 prevented CRIM1 expression. The function of CRIM1 was further investigated, and we observed a significant reduction in the synthesis of steroid hormones and the proliferation of GCs after transfection with CRIM1 siRNA. The opposite function of miR-223 was observed for CRIM1 in our study. Additionally, we demonstrated the involvement of the miR-223/CRIM1 axis in GCs through modulation of the AKT signaling pathway. Our data demonstrate the pivotal role of the miR-223 in the proliferation and steroid hormone synthesis of chicken GCs, which helps to explain how non-coding RNA (ncRNA) affects chicken reproductive function.

Phellinus igniarius is an important medicinal and edible fungus with diverse biological activities. This study aimed to investigate the effects of aqueous extract from P. igniarius (API) on the treatment of hyperuricemia (HUA) and related kidney damage. The chemical constituents of API were determined. The therapeutic effects of API on HUA and renal injury were assessed in adenine/potassium oxonate (PO)-treated mice. The constituent analysis of API revealed a predominance of polysaccharides (33.4 %), followed by total flavonoids (9.1 %), and total triterpenoids (3.5 %). Compared to control, the adenine/PO treatment greatly elevated serum uric acid (UA) levels but this elevation was attenuated by API. In the liver, the expression and activity of xanthine oxidase (XOD) were increased by HUA which were diminished by API. Furthermore, API was found to enhance the expression of UA transporter ABCG2 in the kidney and intestine of HUA mice, suggesting elevating UA excretion. Additionally, API ameliorated HUA-induced renal injury, as indicated by reduced serum BUN/creatinine levels, decreased glomerular and tubular damage, and lowered fibrotic levels. Network pharmacology analysis predicted that P. igniarius may regulate mitochondrial function to improve HUA-related renal injury. This prediction was then substantialized by the API-induced upregulation of NAD+/NADH ratio, ATP level, SOD2 activity, and expression of SOD2/PCG-1α/PPARγ in the kidney of HUA mice. Our results demonstrate that API may effectively ameliorate HUA by reducing UA production in the liver and enhancing UA excretion in the kidney and intestine, and it might be a potential therapy to HUA-related renal injury.

BackgroundPrior research has highlighted the association between uric acid (UA) and the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). However, the specific relationship between aldosterone, the RAAS’s end product, and UA-related diseases remains poorly understood. This study aims to clarify the impact of aldosterone on the development and progression of hyperuricemia and gout in hypertensive patients.MethodsOur study involved 34534 hypertensive participants, assessing plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC)’s role in UA-related diseases, mainly hyperuricemia and gout. We applied multiple logistic regression to investigate the impact of PAC and used restricted cubic splines (RCS) for examining the dose-response relationship between PAC and these diseases. To gain deeper insights, we conducted threshold analyses, further clarifying the nature of this relationship. Finally, we undertook subgroup analyses to evaluate PAC’s effects across diverse conditions and among different subgroups.ResultsMultivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between the occurrence of hyperuricemia and gout and the elevation of PAC levels. Compared to the first quartile (Q1) group, groups Q2, Q3, and Q4 all exhibited a significantly increased risk of occurrence. Moreover, the conducted RCS analysis demonstrated a significant nonlinear dose-response relationship, especially when PAC was greater than 14 ng/dL, with a further increased risk of hyperuricemia and gout. Finally, comprehensive subgroup analyses consistently reinforced these findings.ConclusionThis study demonstrates a close association between elevated PAC levels and the development of UA-related diseases, namely hyperuricemia and gout, in hypertensive patients. Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm and validate this relationship.

Abstract Methane (CH4) is globally the second most critical greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, contributing to 16%–25% of the observed atmospheric warming. Wetlands are the primary natural source of methane emissions globally. However, wetland methane emission estimates from biogeochemistry models contain considerable uncertainty. One of the main sources of this uncertainty arises from the numerous uncertain model parameters within various physical, biological, and chemical processes that influence methane production, oxidation, and transport. Sensitivity Analysis (SA) can help identify critical parameters for methane emission and achieve reduced biases and uncertainties in future projections. This study performs SA for 19 selected parameters responsible for critical biogeochemical processes in the methane module of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) land model (ELM). The impact of these parameters on various CH4 fluxes is examined at 14 FLUXNET‐ CH4 sites with diverse vegetation types. Given the extensive number of model simulations needed for global variance‐based SA, we employ a machine learning (ML) algorithm to emulate the complex behavior of ELM methane biogeochemistry. We found that parameters linked to CH4 production and diffusion generally present the highest sensitivities despite apparent seasonal variation. Comparing simulated emissions from perturbed parameter sets against FLUXNET‐CH4 observations revealed that better performances can be achieved at each site compared to the default parameter values. This presents a scope for further improving simulated emissions using parameter calibration with advanced optimization techniques.

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the role of autophagy, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis in the antitumour mechanism of harmine (Har) and its crosstalk in ovarian cancer. By transmission electron microscopy, we found that compared with those in the control group, the cytoplasm of human ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3) treated with Har showed increased numbers of autophagic vesicles, decreased intracellular mitochondrial volume, increased bilayer membrane density, and decreased cristae. Western blot, immunofluorescence, and monodasylcadaverine (MDC) staining all suggested that Har promoted autophagy in SKOV3 cells. LY294002 and siFOXO3 rescued the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/FOXO3 signalling pathway and the promotion of autophagy by Har. Additionally, the levels of ferroptosis- and pyroptosis-related proteins and the levels of Fe2+ , glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) suggested that Har promoted ferroptosis and pyroptosis in SKOV3 cells. Interestingly, pretreatment with chloroquine (CQ), erastin, rapamycin (Rap), or ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) increased or reversed the ferroptosis and pyroptosis promoted by Har, respectively. In vivo, the volume of tumours in the Har group was decreased, and immunohistochemistry revealed decreased levels of Ki-67 and GPX4 and increased levels of ATG5 and NARL3. In conclusion, Har exerts its anti-ovarian cancer effect not only by promoting autophagy by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/FOXO3 signalling pathway but also by promoting ferroptosis and pyroptosis. Additionally, there is complex crosstalk between autophagy, ferroptosis, and pyroptosis in ovarian cancer.

