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Abstract Our comprehensive understanding of the multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness of sarbecoviruses remains elusive, particularly for those with various receptor binding motif (RBM) insertions/deletions (indels). Here, we analyzed RBM sequences from 268 sarbecoviruses categorized into four RBM indel types. We examined the ability of 20 representative sarbecovirus Spike glycoproteins (S) and derivatives in utilizing ACE2 from various bats and several other mammalian species. We reveal that sarbecoviruses with long RBMs (type-I) can achieve broad ACE2 tropism, whereas viruses with single deletions in Region 1 (type-II) or Region 2 (type-III) exhibit narrower ACE2 tropism. Sarbecoviruses with double region deletions (type-IV) completely lost ACE2 usage, which is restricted by clade-specific residues within and outside RBM. Lastly, we propose the evolution of sarbecovirus RBM indels and illustrate how loop lengths, disulfide, and residue determinants shape multi-species ACE2 adaptiveness. This study provides profound insights into the mechanisms governing ACE2 usage and spillover risks of sarbecoviruses.

Abstract The structural components of the thymus are essential for guiding T cell development, but a thorough spatial view is still absent. Here we develop the TSO-his tool, designed to integrate multimodal data from single-cell and spatial transcriptomics to decipher the intricate structure of human thymus. Specifically, we characterize dynamic changes in cell types and critical markers, identifying ELOVL4 as a mediator of CD4+ T cell positive selection in the cortex. Utilizing the mapping function of TSO-his, we reconstruct thymic spatial architecture at single-cell resolution and recapitulates classical cell types and their essential co-localization for T cell development; additionally, previously unknown co-localization relationships such as that of CD8αα with memory B cells and monocytes are identified. Incorporating VDJ sequencing data, we also delineate distinct intermediate thymocyte states during αβ T cell development. Overall, these insights enhance our understanding of thymic biology and may inform therapeutic interventions targeting T cell-mediated immune responses.

Abstract The Ideal Plant Architecture 1 (IPA1) transcription factor promotes rice yield and immunity through phosphorylation at its amino acid residue Ser163 as a switch. Although phosphorylated IPA1 mimic, IPA1(S163D), directly targets the promoter of immune response gene WRKY45, it cannot activate its expression. Here, we identified a co-activator of IPA1(S163D), a RING-finger E3 ligase IPA1 interactor 7 (IPI7), which fine-tunes the transcriptional activity of IPA1 to timely promote plant immunity and simultaneously maintain growth for yield. IPI7 interacts with IPA1 and promotes K29-polyubiquitination of IPA1 in vitro and in vivo. However, the stability of IPA1 protein is not affected by IPI7-mediated ubiquitination. The IPI7-promoted K29-polyubiquitination of IPA1 is induced by Magnaporthe oryzae infection and required for phosphorylated IPA1 to transactivate WRKY45 expression for immune response but not for plain IPA1 to transactivate DENSE AND ERECT PANICLES 1 (DEP1) expression for panicle development. IPI7 knockout impairs IPA1-mediated immunity but not yield. Our study reveals that plants utilize non-proteolytic K29-ubiquitination as a response to pathogen infection to fine-tune IPA1 transactivation activity for promoting immunity.

Objective The turnout friction current on-site testing and adjustment involve three major unfavorable aspects of complex processes and high risks, high professional requirements for maintenance personnel, and significant subjective component in determining numerical values, calling for enhancement of the intelligent operation and maintenance level of turnout based on various intelligent algorithms and technologies. Method The characteristics of the four stages of turnout friction current testing curve are analyzed, and an intelligent analysis system for turnout friction current is proposed. The functionality and working principle of the system are elucidated, and standard values and threshold ranges for friction current are established. Based on density clustering algorithm and breadth-first search algorithm, the system can automatically retrieve the turnout friction current value. Screenshots of the system debugging interface are presented to illustrate how the system provides operational suggestions for on-site maintenance personnel in obtaining turnout frictional current values. Result & Conclusion This intelligent system demonstrates excellent usability and achieves the predefined goals of saving maintenance time, reducing maintenance costs, and increasing maintenance efficiency.

Recently, multifunctional materials have received widespread attention from researchers. Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) is one of biomass materials with abundant hydroxyl groups, which shows great potential in manufacturing multifunctional composite material. In this paper, a kind of polyaniline@CNF/polyvinyl alcohol-H2SO4 multifunctional composite material (PANI@CNF/PVA-H2SO4) was successfully designed by in-situ chemical polymerization of conductive polyaniline (PANI) onto CNF aerogel with high aspect ratio, and then coated with PVA-H2SO4 gel. The composite material has a specific capacitance of 502.2 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s as supercapacitor electrode. Furthermore, when the composite was assembled into a symmetrical supercapacitor, it can still provide an energy density of 11.49 W·h/kg at a high power density of 413.55 W/kg. Besides, the as-obtained PANI@CNF/PVA-H2SO4 composite has an excellent electromagnetic shielding performance of 34.75 dB in X-band. In addition, due to the excellent flexibility of CNF and PVA, the PANI@CNF/PVA-H2SO4 composites can be further applied to stress sensors to detect pressure and human motion signals.

Abstract Fungal pathogens typically use secreted effector proteins to suppress host immune activators to facilitate invasion. However, there is rarely evidence supporting the idea that fungal secretory proteins contribute to pathogenesis by transactivating host genes that suppress defense. We previously found that pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae induces rice Bsr-d1 to facilitate infection and hypothesized that a fungal effector mediates this induction. Here, we report that MoSPAB1 secreted by M. oryzae directly binds to the Bsr-d1 promoter to induce its expression, facilitating pathogenesis. Amino acids 103-123 of MoSPAB1 are required for its binding to the Bsr-d1 promoter. Both MoSPAB1 and rice MYBS1 compete for binding to the Bsr-d1 promoter to regulate Bsr-d1 expression. Furthermore, MoSPAB1 homologues are highly conserved among fungi. In particular, Colletotrichum fructicola CfSPAB1 and Colletotrichum sublineola CsSPAB1 activate kiwifruit AcBsr-d1 and sorghum SbBsr-d1 respectively, to facilitate pathogenesis. Taken together, our findings reveal a conserved module that may be widely utilized by fungi to enhance pathogenesis.

