Hierarchically Structured Graphene Aerogel Supported Nickel-Cobalt Oxide Nanowires as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction

The rational design of a heterostructure electrocatalyst is an attractive strategy to produce hydrogen energy by electrochemical water splitting. Herein, we have constructed hierarchically structured architectures by immobilizing nickel-cobalt oxide nanowires on/beneath the surface of reduced graphene aerogels (NiCoO2/rGAs) through solvent-thermal and activation treatments. The morphological structure of NiCoO2/rGAs was characterized by microscopic analysis, and the porous structure not only accelerates the electrolyte ion diffusion but also prevents the agglomeration of NiCoO2 nanowires, which is favorable to expose the large surface area and active sites. As further confirmed by the spectroscopic analysis, the tuned surface chemical state can boost the catalytic active sites to show the improved oxygen evolution reaction performance in alkaline electrolytes. Due to the synergistic effect of morphology and composition effect, NiCoO2/rGAs show the overpotential of 258 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm-2. Meanwhile, the small values of the Tafel slope and charge transfer resistance imply that NiCoO2/rGAs own fast kinetic behavior during the OER test. The overlap of CV curves at the initial and 1001st cycles and almost no change in current density after the chronoamperometric (CA) test for 10 h confirm that NiCoO2/rGAs own exceptional catalytic stability in a 1 M KOH electrolyte. This work provides a promising way to fabricate the hierarchically structured nanomaterials as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen production.

Core-Shell CoS2@MoS2 with Hollow Heterostructure as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for Boosting Oxygen Evolution Reaction

It is imperative to develop an efficient catalyst to reduce the energy barrier of electrochemical water decomposition. In this study, a well-designed electrocatalyst featuring a core-shell structure was synthesized with cobalt sulfides as the core and molybdenum disulfide nanosheets as the shell. The core-shell structure can prevent the agglomeration of MoS2, expose more active sites, and facilitate electrolyte ion diffusion. A CoS2/MoS2 heterostructure is formed between CoS2 and MoS2 through the chemical interaction, and the surface chemistry is adjusted. Due to the morphological merits and the formation of the CoS2/MoS2 heterostructure, CoS2@MoS2 exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance during the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) process in an alkaline electrolyte. To reach the current density of 10 mA cm-2, only 254 mV of overpotential is required for CoS2@MoS2, which is smaller than that of pristine CoS2 and MoS2. Meanwhile, the small Tafel slope (86.9 mV dec-1) and low charge transfer resistance (47 Ω) imply the fast dynamic mechanism of CoS2@MoS2. As further confirmed by cyclic voltammetry curves for 1000 cycles and the CA test for 10 h, CoS2@MoS2 shows exceptional catalytic stability. This work gives a guideline for constructing the core-shell heterostructure as an efficient catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction.

The Vitis yeshanensis U-box E3 ubiquitin ligase VyPUB21 enhances resistance to powdery mildew by targeting degradation of NIM1-interacting (NIMIN) protein

KEY MESSAGE

VyPUB21 plays a key role during the defense against powdery mildew in grapes. Ubiquitin-ligating enzyme (E3), a type of protein widely found in plants, plays a key role in their resistance to disease. Yet how E3 participates in the disease-resistant response of Chinese wild grapevine (Vitis yeshanensis) remains unclear. Here we isolated and identified a U-box type E3 ubiquitin ligase, VyPUB21, from V. yeshanensis. This gene's expression level rose rapidly after induction by exogenous salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), and ethylene (ETH) and powdery mildew. In vitro ubiquitination assay results revealed VyPUB21 could produce ubiquitination bands after co-incubation with ubiquitin, ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2); further, mutation of the conserved amino acid site in the U-box can inhibit the ubiquitination. Transgenic VyPUB21 Arabidopsis had low susceptibility to powdery mildew, and significantly fewer conidiophores and spores on its leaves. Expression levels of disease resistance-related genes were also augmented in transgenic Arabidopsis, and its SA concentration also significantly increased. VyPUB21 interacts with VyNIMIN and targets VyNIMIN protein hydrolysis through the 26S proteasome system. Thus, the repressive effect of the NIMIN-NPR complex on the late systemic acquired resistance (SAR) gene was attenuated, resulting in enhanced resistance to powdery mildew. These results indicate that VyPUB21 encoding ubiquitin ligase U-box E3 activates the SA signaling pathway, and VyPUB21 promotes the expression of late SAR gene by degrading the important protein VyNIMIN of SA signaling pathway, thus enhancing grape resistance to powdery mildew.

