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In this study, we investigated the evolution of grain structures and second phases of a Mg-9.5Gd-4Y–2Zn-0.3Zr alloy during two-stage deformation that took place in the metal during hot extrusion, as well as their effects on its mechanical properties. We found that the alloy exhibited a bimodal grain structure consisting of equiaxed dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains and elongated unDRXed grains. As the extrusion process progressed, DRX occurred on a large scale, resulting in an increase in the proportion of DRXed grains from 17.8% to 93.2%, and a reduction in average grain size from 80.3 μm to 9.41 μm. The grain orientation also underwent a transition from a single orientation of an extrusion direction (ED) parallel to (i.e. ED//) to mixed orientations of ED// and ED//. The primary mechanism of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) during extrusion involved particle-stimulated nucleation (PSN) accompanied by both continuous and discontinuous DRX. The Mg-9.5Gd-4Y–2Zn-0.3Zr alloy mainly contained intergranular 18R-long period stacking order (LPSO) phases and intragranular 14H-LPSO. As the extrusion process progressed, 18R-LPSO changed from blocky to lamellar to accommodate deformation, and β-Mg5(Gd,Y) phase particles dynamically precipitated along DRXed grain boundaries. The 14H-LPSO phase was found to be primarily distributed within coarse unDRXed grains. As deformation via extrusion progressed, the quantity of 14H-LPSO gradually decreased. Ultimately, with the gradual dissolution of Mg5(Gd,Y), 14H-LPSO reprecipitated within the recrystallized grain boundaries. As the extrusion process progressed, both the yield strength (YS) and elongation (EL) increased from 132.6 MPa to 287.6 MPa and from 10.8% to 15.5%, respectively. This was mainly attributed to the significant reduction in grain size and second phase size.

Abstract Viruses constitute the most diverse and abundant biological entities on Earth. However, our understanding of this tiniest life form in complex ecosystems remains limited. Here, we recover 20,102 viral OTUs from twelve intertidal zones along the Chinese coasts. Our analysis demonstrates high viral diversity and functional potential in intertidal zones, encoding important functional genes that can be potentially transferred to microbial hosts and mediate elemental biogeochemical cycles, especially carbon, phosphate and sulfur. Virus-host abundance dynamics vary among different microbial lineages. Viral community composition is closely associated with environmental conditions, including dissolved organic matter. Concordant biogeographic patterns are observed for viruses and microbes. Viral communities are generally habitat specific with low overlaps between intertidal and other habitats. Environmental factors and geographic distance dominate the compositional variation of intertidal viromes. Overall, these findings expand our understanding of intertidal viromes within an ecological framework, providing insights into the virus-host coevolutionary arms race.

Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy is an essential high strength weight ratio material in the aerospace field. It has been fabricated gradually using wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), a key integrated preparation technology for large-scale parts. In this investigation, a Mg-9.4Gd-3.3Y-1.75Zn-0.38Zr (wt.%) alloy was prepared by WAAM based in the cold metal transfer (CMT) process. Investigations were conducted into the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties during the solution and aging heat treatment. With an average grain size of 18.30 ± 9.89 μm, the as-deposited Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy is mainly composed of α-Mg matrix, (Mg,Zn)3(Gd,Y) eutectic phase, RE-rich particles, and rare-earth (RE) segregation zone. Following a 12-h heat treatment at 500 °C, the average grain size of the α-Mg matrix showed no appreciable changes. The α-Mg matrix also dissolved the (Mg, Zn)3(Gd, Y) phases, which led to the production of long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases and the disappearance of the RE-segregation zone. The appearance of the nanoscale β′ phase following aging heat treatment. The deposited alloys had the following tensile properties: 196.5 ± 24 MPa for ultimate tensile strength (UTS), 157.2 ± 14 MPa for yield strength (YS), and 2.08 ± 0.8% for elongation (EL). The formation of LSPO phase can improve the ductility while the formation of nanoscale β′ phase can improve the strength of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy. Thus, after heat treatment at 500 °C for 12 h, the alloy's EL rose to 9.27 ± 0.94%. After further aging heat treatment for 225 °C at 24h, the alloy's YS rose to 234±3 MPa and its EL was 4.56 ± 0.25%.

Abstract While a large number of chemically recyclable thermoplastics have been developed in recent years, technologically important thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) that are not only bio-based and fully recyclable but also exhibit mechanical properties that can rival or even exceed those petroleum-based, non-recyclable polyolefin TPEs are critically lacking. The key challenge in developing chemically circular, bio-based, high-performance TPEs rests on the complexity of TPE’s block copolymer (BCP) structure involving block segments of different suitable monomers required to induce self-assembled morphologies responsible for performance as well as the control and monomer compatibility in their synthesis and the selectivity in their depolymerization. Here we demonstrate the utilization of bio-sourced δ-valerolactone (δVL) and its simple α-alkyl-substituted derivatives to produce all δVL-based polyester tri-BCP TPEs, which exhibit not only complete (closed-loop) chemical recyclability but also excellent toughness that is 2.5–3.8 times higher than commercial polyolefin-based TPEs. The visualized cylindrical morphology formed via crystallization-driven self-assembly in the new all δVL tri-BCP is postulated to contribute to the excellent TPE property.

The genus Thymallus, belonging to the Salmoniformes, Salmonidae and Thymallinae, is distributed in three main areas in China, namely, the Irtysh River Basin, the Heilongjiang River Basin and the Yalu River Basin. Research has shown that the diversity of extant Thymallus in China is much higher than that in the vast European and North American regions, but the taxonomic results of some species are still controversial. Among them, those whose taxonomic status has been clarified and whose nomenclature is not controversial are T. arcticus, T. grubii and T. tugarinae, and the one that is still controversial is T. yaluensis. Named by Mori in 1928, T. yaluensis is mainly distributed in the Yalu River Basin and is geographically isolated from the T. arcticus, T. grubii and T. tugarinae. In 2007, a study on the comparison of countable traits of Thymallus found that the countable traits of the T. yaluensis were in the middle between the T. grubii and T. tugarinae, and the validity of the taxonomic status of T. yaluensis has been formally questioned ever since; in 2008, a study using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to study the evolutionary relationships of fishes in the genus Thymallus pointed out that the T. yaluensis is synonymous with the T. grubii. In 2016, researchers used mitochondrial genome data to confirm once again that there was no difference between the T. yaluensis and the T. grubii. However, this conclusion does not seem to be accepted by the academic community, and in recent years, there are still some scholars who regard the T. yaluensis as an independent species. Morphological methods are the most commonly used methods in species identification, which can be categorized into traditional morphological method and framework measurement method. The traditional morphological method mainly analyzes the horizontal and vertical traits of the fish body, and it is mostly limited to the head and tail traits, which can't measure the whole surface of the fish body comprehensively. The framework measurement method, however, is based on a certain number of anatomical coordinate points and measures the entire fish body in multiple directions, which can provide a more comprehensive response to the morphological differences of the fish body. So far, the studies on the interspecific differences of Thymallus in China have mostly focused on the molecular biology level, while the morphological differences have been less studied, only in T. grubii and T. tugarinae. The rapid development of molecular marking technology provides an important auxiliary means for species classification, but the apparent morphological differences are still recognized as the most intuitive basis for species classification. In order to clarify the morphological differences of Thymallus in China, this study comprehensively used traditional morphological methods and framework measurement method, and took the T. grubii, T. arcticus, T. yaluensis and T. tugarinae as the research objects, Statistical analysis was conducted on their 10 segmentation characteristics and 32 standardized metric features. The results showed that: (1) there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) between all the subsection characteristics of T. yaluensis and T. grubii, and there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in more than five segmentation characteristics between T. grubii, T. arcticus and T. tugarinae. (2) The coefficient of variation analysis showed that except for caudal peduncle length/body length, the differences in morphological characters between T. yaluensis and T. grubii were at the level of differences between geographic populations within species. (3) The principal component analysis screened out eight principal components with eigenvalues greater than 1, and the cumulative contribution rate reached 81.170%, among which the first and second principal components with the highest contribution rate mainly explained the differences in trunk and head between Thymallus, respectively. The construction of scatter plots of the first and second principal components revealed that the individual crossover between T. yaluensis and T. grubii had a high degree and could not be distinguished individually, while T. tugarinae and T. grubii show a lower level of overlap and partial distinction. Only T. arcticus can be distinctly separated. (3) Discriminative analysis was used to screen out 14 standardized measurement features to establish the Fisher linear discriminant function, and the discriminative rate of individuals being correctly assigned to their respective groups was as high as 97.30%. (4) Cluster analysis showed that compared with T. grubii, T. yaluensis had the highest degree of similarity with it, followed by T. tugarinae, and T. arcticus had the lowest degree of similarity with T. grubii. The comprehensive analysis showed that: (1) T. yaluensis should not be designated as a valid species and its scientific name should be revised to T. grubii. (2) Morphological differences among T. grubii, T. arcticus and T. tugarinae are mainly reflected in their segmentation characteristics and the measurement characteristics of trunk and head. The results of this study will provide a reference for the study of species classification and evolutionary relationships of the genus Thymallus.

