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Background The swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis carabanesis) is an economically important livestock supplying milk, meat, leather, and draft power. Several female buffalo genomes have been available, but the lack of high-quality male genomes hinders studies on chromosome evolution, especially Y, as well as meiotic recombination. Results Here, a chromosome-level genome with a contig N50 of 72.2 Mb and a fine-scale recombination map of male buffalo were reported. We found that transposable elements (TEs) and structural variants (SVs) may contribute to buffalo evolution by influencing adjacent gene expression. We further found that the pseudoautosomal region (PAR) of the Y chromosome is subject to stronger purification selection. The meiotic recombination map showed that there were 2 obvious recombination hotspots on chromosome 8, and the genes around them were mainly related to tooth development, which may have helped to enhance the adaption of buffalo to inferior feed. Among several genomic features, TE density has the strongest correlation with recombination rates. Moreover, the TE subfamily, SINE/tRNA, is likely to play a role in driving recombination into SVs. Conclusions The male genome and sperm sequencing will facilitate the understanding of the buffalo genomic evolution and functional research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effective innovation is a significant cause of competitive advantage. The evaluation of regional green technology innovation (GTI) performance in China has gained tremendous interest. In this paper, the GTI activities are split into two components: the green technology R&D (GTR) stage and the technology achievement transformation (TAT) stage. While doing so, we consider the time lag of the GTI process and managerial disposability of the undesirable output. The combination of the network epsilon-based measure (EBM) model and meta-frontier Malmquist-Luenberger (MML) index constitutes a comprehensive analytical framework for evaluating the regional GTI performance in China. This study's empirical results indicate that: (1) China's overall average efficiency of GTI (0.817) is between the efficiency of GTR (0.725) and the efficiency of TAT (0.929); (2) the average efficiencies in the GTR stage fluctuate considerably, with average efficiencies relatively high and constant in the TAT stage; (3) technological progress is the key element which contributes to improvements in the MML index of overall and sub-process GTI; and (4) from a national perspective, the MML index of the overall GTI varies from 0.980 to 1.128 each year, with an average annual growth of 2.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aptasensors leverage the binding affinity of aptamers toward specific targets and employ transducers to convert these biological interactions into detectable signals. These sensors offer a widespread application for on-site detection primarily due to their high sensitivity and rapid response characteristics. However, for aptasensors with single detection mode, the reliability of the detection results cannot be verified in time. The emerging dual-mode aptasensors integrate distinct detection modes and output signals, and the detection values obtained from dual modes can be cross validated and compared, demonstrating significant advantages for highly reliable detection and analytical assurance. We discuss the design principles, fabrication techniques, and notable applications of dual-mode aptasensors while also highlighting challenges and future directions in this rapidly evolving field. By combining the specificity of aptamer-based recognition with the advantages of multiple detection modes, these innovative aptasensors offer an exciting avenue for overcoming the limitations of traditional single-mode sensing platforms. • Recent advances in different types of dual-mode aptasensors for various target detection are summarized comprehensively. • The working principles and practical applications of dual-mode aptasensors in various fields are introduced systematically. • The challenges and future directions in this rapidly evolving field are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are characterized by rapid onset and widespread inflammation in the lungs, often leading to respiratory failure. These conditions can be triggered by various factors, resulting in a severe inflammatory response within the lungs. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound found in grapes and peanuts, is renowned for its potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we investigated how resveratrol protects against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI in mice. We established mouse models of LPS-induced ALI and inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) macrophages. Through histopathological examination, immunofluorescence, western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we assessed the impact of resveratrol on the activation of NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes and the process of mitophagy. Our findings indicate that resveratrol significantly mitigated the lung injury and inflammation caused by LPS. This was achieved by inhibiting the oligomerization of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes. Resveratrol also reduced the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in serum and BALF, decreased caspase-1 expression, and diminished macrophage pyroptosis. Furthermore, it upregulated Pink1, Parkin, Beclin-1, Autophagy-Related 5 (Atg5), and Microtubule-Associated Proteins 1 A/1B Light Chain 3B (LC3B-II), thereby enhancing mitophagy. Conversely, mitophagy was inhibited by Pink1 siRNA. In conclusion, resveratrol