Search

Obeticholic acid (OCA), a farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist with favorable effects on fatty and glucose metabolism, has been considered the leading candidate drug for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) treatment. However, its limited effectiveness in resolving liver fibrosis and lipotoxicity-induced cell death remains a major drawback. Ferroptosis, a newly recognized form of cell death characterized by uncontrolled lipid peroxidation, is involved in the progression of NASH. Nitric oxide (NO) is a versatile biological molecule that can degrade extracellular matrix. In this study, we developed a PEGylated thiolated hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) loaded with OCA, as well as a ferroptosis inhibitor liproxsatin-1 and a NO donor S-nitrosothiol (ONL@MSN). Biochemical analyses, histology, multiplexed flow cytometry, bulk-tissue RNA sequencing, and fecal 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing were utilized to evaluate the effects of the combined nanoparticle (ONL@MSN) in a mouse NASH model. Compared with the OCA-loaded nanoparticles (O@MSN), ONL@MSN not only protected against hepatic steatosis but also greatly ameliorated fibrosis and ferroptosis. ONL@MSN also displayed enhanced therapeutic actions on the maintenance of intrahepatic macrophages/monocytes homeostasis, inhibition of immune response/lipid peroxidation, and correction of microbiota dysbiosis. These findings present a promising synergistic nanotherapeutic strategy for the treatment of NASH by simultaneously targeting FXR, ferroptosis, and fibrosis.

Abstract Flash Joule heating (FJH) is an emerging and profitable technology for converting inexhaustible biomass into flash graphene (FG). However, it is challenging to produce biomass FG continuously due to the lack of an integrated device. Furthermore, the high-carbon footprint induced by both excessive energy allocation for massive pyrolytic volatiles release and carbon black utilization in alternating current-FJH (AC-FJH) reaction exacerbates this challenge. Here, we create an integrated automatic system with energy requirement-oriented allocation to achieve continuous biomass FG production with a much lower carbon footprint. The programmable logic controller flexibly coordinated the FJH modular components to realize the turnover of biomass FG production. Furthermore, we propose pyrolysis-FJH nexus to achieve biomass FG production. Initially, we utilize pyrolysis to release biomass pyrolytic volatiles, and subsequently carry out the FJH reaction to focus on optimizing the FG structure. Importantly, biochar with appropriate resistance is self-sufficient to initiate the FJH reaction. Accordingly, the medium-temperature biochar-based FG production without carbon black utilization exhibited low carbon emission (1.9 g CO2-eq g−1 graphene), equivalent to a reduction of up to ~86.1% compared to biomass-based FG production. Undoubtedly, this integrated automatic system assisted by pyrolysis-FJH nexus can facilitate biomass FG into a broad spectrum of applications.

Study Region: A well-irrigated area along the Yellow River in the North China Plain. Study Focus: High nitrate concentrations in groundwater induced by soil nitrate leaching are found worldwide. In this research, we examined the main processes and mechanisms of nitrate leaching with 16 years of long-term observational data to evaluate the potential threat of nitrate pollution to the groundwater in a well-irrigated area. New Hydrological Insights for the Region: This study uncovered significant differences in the primary mechanisms of nitrate leaching in the region at different stages in response to the continuous groundwater table decline. In the first stage, groundwater tables were less than 5 m, nitrate leaching was mainly driven by irrigation or precipitation with average annual percolation of 116.8 mm. In the second stage, groundwater overexploitation led to a decline in the groundwater table, inducing the internal drainage and nitrate leaching of the lower root zone. In the third stage, a further decline of groundwater table almost cut off the hydrological connection of root zone to the groundwater, which hampered water percolation and thus nitrate leaching from the root zone during next irrigation or precipitation. However, one extreme precipitation as much as in 2021 washed out almost all the accumulated nitrate in the root zone. The findings provide a reference for nitrogen management and groundwater protection in similar regions.

The deformation of a single-crystal Fe48Mn32Co10Cr10 alloy is captured in situ at the atomic scale. The results show that full and partial dislocations, along with deformation twins, are involved in the deformation process. Partial dislocation activities result in the formation of nanotwins, high-density coherent twin boundaries, and incoherent twin boundaries. Full dislocations interact with the coherent/incoherent twin boundaries, and partial dislocations, thereby producing high strength and remarkable strain hardening. The observed high activity of full dislocations can be attributed to the inhomogeneous distribution of solid solution atoms in the alloy.

Abstract Soil harbors a vast expanse of unidentified microbes, termed as microbial dark matter, presenting an untapped reservoir of microbial biodiversity and genetic resources, but has yet to be fully explored. In this study, we conduct a large-scale excavation of soil microbial dark matter by reconstructing 40,039 metagenome-assembled genome bins (the SMAG catalogue) from 3304 soil metagenomes. We identify 16,530 of 21,077 species-level genome bins (SGBs) as unknown SGBs (uSGBs), which expand archaeal and bacterial diversity across the tree of life. We also illustrate the pivotal role of uSGBs in augmenting soil microbiome’s functional landscape and intra-species genome diversity, providing large proportions of the 43,169 biosynthetic gene clusters and 8545 CRISPR-Cas genes. Additionally, we determine that uSGBs contributed 84.6% of previously unexplored viral-host associations from the SMAG catalogue. The SMAG catalogue provides an useful genomic resource for further studies investigating soil microbial biodiversity and genetic resources.

Abstract We study the isospin violating decays of vector charmonia to $$\Lambda \overline{\Sigma }^0$$ Λ Σ ¯ 0 and its charge conjugate. They are dominated by the single photon annihilation and can be evaluated reliably with timelike form factors. We utilize the quark-pair creation model, which is valid for the OZI suppressed decays, to evaluate the form factors. We obtain the branching fractions of $$\mathcal{B}(J/\psi \rightarrow \Lambda \overline{\Sigma }^0+c.c.)=(2.4\pm 0.4)\times 10^{-5}$$ B ( J / ψ → Λ Σ ¯ 0 + c . c . ) = ( 2.4 ± 0.4 ) × 10 - 5 and $$\mathcal{B}(\psi (2\,S)\rightarrow \Lambda \overline{\Sigma }^0+c.c.)=(3.0\pm 0.5)\times 10^{-6}$$ B ( ψ ( 2 S ) → Λ Σ ¯ 0 + c . c . ) = ( 3.0 ± 0.5 ) × 10 - 6 , which are compatible with the measurements by the BESIII collaborations, respectively. The decay asymmetries are found to be $$\alpha _{J/\psi }=0.314$$ α J / ψ = 0.314 and $$\alpha _{\psi (2S)}=0.461$$ α ψ ( 2 S ) = 0.461 , which can be examined at BESIII in the foreseeable future.

Diamond is the hardest natural material, boasting a variety of remarkable properties. However, due to increased demand and technological advancements, natural diamond has struggled to meet the specialized requirements of various industries. This paper offers a comprehensively critical review of diamond synthesis, modification, and cutting tool in ultra-precision machining based on the remarkable properties of diamond. Firstly, the paper outlines the outstanding properties of diamonds and breakthroughs in the original performance achieved by doping elements. Secondly, the paper focuses on recent progress in high temperature high pressure (HTHP), specifically those involving solvent-catalysts and element catalysts. The advancements in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for diamond synthesis, emphasizing improvements in growth rate and quality, are thoroughly reviewed and summarized. Thirdly, the mechanisms of boron doping and interface modification are analyzed. Finally, the paper presents the fabrication of diamond tools and their wear mechanisms during the machining of difficult-to-cut materials and explores assisted-machining methods. Notably, the future direction of diamond synthesis will emphasize producing large-sized diamond with high growth rates, as well as doping and the preparation of diamond/metal composite materials. This critical review provides a comprehensive review of diamond preparation, modification, and cutting tools in ultra-precision machining. It serves as a valuable reference for relevant research endeavors.