Abstract Background Previous studies examined the association of Helicobacter pylori infection (H. pylori) with complications of diabetes, but the results have been inconsistent. The aim of this study of patients with type-2 diabetes (T2D) was to determine the association of H. pylori infection with the major complications of diabetes. Methods This single-center retrospective study examined patients with T2D who received H. pylori testing between January 2016 and December 2021. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association of H. pylori infection with four major complications of diabetes. Results We examined 960 patients with T2D, and 481 of them (50.1%) were positive for H. pylori. H. pylori infection was significantly associated with diabetic nephropathy (odds ratio [OR] = 1.462; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.006,2.126; P = 0.046). In addition, the co-occurrence of H. pylori positivity with hypertension (OR = 4.451; 95% CI: 2.351,8.427; P

Abstract Microorganisms consume and transform dissolved organic matter (DOM) into various forms. However, it remains unclear whether the ecological patterns and drivers of DOM chemodiversity are analogous to those of microbial communities. Here, a large-scale investigation is conducted along the Chinese coasts to resolve the intrinsic linkages among the complex intertidal DOM pools, microbial communities and environmental heterogeneity. The abundance of DOM molecular formulae best fits log-normal distribution and follows Taylor’s Law. Distance-decay relationships are observed for labile molecular formulae, while latitudinal diversity gradients are noted for recalcitrant molecular formulae. Latitudinal patterns are also observed for DOM molecular features. Negative cohesion, bacterial diversity, and molecular traits are the main drivers of DOM chemodiversity. Stochasticity analyses demonstrate that determinism dominantly shapes the DOM compositional variations. This study unveils the intrinsic mechanisms underlying the intertidal DOM chemodiversity and microbial communities from ecological perspectives, deepening our understanding of microbially driven chemical ecology.

In this paper, Ti6Al4V alloy and Ti6Al4V-SiCw composites were formed by selective laser melting (SLM) and electrochemical corrosion experiments were carried out. The effects of different SiCw contents and solid solution aging heat treatment on the corrosion properties of the composites were systematically studied, and the corrosion mechanism of Ti6Al4V-SiCw composites was revealed. The results show that Ti6Al4V-1SiCw composites have better corrosion resistance than Ti6Al4V alloy. After solution and aging heat treatment at 1050 °C, Ti6Al4V-1SiCw composites have better corrosion resistance. The main reasons for the improvement of the corrosion performance of the composites are as follows: (i) The high-density grain boundaries formed by grain refinement of the composites have higher energy and are more likely to react to form a stable passivation film. (ii) The microstructure of Ti6Al4V-SiCw composites is equiaxed α phase, which is easier to form stable passivation film than metastable α′-Ti phase. (iii) The presence of ceramic particles makes more microcells formed in the titanium matrix, which promotes the formation of soluble [TiCl6]2- complexes. The formation of passivation film on the surface of Ti6Al4V-SiCw composites was accelerated.

To reveal the law of surface movement in mining steeply inclined ore body of metal mines and effectively predict the range of surface movement, taking the surface movement of the hanging wall of steeply inclined orebody mining in Gongchangling Iron Mine as an example, a mechanical model for calculating surface principal stress distribution and surface prone-cracking range was established. The topography, waste rock back filling and mining depth were considered in the mechanical model. Based on the mechanical model, the mechanical relation between the subsidence angle and the surface prone-cracking range was established, and the definition of subsidence angle was supplemented: the subsidence angle is the angle measured from the horizontal of the moving boundary line, a straight line with a displacement of 0 from the edge of the deepest extraction level to the surface and the largest surface cracking range. A trial calculation method for calculating the subsidence angle was proposed: by presetting different subsidence angles, the subsidence angle corresponding to maximum surface prone-cracking range calculated by mechanical model is the real subsidence angle. After the real subsidence angle is obtained, the surface prone-cracking range and depth can be determined by the mechanical model. At the same time, based on the limit equilibrium principle, the mechanical relation between the surface prone-cracking range and the slip of block was established, and the calculation method of the surface potential collapse range was proposed: the range can be determined by setting up limit equilibrium equations for potential sliding blocks corresponding to different cracking points in the surface prone-cracking range, and determining whether the blocks will undergo shear slip in turn. The subsidence angle at hanging wall caused by underground mining of the footwall iron-bearing belt of Gongchangling Iron Mine is 60°, the horizontal distance from the location with initial slip risk to the initial mining location is 130m, and the potential slip angle is 55°. According to the field experience of combined open-pit and underground mining in Gongchangling Iron Mine, timely and compact backfill of underground goaf and optimization of mining space-time sequence and mining intensity can effectively control surface movement, and realize safe combined mining of open-pit and underground in metal mine.

In this study, Mg-13.2Gd-4.3Ni alloys containing continuous bulk-shaped long-period stacking ordered (LPSO), lamellar LPSO, and a small amount of eutectic phase were prepared, and the evolution of microstructure at different extrusion temperatures and its influence on mechanical and degradation properties as well as corrosion mechanism were investigated. Preheating before extrusion can effectively promote the precipitation of lamellar LPSO in matrix. EX400 with higher volume fraction of non-DRXed grains exhibited higher strength, which was mainly due to strong texture, high dislocation density, and high volume fraction of lamellar LPSO. The EX420 with higher volume fraction of DRXed grains showed higher degradation rate, which was mainly due to the higher density of grain boundary. The EX400 exhibited excellent comprehensive properties with tensile yield strength (TYS) of 334 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 484 MPa and elongation (EL) of 7.4%, ultimate compressive strength (UCS) of 638 MPa and compressive yield strength (CYS) of 443 MPa, degradation rate of 86.1 mg/cm2/h at 93 °C in 3 wt.% KCl solution.

Abstract As the central members of the microbiome networks, viruses regulate the composition of microbial communities and drive the nutrient cycles of ecosystems by lysing host cells. Therefore, uncovering the dynamic patterns and the underlying ecological mechanisms mediating the tiniest viral communities across space and through time in natural ecosystems is of crucial importance for better understanding the complex microbial world. Here, the temporal dynamics of intertidal viral communities were investigated via a time-series sampling effort. A total of 1911 viral operational taxonomic units were recovered from 36 bimonthly collected shotgun metagenomes. Functionally important auxiliary metabolic genes involved in carbohydrate, sulfur, and phosphorus metabolism were detected, some of which (e.g., cysH gene) were stably present within viral genomes over time. Over the sampling period, strong and comparable temporal turnovers were observed for intertidal viromes and their host microbes. Winter was determined as the pivotal point for the shifts in viral diversity patterns. Notably, the viral micro-diversity covaried with the macro-diversity, following similar temporal patterns. The relative abundances of viral taxa also covaried with their host prokaryotes. Meanwhile, the virus–host relationships at the whole community level were relatively stable. Further statistical analyses demonstrated that the dynamic patterns of viral communities were highly deterministic, for which temperature was the major driver. This study provided valuable mechanistic insights into the temporal turnover of viral communities in complex ecosystems such as intertidal wetlands.