Abstract Radar coincidence imaging (RCI) is a high‐resolution radar imaging mode which constructs a temporal spatial stochastic radiation field (TSSRF) and uses the correlation between reference signal and echoes for imaging. The correlation between the reference matrix and the echoes is the main factor affecting the imaging performance. In fact, radar target characteristics cause fluctuations in the radar cross section and variations in the scattering intensity of each resolution element. The latter degrades the correlation between the reference matrix and the echoes, seriously affecting the image reconstruction. This paper designs the waveform based on image entropy under fixed transmitting and receiving arrays. The targets with fluctuating scattering intensity at each resolution element are statistically modelled. Simulation results show this approach can improve the imaging performance and reduce the energy dissipation degree of the target grid.

ABSTRACTA novel Bartonella-like symbiont (BLS) of Tyrophagus putrescentiae was characterized. BLS formed a separate cluster from the Bartonella clade together with an ant symbiont. BLS was present in mite bodies (103 16S DNA copies/mite) and feces but was absent in eggs. This indicated the presence of the BLS in mite guts. The BLS showed a reduction in genome size (1.6 Mb) and indicates gene loss compared to Bartonella apis. The BLS can be interacted with its host by using host metabolic pathways (e.g., the histidine and arginine metabolic pathways) as well as by providing its own metabolic pathways (pantothenate and lipoic acid) to the host, suggesting the existence of a mutualistic association. Our experimental data further confirmed these potential mutualistic nutritional associations, as cultures of T. putrescentiae with low BLS abundance showed the strongest response after the addition of vitamins. Despite developing an arguably tight dependency on its host, the BLS has probably retained flagellar mobility, as evidenced by the 32 proteins enriched in KEGG pathways associated with flagellar assembly or chemotaxis (e.g., fliC, flgE, and flgK, as highly expressed genes). Some of these proteins probably also facilitate adhesion to host gut cells. The microcin C transporter was identified in the BLS, suggesting that microcin C may be used in competition with other gut bacteria. The 16S DNA sequence comparison indicated a mite clade of BLSs with a broad host range, including house dust and stored-product mites. Our phylogenomic analyses identified a unique lineage of arachnid specific BLSs in mites and scorpions.IMPORTANCEA Bartonella-like symbiont was found in an astigmatid mite of allergenic importance. We assembled the genome of the bacterium from metagenomes of different stored-product mite (T. putrescentiae) cultures. The bacterium provides pantothenate and lipoic acid to the mite host. The vitamin supply explains the changes in the relative abundance of BLSs in T. putrescentiae as the microbiome response to nutritional or pesticide stress, as observed previously. The phylogenomic analyses of available 16S DNA sequences originating from mite, scorpion, and insect samples identified a unique lineage of arachnid specific forming large Bartonella clade. BLSs associated with mites and a scorpion. The Bartonella clade included the previously described Ca. Tokpelaia symbionts of ants.

Abstract Plant disease is a threat to global food security. Breeding crops carrying broad-spectrum resistance loci is an effective way to control infectious disease. Disease-resistant mutants are valuable resources for deciphering the underlying mechanisms of plant immunity and could provide genetic loci to generate disease-resistant crops. Here, we identified a rice mutant, rbr7 (rice blast resistance 7), that confers resistance against different strains of Magnaporthe oryzae. Disease-mimicking necrotic lesions started to appear on the leaves of rbr7 four weeks after sowing. Histochemical analysis revealed reactive oxygen species accumulation and cell death accompanied by spontaneous lesion formation in rbr7. Map-based cloning and bulk segregation analysis showed a 2855 bp fragment deletion on chromosome 5, leading to the disruption of the LOC_Os05g28480-coding protein. Transgenic rbr7 complementation plants showed compromised resistance to rice blast, indicating that LOC_Os05g28480, or Rbr7, regulates the rice immune response. Rbr7 encodes a small protein of unknown function with 85 amino acids. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that disruption of RBR7 led to the upregulation of genes responding to salicylic acid, systemic acquired resistance and pathogenesis-related genes. Taken together, our findings reveal insights into a novel small protein involved in regulating plant resistance to rice blast and provide a potential target for crop breeding.

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported three years ago, when a group of individuals were infected with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, based on which vaccines were developed. Here, we develop six human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from two elite convalescents in Wuhan and show that these mAbs recognize diverse epitopes on the receptor binding domain (RBD) and can inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2 original strain and variants of concern (VOCs) to varying degrees, including Omicron strains XBB and XBB.1.5. Of these mAbs, the two most broadly and potently neutralizing mAbs (7B3 and 14B1) exhibit prophylactic activity against SARS-CoV-2 WT infection and therapeutic effects against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant challenge in K18-hACE2 KI mice. Furthermore, post-exposure treatment with 7B3 protects mice from lethal Omicron variants infection. Cryo-EM analysis of the spike trimer complexed with 14B1 or 7B3 reveals that these two mAbs bind partially overlapped epitopes onto the RBD of the spike, and sterically disrupt the binding of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) to RBD. Our results suggest that mAbs with broadly neutralizing activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants are present in COVID-19 convalescents infected by the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain, indicating that people can benefit from former infections or vaccines despite the extensive immune escape of SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract Ethylene plays essential roles in rice growth, development and stress adaptation. Translational control of ethylene signaling remains unclear in rice. Here, through analysis of an ethylene-response mutant mhz9, we identified a glycine-tyrosine-phenylalanine (GYF) domain protein MHZ9, which positively regulates ethylene signaling at translational level in rice. MHZ9 is localized in RNA processing bodies. The C-terminal domain of MHZ9 interacts with OsEIN2, a central regulator of rice ethylene signaling, and the N-terminal domain directly binds to the OsEBF1/2 mRNAs for translational inhibition, allowing accumulation of transcription factor OsEIL1 to activate the downstream signaling. RNA-IP seq and CLIP-seq analyses reveal that MHZ9 associates with hundreds of RNAs. Ribo-seq analysis indicates that MHZ9 is required for the regulation of ~ 90% of genes translationally affected by ethylene. Our study identifies a translational regulator MHZ9, which mediates translational regulation of genes in response to ethylene, facilitating stress adaptation and trait improvement in rice.