IntroductionSoil microbes are central in governing soil multifunctionality and driving ecological processes. Despite biochar application has been reported to enhance soil biodiversity, its impacts on soil multifunctionality and the relationships between soil taxonomic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning remain controversial in paddy soil.MethodsHerein, we characterized the biodiversity information on soil communities, including bacteria, fungi, protists, and nematodes, and tested their effects on twelve ecosystem metrics (including functions related to enzyme activities, nutrient provisioning, and element cycling) in biochar-amended paddy soil.ResultsThe biochar amendment augmented soil multifunctionality by 20.1 and 35.7% in the early stage, while the effects were diminished in the late stage. Moreover, the soil microbial diversity and core modules were significantly correlated with soil multifunctionality.DiscussionOur analysis revealed that not just soil microbial diversity, but specifically the biodiversity within the identified microbial modules, had a more pronounced impact on ecosystem functions. These modules, comprising diverse microbial taxa, especially protists, played key roles in driving ecosystem functioning in biochar-amended paddy soils. This highlights the importance of understanding the structure and interactions within microbial communities to fully comprehend the impact of biochar on soil ecosystem functioning in the agricultural ecosystem.

IntroductionAmmonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) have been proven to be key microorganisms driving the ammonia oxidation process. However, under different fertilization practices, there is a lack of research on the impact of interaction between predators and AOA or AOB on nitrogen cycling at the multi-trophic level.MethodsIn this study, a network-oriented microscopic culture experiment was established based on four different long-term fertilization practices soils. We used the nitrification inhibitors 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxide-3-oxyl (PTIO) and 3, 4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) inhibited AOA and AOB, respectively, to explore the impact of interaction between protists and AOA or AOB on nitrogen transformation.ResultsThe results showed that long-term nitrogen application promoted the potential nitrification rate (PNR) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission, and significantly increased the gene abundance of AOB, but had no obvious effect on AOA gene abundance. DMPP significantly reduced N2O emission and PNR, while PTIO had no obvious effect on them. Accordingly, in the multi-trophic microbial network, Cercozoa and Proteobacteria were identified as keystone taxa of protists and AOB, respectively, and were significantly positively correlated with N2O, PNR and nitrate nitrogen. However, Nitrososphaerota archaeon as the keystone species of AOA, had an obvious negative linkage to these indicators. The structural equation model (SEM) showed that AOA and AOB may be competitors to each other. Protists may promote AOB diversity through direct trophic interaction with AOA.ConclusionThe interaction pattern between protists and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms significantly affects potential nitrification rate and N2O emission, which has important implications for soil nitrogen cycle.

Abstract Background For achieving long-term sustainability of intensive agricultural practices, it is pivotal to understand belowground functional stability as belowground organisms play essential roles in soil biogeochemical cycling. It is commonly believed that resource availability is critical for controlling the soil biodiversity and belowground organism interactions that ultimately lead to the stabilization or collapse of terrestrial ecosystem functions, but evidence to support this belief is still limited. Here, we leveraged field experiments from the Chinese National Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) and two microcosm experiments mimicking high and low resource conditions to explore how resource availability mediates soil biodiversity and potential multi-trophic interactions to control functional trait stability. Results We found that agricultural practice-induced higher resource availability increased potential cross-trophic interactions over 316% in fields, which in turn had a greater effect on functional trait stability, while low resource availability made the stability more dependent on the potential within trophic interactions and soil biodiversity. This large-scale pattern was confirmed by fine-scale microcosm systems, showing that microcosms with sufficient nutrient supply increase the proportion of potential cross-trophic interactions, which were positively associated with functional stability. Resource-driven belowground biodiversity and multi-trophic interactions ultimately feedback to the stability of plant biomass. Conclusions Our results indicated the importance of potential multi-trophic interactions in supporting belowground functional trait stability, especially when nutrients are sufficient, and also suggested the ecological benefits of fertilization programs in modern agricultural intensification. Video Abstract

Artificial cyanophages are considered to be an effective biological method to control harmful cyanobacterial bloom. However, no synthetic cyanophage genome has been constructed and where its obstacles are unclear. Here, we survey a stretch of 16 kb length sequence of cyanophage A-4L that is unclonable in Escherichia coli. We test 12 predicted promoters of cyanophage A-4L which were verified all active in E. coli. Next, we screen for eight ORFs that hindered the assembly of intermediate DNA fragments in E. coli and describe that seven ORFs in the 16 kb sequence could not be separately cloned in E. coli. All of unclonable ORFs in high-copy-number plasmid were successfully cloned using low-copy-number vector, suggesting that these ORFs were copy-number-dependent. We propose a clone strategy abandoned the promotor and the start codon that could be applied for unclonable ORFs. Last, we de novo synthesized and assembled the full-length genome of cyanophage A-4L. This work deepens the understanding of synthetic cyanophages studies.

To apply AquaCrop to the study of agricultural soil moisture in the North China Plain, a water-treatment experiment on summer maize was carried out at the Fengqiu experimental station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 2017 to 2018. A water treatment was used to achieve field water capacities of 20 (W1), 40 (W2), and 60 (W3) cm soil layers under irrigation, and a rain-fed treatment (W0) was added. The model parameters were calibrated using the measured data in 2017. Then, they were applied to 2018 to verify the ability of the model to simulate water stress. The results showed that the variation trends for crop yield, canopy coverage, total soil water content, and the curve in the growth cycle simulated via AquaCrop were consistent with the actual observations; the results of a discrete analysis showed that the values of b (regression coefficient), R2 (determination coefficient), and EF (efficiency) were close to 1, and the values of the RMSE (root mean square error) were close to 0, which proved that the model could simulate dynamic changes in summer maize yield, canopy coverage, and total soil water content well. AquaCrop had good applicability in the North China Plain and could be applied to the study of agricultural water consumption and water-use efficiency in this area. The simulated values obtained can serve as an easily obtainable source of long-term experimental data in areas with frequent non-extreme weather events.

Although cross-slip strongly affects the deformation of polycrystalline materials, the phenomenon is rarely studied in twinned face centered cubic (FCC) metals. Here we performed in-situ TEM nanoindentation on a twinned nickel bi-crystal. Multiple pile-ups were generated, with the first dislocations pinned at a coherent twin boundary (CTB) and multiple following dislocations cross-slipping within the matrix. Stress calculation revealed that the cross-slip events are made possible by the CTB, the first dislocations, and the favorable shear stress created jointly by external stress and dislocation interaction. These cross-slip events reduce tip stress and soften the material until inter-grain plasticity is eventually activated.IMPACT STATEMENTIn-situ TEM nanoindentation reveals the characteristics of dislocation pinning, pile-ups and cross-slip along the twinning boundary in a twinned FCC metal for the first time.

