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The issue of pulverized coal in coalbed methane wells during the discharge and mining process spans all stages, and it is a key factor constraining the continuous and stable discharge and production capacity of coalbed methane. Among these stages, the single-phase water flow stage features a high incidence of pulverized coal. Consequently, this paper presents a physical simulation experiment within the propped fractures during the single-phase water flow stage. The results of this study reveal the following: (1) Within the propped fracture channel, when pulverized coal is deposited along the flow line without causing blockage, the front end of the deposition exhibits a strip-like dispersion, evolving into "block deposition", "flame-like accumulation", "linear accumulation", and "dispersed point-like accumulation". (2) Agglomerated fracturing fluid can effectively mitigate the permeability damage caused by pulverized coal to the propped fractures. Both the driving speed and particle size of pulverized coal significantly influence pulverized coal transportation. The injury rate of propped fracture conductivity increases with increasing driving speeds, while the output of pulverized coal first increases and then decreases with increasing driving speed. Moreover, larger pulverized coal particle sizes result in notably greater damage to propped fracture conductivity than smaller particle sizes. Correspondingly, larger particles exhibit significantly lower output of pulverized coal compared to smaller particles, and transportation and output time are prolonged for larger particles. These findings underscore the importance of particle size and driving speed in the transportation dynamics of pulverized coal. The research results provide a theoretical basis for developing strategies for the prevention and control of pulverized coal during the single-phase water flow stage, thereby offering substantial scientific and practical value for the economic and efficient development of coalbed methane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coalbed methane represents a promising source of clean and efficient unconventional energy. The intricate network of micro–nano pores within coal serves as the primary adsorption space for gas, contributing to the complexity of gas migration channels. In this study, based on the box-counting method, three coal samples representing low, medium, and high ranks were subjected to high-precision micro-CT scanning and nano-CT scanning to generate three-dimensional (3D) pore network models using Avizo visualization software. This facilitated the accurate and quantitative characterization of the micro–nano pore structures within coal reservoirs. The results indicated that the face rate distribution range of each sample was large, indicating relatively strong heterogeneity in each sample. The volume fractal dimension of each sample, determined through micro–nano-CT scanning, was around 2.5, while the surface fractal dimension exhibited oscillatory characteristics with moderate uniformity. The pore equivalent radius and throat equivalent radius distributions were unimodal across all the samples, with the micro-CT scanning revealing a concentration primarily within the range of 100–400 μm for the pore equivalent radius and within 200 μm for the throat equivalent radius. Conversely, the nano-CT scanning exhibited concentrations primarily within the range of 500–2500 nm for the pore equivalent radius and within 2000 nm for the throat equivalent radius. The analysis of the 3D reconstruction structures indicated that the middle-rank coal exhibited more developed large–medium pores compared with the low-rank and high-rank coal, while the low-rank and high-rank coal exhibited relatively more micro–small pores. Furthermore, the low-rank coal exhibited the fewest number of pores but the largest average pore equivalent radius and throat radius. Additionally, the middle–high-rank coal exhibited a relatively larger number of pores. Despite the complex topological structures observed in each sample, a significant proportion indicated a coordination number of 0–20, indicating excellent connectivity within the coal samples. This study is conducive to the optimization of coalbed methane surface development blocks and the formulation of reasonable development plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption of CO2 fracturing fluid into coal reservoirs causes the expansion of the coal matrix volume, resulting in changes in the fracture opening, which alters the permeability of the coal reservoir. However, it is not yet clear whether thermal expansion during CO2 adsorption on coal is the main cause of coal adsorption expansion. Therefore, by testing the thermal properties, expansion coefficient, and adsorption heat of the three coal samples, the adsorption thermal expansion characteristics of coal and their impact on the permeability of coal reservoirs are clarified. The results reveal the following: (1) Under the same conditions, the adsorption heat increases with increasing pressure, while it decreases with increasing temperature. The relationship between adsorption heat and pressure conforms to the Langmuir equation before 40 °C, and it follows a second-order equation beyond 40 °C. At 100 °C, the adsorption heat of coal samples to CO2 is primarily determined by temperature. (2) The maximum temperature variation in coal samples from Xinjiang, Liulin, and Zhaozhuang during CO2 adsorption is 95.767 °C, 87.463 °C, and 97.8 °C, respectively. The maximum thermal expansion rates are 12.66%, 5.74%, and 14.37%, and the maximum permeability loss rates are 16.16%, 7.51%, and 18.24%, respectively, indicating that thermal expansion is the main reason for coal adsorption expansion. (3) This research can elucidate the impact of CO2 fracturing fluid on coal reservoirs and its potential application value, thus providing theoretical support for coalbed methane development and CO2 geological storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Neurotrophin receptor B (NTRK2) is a member of the neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) family, and recent studies have shown that the NTRK2 gene plays an important role in mammalian reproduction. The expression of the NTRK2 gene is often closely related to the production and quality of gametes in mammals. In the present study, we found that overexpression of the NTRK2 gene upregulated the expression of genes associated with cell proliferation and genes associated with steroid synthesis in sheep granulosa cells, and then verified this result by examining cell proliferation levels and hormone levels. We further demonstrated that NTRK2 activates the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, which is well known to regulate cell proliferation. These findings suggest that