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) genomic research has discovered actionable genetic changes that might guide treatment decisions and clinical trials. Nonetheless, due to a lack of large-scale multicenter clinical validation, these putative targets have not been converted into patient survival advantages. So, it's crucial to ascertain whether genetic analysis is clinically feasible, useful, and whether it can be advantageous for patients. We sequenced tumour tissue and blood samples (as normal controls) from 111 Chinese HCC patients at Qingdao University Hospital using the 508-gene panel and the 688-gene panel, respectively. Approximately 95% of patients had gene variations related to targeted treatment, with 50% having clinically actionable mutations that offered significant information for targeted therapy. Immune cell infiltration was enhanced in individuals with TP53 mutations but decreased in patients with CTNNB1 and KMT2D mutations. More notably, we discovered that SPEN, EPPK1, and BRCA2 mutations were related to decreased median overall survival, although MUC16 mutations were not. Furthermore, we found mutant MUC16 as an independent protective factor for the prognosis of HCC patients after curative hepatectomy. In conclusion, this study connects genetic abnormalities to clinical practice and potentially identifies individuals with poor prognoses who may benefit from targeted treatment or immunotherapy.

Thymallus sp. is a native fish species distributed in the Irtysh River Basin in China. Unfortunately, environmental damage and overfishing have led to a significant decline in Arctic grayling resources, pushing them towards endangerment. However, there is a lack of comprehensive genetic information regarding the wild populations of Thymallus sp., which poses challenges for the development of effective conservation strategies for their genetic resources. In response, this study collected 180 samples from six major tributaries within the Irtysh River Basin. It conducted a thorough investigation of Thymallus sp.'s morphological and genetic variations using morphometric measurements and microsatellite markers. The results showed that the morphological differences among the six populations were relatively minor, and none of the morphological traits reached the subspecies level or higher. Genetic analysis showed that all six populations of Thymallus sp. possessed high genetic diversity, with genetic variations among populations accounting for only 6.30 % of the total variation, suggesting that the current status of the germplasm resources was relatively good. However, due to overfishing, which had led to a decline in the number of effective breeding groups, some inbreeding has occurred within populations. Moreover, the construction of dams has hindered gene exchange, leading to a certain tendency towards genetic differentiation within the populations. This was evidenced by the clustering of Burqin and Haba into one genetic group, while Kuirt, Kayit, Kalaerzis, and Crane were classified into another genetic group. This study offers an important reference for the management and conservation of Thymallus sp. populations in the Irtysh River Basin.

Summary: Studies have shown that breastfeeding can reduce the risk and severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and adults. Probiotics in breast milk have also been isolated and their effects on IBD have been studied. However, based on current evidence, the exact efficacy and mechanisms of probiotics in the treatment of IBD cannot be determined. In this study, Bifidobacterium breve FPHC4024 (BB FPHC4024) and Limosilactobacillus reuteri FPHC2951 (LR FPHC2951) were isolated from feces of exclusively breastfed healthy infants and administered by gavage to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced IBD mice. The results showed that LR FPHC2951 improved the symptoms of DSS-induced IBD, increased the expression of interleukin (IL)-10 mRNA and upregulated the abundance of Verrucomicrobiaceae Akkermansia. Combined with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG)-based Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) function prediction results, we hypothesized that LR FPHC2951 improved DSS-induced colitis symptoms in mice by increasing of IL-10 mRNA, altering the structure of intestinal flora, and reducing proinflammatory pathways and enhancing pathways associated with anti-inflammatory and intestinal protection.

Background: The unpleasant taste of polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been a hindrance to patients undergoing colonoscopy. Aim: This study aims to determine whether the addition of a vitamin drink (Mizone) to the 4L split-dose PEG regimen would be effective in improving the solution's palatability, and reducing patient discomfort during bowel preparation. Methods: The present prospective, single endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled study randomly assigned patients into two groups: PEG + Mizone group (3.6 L of PEG solution plus 0.4 L of Mizone) and PEG group (4 L of PEG solution). Palatability was assessed using a Likert scale of 1–5. The adverse events, amount of unconsumed solution, and willingness to repeat the same process were recorded through a questionnaire. The present study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000034484). Results: A total of 132 patients were included. The demographic characteristics of these patients were comparable between the two groups. The palatability score (mean ± standard deviation [SD]) was higher in the PEG + Mizone group, when compared to the control group (4.00 ± 0.859 vs. 2.95 ± 0.999, p

Abstract Aims Additional evidence has indicated a correlation between N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation and cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, the alterations in RNA methylation modification and the expression of numerous genes remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the role of m6A in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods Two microarray datasets (GSE123342 and GSE59867) were downloaded from the GEO database. After merging the data and batch normalization, differentially expressed regulators were identified using the limma package. Subtyping consistency analysis was performed to group samples. The random forest algorithm and support vector machine were used to identify diagnostic biomarkers. Immune infiltration and inflammation levels among the subtypes were assessed using a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. Results A total of 15 key differential m6A regulators (RBM15B, ELAVL1, ALKBH5, METTL16, ZC3H13, RBM15, YTHDC1, YTHDC2, YTHDF3, HNRNPC, FMR1, LRPPRC, HNRNPA2B1, RBMX, FTO) were identified using the random forest classifier and were found to be highly correlated by PPI analysis. Two distinct RNA modification patterns (cluster A and B) were validated based on the expression levels of the 15 key m6A regulators. GO and KEGG annotations showed that immunity and inflammation pathways were enriched. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that cluster 2 had higher immune activation than cluster 1. Further analysis showed that cluster 2 had a higher inflammation level, with IL-4 and IL-33 showing differential expression (p

Abstract Background The effects of household air pollution on urinary incontinence (UI) symptoms and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) symptoms have not been studied. This study seeks to investigate the correlation between household air pollution and UI/SUI symptoms among middle-aged and elderly adults in India. Methods We employed data derived from individuals aged 45 years and older who participated in the inaugural wave (2017–2018) of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). The assessment of household air pollution exposure and the occurrence of UI/SUI symptoms relied on self-reported data. The analytical approach adopted was cross-sectional in nature and encompassed a cohort of 64,398 participants. To explore relationships, we utilized multivariate logistic regression analysis, incorporating subgroup analysis and interaction tests. Results 1,671 (2.59%) participants reported UI symptoms and 4,862 (7.55%) participants reported SUI symptoms. Also, the prevalence of UI/SUI symptoms is much higher among middle-aged and elderly adults who use solid polluting fuels (UI: 51.23% vs. 48.77%; SUI: 54.50% vs. 45.50%). The results revealed a noteworthy correlation between household air pollution and the probability of experiencing UI/SUI symptoms, persisting even after adjusting for all conceivable confounding variables (UI: OR = 1.552, 95% CI: 1.377–1.749, p

Abstract Background Mammary Pathogenic Escherichia coli (MPEC) is an important pathogen that can escape the attack of the host immune system through biofilm formation and proliferate in the mammary gland continuously, resulting in mastitis in cows and causing enormous economic losses. As an effector of AI-2 quorum sensing, LsrR extensively affects the expression levels of hundreds of genes related to multiple biological processes in model E. coli strain. However, the regulatory role of LsrR in MPEC and whether it is involved in pathogenesis has been seldom reported. Results In this study, the function of LsrR in strain MPEC5, obtained from a milk sample in dairy cows with mastitis, was investigated by performing high-throughput sequencing (RNA-seq) assays. The results revealed that LsrR down-regulated the transcript levels of fimAICDFGH (encoding Type 1 pili), which have been reported to be associated with biofilm formation process. Biofilm assays confirmed that deletion of lsrR resulted in a significant increase in biofilm formation in vitro. In addition, electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) provided evidence that LsrR protein could directly bind to the promoter regions of fimAICDFGH in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions These results indicate that LsrR protein inhibits the biofilm formation ability of MPEC5 by directly binding to the fimAICDFGH promoter region. This study presents a novel clue for further exploration of the prevention and treatment of MPEC.