ABSTRACT Cyanophages are viruses that specifically infect cyanobacteria and are capable of regulating the population densities and seasonal distributions of cyanobacteria. However, few studies have investigated the interactions between cyanophages and heterologous hosts, owing to the inability of cyanophages to infect heterologous cyanobacterial hosts. Here, a truncated artificial cyanophage genome, Syn-P4-8, was designed and assembled that contained 18 genes for viral coat assembly proteins but not genes related to host infection or DNA replication. Syn-P4-8 was transferred into the heterologous host Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by conjugation. The growth of strain CS-02 carrying Syn-P4-8 was significantly better than that of the control strain when grown in medium containing 5% NaCl. Only two cyanophage genes, encoding the tail protein (open reading frame 25 [ORF25]) and the tail fiber protein (ORF26), were transcribed in Synechocystis PCC 6803 grown in BG11 medium supplemented with 5% NaCl. However, expression of either ORF25 or ORF26 alone could not recover this phenotype. In addition, transcriptomic analysis revealed the presence of 334 differentially expressed genes in CS-02 compared to the control strain, corresponding to 151 downregulated and 183 upregulated genes that may affect cyanobacterial salt tolerances. In this study, synthetic biology methods were used to strengthen our understanding of the interactions between cyanophage genes and heterologous hosts. IMPORTANCE We synthesized and assembled a truncated cyanophage genome called Syn-P4-8, containing 18 genes for viral coat assembly proteins, and transferred it into a nonhost strain, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, to investigate interactions between Syn-P4-8 and Synechocystis PCC 6803. We found that coexpression of tail fiber and tail protein genes enhanced the salt tolerance of Synechocystis PCC 6803.

(1) Background: DNA damage in cumulus cells hinders oocyte maturation and affects steroid hormone secretion. It is crucial to identify the key factors that regulate cellular DNA damage and steroid hormone secretion. (2) Methods: Treatment of bovine cumulus cells with bleomycin to induce DNA damage. The effects of DNA damage on cell biology were determined by detecting changes in DNA damage degree, cell cycle, viability, apoptosis, and steroid hormones. It was verified that mir-302d targeted regulation of CDKN1A expression, and then affected DNA damage and steroid hormone secretion in cumulus cells. (3) Results: Bleomycin induced increased DNA damage, decreased G1-phase cells, increased S-phase cells, inhibited proliferation, promoted apoptosis, affected E2 and P4 secretion, increased CDKN1A expression, and decreased miR-302d expression. Knockdown of CDKN1A reduced DNA damage, increased G1-phase cells, decreased G2-phase cells, promoted proliferation, inhibited apoptosis, increased E2 and P4 secretion, and increased the expression of BRCA1, MRE11, ATM, CDK1, CDK2, CCNE2, STAR, CYP11A1, and HSD3B1. The expression of RAD51, CCND1, p53, and FAS was decreased. Overexpression of CDKN1A resulted in the opposite results. miR-302d targets CDKN1A expression to regulate DNA damage and then affects the cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, steroid hormone secretion, and the expression of related genes. (4) Conclusions: miR-302d and CDKN1A were candidate molecular markers for the diagnosis of DNA damage in bovine cumulus cells.

There is an urgent need for novel strategies to combat life-threatening fungal infections. Here, Revie et al. identify a compound that induces alterations in fungal membranes, synergizes with azole antifungals against the pathogen Candida albicans, and inhibits virulence traits and biofilm formation in animal models of infection.

Soil microbial diversity is extremely vulnerable to fertilization, which is one of the main anthropogenic activities associated with global changes. Yet we know little about how and why soil microbial diversity responds to fertilization across contrasting local ecological contexts. This knowledge is fundamental for predicting changes in soil microbial diversity in response to ongoing global changes. We analyzed soils from ten 20-year field fertilization (organic and/or inorganic) experiments across China and found that the national-scale responses of soil bacterial diversity to fertilization are dependent on ecological context. In acidic soils from regions with high precipitation and soil fertility, inorganic fertilization can result in further acidification, resulting in negative impacts on soil bacterial diversity. In comparison, organic fertilization causes a smaller disturbance to soil bacterial diversity. Despite the overall role of environmental contexts in driving soil microbial diversity, a small group of bacterial taxa were found to respond to fertilization in a consistent way across contrasting regions throughout China. Taxa such as Nitrosospira and Nitrososphaera, which benefit from nitrogen fertilizer addition, as well as Chitinophagaceae, Bacilli, and phototrophic bacteria, which respond positively to organic fertilization, could be used as bioindicators for soil fertility in response to fertilization at the national scale. Overall, our work provides new insights into the importance of local environmental context in determining the responses of soil microbial diversity to fertilization, and identifies regions with acidic soils wherein soil microbial diversity is more vulnerable to fertilization at the national scale.

Abstract Background Microorganisms are known to be important drivers of biogeochemical cycling in soil and hence could act as a proxy informing on soil conditions in ecosystems. Identifying microbiomes indicative for soil fertility and crop production is important for the development of the next generation of sustainable agriculture. Earlier researches based on one-time sampling have revealed various indicator microbiomes for distinct agroecosystems and agricultural practices as well as their importance in supporting sustainable productivity. However, these microbiomes were based on a mere snapshot of a dynamic microbial community which is subject to significant changes over time. Currently true indicator microbiomes based on long-term, multi-annual monitoring are not available. Results Here, using samples from a continuous 20-year field study encompassing seven fertilization strategies, we identified the indicator microbiomes ecophysiologically informing on soil fertility and crop production in the main agricultural production base in China. Among a total of 29,184 phylotypes in 588 samples, we retrieved a streamlined consortium including 2% of phylotypes that were ubiquitously present in alkaline soils while contributing up to half of the whole community; many of them were associated with carbon and nutrient cycling. Furthermore, these phylotypes formed two opposite microbiomes. One indicator microbiome dominated by Bacillus asahii, characterized by specific functional traits related to organic matter decomposition, was mainly observed in organic farming and closely associated with higher soil fertility and crop production. The counter microbiome, characterized by known nitrifiers (e.g., Nitrosospira multiformis) as well as plant pathogens (e.g., Bacillus anthracis) was observed in nutrient-deficit chemical fertilizations. Both microbiomes are expected to be valuable indictors in informing crop yield and soil fertility, regulated by agricultural management. Conclusions Our findings based on this more than 2-decade long field study demonstrate the exciting potential of employing microorganisms and maximizing their functions in future agroecosystems. Our results report a “most-wanted” or “most-unwanted” list of microbial phylotypes that are ready candidates to guide the development of sustainable agriculture in alkaline soils.

Stable soil organic carbon (SOC) formation in coastal saline soils is important to improve arable land quality and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, how microbial life-history strategies and metabolic traits regulate SOC turnover in coastal saline soils remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of microbial life history strategy tradeoffs on microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) and microbial-derived SOC formation using metagenomic sequencing technology in different salinity soils. The results showed that high-salinity is detrimental to microbial CUE and microbial-derived SOC formation. Moreover, the regulation of nutrients stoichiometry could not mitigate adverse effects of salt stress on microbial CUE, which indicated that microbial-derived SOC formation is independent of stoichiometry in high-salinity soil. Low-salinity soil is dominated by a high growth yield (Y) strategy, such as higher microbial biomass carbon and metabolic traits which are related to amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and cell processes. However, high-salinity soil is dominated by stress tolerance (S) (e.g., higher metabolic functions of homologous recombination, base excision repair, biofilm formation, extracellular polysaccharide biosynthesis, and osmolytes production) and resource acquisition (A) strategies (e.g., higher alkaline phosphatase activity, transporters, and flagellar assembly). These trade-offs of strategies implied that resource reallocation took place. The high-salinity soil microbes diverted investments away from growth yield to microbial survival and resource capture, thereby decreasing biomass turnover efficiency and impeding microbial-derived SOC formation. Moreover, altering the stoichiometry in low-salinity soil caused more investment in the A-strategy, such as the production of more β-glucosidase and β-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase, and increasing bacterial chemotaxis, which thereby reduced microbial-derived SOC formation. Our research reveals that shift the microbial community from S- and A- strategies to the Y-strategy is important to increase the microbial CUE, and thus enhance SOC turnover in coastal saline soils.

