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[Display omitted] Healable electronic skins, an essential component for future soft robotics, implantable bioelectronics, and smart wearable systems, necessitate self-healable and pliable materials that exhibit functionality at intricate interfaces. Although a plethora of self-healable materials have been developed, the fabrication of highly conformal biocompatible functional materials on complex biological surfaces remains a formidable challenge. Inspired by regenerative properties of skin, we present the self-assembled transfer-printable liquid metal epidermis (SALME), which possesses autonomous self-healing capabilities at the oil–water interface. SALME comprises a layer of surfactant-grafted liquid metal nanodroplets that spontaneously assemble at the oil–water interface within a few seconds. This unique self-assembly property facilitates rapid restoration (<10 s) of SALME following mechanical damage. In addition to its self-healing ability, SALME exhibits excellent shear resistance and can be seamlessly transferred to arbitrary hydrophilic/hydrophobic curved surfaces. The transferred SALME effectively preserves submicron-scale surface textures on biological substrates, thus displaying tremendous potential for future epidermal bioelectronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seagrass systems are in decline, mainly due to anthropogenic pressures and ongoing climate change. Implementing seagrass protection and restoration measures requires accurate assessment of suitable habitats. Commonly, such assessments have been performed using single-algorithm habitat suitability models, nearly always based on low environmental resolution information and short-term species data series. Here we address eelgrass (Zoostera marina) meadows' large-scale decline (>80%) in Shandong province (Yellow Sea, China) by developing an ensemble habitat model (EHM) to inform eelgrass conservation and restoration strategies in the Swan Lake (SL). For this, we applied a weighted EHM derived from ten single-algorithm models including profile, regression, classification, and machine learning methods to generate a high-resolution habitat suitability map. The EHM was constructed based on the predictive performances of each model, by combining a series of present-absent eelgrass datasets from recent years coupled with oceanographic and sediment data. The model was cross-validated with independent historical datasets, and a final habitat suitability map for conservation and restoration was generated. Our EHM scheme outperformed all single models in terms of habitat suitability, scoring ∼0.95 for both true statistic skill (TSS) and area under the curve (AUC) performance criteria. Machine learning methods outperformed profile, regression and classification methods. Regarding model explanatory variables, overall, topographic characteristics such as depth (DEP) and seafloor slope (SSL) are the most significant factors determining the distribution of eelgrass. The EHM predicted that the overlapping area was almost 90% of the current eelgrass habitat. Using results from our EHM, a LOESS regression model for the relationship of the habitat suitability to both the biomass and density of Z. marina outperformed better than the classic Ordinary Least Squares regression model. The EHM is a promising tool for supporting eelgrass protection and restoration areas in temperate lagoons as data availability improves. [Display omitted] • An ensemble model with high-resolution scale for eelgrass conservation targets. • Classic and non-parametric techniques model relation of HSI and eelgrass density. • The predictive model was constructed and cross-validated with long-term datasets. • Approach can be extended and applied to other costal restoration projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical acaricides are mainly used in traditional tick control, which leads to the emergence of tick resistance and concurrently results in environmental pollution. In the present study, the chemical constituents of essential oils (EOs) from Thymus mongolicus , Cinnamomum verum, and Origanum vulgare was analyzed, and their potential application was evaluated to control the vector tick Haemaphysalis longicornis , which is widely distributed over vast areas of Eurasia, Australia, and New Zealand. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the phenols thymol and carvacrol accounted for 34.66% and 75.72% of the EOs of T. mongolicus and O. vulgare , respectively, whereas trans -cinnamaldehyde (49.42%) was the main constituent of C. verum EO. Immersion tests showed that the EOs of C. verum and O. vulgare had significant acaricidal activity against larval H. longicornis , with the 50% lethal concentration (LC 50) being 16.07 and 18.02 mg/mL, respectively, and the 95% lethal concentration (LC 95) being 120.37 and 130.09 mg/mL, respectively. The EOs of O. vulgare and T. mongolicus showed significant acaricidal activity against unfed adult H. longicornis , with LC 50 being 43.50 and 44.21 mg/mL, respectively, and LC 95 being 113.66 and 137.99 mg/mL, respectively. The fumigant toxicity test showed significant acaricidal activity of the three EOs against both unfed and engorged nymphal and adult H. longicornis. Enzyme assays revealed that the EOs of both C. verum and O. vulgare significantly inhibited glutathione S-transferase activity (P < 0.05). In contrast, the activities of carboxylesterase and multifunction oxidases were significantly inhibited by EOs extracted from all three plants (P < 0.05). Taken together, these findings suggest that plant EOs may serve as an environment-friendly alternative for synthetic acaricides in future tick control. • Thymol, carvacrol and trans -cinnamaldehyde were found the main compounds in the three Eos. • EOs of