Abstract Objective Recently, the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) has been introduced as a metric to signify relative hyperglycemia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between SHR and in-hospital mortality and length of stay occurring during hospitalization in stroke patients. Methods The retrospective cohort study comprised a total of 4,018 patients diagnosed with acute stroke. The SHR is expressed by the formula: SHR = ABG (mmol/L) / [1.59 × HbA1c (%) − 2.59]. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality and length of stay. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to distinguish between the variables, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was compared. Results In this analysis, a total of 4,018 individuals participated, including 2,814 male patients, accounting for 70.0%. Overall, in-hospital mortality and length of stay tended to rise as SHR increased. A higher prevalence of in-hospital mortality was observed with each standard deviation (SD) increase of the SHR (odds ratio [OR]: 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.52). Moreover, after considering the confounders, a significant positive association between SHR levels and length of stay was observed (β = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.40-1.00). ROC analysis showed that among stroke patients, SHR (AUC = 0.693) was more effective than admission blood glucose (ABG) (AUC = 0.646) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (AUC = 0.523), which were more predictive of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions Elevated SHR levels are associated with increased in-hospital mortality and prolonged length of stay in stroke patients.

Abstract Background The reproductive performance of chickens mainly depends on the development of follicles. Abnormal follicle development can lead to decreased reproductive performance and even ovarian disease among chickens. Chicken is the only non-human animal with a high incidence of spontaneous ovarian cancer. In recent years, the involvement of circRNAs in follicle development and atresia regulation has been confirmed. Results In the present study, we used healthy and atretic chicken follicles for circRNA RNC-seq. The results showed differential expression of circRALGPS2. It was then confirmed that circRALGPS2 can translate into a protein, named circRALGPS2-212aa, which has IRES activity. Next, we found that circRALGPS2-212aa promotes apoptosis and autophagy in chicken granulosa cells by forming a complex with PARP1 and HMGB1. Conclusions Our results revealed that circRALGPS2 can regulate chicken granulosa cell apoptosis and autophagy through the circRALGPS2-212aa/PARP1/HMGB1 axis.

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to determine the independent and incremental values of advanced oxidative protein product (AOPP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in identifying arteriosclerosis in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods A total of 104 individuals diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography were recruited in our study. Arteriosclerosis was defined by measuring the ultrafast pulse wave velocity of the carotid artery. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected to analyze the levels of AOPP, IL-6, and GDF15 utilizing commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Compared to OSA patients without arteriosclerosis, those with arteriosclerosis exhibited significantly higher levels of AOPP, IL-6, and GDF15. GDF15 remained significantly associated with arteriosclerosis even after accounting for clinical factors such as age, gender, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, smoking, and the apnea–hypoxia index (AHI). GDF15 demonstrated the largest area under the curve (AUC) for identifying arteriosclerosis in OSA patients (AUC, 0.85 [0.77–0.94]). The logistic regression model, combining clinical factors and AHI, was enhanced by the inclusion of AOPP and IL-6 (Chi-square = 25.06), and even further improved when GDF15 was added (Chi-square = 50.74). The integrated discrimination index increased by 0.06 to 0.16 when GDF15 was added to the models including clinical factors, AOPP, and IL-6. Conclusions This study verified the independent and incremental value of GDF15 in identifying arteriosclerosis in OSA patients, surpassing clinical risk factors and other serum biomarkers such as AOPP and IL-6.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term pattern of plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) trajectories and to explore the relationship between PAC trajectory patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with hypertension. Participants were surveyed three times between 2010 and 2016, and latent mixed modeling was employed to determine the trajectory of PAC over the exposure period (2010–2016). A Cox regression analysis was used to examine the association between PAC trajectory patterns and the risk of CVD (stroke and myocardial infarction). Hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated and reported. During a median follow-up of 4.10 (3.37–4.50) years, 82 incident CVD cases (33 myocardial infarction cases and 49 stroke cases) were identified. Among all three PAC models, the high-stability PAC pattern exhibited the highest risk of CVD. After full adjustment for all covariables, HRs were 2.19 (95% CI 1.59–3.01) for the moderate-stable pattern and 2.56 (95% CI 1.68–3.91) for the high-stable pattern in comparison to the low-stable pattern. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses verified this association. The presence of a high-stable PAC trajectory pattern is associated with an elevated risk of CVD in hypertensive patients. Nevertheless, more studies are warranted to confirm these findings.

Reconstruction and expansion, as well as asset management, of highways necessitate the development of a current and highly precise 3D pavement model. Current inverse modeling methods with point clouds are laborious, time-consuming, and limited in precision. This article introduces an alternative framework for parametric inverse procedural modeling of highway pavement with standardized alignments seamlessly integrated with off-the-shelf modeling software. It comprises three key steps. (1) Extraction of highway pavement boundaries and lane markings: Initially, we combine grid-based and model-driven methods, followed by line structure-based clustering, to accurately generate road centerlines and layouts. (2) Road centerline generation: The centerline, derived from lane markings, informs highway alignments and parameters based on geometric characteristics such as curvature and slope. We utilize cost functions to facilitate this process. (3) Novel inverse procedural assembly: This innovative step integrates off-the-shelf modeling software. This approach involves extracting vector lines from point clouds and applying constraints at pivotal points on highway pavement cross-sections. Our focus is on refined component-level modeling, allowing for the assembly of diverse highway elements. This method significantly reduces human intervention and achieves high precision. In tests on two highway datasets from Sichuan Province, China, our method achieved excellent results. It attained an average correctness of 98.63% and completeness of 99.66% within a 10 cm error margin. A comparison with the intersection point method indicated minimal errors, with maximum values below 1.2%. The resultant 3D highway pavement model is modular and highly accurate at the centimeter level.