NTRK2 plays a role in regulating the proliferation and hormone secretion of sheep GCs through the PI3K-AKT pathway. These studies provide valuable insights into the regulatory role of the NTRK2 gene in follicular development in sheep. Neurotrophin receptor B (NTRK2), also named TRKB, belongs to the neurotrophic factor family. Previous studies have shown that NTRK2 is associated with high fertility in mammals. However, the molecular mechanism and regulatory pathway of this neurotrophic factor remain unclear. In this study, NTRK2 overexpression and NTRK2-siRNA were constructed to detect the effects of NTRK2 on the proliferation and hormone secretion of the ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) of sheep. We successfully isolated follicular phase granulosa cells in vitro from the ovaries of sheep in simultaneous estrus, and the immunofluorescence results confirmed that NTRK2 was expressed in the collected cells. Subsequently, the effect of NTRK2 on the proliferation of sheep granulosa cells was examined via cell transfection experiments. The results showed that the expression of CDK4 and CyclinD2 was significantly increased after NTRK2 overexpression, while the opposite trend was observed after the inhibition of NTRK2 expression (p < 0.05). The EdU and CCK-8 assays showed that the proliferation rate of sheep GCs was significantly increased after NTRK2 overexpression, while the opposite trend was observed after the inhibition of NTRK2 expression (p < 0.05). Moreover, NTRK2 significantly increased the expression of steroidogenesis-related genes, including steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) and hydroxy-δ-5-steroid dehydrogenase (HSD3B1), and cytochrome P450 family 19 subfamily A member 1 (CYP19A1). The ELISA results showed that the secretion levels of E2 and P4 significantly increased after NTRK2 overexpression, while the opposite trend was observed after the inhibition of NTRK2 expression (p < 0.05). Previous studies had confirmed that NTRK2 gene belongs to the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and participates in the signaling of this pathway. This was demonstrated by protein–protein interaction analysis and NTRK2 belongs to the PI3K-AKT pathway. The modification of PI3K and AKT, markers of the PI3K-AKT pathway, via phosphorylation was increased after NTRK2 overexpression in the sheep GCs, while the opposite trend was observed after the inhibition of NTRK2 expression (p < 0.05). Overall, these results suggest that the NTRK2 gene regulates the proliferation of GCs and the secretion of steroid hormones in sheep, and that it influences the phosphorylation level of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. These findings provided a theoretical basis and new perspectives for exploring the regulation of NTRK2 gene in the development of ovine follicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, two-dimensional (2D) Zn-HMT (Zn(NO3)2(HMT)2(H2O)2]n) nanosheets were synthesized using a facile one-step chemical precipitation in the presence of Zn(NO3)2, hexamine (HMT), and anhydrous ethanol at room temperature. Subsequently, hexagonal Tx-ZnO (Tx-ZnO refers to the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles) were synthesized by a high-temperature solid-phase method at different temperatures (x = 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, and 800 °C) nanoparticles with different morphologies were synthesized by a high-temperature calcination approach using 2D Zn-HMT nanosheets as precursor. The crystal structure, morphology, specific surface areas, surface and interface properties, optical properties, and charge migration behaviors of the as-synthesized Tx-ZnO nanoparticles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), automatic specific surface and aperture analyzer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-visible spectrophotometer, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The photocatalytic performances and stabilities of the as-synthesized typical Tx-ZnO nanoparticles with various morphologies were evaluated and compared with the commercial ZnO (CM-ZnO) nanoparticle. The T700-ZnO nanoparticle with spherical and irregular morphology exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity (99.12%) for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB), compared to T500-ZnO (92.32%), T600-ZnO (90.65%), T800-ZnO (44.04%), and the CM-ZnO (88.38%) nanoparticle, which can be attributed to the cooperative effects of higher crystallinity, bigger crystal size, the strongest separation efficiency, the lowest recombination rate, the fastest charge carrier transfer path, and the highest charge-transfer efficiency. The superior photocatalytic activity illustrated by the T700-ZnO nanoparticle makes it have potential application prospects for the treatment of organic wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper verified through experiments that change in ambient temperature are the main cause of dark output noise drift. Additionally, the impact of dark output noise drift in fiber optic spectrometers on emissivity measurements has been investigated in this work. Based on an improved fiber optic spectrometer, two methods were proposed for characterizing and correcting the dark output noise offset in fiber optic spectrometers: the mean correction scheme and the linear fitting correction scheme. Compared to the mean correction scheme, the linear fitting correction scheme is more effective in solving the problem of dark output noise drift. When the wavelength is greater than 1600 nm, the calibration relative error of silicon carbide (SIC) emissivity is less than 0.8% by the mean correction scheme, while the calibration relative error of silicon carbide emissivity is less than 0.62% by the linear fitting correction scheme. This work solves the problem of dark output noise drift in prolonged measurement based on fiber optic spectrometers, improving the accuracy and reliability of emissivity and quantitative radiation measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is a commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, posing a serious health risk. Despite new advances in immune checkpoint and targeted therapies in recent years, the prognosis for lung cancer patients, especially those in advanced stages, remains poor. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to modulate tumor development at multiple levels, and as such, miRNA mimics and molecules aimed at regulating miRNAs have shown promise in preclinical development. More importantly, miRNA-based therapies can also complement conventional chemoradiotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies to reverse drug resistance and increase the sensitivity of lung cancer cells. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miRNA-based therapies have entered clinical trials and have shown favorable development prospects. Therefore, in this paper, we review recent advances in miRNA-based therapies in lung cancer treatment as well as adjuvant therapy and present the current state of clinical lung cancer treatment. We also discuss the challenges facing miRNA-based therapies in the clinical application of lung cancer treatment to provide new ideas for the development of novel lung cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared selective emitters are attracting more and more attention due to their modulation ability of infrared radiance, which provides an efficient ability to blend objects into the surrounding environment. In this paper, an Ag/ZnS/Si/Ag/Si multilayered emitter is proposed by virtue of impedance matching as well as Fabry-Perot cavity effect to achieve selective radiation in the infrared band. The emissivity of the fabricated selective emitter is measured to be ε3–5μm = 0.16 and ε8–14μm = 0.23 in the atmosphere windows, respectively, meeting the requirements of infrared stealth. Meanwhile, the emissivity at the non-atmospheric window (5–8 μm) is as high as 0.78, which allows efficient heat dissipation to achieve radiative cooling. Furthermore, the selective emitter maintains excellent stealth performance until 350 °C, indicating its good heat resistance and dissipation at medium temperature. The proposed emitter with spectral selectivity provides a new strategy for the facile fabrication of mid-/low-temperature infrared stealth devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In sheep pituitary pars tuberalis tissue, EYA3, TSHβ and CHGA are key genes regulating seasonal reproduction. Their high expression is the characteristic signal under long photoperiods (EYA3, TSHβ) and short photoperiods (CHGA). The epigenetic regulation of microRNAs and LncRNAs on their expression remains unknown. In this study, our results indicated that miR-25 could inhibit the expression of CHGA by specifically binding to its 3′UTR region in pituitary cells. Lnc107153 played the role of CeRNA, which can adsorb miR-25 and weaken the inhibitory effect of miR-25 on CHGA expression. Together, these results suggested the epigenetic regulative network of Lnc107153-miR-25-CHGA was involved in sheep seasonal reproduction. Pituitary pars tuberalis (PT) plays an important role as the transmission center in the seasonal reproduction of animals. It helps convert external photoperiod signals into intrinsic seasonal reproduction signals. In sheep PT, specific expression patterns of several genes (including short photoperiod-induced gene CHGA and long photoperiod genes EYA3 and TSHβ) under different photoperiods are crucial characteristics during this signal transduction. Recent studies have revealed the role of epigenetics in regulating the expression of seasonal reproductive key genes. Therefore, we explored whether microRNAs and LncRNAs regulated the expressions of the above key genes. Firstly, the expression of miR-25 and CHGA showed a significant negative correlation in sheep PT. Results of the dual luciferase reporter assay and miR-25 overexpression indicated that miR-25 could inhibit the expression of CHGA by specifically binding to its 3′UTR region in pituitary cells. Then, expression negative correlation and dual luciferase reporter analyses were used to screen and identify the candidate LncRNA (Lnc107153) targeted by miR-25. Finally, the results of fluorescence in situ hybridization and Lnc107153 overexpression suggested that Lnc107153 and miR-25 were involved in the epigenetic regulation of CHGA expression. However, the expressions of EYA3 and TSHβ were not regulated by miRNAs. These results will provide new insights into the epigenetic regulatory network of key genes in sheep seasonal reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source and solves today's energy and climate emergency. Near-perfect broadband solar absorbers can offer necessary technical assistance to follow this route and develop an effective solar energy-harvesting system. In this work, the metamaterial perfect absorber operating in the ultraviolet to the near-infrared spectral range was designed, consisting of a periodically aligned titanium (Ti) nanoarray coupled to an optical cavity. Through numerical simulations, the average absorption efficiency of the optimal parameter absorber can reach up to 99.84% in the 200–3000 nm broadband range. We show that the Ti pyramid's localized surface plasmon resonances, the intrinsic loss of the Ti material, and the coupling of resonance modes between two neighboring pyramids are highly responsible for this broadband perfect absorption effect. Additionally, we demonstrate that the absorber exhibits some excellent features desirable for the practical absorption and harvesting of solar energy, such as precision tolerance, polarization independence, and large angular acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oviduct is a dynamic reproductive organ for mammalian reproduction and is required for gamete storage, maturation, fertilization, and early embryonic development, and it directly affects fecundity. However, the molecular regulation of prolificacy occurring in estrous periods remain poorly understood. This study aims to gain a better understanding of the genes involved in regulating goat fecundity in the proteome and transcriptome levels of the oviducts. Twenty female Yunshang black goats (between 2 and 3 years old, weight 52.22 ± 0.43 kg) were divided into high- and low-fecundity groups in the follicular (FH and FL, five individuals per group) and luteal (LH and LL, five individuals per group) phases, respectively. The DIA-based high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) method was used to quantify proteins in twenty oviducts. A total of 5409 proteins were quantified, and Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) determined that the tan module was highly associated with the high-fecundity trait in the luteal phase, and identified NUP107, ANXA11, COX2, AKP13, and ITF140 as hub proteins. Subsequently, 98 and 167 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) were identified in the FH vs. FL and LH vs. LL comparison groups, respectively. Parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) was used to validate the results of the proteomics data, and the hub proteins were analyzed with Western blot (WB). In addition, biological adhesion and transporter activity processes were associated with oviductal function, and several proteins that play roles in oviductal communication with gametes or embryos were identified, including CAMSAP3, ITGAM, SYVN1, EMG1, ND5, RING1, CBS, PES1, ELP3, SEC24C, SPP1, and HSPA8. Correlation analysis of proteomics and transcriptomic revealed that the DAPs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are commonly involved in the metabolic processes at the follicular phase; they