A Giant Heterometallic Polyoxometalate Nanocluster for Enhanced Brain-Targeted Glioma Therapy

Giant heterometallic polyoxometalate (POM) clusters with precise atom structures, flexibly adjustable and abundant active sites are promising for constructing functional nanodrugs. However, current POM drugs are almost vacant in orthotopic brain tumor therapy due to the inability to effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and low drug activity. Here, we designed the largest (3.0 nm × 6.0 nm) transition-metal-lanthanide co-encapsulated POM cluster {[Ce10 Ag6 (DMEA)(H2 O)27 W22 O70 ][B-α-TeW9 O33 ]9 }2 88- featuring 238 metal centers via synergistic coordination between two geometry-unrestricted Ce3+ and Ag+ linkers with tungsten-oxo cluster fragments. This POM was combined with brain-targeted peptide to prepare a brain-targeted nanodrug that could efficiently traverse BBB and target glioma cells. The Ag+ active centers in the nanodrug specifically activate reactive oxygen species to regulate the apoptosis pathway of glioma cells with a low half-maximal inhibitory concentration (5.66 μM). As the first brain-targeted POM drug, it efficiently prolongs the survival of orthotopic glioma-bearing mice.

Mitochondrial genomes of Nemourinae species (Plecoptera: Nemouridae) and the phylogenetic implications

Currently, the classification system of 2 subfamilies within Nemouridae has been widely accepted. However, monophyly of 2 subfamilies has not been well supported by molecular evidence. To date, only mitogenomes from genus Nemoura of the subfamily Nemourinae were used in previous phylogenetic studies and produced conflicting results with morphological studies. Herein, we analyzed mitogenomes of 3 Nemourinae species to reveal their mitogenomic characteristics and to examine genus-level classification among Nemouridae. In this study, the genome organization of 3 mitogenomes is highly conserved in gene order, nucleotide composition, codon usage, and amino acid composition. In 3 Nemourinae species, there is a high variation in nucleotide diversity among the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs). The Ka/Ks values for all PCGs were far lower than 1, indicating that these genes were evolving under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses highly support Nemurella as the sister group to Ostrocerca. Meanwhile, Nemoura is recovered as the sister group of Malenka; they are grouped with other Amphinemurinae and emerged from a paraphyletic Nemourinae. More molecular data from different taxonomic groups are needed to understand stoneflies phylogeny and evolution.

Ratiometric electrochemical determination of hydroxyl radical based on graphite paper modified with metal-organic frameworks and impregnated with salicylic acid

Hydroxyl radical (•OH) detection is pivotal in medicine, biochemistry and environmental chemistry. Yet, electrochemical method-specific detection is challenging because of hydroxyl radicals' high reactivity and short half-life. In this study, we aimed to modify the electrode surface with a specific recognition probe for •OH. To achieve this, we conducted a one-step hydrothermal process to fabricate a CoZnMOF bimetallic organic framework directly onto conductive graphite paper (Gp). Subsequently, we introduced salicylic acid (SA) and methylene blue (MB), which easily penetrated the pores of CoZnMOF. By selectively capturing •OH by SA and leveraging the electrochemical signal generated by the reaction product, we successfully developed an electrochemical sensor Gp/CoZnMOF/SA + MB. The prepared sensor exhibited a good linear relationship with •OH concentrations ranging from 1.25 to 1200 nM, with a detection limit of 0.2 nM. Additionally, the sensor demonstrated excellent reproducibility and accuracy due to the incorporation of an internal reference. It exhibited remarkable selectivity for •OH detection, unaffected by other electrochemically active substances. The establishment of this sensor provides a way to construct MOF-modified sensors for the selective detection of other reactive oxygen species (ROS), offering a valuable experimental basis for ROS-related disease research and environmental safety investigations.

Mitochondrial genomes provide insights into the Euholognatha (Insecta: Plecoptera)

BACKGROUND

Euholognatha is a monophyletic group within stoneflies comprised by a superfamily Nemouroidea and a family Scopuridae. Based on morphological data, the family-level phylogenetic relationships within Euholognatha are widely accepted, but there is still controversy among different molecular studies. To better understand the phylogeny of all six extant euholognathan families, we sequenced and analyzed seven euholognathan mitogenomes.