Abstract Recently, two Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) closely related to bat merbecoviruses, NeoCoV and PDF-2180, were discovered to use angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) for entry. The two viruses cannot use human ACE2 efficiently, and their host range and cross-species transmissibility across a wide range of mammalian species remain unclear. Herein, we characterized the species-specific receptor preference of these viruses by testing ACE2 orthologues from 49 bats and 53 non-bat mammals through receptor-binding domain (RBD)-binding and pseudovirus entry assays. Results based on bat ACE2 orthologues revealed that the two viruses were unable to use most, but not all, ACE2 from Yinpterochiropteran bats (Yin-bats), which is distinct from NL63 and SARS-CoV-2. Besides, both viruses exhibited broad receptor recognition spectra across non-bat mammals. Genetic and structural analyses of bat ACE2 orthologues highlighted four crucial host range determinants, all confirmed by subsequent functional assays in human and bat cells. Notably, residue 305, participating in a critical viral receptor interaction, plays a crucial role in host tropism determination, particularly in non-bat mammals. Furthermore, NeoCoV and PDF-2180 mutants with enhanced human ACE2 recognition expanded the potential host range, especially by enhancing their interaction with an evolutionarily conserved hydrophobic pocket. Our results elucidate the molecular basis for the species-specific ACE2 usage of MERS-related viruses and shed light on their zoonotic risks.

Seed weight is a component of seed yield in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Although quantitative trait loci (QTL) for seed weight have been reported in rapeseed, only a few causal quantitative trait genes (QTGs) have been identified, resulting in a limitation in understanding of seed weight regulation. We constructed a gene coexpression network at the early seed developmental stage using transcripts of 20,408 genes in QTL intervals and 1017 rapeseed homologs of known genes from other species. Among the 10 modules in this gene coexpression network, modules 1 and 2 were core modules and contained genes involved in source–flow–sink processes such as synthesis and transportation of fatty acid and protein, and photosynthesis. A hub gene SERINE CARBOXYPEPTIDASE-LIKE 19 (SCPL19) was identified by candidate gene association analysis in rapeseed and functionally investigated using Arabidopsis T-DNA mutant and overexpression lines. Our study demonstrates the power of gene coexpression analysis to prioritize candidate genes from large candidate QTG sets and enhances the understanding of molecular mechanism for seed weight at the early developmental stage in rapeseed.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was recognized as an entry receptor shared by coronaviruses from Sarbecovirus and Setracovirus subgenera, including three human coronaviruses: SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, and NL63. We recently disclosed that NeoCoV and three other merbecoviruses (PDF-2180, MOW15-22, PnNL 2018B), which are MERS-CoV relatives found in African and European bats, also utilize ACE2 as their functional receptors through unique receptor binding mechanisms. This unexpected receptor usage assumes significance, particularly in light of the prior recognition of Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) as the only known protein receptor for merbecoviruses. In contrast to other ACE2-using coronaviruses, NeoCoV and PDF-2180 engage a distinct and relatively compact binding surface on ACE2, facilitated by protein-glycan interactions, which is demonstrated by the Cryo-EM structures of the receptor binding domains (RBDs) of these viruses in complex with a bat ACE2 orthologue. These findings further support the hypothesis that phylogenetically distant coronaviruses, characterized by distinct RBD structures, can independently evolve to acquire ACE2 affinity during inter-species transmission and adaptive evolution. To date, these viruses have exhibited limited efficiency in entering human cells, although single mutations like T510F in NeoCoV can overcome the incompatibility with human ACE2. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of ACE2-using merbecoviruses, summarize our current knowledge regarding receptor usage and host tropism determination, and deliberate on potential strategies for prevention and intervention, with the goal of mitigating potential future outbreaks caused by spillover of these viruses.

The vibration signals of rolling bearings under variable speed conditions exhibit time-varying, nonstationary, and nonlinear characteristics, making it challenging to extract fault features. A fast path optimization-based multitime-frequency ridge extraction (FPOMRE) method is proposed in this paper to address the problem. First, the time-frequency representation of the fault signal is obtained through the adaptive short-time Fourier transform (STFT), and then the FPOMRE algorithm is used to extract additional ridges below the lowest time-frequency ridge multiple times. The frequency ratio of each ridge to the additional ridge, the average value of the ratio, and the variance of the ratio are calculated, respectively, and finally, the matching degree between the average ratio and the fault feature coefficient is compared with the diagnosis of the bearing fault. The simulation and experimental results show that the FPOMRE method can effectively diagnose the bearing fault under constant speed and variable speed conditions, and the extraction accuracy of time-frequency ridges under constant speed is higher than that under variable speed, and the extraction accuracy under high speed is higher than that under low speed. The relative error of extracting rotation frequency under constant speed and variable speed is 0.5% and 1.3%, respectively. In addition, comparing the FPOMRE with the maximum amplitude method (MAM), both FPOMRE and MAM can effectively extract the instantaneous shaft rotation frequency at a constant speed. However, under variable speed conditions, the ridge extracted by FPOMRE has a higher accuracy and lower average processing time than that extracted by MAM.

Abstract Background Astigmatic mites contain potent allergens that can trigger IgE‐mediated immune responses, leading to allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. In house dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae, group 1 allergens (Der p 1 and Der f 1), characterized as papain‐like cysteine proteases, have been defined as the major allergens that have high prevalence and potency. Previous studies of mite group 1 allergens mainly focused on identification, comparison of sequence and structure, as well as the investigation of cross‐reactivity. To achieve a comprehensive view of mite group 1 allergens, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of all the cysteine proteases in six astigmatic mite species to elucidate the evolutionary relationships of group 1 allergens. Methods Based on the high‐quality and annotated genomes, all the cysteine proteases in six astigmatic mite species were identified by sequence homology search. The phylogenetic relationships, gene synteny and expression levels were revealed by bioinformatic tools. The allergenicity of recombinant cysteine proteases was evaluated by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results Tandem duplication was revealed as the major feature of cysteine protease gene evolution in astigmatic mites. The high IgE‐binding capacity and the significant expression level of the cysteine protease DP_007902.01 suggested its potential as a novel group 1 allergen of D. pteronyssinus. In addition, gene decay events were identified in the skin‐burrowing parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei. Conclusion This comprehensive analysis provided insights into the evolution of cysteine proteases, as well as the component‐resolved diagnosis of mite allergies.