This study examined the effects of hot drawing deformation on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical properties of an Mg-9.5Gd-4Y–2Zn-0.3Zr alloy. A Φ6 mm extruded alloy bar was hot drawn down to a Φ1.2 mm wire through multi-passes. The results revealed that the intergranular 18R-long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase was gradually changed into elongated shapes distributing along the drawing direction with increasing deformation strain, while the 14H-LPSO phase precipitates in the α-Mg matrix are progressively fragmented. The average grain size in the wire first increased from 4.6 μm to 25.9 μm and then decreased to 6.7 μm, and the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallisation first decreased from 95.5% to 8.6% and then increased to 48.7%. The initial weak //ED anomalous texture gradually changed and strengthened into a //DD dual basal texture. The Φ1.2 mm wire achieved a tensile strength of 553.5 MPa, a yield strength of 473.6 MPa, and an elongation of 2.5%. Calculations indicated that the high yield strength in Φ1.2 mm wire was mainly attributed to the high content of the large aspect ratio 18R-LPSO phase, high density of low angular grain boundaries, and strong basal texture.

Abstract Background Extrachromosomal circular DNAs (eccDNAs) have been reported to play a key role in the occurrence and development of various diseases. However, the characterization and role of eccDNAs in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remain unclear. Methods In the discovery cohort, we first explored eccDNA expression profiles by Circle-sequencing analysis. The candidate eccDNAs were validated by routine polymerase chain reaction (PCR), TOPO-TA cloning and Sanger sequencing. In the validation cohort, 30 patients with PAH and 10 healthy controls were recruited for qPCR amplification to detect the candidate eccDNAs. Datas at the baseline were collected, including clinical background, biochemical variables, echocardiography and hemodynamic factors. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to investigate the diagnostic effect of the eccDNA. Results We identified a total of 21,741 eccDNAs in plasma samples of 3 IPAH patients and 3 individuals in good health, and the expression frequency, GC content, length distribution, and genome distribution of the eccDNAs were thoroughly characterized and analyzed. In the validation cohort, 687 eccDNAs were differentially expressed in patients with IPAH compared with healthy controls (screening threshold: |FC|≥2 and P

Abstract Background This study delves into the intricate landscape of atherosclerosis (AS), a chronic inflammatory disorder with significant implications for cardiovascular health. AS poses a considerable burden on global healthcare systems, elevating both mortality and morbidity rates. The pathological underpinnings of AS involve a marked metabolic disequilibrium, particularly within pyrimidine metabolism (PyM), a crucial enzymatic network central to nucleotide synthesis and degradation. While the therapeutic relevance of pyrimidine metabolism in diverse diseases is acknowledged, the explicit role of pyrimidine metabolism genes (PyMGs) in the context of AS remains elusive. Utilizing bioinformatics methodologies, this investigation aims to reveal and substantiate PyMGs intricately linked with AS. Methods A set of 41 candidate PyMGs was scrutinized through differential expression analysis. GSEA and GSVA were employed to illuminate potential biological pathways and functions associated with the identified PyMGs. Simultaneously, Lasso regression and SVM-RFE were utilized to distill core genes and assess the diagnostic potential of four quintessential PyMGs (CMPK1, CMPK2, NT5C2, RRM1) in discriminating AS. The relationship between key PyMGs and clinical presentations was also explored. Validation of the expression levels of the four PyMGs was performed using the GSE43292 and GSE9820 datasets. Results This investigation identified four PyMGs, with NT5C2 and RRM1 emerging as key players, intricately linked to AS pathogenesis. Functional analysis underscored their critical involvement in metabolic processes, including pyrimidine-containing compound metabolism and nucleotide biosynthesis. Diagnostic evaluation of these PyMGs in distinguishing AS showcased promising results. Conclusion In conclusion, this exploration has illuminated a constellation of four PyMGs with a potential nexus to AS pathogenesis. These findings unveil emerging biomarkers, paving the way for novel approaches to disease monitoring and progression, and providing new avenues for therapeutic intervention in the realm of atherosclerosis.

Abstract Wild germplasm resources are crucial for gene mining and molecular breeding because of their special trait performance. Haplotype-resolved genome is an ideal solution for fully understanding the biology of subgenomes in highly heterozygous species. Here, we surveyed the genome of a wild walnut tree from Gongliu County, Xinjiang, China, and generated a haplotype-resolved reference genome of 562.99 Mb (contig N50 = 34.10 Mb) for one haplotype (hap1) and 561.07 Mb (contig N50 = 33.91 Mb) for another haplotype (hap2) using PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi) reads and Hi-C technology. Approximately 527.20 Mb (93.64%) of hap1 and 526.40 Mb (93.82%) of hap2 were assigned to 16 pseudochromosomes. A total of 41039 and 39744 protein-coding gene models were predicted for hap1 and hap2, respectively. Moreover, 123 structural variations (SVs) were identified between the two haplotype genomes. Allele-specific expression genes (ASEGs) that respond to cold stress were ultimately identified. These datasets can be used to study subgenome evolution, for functional elite gene mining and to discover the transcriptional basis of specific traits related to environmental adaptation in wild walnut.

Peach, an economically important model plant of the Rosaceae family, has been domesticated and cultivated in China for approximately 5 000 years. The Hexi Corridor, an important corridor connecting east-central China and the Tarim Basin, is the starting point of the Silk Road that links China and the Eurasian region. As a globally distributed fruit tree, the spread of peach was accomplished through historical trade routes in the Hexi Corridor and the Tarim Basin. However, knowledge of peach genetic diversity in these regions remains limited. In this study, we examined the relationships and the spread history of domesticated peaches through sequencing and genomic analysis of 161 peach accessions collected from Northwest China, including 43 from the Hexi Corridor and 104 from the Tarim Basin. The results indicate that peach landraces in the Hexi Corridor and the Tarim Basin are derivatives of peaches from the east and south of China (ESC). Notably, the genetic diversity of accessions from both the Hexi Corridor and the Tarim Basin was lower than that of ESC accessions. Reduction of diversity (ROD) and linkage disequilibrium (LD) analyses detected a genetic bottleneck in peaches from these regions. Additionally, these peaches have undergone varying degrees of selection from natural environment. Moreover, genes responsive to biotic and abiotic stresses were under selection, which could be the result of the climate change of Northwest China after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Our findings provide a better understanding of the genetic basis of peach migration in Northwest China. Furthermore, this study expands the available genomic data for peaches and provides critical information for future peach breeding programs.

The filling stage of winter wheat is crucial for grain formation. Precise irrigation during this period can significantly enhance both grain yield and water productivity, especially in arid regions. This study introduces a method for precise irrigation decision-making of winter wheat at the filling stage based on UAV hyperspectral inversion of leaf water content (LWC). Through the relationship between soil water content (SWC) and LWC, the optimal irrigation amounts at the filling stage are determined. We utilized two-year field irrigation experiments (2022–2023). The successive projection algorithm (SPA) was applied to select sensitive bands of LWC. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and random forest (RF) were employed to establish an LWC inversion model. The SPA-RF model was found to be the most effective, with determination coefficients (R²) of 0.95 and 0.96, root mean square errors (RMSE) of 3.00 % and 2.70 %, and normalized root mean square errors (NRMSE) of 6.47 % and 6.01 %, respectively. The SPA algorithm also improved the inversion efficiency of LWC. A significant positive correlation between SWC and LWC during the filling stage was observed, and a conversion model was developed for the pre-, mid-, and late-filling stages. The R² values for pre-, mid-, and late-filling stages were 0.75, 0.80, and 0.73, respectively, with corresponding RMSE values of 28.79 m³/ha 17.26 m³/ha, and 37.35 m³/ha. The results indicate a high consistency between the SWC estimated via hyperspectral inversion and the irrigation quota based on measured SWC, making the proposed method a valuable tool for optimizing irrigation during this critical growth phase. The method for estimating irrigation amounts during the filling stage, based on UAV hyperspectral imagery proposed in this study, offers valuable support for achieving precise irrigation decisions for winter wheat.