RESULTS

The sequence heterogeneity analysis observed a low degree of compositional heterogeneity in euholognathan mitogenomes. Meanwhile, leuctrid mitogenomes were more heterogeneous than other euholognathan families, which may affect the phylogenetic reconstruction. Phylogenetic analyses with various datasets generated three topologies. The Leuctridae was recovered as the earliest branching lineage, and the sister relationship of Capniidae and Taeniopterygidae was supported by most tree topologies and FcLM analyses. When separately excluding sparsely sampled Scopuridae or high heterogeneity leuctrid taxa, phylogenetic analyses under the same methods generated more stable and consistent tree topologies. Finally, based on the results of this study, we reconstructed the relationships within Euholognatha as: Leuctridae + (Scopuridae + ((Taeniopterygidae + Capniidae) + (Nemouridae + Notonemouridae))).

CONCLUSION

Our research shows the potential of data optimizing strategies in reconstructing phylogeny within Euholognatha and provides new insight into the phylogeny of this group.

Decoding the complete organelle genomic architecture of Stewartia gemmata: an early-diverging species in Theaceae

BACKGROUND

Theaceae, comprising 300 + species, holds significance in biodiversity, economics, and culture, notably including the globally consumed tea plant. Stewartia gemmata, a species of the earliest diverging tribe Stewartieae, is critical to offer insights into Theaceae's origin and evolutionary history.

RESULT

We sequenced the complete organelle genomes of Stewartia gemmata using short/long reads sequencing technologies. The chloroplast genome (158,406 bp) exhibited a quadripartite structure including the large single-copy region (LSC), a small single-copy region (SSC), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs); 114 genes encoded 80 proteins, 30 tRNAs, and four rRNAs. The mitochondrial genome (681,203 bp) exhibited alternative conformations alongside a monocyclic structure: 61 genes encoding 38 proteins, 20 tRNAs, three rRNAs, and RNA editing-impacting genes, including ATP6, RPL16, COX2, NAD4L, NAD5, NAD7, and RPS1. Comparative analyses revealed frequent recombination events and apparent rRNA gene gains and losses in the mitochondrial genome of Theaceae. In organelle genomes, the protein-coding genes exhibited a strong A/U bias at codon endings; ENC-GC3 analysis implies selection-driven codon bias. Transposable elements might facilitate interorganelle sequence transfer. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed Stewartieae's early divergence within Theaceae, shedding light on organelle genome characteristics and evolution in Theaceae.

CONCLUSIONS

We studied the detailed characterization of organelle genomes, including genome structure, composition, and repeated sequences, along with the identification of lateral gene transfer (LGT) events and complexities. The discovery of a large number of repetitive sequences and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) has led to new insights into molecular phylogenetic markers. Decoding the Stewartia gemmata organellar genome provides valuable genomic resources for further studies in tea plant phylogenomics and evolutionary biology.

P-Incorporation Induced Enhancement of Lattice Oxygen Participation in Double Perovskite Oxides to Boost Water Oxidation

Activating the lattice oxygen in the catalysts to participate in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which can break the scaling relation-induced overpotential limitation (> 0.37 V) of the adsorbate evolution mechanism, has emerged as a new and highly effective guide to accelerate the OER. However, how to increase the lattice oxygen participation of catalysts during OER remains a major challenge. Herein, P-incorporation induced enhancement of lattice oxygen participation in double perovskite LaNi0.58 Fe0.38 P0.07 O3-σ (PLNFO) is studied. P-incorporation is found to be crucial for enhancing the OER activity. The current density reaches 1.35 mA cmECSA -2 at 1.63 V (vs RHE), achieving a sixfold increase in intrinsic activity. Experimental evidences confirm the dominant lattice oxygen participation mechanism (LOM) for OER pathway on PLNFO. Further electronic structures reveal that P-incorporation shifts the O p-band center by 0.7 eV toward the Fermi level, making the states near the Fermi level more O p character, thus facilitating LOM and fast OER kinetics. This work offers a possible method to develop high-performance double perovskite OER catalysts for electrochemical water splitting.

Transcription factor VviWOX13C regulates fruit set by directly activating VviEXPA37/38/39 in grape (Vitis vinifera L)

KEY MESSAGE

VviWOX13C plays a key regulatory role in the expansin during fruit set. Expansins as a type of non-enzymatic cell wall proteins, are responsible for the loosening and extension in cell walls leading to the enlargement of the plant cells. However, the current studies are still lacking in expansin genes associated with promoting fruit set. Here, 29 members of the expansin gene family were identified in the whole genome of grapes (Vitis vinifera L.), and the functional prediction of expansins was based on the gene annotated information. Results showed that the 29 members of grape expansin gene family could be mainly divided into four subfamilies (EXPA, EXPB, LIKE A, and LIKE B), distributed on 16 chromosomes. Replication analysis showed that there were four segmental duplications and two tandem duplications. Each expansins sequence contained two conserved domain features of grape EXPs (DPBB_1 and Expansin_C) through protein sequence analysis. The transcriptome sequencing results revealed that VviEXPA37, VviEXPA38, and VviEXPA39 were induced and upregulated by CPPU. Furthermore, transcriptional regulatory prediction network indicated that VviWOX13C targeted regulates VviEXPA37, VviEXPA38, and VviEXPA39 simultaneously. EMSA and dual luciferase assays demonstrated that VviWOX13C directly activated the expression of VviEXPA37, VviEXPA38, and VviEXPA39 by directly binding to its promoter. These results provide a basis for further studies on the function and regulatory mechanisms of expansin genes in fruit set.