C. verum and O. vulgare had significant acaricidal activity against larval H. longicornis. • EOs of O. vulgare and T. mongolicus showed significant acaricidal activity to adult H. longicornis. • The activity of carboxylesterase and multifunction oxidases were significantly inhibited by Eos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To determine the roles of varroa mites in activating or vectoring viral infections, we performed quantitative comparison of viral infections between bees with and without mites by dot blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Under natural and artificial mite infestations, bee pupae contained significantly higher levels of Kashmir bee virus (KBV) and deformed wing virus (DWV) RNAs and KBV structural proteins than mite-free pupae. Moreover, in mite-infested bee pupae, DWV had amplified to extremely high titers with viral genomic RNA being clearly visible after separation of total bee RNA in agarose gels. Linear regression analysis has shown a positive correlation between the number of mites introduced and the levels of viral RNAs. The detection of viral RNAs in the nymph and adult mites underline the possible role of varroa in virus transmission. However, most groups of virus-free adult mites (9/12) were associated with bee pupae heavily infected by viruses, suggesting that the elevated viral titers in mite-infested pupae more likely resulted from activated viral replication. Based on these observations and our concurrent research demonstrating suppressed immune responses in bees infested with mites, we propose that parasitization by varroa suppresses the immunity of honey bees, leading to activation of persistent, latent viral infection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, we give a complete study on the existence and non-existence of solutions to the following mixed coupled nonlinear Schrödinger system { − Δ u + λ 1 u = β u v + μ 1 u 3 + ρ v 2 u in R N , − Δ v + λ 2 v = β 2 u 2 + μ 2 v 3 + ρ u 2 v in R N , under the normalized mass conditions ∫ R N u 2 d x = b 1 2 and ∫ R N v 2 d x = b 2 2. Here b 1 , b 2 > 0 are prescribed constants, N ≥ 1 , μ 1 , μ 2 , ρ > 0 , β ∈ R and the frequencies λ 1 , λ 2 are unknown and will appear as Lagrange multipliers. In the one dimension case, the energy functional is bounded from below on the product of L 2 -spheres, normalized ground states exist and are obtained as global minimizers. When N = 2 , the energy functional is not always bounded on the product of L 2 -spheres. We give a classification of the existence and nonexistence of global minimizers. Then under suitable conditions on b 1 and b 2 , we prove the existence of normalized solutions. When N = 3 , the energy functional is always unbounded on the product of L 2 -spheres. We show that under suitable conditions on b 1 and b 2 , at least two normalized solutions exist, one is a ground state and the other is an excited state. Furthermore, by refining the upper bound of the ground state energy, we provide a precise mass collapse behavior of the ground state and a precise limit behavior of the excited state as β → 0. Finally, we deal with the high dimensional cases N ≥ 4. Several non-existence results are obtained if β < 0. When N = 4 , β > 0 , the system is a mass-energy double critical problem, we obtain the existence of a normalized ground state and its synchronized mass collapse behavior. Comparing with the well studied homogeneous case β = 0 , our main results indicate that the quadratic interaction term not only enriches the set of solutions to the above Schrödinger system but also leads to a stabilization of the related evolution system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO 2 -induced ocean acidification and warming pose ecological threats to marine life, especially calcifying species such as echinoderms, who rely on biomineralization for skeleton formation. However, previous studies on echinoderm calcification amid climate change had a strong bias towards heavily calcified echinoderms, with little research on lightly calcified ones, such as sea cucumbers. Here, we analyzed the embryo-larval development and their biomineralization–related gene expression of a lightly calcified echinoderm, the sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus), under experimental seawater acidification (OA) and/or warming (OW). Results showed that OA (– 0.37 units) delayed development and decreased body size (8.58–56.25 % and 0.36–19.66 % decreases in stage duration and body length, respectively), whereas OW (+3.1 °C) accelerated development and increased body size (33.99–55.28 % increase in stage duration and 2.44–14.41 % enlargement in body length). OW buffered the negative effects of OA on the development timing and body size of A. japonicus. Additionally, no target genes were expressed in the blastula stage, and only two biomineralization genes (colp3α , cyp2) and five TFs (erg , tgif , foxN2/3 , gata1/2/3, and tbr) were expressed throughout the embryo-larval development. Our findings suggest that the low calcification in A. japonicus larvae may be caused by biomineralization genes contraction, and low expression of those genes. Furthermore, this study indicated that seawater acidification and warming affect expression of biomineralization-related genes, and had an effect on body size and development rate during the embryo-larval stage in sea cucumbers. Our study is a first step toward a better understanding of the complexity of high p CO 2 on calcification and helpful for revealing the adaptive strategy of less-calcified echinoderms amid climate change. [Display omitted] • A skeletogenic GRN in early development of holothurians was speculated. • Ocean acidification and warming affect biomineralization-related genes expression. • Acidification delayed development and shortened body