ABSTRACTMultiple tasks within the field of geographical information retrieval and geographical information sciences necessitate toponym matching, which involves the challenge of aligning toponyms that share a common referent. The multiple string similarity approaches struggle when confronted with the complexities associated with unofficial and/or historical variants of identical toponyms. Also, current state-of-the-art approaches/tools to supervised machine learning rely on labeled samples, and they do not adequately address the intricacies of character replacements either from transliterations or historical shifts in linguistic and cultural norms. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel matching approach that leverages a deep neural network model empowered by geographic language representation model, known as GeoBERT, which stands for geographic Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT). This model harnesses the groundbreaking capabilities of the GeoBERT framework by extending a generalized Enhanced Sequential Inference Model architecture and integrating multiple features to enhance the accuracy and robustness of the toponym matching. We present a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed method’s performance using three extensive datasets. The findings clearly illustrate that our approach outperforms the individual similarity metrics used in previous studies.

The rapid and large-scale renewable energy development poses new challenges for the traditional power grid, particularly with the increasing utilization of high-power electronic interfaces. To address this, a novel grid simulator topology and its control strategy are proposed, which can generate various required waveforms with high performance. The grid simulator adopts a modular multilevel structure, a three-phase PWM module, and an H-bridge module with a shared DC bus. Model predictive control (MPC) outputs high-quality, fast voltage waveforms for accurate voltage tracking. Additionally, the model reference adaptive control (MRAC) is integrated into the PWM converter in the pre-stage to estimate the network side inductance value, which is used to improve the system’s robustness. Moreover, a switching distribution method is proposed for feedforward control to enhance reliability. Through simulation and experiment, it is verified that the proposed power grid simulator and its control strategy can effectively and accurately generate various fault waveforms such as voltage drop, voltage abrupt change, and abrupt frequency change. As a result, it can be used as test equipment for renewable energy or power electronic equipment.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) might led to chronic and long-term effects on human organs due to its widespread use and bioaccumulation. Despite some cohorts reporting an association between DEHP exposure and BPH, its underlying mechanisms have not been investigated. Our findings indicate that exposure to DEHP or MEHP (main metabolites of DEHP in the human body) leads to increased prostate weights, elevated prostate index, and notable epithelial thickening in rats. It has been observed to promote BPH-1 cell proliferation with effects ranging from low to high concentrations. Transcriptome sequencing analysis of rat prostate tissues identified KIF11 as the key hub gene. KIF11 is highly expressed after DEHP/MEHP exposure, and knocking down of KIF11 inhibits the MEHP-induced promotion of cell proliferation. Exposure to MEHP has been observed to increase the expression of p-GSK-3β and elevate the levels of β-catenin, thereby activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Knocking down of KIF11 significantly inhibits these effects. Histone H3 at Lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) is implicated in the upregulation of KIF11 expression, as evidenced by the addition of the acetylation inhibitor C646. In summary, our findings established that DEHP exposure could promote BPH through H3K27ac regulated KIF11/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Abstract Hydrogen (H2) has been regarded as a promising alternative to fossil‐fuel energy. Green H2 produced via water electrolysis (WE) powered by renewable energy could achieve a zero‐carbon footprint. Considerable attention has been focused on developing highly active catalysts to facilitate the reaction kinetics and improve the energy efficiency of WE. However, the stability of the electrocatalysts hampers the commercial viability of WE. Few studies have elucidated the origin of catalyst degradation. In this review, we first discuss the WE mechanism, including anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Then, we provide strategies used to enhance the stability of electrocatalysts. After that, the deactivation mechanisms of the typical commercialized HER and OER catalysts, including Pt, Ni, RuO2, and IrO2, are summarized. Finally, the influence of fluctuating energy on catalyst degradation is highlighted and in situ characterization methodologies for understanding the dynamic deactivation processes are described.

Introduction: Probiotics have been recognized for their various biological activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigates the therapeutic effect of a novel probiotic formula, BLLL, consisting of Bifidobacterium breve, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei, and Lactobacillus helveticus, on chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors in mice.Methods: The BLLL formula or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was given orally at a dose of 2, 4, or 8 × 1010 CFU/kg once daily for 10 days in mice treated with chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) treated or vehicle. Depression-like behaviors were assessed using the sucrose preference test (SPT), the forced swimming test (FST), and the tail suspension test (TST). The mRNA and/or protein expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-4, IL-10, and chitinase-3-like protein 3 (CHI3L1, also known as Ym-1), as well as the concentration of nitrite, malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex were examined.Results: The BLLL formula treatment at a dose of 8 × 1010 CFU/kg, but not at a dose of 2 or 4 × 1010 CFU/kg, improved CUS-induced depression-like behaviors in mice, as shown by the decrease in immobility time in the TST and FST and the increase in sucrose intake in the SPT. Further analysis revealed that BLLL treatment suppressed the CUS-induced increase in IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α mRNA and protein levels, as well as the CUS-induced decrease in IL-4, IL-10, and Ym-1 mRNA and/or protein levels in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. In addition, treatment with the BLLL formula countered the CUS-induced increase in nitrite and MDA levels and the CUS-induced decrease in GSH content and BDNF concentration in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex.Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the novel probiotic formula BLLL ameliorates chronic stress-induced depression-like behavior in mice by suppressing neuroinflammation and oxido-nitrosative stress in the brain.

BackgroundAccurate estimation of reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) is crucial for farmland hydrology, crop water requirements, and precision irrigation decisions. The Penman-Monteith (PM) model has high accuracy in estimating ET0, but it requires many uncommon meteorological data inputs. Therefore, an ideal method is needed that minimizes the number of input data variables without compromising estimation accuracy. This study aims to analyze the performance of various methods for estimating ET0 in the absence of some meteorological indicators. The Penman-Monteith (PM) model, known for its high accuracy in ET0 estimation, served as the standard value under conditions of adequate meteorological indicators. Comparative analyses were conducted for the Priestley-Taylor (PT), Hargreaves (H-A), McCloud (M-C), and FAO-24 Radiation (F-R) models. The Bayesian estimation method was used to improve the ET estimation model. ResultsResults indicate that, compared to the PM model, the F-R model performed best with inadequate meteorological indicators. It demonstrates higher average correlation coefficients (R2) at daily, monthly, and 10-day scales: 0.841, 0.937, and 0.914, respectively. The corresponding root mean square errors (RMSE) are 1.745, 1.329, and 1.423, and mean absolute errors (MAE) are 1.340, 1.159, and 1.196, with Willmott's Index (WI) values of 0.843, 0.862, and 0.859. Following Bayesian correction, R2 values remained unchanged, but significant reductions in RMSE were observed, with average reductions of 15.81%, 29.51%, and 24.66% at daily, monthly, and 10-day scales, respectively. Likewise, MAE decreased significantly, with average reductions of 19.04%, 34.47%, and 28.52%, respectively, and WI showed improvement, with average increases of 5.49%, 8.48%, and 10.78%, respectively. ConclusionTherefore, the F-R model, enhanced by the Bayesian estimation method, significantly enhances the estimation accuracy of ET0 in the absence of some meteorological indicators.

Abstract Objective To further comprehend the phenotype of multiple mitochondrial dysfunction syndrome type 3 (MMDS3:OMIM#615330) caused by IBA57 mutation. We present a case involving a patient who experienced acute neurological regression, and the literature was reviewed. Methods Clinical data and laboratory test results were collected; early language and development progress were tested; and genetic testing was performed. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using Mutation Taster and PolyPhen‐2, and the literature in databases such as PubMed and CNKI was searched using MMDS3 and IBA57 as keywords. Results The child, aged 1 year and 2 months, had motor decline, unable to sit alone, limited right arm movement, hypotonia, hyperreflexia of both knees, and Babinski sign positivity on the right side, accompanied by nystagmus. Blood lactate levels were elevated at 2.50 mmol/L. Brain MR indicated slight swelling in the bilateral frontoparietal and occipital white matter areas and the corpus callosum, with extensive abnormal signals on T1 and T2 images, along with the semioval center and occipital lobes bilaterally. The multiple abnormal signals in the brain suggested metabolic leukoencephalopathy. Whole‐exome sequencing analysis revealed that the child had two heterozygous mutations in the IBA57 gene, c.286T>C (p.Y96H) (likely pathogenic, LP) and c.992T>A (p.L331Q) (variant of uncertain significance, VUS). As of March 2023, a literature search showed that 56 cases of MMDS3 caused by IBA57 mutation had been reported worldwide, with 35 cases reported in China. Among the 35 IBA57 mutations listed in the HGMD database, there were 28 missense or nonsense mutations, 2 splicing mutations, 2 small deletions, and 3 small insertions. Conclusion MMDS3 predominantly manifests in infancy, with primary symptoms including feeding difficulties, neurological functional regression, muscle weakness, with severe cases potentially leading to mortality. Diagnosis is supported by elevated lactate levels, multisystem impairment (including auditory and visual systems), and distinctive MRI findings. Whole‐exome sequencing is crucial for diagnosis. Currently, cocktail therapy offers symptomatic relief.

