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The darkbarbel catfish (Pelteobagrus vachelli), a species of significant economic value in China's aquaculture sector, is widely utilized in hybrid yellow catfish production due to its exceptional growth rate. The growth rate of male P. vachelli is significantly higher compared to females, making all-male breeding a promising market opportunity. Therefore, the analysis of the male P. vachelli genome provides crucial genetic information for hybrid breeding and all-male breeding. Utilizing PacBio Hifi long-read sequencing and Hi-C technologies, we present a high-quality, chromosome-level genome assembly for the male P. vachelli. The assembly covers 728.88 Mb with 99.92% of the sequence distributed across 26 chromosomes. The contig N50 is 5.60 Mb, and the scaffold N50 is 28.76 Mb. The completeness of the P. vachelli genome assembly is highlighted by a BUSCO score of 97.45%. The genome is estimated to encode 25,121 protein-coding genes, with 93.46% annotated functionally and a BUSCO score of 96.40%. