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Abstract Background Amyloid toxicity and glucose metabolic disorders are key pathological features during the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in regulating systemic energy balance, the distribution of amyloid plaques in the preoptic, anterior, tuberal, and mammillary regions of the hypothalamus in AD mice, particularly across both sexes, remains largely unclear. Our ongoing research aims to explore hypothalamic neuropathology and glucose metabolic disturbances in a well-described APP/PS1 mouse model of AD. Results Immunocytochemical staining revealed that Old-AD-Female mice exhibited a greater hypothalamic Amyloid β (Aβ) burden than their Old-AD-Male counterparts, with the mammillary bodies showing the most severe accumulation. Analysis of ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (IBA1) immunoreactivity and Iba1 mRNA indicated differential microgliosis based on sex, while tanycytic territory and ZO-1 tight junction protein expression remained stable in AD mice. Moreover, sex-specific peripheral glucose metabolic parameters (random and fasting blood glucose) seemed to be exacerbated by age. Old AD mice of both sexes exhibited limited hypothalamic activation (c-Fos + cells) in response to blood glucose fluctuations. Hypothalamic Glut 1 expression decreased in young but increased in old female AD mice compared with age-matched male AD mice. Pearson correlation analysis further supported a negative correlation between hypothalamic Aβ load and random blood glucose in old AD groups of both genders, shedding light on the mechanisms underlying this amyloidosis mouse model. Conclusion Aged APP/PS1 mice exhibit sex-specific hypothalamic neuropathology and differential glucose metabolism, highlighting distinct pathological mechanisms within each gender.

Abstract As an important fishery resource and endangered species, studying the habitat of Coilia nasus (C. nasus) is highly significant. This study used fishery survey data from southern Zhejiang coastal waters from 2016 to 2020, employing a maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to map the habitat distribution of C. nasus. Model performance was evaluated using two metrics: the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic curve for the training and test sets and true skill statistics (TSS). This study aimed to predict the habitat distribution of C. nasus and explore how environmental variables influence habitat suitability. The results indicated that the models for each season had strong predictive performance, with AUC values above 0.8 and TSS values exceeding 0.6, indicating that they could accurately predict the presence of C. nasus. In the study area, C. nasus was primarily found in brackish or marine waters near bays and coastal islands. Among all environmental factors, salinity (S) and bottom temperature (BOT) had the highest correlations with habitat distribution, although these correlations varied across seasons. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence and a reference for the conservation and management of C. nasus and for the designation of its protected areas.

Abstract Uncaria rhynchophylla is an important traditional herbal medicine in China, and the yield and quality of Uncaria rhynchophylla can be improved by suitable soil conditioners because of changing the soil properties. In this paper, Uncaria rhynchophylla associated alkaloids and soil microbial communities were investigated. The field experiment was set up with the following control group: (M1, no soil conditioner) and different soil conditioner treatment groups (M2, biomass ash; M3, water retention agent; M4, biochar; M5, lime powder and M6, malic acid). The results showed that M2 significantly increased the fresh and dry weight and the contents of isorhynchophylline, corynoxeine, isocorynoxeine, and total alkaloids. Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi were major bacterial phyla. Correlation analysis showed that fresh and dry weight was significantly positively correlated with Acidobacteria, while alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, phosphatase activity, fresh and dry weight, corynoxeine, and isocorynoxeine were significantly negatively correlated with Chloroflexi. The application of soil conditioner M2 increased the abundance of Acidobacteria and decreased the abundance of Chloroflexi, which contributed to improving the soil nutrient content, yield, and quality of Uncaria rhynchophylla. In summary, biomass ash may be a better choice of soil conditioner in Uncaria rhynchophylla growing areas.

Abstract The lifetime of electronic coherences found in photosynthetic antennas is known to be too short to match the energy transfer time, rendering the coherent energy transfer mechanism inactive. Exciton-vibrational coherence time in excitonic dimers which consist of two chromophores coupled by excitation transfer interaction, can however be much longer. Uncovering the mechanism for sustained coherences in a noisy biological environment is challenging, requiring the use of simpler model systems as proxies. Here, via two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy experiments, we present compelling evidence for longer exciton-vibrational coherence time in the allophycocyanin trimer, containing excitonic dimers, compared to isolated pigments. This is attributed to the quantum phase synchronization of the resonant vibrational collective modes of the dimer, where the anti-symmetric modes, coupled to excitonic states with fast dephasing, are dissipated. The decoupled symmetric counterparts are subject to slower energy dissipation. The resonant modes have a predicted nearly 50% reduction in the vibrational amplitudes, and almost zero amplitude in the corresponding dynamical Stokes shift spectrum compared to the isolated pigments. Our findings provide insights into the mechanisms for protecting coherences against the noisy environment.