Abstract A diffuse magmatic province covering central‐eastern Asia continent displays a compositional transition at 120–100 Ma and probably reflects melting initiation in isotopically enriched lithospheric mantle, followed by melting of the asthenosphere. However, the cause for the transition across such a vast landmass remains poorly constrained. Here, analyses of newly found Chaoge basalts (∼95 Ma, central Asia) and compiled data from across the basaltic province are combined to reveal the factors controlling the basalt dichotomy. The Chaoge basalts are considered to originate from a hot pyroxenite‐bearing asthenosphere with potential temperatures of ∼1,450°C, overlapping the source thermochemical conditions for most post‐transition basaltic rocks. The asthenosphere in 120–100 Ma is suggested to be hotter and to have controlled the compositional transition in the studied basaltic province. We suggest that asthenospheric warming resulted from prolonged continental thermal blanketing and can account for other diffuse igneous provinces with similar compositional variations and tectonic histories.

Accurate registration of optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images remains a challenging task because of the potential large modality differences across individual images. To improve the registration performance, this article proposes a robust registration method for optical and SAR images based on a novel multi-orientation relative total variation (MORTV) structural representation. The MORTV model is designed by integrating multiple orientation strategy into the original RTV to extract the structural maps, which can capture more structural features while removing image noises and textures. Then, a novel feature descriptor called layerwise multiscale histogram of oriented gradient (LMHOG) is constructed on the multiscale structural maps that are generated using the MORTV model with different parameters. The LMHOG can fully characterize structural features at different scales in a multilayer manner, further enhancing the robustness and distinctiveness of the descriptor without increasing its dimension. Comprehensive experiments on two large-scale optical and SAR image datasets validate that the proposed method obtains superior registration performance over several state-of-the-art methods.

Global concern has been raised by the emergence and rapid transmission of the heavily mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529). So far, the infection features and immune escape ability of the Omicron variant have not been extensively studied. Here, we produced the Omicron pseudovirus and compared its entry, membrane fusion, and immune escape efficiency with the original strain and the dominating Delta variant. We found the Omicron variant showed slightly higher infectivity than the Delta variant and a similar ability to compete with the Delta variant in using Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in a BHK21-ACE2 cell line. However, the Omicron showed a significantly reduced fusogenicity than the original strain and the Delta variant in both BHK21-ACE2 and Vero-E6 cells. The neutralization assay testing the Wuhan convalescents’ sera one-year post-infection showed a more dramatic reduction (10.15 fold) of neutralization against the Omicron variant than the Delta variant (1.79 fold) compared with the original strain with D614G. Notably, immune-boosting through three vaccine shots significantly improved the convalescents’ immunity against the Omicron variants. Our results reveal a reduced fusogenicity and a striking immune escape ability of the Omicron variant, highlighting the importance of booster shots against the challenge of the SARS-CoV-2 antigenic drift.

Upward depletion of ophiolitic mantle is produced by melt-peridotite reaction with lateral melt/rock ratio variations in an asthenospheric upwelling column, which flows to become the horizontal oceanic lithospheric mantle under spreading centers.

IntroductionBalamuthia (B.) mandrillaris is a free-living amoeba that can cause rare yet fatal granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE). However, efficacious treatment for GAE is currently unavailable, especially when genomic studies on B. mandrillaris are limited.MethodsIn this study, B. mandrillaris strain KM-20 was isolated from the brain tissue of a GAE patient, and its mitochondrial genome was de novo assembled using high-coverage Nanopore long reads and Illumina short reads.Results and DiscussionPhylogenetic and comparative analyses revealed a range of diversification in the mitochondrial genome of KM-20 and nine other B. mandrillaris strains. According to the mitochondrial genome alignment, one of the most variable regions was observed in the ribosomal protein S3 (rps3), which was caused by an array of novel protein tandem repeats. The repeating units in the rps3 protein tandem region present significant copy number variations (CNVs) among B. mandrillaris strains and suggest KM-20 as the most divergent strain for its highly variable sequence and highest copy number in rps3. Moreover, mitochondrial heteroplasmy was observed in strain V039, and two genotypes of rps3 are caused by the CNVs in the tandem repeats. Taken together, the copy number and sequence variations of the protein tandem repeats enable rps3 to be a perfect target for clinical genotyping assay for B. mandrillaris. The mitochondrial genome diversity of B. mandrillaris paves the way to investigate the phylogeny and diversification of pathogenic amoebae.

ABSTRACT Cardinium bacteria are well known as endosymbionts that infect a wide range of arthropods and can manipulate host reproduction to promote their vertical transmission. As intracellular bacteria, Cardinium species undergo dramatic genome evolution, especially their chromosomal genome reduction. Although Cardinium plasmids have been reported to harbor important genes, the role of these plasmids in the genome evolution is yet to be fully understood. In this study, 2 genomes of Cardinium endosymbiont bacteria in astigmatic mites were de novo assembled, including the complete circular chromosomal genome of Cardinium sp. DF that was constructed in high quality using high-coverage long-read sequencing data. Intriguingly, 2 circular plasmids were assembled in Cardinium sp. DF and were identified to be endogenous for over 10 homologous genes shared with the chromosomal genome. Comparative genomics analysis illustrated an outline of the genome evolution of Cardinium bacteria, and the in-depth analysis of Cardinium sp. DF shed light on the multiple roles of endogenous plasmids in the molecular process of the chromosomal genome reduction. The endogenous plasmids of Cardinium sp. DF not only harbor massive homologous sequences that enable homologous recombination with the chromosome, but also can provide necessary functional proteins when the coding genes decayed in the chromosomal genome. IMPORTANCE As bacterial endosymbionts, Cardinium typically undergoes genome reduction, but the molecular process is still unclear, such as how plasmids get involved in chromosome reduction. Here, we de novo assembled 2 genomes of Cardinium in astigmatic mites, especially the chromosome of Cardinium sp. DF was assembled in a complete circular DNA using high-coverage long-read sequencing data. In the genome assembly of Cardinium sp. DF, 2 circular endogenous plasmids were identified to share at least 10 homologous genes with the chromosomal genome. In the comparative analysis, we identified a range of genes decayed in the chromosomal genome of Cardinium sp. DF but preserved in the 2 plasmids. Taken together with in-depth analyses, our results unveil that the endogenous plasmids harbor homologous sequences of chromosomal genome and can provide a structural basis of homologous recombination. Overall, this study reveals that endogenous plasmids participate in the ongoing chromosomal genome reduction of Cardinium sp. DF.