Thaw slump susceptibility mapping (TSSM) of Qinghai–Tibet railway corridor (QTRC) is the prerequisite and basis for disaster assessment and prevention of permafrost projects. The objective of this article is to construct ensemble learning models based on single classifier models to generate the TSSM of the QTRC, compare and verify the performance of the models, and further explore the relationship between the high susceptibility area and environmental factors of the QTRC. The collinearity analysis was carried out by selecting 14 thaw slump conditioning factors (TSCFs). We used the balance bagging method for sample optimization, and the dataset was divided into 70% training set and 30% verification set. Convolutional neural network, multilayer perceptron, support vector regression, random forest single classifiers were selected to construct blending and stacking ensemble learning models for the TSSM. The results showed that there was no collinearity among the 14 TSCFS. The comparison of model performance revealed that all models had good performance, but the constructed stacking and blending ensemble learning models had stable performance and high prediction accuracy for TSSM. The stacking ensemble learning model had the best effect, and the area under curve value of receiver operating characteristic curve reached 0.9607. It showed that the generated TSSM of QTRC based on stacking ensemble learning model had the highest reliability. The QTRC has local areas with high thaw slump susceptibility, mainly concentrated in the permafrost areas with high altitude, high slope, adjacent faults, sparse vegetation, ice and snow and the more cumulative precipitation.

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role as transcription regulators in various aspects of follicular development, including steroidogenesis, ovulation, apoptosis, and gene regulation in poultry. However, there is a paucity of studies examining the specific impact of miRNAs on ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) across multiple grades in laying hens. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the roles of miRNAs in chicken GCs. By constructing miRNA expression profiles of GCs at 10 different time points, encompassing 4 pre-hierarchical, 5 preovulatory, and 1 postovulatory follicles stage, we identified highly expressed miRNAs involved in GC differentiation (miR-148a-3p, miR-143-3p), apoptosis (let7 family, miR-363-3p, miR-30c-5p, etc.), and autophagy (miR-128-3p, miR-21-5p). Furthermore, we discovered 48 developmentally dynamic miRNAs (DDMs) that target 295 dynamic differentially expressed genes (DDGs) associated with follicular development and selection (such as oocyte meiosis, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, Wnt signaling pathway, TGF-β signaling pathway) as well as follicular regression (including autophagy and cellular senescence). These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the intricate mechanisms underlying follicle recruitment, selection, and degeneration, aiming to enhance poultry’s reproductive capacity.

In this paper, an integrated device which realized the dual-mode integration of power amplifier (PA) and radio frequency (RF) switch based on GaN dual-gate (DG) structure is designed and fabricated. The integrated device provides two working modes and meets the performance requirements of PA and RF switch. In the transmit (Tx) mode, the integrated device is used as PA. At the frequency of 3.6 GHz, compared with the conventional GaN HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) as PA, due to the field modulation effect of the dual-gate structure, the current collapse is effectively suppressed, and the output power density $(P_{out})$ of the integrated device is increased from 6.90 W/mm to 7.85 W/mm, and the power added efficiency (PAE) is increased from 44.3% to 51.1%. In the receive (Rx) mode, the integrated device is used as RF switch. Compared with conventional RF switch, the isolation of integrated devices is significantly improved. At the frequency of 3.6GHz, the isolation is improved from 19.4 dB to 41.0 dB; At the frequency of 40 GHz, the isolation is improved from 3.0 dB to 29.7 dB. The integrated device provides a novel function integration scheme for RF frontends, with great potential for improving the integration and dimension of future communication systems.

Foliar application of selenium (Se) is an effective measure to increase Se concentrations in peanut pods. However, how the foliar application of amino acid-chelated selenite affects the photosynthetic characteristics of peanut leaves at the podding stage is still unclear. Here, the effects of Se on the activities of antioxidant enzymes, the concentrations of chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugar, and reduced glutathione (GSH), photosynthetic parameters, and Se concentration of peanut leaves were investigated by spraying selenite, L-lysine-chelated selenite, and amino acid-chelated selenite solutions, respectively. The results indicated that foliar application of Se could significantly increase leaf Se concentration. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) of leaves were significantly higher than those in the control. However, peanut leaves' intercellular CO2 concentration (ci) decreased significantly. Further study found that the concentrations of chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugar, and GSH in peanut leaves increased significantly, and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) in peanut leaves were significantly higher than those in control. However, there were no significant differences between the foliar application of selenite, L-lysine-chelated selenite, and amino acid-chelated selenite. Thus, foliar application of selenite, L-lysine-chelated selenite, and amino acid-chelated selenite could effectively enhance the photosynthetic functions of peanut leaves, which was closely associated with the improvement of antioxidant enzyme activities and the concentrations of soluble sugar, soluble protein, and GSH, resulting in inhibiting chlorophyll degradation and improving the photosynthetic functions of peanut leaves.

Abstract Accurate and cost-effective quantification of the carbon cycle for agroecosystems at decision-relevant scales is critical to mitigating climate change and ensuring sustainable food production. However, conventional process-based or data-driven modeling approaches alone have large prediction uncertainties due to the complex biogeochemical processes to model and the lack of observations to constrain many key state and flux variables. Here we propose a Knowledge-Guided Machine Learning (KGML) framework that addresses the above challenges by integrating knowledge embedded in a process-based model, high-resolution remote sensing observations, and machine learning (ML) techniques. Using the U.S. Corn Belt as a testbed, we demonstrate that KGML can outperform conventional process-based and black-box ML models in quantifying carbon cycle dynamics. Our high-resolution approach quantitatively reveals 86% more spatial detail of soil organic carbon changes than conventional coarse-resolution approaches. Moreover, we outline a protocol for improving KGML via various paths, which can be generalized to develop hybrid models to better predict complex earth system dynamics.