Lungs are exposed to external oxidants from the environment as in harmful particles and smog, causing oxidative stress in the lungs and consequently respiratory ailment. The NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is the one with transcriptional regulatory function, while its related protein Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) inhibits Nrf2 activity. Together, they form the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, which regulates the body's defense against oxidative stress. This pathway has been shown to maintain cellular homeostasis during oxidative stressing, inflammation, oncogenesis, and apoptosis by coordinating the expression of cytoprotective genes and making it a potential therapeutic target for respiratory diseases. This paper summarizes this point in detail in Chapter 2. In addition, this article summarizes the current drug development and clinical research progress related to the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway, with a focus on the potential of Nrf2 agonists in treating respiratory diseases. Overall, the article reviews the regulatory mechanisms of the Keap1-Nrf2 signaling pathway in respiratory diseases and the progress of targeted drug research, aiming to provide new insights for treatment.

Abstract Sepsis‐induced myocardial injury is one of the most difficult complications of sepsis in intensive care units. Annexin A1 (ANXA1) short peptide (ANXA1sp) protects organs during the perioperative period. However, the protective effect of ANXA1sp against sepsis‐induced myocardial injury remains unclear. We aimed to explore the protective effects and mechanisms of ANXA1sp against sepsis‐induced myocardial injury both in vitro and in vivo. Cellular and animal models of myocardial injury in sepsis were established with lipopolysaccharide. The cardiac function of mice was assessed by high‐frequency echocardiography. Elisa assay detected changes in inflammatory mediators and markers of myocardial injury. Western blotting detected autophagy and mitochondrial biosynthesis‐related proteins. Autophagic flux changes were observed by confocal microscopy, and autophagosomes were evaluated by TEM. ATP, SOD, ROS, and MDA levels were also detected.ANXA1sp pretreatment enhanced the 7‐day survival rate, improved cardiac function, and reduced TNF‐α, IL‐6, IL‐1β, CK‐MB, cTnI, and LDH levels. ANXA1sp significantly increased the expression of sirtuin‐3 (SIRT3), mitochondrial biosynthesis‐related proteins peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ co‐activator 1α (PGC‐1α), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM). ANXA1sp increased mitochondrial membrane potential (△Ψm), ATP, and SOD, and decreased ROS, autophagy flux, the production of autophagosomes per unit area, and MDA levels. The protective effect of ANXA1sp decreased significantly after SIRT3 silencing in vitro and in vivo, indicating that the key factor in ANXA1sp's protective role is the upregulation of SIRT3. In summary, ANXA1sp attenuated sepsis‐induced myocardial injury by upregulating SIRT3 to promote mitochondrial biosynthesis and inhibit oxidative stress and autophagy.

The effect of Heamatoccus pluvialis on astaxanthin accumulation, nutrition, antioxidant activity, and gut health in juvenile crucian carp was investigated based on two ratios of alga powder in the feed (1:1 and 2:1). After 93 days of feeding, various organs and tissues of crucian carp, e.g., serum, scale, skin, muscle, kidney, and gut liver, were isolated and tested for astaxanthin content, fatty acids, amino acids, intestinal microbiota, and physiological and biochemical indicators. The results showed that among the various types of tissues, the scales and guts were revealed with the highest contents of astaxanthin (higher than 45.00 μg/g), and 2.35 μg/g in muscles in the fish. Although the compositions of astaxanthin in the fish tissues were mainly dependent on the contents of astaxanthin in the feed, the different tissues in the fish were selective in their uptake of astaxanthin isomers. The astaxanthin isomerization occurred in the fish, as suggested by the presence of two astaxanthin isomers (i.e., 13-Z astaxanthin and 9-Z astaxanthin) which were not available in the feed. The nutritional value of crucian carp muscles was increased by the elevated contents of essential amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Compared to the control group, the fish fed with H. pluvialis was revealed with significant changes in biochemical parameters and gut microbial compositions. Both the levels of antioxidant activity, as indicated by the blood total antioxidant capacity and the contents of catalase, malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase, and the antimicrobial activity, as indicated by the content of lysozyme, were significantly increased. In the gut, the beneficial bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus and Lactococcus) became the dominant species, while the abundance of pathogenic bacteria (e.g., Xanthobacter, Legionella, and Gordonella) was significantly decreased. This study provided strong experimental evidence to support the application of H. pluvialis in the feed for crucian carp as an effective way to improve the nutritional value and immune activity of crucian carp, greatly promoting the healthy farming and food safety of crucian carp.