It is difficult to obtain sufficient data for some machines, in addition, different working conditions result in different distributions of training data and test data, which lead to the failure of traditional deep learning methods in engineering applications. To solve these problems, we propose a novel deep learning framework called 1D-WCLT for rolling bearing fault diagnosis that combines wide kernel deep convolutional neural network and long short-term memory (WDCNN-LSTM). In this approach, a wide convolution kernel is utilized for local convolution, because the local convolution receptive field is increased, the fault feature contained in the low-middle frequency component is extracted. It is worth mentioning that the network complexity has not increased. Then, the transfer learning is applied to solve related but different domain problems, the useful knowledge learned by WDCNN-LSTM model under sufficient data conditions is transferred to diagnosis tasks with small dataset. After that, some state-of-the-art methods are applied to compare with the proposed method. At the end, experimental results showed that the proposed approach is an excellent algorithm for fault feature extraction of machinery and has much better identification accuracy and applicability than the other existing techniques.

Prostate cancer is the most inheritable cancer with approximately 42% of disease risk attributed to inherited factors by studies of twins, indicating the importance of additional genetic screening to identify predisposition variants. However, only DNA damage repair (DDR) genes have been investigated thoroughly in prostate cancer. To determine the comprehensive germline mutation landscape in Chinese prostate cancer patients, we performed whole exome sequencing in 100 Han Chinese patients with prostate cancer in Hong Kong and identified deleterious germline mutations. A total of 36 deleterious germline variants in 25 genes were identified in 29% patients. Variants were found in eight pathways, including DNA methylation, DDR, and tyrosine-protein kinase. These findings were validated in an independent Chinese cohort of 167 patients with prostate cancer in Shanghai. Seven common deleterious-variant-containing genes were found in discovery cohort (7/25, 28%) and validation cohort (7/28, 25%) with three genes not described before (LDLR, MYH7 and SUGCT) and four genes previously reported (FANCI, ITGA6, PABPC1 and RAD54B). When comparing with that of a cohort of East Asian healthy individuals, 12 non-DDR novel potential predisposition genes (ADGRG1, CHD4, DNMT3A, ERBB3, GRHL1, HMBS, LDLR, MYH7, MYO6, NT5C2, NUP98 and SUGCT) were identified using the discovery and validation cohorts, which have not been previously reported in prostate cancer patients in all ethnic groups. Taken together, this study reveals a comprehensive germline mutation landscape in Chinese prostate cancer patients and discovers 12 novel non-DDR predisposition genes to lay the groundwork for the optimization of genetic screening.

δ-Pu has been widely used due to its outstanding material properties, and surface stability is essential for studying its surface corrosion mechanism. In this work, δ-Pu and its surface stability were analyzed based on first-principles calculations. The third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state fitted the calculated data for the δ-Pu cell, and the lattice constant of equilibrium structure was obtained. By constructing the surface models of three conventional crystal directions, (100), (110), and (111), the surface structure was optimized based upon the Quasi-Newton method, and the surface energy and electronic structure were calculated. The results show that the (110) surface energy of δ-Pu was 0.103 eV/Å2, and the (111) surface energy of δ-Pu was 0.052 eV/Å2. Thus, the d-band center of the (111) plane is farther away from the Fermi level than (100) and (110). Among the three typical crystal orientation planes, the surface energy and electronic structure show that the (111) plane was the most stable crystal orientation plane of δ-Pu.

Amphioxus species are considered living fossils and are important in the evolutionary study of chordates and vertebrates. To explore viral homologous sequences, a high-quality annotated genome of the Beihai amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri beihai) was examined using virus sequence queries. In this study, 347 homologous fragments (HFs) of viruses were identified in the genome of B. belcheri beihai, of which most were observed on 21 genome assembly scaffolds. HFs were preferentially located within protein-coding genes, particularly in their CDS regions and promoters. A range of amphioxus genes with a high frequency of HFs is proposed, including histone-related genes that are homologous to the Histone or Histone H2B domains of viruses. Together, this comprehensive analysis of viral HFs provides insights into the neglected role of viral integration in the evolution of amphioxus.

Cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) acquire enhanced immune checkpoint responses to evade immune cell killing and promote tumor progression. Here we showed that signal regulatory protein γ (SIRPγ) determined CSLC properties and immune evasiveness in a small population of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cancer cells. A SIRPγhi population displayed CSLC properties and transmitted the immune escape signal through sustaining CD47 expression in both SIRPγhi and SIRPγlo/– tumor cells. SIRPγ bridged MST1 and PP2A to facilitate MST1 dephosphorylation, resulting in Hippo/YAP activation and leading to cytokine release by CSLCs, which stimulated CD47 expression in LUAD cells and consequently inhibited tumor cell phagocytosis. SIRPγ promoted tumor growth and metastasis in vivo through YAP signaling. Notably, SIRPγ targeting with genetic SIRPγ knockdown or a SIRPγ-neutralizing antibody inhibited CSLC phenotypes and elicited phagocytosis that suppressed tumor growth in vivo. SIRPG was upregulated in human LUAD and its overexpression predicted poor survival outcome. Thus, SIRPγhi cells serve as CSLCs and tumor immune checkpoint–initiating cells, propagating the immune escape signal to the entire cancer cell population. Our study identifies Hippo/YAP signaling as the first mechanism by which SIRPγ is engaged and reveals that targeting SIRPγ represents an immune- and CSLC-targeting strategy for lung cancer therapy.