Overexpression of Grapevine VyTRXy Improves Drought Tolerance by Maintaining Photosynthesis and Enhancing the Antioxidant and Osmolyte Capacity of Plants

Drought stress profoundly affects plant growth and development, posing a significant challenge that is extensively researched in the field. Thioredoxins (TRXs), small proteins central to redox processes, are crucial to managing both abiotic and biotic stresses. In this research, the VyTRXy gene, cloned from wild Yanshan grapes, was validated as a functional TRX through enzyme activity assays. VyTRXy was found to bolster photosynthesis, augment levels of osmotic regulators, stimulate antioxidant enzyme activities, and strengthen drought resilience in transgenic plants. These enhancements were evidenced by higher survival rates, optimized photosynthetic metrics, increased proline levels, augmented chlorophyll concentration, reduced electrolyte leakage, and decreased malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels. Furthermore, there was a surge in the activities of enzymes such as catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione peroxidase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and glutathione reductase, along with an increased expression of TRX peroxidase. Notably, under drought stress, there was a marked elevation in the expression of stress-responsive genes, including the adversity stress-inducible expression gene (NtRD29A) and DRE-binding protein (NtDREB), in transgenic tobacco. This investigation is pivotal in the quest for drought-resistant grapevine varieties and provides significant insights into the molecular functionality of VyTRXy in enhancing grapevine drought tolerance.

A Pipeline Defect Instance Segmentation System Based on SparseInst

Deep learning algorithms have achieved encouraging results for pipeline defect segmentation. However, existing defect segmentation methods may encounter challenges in accurately segmenting the complex features of pipeline defects and suffer from low processing speeds. Therefore, in this study, we propose Pipe-Sparse-Net, a pipeline defect segmentation system that combines StyleGAN3 to segment the complex forms of underground drainage pipe defects. First, we introduce a data augmentation algorithm based on StyleGAN3 to enlarge the dataset. Next, we propose Pipe-Sparse-Net, a pipeline segmentation model based on SparseInst, to accurately predict the defect regions in drainage pipes. Experimental results demonstrate that the segmentation accuracy of this model can reach 91.4% with a processing speed of 56.7 frames per second (FPS). To validate the superiority of this method, comparative experiments were conducted against Yolact, Condinst, and Mask R-CNN, and the model achieved a speed improvement of 45% while increasing the accuracy by more than 4%.

Influences of lysine-specific demethylase 1 inhibitors on NO synthase-Kruppel-like factor pathways in human endothelial cells in vitro and zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae in vivo

Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) inhibitors are being developed for cancer therapy, but their bioeffects on vasculatures are not clear. In this study, we compared the influences of ORY-1001 (an LSD1 inhibitor being advanced into clinical trials) and 199 (a novel LSD1 inhibitor recently developed by us) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro and further verified the bioeffects of ORY-1001 to zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae in vivo. The results showed that up to 10 μM ORY-1001 or 199 did not significantly affect the cellular viability of HUVECs but substantially reduced the release of inflammatory interleukin-8 (IL-8) and IL-6. The signaling molecule in vasculatures, NO, was also increased in HUVECs. As the mechanism, the protein levels of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) or p-eNOS, and their regulators Kruppel-like factor 2 (KLF2) or KLF4, were also increased after drug treatment. In vivo, 24 h treatment with up to 100 nM ORY-1001 reduced blood speed without changing morphologies or locomotor activities in zebrafish larvae. ORY-1001 treatment reduced the expression of il8 but promoted the expression of klf2a and nos in the zebrafish model. These data show that LSD1 inhibitors were not toxic but capable to inhibit inflammatory responses and affect the function of blood vessels through the up-regulation of the NOS-KLF pathway.

Recent Progress in Design Principles of Covalent Organic Frameworks for Rechargeable Metal-Ion Batteries

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are acknowledged as a new generation of crystalline organic materials and have garnered tremendous attention owing to their unique advantages of structural tunability, frameworks diversity, functional versatility, and diverse applications in drug delivery, adsorption/separation, catalysis, optoelectronics, and sensing, etc. Recently, COFs is proven to be promising candidates for electrochemical energy storage materials. Their chemical compositions and structures can be precisely tuned and functionalized at the molecular level, allowing a comprehensive understanding of COFs that helps to make full use of their features and addresses the inherent drawback based on the components and functions of the devices. In this review, the working mechanisms and the distinguishing advantages of COFs as electrodes for rechargeable Li-ion batteries are discussed in detail. Especially, principles and strategies for the rational design of COFs as advanced electrode materials in Li-ion batteries are systematically summarized. Finally, this review is structured to cover recent explorations and applications of COF electrode materials in other rechargeable metal-ion batteries.

Rational Design of Vinylene-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks for Modulating Photocatalytic H2 Evolution

Vinylene-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have attracted enormous attention for photocatalytic H2 evolution from water because of their fully conjugated structures, high chemical stabilities, and enhanced charge-carrier mobilities. In this work, two novel vinylene-linked COFs with tuned cyano contents were successfully synthesized and then employed as photocatalysts for H2 generation. Notably, the photocatalytic H2 production rate of the COF with the higher cyano content reached 73 μmol h-1 under visible light irradiation, which is 2.4 times higher than that with the lower content (30 μmol h-1 ). Both the experimental and computational results demonstrated that the rational design incorporating cyano groups into COF skeletons could precisely tune the corresponding energy levels, expand the visible-light absorption, and improve the photoinduced charge separation. This work not only provides a simple method for modulating the photocatalytic activities of COFs at the molecular level, but also affords interesting insights into the relationship between their structures and photocatalytic performance.

High Performance Dynamic X-ray Flexible Imaging Realized Using a Copper Iodide Cluster-Based MOF Microcrystal Scintillator

X-ray imaging technology has achieved important applications in many fields and has attracted extensive attentions. Dynamic X-ray flexible imaging for the real-time observation of the internal structure of complex materials is the most challenging type of X-ray imaging technology, which requires high-performance X-ray scintillators with high X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) efficiency as well as excellent processibility and stability. Here, a macrocyclic bridging ligand with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) feature was introduced for constructing a copper iodide cluster-based metal-organic framework (MOF) scintillator. This strategy endows the scintillator with high XEL efficiency and excellent chemical stability. Moreover, a regular rod-like microcrystal was prepared through the addition of polyvinyl pyrrolidone during the in situ synthesis process, which further enhanced the XEL and processibility of the scintillator. The microcrystal was used for the preparation of a scintillator screen with excellent flexibility and stability, which can be used for high-performance X-ray imaging in extremely humid environments. Furthermore, dynamic X-ray flexible imaging was realized for the first time. The internal structure of flexible objects was observed in real time with an ultrahigh resolution of 20 LP mm-1 .

Recent Advances in MXene-Based Fibers: Fabrication, Performance, and Application

Two-dimensional transition metal carbide/nitrides (MXenes) have recently received extensive attention due to their diverse material types and versatile structures, large-scale production, and excellent properties. MXene sheets possess abundant hydrophilic functional groups on their surface, which enable them to be assembled into macroscopic fibers or compounded with other functional materials to produce composite fibers. This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of MXene fibers in terms of their fabrication, structure, properties, and recent applications as flexible and wearable electronics. The review will discuss the principles of different methods used to synthesize MXene fibers and analyze the characteristics of the as-synthesized fibers, with a particular focus on the wet spinning method. The fundamental relationships between the microstructure of MXene fibers and their resulting mechanical and electrical properties will be explored. Furthermore, the review will elaborate on the progress made in MXene-based fibers in the rapidly growing field of wearable electronics applications, provide insights into future development of MXene fiber materials and propose solutions to the challenges facing practical applications.