may prepare the oviductal microenvironment for gamete reception; and the MAP kinase activity, estrogen receptor binding, and angiotensin receptor binding terms were enriched in the luteal phase, which may be actively involved in reproductive processes. By generating the proteome data of the oviduct at two critical phases and integrating transcriptome analysis, we uncovered novel aspects of oviductal gene regulation of fecundity and provided a reference for other mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The hypothalamus plays an important role in goat reproduction. In this research, RNA sequencing technology was used to detect and identify microRNAs (miRNAs) related to goat fertility in the goat hypothalamus. The results showed that several key miRNAs may affect the expression of their target genes in different ways with the high-fecundity goats during the luteal phase (LP-HF) vs. low-fecundity goats during the luteal phase (LP-LF), thereby affecting the key reproductive processes. These results reveal the mechanism on the reproductive performance of different litter sizes during the luteal phase of goats, from the perspective of the hypothalamus. A normal estrus cycle is essential for the breeding of goats, and the luteal phase accounts for most of the estrus cycle. The corpus luteum (CL) formed during the luteal phase is a transient endocrine gland that is crucial for the reproductive cycle and pregnancy maintenance, and is controlled by many regulatory factors. However, the molecular mechanism of the hypothalamus effect on the reproductive performance of different litter sizes during the luteal phase of goats has not been elucidated. In this study, RNA-sequencing was used to analyze the mRNA and miRNA expression profiles of the hypothalamic tissues with the high-fecundity goats during the luteal phase (LP-HF) and low-fecundity goats during the luteal phase (LP-LF). The RNA-seq results found that there were 1963 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (890 up-regulated and 1073 down-regulated). The miRNA-seq identified 57 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), including 11 up-regulated and 46 down-regulated, of which 199 DEGs were predicted to be potential target genes of DEMs. Meanwhile, the functional enrichment analysis identified several mRNA-miRNA pairs involved in the regulation of the hypothalamic activity, such as the common target gene MEA1 of novel-miR-972, novel-miR-125 and novel-miR-403, which can play a certain role as a related gene of the reproductive development in the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis and its regulated network, by regulating the androgen secretion. While another target gene ADIPOR2 of the novel-miR-403, is distributed in the hypothalamus and affects the reproductive system through a central role on the HPG axis and a peripheral role in the gonadal tissue. An annotation analysis of the DE miRNA-mRNA pairs identified targets related to biological processes, such as anion binding (GO:0043168) and small molecule binding (GO: 0036094). Subsequently, the KEGG(Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) pathways were performed to analyze the miRNA-mRNA pairs with negatively correlated miRNAs. We found that the GnRH signaling pathway (ko04912), the estrogen signaling pathway (ko04915), the Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis (ko04666), and the IL-17 signaling pathway (ko04657), etc., were directly and indirectly associated with the reproductive process. These targeting interactions may be closely related to the reproductive performance of goats. The results of this study provide a reference for further research on the molecular regulation mechanism for the high fertility in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry mature pericarp of Citrus reticulata "Chachi" (PCR), Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Chachiensis, is a traditional Chinese medicine that displays characteristics of different usage at different harvest times in clinical use. The corresponding changes in the bioactive components in PCR from different harvest times remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, broadly targeted metabolomics technology was used to compare the differences in bioactive components among pericarps of PCR, which are the raw material of PCR at different growth stages. In the results, 210 kinds of flavonoid metabolites were detected. The content of hesperidin in red PCR harvested in December was higher than that in Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride (CRPV) and reddish PCR harvested from July to November. Furthermore, the content of nobiletin, tangeretin, and 3,3′,4′,5,6,7,8-heptamethoxyflavone in CRPV from July to September was higher than that in the PCR harvested at other times. In addition, the result of cluster analysis and PCA showed that CRPV harvested from July to September had an obvious grouping pattern with the reddish PCR and the red PCR harvested from October to December. Differential metabolites in six comparison groups (A1 vs. A6, A1 vs. A2, A2 vs. A3, A3 vs. A4, A4 vs. A5, A5 vs. A6) were 67, 48, 14, 51, 42, and 40, respectively. The common differential metabolite of four comparison groups was 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone (A1 vs. A2, A2 vs. A3, A3 vs. A4, A4 vs. A5). All the flavonoid differential metabolites screened were enriched in 16 metabolic pathways. Moreover, the results of the evaluation of the total antioxidant capacity indicated that CRPV in August was a suitable raw material for the production of antioxidants. Through molecular docking, the content of potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 components in the PCR in October was higher than that in the PCR in other periods. These results further proved that PCR at different harvest times was endowed with different efficacy and usage due to the difference in the accumulation of bioactive components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we experimentally demonstrate a wedged fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor enabling high-sensitivity temperature detection. The sensing probe has a geometry with two asymmetrical bevels, with one inclined surface coated with an optically thin film supporting propagating plasmons and the other coated with a reflecting metal film. The angle of incident light can be readily tuned through modifying the beveled angles of the fiber tip, which has a remarkable impact on the refractive index sensitivity of SPR sensors. As a result, we measure a high refractive index sensitivity as large as 8161 nm/RIU in a wide refractive index range of 1.333–1.404 for the optimized sensor. Furthermore, we carry out a temperature-sensitivity measurement by packaging the SPR probe into a capillary filled with n-butanol. This showed a temperature sensitivity reaching