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Purpose: The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that recovery sleep could counteract the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on male rats’ fertility. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two rats were housed in groups of six per cage with unrestricted access to food and water in a room. The modified multiple platform method was used to induce SD in rats over a 96-hour period. We examined the effect of SD on semen quality, reproductive hormones, and testicular histology in adult male rats. Then, we investigated the effect of 7 days recovery sleep on impaired reproductive function induced by SD. Results: After the acclimation period, 22 rats were randomly separated into three experimental groups (SD, recovery sleep, and the control groups). Ninety-six hours of SD resulted in a significant decrease in sperm motility (24.33±10.93 vs. 48.20±8.55, p<0.001) and the number of morphologically normal sperm (9.68±2.77 vs. 26.21±14.60, p<0.01) in rats, accompanied by a decrease in testosterone levels (1.53±0.55 vs. 4.44±0.56, p<0.001) and destruction of testicular tissue structure compared with control group. After 7 days of recovery sleep, semen quality, especially sperm motility, was improved and testosterone levels were significantly higher compared to post-SD (3.70±0.53 vs. 1.53±0.55, p<0.05), but remained low compared to the control group. Conclusions: In conclusion, 96 hours of SD deteriorated the parameters of sperm motility and the number of morphologically normal sperm in rats, probably due to the decrease in serum testosterone levels and the disruption of testicular tissue structure when compared to the control group. After 7 days of recovery sleep, semen parameter, especially sperm motility and testosterone levels did not return to baseline levels compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to establish an improved method for in vitro guinea pig airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell culture and to evaluate the effect of 2-(4-amino-3-chloro-5-trifluomethyl-phenyl)-2-tert-butylamino-ethanol hydrochloride (SPFF), a novel β2-adrenoceptor agonist, on the release of intracellular calcium in cells. A procedure for the efficient isolation, culture, passage and characterization of the cells was described. Primary ASM cells of guinea pigs were cultured by modified tissue cultivation. The cells were identified by their morphological characteristics and immunocytochemistry. The relative inhibition of the release of intracellular calcium by drugs in the cells was measured by fluorometric quantification with fluorochrome Fura-2/AM. The results were as follows: a) The ASM cells of the guinea pigs were successfully cultured and subcultured by using our improved method and typical peak-valley characteristics were observed under the phase contrast microscope; b) data from immunocytochemical staining with specific α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) demonstrated that the cells were ASM cells; c) the growth characteristics and cell viability demonstrated that the cells were in good condition and were able to be applied in the follow-up studies; d) the inhibitory effect of SPFF on the release of intracellular calcium was concentration-dependent when compared with the control and e) the potential mechanisms of SPFF on the inhibition of intracellular calcium may be independent of the ryanodine receptor, but may be closely associated with the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichomes are universal biological structures originating from the aerial epidermis, which serve as an excellent model to study plant differentiation at the cell level. Although the pathway regulating trichome formation in the Rosids has been well characterized, only very recently a few genes were identified for trichome initiation in the Asterids. In this study, we cloned Woolly (Wo), essential for trichome formation in tomato. Transgenic experiments revealed that the woolly phenotype is caused by the mutation in Wo which encodes a homeodomain protein containing a bZIP motif and a START domain. We identified three alleles of Wo and found that each allele contains a missense mutation, which respectively results in an amino acid substitution at the C terminus. Microarray and expression analysis showed that the expression of a B-type cyclin gene, SlCycB2, is possibly regulated by Wo, which also participates in trichome formation. Suppression of Wo or SlCycB2 expression by RNAi decreased the number of type I trichomes, and direct protein-protein interaction was detected between them, implying that both proteins may work together in the regulation of this type of trichome formation. Cytological observation and Wo transcript analysis in the developing seeds showed that embryo development was also correlated with Wo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GDP-Mannose 3′,5′-epimerase (GME; EC 5.1.3.18) catalyses the conversion of GDP- d-mannose to GDP- l-galactose, an important step in the ascorbic acid (AsA) biosynthesis pathway in higher plants. In this study, two members of the GME gene family were isolated from tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum). Both SlGME genes encode 376 amino acids and share a 92% similarity with each other. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR indicated that SlGME1 was constantly expressed in various tissues, whereas SlGME2 was differentially expressed in different tissues. Transient expression of fused SlGME1- GFP (green fluorescent protein) and SlGME2- GFP in onion cells revealed the cytoplasmic localisation of the two proteins. Transgenic plants over-expressing SlGME1 and SlGME2 exhibited a significant increase in total ascorbic acid in leaves and red fruits compared with wild-type plants. They also showed enhanced stress tolerance based on less chlorophyll content loss and membrane-lipid peroxidation under methyl viologen (paraquat) stress, higher survival rate under cold stress, and significantly higher seed germination rate, fresh weight, and root length under salt stress. The present study demonstrates that the overexpression of two members of the GME gene family resulted in increased ascorbate accumulation in tomato and improved tolerance to abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To unravel the molecular mechanisms of drought responses in tomato, gene expression profiles of two drought-tolerant lines identified from a population of Solanum pennellii introgression lines, and the recurrent parent S. lycopersicum cv. M82, a drought-sensitive cultivar, were investigated under drought stress using tomato microarrays. Around 400 genes identified were responsive to drought stress only in the drought-tolerant lines. These changes in genes expression are most likely caused by the two inserted chromosome segments of S. pennellii, which possibly contain drought-tolerance quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Among these genes are a number of transcription factors and signalling proteins which could be global regulators involved in the tomato responses to drought stress. Genes involved in organism growth and development processes were also specifically regulated by drought stress, including those controlling cell wall structure, wax biosynthesis, and plant height. Moreover, key enzymes in the pathways of gluconeogenesis (fructose-bisphosphate aldolase), purine and pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis (adenylate kinase), tryptophan degradation (aldehyde oxidase), starch degradation (β-amylase), methionine biosynthesis (cystathionine β-lyase), and the removal of superoxide radicals (catalase) were also specifically affected by drought stress. These results indicated that tomato plants could adapt to water-deficit conditions through decreasing energy dissipation, increasing ATP energy provision, and reducing oxidative damage. The drought-responsive genes identified in this study could provide further information for understanding the mechanisms of drought tolerance in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High salinity is one of the most serious threats to crop production. To understand the molecular basis of plant responses to salt stress better, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and microarray approaches were combined to identify the potential important or novel genes involved in the early stage of tomato responses to severe salt stress. First, SSH libraries were constructed for the root tissue of two cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) genotypes: LA2711, a salt-tolerant cultivar, and ZS-5, a salt-sensitive cultivar, to compare salt treatment and non-treatment plants. Then a subset of clones from these SSH libraries were used to construct a tomato cDNA array and microarray analysis was carried out to verify the expression changes of this set of clones upon a high concentration of salt treatment at various time points compared to the corresponding non-treatment controls. A total of 201 non-redundant genes that were differentially expressed upon 30 min of severe salt stress either in LA2711 or ZS-5 were identified from microarray analysis; most of these genes have not previously been reported to be associated with salt stress. The diversity of the putative functions of these genes indicated that salt stress resulted in a complex response in tomato plants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marker-free transgenic tomato plants harboring a synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin gene, cryIAc, were obtained by using a chemically regulated, Cre/ loxP-mediated site-specific DNA recombination system, in which the selectable marker neomycin phosphotransferase gene flanked by two directly oriented loxP sites was located between the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and a promoterless cryIAc. Upon induction by 2 μM β-estradiol, sequences encoding the selectable marker and cre sandwiched by two loxP sites were excised from the tomato genome, leading to activation of the downstream endotoxin gene cryIAc with high expression levels as shown by Northern blot and ELISA assay (250–790 ng g−1 fresh wt) in T1 generation. For transgenic line with single transgenic loci, 15% of T1 progenies were revealed marker-free. This autoexcision strategy provides an effective approach to eliminate a selectable marker gene from transgenic tomato, thus expediting the public acceptance of genetically modified crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Paiteling is effective and able to clear persistent high-risk human papillomavirus in a short period. • Single high-risk human papillomavirus infections have a higher clearance rate than mixed infections. • Paiteling has a higher clearance rate for low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions than carbon dioxide laser. • Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus infection is prevalent in older adults. This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes of Paiteling and CO2 laser therapy on high-risk human papillomavirus. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 558 patients with HR-HPV low-grade squamous intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN1) from 2021 to 2023. Patients were selected and put into two groups: Paiteling and CO2 laser. Out of the 558 patients who were included in our final study, 239 (42.8 %) were treated with Paiteling, and 319 (57.2 %) were treated with CO2 laser vaporization. The mean age was 49.55 ± 12.10 years old. We observed that 27 (4.83 %) were younger than 30 years and 531 (95.1 %) were older than 30 years. We reviewed the patient's results at intervals of 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months after each therapy. The results of the recurrence rate, effective viral clearance rate, and the effectiveness of both therapies on low-grade cervical lesions were determined using multivariate and univariate cox-regression analysis. The Kaplan-Meier curve was used to determine the HR-HPV conversion rate of each therapy. The median time for HR-HPV clearance was 6.00 months (95 % CI: 4.26–6.89) in the Paiteling group and 9.00 months (95 % CI: 15.92–22.67) in the CO2 laser group. There was a significant difference between the two groups (χ2 = 25.118, p-Value = 0.000). The HR-HPV clearance rate during 6–12 months for Paiteling and CO2 laser was 100 (55.6 %) and 80 (44.4 %), respectively. The clearance rate for both therapies from 6 to 18 months was statistically significant (6–12 months: p < 0.010, 12–18 months: p < 0.011). The Paiteling HR-HPV negative rate over 24 months 214 (89.5 %) is higher than CO2 laser 176 (55.2 %). Paiteling has a 5.4 % re-infection rate, which is marginally lower than the 5.6 % rate for CO2 lasers. The clearance rate for both therapies from 12 to 18 months [Paiteling: 20 (4.7 %) to 10 (3.6 %) and CO2 laser: 22 (8.4 %) to 15 (4.2 %)] was also significant (p < 0.011). The percentage of persistent Hr-HPV clearance rate for Paiteling patients was higher than carbon dioxide laser vaporization. No severe side effects were reported by the Paiteling patients compared to laser vaporization. This is due to the fact that Paiteling, as a traditional Chinese medicine, is a topical, non-invasive medicine, thus preserving the integrity of the cervix. Paiteling is an effective noninvasive therapy that can clear persistent HR-HPV associated with cervical low-grade squamous lesions in a relatively shorter period of time compared to CO2 laser ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The limitations and complexity of traditional noncontact sensors in terms of sensitivity and threshold settings pose great challenges to extend the traditional five human senses. Here, we propose tele-perception to enhance human perception and cognition beyond these conventional noncontact sensors. Our bionic multi-receptor skin employs structured doping of inorganic nanoparticles to enhance the local electric field, coupled with advanced deep learning algorithms, achieving a ΔV/Δd sensitivity of 14.2, surpassing benchmarks. This enables precise remote control of surveillance systems and robotic manipulators. Our long short-term memory-based adaptive pulse identification achieves 99.56% accuracy in material identification with accelerated processing speeds. In addition, we demonstrate the feasibility of using a two-dimensional (2D) sensor matrix to integrate real object scan data into a convolutional neural network to accurately discriminate the shape and material of 3D objects. This promises transformative advances in human-computer interaction and neuromorphic computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clubroot caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae is a devastating disease of Cruciferous crops. Developing cultivars with clubroot resistance (CR) is the most effective control measure. For the two major Brassica vegetable species B. rapa and B. oleracea, several commercial cultivars with unclear CR pedigrees have been intensively used as CR donors in breeding. However, the continuous occurrence of CR-breaking makes the CR pedigree underlying these cultivars one of the breeders' most urgent concerns. The complex intraspecific diversity of these two major Brassica vegetables has also limited the applicability of CR markers in different breeding programs. Here we first traced the pedigree underlying two kinds of CR that have been widely applied in breeding by linkage and introgression analyses based on public resequencing data. In B. rapa, a major locus CRzi8 underlying the CR of the commercial CR donor 'DegaoCR117' was identified. CRzi8 was further shown to have been introgressed from turnip (B. rapa ssp. rapifera) and that it carried a potential functional allele of Crr1a. The turnip introgression carried CRbc, sharing the same coding sequence with the CRb that was also identified from chromosome C07 of B. oleracea CR cultivars with different morphotypes. Within natural populations, variation analysis of linkage intervals of CRzi8, PbBa8.1, CRb, and CRbc yielded easily resolved InDel markers (> 20 bp) for these fundamental CR genes. The specificity of these markers was tested in diverse cultivars panels, and each exhibited high reliability in breeding. Our research demonstrates the value of the practice of applying resequencing big data to solve urgent concerns in breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving environmentally friendly solvent-processed high-performance organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs) is a crucial step toward their commercialization. Currently, OPVs with competitive efficiencies rely heavily on harmful halogenated solvent additives. Herein, the green and low-cost 9-fluorenone (9-FL) is employed as a solid additive. By using the o-xylene/9-FL solvent system, the PM6:BTP-eC9-based devices deliver power-conversion efficiencies of 18.6% and 17.9% via spin-coating and blade-coating