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Fluorescent imaging and biosensing in the near‐infrared‐II (NIR‐II) window holds great promise for non‐invasive, radiation‐free, and rapid‐response clinical diagnosis. However, it's still challenging to develop bright NIR‐II fluorophores. In this study, we report a new strategy to enhance the brightness of NIR‐II aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) fluorophores through intramolecular electrostatic locking. By introducing sulfur atoms into the side chains of the thiophene bridge in TSEH molecule, the molecular motion of the conjugated backbone can be locked through intramolecular interactions between the sulfur and nitrogen atoms. This leads to enhanced NIR‐II fluorescent emission of TSEH in both solution and aggregation states. Notably, the encapsulated nanoparticles (NPs) of TSEH show enhanced brightness, which is 2.6‐fold higher than TEH NPs with alkyl side chains. The in vivo experiments reveal the feasibility of TSEH NPs in vascular and tumor imaging with a high signal‐to‐background ratio and precise resection for tiny tumors. In addition, polystyrene nanospheres encapsulated with TSEH are utilized for antigen detection in lateral flow assays, showing a signal‐to‐noise ratio 1.9‐fold higher than the TEH counterpart in detecting low‐concentration antigens. This work highlights the potential for developing bright NIR‐II fluorophores through intramolecular electrostatic locking and their potential applications in clinical diagnosis and biomedical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Carotenoids are photosynthetic pigments and antioxidants that contribute to different plant colors. However, the involvement of TOPLESS (TPL/TPR)‐mediated histone deacetylation in the modulation of carotenoid biosynthesis through ethylene‐responsive element‐binding factor‐associated amphiphilic repression (EAR)‐containing transcription factors (TFs) in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) is poorly understood. MdMYB44 is a transcriptional repressor that contains an EAR repression motif. In the present study, we used functional analyses and molecular assays to elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which MdMYB44‐MdTPR1‐mediated histone deacetylation influences carotenoid biosynthesis in apples. We identified two carotenoid biosynthetic genes, MdCCD4 and MdCYP97A3, that were confirmed to be involved in MdMYB44‐mediated carotenoid biosynthesis. MdMYB44 enhanced β‐branch carotenoid biosynthesis by repressing MdCCD4 expression, whereas MdMYB44 suppressed lutein level by repressing MdCYP97A3 expression. Moreover, MdMYB44 partially influences carotenoid biosynthesis by interacting with the co‐repressor TPR1 through the EAR motif to inhibit MdCCD4 and MdCYP97A3 expression via histone deacetylation. Our findings indicate that the MdTPR1‐MdMYB44 repressive cascade regulates carotenoid biosynthesis, providing profound insights into the molecular basis of histone deacetylation‐mediated carotenoid biosynthesis in plants. These results also provide evidence that the EAR‐harboring TF/TPL repressive complex plays a universal role in histone deacetylation‐mediated inhibition of gene expression in various plants. Significance Statement: MdMYB44 regulated carotenoid biosynthesis partially by interacting with co‐repressor TPR1 via EAR motif to inhibit MdCCD4 and MdCYP97A3 expression through histone deacetylation, providing evidence that the EAR‐harboring TF/TPL repressive complex has a universal role in histone deacetylation‐mediated gene expression inhibition in various plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of Nkx1‐2, a transcription factor with the NK homeobox domain, in the regulation of fat production. Methods: Gene expression was analyzed using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction or transcriptome sequencing. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was employed to generate nkx1.2 knockout zebrafish and nkx1.2‐deleted 3T3‐L1 cells. Lipid droplet production in zebrafish larvae was visually quantified using Nile red staining, whereas lipid droplets in 3T3‐L1 cells were stained with Oil red O. The binding of Nkx1‐2 to the promoter was verified through an electrophoretic mobility shift assay experiment. Results: Nkx1‐2 plays crucial roles in the regulation of fat production in zebrafish. Knockout of nkx1.2 in zebrafish leads to weight loss, accompanied by significantly reduced lipid droplet production and decreased visceral and liver fat content. Furthermore, genes related to lipid biosynthesis are significantly downregulated. In 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes, Nkx1‐2 induces differentiation into mature adipocytes by binding to the cebpa promoter, thereby activating its transcription. Additionally, the expression of nkx1.2 is regulated by the p38 MAPK, JNK, or Smad2/3 signaling pathways in 3T3‐L1 cells. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Nkx1‐2 functions as a positive regulator of fat production, playing a critical role in adipocyte differentiation and lipid biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It remains a challenge for existing financial models to accurately capture the shapes of implied volatility (IV) of options with all maturities simultaneously. Inspired by Chen et al.'s empirical finding, 'the shorter the option expiry, the higher the IV is', we propose a novel and simple approach to solve this challenge, by introducing a term-structure-based correction (i.e. an exponential increase function of the options expiry) to the volatility of volatility (vol–vol) term of the classical Heston stochastic volatility model. We derive an approximate formula for the IV under the corrected model with the perturbation method and further apply the formula to predict the IVs of options written on the Shanghai Stock Exchange 50 ETF. Numerical experiments and empirical results show that the introduction of a term-structure-based correction function surely overcomes the deficiency of the classical Heston model in capturing the short-term IVs, thus improving notably its performance of IV forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is characterized by molecular heterogeneity with various immune cell infiltration patterns, which have been associated with therapeutic sensitivity and resistance. In particular, dendritic cells (DCs) are recently discovered to be associated with prognosis and survival in cancer. However, how DCs differ among ESCC patients has not been fully comprehended. Recently, the advance of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enables us to profile the cell types, states, and lineages in the heterogeneous ESCC tissues. Here, we dissect the ESCC tumor microenvironment at high resolution by integrating 192,078 single cells from 60 patients, including 4379 DCs. We then used Scissor, a method that identifies cell subpopulations from single-cell data that are associated bulk samples with genomic and clinical information, to stratify DCs into Scissorhi and Scissorlow subtypes. We applied the Scissorhi gene signature to stratify ESCC scRNAseq patient, and we found that PD-L1, TIGIT, PVR and IL6 ligand-receptor-mediated cell interactions existed mainly in Scissorhi patients. Finally, based on the Scissor results, we successfully developed a validated prognostic risk model for ESCC and further validated the reliability of the risk prediction model by recruiting 40 ESCC clinical patients. This information highlights the importance of these genes in assessing patient prognosis and may help in the development of targeted or personalized therapies for ESCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to cultivate children's computational thinking, researchers have developed many excellent programming systems. Among them, the tangible programming systems combined with graphic output have been widely accepted because of the intuitive input method and diversified visual feedback. However, few of them support collaborative learning or programming. Little is known about children's experiences, emotional states and behaviours on collaborative programming. Motivated by this gap, we present a novel tangible and collaborative enabled programming system named Lighters, which designed for children aged 7–10 and had two types of collaboration modes (block-based and role-based). We conducted an user experiment with 24 children, and collected physiological (EDA), questionnaire, video recording and interview data for analysis. Based on our experiment results, Lighters are effective in helping children learn to program collaboratively. In addition, Lighters can mobilize children's positive emotions and enthusiasm to learn programming. Compared with block-based collaboration, role-based collaboration is more likely to stimulate children's emotional states and has a better effect on learning programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tunnels on freeways, as one of the critical bottlenecks, frequently cause severe congestion and passenger delay. To solve the tunnel bottleneck problem, most of the existing research can be divided into two types. One is to adopt variable speed limits (VSLs) to regulate a predetermined speed for vehicles to get through a bottleneck smoothly. The other is to adopt high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane management. In HOV lane management strategies, all traffic is divided into HOVs and low-occupancy vehicles (LOVs). HOVs are vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers. LOVs are vehicles with only a driver. This kind of research can grant priority to HOVs by providing a dedicated HOV lane. However, the existing research cannot both mitigate congestion and maximize passenger-oriented benefits. To address the research gap, this paper leverages connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies on intelligent freeways and develops a tunnel bottleneck management strategy with a dynamic HOV lane (DHL). The strategy bears the following features: 1) enables tunnel bottleneck management at a microscopic level; 2) maximizes passenger-oriented benefits; 3) grants priority to HOVs even when the HOV lane is open to LOVs; 4) allocates right-of-way segments for HOVs and LOVs in real time; and 5) performs well in a mixed-traffic environment. The proposed strategy is evaluated through comparison against the non-control baseline and a VSL strategy. Sensitivity analysis is conducted under different congestion levels and penetration rates. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms in terms of passenger-oriented delay reduction and HOVs' priority level improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic segmentation of remote sensing images (RSIs) is pivotal for numerous applications in urban planning, agricultural monitoring, and environmental conservation. However, traditional approaches have primarily emphasized learning within the spatial domain, which frequently leads to less than optimal discrimination of features. Considering the inherent spectral qualities of RSIs, it is essential to bolster these representations by incorporating the spectral context in conjunction with spatial information to improve discriminative capacity. In this paper, we introduce the spectral–spatial context-boosted network (SSCBNet), an innovative network designed to enhance the accuracy semantic segmentation in RSIs. SSCBNet integrates synergetic attention (SYA) layers and cross-fusion modules (CFMs) to harness both spectral and spatial information, addressing the intrinsic complexities of urban and natural landscapes within RSIs. Extensive experiments on the ISPRS Potsdam and LoveDA datasets reveal that SSCBNet surpasses existing state-of-the-art models, achieving remarkable results in F 1 -scores, overall accuracy (OA), and mean intersection over union (mIoU). Ablation studies confirm the significant contribution of SYA layers and CFMs to the model's performance, emphasizing the effectiveness of these components in capturing detailed contextual cues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercial application of lithium–sulfur batteries is severely hampered by polysulfide shuttle effects. We predicted a novel niobium phosphide–niobium carbide heterostructure as a productive polysulfide adsorbent and catalytic material for Li–S batteries and successfully synthesized a NbP–NbC heterostructure, which was evenly dispersed on porous carbon (NbP–NbC/C). Density functional theory calculations indicated that the heterostructure between NbP and NbC regulated the interfacial electric field, promoting electron transfer and decreasing the reaction energy barrier to accelerate the transformation of polysulfides. The heterostructure induced interfacial charge redistribution, transferring more electrons to the surface and facilitating rapid lithium-ion transport while accelerating polysulfide transfer. This provided moderate polysulfide absorbability and further enhanced the intrinsic catalytic activity of NbP–NbC/C. Furthermore, in situ characterization and catalytic experiments were conducted to verify that the NbP–NbC/C heterostructure exhibited excellent cycling stability and electrochemical and catalytic properties. Accordingly, the NbP–NbC/C@S cathode showed a high reversible capacity (1367.9 mA h g−1 at 0.2C) and stable long-life span with 250 cycles (≈89% retention at 0.2C). Importantly, the thick sulfur cathode (sulfur loading: 8.2 mg cm−2) presented a large area capacity of 6.5 mA h cm−2, and the NbP–NbC@S‖Li flexible Li–S pouch cell demonstrated an excellent initial energy density value of 451 W h kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder associated with brain inflammation. The underlying mechanisms could be attributed to the activation of PI3K signaling in the inflamed brain of ASD. Multiple studies highlight the role of GRPR in regulating ASD like abnormal behavior and enhancing the PI3K signaling. However, the molecular mechanism by which GRPR regulates PI3K signaling in neurons of individuals with ASD is still unclear. In this study, we utilized a maternal immune activation model to investigate the effects of GRPR on PI3K signaling in the inflamed brain of ASD mice. We used HT22 cells with and without GRPR to examine the impact of GRP-GRPR on the PI3K-AKT pathway with IL-6 treatment. We analyzed a dataset of hippocampus samples from ASD mice to identify hub genes. Our results demonstrated increased expression of IL-6, GRPR, and PI3K-AKT signaling in the hippocampus of ASD mice. Additionally, we observed increased GRPR expression and PI3K-AKT/mTOR activation in HT22 cells after IL-6 treatment, but decreased expression in HT22 cells with GRPR knockdown. NetworkAnalyst identified GSK-3β as the most crucial gene in the PI3K-AKT/mTOR pathway in the hippocampus of ASD. Furthermore, we found that IL-6 upregulated the expression of GSK-3β in HT22 cells by upregulating GRP-GRPR. Our findings suggest that IL-6 can enhance the activation of PI3K-AKT/mTOR-GSK-3β in hippocampal neurons of ASD mice by upregulating GRPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary pulmonary hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma (HCCC) is a very rare lung tumor that accounts for less than 0.09% of all primary lung tumors and has no specific epidemiology. The correct diagnosis requires imaging, laboratory, pathological, immunohistochemical, and molecular examination. The most typical feature of pulmonary HCCC is the clear cell component with clear stroma. In addition, the fusion gene EWSR1::ATF1 due to t(12;22)(q13;q12) is essential for the pathological diagnosis of pulmonary HCCC. The main treatment for pulmonary HCCC is surgery. This review focus on the pathological features, immunohistochemical examination, mutation analysis and treatment of pulmonary HCCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of Schizandrin B on lung injury in rats with acute pancreatitis (AP) via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) /nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Methods: SD rats were taken and induced the establishment of AP lung injury model by retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the bile duct. According to random number table method, they were divided into model group, schisandrin B group, TLR4 overexpression vector group, TLR4 empty group, schisandrin B+ TLR4 overexpression vector group, 12 rats per group. Twelve SD rats only flipped the intestines without injecting 5% sodium taurocholate, as