A Blockchain-Based Traceability Model for Grain and Oil Food Supply Chain

The structure of the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain has the characteristics of complexity, cross-regionality, a long cycle, and numerous participants, making it difficult to maintain the safety of supply. In recent years, some phenomena have emerged in the field of grain procurement and sale, such as topping the new with the old, rotating grains, the pressure of grades and prices, and counterfeit oil food, which have seriously threatened grain-and-oil-food security. Blockchain technology has the advantage of decentralization and non-tampering Therefore, this study analyzes the characteristics of traceability data in the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain, and presents a blockchain-based traceability model for the grain-and-oil-food-supply chain. Firstly, a new method combining blockchain and machine learning is proposed to enhance the authenticity and reliability of blockchain source data by constructing anomalous data-processing models. In addition, a lightweight blockchain-storage method and a data-recovery mechanism are proposed to reduce the pressure on supply-chain-data storage and improve fault tolerance. The results indicate that the average query delay of public data is 0.42 s, the average query delay of private data is 0.88 s, and the average data-recovery delay is 1.2 s. Finally, a blockchain-based grain-and-oil-food-supply-chain traceability system is designed and built using Hyperledger Fabric. Compared with the existing grain-and-oil-food-supply chain, the model constructed achieves multi-source heterogeneous data uploading, lightweight storage, data recovery, and traceability in the supply chain, which are of great significance for ensuring the safety of grain-and-oil food in China.

Molecular Characteristics of Chicken Infectious Anemia Virus in Central and Eastern China from 2020 to 2022

To evaluate the recent evolution of CIAV in China, 43 flocks of chickens from the provinces of Henan, Jiangsu, Hubei, and Anhui were screened via polymerase chain reaction during 2020-2022. Of these, 27 flocks tested positive for CIAV nucleic acids, including 12 which were positive for other immunosuppression viruses. Additionally, 27 CIAV strains were isolated, and their whole genomes were sequenced. The AH2001 and JS2002 strains shared the highest identity at 99.56%, and the HB2102 and HB2101 strains shared the lowest identity at 95.34%. Based on the genome sequences of these strains and reference strains, a phylogenetic tree was constructed and divided into eight main branches. Most of the strains were grouped with the East Asian strains, whereas the HB2101 strain belonged to the Brazil and Argentina cluster. A recombination event was detected in multiple strains, in which AH2002 recombined from KJ728827/China/2014 (from Taiwan Province) and HN2203, and AH2202 recombined from KX811526/China/2017 (from Shandong Province) and HN2203. All the obtained strains had a highly pathogenic Gln amino acid site at position 394 of the VP1. Overall, our findings demonstrate the importance of CIAV monitoring and provide data that aid in understanding the evolution of CIAV.

A Transformer-Optimized Deep Learning Network for Road Damage Detection and Tracking

To solve the problems of low accuracy and false counts of existing models in road damage object detection and tracking, in this paper, we propose Road-TransTrack, a tracking model based on transformer optimization. First, using the classification network based on YOLOv5, the collected road damage images are classified into two categories, potholes and cracks, and made into a road damage dataset. Then, the proposed tracking model is improved with a transformer and a self-attention mechanism. Finally, the trained model is used to detect actual road videos to verify its effectiveness. The proposed tracking network shows a good detection performance with an accuracy of 91.60% and 98.59% for road cracks and potholes, respectively, and an F1 score of 0.9417 and 0.9847. The experimental results show that Road-TransTrack outperforms current conventional convolutional neural networks in terms of the detection accuracy and counting accuracy in road damage object detection and tracking tasks.

Single and Combined Effects of Chlorpyrifos and Glyphosate on the Brain of Common Carp: Based on Biochemical and Molecular Perspective

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) and glyphosate (GLY) are the most widely used organophosphate insecticide and herbicide worldwide, respectively; co-occurrence of CPF and GLY in aquatic environments occurs where they inevitably have potential hazards to fish. However, the potential mechanisms of CPF and GLY to induce toxicity have not been fully explored. To identify the adverse impacts of CPF and GLY on fish, either alone or in combination (MIX), CPF (25 μg/L) and GLY (3.5 mg/L) were set up according to an environmentally relevant concentration to expose to common carp for 21 days. After exposure, CPF and GLY decreased the activities of acetylcholinesterase and Na+/K+-ATPase, altered monoamine oxidase levels, decreased antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase and glutamic reductase), and induced the accumulation of malondialdehyde in the carp brain. The parameters in the MIX groups had a greater impact compared to that in the CPF or GLY group, suggesting that both single and combined exposure could affect neurological signaling systems and cause oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation damage in carp brains, and that MIX exposure increases the impact of each pollutant. RNA-seq results showed that single or combined exposure to CPF and GLY induced global transcriptomic changes in fish brains, and the number of differentially expressed genes in MIX-treated carp brains were globally increased compared to either the CPF or GLY groups, suggesting that the effects of co-exposure were greater than single exposure. Further analysis results revealed that the global transcriptomic changes participated in oxidative stress, immune dysfunction, and apoptosis of fish brains, and identified that the P13k-Akt signaling pathway participates in both single and combined exposure of CPF- and GLY-induced toxicity. Taken together, our results demonstrated that the interaction of CPF and GLY might be synergic and provided novel insights into the molecular mechanisms of fish brains coping with CPF and GLY.