Abstract Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (II/R) injury is an urgent clinical disease with high incidence and mortality, and impaired intestinal barrier function caused by excessive apoptosis of intestinal cells is an important cause of its serious consequences. Tripartite motif-containing protein 65 (TRIM65) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that is recently reported to suppress the inflammatory response and apoptosis. However, the biological function and regulation of TRIM65 in II/R injury are totally unknown. We found that TRIM65 was significantly decreased in hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) induced intestinal epithelial cells and II/R-induced intestine tissue. TRIM65 knockout mice markedly aggravated intestinal apoptosis and II/R injury. To explore the molecular mechanism of TRIM65 in exacerbating II/R-induced intestinal apoptosis and damage, thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box factor 4 (TOX4) was screened out as a novel substrate of TRIM65 using the yeast two-hybrid system. TRIM65 binds directly to the N-terminal of TOX4 through its coiled-coil and SPRY structural domains. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy showed that they can co-localize both in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Furthermore, TRIM65 mediated the K48 ubiquitination and degradation of TOX4 depending on its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. In addition, TRIM65 inhibits H/R-induced intestinal epithelial apoptosis via TOX4. In summary, our results indicated that TRIM65 promotes ubiquitination and degradation of TOX4 to inhibit apoptosis in II/R. These findings provide a promising target for the clinical treatment of II/R injury.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is one of the major cash crops in China. Potato virus Y (PVY), a representative member of the genus Potyvirus, greatly reduces the quality and yield of tobacco leaves by inducing veinal necrosis. Mild strain-mediated cross-protection is an attractive method of controlling diseases caused by PVY. Currently, there is a lack of effective and stable attenuated PVY mutants. Potyviral helper component-protease (HC-Pro) is a likely target for the development of mild strains. Our previous studies showed that the residues lysine at positions 124 and 182 (K124 and K182) in HC-Pro were involved in PVY virulence, and the conserved KITC motif in HC-Pro was involved in aphid transmission. In this study, to improve the stability of PVY mild strains, K at position 50 (K50) in KITC motif, K124, and K182 were separately substituted with glutamic acid (E), leucine (L), and arginine (R), resulting in a triple-mutant PVY-HCELR. The mutant PVY-HCELR had attenuated virulence and did not induce leaf veinal necrosis symptoms in tobacco plants and could not be transmitted by Myzus persicae. Furthermore, PVY-HCELR mutant was genetically stable after six serial passages, and only caused mild mosaic symptoms in tobacco plants even at 90 days post inoculation. The tobacco plants cross-protected by PVY-HCELR mutant showed high resistance to the wild-type PVY. This study showed that PVY-HCELR mutant was a promising mild mutant for cross-protection to control PVY.

ABSTRACT The emerging prevalence of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates underscores the urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies due to the declining effectiveness of traditional antibiotics in clinical settings. MgrA, a key virulence regulator in S. aureus, orchestrates the expression of numerous virulence factors. Here, we report the discovery of isorhapontigenin, a methoxylated analog of resveratrol, as a potential anti-virulence agent against S. aureus. Isorhapontigenin effectively inhibits the hemolytic activity of S. aureus in a non-bactericidal manner. Additionally, it significantly reduces the cytotoxicity of S. aureus and impairs its ability to survive in macrophages. Mechanistically, isorhapontigenin modulates the expression of virulence factors, dose-dependently downregulating hla and upregulating the MgrA-regulated gene spa. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that isorhapontigenin inhibits the binding of MgrA to the hla promoter in a dose-dependent manner. Thermal shift assays confirmed the direct interaction between isorhapontigenin and the MgrA protein. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that isorhapontigenin significantly reduced the area of skin abscesses and improved survival in a pneumonia model while decreasing bacterial burden and inflammation in the lungs. In conclusion, isorhapontigenin holds potential as a candidate drug for further development as an anti-virulence agent for treating S. aureus infections.IMPORTANCEThe emergence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains presents a formidable challenge to public health, necessitating novel approaches in combating these pathogens. Traditional antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective, leading to a pressing need for innovative therapeutic strategies. In this study, targeting virulence factors that play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of bacterial infections offers a promising alternative to circumvent resistance mechanisms. The discovery of isorhapontigenin as an inhibitor of S. aureus virulence represents a significant advance in anti-virulence therapy.

Pregnant women with severe osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) are uncommon, and there are limited data regarding anaesthesia for caesarean section in these high-risk individuals. The presence of anatomical and physiological abnormalities can pose technical challenges for the anaesthetist. This report describes the successful implementation of epidural anaesthesia in a parturient with severe OI. To our knowledge, this is the first documented use of ultrasound-assisted neuraxial anaesthesia and wrist blood pressure monitoring in such patients undergoing caesarean section. Understanding the pathophysiological changes associated with OI is crucial for ensuring safe administration of anaesthesia to these women.

Gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer represent the leading cause of tumor-related death worldwide. Although advances in immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy have expanded treatment options, they have not significantly altered the prognosis for patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric cancer. A minority of patients, particularly those with PD-L1–positive, HER-2–positive, or MSI-high tumors, may benefit more from immune checkpoint inhibitors and/or HER-2–directed therapies in advanced stages. However, for those lacking specific targets and unique molecular features, conventional chemotherapy remains the only recommended effective and durable regimen. In this review, we summarize the roles of various signaling pathways and further investigate the available targets. Then, the current results of phase II/III clinical trials in advanced gastric cancer, along with the superiorities and limitations of the existing biomarkers, are specifically discussed. Finally, we will offer our insights in precision treatment pattern when encountering the substantial challenges.

IntroductionAcetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), one of the enzymes that catalyze the conversion of acetate to acetyl-CoA, has been proved to be an oncogene in various cancers. However, the function of ACSS2 is still largely a black box in melanoma.MethodsThe ACSS2 expression was detected in melanoma cells and melanocytes at both protein and mRNA levels. Cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion were investigated after ACSS2 knockdown. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology was employed to identify differentially expressed genes caused by ACSS2 knockdown, which were then verified by immunoblotting analysis. Animal experiments were further performed to investigate the influence of ACSS2 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo.ResultsFirstly, we found that ACSS2 was upregulated in most melanoma cell lines compared with melanocytes. In addition, ACSS2 knockdown dramatically suppressed melanoma cell migration and invasion, whereas promoted cell apoptosis in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Furthermore, tumor growth and metastasis were dramatically suppressed by ACSS2 knockdown in vivo. RNA-Seq suggested that the Hippo pathway was activated by ACSS2 knockdown, which was forwardly confirmed by Western blotting and rescue experiments. Taken together, we demonstrated that ACSS2 enables melanoma cell survival and tumor metastasis via the regulation of the Hippo pathway.DiscussionIn summary, this study demonstrated that ACSS2 may promote the growth and metastasis of melanoma by negatively regulating the Hippo pathway. Targeting ACSS2 may be a promising target for melanoma treatment.

BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested that aldosterone may play a major role in calcium-phosphorus homeostasis and bone metabolism. However, the relationship between plasma aldosterone concentrations (PAC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in middle-aged and elderly hypertensive patients remains unclear. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the relationship between PAC levels and BMD and explore PAC’s potential impact on osteoporosis and future fracture risk in hypertensive patients.MethodsOur study included a total of 1430 participants. Associations are tested using multiple linear and logistic regression models. Nonlinearity was investigated using the restricted cubic spline (RCS). We also performed mediating analyses to assess mediating factors mediating the relationship between PAC and osteoporosis.ResultsThe multiple linear regression showed a negative correlation between PAC and BMD and was generally positively associated with FRAX scores. Meanwhile, logistic regression analyses indicated that osteoporosis was highly correlated with PAC levels. In addition, a clear non-linear dose-response relationship was also shown in the constructed RCS model. Finally, mediation analyses showed that serum potassium played an important role in the development of osteoporosis.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that elevated PAC levels are strongly associated with decreased BMD, increased prevalence of osteoporosis, and the risk of future fractures in middle-aged and elderly hypertensive patients. Further studies are needed to confirm this relationship and reveal its underlying mechanisms.

While the 5-year survival rate of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has seen some improvement, the majority of NSCLC patients fail to respond to immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). It is critical to identify effective biomarkers that can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. The clinical data in the current study were collected from NSCLC patients treated with ICIs, and two groups were classified according to treatment effect: good group with consistent efficacy, poor group with only progressiveness. Differences in intestinal microbiota between the two groups were analyzed using 16s rRNA sequencing. Beta diversity analysis indicated differences between the two groups that were available for differentiation. Comparison of the number of common or unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) among different groups suggested that there were 53 unique OTUs in the good group and 51 unique OTUs in the poor group. At the phylum level, there was a difference between the two groups for several bacterial groups with the highest abundance values, among which Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria were more abundant in the good group. Members of the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were abundant in the good group, while the abundance of Bacteroides was low. Biomarkers in the poor group included Bacteroides, Bacteroidetes, Bacteroidia, Bacteroidales, Bacteroidaceae and Veillonellaceae. The intestinal microbiota composition affected the immunotherapy process for NSCLC, which might offer more rational instructions for the clinical application of ICIs in NSCLC patients.

Sepsis is a leading cause of death resulting from an uncontrolled inflammatory response to an infectious agent. Multiple organ injuries, including brain injuries, are common in sepsis. The underlying mechanism of sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), which is associated with neuroinflammation, is not yet fully understood. Recent studies suggest that the release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) following activation of microglial cells plays a crucial role in the development of long-lasting neuroinflammation after the initial sepsis episode. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the recent literature on the molecular signaling pathways involved in microglial cell activation and interleukin-1β release. It also explores the physiological and pathophysiological role of IL-1β in cognitive function, with a particular focus on its contribution to long-lasting neuroinflammation after sepsis. The findings from this review may assist healthcare providers in developing novel interventions against SAE.

Risk communication seeks to develop a shared understanding of disaster among stakeholders, thereby amplifying public awareness and empowering them to respond more effectively to emergencies. However, existing studies have overemphasized specialized numerical modelling, making the professional output challenging to understand and use by non-research stakeholders. In this context, this article proposes a 3D virtual geographic environment for flood representation towards risk communication, which integrates flood modelling, parallel computation, and 3D representation in a pipeline. Finally, a section of the Rhine River in Bonn, Germany, is selected for experiment analysis. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is capable of flood modelling and 3D representation within a few hours, the parallel speedup ratio reached 6.45. The intuitive flood scene with 3D city models is beneficial for promoting flood risk communication and is particularly helpful for participants without direct experience of floods to understand its spatiotemporal process. It also can be embedded in the Geospatial Infrastructure Management Ecosystem (GeoIME) cloud application for intelligent flood systems.