the sham operation group. After intervening rats in groups with drugs, pulmonary function of rats in each group, the amount of ascites and lung tissue wet weight/dry weight (W/D) of rats in each group were measured; HE staining was used to detect pathological morphology of lung tissue and score; levels of arterial blood gas indexes of rats in each group were detected by fully automatic biochemical analyser; levels of serum amylase and inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-18 were measured by ELISA; Western blotting was used to detect protein expression of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in lung tissue; expression of TLR4 protein in lung tissue of rat in each group was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Results: Compared with sham operation group, lung tissue of rats in model group showed pathological changes, MV, PEF, PaO2 and OI of model group were significantly reduced (P<0.05), while Ri, ascites volume, W/D, PaCO2, Holfbauer score, serum amylase, IL-6 and IL-18 levels, lung tissue proportion of TLR4 positive cells, expressions of TLR4 and MYD88 protein, p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 level were significantly increased (P<0.05) . Compared with model group and schisandrin B+TLR4 overexpression vector group, respectively, pathological changes of lung tissue of rats in schisandrin B group were reduced, MV, PEF, PaO2 and OI were all increased (P<0.05), while Ri, ascites volume, W/D, PaCO2, Holfbauer score, serum amylase, IL-6 and IL-18 levels, lung tissue proportion of TLR4 positive cells, expressions of TLR4 and MYD88 protein, p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 levels were decreased (P<0.05); in TLR4 overexpression vector group, degree of pathological damage in lung tissue of rats was aggravated, MV, PEF, PaO2 and OI were all decreased (P<0.05), while Ri, ascites volume, W/D, PaCO2, Holfbauer score, serum amylase, IL-6 and IL-18 levels, lung tissue proportion of TLR4 positive cells, expressions of TLR4 and MYD88 protein, p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 level were increased (P<0.05) . Compared with model group, rats in TLR4 empty group showed no significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusion: Schizandrin B can down-regulate TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway to inhibit inflammation, reduce lung injury in AP rats, and repair lung function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Severe community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most lethal forms of CAP with high mortality. For rapid and accurate decisions, we developed a mortality prediction model specifically tailored for elderly SCAP patients. Methods: The retrospective study included 2365 elderly patients. To construct and validate the nomogram, we randomly divided the patients into training and testing cohorts in a 70% versus 30% ratio. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used in the training cohort to identify independent risk factors. The robustness of this model was assessed using the C index, ROC and AUC. DCA was employed to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the model. Results: Six factors were used as independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality to construct the prediction model, including age, the use of vasopressor, chronic renal disease, neutrophil, platelet, and BUN. The C index was 0.743 (95% CI 0.719–0.768) in the training cohort and 0.731 (95% CI 0.694–0.768) in the testing cohort. The ROC curves and AUC for the training cohort and testing cohort (AUC = 0.742 vs. 0.728) indicated a robust discrimination. And the calibration plots showed a consistency between the prediction model probabilities and observed probabilities. Then, the DCA demonstrated great clinical practicality. Conclusions: The nomogram incorporated six risk factors, including age, the use of vasopressor, chronic renal disease, neutrophil, platelet and BUN, which had great predictive accuracy and robustness, while also demonstrating clinical practicality at ICU admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Modern medicine emphasizes that medical professionals engage in interprofessional collaboration to better meet the diverse needs of patients from physical, psychological, and social perspectives. As nursing students are the future reserve of the clinical nursing workforce, nursing educators worldwide should pay close attention to nursing students' interprofessional learning attitudes and take responsibility for training qualified interprofessional nursing personnel. However, little is known about the relationship between nursing students' readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the level of readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy among nursing students, and to explore the relationship between the two. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 741 undergraduate nursing students pursuing four-year degrees from a school in Jinan, Shandong Province, China from November to December 2021. The social-demographic questionnaire, Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and Academic Self-efficacy Scale were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics used to analyze the data included: Cronbach's alpha, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Readiness for interprofessional learning mean score was (3.91 ± 0.44) and mean academic self-efficacy was (3.47 ± 0.42). Significant differences were found in the research variables according to participants' sex, grade, choice of nursing profession, and frequency of communication with health-related major students in studies (p < 0.05, p < 0.001). Pearson correlation analysis showed that academic self-efficacy was positively related to readiness for interprofessional learning (r = 0.316, p < 0.01). The hierarchical regression analysis showed that academic self-efficacy was positively related to readiness for interprofessional learning (β = 0.307, p < 0.001), The model explained 15.6% of the variance in readiness for interprofessional learning (F = 18.038, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy were in the middle level among nursing students. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between the two. Therefore, it is very important for nursing educators to improve nursing students' academic self-efficacy before improving their readiness for interprofessional learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to persistent technological impacts on ecological efficiency (eco-efficiency) and variations in economic power and resource endowments among regions, considering regional and temporal heterogeneity becomes imperative. Ecosystems, often divided into economic production and environmental governance stages, necessitate a holistic assessment incorporating regional, temporal heterogeneity and stage distinctions. To address potential issues of a technology gap ratio (TGR) exceeding 1 within a two-stage network structure with dual heterogeneity, we introduce a segmented projection three-layer meta-frontier analysis method. In empirical study, we systematically examined eco-efficiency, emissions inefficiency and technology gaps across management, regional and temporal dimensions in 30 Chinese provinces from 2016 to 2020. Findings reveal disparities in management eco-efficiency, with the central provinces outperforming the east. Regional differences indicate advanced technology in the east, contributing to superior eco-efficiency. Temporal analysis highlights the positive role of scientific and technological development. Emissions inefficiency improvements are noted, necessitating attention toward management and regional technology levels. Eastern provinces exhibit superior emissions efficiency, emphasizing the role of regional and technological development. Recommendations include prioritizing environmental governance, strengthening regional collaborations and implementing policies to bridge technology gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive and metastatic malignancy with poor treatment outcomes. The interaction between the tumor microenvironment (TME) and breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) plays an important role in the development of TNBC. Owing to their ability of self‐renewal and multidirectional differentiation, BCSCs maintain tumor growth, drive metastatic colonization, and facilitate the development of drug resistance. TME is the main factor regulating the phenotype and metastasis of BCSCs. Immune cells, cancer‐related fibroblasts (CAFs), cytokines, mesenchymal cells, endothelial cells, and extracellular matrix within the TME form a complex communication network, exert highly selective pressure on the tumor, and provide a conducive environment for the formation of BCSC niches. Tumor growth and metastasis can be controlled by targeting the TME to eliminate BCSC niches or targeting BCSCs to modify the TME. These approaches may improve the treatment outcomes and possess great application potential in clinical settings. In this review, we summarized the relationship between BCSCs and the progression and drug resistance of TNBC, especially focusing on the interaction between BCSCs and TME. In addition, we discussed therapeutic strategies that target the TME to inhibit or eliminate BCSCs, providing valuable insights into the clinical treatment of TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing strategies to target injured pancreatic acinar cells (PACs) in conjunction with primary pathophysiology-specific pharmacological therapy presents a challenge in the management of acute pancreatitis (AP). We designed and synthesized a trypsin-cleavable organosilica precursor bridged by arginine-based amide bonds, leveraging trypsin's ability to selectively identify guanidino groups on arginine via Asp189 at the active S1 pocket and cleave the carboxy-terminal (C-terminal) amide bond via catalytic triads. The precursors were incorporated into the framework of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) for encapsulating the membrane-permeable Ca 2+ chelator BAPTA-AM with a high loading content (∼43.9%). Mesenchymal stem cell membrane coating and surface modification with PAC-targeting ligands endow MSNs with inflammation recruitment and precise PAC-targeting abilities, resulting in the highest distribution at 3 h in the pancreas with 4.7-fold more accumulation than that of naked MSNs. The outcomes transpired as follows: After bioinspired MSNs' skeleton biodegradation by prematurely and massively activated trypsin, BAPTA-AM was on-demand released in injured PACs, thereby effectively eliminating intracellular calcium overload (reduced Ca 2+ level by 81.3%), restoring cellular redox status, blocking inflammatory cascades, and inhibiting cell necrosis by impeding the IκBα/NF-κB/TNF-α/IL-6 and CaMK-II/p-RIP3/p-MLKL/caspase-8,9 signaling pathways. In AP mice, a single dose of the formulation significantly restored pancreatic function (lipase and amylase reduced more by 60%) and improved the survival rate from 50 to 91.6%. The formulation offers a potentially effective strategy for clinical translation in AP treatment.