IntroductionThe ecological environment of tidal flats often changes due to tidal erosion and sedimentation. The distribution of tidal flat surface sediment is a natural reflection of the changes in the external dynamic environment, the spatial and temporal distribution pattern is of great significance.MethodsIn this study, the output structure of traditional convolutional neural network is combined with BP neural network. Meanwhile, four phases of Sentinel-2 multispectral images were collected and combined with field data from the Doulonggang tidal flat in Jiangsu Province, China, to construct the sediment composition inversion model.ResultsThe inversion accuracy was higher than 80% compared with the measured results. According to the inversion result, from 2017 to 2022, the surface sediment particle size of the tidal flat in Jiangsu varied seasonally and was coarse in summer and fine in winter. Additionally, the sediment composition tended to coarsen, showing an interannual change trend of increasing sand content and decreasing clay and silt contents.DiscussionThe above change of the sedimentary environment of the tidal flat may be caused by the decrease of fine grained sediment deposition, the introduction of exotic vegetation, the global sea level rise and the influence of human activities.

Soil microbial use efficiency of straw carbon (C), which is the proportion of straw-C microbes assimilate into new biosynthetic material relative to C lost out of the system as CO2, is critical in increasing soil organic C (SOC) content, and hence maintaining soil fertility and productivity. However, the effect of chemical structures of the organic amendments (OAs) on the microbial use efficiency of straw-C remains unclear. The effect of the chemical structure of the OAs on microbial use efficiency of straw-C was elucidated by a combination of 13C-straw labeling with high-throughput sequencing and pyrolysis-GC/MS. We found a strong positive correlation between the microbial use efficiency of straw-C and the proportion of heterocyclic compounds (Hete_C). The microbial use efficiency of straw-C was highest in soil supplemented with Hete_C-dominant OAs, which significantly shifted microbial community structure toward fungal dominance. Specifically, fungal-to-bacterial ratio, fungal richness, and the relative abundance of Ascomycota were higher in soil with a higher proportion of Hete_C-dominant OAs. Together, our study suggests that OAs with high proportion of Hete_C promote the microbial use efficiency of straw-C by increasing the dominance of fungi in the soil microbial community in agroecosystems.

Efficient gas extraction technology is an important topic for low permeability and high gas outburst coal seam. Based on the engineering background of Hudi Coal Mine with the soft and hard coal seams and the existing hydraulic permeability enhancement technology, a new construction process to improve coal seam permeability was proposed to effectively reduce coal seam gas content and the risk of coal and gas outburst. In this measure, the roadway in floor was replaced with a directional main borehole, directional branch boreholes were used to replace crossing holes, and soft coal was mined along soft sub layers via the directional drilling machine and directional hydraulic jet. Main boreholes are drilled parallel to the seam in the coal seam floor, and branch boreholes are drilled through the floor and coal seam. The numerical simulation was used to study the permeability improvement effect of different mining diameters by the proposed measure. The result showed that, as the mining diameter increased from 2 m to 4 m, the average influence diameter of coal seam porosity increased from 15.44 m to 19.65 m, and the average influence diameter of the permeability increased from 15.75 m to 20.07 m, which is three times the influence range of the ordinary borehole. The application of the proposed measure and its supporting equipment was carried out under the special coal seam and gas conditions of Hudi Coal Mine. Results show that the soft coal was mined efficiently along the soft sub layer using the main borehole, branch boreholes, and directional hydraulic jet. Compared the traditional hydraulic flushing in the borehole with the ordinary drilling machine, the average speed of mining soft sub layers increased from 0.5 t/h to 3.6 t/h, the equivalent mining diameter of soft sub layers increased from 1.2 m to 7.6 m, and the average flow of gas extraction increased from 0.41 m3/d to 6.25 m3/d. The conclusions obtained in this study can provide a reference for coal mine gas extraction with similar coal seam conditions.

Summary: Atmospheric emission sources of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in China’s eastern seaboard regions cause heavy POP contamination in the Bohai Sea (BS), China. Because many rivers are emptying into the BS, terrestrial runoff has been considered a dominant pathway of POPs onto the BS. Here, we explored the contribution of atmospheric transport and terrestrial runoff to organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) to the BS by using an atmospheric transport model and a terrestrial runoff model. We examined the sensitivity and response of OPFR in the BS seawater to its atmospheric transport, deposition, and riverine discharge via terrestrial runoff. Both terrestrial runoff and atmospheric transport model simulations reveal that the atmospheric transport and deposition, including dry, wet, and diffusive gaseous deposition, dominate OPFR input into the BS. The total OPFR fluxes entering the BS via the atmospheric pathway and riverine input were 70.4 and 2.8 t/yr in 2013, respectively.

In situ TEM mechanical stages based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have developed rapidly over recent decades. However, image-based quantification of MEMS mechanical stages suffers from the trade-off between spatial and temporal resolutions. Here, by taking in situ TEM nanoindentation as an example, we developed a novel method for image-based quantified in situ TEM mechanical tests with both high spatial and temporal resolutions. A reference beam was introduced to the close vicinity of the indenter–sample region. By arranging the indenter, the sample, and the reference beam in a micron-sized area, the indentation depth and load can be directly and dynamically acquired from the relative motion of markers on the three components, while observing the indentation process at a relatively high magnification. No alteration of viewing area is involved throughout the process. Therefore, no deformation events will be missed, and the collection rate of quantification data can be raised significantly.

The use of UAV-based remote sensing for soil moisture has developed rapidly in recent decades, with advantages such as high spatial resolution, flexible work arrangement, and ease of operation. In bare and low-vegetation-covered soils, the apparent thermal inertia (ATI) method, which adopts thermal infrared data from UAV-based remote sensing, has been widely used for soil moisture estimation at the field scale. However, the ATI method may not perform well under inconsistent weather conditions due to inconsistency of the intensity of the soil surface energy input. In this study, an improvement of the ATI method (ATI-R), considering the variation in soil surface energy input, was developed by the incorporation of solar radiation measurements. The performances of the two methods were compared using field experiment data during multiple heating processes under various weather conditions. It showed that on consistently sunny days, both ATI-R and ATI methods obtained good correlations with the volumetric water contents (VWC) (R2ATI-R = 0.775, RMSEATI-R = 0.023 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.778, RMSEATI = 0.018 cm3·cm−3) on cloudy or a combination of sunny and cloudy days as long as there were significant soil-heating processes despite the different energy input intensities; the ATI-R method could perform better than the ATI method (cloudy: R2ATI-R = 0.565, RMSEATI-R = 0.024 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.156, RMSEATI = 0.033 cm3·cm−3; combined: R2ATI-R = 0.673, RMSEATI-R = 0.028 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.310, RMSEATI = 0.032 cm3·cm−3); and on overcast days, both the ATI-R and ATI methods could not perform satisfactorily (R2ATI-R = 0.027, RMSEATI-R = 0.024 cm3·cm−3 and R2ATI = 0.027, RMSEATI = 0.031 cm3·cm−3). The results indicate that supplemental solar radiation data could effectively expand applications of the ATI method, especially for inconsistent weather conditions.

