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Attraction and mating between male and female animals depend on effective communication between conspecifics. However, in mosquitoes, we have only a rudimentary understanding of the sensory cues and receptors critical for the communication that is essential for reproductive behavior. While it is known that male Aedes aegypti use sound to help them identify females, it is not unclear whether sound detection is absolutely required since other cues such as vision may also participate in mating behavior. To determine the effect of eliminating hearing on mating success, we knocked out the Ae. aegypti TRPVa channel, which is a protein expressed in chordotonal neurons in the Johnstons organ (JO) that respond to sound-induced movements in the antenna. Loss of trpVa eradicated sound-induced responses from the JO, thereby abolishing hearing. Strikingly, mutation of trpVa eliminated mating behavior in males. In contrast, trpVa-null females mated, although this behavior was slightly delayed relative to wild-type females. Males and females produce sounds as they beat their wings at distinct frequencies during flight. Sound mimicking the female wingbeat induced flight, attraction, and copulatory-like behavior in wild-type males without females present, but not in trpVa-null males. Males are known to modulate their wingbeat frequencies before mating in the air, which is a phenomenon referred to as rapid frequency modulation (RFM). We found that RFM was absent in mosquitoes lacking TRPVa. We conclude that the requirement for trpVa and hearing for male reproductive behavior in Aedes is absolute, as mating in the deaf males is eliminated.

As foundational models in specialized fields like sound art have rapidly advanced, the convergence of artificial intelligence with music creation and performance has become increasingly pronounced. A novel framework for music creation and performance called the parallel music system was proposed. Grounded in parallel systems theory and the artificial system, computational experiments, parallel execution (ACP) approach, this system stimulates the real-world music creation and performance environments to build highly authentic virtual scenarios. It facilitates real-time, seamless interactions between the virtual and real music systems and outlines the technological strategies for music creation and performance in the era of large models, incorporating a hybrid team of humans, digital beings, and robots. Additionally, the theoretical framework of parallel music and its critical technologies are discussed, the innovative contributions and potential in the modern music field are evaluated, the applications in scenarios like music generation and music therapy are examined. The objective is to harness the emerging AI technologies of the large model era to enhance traditional paths in music creation, drive technological advancements in music performance, unlock the creative potential of musicians, and offer fresh perspectives and inspirations for music creation and performance in the new era.

This paper uses a user-based collaborative filtering algorithm to predict the ratings of items by target users and to recommend items that target users have not interacted with. The red music and cultural resources were ranked according to their values, and the Bartholomew coefficient was introduced to calculate the similarity of items from the perspective of a probability distribution, and the content recommendation algorithm was used to construct a model of ecological civilization education concept. It is found that more than 50% of undergraduate college students pay regular attention to ecological environment information, and 30.56% of them will actively learn ecological civilization knowledge, which is not thorough and comprehensive enough for ecological civilization concept establishment and cultivation. It is suggested that universities should integrate red music culture into ecological civilization education to create an ecological civilization cultivation atmosphere.