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) has been recognized as a global pandemic with a high rate of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. Although numerous advances have been made, its representative molecular signatures remain largely unknown, especially the role of genes in HF progression. The aim of the present prospective follow-up study was to reveal potential biomarkers associated with the progression of heart failure. Methods We generated multi-level transcriptomic data from a cohort of left ventricular heart tissue collected from 21 HF patients and 9 healthy donors. By using Masson staining to calculate the fibrosis percentage for each sample, we applied lasso regression model to identify the genes associated with fibrosis as well as progression. The genes were further validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in the same cohort and qRT-PCR using another independent cohort (20 HF and 9 healthy donors). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the plasma level in a validation cohort (139 HF patients) for predicting HF progression. Results Based on the multi-level transcriptomic data, we examined differentially expressed genes [mRNAs, microRNAs, and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)] in the study cohort. The follow-up functional annotation and regulatory network analyses revealed their potential roles in regulating extracellular matrix. We further identified several genes that were associated with fibrosis. By using the survival time before transplantation, COL1A1 was identified as a potential biomarker for HF progression and its upregulation was confirmed by both IHC and qRT-PCR. Furthermore, COL1A1 content ≥ 256.5 ng/ml in plasma was found to be associated with poor survival within 1 year of heart transplantation from heart failure [hazard ratio (HR) 7.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.5 to 15.8, Log-rank p value

Most COVID-19 convalescents can build effective anti-SARS-CoV-2 humoral immunity, but it remains unclear how long it can maintain and how efficiently it can prevent the reinfection of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we tested the sera from 248 COVID-19 convalescents around 1 year post-infection in Wuhan, the earliest known epicenter. SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) was well maintained in most patients and potently neutralizes the infection of the original strain and the B.1.1.7 variant. However, varying degrees of immune escape was observed on the other tested variants in a patient-specific manner, with individuals showing remarkably broad neutralization potency. The immune escape can be largely attributed to several critical spike mutations. These results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can elicit long-lasting immunity but this is escaped by the emerging variants.

Abstract Subduction initiation processes, such as those evidenced in the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana (IBM) forearc crust are a key feature of modern‐style plate tectonics. However, the evidence for this process in the Precambrian is limited, due to the scarcity of ophiolite suites and in particular a lack of typical complete ophiolitic sequences similar to those observed in Phanerozoic ophiolites. Mineral analyses of olivine, orthopyroxene, and chrome spinel from the harzburgite and two types of clinopyroxene from the cumulate gabbro of the Fuchuan ophiolite, South China suggest formation in a Neoproterozoic subduction system similar to the IBM. High temperature (1,000–1,200°C), low pressure along with a high degree of melt extraction (>18%) have been recorded in the harzburgite. This evidence, in conjunction with magma evolution from forearc basalt to boninite to hydrous calc‐alkaline magmatism, recorded in the crustal section of the Fuchuan ophiolite indicates a transition from initial to mature subduction in a forearc setting. Statistical analysis of global ophiolites through time suggests that IBM‐like subduction systems may have successfully operated since at least the latest Neoproterozoic (ca. 1,000 Ma) and be pervasive on Earth from ca. 850 Ma. Additional evidence for Neoproterozoic ophiolites from India, Siberia, and Arabian‐Nubian Shield, which are also similar to the IBM forearc ophiolite, suggests that cold and deep subduction became much more common in the Neoproterozoic (ca. 850 Ma) around the periphery of the Rodinia supercontinent. This IBM‐like subduction system may have acted as the geodynamic trigger for the break‐up of Rodinia.

Here we present a broadband all-dielectric metasurface absorber, where elliptical nanohole arrays are entirely embedded into the doped device layer of silicon-on-insulator wafer. From the intraband carrier transitions, the device exhibits enhanced near infrared absorption with a 3-dB bandwidth ∼ 35.3 nm. By the method of detailed multipole decomposition, we find that magnetic dipole resonances predominantly contribute to the absorption enhancement; in addition, the large bandwidth is attributed to the superposition of multiple absorption peaks from the resonances. The absorber designed in this simple structure and compatible with the CMOS techniques is promising for the broadband photodetectors of Si and even Ge. Differently, for the Ge-based photodetectors, the photocarrier excitation originates from interband transitions.

In the big data era, robust solutions are obliged to be proposed to integrate and represent data from different formats and with different contents to assist the decision-making. Current cartographic and geographic information systems have limited capabilities for solving these problems. This paper describes an automatic and comprehensive system that conducts data fusion from all potentially related sources. In this system, a new Semantic Location Model (SemLM) is established to present the semantic concepts and location feature and demonstrate how locations are interrelated. In the SemLM, various types of location descriptors in different application scenarios can be analyzed and understood. Additionally, considering the challenges involved in data-intensive computation and visualization, this paper implements a Place-based Pan-Information System (P2S) as an innovative 4D system that dynamically associates and visualizes place-based information, using public security as the case study.

Introduction: To explore the moderating effect of physical activity and the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between marital satisfaction and adolescents’ problematic internet use (PIU). Methods: This study adopted a sample of 288 adolescents and their parents, and measured adolescents’ depression, PIU, physical activity, and parents’ marital satisfaction. Results: These results showed that parental marital satisfaction negatively predicted adolescents' PIU. Adolescents’ depression played a mediating role between parental marital satisfaction and adolescents’ PIU. Further mediated moderation effect analysis showed that the interaction between marital satisfaction and adolescents' physical activity affected the PIU through adolescents’ depression. Specifically, for individuals with lower physical activity, the marital satisfaction affected the PIU through adolescents' depression. However, for the group with higher physical activity, physical activity weakened the effects of marital satisfaction on adolescents' depression, and the mediating effect of depression did not reach a significant level. Conclusion: These results are of theoretical and practical significance in understanding and intervening to address adolescents' PIU.