up to −3.35 nm/°C in a wide temperature range of 20 °C–100 °C. These experimental results are well in agreement with those obtained from simulations, thus suggesting that our work may be of significance in designing reflective fiber optic SPR sensing probes with modified geometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The kidding number is an important reproductive trait in domestic goats. The oviduct, as one of the most major organs, is directly involved in the reproductive process, providing nutrition and a location for early embryonic development. The current study provides genome-wide expression profiles of mRNA and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression in Yunshang black goat, a new breed of meat goat bred in China with a high kidding number. During the luteal phases, oviduct mRNAs and lncRNAs associated with high- and low-fecundity Yunshang black goats were identified, and their potential biological functions were predicted using GO, KEGG, and GSEA enrichment analysis. These findings shed light on the oviduct-based prolificacy mechanism in goats. The oviduct is associated with embryo development and transportation and regulates the pregnancy success of mammals. Previous studies have indicated a molecular mechanism of lncRNAs in gene regulation and reproduction. However, little is known about the function of lncRNAs in the oviduct in modulating goat kidding numbers. Therefore, we combined RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to map the expression profiles of the oviduct at the luteal phase from high- and low-fecundity goats. The results showed that 2023 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) and 377 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) transcripts were screened, and 2109 regulated lncRNA-mRNA pairs were identified. Subsequently, the genes related to reproduction (IGF1, FGFRL1, and CREB1) and those associated with embryonic development and maturation (DHX34, LHX6) were identified. KEGG analysis of the DEGs revealed that the GnRH- and prolactin-signaling pathways, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, and oocyte meiosis were related to reproduction. GSEA and KEGG analyses of the target genes of DELs demonstrated that several biological processes and pathways might interact with oviduct functions and the prolificacy of goats. Furthermore, the co-expression network analysis showed that XLOC_029185, XLOC_040647, and XLOC_090025 were the cis-regulatory elements of the DEGs MUC1, PPP1R9A, and ALDOB, respectively; these factors might be associated with the success of pregnancy and glucolipid metabolism. In addition, the GATA4, LAMA2, SLC39A5, and S100G were trans-regulated by lncRNAs, predominantly mediating oviductal transport to the embryo and energy metabolism. Our findings could pave the way for a better understanding of the roles of mRNAs and lncRNAs in fecundity-related oviduct function in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The protein phosphatase 2 regulatory subunit B'gamma (PPP2R5C) and solute carrier family 39 member 5 (SLC39A5) genes are essential in mammalian growth and development. Here, KASP genotyping was used to analyze the association between polymorphisms of PPP2R5C and SLC39A5 and litter size in Yunshang black goats, a cultivated goat breed with high prolificacy in China. The results show that PPP2R5C g.65977743C>T and SLC39A5 g.50676693T>C were significantly associated with litter size of the third parity in Yunshang black goats. Luciferase assays and RT-qPCR showed that individuals with the CC genotype of PPP2R5C and TT genotype of SLC39A5 showed higher expression of these genes in goat ovarian tissues than those with other genotypes. Transcription factor predictions showed that SOX18, ZNF418, and ZNF667 and NKX2-4 and TBX6 bind to the polymorphisms of two respective genes. These two polymorphisms provide new insights into the study of fertility in goats. Screening for candidate genes and genetic variants associated with litter size is important for goat breeding. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PPP2R5C and SLC39A5 and litter size in Yunshang black goats. KASP genotyping was used to detect the SNP genetic markers in the PPP2R5C and SLC39A5 in a population of 569 Yunshang black goats. The results show that there were two SNPs in the PPP2R5C and SLC39A5 promoter regions. Association analysis revealed that the polymorphisms PPP2R5C g.65977743C>T and SLC39A5 g.50676693T>C were significantly associated with the litter size of the third parity of Yunshang black goats (p < 0.05). To further explore the regulatory mechanism of the two genes, the expression of different genotypes of PPP2R5C and SLC39A5 was validated by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. The expression of PPP2R5C was significantly higher in individuals with the TT genotype than in those with the TC and CC genotypes (p < 0.05). The expression of SLC39A5 was also significantly higher in individuals with the TT genotype than in TC and CC genotypes (p < 0.05). Dual luciferase reporter analysis showed that the luciferase activity of PPP2R5C-C variant was significantly higher than that of PPP2R5C-T variant (p < 0.05). The luciferase activity of SLC39A5-T variant was significantly higher than that of SLC39A5-C variant (p < 0.05). Software was used to predict the binding of transcription factors to the polymorphic sites, and the results show that SOX18, ZNF418, and ZNF667 and NKX2-4 and TBX6 might bind to PPP2R5C g.65977743C>T and SLC39A5 g.50676693T>C, respectively. These results provide new insights into the identification of candidate genes for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The skeletal muscle growth and development affects the production of goat meat. Here, we performed transcriptome sequencing of longissimus dorsi muscle of goats at two development stages (namely, 1-month-old and 9-month-old) by RNA sequencing, assessing the lncRNA expression profile during skeletal muscle development. This study identified regulatory lncRNAs and pathways related to the development of skeletal muscle, providing a reference for future study on the molecular mechanism that regulates the skeletal growth and development. LncRNAs are essential for regulating skeletal muscle. However, the expression profile and function of lncRNAs in goat muscle remains unclear. Here, an average of ~14.58 Gb high-quality reads were obtained from longissimus dorsi tissues of 1-month-old (n = 3) and 9-month-old (n = 3) Wu'an black goats using RNA sequencing. Of a total of 3441 lncRNAs, 1281 were lincRNAs, 805 were antisense lncRNAs, and 1355 were sense_overlapping lncRNAs. These lncRNAs shared some properties with goats, such as fewer exons, shorter transcript, and open reading frames (ORFs) length. Among them, 36 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE lncRNA) were