The ecological dynamics of tidal flats are subject to continuous transformations attributed to the interplay of the tidal erosion and sedimentation processes. Accordingly, the realization of a dynamic monitoring system for tidal flats holds significant importance in facilitating the judicious utilization and safeguarding of tidal flats resources. In this study, an integrated methodology was implemented to monitor and assess the tidal flats in Jiangsu province. Specifically, a collection of five multispectral images from the Sentinel-2 satellite was acquired, coupled with data derived from the ICESat-2 satellite. Through the application of advanced techniques, including convolutional neural networks and machine learning algorithms, a comprehensive combined model for inverting tidal flats topography was developed. The accuracy disparity between various model combinations was meticulously evaluated, thereby enabling the acquisition of detailed topography information encompassing the entirety of Jiangsu’s tidal flats for the year 2021. Comparative analysis against measured topographic data demonstrated that the overall accuracy of the combined model inversion surpassed 80%. Additionally, this study conducted an extensive investigation into the temporal evolution of tidal flats in Jiangsu by integrating data from 2008 to 2021, focusing particularly on the measured topography from 2008. Consequently, the study successfully delineated the various types of tidal flats present in Jiangsu and elucidated their corresponding evolutionary trends.

Abstract Eupafolin is a flavonoid that can be extracted from common sage. Previous studies have reported that Eupafolin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties. However, no studies have investigated the role of Eupafolin in breast cancer. Herein, we investigated the effect of Eupafolin on two human breast cancer cell lines, as well as its potential mechanism of action. Next, the data showed that proliferation, migration and invasion ability of breast cancer cells that were treated with Eupafolin was significantly reduced, while the apoptosis rate was significantly increased. In addition, Eupafolin treatment caused breast cancer cell proliferation to be blocked in the S phase. Moreover, Eupafolin significantly induced autophagy in breast cancer cells, with an increase in the expression of LC3B-II. PI3K/AKT, MAPKs and NF-κB pathways were significantly inhibited by Eupafolin treatment. Additionally, 3-MA (a blocker of autophagosome formation) significantly reduced Eupafolin-induced activation of LC3B-II in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, Eupafolin displayed good in vitro anti-angiogenic activity. Additionally, anti-breast cancer activity of Eupafolin was found to be partially mediated by Cav-1. Moreover, Eupafolin treatment significantly weakened carcinogenesis of MCF-7 cells in nude mice. Therefore, this data provides novel directions on the use of Eupafolin for treatment of breast cancer.

We study CP violation in b-baryon decays of Ξb−→Ξ−D with D=D0,D¯0 and Di(i=1,2). We find that these baryonic decay processes provide an ideal opportunity to measure the weak phase due to the absence of the relative strong phase. Explicitly, we relate ρ¯ and η¯ the CKM elements with the decay rate ratios of Ri=Γ(Ξb−→Ξ−Di)/Γ(Ξb−→Ξ−D0) without the charge conjugate states. As a complementary, we also examine the decay distributions of Λb→Λ(→pπ−)D. There are in total 32 decay observables, which can be parameterized by 9 real parameters, allowing the experiments to extract the angle γ≡arg⁡(−VudVub⁎/VcdVcb⁎) in the CKM unitarity triangle. In addition, the feasibilities of the experimental measurements are discussed. We find that ρ¯ and η¯ can be extracted at LHCb Run3 from Ξb−→Ξ−D, and a full analysis of Λb→Λ(→pπ−)D is available at LHCb Run4.

Changes in the composition and ratio of the flora during colitis have been found to potentially affect ovarian function through nutrient absorption. However, the mechanisms have not been fully explored. To investigate whether colitis-induced dysbacteriosis of the intestinal flora affects ovarian function, mice were given dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) through drinking water. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to clarify the composition and proportion of bacterial flora as well as gene expression changes in the colon. Changes in follicle type, number, and hormone secretion in the ovary were detected. The results showed that 2.5% DSS could induce severe colitis symptoms, including increased inflammatory cell infiltration, severe damage to the crypt, and high expression of inflammatory factors. Moreover, vitamin A synthesis metabolism-related genes Rdh10, Aldh1a1, Cyp26a1, Cyp26b1, and Rarβ were significantly decreased, as well as the levels of the steroid hormone synthase-related proteins STAR and CYP11A1. The levels of estradiol, progesterone, and Anti-Mullerian hormone as well as the quality of oocytes decreased significantly. The significantly changed abundances of Alistipes, Helicobacter, Bacteroides, and some other flora had potentially important roles. DSS-induced colitis and impaired vitamin A absorption reduced ovarian function.

Chinese Red Steppe Cattle (CRS), a composite cattle breed, is well known for its milk production, high slaughter rate, carcass traits, and meat quality. Nowadays, it is widely bred in Jilin and Hebei Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. However, the population structure and the genetic basis of prominent characteristics of CRS are still unknown. In this study, we systematically describe their population structure, genetic diversity, and selection signature based on genotyping data from 61 CRS individuals with GGP Bovine 100 K chip. The results showed that CRS cattle had low inbreeding levels and had formed a unique genetic structure feature. Using two complementary methods (including comprehensive haplotype score and complex likelihood ratio), we identified 1291 and 1285 potentially selected genes, respectively. There were 141 genes annotated in common 106 overlapping genomic regions covered 5.62 Mb, including PLAG1, PRKG2, DGAT1, PARP10, TONSL, ADCK5, and BMP3, most of which were enriched in pathways related to muscle growth and differentiation, milk production, and lipid metabolism. This study will contribute to understanding the genetic mechanism behind artificial selection and give an extensive reference for subsequent breeding.

During the perinatal period, the bovine mammary epithelial cells of dairy cows exhibit vigorous metabolism and produce large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The resulting redox balance disruption leads to oxidative stress, one of the main causes of mastitis. Puerarin (PUE) is a natural flavonoid in the root of PUE that has attracted extensive attention as a potential antioxidant. This study first investigated whether PUE could reduce oxidative damage and mastitis induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in bovine mammary epithelial cells in vitro and elucidated the molecular mechanism. In vitro, BMECs (Bovine mammary epithelial cells) were divided into four treatment groups: Control group (no treatment), H2O2 group (H2O2 stimulation), PUE + H2O2 group (H2O2 stimulation before PUE rescue) and PUE group (positive control). The growth of BMECs in each group was observed, and oxidative stress-related indices were detected. Fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT–PCR) was used to detect the expression of tightly linked genes, antioxidant genes, and inflammatory factors. The expression of p65 protein was detected by Western blot. In vivo, twenty cows with an average age of 5 years having given birth three times were divided into the normal dairy cow group, normal dairy cow group fed PUE, mastitis dairy cow group fed PUE, and mastitis dairy cow group fed PUE (n = 5). The contents of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in milk and serum were detected. In BMECs, the results showed that the PUE treatment increased the activities of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC); ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were reduced. Thus, PUE alleviated H2O2-induced oxidative stress in vitro. In addition, the PUE treatment eliminated the inhibition of H2O2 on the expression of oxidation genes and tight junction genes, and the enrichment degree of NRF-2, HO-1, xCT, and tight junctions (claudin4, occludin, ZO-1 and symplekin) increased. The PUE treatment also inhibited the expression of NF-κB-associated inflammatory factors (IL-6 and IL-8) and the chemokine CCL5 in H2O2-induced BMECs. In vivo experiments also confirmed that feeding PUE can reduce the expression of inflammatory factors in the milk and serum of lactating dairy cows. In conclusion, PUE can effectively reduce the oxidative stress of bovine mammary epithelial cells, enhance the tight junctions between cells, and play an anti-inflammatory role. This study provides a theoretical basis for PUE prevention and treatment of mastitis and oxidative stress. The use of PUE should be considered as a feed additive in future dairy farming.