Tetrapyrrole compounds play vital roles in the life processes of animals and plants, such as respiration and photosynthesis, due to their functions in light energy capture and transmission, signal transduction, binding and transport of oxygen, their research originated from the study of heme and chlorophyll chemistry. The special structure of tetrapyrrole determines its various properties, which contribute to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, antibacterial, neuroprotective and other biological activities. Although many functions of tetrapyrrole compounds have been excavated and utilized, there is a lack of a complete system to summarize them. This review summarizes the biosynthesis, functional evolution, biological activities and optical applications of tetrapyrrole compounds based on existing research on tetrapyrrole compounds.

Abstract To rationalize the setting of joint parameters, model size, and initial value of vertical stress in simulation of mining of steeply inclined coal seams, a fault tree analysis method of discrete element numerical simulation was used and a mathematical model was proposed. A method of eliminating the influences of size-effect errors on the parameters of coal and rock samples was obtained based on previous work. Furthermore, the constitutive equation and eigenvalue determination formula of a joint discontinuity surface were established, and a method of determination of the joint parameters was proposed, forming the complete “coupling chain” between parameters for numerical simulation. In addition, a formula for the initial value of vertical stress was constructed by way of the compression and shear model of the element body. Also, the minimum dimension was determined by means of strength factor analysis of fracture mechanics. Taking the research literature as an example, the model size and initial value of vertical stress were calculated. On this basis, the physical parameters of coal samples, the physical parameters of coal rocks considering the influence of the size effect and the calculated coal rock joint parameters considering the influence of size effect were directly used to comparatively analyze the displacement and stress fields, thus verifying the reasonability and correctness of the mathematical model.

Abstract Phycobiliproteins (PBPs), one of the functional proteins from algae, are natural pigment–protein complex containing various amino acids and phycobilins. It has various activities, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. And are potential for applications in food, cosmetics, and biomedicine. Improving their metabolic yield is of great interest. Microalgaes are one of the important sources of PBPs, with high growth rate and have the potential for large-scale production. The key to large-scale PBPs production depends on accumulation and recovery of massive productive alga in the upstream stage and the efficiency of microalgae cells breakup and extract PBPs in the downstream stage. Therefore, we reviewed the status quo in the research and development of PBPs production, summarized the advances in each stage and the feasibility of scaled-up production, and demonstrated challenges and future directions in this field.

Abstract Lectins are glycoproteins that can bind to specific carbohydrates, and different lectin families exhibit different biological activities. They are also present in the cyanobacteria and many of them have shown excellent therapeutic effect, which deserve for bioprospecting. However, in comparison to those from terrestrial plants, the current knowledge on cyanobacterial lectins is very limited. To this end, genome-wide analyses were performed to find out their evolutionary mode and motif patterns in 316 genomes of representative taxa. In results, 196 putative cyanobacterial lectins were dig out and 105 of them were classified into known families. Seven lectins were found to be belonged to distinct two lectin families, and they may have the potential activities of both lectin families. Whereas no MFP-2, Chitin, and Nictaba family lectins were found. What’s more, the Legume lectin-like lectin family was found to be the richest and most complex in cyanobacteria, which could be a main research direction for future cyanobacterial lectin bioprospecting and development. Our classification and prediction of cyanobacteria lectins is expected to provide assistance in the development of lectin-based medicine and provide solutions to the current thorny viral and tumor diseases in humans.