identified, and then 10 random lncRNAs were validated by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, 30 DE lncRNAs were neighboring 71 mRNAs and several genes were functionally enriched in muscle development-related pathways, such as APC, IFRD1, NKX2-5, and others. Additionally, 36 DE lncRNAs and 2684 mRNAs were included in co-expression interactions. A lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network containing 4 lncRNAs, 3 miRNAs, and 8 mRNAs was finally constructed, of which XR_001296113.2 might regulate PDLIM7 expression by interaction with chi-miR-1296 to affect skeletal muscle development. This study revealed the expression profile of goat lncRNAs for further investigative studies and provides a fuller understanding of skeletal muscle development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The duodenum is an important digestive organ for poultry and houses a variety of microbes that help chickens to enhance nutrient absorption and improve production. To evaluate the characteristic of gut microbiome, duodenum content samples from 42-week-old native Taihang chickens with high (H) and low (L) egg-yielding were collected for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis. Consequently, 1,361,341 sequences were clustered into 2055 OTUs, with percentages of affiliation of 96.50 and 57.30% at phylum and genus levels. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phylum, with a lower ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes in H group than in L group (p < 0.05). At genus level, overrepresentation of Bacteroides, Faecalibacterim, and Enterococcus and underrepresentation of Romboutsia were found in H group. No significant difference in overall diversity of microbiota was observed between two groups. LEFSe analysis revealed Enterococcus was significantly enriched in H group. Importantly, Enterococcus and Lactobacillus were negatively correlated. Functional prediction analysis showed the proportion of microbiota involved in the metabolism process was the highest and enriched in H group. Differences in microbiota composition between the two groups, which may be related to intestinal function difference, also provide promising biomarkers for improving laying hen production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of goat meat is determined by the growth speed of muscle fibers, and the autophagy and apoptosis of myoblast cells is a crucial process in the growth of muscle fibers. The rapid growth of muscle fibers occurs from one month old to nine months old in goats; however, the mechanisms of myoblast cells' autophagy and apoptosis in this process are still unknown. To identify candidate genes and signaling pathway mechanisms involved in myoblast apoptosis and autophagy, we compared the expression characteristics of longissimus dorsi tissues from Wu'an goats—a native goat breed of China—at 1 month old (mon1 group) and 9 months old (mon9 group). Herein, a total of 182 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) in the mon1 vs. mon9 comparison, along with the KEGG enrichments, showed that the PI3K-Akt pathway associated with autophagy and apoptosis was significantly enriched. Among these DEGs, expression of vacuole membrane protein 1 (VMP1)—a key gene for the PI3K-Akt pathway—was significantly upregulated in the older goats relative to the 1-month-old goats. We demonstrated that VMP1 promotes the proliferation and autophagy of myoblasts, and inhibits their apoptosis. The integration analysis of miRNA–mRNA showed that miR-124a was a regulator of VMP1 in muscle tissue, and overexpression and inhibition of miR-124a suppressed the proliferation and autophagy of myoblasts. The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was an important pathway for cell autophagy. Additionally, the activator of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, the expression of VMP1, and ULK1 were higher than the negative control, and the expression of mTOR was depressed. The expression of VMP1, ULK1, and mTOR was the opposite when the inhibitor was added to the myoblasts. These results show that the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway promoted the expression of VMP1 and ULK1. By using adenovirus-mediated apoptosis and proliferation assays, we found that that miR-124a inhibits myoblast proliferation and autophagy, and promotes their apoptosis by targeting VMP1. In conclusion, our results indicated that VMP1 was highly expressed in the LD muscle tissues of nine-month-old goats, and that it was regulated by miR-124a to inhibit myoblast cells' apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, and to promote proliferation and autophagy. These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in myoblast proliferation, autophagy, and apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), a member of the lipocalin family, is a specific carrier of retinol (vitamin A) in the blood. Numerous studies have shown that RBP4 plays an important role in mammalian embryonic development and that mutations in RBP4 can be used for the marker-assisted selection of animal reproductive traits. However, there are few studies on the regulation of reproduction and high-prolificacy traits by RBP4 in goats. In this study, the 5′ flanking sequence of RBP4 was amplified, and a G>C polymorphism in the promoter region -211 bp (g.36491960) was detected. An association analysis revealed that the respective first, second and third kidding number and mean kidding number of nanny goats with CC and GC genotypes (2.167 ± 0.085, 2.341 ± 0.104, 2.529 ± 0.107 and 2.189 ± 0.070 for CC and 2.052 ± 0.047, 2.206 ± 0.057, 2.341 ± 0.056 and 2.160 ± 0.039 for GC) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those with the GG genotype (1.893 ± 0.051, 2.027 ± 0.064, 2.107 ± 0.061 and 1.74 ± 0.05). The luciferase assay showed that luciferase activity was increased in C allele individuals compared with that in G allele individuals. A competitive electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) showed that individuals with the CC genotype had a stronger promoter region binding capacity than those with the GG genotype. In addition, transcription factor prediction software showed that the RBP4 g.36491960G>C mutation added a novel binding site for transcription factor DP-1 (TFDP1). RT–qPCR results showed that the expression of TFDP1 was significantly higher in the high-prolificacy group than in the low-prolificacy group, and the expression of RBP4 was higher in both the CC and GC genotypes than that in the GG genotype. TFDP1 overexpression significantly increased the expression of RBP4 mRNA (p < 0.05) and the expression of the cell proliferation factors cyclin-D1, cyclin-D2 and CDK4 (p < 0.05). The opposite trend was observed after interference with TFDP1. Both the EdU and CCK-8 results showed that TFDP1 expression could regulate the