Improving drought tolerance in plants is essential for increasing crop yields under water-limited conditions. In this study, we investigated the functional role of the maize gene ZmDST44, which is targeted by the miRNA ZmmiR139. Our results indicate that ZmmiR139 regulates ZmDST44 by cleaving its mRNA, as confirmed by inverse expression patterns and 5′-RACE analysis. Overexpression of ZmDST44 in Arabidopsis, rice, and maize resulted in significant enhancements in drought tolerance. Transgenic plants exhibited reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, increased proline accumulation, and upregulation of drought-responsive genes compared to wild-type plants. Transgenic Arabidopsis and rice showed improved drought resistance and higher post-drought recovery rates, and transgenic maize displayed lower sensitivity to drought stress. These findings suggest that ZmDST44 acts as a positive regulator of drought tolerance across different plant species and holds promise for developing drought-resistant crops through genetic engineering.

The accurate large-scale positioning system is a novel full-space laser positioning system that has the advantages of automatic and multi-node parallel measurement and sub-millimeter positioning accuracy, and it has become an important component in the digital manufacturing of large equipment. Goniometric accuracy is particularly important for the evaluation of system function and accuracy improvement. An improved goniometric accuracy calibration method is proposed to assess the goniometric accuracy by using multiple measurement points to fit the mapping relationship between the goniometric measurement of the system and the goniometric measurement of the multi-tooth indexing table. The feasibility of the accuracy assessment method is verified by establishing a geometric model and performing modeling and simulation analysis. The method is verified using an all-space laser positioning system, and the dynamic performance of the base station is optimized to improve the overall goniometric accuracy. The maximum value of the goniometric error is 0.008″ and the goniometric accuracy is 0.026″ after fitting the curve by the mapping relation, demonstrating high stability, and the fluctuation of the goniometric error after optimization is improved from the original ±15″ to ±7.5″, verifying the effectiveness of the goniometric compensation method. This method solves the problem of coaxiality calibration in goniometric evaluation and provides the basis for the traceability of the goniometric accuracy.

Abstract We present a representation of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator, a demographic vegetation model within the Energy Exascale Earth System land model. This representation is modular, and designed to allow testing of multiple hypothetical approaches for carbon‐nutrient coupling in plants. Novel model hypotheses introduced in this work include, (a) the controls on plant acquisition of aqueous mineralized nutrients in the soil and (b) fairly straight forward methods of allocating nutrients to specific plant organs and their losses through live plant turnover as well as litter fluxes generated through plant mortality. This combines the new with pre‐existing hypotheses (such as nitrogen fixation and soil decomposition) into a system that can accommodate plant‐soil dynamics for a large number of size‐ and functional‐type‐resolved plant cohorts within a time‐since‐disturbance‐resolved ecosystem. Root uptake of nutrients is governed by fine root biomass, and plants vary in their fine root biomass allocation in order to balance carbon and nutrient limitations to growth. We test the sensitivity of the model to a wide range of parameter variations and structural representations, and in the context of observations at Barro Colorado Island, Panama. A key model prediction is that plants in the high‐light‐availability canopy positions allocate more carbon to fine roots than plants in low‐light understory environments, given the widely different carbon versus nutrient constraints of these two niches within a given ecosystem. This model provides a basis for exploring carbon‐nutrient coupling with vegetation demography within Earth system models.

In this study, label-free proteomic technology was applied to analyze and compare the whey proteomes of porcine colostrum and mature milk. In total, 2993 and 2906 whey proteins were detected in porcine colostrum and mature milk, respectively. A total of 2745 common proteins were identified in the two milk samples, and 280 proteins were found to be significantly differentially expressed whey proteins in porcine milk. Gene Ontology analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed whey proteins were primarily enriched in lipid homeostasis, oxidoreductase activity, and the collagen trimer. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis suggested that the phagosome and endocytosis were the crucial pathways. This study provides systematic and in-depth insight into the compositions and functional properties of whey proteins in porcine milk during different periods of lactation, which may be beneficial for the development of porcine whey proteins in the future.

BackgroundSpeckle Type POZ Protein (SPOP), despite its tumor type-dependent role in tumorigenesis, primarily as a tumor suppressor gene is associated with a variety of different cancers. However, its function in pancreatic cancer remains uncertain.MethodsSPOP expression and the association between its expression and patient prognosis and immune function were evaluated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource 2.0 (TIMER2.0) database, cBioportal, and various bioinformatic databases. Enrichment analysis of SPOP and the association between SPOP expression with clinical stage and grade were analyzed using the R software package. Then immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to estimate the correlation between SPOP and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in patients with pancreatic cancer.ResultsAs part of our study, we assessed that SPOP was anomalously expressed in kinds of cancers, associated with clinical stage and outcomes. Meanwhile, SPOP also played a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The expression level of SPOP was significantly correlated to tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) in pancreatic cancer.ConclusionsOur study uncovered the potential corrections in SPOP with TICs, suggesting that SPOP may act as a biomarker for immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer.

BackgroundPrevious studies have investigated the relationship between nesfatin-1 level and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, these studies have produced conflicting results. Thus, in this meta-analysis, we aimed to clarify the association between blood nesfatin-1 levels and PCOS, and the ability of nesfatin-1 as a biomarker in PCOS.MethodsMeta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. We computed standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) regarding the comparison of blood nesfatin-1 in patients with PCOS and controls.ResultsThe present meta-analysis showed no significant difference in blood nesfatin-1 level between patients with PCOS and controls with a random effects model (SMD = 0.03; 95%CI: -0.71, 0.77; I2 = 97.1%, p value for Q test < 0.001). Subgroup analysis for different ethnicities reported no significant difference in blood nesfatin-1 level between patients with PCOS and controls in both Caucasian and Asian populations. Subgroup analysis for different sample types reported no significant difference in serum nesfatin-1 level between patients with PCOS and controls. Subgroup studies reported no significant difference in blood nesfatin-1 level between PCOS and controls in both obese and non-obese populations.ConclusionIn conclusion, there is no significant relationship between blood nesfatin-1 levels and PCOS.