Organ transplant recipients with hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection bears high risk to develop chronic hepatitis, which is generally associated with immunosuppressive therapies. This study aimed to identify the incidence and predictors of de novo HEV infection in patients after receiving transplantation. We performed a large retrospective study to investigate the prevalence of anti‐HEV at baseline, incidence of de novo HEV infection after transplantation, and the risk factors of HEV infection among patients with liver transplant in China. A total of 407 liver transplant recipients were examined for the presence of anti‐HEV immunoglobulin G, IgM antibodies, and HEV RNA in serum. Basal indexes in individuals with evidence of post‐transplant HEV infection were compared with those without evidence of that, and risk factors associated with HEV infection were assessed. The prevalence of anti‐HEV at pretransplant in liver transplant recipients was 25.8% (105/407). Serum‐negative conversion occurred in 34 (32.38%) of 105 liver transplant patients. Sixty‐five out of 302 patients had de novo HEV infection after transplantation, with a cumulative incidence of 42.74% during follow‐up. After transplantation, HEV infection was associated with liver failure (p = 0.012), hypoproteinemia (p = 0.030) and higher level of r‐glutamyl transferase (GGT) (p = 0.022) before transplantation. Graft rejection (OR = 0.075; p = 0.045) was negatively associated with serum‐negative conversion in patients who had positive anti‐HEV antibody before transplantation. The incidence of de novo HEV infection after transplantation were higher in China. Liver failure, hypoproteinemia, and GGT elevation may be associated with HEV infection after liver transplantation. This study suggests that prevention and control of HEV infection after liver transplantation should be paid attention in patients bearing these risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivative, TPEPhDAT, modified by diaminotriazine (DAT), was prepared by successive Suzuki–Miyaura coupling and ring-closing reactions. This compound exhibits aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) properties in the DMSO/MeOH system, with a fluorescence emission intensity in the aggregated state that is 5-fold higher than that of its counterpart in a dilute solution. Moreover, the DAT structure of the molecule is a good acceptor of protons; thus, the TPEPhDAT molecule exhibits acid-responsive fluorescence. TPEPhDAT was protonated by trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), leading to fluorescence quenching, which was reversibly restored by treatment with ammonia (on–off switch). Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) computational studies have shown that protonation enhances the electron-withdrawing capacity of the triazine nucleus and reduces the bandgap. The protonated TPEPhDAT conformation became more distorted, and the fluorescence lifetime was attenuated, which may have produced a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) effect, leading to fluorescence redshift and quenching. MeOH can easily remove the protonated TPEPhDAT, and this acid-induced discoloration and erasable property can be applied in anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tiger nut is the tuber of the perennial herbaceous plant Cyperus esculentus L., whose unique underground tubers are not only the main reproductive organ but also an important oil storage site. Oleosin is the most abundant structural protein in the oil body, which is an important membrane structural protein, playing a role in the formation and stability of lipid droplets in oilseed crops. Most studies have focused on the oleosin in oilseeds, but rarely on the oil containing tuber. In this study, nine oleosin genes from the Cyperus esculentus transcriptome were identified and divided into two groups via phylogenetic analysis. The expression patterns of the nine oleosins were examined through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in various development stages of stem tissue (35 d, 50 d, 75 d, 90 d, and 120 d after sowing). The subcellular localization of CeOle4 indicated that this protein was localized exclusively to membrane, indicating that it functioned in the plasma membrane. The highly expressed gene CeOle4 within the CeOleosin gene family was further transformed into yeast cells and plant materials. The results demonstrate that CeOle4 can promote lipid synthesis, enhancing the stability of oil lipids at low temperature and changing seed phenotypic traits. This discovery addresses and enriches the research on the function of CeOleosin genes and lays the groundwork for future studies on novel and superior transgenic crops related to tiger nut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the distribution of sedimentary phosphorus (P) species along an area of a rapid current at the southern coast of Zhoushan Island. The objective of this study was to improve the understanding of P cycling in a zone of rapid water cycling. Results showed that the average percentage of each P form to total P (TP) was in the following order: apatite P (Ca-P; 52%) was found in the most abundant, followed by organic P (OP; 16%), exchangeable-P (Ex-P; 14%), detrital P (De-P; 11%), and iron-bound P (Fe-P; 7%). Ca-P showed a trend of an increasing concentration from a