Introduction: The available approved anticancer drugs for Chinese patients are relatively limited because of China's low participation rate in international clinical trials. Therefore, a focus on approved anti–programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) drugs in China is needed. This study aims to assess the heterogeneity of anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies manufactured in China (domestic PD-1/PD-L1) and overseas (imported PD-1/PD-L1) when combined with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of NSCLC. Methods: A systematic search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library of publications up to July 13, 2023. Meta-analysis was applied to compare the efficacy and safety profile between anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies plus chemotherapy (PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo) and chemotherapy alone using STATA software. Pooled hazard ratios for progression-free survival and overall survival, odds ratios for objective response rate, and incidence rate of grade greater than or equal to three treatment-related adverse events with 95% confidence intervals were calculated in the domestic group and imported group by a random-effects model, and the heterogeneity between the two estimates was assessed. Results: There were 14 eligible clinical studies with a total of 3951 patients involved in this analysis, including eight studies of domestic PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo and six studies of imported PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo. The study revealed that there was no significant difference between domestic and imported PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo in overall survival (p = 0.80), progression-free survival (p = 0.53), and incidence rate of grade greater than or equal to three treatment-related adverse events (p = 0.10). Nevertheless, the objective response rate of imported PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo was significantly higher than that of domestic PD-1/PD-L1+Chemo (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Domestic anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies plus chemotherapy were found to have comparable efficacy and safety to those combined with imported anti–PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies based on current evidence.

ABSTRACT: Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is one of the common extraintestinal infectious disease pathogens in chickens, geese, and other birds, inducing serious impediments to the development of the poultry industry. Hence, investigating how bacteria regulate themselves amidst different challenging conditions is immense essential in prevention and treatment for bacterial pathogen infections. The ArcA regulatory factor has been reported to regulate oxygen availability in strains, but its role in regulation of antibiotics resistance in APEC is unclear. This study delved into understanding how ArcA regulates antibiotic resistance in APEC. An E. coli APEC40 arcA knockout strain was constructed, and the regulatory mechanism of arcA on APEC antibiotic susceptibility was identified by drug sensitivity test, colony counting assay, real-time quantitative PCR, β-galactosidase assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). The results showed that ArcA directly binds to the promoter region of the outer membrane protein OmpC/OmpW and regulates bacterial susceptibility to kanamycin and penicillin G. At the same time, the double knockout of ompW and ompW/arcA resulted in an increase in resistance to kanamycin compared to the deletion of the arcA gene. This outcome provided experimental proof suggesting that the outer membrane protein OmpW could serve as a crucial pathway for the ingress of kanamycin into cells. These results confirmed the important regulatory role of ArcA transcription factors under APEC antibiotic stress.

Abstract Cancer is a major socioeconomic burden that seriously affects the life and spirit of patients. However, little is known about the role of environmental toxicant exposure in diseases, especially ubiquitous di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) which is one of the most widely used plasticizers. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the potential association between cancer and DEHP. The data were collected using the 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (n = 6147), and multiple logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the association. The concentrations of DEHP were calculated by each metabolite and split into quartiles for analysis. After adjusting for confounding factors, DEHP was significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer prevalence, and the metabolites of DEHP showed similar results (OR > 1.0, p 1.0, p

As a highly urbanized nation, Singapore faces unique urban planning challenges due to its geographical attributes and demographics. These include optimizing land and transportation, enhancing quality of life, and preparing for pandemics. Quick responses and understanding of region-specific social voices are essential for effective policy-making and real-time insights into local dynamics. This work delves into analyzing social media data sourced from Twitter within the context of Singapore, forming a crucial component of a broader social listening initiative. Specifically, 96.7 million tweets from 2008 to 2023 were collected using Twitter’s free API, providing a decade’s worth of social data from Singapore. Alongside the Twitter data, we release a list of 10,357 places and property names with geographic coordinates, mapped to 332 subzones and 55 planning areas in Singapore. In this paper, we further present examples of locating methods that enable region-specific analysis of different urban zones, gathering information reflecting the attitudes of citizens associated with each estate. We showcase the practical application of the dataset through two distinct use cases: sentiment analysis on the prevalent issue of COVID-19 and bursty topic detection during the years 2020 and 2021. Deep learning-based methods are employed for the analysis: sentiment analysis using a zero-shot pretrained model and bursty topic analysis based on the biterm topic model. The experimental analysis demonstrates the efficacy of social listening, providing valuable insights for future city planning in other countries and cities. This work offers invaluable resources and methodologies for the research community, highlighting the potential of social media data in enhancing urban planning and policy-making. The data is realised at https://doi.org/10.21979/N9/PALUID.

This paper proposes a new control policy for optimal control of the 3-phase system of PEMFC connected to the grid. This also includes a 3-phase high step-up Interleaved Boost Converter (IBC) to amplify the PEMFC outputted voltage. To control the PEMFC system, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) based on Rigdelet Neural Networks (RNN) has been utilized, and to improve this controller, an improved version of the Satin Bowerbird Optimization (ISBO) algorithm has been utilized. The main advantage of the proposed improved version is modifying the convergence weakness and fixing convergence in chaos theory. The method is then validated by performing it one time on a standalone PEMFC system and another time on a grid-connected PEMFC system. Simulation results indicate that based o the IBC converter, better results with lower current ripples can be achieved. Also, the method has the ability to feed to both active and reactive powers by keeping stable the sudden temperatures. Final results have been also put in comparison with two different latest techniques to indicate the technique proficiency.

Accurate identification of the second and third compound leaf periods of soybean seedlings is a prerequisite to ensure that soybeans are chemically weeded after seedling at the optimal application period. Accurate identification of the soybean seedling period is susceptible to natural light and complex field background factors. A transfer learning-based Swin-T (Swin Transformer) network is proposed to recognize different stages of the soybean seedling stage. A drone was used to collect images of soybeans at the true leaf stage, the first compound leaf stage, the second compound leaf stage, and the third compound leaf stage, and data enhancement methods such as image rotation and brightness enhancement were used to expand the dataset, simulate the drone’s collection of images at different shooting angles and weather conditions, and enhance the adaptability of the model. The field environment and shooting equipment directly affect the quality of the captured images, and in order to test the anti-interference ability of different models, the Gaussian blur method was used to blur the images of the test set to different degrees. The Swin-T model was optimized by introducing transfer learning and combining hyperparameter combination experiments and optimizer selection experiments. The performance of the optimized Swin-T model was compared with the MobileNetV2, ResNet50, AlexNet, GoogleNet, and VGG16Net models. The results show that the optimized Swin-T model has an average accuracy of 98.38% in the test set, which is an improvement of 11.25%, 12.62%, 10.75%, 1.00%, and 0.63% compared with the MobileNetV2, ResNet50, AlexNet, GoogleNet, and VGG16Net models, respectively. The optimized Swin-T model is best in terms of recall and F1 score. In the performance degradation test of the motion blur level model, the maximum degradation accuracy, overall degradation index, and average degradation index of the optimized Swin-T model were 87.77%, 6.54%, and 2.18%, respectively. The maximum degradation accuracy was 7.02%, 7.48%, 10.15%, 3.56%, and 2.5% higher than the MobileNetV2, ResNet50, AlexNet, GoogleNet, and VGG16Net models, respectively. In the performance degradation test of the Gaussian fuzzy level models, the maximum degradation accuracy, overall degradation index, and average degradation index of the optimized Swin-T model were 94.3%, 3.85%, and 1.285%, respectively. Compared with the MobileNetV2, ResNet50, AlexNet, GoogleNet, and VGG16Net models, the maximum degradation accuracy was 12.13%, 15.98%, 16.7%, 2.2%, and 1.5% higher, respectively. Taking into account various degradation indicators, the Swin-T model can still maintain high recognition accuracy and demonstrate good anti-interference ability even when inputting blurry images caused by interference in shooting. It can meet the recognition of different growth stages of soybean seedlings in complex environments, providing a basis for post-seedling chemical weed control during the second and third compound leaf stages of soybeans.