Weighted Sum Secrecy Rate Maximization for Joint ITS- and IRS-Empowered System

In this work, we investigate a novel intelligent surface-assisted multiuser multiple-input single-output multiple-eavesdropper (MU-MISOME) secure communication network where an intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) is deployed to enhance the secrecy performance and an intelligent transmission surface (ITS)-based transmitter is utilized to perform energy-efficient beamforming. A weighted sum secrecy rate (WSSR) maximization problem is developed by jointly optimizing transmit power allocation, ITS beamforming, and IRS phase shift. To solve this problem, we transform the objective function into an approximated concave form by using the successive convex approximation (SCA) technique. Then, we propose an efficient alternating optimization (AO) algorithm to solve the reformulated problem in an iterative way, where Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions, the alternating direction method of the multiplier (ADMM), and majorization-minimization (MM) methods are adopted to derive the closed-form solution for each subproblem. Finally, simulation results are given to verify the convergence and secrecy performance of the proposed schemes.

Transcriptome-Based Identification of the Muscle Tissue-Specific Expression Gene CKM and Its Regulation of Proliferation, Apoptosis and Differentiation in Chicken Primary Myoblasts

Skeletal muscle is an essential tissue in meat-producing animals, and meat-producing traits have been a hot topic in chicken genetic breeding research. Current research shows that creatine kinase M-type-like (CKM) is one of the most abundant proteins in skeletal muscle and plays an important role in the growth and development of skeletal muscle, but its role in the development of chicken skeletal muscle is still unclear. Via RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we found that CKM was highly expressed in chicken breast muscle tissue. In this study, the expression profile of CKM was examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and overexpression and RNA interference techniques were used to explore the functions of CKM in the proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of chicken primary myoblasts (CPMs). It was shown that CKM was specifically highly expressed in breast muscle and leg muscle and was highly expressed in stage 16 embryonic muscle, while CKM inhibited proliferation, promoted the apoptosis and differentiation of CPMs and was involved in regulating chicken myogenesis. Transcriptome sequencing was used to identify genes that were differentially expressed in CPMs after CKM disruption, and bioinformatics analysis showed that CKM was involved in regulating chicken myogenesis. In summary, CKM plays an important role in skeletal muscle development during chicken growth and development.

Realizing Ultrafast and Robust Sodium-Ion Storage of Iron Sulfide Enabled by Heteroatomic Doping and Regulable Interface Engineering

Fe-based sulfides are a promising type of anode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities and affordability. However, these materials often suffer from issues such as capacity deterioration and poor conductivity during practical application. To address these challenges, an N-doped Fe₇S₈ anode with an N, S co-doped porous carbon framework (PPF-800) was synthesized using a template-assisted method. When serving as an anode for SIBs, it delivers a robust and ultrafast sodium storage performance, with a discharge capacity of 489 mAh g^-1 after 500 cycles at 5 A g^-1 and 371 mAh g^-1 after 1000 cycles at 30 A g^-1 in the ether-based electrolyte. This impressive performance is attributed to the combined influence of heteroatomic doping and adjustable interface engineering. The N, S co-doped carbon framework embedded with Fe₇S₈ nanoparticles effectively addresses the issues of volumetric expansion, reduces the impact of sodium polysulfides, improves intrinsic conductivity, and stimulates the dominant pseudocapacitive contribution (90.3% at 2 mV s^-1). Moreover, the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film by the effect of uniform pore structure in ether-based electrolyte produces a lower transfer resistance during the charge-discharge process, thereby boosting the rate performance of the electrode material. This work expands a facile strategy to optimize the electrochemical performance of other metal sulfides.

Genetic Heterogeneity and Mutated PreS Analysis of Duck Hepatitis B Virus Recently Isolated from Ducks and Geese in China

In this study, we detected 12 duck and 11 goose flocks that were positive for duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) using polymerase chain reaction and isolated 23 strains between 2020 and 2022 in China. The complete genomes of goose strains E200801 and E210501 shared the highest identity (99.9%), whereas those of strains Y220217 and E210526 shared the lowest identity (91.39%). The phylogenetic tree constructed based on the genome sequences of these strains and reference strains was classified into three major clusters: the Chinese branch DHBV-I, the Chinese branch DHBV-II, and the Western branch DHBV-III. Furthermore, the duck-origin strain Y200122 was clustered into a separate branch and was predicted to be a recombinant strain derived from DHBV-M32990 (belonging to the Chinese branch DHBV-I) and Y220201 (belonging to the Chinese branch DHBV-II). Additionally, preS protein analysis of the 23 DHBV strains revealed extensive mutation sites, almost half of which were of duck origin. All goose-origin DHBV contained the mutation site G133E, which is related to increased viral pathogenicity. These data are expected to promote further research on the epidemiology and evolution of DHBV. Continuing DHBV surveillance in poultry will enhance the understanding of the evolution of HBV.