Inspired by classical experiments that uncovered the inherent properties of light waves, Young’s Double-Slit Experiment (YDSE) optimization algorithm represents a physics-driven meta-heuristic method. Its unique search mechanism and scalability have attracted much attention. However, when facing complex or high-dimensional problems, the YDSE optimizer, although striking a good balance between global and local searches, does not converge as fast as it should and is prone to fall into local optimums, thus limiting its application scope. A fractional-order boosted hybrid YDSE, called FYDSE, is proposed in this article. FYDSE employs a multi-strategy mechanism to jointly address the YDSE problems and enhance its ability to solve complex problems. First, a fractional-order strategy is introduced into the dark edge position update of FYDSE to ensure more efficient use of the search potential of a single neighborhood space while reducing the possibility of trapping in a local best. Second, piecewise chaotic mapping is constructed at the initial stage of the population to obtain better-distributed initial solutions and increase the convergence rate to the optimal position. Moreover, the low exploration space is extended by using a dynamic opposition strategy, which improves the probability of acquisition of a globally optimal solution. Finally, by introducing the vertical operator, FYDSE can better balance global exploration and local exploitation and explore new unknown areas. The numerical results show that FYDSE outperforms YDSE in 11 (91.6%) of cec2022 sets. In addition, FYDSE performs best in 8 (66.6%) among all algorithms. Compared with the 11 methods, FYDSE obtains the optimal best and average weights for the 20-bar, 24-bar, and 72-bar truss problems, which proves its efficient optimization capability for difficult optimization cases.

Based on a meta-heuristic secretary bird optimization algorithm (SBOA), this paper develops a multi-strategy improvement secretary bird optimization algorithm (MISBOA) to further enhance the solving accuracy and convergence speed for engineering optimization problems. Firstly, a feedback regulation mechanism based on incremental PID control is used to update the whole population according to the output value. Then, in the hunting stage, a golden sinusoidal guidance strategy is employed to enhance the success rate of capture. Meanwhile, to keep the population diverse, a cooperative camouflage strategy and an update strategy based on cosine similarity are introduced into the escaping stage. Analyzing the results in solving the CEC2022 test suite, the MISBOA both get the best comprehensive performance when the dimensions are set as 10 and 20. Especially when the dimension is increased, the advantage of MISBOA is further expanded, which ranks first on 10 test functions, accounting for 83.33% of the total. It illustrates the introduction of improvement strategies that effectively enhance the searching accuracy and stability of MISBOA for various problems. For five real-world optimization problems, the MISBOA also has the best performance on the fitness values, indicating a stronger searching ability with higher accuracy and stability. Finally, when it is used to solve the shape optimization problem of the combined quartic generalized Ball interpolation (CQGBI) curve, the shape can be designed to be smoother according to the obtained parameters based on MISBOA to improve power generation efficiency.

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) are designed to deliver drugs to their specific targets to minimize their toxic effects and improve their susceptibility to clearance during targeted transport. Peptides have high affinity, low immunogenicity, simple amino acid composition, and adjustable molecular size; therefore, most peptides can be coupled to drugs via linkers to form peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) and act as active pro-drugs. PDCs are widely thought to be promising DDSs, given their ability to improve drug bio-compatibility and physiological stability. Peptide-based DDSs are often used to deliver therapeutic substances such as anti-cancer drugs and nucleic acid-based drugs, which not only slow the degradation rate of drugs in vivo but also ensure the drug concentration at the targeted site and prolong the half-life of drugs in vivo. This article provides an profile of the advancements and future development in functional peptide-based DDSs both domestically and internationally in recent years, in the expectation of achieving targeted drug delivery incorporating functional peptides and taking full advantage of synergistic effects.

Macroalgal blooms (Green tides) are occurring more frequently in many regions of the world because of the combined effects of increasingly intense human activity and climate change. In the last decade, the world's largest Ulva prolifera green tide has become a recurrent phenomenon, appearing every summer in the southern Yellow Sea, China. Green tides can hurt coastal tourism and eradicate aquaculture and artisanal fishing. Eutrophication in nearshore waters is the ultimate explanation for the explosive growth of the macroalgal biomass, but the specific course of each nearshore green tide is often complex and requires in-depth and extensive research to develop effective mitigation strategies. Researchers have undertaken extensive studies on the prevention, control and mitigation of large-scale green algal blooms, and felicitated the utilization of green tide harmful biomass through bio-refining, bioconversion and other measures. However, due to the large-scale and trans-regional nature of the green tide, the government's administrative coordination measures are also essential for effective control. Nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly urgent to prevent and control the bloom at the early stage, and efficiently salvage and use these valuable raw materials.