Introduction: MYC transcription factors are the basic regulators of the jasmonic acid signaling pathway and play important roles in plant growth and development and the response to adverse stress. In recent years, severe winter freezing and late spring frost in the main planting area of walnut in Xinjiang have affected the growth and development of walnut, which has become a prominent problem restricting walnut production. Xinjiang wild walnut is the only remaining wild species of walnuts in China, which contains a lot of genes with excellent traits, and is important for the cultivation and breeding.Methods: In this paper, the physicochemical properties and bioinformatics of MYC transcription factor members in walnut were analyzed, and the nine MYC were screened from the transcriptome data under low temperature stress. At last, we study the subcellular localizations and the expression patterns of the nine MYC members in Xinjiang wild walnut.Results: The results revealed that 30 MYC members were identified from published walnut whole-genome data, and their evolutionary relationships with Arabidopsis and poplar were divided into six groups according to clustering analysis, among which JrMYC22 and JrMYC23 had high homology with PtrMYC2b, which is induced by jasmonic acid in response to low-temperature stress. Walnut MYC members are unevenly distributed on 12 chromosomes. The prediction of promoter cis-acting elements of walnut MYC transcription factor family members revealed that cis-acting elements related to jasmonic acid and lowtemperature stress were the ones with the greatest number of members, with 12. In addition, all nine MYC family members in Xinjiang wild walnut plants responding to low-temperature stress exhibited strong fluorescence responses in the nucleus. The expression levels of these members in response to low-temperature stress revealed that JrMYC28, JrMYC31, JrMYC33, JrMYC34, and JrMYC35 were highly expressed, and it was hypothesized that JrMYC28, JrMYC31, JrMYC33, JrMYC34, and JrMYC35 might play a key role in the response to lowtemperature stress.Discussion: The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for further research on the functional mechanisms of the MYC transcription factor family members in walnut.

The Amur grayling (Thymallus arcticus grubei Dybowski, 1869), a species of potentially economic and research value, is renowned for its tender meat, exquisite flavor, and high nutritional contents. This study was conducted to investigate the physiological adaptation mechanisms to dietary lipids in Amur grayling fry (with average initial weight 4.64±0.03 g). This study involved a 56-day feeding trial with diets containing varying lipid levels (9.07%, 12.17%, 15.26%, 18.09%, 21.16%, and 24.07%, designated as GL1 through GL6, respectively) to explore the impact of dietary lipids on growth performance, intestinal digestion, liver antioxidative function, and transcriptomic profiles. Results showed that The group receiving 18% dietary lipid exhibited a markedly higher weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate compared to other groups, alongside a reduced feed conversion ratio (FCR), except in comparison to the 15% lipid group. Activities of lipase in pancreatic secretion and amylase in stomach mucosa peaked in the 18% lipid treatment group, indicating enhanced digestive efficiency. The liver of fish in this group also showed increased activities of antioxidative enzymes and higher levels of glutathione and total antioxidative capacity, along with reduced malondialdehyde content compared to the 9% and 24% lipid treatments. Additionally, serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were highest in the 18% group. Transcriptomic analysis revealed four significant metabolic pathways affected: Cholesterol metabolism, Fat digestion and absorption, PPAR signaling, and Fatty acid degradation, involving key genes such as Lipase, Lipoprotein lipase, Fatty acid-binding protein, and Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I. These findings suggest that the liver of Amur grayling employs adaptive mechanisms to manage excessive dietary lipids. Quadratic regression analysis determined the optimal dietary lipid levels to be 16.62% and 16.52%, based on WGR and FCR, respectively. The optimal dietary lipid level for juvenile Amur grayling appears to be around 18%, as evidenced by improved growth performance, digestive function, balanced serum lipid profile, and enhanced liver antioxidative capacity. Exceeding this lipid threshold triggers both adaptive and potentially detrimental liver responses.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a global environmental pollutant with neurotoxicity, which can easily crosses the blood–brain barrier and cause irreversible damage to the human central nervous system (CNS). CNS inflammation and autophagy are known to be involved in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. Meanwhile, MeHg has the potential to induce microglia-mediated neuroinflammation as well as autophagy. This study aims to further explore the exact molecular mechanism of MeHg neurotoxicity. We conducted in vitro studies using BV2 microglial cell from the central nervous system of mice. The role of inflammation and autophagy in the damage of BV2 cells induced by MeHg was determined by detecting cell viability, cell morphology and structure, reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant function, inflammatory factors, autophagosomes, inflammation and autophagy-related proteins. We further investigated the relationship between the inflammatory response and autophagy induced by MeHg by inhibiting them separately. The results indicated that MeHg could invade cells, change cell structure, activate NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain associated protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and autophagosome, release a large amount of inflammatory factors and trigger the inflammatory response and autophagy. It was also found that MeHg could disrupt the antioxidant function of cells. In addition, the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome alleviated both cellular inflammation and autophagy, while inhibition of autophagy increased cellular inflammation. Our current research suggests that MeHg might induce BV2 cytotoxicity through inflammatory response and autophagy, which may be mediated by the NLRP3 inflammasome activated by oxidative stress.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of DNA methylation of Fork Head Box O3 (FOXO3a) on the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: The expressions of FOXO3a, DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), METTL3, and EMT-related proteins (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) were measured. The influence of 5-Aza-dC and DNMT1 on the methylation level in the promoter region of FOXO3a was examined through the application of methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) was employed to detect binding between DNMT1 and the FOXO3a promoter. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) was utilized to evaluate the level of DNMT1 N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation. The assessment of cell viability and invasion abilities of A549 cells was performed using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell assays, respectively. NSCLC xenograft mouse models were established by subcutaneously injected treated A549 cells into nude mice. Results: The expression levels of DNMT1 and DNA methylation level FOXO3a were found to be significantly increased, whereas FOXO3a expression was considerably decreased in NSCLC cell lines and NSCLC tumor tissues. Both 5-Aza-dC treatment and DNMT1 knockdown resulted in the down-regulation of DNA methylation levels of FOXO3a while simultaneously up-regulating the expression of FOXO3a. A ChIP assay demonstrated that DNMT1 has the ability to bind to the promoter region of FOXO3a. Furthermore, the knockdown of DNMT1 promoted E-cadherin expression, but inhibited expression of N-cadherin, cell viability, and invasion ability. However, the knockdown of FOXO3a hindered the effect of DNMT1 knockdown on EMT, cell viability, and invasion ability of A549 cells. This was evidenced by decreased E-cadherin expression and increased N-cadherin expression, as well as increased cell viability and invasion ability. Increased expression of DNMT1 resulted from m6A methylation of DNMT1, which was mediated by METTL3. Overexpression of DNMT1 decreased of E-cadherin expression while increased N-cadherin expression, cell viability, and invasion ability in METTL3-shRNA treated A549 cells. In xenograft mouse models, DNMT1 knockdown significantly reduced tumor volumes and tumor weight. DNMT1 knockdown upregulated the expression of FOXO3a and E-cadherin, while downregulated N-cadherin expression in vivo. Conclusion: METTL3-mediated m6A methylation of DNMT1 up-regulates FOXO3a promoter methylation, thereby promoting the progression of NSCLC.