The chain reorganization of cooked starch during storage plays an important role in the performance of starchy products such as rice foods. Here, different analytical techniques (such as small-angle X-ray scattering) were used to reveal how microwave cooking influences the chain assembly of cooked indica rice starch undergoing storage for 0, 24, or 48 h. While stored, more short-range double helices, long-range crystallites, and nanoscale orders emerged for the microwave-cooked starch than for its conventionally cooked counterpart. For instance, after storage for 24 h, the microwave-cooked starch contained 46.8% of double helices, while its conventionally cooked counterpart possessed 34.3% of double helices. This could be related to the fact that the microwave field caused high-frequency movements of polar groups such as hydroxyls, which strengthened the interactions between starch chains and water molecules and eventually their assembly into double helices, crystallites, and nanoscale orders. This work provides further insights into the chain reassembly of microwave-cooked starch undergoing storage, which is closely related to the quality attributes of starch-based products.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common and complex metabolic disorder. Despite the widespread concern, there are still few effective treatments except lifestyle interventions. Nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group E member 1 (Nr2e1) is a transcription factor which regulates many biological processes, including development, growth, and differentiation of nerve cells. However, its specific function in hepatocyte is still unknown. In the present study, we found that the expression of Nr2e1 decreased in the livers of high-fat diet-fed mice. We generated Nr2e1 knockout (KO) mice and studied whether Nr2e1 ablation was related to NAFLD. We found that typical pathological features of NAFLD, including insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, and inflammation, were present in Nr2e1-KO mice or high-fat diet-induced mice models. In conclusion, Nr2e1 ablation promotes liver steatosis and systemic insulin resistance. Nr2e1 may play a protective role in the formation of NAFLD and may serve as a worthy therapeutic target for NAFLD.

The KERNEL NUMBER PER ROW6 (KNR6)-mediated phosphorylation of an adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor (Arf) GTPase-activating protein (AGAP) forms a key regulatory module for the numbers of spikelets and kernels in the ear inflorescences of maize (Zea mays L.). However, the action mechanism of the KNR6–AGAP module remains poorly understood. Here, we characterized the AGAP-recruited complex and its roles in maize cellular physiology and agronomically important traits. AGAP and its two interacting Arf GTPase1 (ARF1) members preferentially localized to the Golgi apparatus. The loss-of-function AGAP mutant produced by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in defective Golgi apparatus with thin and compact cisternae, together with delayed internalization and repressed vesicle agglomeration, leading to defective inflorescences and roots, and dwarfed plants with small leaves. The weak agap mutant was phenotypically similar to knr6, showing short ears with fewer kernels. AGAP interacted with KNR6, and a double mutant produced shorter inflorescence meristems and mature ears than the single agap and knr6 mutants. We hypothesized that the coordinated KNR6–AGAP–ARF1 complex modulates vegetative and reproductive traits by participating in vesicle trafficking in maize. Our findings provide a novel mechanistic insight into the regulation of inflorescence development, and ear length and kernel number, in maize.

Mitochondrial dynamics is associated with mitochondrial function, which is associated with diabetes. Although an important indicator of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, to the best of our knowledge, CLPP and its effects on mitochondrial dynamics in islet cells have not been studied to date. We analyzed the effects of CLPP on mitochondrial dynamics and mitochondrial function in the mice islet β-cell line Min6 under high glucose and high fat conditions. Min6 cells were assigned to: Normal, HG, HG+NC, HG+siCLPP, HF, HF+NC and HF+ siCLPP groups. High glucose and high fat can promote the mRNA and protein expression of CLPP in mitochondria. The increase of mitochondrial fission, the decrese of mitochondrial fusion, and the damage of mintocondrial ultrastructure were significant in the siCLPP cell groups as compared to no-siCLPP treated groups. Meanwhile, mitochondrial functions of MIN6 cells treated with siCLPP were impaired, such as ATP decreased, ROS increased, mitochondrial membrane potential decreased. In addition, cell insulin secretion decreased and cell apoptosis rate increased in siCLPP groups. These results revealed that mitochondrial unfolded protein response geneCLPP alleviated high glucose and high fat-induced mitochondrial dynamics imbalance and mitochondrial dysfunction.

This study examined the unique and interactive effects of various career-specific parenting practices (i.e., parental career support, interference, and lack of engagement) on Chinese high school students’ career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) as well as the mediating role of autonomy in such associations. Based on data from 641 Chinese high school students (47.6% male; mean age = 15.28 years old, SD = 0.49) in 2016, two moderated mediating effects were identified. Higher level of parental career engagement strengthened the positive association between parental career support and adolescents’ autonomy, which in turn, was associated positively with adolescents’ CDSE. Parental career interference related negatively with adolescents’ CDSE via autonomy when lack of parental career engagement was low, but related positively with adolescents’ CDSE via autonomy when lack of parental career engagement was high. These findings advance our understanding of the underlying processes between career-specific parenting practices and adolescents’ CDSE. Implications for practices were discussed.

With the deepening of the researches on uric acid, especially in the study of metabolic diseases, uric acid has been found to be closely related to obesity, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, and other metabolic diseases. Uric acid causes a series of pathophysiological changes through inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular endothelial injury, and so on and thus subsequently promotes the occurrence and development of diseases. This review confirmed the positive correlation between uric acid and diabetes mellitus and its chronic complications through the pathogenesis and clinical studies aspects.

The school-to-work transition can be extraordinarily challenging in the turbulent labor market, and the uncertainty about employment outlooks can cause intense anxiety for college students. Drawing from psychology of working theory (PWT), the current study examined the predictor section of the PWT model in relation to employment anxiety with a sample of impoverished undergraduates in China ("N" = 362). Findings suggest that (1) economic constraints were negatively associated with work volition and future decent work perceptions; (2) work volition mediated the relation between economic constraints and future decent work perceptions; (3) future decent work perceptions were negatively related to employment anxiety; and (4) proactive personality and social support attenuated the adverse influence of economic constraints on work volition. Overall, this study contributes to PWT by adding a new outcome (employment anxiety) and also providing evidence of moderation effects. Implications for universities and career counselors are discussed.