With the help of mechanical models and numerical calculations, the research obtained: (1) the range of compressive shear stress in well bore is in the shape of “dam body” with the dip angle of a reverse fault, also, the magnitude of the compressive shear stress is related to the load factor and the maximum compressive principal stress which have an increasing relationship; (2) the superposition stress of lateral abutment stress and SZZ of a working face is σ A , which is related to the distance between reverse faults; (3) the closer the distance to the reverse fault and the greater the vertical well displacement and deformation as the advancement length of the working face increases, the sensitivity to the effects of the reverse fault and mining is: XDISP > ZDISP > YDISP, and the sensitivity to the boundary is such that: ZDISP > YDISP > XIDSP; (4) the closer the distance to the reverse fault and the larger the length of the working face, the greater the displacement and deformation of the vertical well. In addition, the sensitivity to the effects of reverse faults and mining is: XDISP > ZDISP > YDISP; (5) when the working face continues to be mined, the shear stress on the well bore and the circumference of the hole is sensitive to the influences of reverse faults as follows: SXZ > SYZ > SXY; (7) the density of strain energy at the well bore is most sensitive to the lateral distance to the working face strike mining line. Based on these results, it is proposed to arrange large-diameter pressure relief boreholes around the hole and arrange layers to eliminate the influence of the well bore boundary and eliminate the accumulation of shear strain energy around such a well bore.

Abstract Microalgal biomass represents a sustainable bioresource for various applications, such as food, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, feed, and other bio-based products. For decades, its mass production has attracted widespread attention and interest. The process of microalgal biomass production involves several techniques, mainly cultivation, harvesting, drying, and pollution control. These techniques are often designed and optimized to meet optimal growth conditions for microalgae and to produce high-quality biomass at acceptable cost. Importantly, mass production techniques are important for producing a commercial product in sufficient amounts. However, it should not be overlooked that microalgal biotechnology still faces challenges, in particular the high cost of production, the lack of knowledge about biological contaminants and the challenge of loss of active ingredients during biomass production. These issues involve the research and development of low-cost, standardized, industrial-scale production equipment and the optimization of production processes, as well as the urgent need to increase the research on biological contaminants and microalgal active ingredients. This review systematically examines the global development of microalgal biotechnology for biomass production, with emphasis on the techniques of cultivation, harvesting, drying and control of biological contaminants, and discusses the challenges and strategies to further improve quality and reduce costs. Moreover, the current status of biomass production of some biotechnologically important species has been summarized, and the importance of improving microalgae-related standards for their commercial applications is noted.

This study used Tweedie-GAM to evaluate the distribution characteristics of Japanese scad (Decapterus maruadsi) in spring, summer, and autumn (from 2015 to 2020) and its relationship with marine environmental factors. The fishery resources data from the southern Zhejiang coastal waters were combined with the hydrological environment survey data collected simultaneously. The results showed significant differences in the Japanese scad spatial distribution in different seasons. Japanese scad is mainly concentrated in the nearshore waters in spring and concentrated primarily on the south and north regions of the Zhejiang southern waters in summer, showing a "high on both sides, low in the middle" pattern. The distribution pattern in autumn is opposite to that in spring, wherein the Japanese scad mainly concentrated in open waters. There are some differences in the key influencing factors of Japanese scad in different seasons. In spring, with a range of 19.5~25.0 ℃, the resource density firstly showed an increasing trend and then decreased with the rise in water temperature, peaking at 22.7 ℃. During summer, the water temperature reached 28.0~30.3 ℃, and the resource density showed the maximum value when the salinity was 32.3. In autumn, the resource density showed a decreasing trend and later increased with the increment in the water salinity, with a minimum value of 29.8. The relationship between resource density and water depth remained stable, showing a multi-wavy nonlinear relationship, with an overall increasing trend and later stable pattern. This study revealed the relationship between the Japanese scad's temporal and spatial distribution characteristics and environmental factors. It provides a research reference for the conservation, management, and sustainable utilization of Japanese scad in the coastal waters of southern Zhejiang.