6-Gingerol, the main active ingredient in ginger, exhibits a variety of biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities, and can affect cell development. However, the effects of 6-gingerol on mammalian reproductive processes, especially early embryonic development, are unclear. This study explored whether 6-gingerol can be used to improve the quality of in vitro-cultured porcine embryos. The results showed that 5 μM 6-gingerol significantly increased the blastocyst formation rates of porcine early embryos. 6-Gingerol attenuated intracellular reactive oxygen species accumulation and autophagy, increased intracellular glutathione levels, and increased mitochondrial activity. In addition, 6-gingerol upregulated NANOG, SRY-box transcription factor 2, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase, and RPTOR independent companion of MTOR complex 2 while downregulating Caspase 3, baculoviral IAP repeat containing 5, autophagy related 12, and Beclin 1. Most importantly, 6-gingerol significantly increased the levels of p-extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 while reducing the levels of p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2/3 and p-p38. These results indicate that 6-gingerol can promote the development of porcine early embryos in vitro.

Background: Chronic neck pain (CNP) is highly prevalent and complicated, associated with limited movement, and accompanied by shoulder pain and other clinical manifestations such as dizziness, anxiety, and insomnia. Brain structural and functional abnormalities often occur in patients with CNP. However, knowledge of the brain’s functional organization and temporal dynamics in CNP patients is limited. Dynamic functional connectivity density (dFCD) can reflect the ability of brain areas or voxels to integrate information, and could become neuroimaging markers for objectively reflecting pain to a certain extent. Therefore, this study compared the dFCD between CNP patients and healthy controls (HCs) and investigated potential associations of the abnormal density variability in dynamic functional connectivity with pain characteristics in CNP patients.Methods: Resting functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed for 89 CNP patients and 57 HCs. After preprocessing resting-state fMRI images by the Data Processing and Analysis of Brain Imaging toolbox, the sliding window method was applied to investigate dFCD changes in CNP patients and HCs using the DynamicBC toolbox. Then we quantified dFCD variability using their standard deviation. Based on the pain-associated factors collected from the case report form of CNP patients, the mean dFCD variability values of each dFCD from region of interest were extracted to calculate Pearson’s correlation coefficient to study the potential correlation between dFCD abnormal variability and pain.Results: Compared with HCs, the dFCD values of the anterior cingulate cortex, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, and cerebellum were statistically different in patients with CNP. Subsequent correlation analysis showed that the variable dFCD in the related brain region was correlative with the course of the disease and clinical symptoms, such as pain and depression, in patients with CNP.Conclusion: Dynamic functional alterations were observed in the brain regions of CNP patients, and the dFCD of these brain regions could become neuroimaging markers for objectively reflecting pain to a certain extent. This suggests that chronic pain may cause changes in pain processing and emotional feedback and highlights the link between dynamic neural communication in brain regions and disease conditions, deepening our understanding of chronic pain diseases, and guiding clinical practice.

The input of exogenous organic materials is an effective way to improve soil organic matter (SOM) content in cropland. The exploration of the impact of new organic materials such as woody peat on black soil fertility can provide an important reference for preventing the degradation of black soil in Northeast China. In this study, the effects of adding woody peat to SOM and the soil-integrated fertility of black cropland were studied by seven treatments (no organic matter addition, CK; crop straw returning, SR; decomposed straw addition, DS; organic manure addition, OM; 6 t/ha woody peat addition, LWP; 10.5 t/ha natural humus material addition, MWP; and 15 t/ha natural humus material addition, HWP). The results show that natural humus material additions (LWP, MWP, and HWP treatments) could significantly increase SOM (increased by 4.79~9.41 g/kg), labile SOM (increased by 2.49~4.52 g/kg), and recalcitrant SOM (increased by 2.13~6.39 g/kg) components, respectively. For comparison, traditional organic material inputs (SR, DS, and OM treatments) had no significant effect on SOM but induced an increase in the labile SOM component in the following year. This study also found that natural humus material additions could improve soil-integrated fertility in a year term, especially in promoting SOM accumulation. However, organic manure amendment showed both the advantage of increasing soil fertility slightly and the disadvantage of increasing soil salt sharply. In conclusion, compared with traditional exogenous organic materials, the natural humus material amendment technique can rapidly increase the total SOM quantity and its different stability components and has a great effect in improving the integrated fertility of black soil. Thus, it is of significance to further study the potential of natural humus material amendment in the fertility of black soil in future.

Organic amendments are a proven method of reducing soil erosion. However, the effect of organic additives on the pore properties of soils waterlogged by extreme rainfall has been minimally investigated. In this study, we collected rainfall data, established a field experiment consisting of randomized groups, and imaged the pore structure of waterlogged soil treated with different organic amendments (9 t ha−1 of maize straw [MS], 2.37 t ha−1 of cattle manure [OF], a mixture of 9 t ha−1 of MS and 1.89 t ha−1 of cattle manure [SOF], 7.4 t ha−1 of biochar [BC], 8.1 t ha−1 of woody peat [WP], and 3 L ha−1 of polyacrylamide [PAM]) in three-dimensions by X-ray microtomography and digital image analysis, which further quantified the effects. The results showed that, compared with the control, BC increased the total porosity by 54.28% and the connected porosity by 119.75%, but did not affect the pore shape and size distribution. BC and SOF improved the soil connectivity indexes; e.g., their C/I ratios increased by 177.44% and 149.62%, and the coordination numbers increased by 6.75% and 15.76%, respectively. MS had fewer, but longer and larger, channels and throats. Extreme precipitation events were significantly negatively correlated with all connectivity indicators. This study shows that organic materials can optimize the pore structure of waterlogged soil, with BC being the most resistant to erosion. However, extreme precipitation events can counteract the benefits organic additives have on soil pore structure.

As aging progresses, β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and the resulting oxidative damage are key causes of aging diseases such as senior osteoporosis (SOP). Humulus lupulus L. (hops) is an important medicinal plant widely used in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries due to its strong antioxidant ability. In this study, APP/PS1 mutated transgenic mice and Aβ-injured osteoblasts were used to evaluate the protective effects of hops extracts (HLE) on SOP. Mice learning and memory levels were assessed by the Morris water maze. Mice femurs were prepared for bone micro-structures and immunohistochemistry experiments. The deposition of Aβ in the hippocampus, cortex and femurs were determined by Congo red staining. Moreover, protein expressions related to antioxidant pathways were evaluated by Western blotting. It was found that HLE markedly improved learning abilities and ameliorated memory impairment of APP/PS1 mice, as well as regulated antioxidant enzymes and bone metabolism proteins in mice serum. Micro-CT tests indicated that HLE enhanced BMD and improved micro-architectural parameters of mice femur. More importantly, it was discovered that HLE significantly reduced Aβ deposition both in the brain and femur. Further in vitro results showed HLE increased the bone mineralization nodule and reduced the ROS level of Aβ-injured osteoblasts. Additionally, HLE increased the expression of antioxidant related proteins Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, FoxO1 and SOD-2. These results indicated that Humulus lupulus L. extract could protect against senior osteoporosis through inhibiting Aβ deposition and oxidative stress, which provides a reference for the clinical application of hops in the prevention and treatment of SOP.