In recent years, bacterial-based biocontrol agents (BCA) have become a new trend for the control of fungal diseases such as fusarium wilt that seriously threaten the yield and quality of cucumber, which are transmitted through infested soil and water. This study was set out with the aim of figuring the mechanism of the isolated rhizobacterial strain Paenibacillus polymyxa PJH16 in preventing Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (Foc). Biocontrol and growth-promoting experiments revealed that bacterial strain causes effective inhibition of the fungal disease through a significant growth-promoting ability of plants, and had activities of β-1,3-glucanase, cellulase, amylase and protease. It could produce siderophore and indole-3-acetic acid, too. Using the high-throughput sequencing tool PacBio Sequel II system and the database annotation, the bacterial strain was identified as P. polymyxa PJH16 and contained genes encoding for presence of biofilm formation, antimicrobial peptides, siderophores and hydrolyases. From comparing data between the whole genome of P. polymyxa PJH16 with four closely related P. polymyxa strains, findings revealed markedly the subtle differences in their genome sequences and proposed new antifungal substances present in P. polymyxa PJH16. Therefore, P. polymyxa PJH16 could be utilized in bioengineering a microbial formulation for application as biocontrol agent and bio-stimulant, in the future.

Abstract The hypothalamus in the brain plays a pivotal role in controlling energy balance in vertebrates. Nutritional excess through high‐fat diet (HFD) feeding can dysregulate hypothalamic signaling at multiple levels. Yet, it remains largely unknown in what magnitude HFD feeding may impact epigenetics in this brain region. Here, it is shown that HFD feeding can significantly alter hypothalamic epigenetic events, including posttranslational histone modifications, DNA methylation, and chromatin accessibility. The authors comprehensively analyze the chromatin immunoprecipitation‐sequencing (ChIP‐seq), methylated DNA immunoprecipitation‐sequencing (MeDIP‐seq), single nucleus assay for transposase‐accessible chromatin using sequencing (snATAC‐seq), and RNA‐seq data of the hypothalamus of C57 BL/6 mice fed with a chow or HFD for 1 to 6 months. The chromatins are categorized into 6 states using the obtained ChIP‐seq data for H3K4me3, H3K27ac, H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H3K36me3. A 1‐month HFD feeding dysregulates histone modifications and DNA methylation more pronouncedly than that of 3‐ or 6‐month. Besides, HFD feeding differentially impacts chromatin accessibility in hypothalamic cells. Thus, the epigenetic landscape is dysregulated in the hypothalamus of dietary obesity mice.

Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are widely used in the biomedical field and can enter the central nervous system through the blood-brain barrier, causing damage to hippocampal neurons. However, the specific mechanism remains unclear. In this experiment, HT22 cells were selected as the experimental model in vitro, and the survival rate of cells under the action of SiNPs was detected by MTT method, reactive oxygen species (ROS), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were tested by the kit, the ultrastructure of the cells was observed by transmission electron microscope, membrane potential (MMP), calcium ion (Ca2+) and apoptosis rate were measured by flow cytometry, and the expressions of mitochondrial functional protein, mitochondrial dynein, mitochondrial autophagy protein as well as apoptosis related protein were detected by Western blot. The results showed that cell survival rate, SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, ATP and MMP gradually decreased with the increase of SiNPs concentration, while intracellular ROS, Ca2+, LDH and apoptosis rate increased with the increase of SiNPs concentration. In total cellular proteins,the expressions of mitochondrial functional proteins VDAC and UCP2 gradually increased, the expression of mitochondrial dynamic related protein DRP1 increased while the expressions of OPA1 and Mfn2 decreased. The expressions of mitophagy related proteins PINK1, Parkin and LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰ increased and P62 gradually decreased, as well as the expressions of apoptosis related proteins Apaf-1, Cleaved-Caspase-3, Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bax and Cyt-C. In mitochondrial proteins, the expressions of mitochondrial dynamic related proteins DRP1 and p-DRP1 were increased, while the expressions of OPA1 and Mfn2 were decreased. Expressions of mitochondrial autophagy associated proteins PINK1, Parkin, LC3II/LC3I increased, P62 decreased gradually, as well as the expressions of apoptosis related proteins Cleaved-Caspase-3, Caspase-3, and Caspase-9 increased, and Cyt-C expressions decreased. To further demonstrate the role of ROS and DRP1 in HT22 cell apoptosis induced by SiNPs, we selected the ROS inhibitor N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) and Dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) inhibitor Mdivi-1. The experimental results indicated that the above effects were remarkably improved after the use of inhibitors, further confirming that SiNPs induce the production of ROS in cells, activate DRP1, cause excessive mitochondrial division, induce mitophagy, destroy mitochondrial function and eventually lead to apoptosis.

Summary: Background: The prevalence and risk factors for failure to thrive (FTT) in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) remain ambiguous. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, growth profiles, risk factors, and vulnerable subtypes of CHD associated with FTT in pediatric patients with CHD. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on Chinese Database for Congenital Heart Surgery. FTT was defined as either stunting or underweight (height or weight standard deviation score

Abstract Background There have been few investigations on the association between depression and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This study aims to explore the correlation between depression and BPH among middle-aged and older men in India. Methods We utilized data from male individuals aged 45 years and older who participated in the initial wave (2017–2018) of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). The presence of BPH symptoms was based on self-reported information, while depressive symptoms were evaluated using CESD-10. The analysis was a cross-sectional study conducted on a final sample size of 30,108 male participants. To examine associations, we employed multivariate logistic regression analysis along with subgroup analysis and interaction tests. Results A total of 439 (1.46%) men reported BPH and had a higher depression score (10.18 ± 4.22 vs. 9.28 ± 4.00). The findings indicated a significant association between the depression score and the likelihood of developing BPH, even after accounting for all potential confounding variables (OR = 1.054, 95% CI: 1.030–1.078, p

Abstract Fermionic dark matter can be pairly produced and hence searched with missing energy at colliders. We extend such probe to the associated production of a neutrino and a dark sector fermion at the future e + e − colliders such as CEPC, FCC-ee, ILC, and CLIC. Two typical processes, the mono-photon and electron-positron pair productions associated with missing energy, can serve the purpose. While the mono-photon search prevails at CEPC, FCC-ee, and ILC, the channel has more significant contributions at CLIC with much higher collision energy s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ . The beam polarizations can help further suppressing the SM backgrounds to enhance the signal significance while differential cross sections can distinguish the Lorentz structure of various effective operators. The combined sensitivity can reach well above 1 TeV at CEPC/FCC-ee and ILC while it further touches 30 TeV at CLIC. Comparing with the updated results from the direct detection experiments (XENON1T, PandaX-II, PandaX-4T, LZ, and XENONnT), astrophysical X/γ-ray observations, and cosmological constraints for the sub-MeV absorption dark matter, the collider searches are actually more sensitive and hence can provide a complementary approach to addressing the dark fermions.

The ceramic-steel-pentaerythritol ester system has a broad application prospect under high temperature conditions, which are respectively in the fields of aviation, aerospace and advanced equipment manufacturing. However, a comprehensive understanding of the friction and wear mechanisms of this system across a broad temperature range remains elusive. The tribological properties of the system at 25–475 °C were studied. With the increase of temperature, the evolution of the tribofilm follows the sequence: discontinuous tribofilm → uniform tribofilm → tribofilm removal. At 200–300 °C, an approximately 100 nm thick amorphous PxOy compound tribofilm is formed, and its nanohardness and modulus are reduced by 81.33 % and 54.02 %, respectively, compared with base steel. The tribofilm effectively reduces shear resistance by blocking friction pair contact. When the temperature exceeds 300 °C, it will lead to high-temperature coking, which adversely affects the lubrication performance. It is worth noting that the system can endure short-term service at a maximum temperature of 475 °C. Therefore, this research can help achieve continuous, stable operation of high-temperature resistant systems, as well as short-term use under extreme conditions encountered by complex equipment.

The extract of peanut shell extract (PSE) is firstly utilized as a novel eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor for the mitigation of corrosion on carbon steel in 0.5 M sulfuric acid medium. The corrosion inhibition performance and adsorption properties of PSE were researched via weight loss, electrochemical measurements and surface characterization analysis. It is demonstrated that the PSE acts as a mixed type inhibitor with a superb inhibition ability of 95 % with the addition of 300 mg/L PSE. The adsorption of the active ingredients in PSE on steel surface contributes to effective corrosion inhibition. The outstanding inhibition efficiency and straightforward extraction method with environment-friendly solvent convincingly demonstrate that the PSE possesses promising application prospects to be a novel eco-friendly corrosion inhibitor in industrial corrosion mitigation.