respectively, outperforming all PM6:Y-series binary devices with green solvents. It is found that the addition of 9-FL can regulate the molecular assembly of both PM6 and BTP-eC9 in film-formation (molecule-level mixing) and post-annealing (thermal-assisted molecular reorganization with additive volatilization) stages, so as to optimize the blend morphology. As a result, the charge transport ability of donor and acceptor phases are simultaneously enhanced, and the trap-assisted recombination is reduced, which contributes to the higher short-circuit current density and fill factor. Moreover, the generation of photo-induced traps is significantly suppressed, resulting in improved stability under illumination. It is further demonstrated the excellent universality of 9-FL in various photoactive systems, making it a promising strategy to advance the development of eco-friendly OPVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature stress is one of the major environmental factors that affect the growth and development of plants. Although WRKY transcription factors play a critical role in stress responses, there are few studies on the regulation of heat stress by WRKY transcription factors, especially in tomato. Here, we identified a group I WRKY transcription factor, SlWRKY3, involved in thermotolerance in tomato. First, SlWRKY3 was induced and upregulated under heat stress. Accordingly, overexpression of SlWRKY3 led to an increase, whereas knock-out of SlWRKY3 resulted in decreased tolerance to heat stress. Overexpression of SlWRKY3 accumulated less reactive oxygen species (ROS), whereas knock-out of SlWRKY3 accumulated more ROS under heat stress. This indicated that SlWRKY3 positively regulates heat stress in tomato. In addition, SlWRKY3 activated the expression of a range of abiotic stress-responsive genes involved in ROS scavenging, such as a SlGRXS1 gene cluster. Further analysis showed that SlWRKY3 can bind to the promoters of the SlGRXS1 gene cluster and activate their expression. Collectively, these results imply that SlWRKY3 is a positive regulator of thermotolerance through direct binding to the promoters of the SlGRXS1 gene cluster and activating their expression and ROS scavenging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission reduction is an important part of regional low-carbon economic development. In this paper, gray correlation analysis, neural network model, Gaussian multi-mode fitting and other methods were used to analyze the relationship between total carbon emissions and regional economic development, industrial structure, and energy consumption in Henan Province. On this basis, the future development of carbon emissions is predicted. The calculation results showed that the correlation between the three industries and carbon emissions in Henan Province is more than .7, among which the secondary industry has the highest correlation (.77). In the secondary industry, the correlation coefficient between coal and carbon emissions is the highest .87, while the correlation coefficient between other energy sources is about .5. In the neural network prediction model, the correlation coefficient between the prediction curve and the actual total carbon emission curve is .989, and the prediction results have a good degree of fit. The carbon emission prediction curve was divided into two parts: a linear decline stage from 2018 to 2024, and a rapid decline stage after 2024.The results showed that more efforts should be made in industrial structure, energy consumption structure and environmental protection to achieve low-carbon development in Henan province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis (mtFAS) appears to be important in photorespiration based on the reverse genetics research from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) in recent years, but its roles in plant development have not been completely explored. Here, we identified a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutant, fern-like, which displays pleiotropic phenotypes including dwarfism, yellowing, curly leaves, and increased axillary buds. Positional cloning and genetic and heterozygous complementation tests revealed that the underlying gene FERN encodes a 3-hydroxyl-ACP dehydratase enzyme involved in mtFAS. FERN was causally involved in tomato morphogenesis by affecting photorespiration, energy supply, and the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species. Based on lipidome data, FERN and the mtFAS pathway may modulate tomato development by influencing mitochondrial membrane lipid composition and other lipid metabolic pathways. These findings provide important insights into the roles and importance of mtFAS in tomato development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferromagnetism in half-metallic two-dimensional materials can lead to unique spintronics applications. Here we report first-principles calculations that predict monolayer graphyne nanoribbons (GyNRs), an alternative to graphene, doped randomly with 3d-series transition metal atoms at medium-to-high concentrations (2%-5%) can be ferromagnetic (FM). Furthermore, Mn- and Co-doped GyNRs are half-metallic with 100% spin polarization at the Fermi level and can act as perfect spin filters. The high spin polarization of the current is preserved up to large bias voltages. This study provides a basis for the fabrication of GyNRs with ferromagnetism and spin-polarized electron transport properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) are emerging photoluminescent materials with excellent optical properties. However, the lack of active sites in primitive CDs has limited their development