ABSTRACT: The egg-laying performance of hens holds significant economic importance within the poultry industry. Broody inheritance of the parent stock of chickens can result in poor options for the improvement of egg production, and is a phenomenon influenced by multiple genetic factors. However, few studies have been conducted to delineate the molecular mechanism of ovarian regression in brooding chickens. Here, we explored the pivotal genes responsible for the regulation of ovarian follicles in laying hens, using RNA-sequencing analysis on the small ovarian follicles from broody and laying chickens. Sequencing data analysis revealed the differential expression of 200 genes, with a predominant enrichment in biological processes related to cell activation and metabolism. Among these genes, we focused on solute carrier family 5 member 5 (SLC5A5), which exhibited markedly higher RNA expression levels in follicles from laying compared with broody chickens. Subsequent cellular function studies with knockdown of SLC5A5 in chicken ovarian follicle granulosa cells (GCs) led to the down-regulation of genes associated with cell proliferation and steroid hormone synthesis, and concurrent promotion of gene expression linked to apoptosis. These findings indicated that SLC5A5 deficiency led to the inhibition of proliferation, steroid hormone synthesis and secretion, and promotion of apoptosis in chicken GCs. Our study demonstrated a pivotal role for SLC5A5 in the development and function of chicken GCs, shedding light on its potential significance in the broader context of chicken ovarian follicle development, and providing a prospective target to improve the egg-laying performance of chickens via molecular marker-assisted breeding technology.

The SAUR (small auxin-up RNA) family constitutes a category of genes that promptly respond to the hormone auxin and play a pivotal role in diverse biological processes encompassing plant growth and the response to abiotic stress. Santalum album L., a semi-parasitic evergreen tree, is renowned for its economically valuable essential oils, positioning it among the most prized tree species. In this study, a meticulous identification and comprehensive analysis of 43 SAUR genes was conducted within S. album. Based on phylogenetic relationships, the SaSAUR genes were systematically categorized into five groups. A collinearity analysis revealed intriguing insights, disclosing 14 segmental duplications and 9 tandem duplications within the SaSAUR genes, emphasizing the pivotal role of duplication in the expansion of this gene family. Noteworthy variations in the expression levels of SaSAUR genes were observed by delving into the SaSAUR transcriptome data from various tissues, including leaves, roots, and heartwood, as well as under salt-stress conditions. Notably, SaSAUR08 and SaSAUR13 were significantly upregulated in heartwood compared with roots and leaves, while SaSAUR18 was markedly more expressed in roots compared with heartwood and leaves. Furthermore, SaSAUR27 and SaSAUR28 were found to respond closely to salt stress, hinting at their potential involvement in the salt-stress response mechanism. This research offers a comprehensive investigation of SAUR genes in S. album and establishes a foundation for future exploration of the SAUR gene family, particularly its relation to growth and salt-stress responses.

With the rapid development of the electric vehicle industry, the widespread utilization of lithium-ion batteries has made it imperative to address their safety issues. This paper focuses on the thermal safety concerns associated with lithium-ion batteries during usage by specifically investigating high-capacity lithium iron phosphate batteries. To this end, thermal runaway (TR) experiments were conducted to investigate the temperature characteristics on the battery surface during TR, as well as the changes in battery mass and expansion rate before and after TR. Meanwhile, by constructing a TR simulation model tailored to lithium iron phosphate batteries, an analysis was performed to explore the variations in internal material content, the proportion of heat generation from each exothermic reaction, and the influence of the heat transfer coefficient during the TR process. The results indicate that as the heating power increases, the response time of lithium-ion batteries to TR advances. Furthermore, the heat released from the negative electrode–electrolyte reaction emerges as the primary heat source throughout the entire TR process, contributing to 63.1% of the total heat generation.

Currently, cutting-edge, high-frequency current sources are limited by switching devices and wire materials, and the output current cannot take into account the demands of a high peak and low rise time at the same time. Based on the output demand of a current source, a non-inductive coil for providing high-frequency, high current sources with low rise times is designed. The coil is appropriately designed according to the principle of the ampere-turn method, where several turns of wire are utilized to linearly synthesize the current to obtain high-frequency currents with amplitudes up to 30 kA. However, the inductance formed after winding the coil could possess a hindering effect on the high-frequency current. In the present investigation, based on the law of energy conservation and utilizing the principle of transformer coupling, the inductor’s hindering effect on high-frequency currents is appropriately eliminated by consuming the stored energy of the inductor innovatively. Theoretical calculations and practical tests show that the inductance of a two-layer 28-turn coil is 42 times smaller than that of a two-layer, 28-turn perfect circular spiral PCB coil. The measured inductance is only 6.69 μH, the output current amplitude is calculated to be up to 33 kA with a rise time of 20 ns, and the output waveform corresponding to a 1 MHz square wave is not remarkably distorted. This effective design idea could be very helpful in solving the problem of high peak values and low rise times in high-frequency, high-current source output design.

Background: The accurate identification and diagnosis of secondary hypertension is critical,especially while cardiovascular heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death. To develop a big data intelligence platform for secondary hypertension using electronic medical records to contribute to future basic and clinical research. Methods: Using hospital data, the platform, named Hypertension DATAbase at Urumchi (UHDATA), included patients diagnosed with hypertension at the People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since December 2004. The electronic data acquisition system, the database synchronization technology, and data warehouse technology (extract–transform–load, ETL) for the scientific research big data platform were used to synchronize and extract the data from each business system in the hospital. Standard data elements were established for the platform, including demographic and medical information. To facilitate the research, the database was also linked to the sample database system, which includes blood samples, urine specimens, and tissue specimens. Results: From December 17, 2004, to August 31, 2022, a total of 295,297 hypertensive patients were added to the platform, with 53.76% being males, with a mean age of 59 years, and 14% with secondary hypertension. However, 75,802 patients visited the Hypertension Center at our hospital, with 43% (32,595 patients) being successfully diagnosed with secondary hypertension. The database contains 1458 elements, with an average fill rate of 90%. The database can continuously include the data for new hypertensive patients and add new data for existing hypertensive patients, including post-discharge follow-up information, and the database updates every 2 weeks. Presently, some studies that are based on the platform have been published. Conclusions: Using computer information technology, we developed and implemented a big database of dynamically updating electronic medical records for patients with hypertension, which is helpful in promoting future research on secondary hypertension.