Comparison of three anaerobic digestion reactors for low-carbon wastewater treatment

In this study, three anaerobic digestion reactors using up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (AnSBR), and anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) were studied. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), gas production, sludge performance, and microbial characteristics of the anaerobic digestion process were assessed. The results showed that the average COD removal efficiencies reached 86%, 83%, and 85%, with corresponding removed rates of 2.49, 0.48, and 0.79 kg COD m-3  d-1 in UASB, AnSBR, and AnMBR, respectively. After the reactors attained stable operation, both extracellular polymeric substances and soluble microbial products decreased in all the reactors compared with the seed sludge. Methanothrix was the dominant archaea for methane production in the UASB, the relative abundance of which increased from 58.3% to 83.4%. These results identify UASB as the most suitable reactor for anaerobic digestion when treating wastewater with low carbon. Such reactors are important for the application and development of the energy self-sufficiency in sewage treatment. PRACTITIONER POINTS: UASB, SBR, and MBR were adopted to treat low-carbon wastewater using anaerobic digestion process. UASB performed the highest COD removal from low-carbon wastewater. The main microorganisms in UASB were Methanothrix, Methanomassiliicoccus, and Methanobacterium.

Genome-Wide Identification of Soybean ABC Transporters Relate to Aluminum Toxicity

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins are a gene super-family in plants and play vital roles in growth, development, and response to abiotic and biotic stresses. The ABC transporters have been identified in crop plants such as rice and buckwheat, but little is known about them in soybean. Soybean is an important oil crop and is one of the five major crops in the world. In this study, 255 ABC genes that putatively encode ABC transporters were identified from soybean through bioinformatics and then categorized into eight subfamilies, including 7 ABCAs, 52 ABCBs, 48 ABCCs, 5 ABCDs, 1 ABCEs, 10 ABCFs, 111 ABCGs, and 21 ABCIs. Their phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, and gene expression profiles were characterized. Segmental duplication was the main reason for the expansion of the GmABC genes. Ka/Ks analysis suggested that intense purifying selection was accompanied by the evolution of GmABC genes. The genome-wide collinearity of soybean with other species showed that GmABCs were relatively conserved and that collinear ABCs between species may have originated from the same ancestor. Gene expression analysis of GmABCs revealed the distinct expression pattern in different tissues and diverse developmental stages. The candidate genes GmABCB23, GmABCB25, GmABCB48, GmABCB52, GmABCI1, GmABCI5, and GmABCI13 were responsive to Al toxicity. This work on the GmABC gene family provides useful information for future studies on ABC transporters in soybean and potential targets for the cultivation of new germplasm resources of aluminum-tolerant soybean.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Improve the Performance of Sweet Sorghum Grown in a Mo-Contaminated Soil

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are among the most ubiquitous soil plant-symbiotic fungi in terrestrial environments and can alleviate the toxic effects of various contaminants on plants. As an essential micronutrient for higher plants, molybdenum (Mo) can cause toxic effects at excess levels. However, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal impacts on plant performance and Mo accumulation under Mo-contamination still require to be explored. We first studied the effects of Claroideoglomus etunicatum BEG168 on plant biomass production and Mo accumulation in a biofuel crop, sweet sorghum, grown in an agricultural soil spiked with different concentrations of MoS2. The results showed that the addition of Mo produced no adverse effects on plant biomass, N and P uptake, and root colonization rate, indicating Mo has no phytotoxicity and fungitoxicity at the test concentrations. The addition of Mo did not increase and even decreased S concentrations in plant tissues. Arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation significantly enhanced plant biomass production and Mo concentrations in both shoots and roots, resulting in increased Mo uptake by mycorrhizal plants. Overall, arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation promoted the absorption of P, N and S by sweet sorghum plants, improved photosystem (PS) II photochemical efficiency and comprehensive photosynthesis performance. In conclusion, MoS2 increased Mo accumulation in plant tissues but produced no toxicity, while arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation could improve plant performance via enhancing nutrient uptake and photochemical efficiency. Sweet sorghum, together with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, shows a promising potential for phytoremediation of Mo-contaminated farmland and revegetation of Mo-mine disturbed areas, as well as biomass production on such sites.