ameliorated ALI in mice, potentially by inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, activating the Pink1/Parkin pathway, and promoting mitophagy. • This study highlights the protective effects of resveratrol against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. • We show that resveratrol reduces lung injury and inflammation by blocking NLRP3 inflammasome activation. • Resveratrol inhibits ASC oligomerization and reduces IL-1β and IL-18 cytokine release. • Additionally, it activates the Pink1/Parkin pathway and enhances mitophagy, leading to the reduction of macrophage pyroptosis. • Our findings suggest that resveratrol holds potential as a therapeutic agent against ALI and associated inflammatory conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is an important gaseous signaling molecule that regulates cardiovascular activity in animals. The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is a major integrative region involved in blood pressure (BP) regulation. We explored whether exogenous H2S application by intraperitoneal injection of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) alleviates BP increase induced by a high salt diet (HSD) and the role of PVN in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) rats. Dahl S rats were divided into four groups according to diet regime (normal salt diet [NSD] and HSD) and treatment method (daily intraperitoneal NaHS or saline injection). We monitored BP, food and water intake, and body weight for 8 weeks. Plasma, kidney, and brain tissues were collected at the end of the experiment. We found that exogenous H2S not only delayed BP elevation but also attenuated the increase in the levels of norepinephrine, cystatin C, and blood urea nitrogen in the plasma of Dahl S rats with an HSD. Furthermore, H2S enhanced the total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase in the PVN. Exogenous H2S attenuated the protein expression of the nuclear factor-κB pathway and proinflammatory cytokines, which were significantly higher in the PVN in rats with an HSD than in rats with an NSD. Additionally, exogenous H2S relieved PVN neuronal apoptosis induced by an HSD. These findings suggest that exogenous H2S attenuates hypertension caused by an HSD by ameliorating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in the PVN. This study provides evidence of the benefits of peripheral H2S therapy for hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In soft connective tissues, the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides spatiotemporally well-defined mechanical and chemical cues that regulate the functions of residing cells. However, it remains challenging to replicate these essential features in synthetic biomaterials. Here, we develop a self-sorting double network hydrogel (SDNH) with spatially well-defined bioactive ligands as synthetic ECM. Specifically, the SDNH is made of two peptides that can independently self-assemble into fibers of different microscopic features, mimicking the hierarchical protein assemblies in ECM. Each peptide contains a photo-reactive moiety for orthogonally patterning bioactive molecules (i.e., cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartate (cRGD) and osteogenic growth peptide (OGP)) using UV and visible light. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate the engineering of SDNH with spatially separated or colocalized cRGD and OGP molecules to control the response of encapsulated stem cells. Our study represents an important step towards defining the mechanical and biochemical cues of synthetic ECM using advanced chemical biology tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To predict the passenger volume reasonably and accurately, this paper fills the gap in the research of quarterly data forecast of railway passenger volume. The research results can also provide references for railway departments to plan railway operation lines reasonably and efficiently. Design/methodology/approach: This paper intends to establish a seasonal cycle first order univariate grey model (GM(1,1) model) combing with a seasonal index. GM (1,1) is termed as the trend equation to fit the railway passenger volume in China from 2014 to 2018. The railway passenger volume in 2019 is used as the experimental data to verify the forecasting effect of the proposed model. The forecasting results of the seasonal cycle GM (1,1) model are compared with the traditional GM (1,1) model, seasonal grey model (SGM(1,1)), Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model, moving average method and exponential smoothing method. Finally, the authors forecast the railway passenger volume from 2020 to 2022. Findings: The quarterly data of national railway passenger volume have a clear tendency of cyclical fluctuations and show an annual growth trend. According to the comparison of the modeling results, the authors know that the seasonal cycle GM (1,1) model has the best prediction effect with the mean absolute percentage error of 1.32%. It is much better than the other models, reflecting the feasibility of the proposed model. Originality/value: As the previous grey prediction model could not solve the series prediction problem with seasonal fluctuation, and there are few research studies on quarterly railway passenger volume forecasting, GM (1,1) model is taken as the trend equation and combined with the seasonal index to construct a combination forecasting model for accurate forecasting results in this study. Besides, considering the impact of the epidemic on passenger volume, the authors introduce a disturbance factor to deal with the forecasting results in 2020, making the modeling results more scientific, practical and referential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]