Constructed wetlands use vegetation and microorganisms to remove contaminants like nitrogen and phosphorus from water. For mariculture, the impact of salinity on the efficiency of wastewater treatment of wetlands is unneglectable. However, little is known about their impact on the microbiome in constructed wetlands. Here, we set four salinity levels (15, 22, 29, and 36) in Salicornia constructed wetlands, and the experiment was conducted for a period of 72 days. The 15 group exhibited the highest removal rates of nitrogen compounds and phosphate, compared to the other salinity groups, the nosZ gene exhibited significantly higher expression in the 22 group (p < 0.05), indicated that microorganisms in 22 salinity have higher denitrification abilities. The three dominant phyla identified within the microbiomes were Proteobacteria, known for their diverse metabolic capabilities; Cyanobacteria, important for photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation; and Firmicutes, which include many fermenters. The ecological network analysis revealed a 'small world' model, characterized by high interconnectivity and short path lengths between microbial species, and had higher co-occurrence (45.13%) observed in this study comparing to the Erdös-Réyni random one (32.35%). The genus Microbulbifer emerged as the sole connector taxon, pivotal for integrating different microbial communities involved in nitrogen removal. A negative correlation was observed between salinity levels and network complexity, as assessed by the number of connections and diversity of interactions within the microbial community. Collectively, these findings underscore the critical role of microbial community interactions in optimizing nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands, with potential applications in the design and management of such systems for improved wastewater treatment in mariculture., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest ☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. ☐ The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:, (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Carotenoids are major pigments contributing to fruit coloration. We previously reported that the apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) mutant fruits of "Beni Shogun" and "Yanfu 3" show a marked difference in fruit coloration. However, the regulatory mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. In this study, we determined that carotenoid is the main factor influencing fruit flesh color. We identified an R1-type MYB transcription factor (TF), MdMYBS1, which was found to be highly associated with carotenoids and abscisic acid (ABA) contents of apple fruits. Overexpression of MdMYBS1 promoted, and silencing of MdMYBS1 repressed, β-branch carotenoids synthesis and ABA accumulation. MdMYBS1 regulates carotenoid biosynthesis by directly activating the major carotenoid biosynthetic genes encoding phytoene synthase (MdPSY2-1) and lycopene β-cyclase (MdLCYb). 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 1 (MdNCED1) contributes to ABA biosynthesis, and MdMYBS1 enhances endogenous ABA accumulation by activating the MdNCED1 promoter. In addition, the basic leucine zipper domain TF ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE5 (MdABI5) was identified as an upstream activator of MdMYBS1, which promotes carotenoid and ABA accumulation. Furthermore, ABA promotes carotenoid biosynthesis and enhances MdMYBS1 and MdABI5 promoter activities. Our findings demonstrate that the MdABI5-MdMYBS1 cascade activated by ABA regulates carotenoid-derived fruit coloration and ABA accumulation in apple, providing avenues in breeding and planting for improvement of fruit coloration and quality., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) persists as a global health challenge, with its treatment hampered by the side effects of long-term combination drug therapies and the growing issue of drug resistance. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic strategies is critical. This study focuses on the role of immune checkpoint molecules (ICs) and functions of CD8+ T cells in the search for new potential targets against TB., Methods: We conducted differential expression genes analysis and CD8+ T cell functional gene analysis on 92 TB samples and 61 healthy individual (HI) samples from TB database GSE83456, which contains data on 34,603 genes. The GSE54992 dataset was used to validated the findings. Additionally, a cluster analysis on single-cell data from primates infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis and those vaccinated with BCG was performed., Results: The overexpression of LAG-3 gene was found as a potentially important characteristic of both pulmonary TB (PTB) and extrapulmonary TB (EPTB). Further correlation analysis showed that LAG-3 gene was correlated with GZMB, perforin, IL-2 and IL-12. A significant temporal and spatial variation in LAG-3 expression was observed in T cells and macrophages during TB infection and after BCG vaccination., Conclusion: LAG-3 was overexpressed in TB samples. Targeting LAG-3 may represent a potential therapeutic target for tuberculosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Pan, Yao, Huang, Xu, Chen, Li, Wang, Wu, Li, Liang and Tan.)