proliferation of goat ovarian granulosa cells. In summary, our results showed that RBP4 g.36491960G>C was significantly associated with fecundity traits in goats. The g.36491960G>C mutation enhanced the transcriptional activity of RBP4 and increased the expression of RBP4, thus improving the fertility of Yunshang black goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial directional selection has replaced natural selection and resulted in trait differences across breeds in domestic animal breeding. However, the molecular mechanism by which the oviduct regulates litter size remains largely elusive in goats during the follicular phase. Accumulating data have linked lncRNAs to reproductive activities; however, little is known about the modulation mechanism in the oviduct. Herein, RNA-seq was used to measure mRNA and lncRNA expression levels in low- and high-fecundity goats. We observed distinctive differences in mRNA and lncRNA in terms of different kidding numbers and detected the differential expression of 1640 mRNA transcripts and 271 lncRNA transcripts. Enrichment analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs) suggested that multiple pathways, such as the AMPK, PI3K–Akt, calcium signaling pathway, oocyte meiosis, ABC transporter, and ECM–receptor interaction pathways, directly or indirectly affected goat reproduction. Additionally, coexpression of differentially expressed lncRNAs (DEL)-genes analysis showed that XLOC_021615, XLOC_119780, and XLOC_076450 were trans-acting as the DEGs ATAD2, DEPDC5, and TRPM6, respectively, and could regulate embryo development. Moreover, XLOC_020079, XLOC_107361, XLOC_169844, XLOC_252348 were the trans-regulated elements of the DEGs ARHGEF2 and RAPGEF6, and the target DEGs CPEB3 of XLOC_089239, XLOC_090063, XLOC_107409, XLOC_153574, XLOC_211271, XLOC_251687 were associated with prolificacy. Collectively, our study has offered a thorough dissection of the oviduct lncRNA and mRNA landscapes in goats. These results could serve as potential targets of the oviduct affecting fertility in goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater image restoration is a challenging problem because light is attenuated by absorption and scattering in water, which can degrade the underwater image. To restore the underwater image and improve its contrast and color saturation, a novel algorithm based on the underwater dark channel prior is proposed in this paper. First of all, in order to reconstruct the transmission maps of the underwater image, the transmission maps of the blue and green channels are optimized by the proposed first-order and second-order total variational regularization. Then, an adaptive model is proposed to improve the first-order and second-order total variation. Finally, to solve the problem of the excessive attenuation of the red channel, the transmission map of the red channel is compensated by Yin–Yang pair optimization. The simulation results show that the proposed restored algorithm outperforms other approaches in terms of the visual effects, average gradient, spatial frequency, percentage of saturated pixels, underwater color image quality evaluation and evaluation metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angiogenesis occurs during both physiological and pathological processes. In this study, a microfluidic chip for the development of angiogenesis was utilized to assess angiogenic sprouting and functional vessel formation. We also found that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was a determinant of the initiation of vascular sprouts, while the direction of these sprouts was greatly influenced by interstitial flow. Isoforms of VEGF such as VEGF121, VEGF165, and VEGF189 displayed different angiogenic properties on the chip as assessed by sprout length and number, vessel perfusion, and connectivity. VEGF165 had the highest capacity to induce vascular sprouting among the three isoforms assessed and furthermore, also induced functional vessel formation. This chip could be used to analyze the effect of different angiogenic factors and drugs, as well as to explore the mechanism of angiogenesis induced by such factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The litter size of domestic goats and sheep is an economically important trait that shows variation within breeds. Strenuous efforts have been made to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying prolificacy in goats and sheep. However, there has been a paucity of research on the genetic convergence of prolificacy between goats and sheep, which likely arose because of similar natural and artificial selection forces. Here, we performed comparative genomic and transcriptomic analyses to identify the genetic convergence of prolificacy between goats and sheep. By combining genomic and transcriptomic data for the first time, we identified this genetic convergence in (1) positively selected genes (CHST11 and SDCCAG8), (2) differentially expressed genes (SERPINA14, RSAD2, and PPIG at follicular phase, and IGF1, GPRIN3, LIPG, SLC7A11, and CHST15 at luteal phase), and (3) biological pathways (genomic level: osteoclast differentiation, ErbB signaling pathway, and relaxin signaling pathway; transcriptomic level: the regulation of viral genome replication at follicular phase, and protein kinase B signaling and antigen processing and presentation at luteal phase). These results indicated the potential physiological convergence and enhanced our understanding of the overlapping genetic makeup underlying litter size in goats and sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CsPbBr 3 has attracted great attention due to unique optical properties. The understanding of the multiexciton process is crucial for improving the performance of the photoelectric devices based on CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals. In this paper, the ultrafast dynamics of CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals is investigated by using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. It is found that Auger recombination lifetime increases with the decrease of the excitation intensity, while the trend is opposite for the hot-exciton cooling time. The time of the hot-carriers cooling to the band edge is increased when the excitation energy is increased from 2.82 eV (440 nm) to 3.82 eV (325 nm). The lifetime of the Auger recombination reaches the value of 126 ps with the excitation wavelength of 440 nm. The recombination lifetime of the single exciton is about 7 ns in CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals determined by nanosecond time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The exciton binding energy is 44 meV for CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals measured by the temperature-dependent steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopy. These findings provide a