Taking hydraulic punching test of Zhaozhuang Mine as engineering background, by comparing the field application effects of different hydraulic punching processes, the relationship between coal moisture content around the borehole blockage and gas extraction effect was monitored and analyzed. The following conclusions were drawn: the occurrence of borehole blockage was the result of the comprehensive action of coal slag particle size and slag discharge capacity of punching return water. Blocking the borehole led to the accumulation of a large amount of punching high-pressure water and coal slag in the borehole, which compressed and infiltrated the surrounding coal body and reduced gas extraction efficiency of borehole. Under the condition of the same amount of coal produced by punching, the different punching methods led to the great difference in the influence radius of punching. The large flow three-stage coal-breaking hydraulic punching system developed according to the borehole blockage mechanism can effectively reduce the particle size of coal slag, increase the punching flow, effectively avoid borehole blockage, and improve gas extraction efficiency of borehole.

Objective An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of L-arginine (L-Arg) and N-carbamoylglutamic acid (NCG) on the growth, metabolism, immunity and community of cecal bacterial flora of weanling and young rabbits. Methods Eighteen normal-grade male weanling Japanese White rabbits (JWR) were selected and randomly divided into 6 groups with or without L-Arg and NCG supplementation. The whole feeding process was divided into weanling stage (day 37 to 65) and young stage (day 66 to 85). The effects of L-Arg and NCG on the growth, metabolism, immunity and development of the ileum and jejunum were compared via nutrient metabolism experiments and histological assessment. The different communities of cecal bacterial flora affected by L-Arg and NCG were assessed using high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis. Results The addition of L-Arg and NCG enhanced the growth of weanling and young rabbit by increasing the nitrogen metabolism, protein efficiency ratio, and biological value, as well as feed intake and daily weight gain. Both L-Arg and NCG increased the concentration of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgM, and IgG. NCG was superior to L-Arg in promoting intestinal villus development by increasing villus height, villus height/crypt depth index, and reducing the crypt depth. The effects of L-Arg and NCG on the cecal bacterial flora were mainly concentrated in different genera, including Parabacteroides, Roseburia, dgA-11_gut_group, Alistipes, Bacteroides, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005. These bacteria function mainly in amino acid transport and metabolism, energy production and conversion, lipid transport and metabolism, recombination and repair, cell cycle control, cell division, and cell motility. Conclusion L-Arg and NCG can promote the growth and immunity of weanling and young JWR, as well as effecting the jejunum and ileum villi. L-Arg and NCG have different effects in the promotion of nutrient utilization, relieving inflammation and enhancing adaptability through regulating microbial community.

The dynamic architecture of the human brain has been consistently observed. However, there is still limited modeling work to elucidate how neuronal circuits are hierarchically and flexibly organized in functional systems. Here we proposed a reachable probability approach based on non-homogeneous Markov chains, to characterize all possible connectivity flows and the hierarchical structure of brain functional systems at the dynamic level. We proved at the theoretical level the convergence of the functional brain network system, and demonstrated that this approach is able to detect network steady states across connectivity structure, particularly in areas of the default mode network. We further explored the dynamically hierarchical functional organization centered at the primary sensory cortices. We observed smaller optimal reachable steps to their local functional regions, and differentiated patterns in larger optimal reachable steps for primary perceptual modalities. The reachable paths with the largest and second largest transition probabilities between primary sensory seeds via multisensory integration regions were also tracked to explore the flexibility and plasticity of the multisensory integration. The present work provides a novel approach to depict both the stable and flexible hierarchical connectivity organization of the human brain.

Artificial intelligence (AI) coupled with promising machine learning (ML) techniques well known from computer science is broadly affecting many aspects of various fields including science and technology, industry, and even our day-to-day life. The ML techniques have been developed to analyze high-throughput data with a view to obtaining useful insights, categorizing, predicting, and making evidence-based decisions in novel ways, which will promote the growth of novel applications and fuel the sustainable booming of AI. This paper undertakes a comprehensive survey on the development and application of AI in different aspects of fundamental sciences, including information science, mathematics, medical science, materials science, geoscience, life science, physics, and chemistry. The challenges that each discipline of science meets, and the potentials of AI techniques to handle these challenges, are discussed in detail. Moreover, we shed light on new research trends entailing the integration of AI into each scientific discipline. The aim of this paper is to provide a broad research guideline on fundamental sciences with potential infusion of AI, to help motivate researchers to deeply understand the state-of-the-art applications of AI-based fundamental sciences, and thereby to help promote the continuous development of these fundamental sciences. Public summary: • “Can machines think?” The goal of artificial intelligence (AI) is to enable machines to mimic human thoughts and behaviors, including learning, reasoning, predicting, and so on. • “Can AI do fundamental research?” AI coupled with machine learning techniques is impacting a wide range of fundamental sciences, including mathematics, medical science, physics, etc. • “How does AI accelerate fundamental research?” New research and applications are emerging rapidly with the support by AI infrastructure, including data storage, computing power, AI algorithms, and frameworks.

This paper presents a single-inductor boost converter for thermoelectric energy harvesting. A two-stages startup circuit with a three-phase operation is adopted to obtain self-startup with a single inductor. To extract the maximum energy, a coarse- and fine-tuning MPPT is proposed to adaptively and effectively track the internal source resistance. By designing a zero-current detector, the synchronization loss is reduced, which significantly improves the peak efficiency. The boost converter is implemented in a 0.18-μm standard CMOS process. Simulation results show that the converter self-starts the operation from a TEG voltage of 128 mV and achieves 88% peak efficiency, providing a maximum output power of 3.78 mW. The improved MPPT enables the converter to sustain the operation at an input voltage as low as 7.5 mV after self-startup.

The overapplication of mineral nitrogen (N) fertilizer has become a scientific problem to be solved in the North China Plain; meanwhile, most organic manure cannot be recycled into the soil. To make full use of organic manure and decrease the applied rate of mineral N fertilizer, a four-year fertilization experiment was carried out to assess the effects of substituting mineral fertilizer with organic manure on soil organic carbon (SOC), labile organic carbon (LOC), stable organic carbon (UOC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), and soil enzymatic activity. There were six treatments including unfertilized control (CK); mineral fertilizer without organic manure (FR); and mineral nitrogen substituted by organic manure at 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% (FM1, FM2, FM3, and FM4), respectively. The results showed that SOC, UOC, and LOC were significantly increased by 13.30~40.56%, 41.10~121.92%, and 4.91~15.57% with increasing amounts of organic manure, respectively. Adding organic manure also enhanced urease, catalase, sucrase, and cellulase activities as well as MBC in surface soil (0–20 cm). The present study revealed the activities of urease, catalase, sucrase, and cellulase were closely related to SOC and its components. Following organic manure application, MBC and enzymatic activities had active effects in enhancing LOC and UOC sequestration based on path analyses. Additionally, organic manure increased SOC by direct and indirect enhancement of UOC and LOC, respectively, and improved SOC sequestration as compared to FR treatment. Finally, the study revealed that SOC quantity and quality were both significantly improved by combined application of mineral fertilizer and organic manure, and this effect was enhanced with the increase of organic manure application. Considering the improvements in soil properties and grain yields, substituting mineral fertilizer with organic manure might be a promising alternative in the North China Plain.

Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS), or guanosine triphosphatase KRAS, is a proto-oncogene that encodes the small guanosine triphosphatase transductor protein. Previous studies have found that KRAS can promote cytokine secretion, cell chemotaxis, and survival. However, its effects on milk fat synthesis in bovine mammary epithelial cells are unclear. In this study, the effects of KRAS inhibition on cell metabolism, autophagy, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial function, and lipid composition as well as the potential mechanisms were detected in an immortalized dairy cow mammary epithelial cell line (MAC-T). The results showed that inhibition of KRAS changed the lipid composition (especially the triglyceride level), mitochondrial functions, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress in cells. Moreover, KRAS inhibition regulated the levels of the mammalian target of rapamycin and mitogen-activated protein kinase (extracellular regulated protein kinases, c-Jun N-terminal kinases, p38) activation. These results indicated that regulation of KRAS would affect the synthesis and composition of milk fat. These results are also helpful for exploring the synthesis and secretion of milk fat at the molecular level and provide a theoretical basis for improving the percentage of fat in milk and the yield of milk from cows.

Cyanophages play an important role in regulating the dynamics of cyanobacteria communities in the hydrosphere, representing a promising biological control strategy for cyanobacterial blooms. Nevertheless, most cyanophages are host-specific, making it difficult to control blooming cyanobacteria via single or multiple cyanophages. In order to address the issue, we explore the interaction between cyanophages and their heterologous hosts, with the aim of revealing the principles of designing and constructing an artificial cyanophage genome towards multiple cyanobacterial hosts. In the present study, we use synthetic biological approaches to assess the impact of introducing a fragment of cyanophage genome into a heterologous cyanobacterium under a variety of environmental conditions. Based on a natural cyanophage A-4L genome (41,750 bp), a truncated cyanophage genome Syn-A-4-8 is synthesized and assembled in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that a 351–15,930 bp area of the A-4L genome has a fragment that is lethal to Escherichia coli during the process of attempting to assemble the full-length A-4L genome. Syn-A-4-8 was successfully introduced into E. coli and then transferred into the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (Syn7942) via conjugation. Although no significant phenotypes of Syn7942 carrying Syn-A-4-8 (LS-02) could be observed under normal conditions, its growth exhibited a prolonged lag phase compared to that of the control strain under 290-millimolar NaCl stress. Finally, the mechanisms of altered salt tolerance in LS-02 were revealed through comparative transcriptomics, and ORF25 and ORF26 on Syn-A-4-8 turned out to be the key genes causing the phenotype. Our research represents an important attempt in designing artificial cyanophages towards multiple hosts, and offers new future insights into the control of cyanobacterial blooms.

The accurate estimation of the soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rate is very important for studying farmland soil fertility and environmental effects. In this research, a typical fluvor-aquic soil area, Fengqiu county, located in the Yellow River basin of the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain of China, was chosen as a study area. The physicochemical properties of 70 soil samples collected from the surface layer (at a depth of 0–20 cm) in 2011 were analyzed, and related data about the sampling sites were also collected from the Second State Soil Survey of China (SSSSC), conducted in 1981. The results revealed that the SOC density (SOCD) in Fengqiu county increased greatly on a spatio-temporal scale. The average SOCD increased from 15.66 to 26.09 Mg ha−1, and the SOCD sequestration rate was more than 0.20 Mg C ha−1 year−1 in most regions. Few areas showed lost carbon in the past 30 years (1981–2011). In addition, the study suggested that all the areas present strong carbon sequestration potential in the coming decades from 2011, and the carbon sequestration potential was mainly between 32–40 Mg ha−1. Finally, the SOCD sequestration rate was not only affected by natural factors, such as soil type and pH, but also positively correlated with artificial soil management measures, such as fertilization and straw returning. Therefore, we concluded that the farmland in Fengqiu county showed significant carbon sequestration characteristics in the past 30 years (1981–2011). Considering that soil has a great potential for carbon sequestration in the future, the trend of carbon sequestration in farmland soil might continue for a period of time. Furthermore, the results of this study emphasized that strengthening soil scientific management may play a positive role in improving soil carbon sequestration.

Tributyltin oxide (TBTO), an organotin compound, has been demonstrated to have toxic effects on several cell types. Previous research has shown that TBTO impairs mouse denuded oocyte maturation. However, limited information is available on the effects of TBTO exposure on livestock reproductive systems, especially on porcine oocytes in the presence of dense cumulus cells. In the present research, we evaluated the effects of TBTO exposure on porcine oocyte maturation and the possible underlying mechanisms. Porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes were cultured in maturation medium with or without TBTO for 42 h. We found that TBTO exposure during oocyte maturation prevented polar body extrusion, inhibited cumulus expansion and impaired subsequent blastocyst formation after parthenogenetic activation. Further analysis revealed that TBTO exposure not only induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation but also caused a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced intracellular ATP generation. In addition, TBTO exposure impaired porcine oocyte quality by disrupting cellular iron homeostasis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that TBTO exposure impairs the porcine oocyte maturation process by inducing intracellular ROS accumulation, causing mitochondrial dysfunction, and disrupting cellular iron homeostasis, thus decreasing the quality and impairing the subsequent embryonic developmental competence of porcine oocytes.

Accumulating evidence indicates that ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death. This type of iron-dependent programmed cell death is different from traditional forms of regulated cell death, such as apoptosis and autophagy. However, the role of ferroptosis in porcine oocyte maturation and the associated mechanism remain unclear. In the present research, we investigated the effects of ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), a specific ferroptosis inducer, on porcine oocyte meiotic maturation and quality and subsequent embryonic developmental competence. FAC treatment caused obvious accumulation of intracellular ferrous ions in porcine oocytes. At the end of the in vitro maturation (IVM) period, there was a significant decrease in the polar body (PB) extrusion rate and an increase in the percentage of abnormal oocytes in the FAC treatment groups, indicating that iron overload-induced ferroptosis may suppress the meiotic process during porcine oocyte maturation. We also found that after FAC treatment, the subsequent two-cell rate, four-cell rate and blastocyst formation rate were significantly decreased in porcine parthenogenetic activation (PA) embryos, indicating that iron overload-induced ferroptosis decreased porcine oocyte quality. Further analysis revealed that FAC treatment not only enhanced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, decreased intracellular free thiol levels and induced mitochondrial dysfunction but also triggered autophagy in porcine oocytes. Taken together, these findings suggest that iron overload-induced ferroptosis impairs porcine oocyte meiosis and decreases porcine oocyte quality, possibly by increasing oxidative stress, inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and triggering autophagy.

Abstract Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with increasing incidence and mortality and represents one of the most common cancer types worldwide. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a complex particle composed of several proteins and lipids, which carries cholesterol into peripheral tissues and also affects the metabolism of fatty acids. Recent reports have indicated an emerging role of LDL in breast cancer, affecting cell proliferation and migration, thereby facilitating disease progression. However, controversy still exists among distinct types of breast cancer that can be affected by LDL. Classical therapeutic approaches, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and lipid-lowering drugs were also reported as affecting LDL metabolism and content in breast cancer patients. Therefore, in this review we summarized and discussed the role of LDL in the development and treatment of breast cancer.