applications. Herein, functionalized carbon dots (Z-CDs) are successfully prepared by surface modification of CDs with mono (6-amino-6-deoxy) cyclodextrin (ß-CD). The introduction of ß-CD increases the spatial potential resistance between CDs, which effectively reduces the self-quenching effect. Moreover, the conjugated domains of Z-CDs are expanded, which improves the optical properties with a quantum yield of 48.74%. Z-CDs are able to be used in the sequential detection of morin and Al3+, and the fluorescence mechanisms are confirmed to be internal filtration effect and fluorescence resonance energy transfer, respectively. The limits of detection are 0.817 and 0.231 × 10-6 m. This study not only provides an idea to solve the problem of self-quenching of CDs but also enriches the detection means of flavonoids and ions, which is expected to be applied to biosensing and environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (0001) surface of Bi2Te3 is readily exposed by cleavage between two van der Waals (vdW) bonded quintuple layers (QLs) and it is widely accepted to be the most stable surface. However, little is known of the stability of other surfaces which may play important roles in growth, kinetics, and electronics. In this work, we identify the stability of the non-vdW-exfoliated surfaces of BiTe3 using first-principles density functional theory calculations. It is found that the energetics of the surfaces follows the order of (0001)→(0115)→(1120)→(0110)→(01110)→(0114)-A/B→(0111)-A/B→(0225), which can be understood almost entirely in terms of the density of dangling bonds on each surface. Using a modified Wulff construction theory, we determine an evolution diagram for sample geometry as a function of the binding of Bi2Te3 to the substrate. As binding to the substrate increases, the sample geometry transitions from three-dimensional to two-dimensional and from hexagonal to triangular in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To observe the effects of Buzhong Yiqi granule on thyroid function and ovarian function in rats with experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT)., Methods: EAT model was replicate by using the method of mixing and injecting porcine thyroglobulin with Freund's adjuvant and high iodine. Rats were randomly divided into normal control (NC) group, EAT model (EAT) group, selenium yeast (PC) group, low dose Buzhong Yiqi (BZYQ-L) group, medium dose Buzhong Yiqi (BZYQ-M) group and high dose Buzhong Yiqi (BZYQ-H) group. After two months of drug intervention according to dosage, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb) in peripheral blood of rats. The pathological changes of rat thyroid tissues were observed under light microscope with HE staining; ELISA was used to determine estradiol (E2), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), anti-müllerian hormone (AMH), and the pathological changes of rat ovarian tissues were observed under light microscope with hematoxylin and eosin staining., Results: Compared with the NC group, BZYQ granule improved the thyroid and ovarian tissue morphology, and the levels of TPOAb, TGAb and TSH in the model group rats significantly increased ( P < 0.05), the thyroid tissue was severely destroyed, the levels of E2, FSH, LH, T, AMH significantly increased ( P < 0.05), and the ovary exhibited polycystic changes; Compared with the model group, TSH level in the BZYQ-L group rats decreased ( P < 0.05), FSH, T, AMH levels decreased ( P < 0.05), in the BZYQ-M group TPOAb, TSH levels decreased ( P < 0.05), FSH, LH, T, AMH levels significantly decreased ( P < 0.05), BZYQ-H group TPOAb, TGAb, TSH levels significantly decreased ( P < 0.05), FSH, LH, T, AMH levels significantly decreased ( P < 0.05), with the greatest improvement and significantly better than selenium yeast group ( P < 0.05)., Conclusions: BZYQ granule could regulate the thyroid function of EAT rats, reduce thyroid antibody titers, then act on the ovarian function, regulate hormone disorders, and alleviate the pathological damage of rat's ovarian tissues. The effect of high dose Buzhong Yiqi granule is the best.

Neighborhoods are places where people spend the most time in their lives. Neighborhoods have a decisive impact on the residents' health. With several important tasks, including the transformation of old neighborhoods, the maintenance of existing neighborhoods, and the construction of new neighborhoods in the future, a scientific and reasonable evaluation standard is urgently needed to guide the development of healthy neighborhoods. To build the evaluation system, this paper first clarifies the principles for selecting evaluation indicators, which include: 1) the indicators are selected from a humanistic perspective; 2) the pathways between neighborhoods environment and health outcomes are deeply considered; 3) the indicators are selected from multiple scales. Secondly, based on the combined perspectives of urban planning and public health, it identifies the indicators that affect the residents' health in neighborhoods and searches the literature through the quality assessment to provide evidence to support the accuracy and effectiveness of the indicators. Finally, it proposes prospect to the evaluation, including 1) it is urgent to improve and utilize the healthy neighborhoods based on the Chinese condition; 2) advanced technologies need to be widely applied in neighborhoods in the future; 3) the transitions in cities should be considered in the future development of neighborhoods. It hopes that relevant researchers and government leaders to realize the importance and urgency of healthy neighborhoods to build more healthy neighborhoods in China.