Seed weight (SW) is one of three determinants of seed yield, which positively correlates with silique length (SL) in Brassica napus (rapeseed). However, the genetic mechanism underlying the relationship between seed weight (SW) and silique length (SL) is largely unknown at present. A natural population comprising 157 inbred lines in rapeseed was genotyped by whole-genome re-sequencing and investigated for SW and SL over four years. The genome-wide association study identified 20 SNPs in significant association with SW on A01, A04, A09, C02, and C06 chromosomes and the phenotypic variation explained by a single locus ranged from 11.85% to 34.58% with an average of 25.43%. Meanwhile, 742 SNPs significantly associated with SL on A02, A03, A04, A07, A08, A09, C01, C03, C04, C06, C07, and C08 chromosomes were also detected and the phenotypic variation explained by a single locus ranged from 4.01 to 48.02% with an average of 33.33%, out of which, more than half of the loci had not been reported in the previous studies. There were 320 overlapping or linked SNPs for both SW and SL on A04, A09, and C06 chromosomes. It indicated that both overlapping and independent genetic loci controlled both SW and SL in B. napus. On the haplotype block on A09 chromosome, the allele variants of a known gene BnaA.ARF18.a controlling both SW and SL were identified in the natural population by developing derived cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (dCAPS) markers. These findings are valuable for understanding the genetic mechanism of SW and SL and also for rapeseed molecular breeding programs.

A railway vehicle’s key components, such as wheelset treads and axle box bearings, often suffer from fatigue failures. If these faults are not detected and dealt with in time, the running safety of the railway vehicle will be seriously affected. To detect these components’ early failure and extend their fatigue life, a regular maintenance becomes critical. Currently, the regular maintenance of axle box bearings mainly depends on manual off-line inspection, which has low working efficiency and precision of fault diagnosis. In order to improve the maintenance efficiency and effectiveness of railway vehicles, this study proposes a method of integrating the vibration monitoring system of the axle box bearing in the underfloor wheelset lathe, where the integration scheme and work flow of the system are introduced followed by the detailed fault diagnosis method and application examples. Firstly, the band-pass filter and envelope analysis is successively performed on the original signal acquired by an accelerometer. Secondly, the alpha-stable distribution (ASD) and multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA) analysis of the envelope signal are performed, and five characteristic parameters with significant stability and sensitivity are extracted and then brought into the least squares support vectors machine based on particle swarm optimization to determine the state of the bearing quantitatively. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is validated by bench test data. The results demonstrated that the proposed method can accomplish effective diagnosis of axle box bearings’ fault location and fault degree and can yield better diagnosis accuracy than the single method of ASD or MFDFA.

This paper studies the unbalanced radial force of in-wheel switched reluctance motors effect on vehicle performance under stability condition. First, the IWM-EV vehicle model which highlights the new factors of the rotor, stator, SRM vertical force, and airgap deflection was adopted. And the vehicle comparison models were established to make a contrastive study about IWM-EV new structure effects. Then, Routh’s stability criterion method was adopted to judge the vehicle system’s stability condition. It includes two parts: characteristic polynomial of the vehicle system which is served to calculate the IWM-EV system Routh array and Routh’s stability criterion which is used to judge the vehicle system’s stability condition. The effect of the new structure on vehicle performance was further discussed under stability condition. It mainly includes two aspects: vehicle vibration mode analysis which is used to study vehicle vibration characteristics and amplitude-frequency analysis which is served to research transfer response characteristics of the vehicle system. The result shows that the new structure of IWM-EV has a negative effect on vehicle stability performance. The SRM vertical force will change vehicle stability characteristic. In some severe cases, it will even destroy IWM-EV’s stability.

School engagement plays a prominent role in promoting academic accomplishments. In contrast to the relative wealth of research that examined the impact of students’ school engagement on their academic achievement, considerably less research has investigated the effect of high school students’ prior achievement on their school engagement. The present study examined the relationship between prior achievement and school engagement among Chinese high school students. Based on the Dweck’s social-cognitive theory of motivation, we further examined the moderating effect of students’ theories of intelligence (TOIs) on this relationship. A total of 4036 (2066 girls) students from five public high school enrolled in grades 10 reported their high school entrance exam achievement in Chinese, Math and English, school engagement, and TOIs. Results showed that (a) students’ prior achievement predicted their behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement, respectively, and (b) the association between prior achievement and behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement is strong for students with an incremental theory but not for those with an entity theory in the emotional and cognitive engagement. These findings suggest that prior achievement and incremental theory were implicated in relation to adolescents’ school engagement. Implications and future research directions were discussed.

When rolling bearings fail, it is usually difficult to determine the degree of damage. To address this problem, a new fault diagnosis method was developed to perform feature extraction and intelligent classification of various fault position and damage degree of rolling bearing signals. Firstly, Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MFDFA) was used to compute five MFDFA features while five Alpha Stable Distribution (ASD) features were obtained by fitting the distribution to the vibration signals of each status and calculating the Probability Density Function (PDF). Secondly, Kernel Principle Component Analysis (KPCA) was used to achieve dimensionality reduction fusion of the combination of original features to gain the Kernel Principle Component Fusion Features (KPCFFs). Thirdly, the KPCFFs served as the input of Least Squares Support Vectors Machine (LSSVM) based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to assess rolling bearings’ fault position and damage severity. Finally, the effectiveness of the method was validated by bench test data. The results demonstrated that the developed method can achieve intelligent diagnosis of rolling bearings’ fault position and damage degree and can yield better diagnosis accuracy than single feature method or corresponding single feature fusion method.

Axle box bearings are the most critical mechanical components of railway vehicles. Condition monitoring is of great benefit to ensure the healthy status of bearings in the railway train. In this paper, a novel fault diagnosis model for axle box bearing based on symmetric alpha-stable distribution feature extraction and least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM) using vibration signals is proposed which is conducted in three main steps. Firstly, fast nonlocal means is used for denoising and ensemble empirical mode decomposition is applied to extract fault feature information. Then a new statistical method of feature extraction, symmetric alpha-stable distribution, is employed to obtain representative features from intrinsic mode functions. Additionally, the hybrid fault feature sets are input into LS-SVM to identify the fault type. To enhance the performance of LS-SVM in the case of small-scale samples, Morlet wavelet kernel function is combined with LS-SVM for the classification of fault type and fault severity and the particle swarm optimization is used for the optimization of LS-WSVM parameters. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach performs more effectively and robustly than the other methods in small-scale samples for fault detection and classification of railway vehicle bearings.