It is essential to establish a digital twin scene, which helps to depict the dynamically changing geographical environment accurately. Digital twins could improve the refined management level of intelligent tunnel construction; however, research on geographical twin models primarily focuses on modeling and visual description, which has low analysis efficiency. This paper proposes a knowledge-guided intelligent analysis method for the geometric deformation of tunnel excavation profile twins. Firstly, a dynamic data-driven knowledge graph of tunnel excavation twin scenes was constructed to describe tunnel excavation profile twin scenes accurately. Secondly, an intelligent diagnosis algorithm for geometric deformation of tunnel excavation contour twins was designed by knowledge guidance. Thirdly, multiple visual variables were jointly used to support scene fusion visualization of tunnel excavation profile twin scenes. Finally, a case was selected to implement the experimental analysis. The experimental results demonstrate that the method in this article can achieve an accurate description of objects and their relationships in tunnel excavation twin scenes, which supports rapid geometric deformation analysis of the tunnel excavation profile twin. The speed of geometric deformation diagnosis is increased by more than 90% and the cognitive efficiency is improved by 70%. The complexity and difficulty of the deformation analysis operation are reduced, and the diagnostic analysis ability and standardization of the geographic digital twin model are effectively improved.

Permafrost stability is significantly influenced by the thermal buffering effects of snow and active-layer peat soils. In the warm season, peat soils act as a barrier to downward heat transfer mainly due to their low thermal conductivity. In the cold season, the snowpack serves as a thermal insulator, retarding the release of heat from the soil to the atmosphere. Currently, many global land models overestimate permafrost soil temperature and active layer thickness (ALT), partially due to inaccurate representations of soil organic matter (SOM) density profiles and snow thermal insulation. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of SOM and snow schemes on ALT simulations at pan-Arctic permafrost sites using the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) land model (ELM). We conducted simulations at the Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM) sites across the pan-Arctic domain. We improved ELM-simulated site-level ALT using a knowledge-based hierarchical optimization procedure and examined the effects of precipitation-phase partitioning methods (PPMs), snow compaction schemes, and snow thermal conductivity schemes on simulated snow depth, soil temperature, ALT, and CO _2 fluxes. Results showed that the optimized ELM significantly improved agreement with observed ALT (e.g. RMSE decreased from 0.83 m to 0.15 m). Our sensitivity analysis revealed that snow-related schemes significantly impact simulated snow thermal insulation levels, soil temperature, and ALT. For example, one of the commonly used snow thermal conductivity schemes (quadratic Sturm or SturmQua) generally produced warmer soil temperatures and larger ALT compared to the other two tested schemes. The SturmQua scheme also amplified the model’s sensitivity to PPMs and predicted deeper ALTs than the other two snow schemes under both current and future climates. The study highlights the importance of accurately representing snow-related processes and peat soils in land models to enhance permafrost dynamics simulations.

We introduce a new isotope chronological model in which the natural mass-dependent isotopic fractionation effects of the radioactive (“parent”) and radiogenic (“daughter”) elements are systematically and rigorously considered. Using this model, we show that internally-normalized radiogenic isotopic ratios, commonly determined for daughter elements such as Sr, Nd, Cr, Ni, Hf, W, and Os, are dependent on the extent of natural isotopic fractionation of the daughter and parent elements at the time of system closure. This dependence indicates that (1) in two samples derived from the same isotopically homogeneous source at the same time and with identical radiogenic ingrowth over time, the present-day internally-normalized radiogenic isotope ratios would be different if they were initially fractionated to different degrees, and (2) if different internally-normalized radiogenic isotopic ratios are observed for two co-genetic objects, the difference between them would include contributions from both radiogenic ingrowth and natural isotopic fractionation. Consequently, the isochron dating equations employed in traditional chronological studies will yield inaccurate results when significant natural isotopic fractionation is present among the studied samples. Modified isochron equations that can be used to retrieve correct chronological information from isotopically-fractionated samples are presented. These theoretical considerations are applied to the 87Rb–87Sr, 147Sm–143Nd, and 146Sm–142Nd isotope systems of calcium–aluminium-rich inclusions (CAIs), a set of samples that have undergone significant natural Sr, Nd, and Sm isotope fractionation during their formation. The large natural Sr isotope fractionation (up to ca. 5.3 ‰ for 88Sr/86Sr) in fine-grained CAIs can generate analytically well-resolvable biases (>120 ppm) in the internally-normalized 87Sr/86Sr ratios and lead to significant scatters of their 87Rb–87Sr isochron (in conjunction with scatters induced by open-system disturbances). The 87Rb–87Sr systems of coarse-grained CAIs, on the contrary, are essentially not affected by natural Sr isotopic fractionation due to their much subdued fractionation degrees, resulting in a more robust isochron. Similarly, the large natural Nd (up to ca. 4.0 ‰ for 146Nd/144Nd) and Sm (up to ca. 7.1 ‰ for 152Sm/148Sm) isotopic fractionation in fine-grained CAIs can induce significant scatters of the 147Sm–143Nd isochron if the natural fractionation followed the kinetic or power law, and 146Sm–142Nd isochron if the natural fractionation followed the equilibrium, Rayleigh, or power law. This implies that when studying radioactive isotope systems in objects whose daughter and parent elements can undergo significant isotope fractionation in nature, accompanying stable isotope analyses are necessary for accurate chronological interpretations.