length. • Warming mitigated negative effects of acidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Extreme wettability surfaces have attracted more and more attention due to their practical applications, however, few reports have shown a universal method to create surface patterns with extreme wettability on a variety of metals. In this paper, a mask-assisted dual-chemical-processing approach without special modification is used to prepare the extreme wettability patterns on various metal substrates. Fabrication of superhydrophilic-superhydrophobic patterns on five kinds of metal substrates of Al, Ti, steel, Zn and Mg alloy proved the versatility of this method. The extreme wettability patterns prepared by this method were applied to fog harvest and we found the big differences in the collection efficiency of various metal surface patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract Herein, novel mesoporous carbon-doped g-C 3 N 4 ultrathin nanosheets (C/CNNS) have been synthesized for the first time through a facile one-step thermal condensation method using agar-melamine gel (AMG) as precursor. A series of characterizations were carried out to explore the structure, morphology and optoelectronic properties of the C/CNNS photocatalyst. The resultant C/CNNS-0.5 exhibited the optimum photocatalytic performance with respect to bulk g-C 3 N 4 by using Rhodamine B, Phenol, Bisphenol A and Phenanthrene as target pollutants under visible light irradiation. Such remarkable enhancement of photocatalytic activity was mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of onion-like carbon (OLC) and ultrathin 2D nanosheets structure. The introduction of OLC could effectively expand visible-light absorption regions. Besides, OLC can act as an electron receiver to facilitate charge separation and inhibit the recombination of photogenerated carriers. 2D nanosheets structure provides more active sites for photocatalytic reactions, which further improve photocatalytic activity of C/CNNS-0.5 photocatalyst. The photocatalytic mechanism of C/CNNS for removing organic pollutants was explored by electron spin resonance (ESR) technique. Much different from the bulk g-C 3 N 4 , superoxide radical (O 2 −) and hydroxyl radical (OH) were the two main radicals, while for the bulk g-C 3 N 4 , there is only the O 2 − radical worked in the photocatalytic reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimately coupled photocatalysis and biodegradation (ICPB) systems represent a promising wastewater treatment technology. The implementation of ICPB systems for oil spill treatment is a pressing concern. In this study, we developed an ICPB system comprising BiOBr/modified g-C 3 N 4 (M-CN) and biofilms for the treatment of oil spills. The results demonstrate that the ICPB system achieved the rapid degradation of crude oil, outperforming the single photocatalysis and biodegradation methods by degrading 89.08 ± 5.36% within 48 h. The combination of BiOBr and M-CN formed a Z-scheme heterojunction structure, enhancing the redox capacity. The interaction between the holes (h+) and the negative charge on the biofilm surface promoted the separation of electrons (e−) and h+, thereby accelerating the degradation process of crude oil. Moreover, ICPB system maintained an excellent degradation ratio after three cycles and its biofilms progressively adapted to the adverse effects of crude oil and light. The microbial community structure remained stable throughout the degradation of crude oil, with Acinetobacter and Sphingobium identified as the dominant genera in biofilms. The proliferation of the Acinetobacter genus appeared to be the main factor contributing to the promotion of crude oil degradation. Our work demonstrates that the integrated tandem strategies perhaps represent a feasible pathway toward practical crude oil degradation. [Display omitted] • Integrated biodegradation and photocatalysis facilitate crude oil degradation. • The Z-scheme heterojunction of BiOBr/M-CN enhances the electron-hole separation. • Microorganisms inside the carrier play a central role in degradation of crude oil. • Binding of holes with negative charge of biofilms sophisticates the ICPB system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ticks are a large group of blood-feeding arthropods that transmit multiple human and animal pathogens and are hence of importance to public health. The tick Haemaphysalis longicornis is associated with the transmission of multiple human pathogens in Asia, and recently found invading to the United States. Here, we report the sequencing, assembly and annotation of the 3.16 gigabase genome of this species, which is larger than the previous assembled one. The present Haemaphysalis longicornis genome was characterized by 6519 scaffolds, 24,189 protein-coding genes and a high proportion of simple sequence repeats (54.72%). By genomic assembly and comparative genomic analysis, we characterized the key genes that play essential roles in iron metabolism, detoxification, and freeze tolerance of H. longicornis. Furthermore, a total of 79 endogenous viral elements were identified within the genome, which might have had a considerable impact on its evolution. Decoding the H. longicornis genome not only provides insight into the genetic underpinnings of specific biological processes but also offers the basis for the subsequent integrated control of ticks and tick-borne diseases. • A high quality of 3.16 gigabase genome of Haemaphysalis longicornis were assembled. • The key genes mediating the requisite biological traits of H. longicornis were characterized. • A total of 79 endogenous viral elements were identified within the H. longicornis genome. • The genome annotation are useful for future control of ticks and tick-borne diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]