location at the west (ZS1 has mean Ca-P = 45.6 mg kg−1) toward the east (ZS2 has mean Ca-P = 82.69 mg kg−1) and south-east (ZS3 has mean Ca-P = 82.17 mg kg−1); De-P also increased from 15.12 mg kg−1 at ZS1 to 22.53 mg kg−1 at ZS2 and 27.45 mg kg−1 at ZS3, but the three bioavailable P species, OP, Ex-P, and Fe-P, decreased from the west toward the east of the coastal area. Results along the cores showed the occurrences of sediment P adsorption and release throughout the time span from the 1930s to the present, with an overall trend of decreasing Ca-P and TP from the bottom to surface sediments. There was a tendency of Ca-P formation at the expense of Ex-P and OP release during transport and organic matter decomposition. The likely impact of climate change in the coastal zone would be an increased temperature resulting in elevated organic matter decomposition and P release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the low-temperature adaptability of different provenances of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa, we used 21 clones from seven provenances as experimental materials and observed the changes in physiological and biochemical indicators and the characteristics of anatomical structures under low-temperature stress. A comprehensive evaluation of their cold resistance was conducted using the membership function method. As the temperature decreased, the relative electrical conductivity (REC) of clone 89 became stable and had the lowest LT50 value (−44.04 °C). The cold-resistant Z. jujuba var. spinosa had a higher bound water/free water (BW/FW) ratio and antioxidant enzyme activity and accumulated large quantities of osmotic regulatory substances. Higher xylem, phloem, and xylem–cortex ratios and greater conduit density enhanced the cold resistance of Z. jujuba var. spinosa. The membership function values of clones 89, 90, 91, 604, and 612 were greater than 0.6, indicating that they could be evaluated as resources with the potential for low-temperature resistance. The cold resistance rankings for the different provenances were as follows: Kazuo, Liaoning > Jiaxian, Shaanxi > Fuxing, Heibei > Changqing, Shandong > Neiqiu, Heibei > Yanchuan, Shaanxi > Xiaxian, Shanxi. These results provide a scientific basis for the rapid and accurate identification of cold resistance in Z. jujuba var. spinosa resources and the breeding and cultivation of new cold-resistant varieties of this subspecies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in pregnant women is associated with a wide spectrum of adverse consequences for both mother and fetus. The high mortality in this population appears to be associated with hormonal changes and consequent immunological changes. This study conducted an analysis of immune responses in pregnant women infected with HEV manifesting varying severity. Data mining analysis of the GSE79197 was utilized to examine differentially biological functions in pregnant women with HEV infection (P‐HEV) versus without HEV infection (P‐nHEV), P‐HEV progressing to ALF (P‐ALF) versus P‐HEV, and P‐HEV versus non‐pregnant women with HEV infection (nP‐HEV). We found cellular response to interleukin and immune response‐regulating signalings were activated in P‐HEV compared with P‐nHEV. However, there was a significant decrease of immune responses, such as T cell activation, leukocyte cell‐cell adhesion, regulation of lymphocyte activation, and immune response‐regulating signaling pathway in P‐ALF patient than P‐HEV patient. Compared with nP‐HEV, MHC protein complex binding function was inhibited in P‐HEV. Further microRNA enrichment analysis showed that MAPK and T cell receptor signaling pathways were inhibited in P‐HEV compared with nP‐HEV. In summary, immune responses were activated during HEV infection while being suppressed when developing ALF during pregnancy, heightening the importance of immune mediation in the pathogenesis of severe outcome in HEV infected pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Compact Morpho‐Molecular Microscopy (CM3) is proposed and demonstrated for multi‐functional imaging and characterization of living cells and material structures by simultaneously offering quantitative phase imaging (QPI), dispersion characterization, and fluorescence imaging. The compactness and stability of CM3 are realized by propagating lasers of different wavelengths in specially treated optical fibers and fiber‐based beam splitters and wavelength division multiplexers, as well as simplifying the detection scheme through Fourier‐space multiplexing and implementing a single camera for both QPI and fluorescence imaging. Quantitative phase maps of two wavelengths are retrieved from a multiplexed interferogram, and a synthesized wavelength phase map is derived to guide the height profiling of samples with extended depth. With the wavelength resolved phase maps, a physical model is derived to obtain sample dispersion parameters, which further enables us to quantify the hemoglobin concentration of red blood cells in real time. By inserting an appropriate emission color filter, fluorescence imaging is realized using the same camera, which significantly broadens the cell imaging applications of CM3. As a cost‐effective and multifaceted imaging method, CM3 may find many promising applications in live‐cell imaging and material characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]