favorable insight into applications such as solar cells and light-emitting devices based on CsPbBr 3 nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile one-pot microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of rutile TiO2 quadrangular prisms with dominant {110} facets, anatase TiO2 nanorods and square nanoprisms with co-exposed {101}/[111] facets, anatase TiO2 nanorhombuses with co-exposed {101}/{010} facets, and anatase TiO2 nanospindles with dominant {010} facets were reported through the use of exfoliated porous metatitanic acid nanosheets as a precursor. The nanostructures and the formation reaction mechanism of the obtained rutile and anatase TiO2 nanocrystals from the delaminated nanosheets were investigated. The transformation from the exfoliated metatitanic nanosheets with distorted hexagonal cavities to TiO2 nanocrystals involved a dissolution reaction of the nanosheets, nucleation of the primary [TiO6]8− monomers, and the growth of rutile-type and anatase-type TiO2 nuclei during the microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared anatase nanocrystals were evaluated through the photocatalytic degradation of typical carcinogenic and mutagenic methyl orange (MO) under UV-light irradiation at a normal temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performance of the synthesized anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with various morphologies and crystal facets was also characterized. The {101}/[111]-faceted pH2.5-T175 nanocrystal showed the highest photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance compared to the other TiO2 samples, which could be attributed mainly to its minimum particle size and maximum specific surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its unique electronic and optical properties, graphene has been used to design tunable optical absorbers. In this paper, we propose a plasmonic absorber consisting of non-concentric graphene nanodisk arrays, which is designed to operate in the mid-infrared spectral range and is capable of achieving nearly perfect absorption. Two perfect absorption peaks are produced due to the impedance of the structure, which matches that of the free space. The influences of the thicknesses of the dielectric layer, the size of graphene nanodisk, and the incident conditions on the absorption are studied. Moreover, the absorption intensity can be independently tuned by varying the Fermi levels of two graphene nanodisks. Furthermore, the polarization-independent absorbance of the absorber exceeds 95% under oblique incidence, and remains very high over a wide angle. This proposed absorber has potential applications in optical detectors, tunable sensors, and band-pass filters.

A facile one-pot microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of rutile TiO 2 quadrangular prisms with dominant {110} facets, anatase TiO 2 nanorods and square nanoprisms with co-exposed {101}/[111] facets, anatase TiO 2 nanorhombuses with co-exposed {101}/{010} facets, and anatase TiO 2 nanospindles with dominant {010} facets were reported through the use of exfoliated porous metatitanic acid nanosheets as a precursor. The nanostructures and the formation reaction mechanism of the obtained rutile and anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals from the delaminated nanosheets were investigated. The transformation from the exfoliated metatitanic nanosheets with distorted hexagonal cavities to TiO 2 nanocrystals involved a dissolution reaction of the nanosheets, nucleation of the primary [TiO 6 ] 8- monomers, and the growth of rutile-type and anatase-type TiO 2 nuclei during the microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction. In addition, the photocatalytic activities of the as-prepared anatase nanocrystals were evaluated through the photocatalytic degradation of typical carcinogenic and mutagenic methyl orange (MO) under UV-light irradiation at a normal temperature and pressure. Furthermore, the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performance of the synthesized anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals with various morphologies and crystal facets was also characterized. The {101}/[111]-faceted pH2.5-T175 nanocrystal showed the highest photocatalytic and photovoltaic performance compared to the other TiO 2 samples, which could be attributed mainly to its minimum particle size and maximum specific surface area.

Monodispersed spherical Ag-doped bioactive glass nanoparticles (Ag-BGNs) were synthesized by a modified Stöber method combined with surface modification. The surface modification was carried out at 25, 60, and 80 °C, respectively, to investigate the influence of processing temperature on particle properties. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results indicated that higher temperatures facilitate the incorporation of Ag. Hydroxyapatite (HA) formation on Ag-BGNs was detected upon immersion of the particles in simulated body fluid for 7 days, which indicated that Ag-BGNs maintained high bioactivity after surface modification. The conducted antibacterial assay confirmed that Ag-BGNs had an antibacterial effect on E. coli . The above results thereby suggest that surface modification is an effective way to incorporate Ag into BGNs and that the modified BGNs can remain monodispersed as well as exhibit bioactivity and antibacterial capability for biomedical applications.

The synthesis of the azoxybenzenes by the reduction of nitroarenes with reducing agent potassium borohydride in water was reported for the first time. PEG-400 was used as a phase transfer catalyst and could effectively catalyze the reduction. The electronic effects of substituent groups play an important role in determining the reduction efficiencies. Electron-withdrawing substituents promote the formation of the azoxybenzene products, while electron-releasing groups retard the reductions to various degrees depending on the extent of their electron-donating ability.

A new London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato (LEPS) potential energy surface (PES) is used in the O + CH(4) --> OH + CH(3) reaction via the quasiclassical trajectory method (QCT). Comparing with the experiments and the former ab initio calculations, the new LEPS PES describes the actual potential energy surface of the O + CH(4) reaction successfully. The four polarization dependent "generalized" differential cross sections (PDDCS) are presented in the center of mass frame. In the meantime, the distribution of dihedral angle [P(phi(r)), the distribution of angle between k and j' (P(theta(r))] and the angular distribution of product rotational vectors in the form of polar plots in theta(r) and phi(r) (P(theta(r), phi(r)) are calculated. The isotope effect for the reactions O + CD(4) is also calculated. These results are in good agreement with the experiments.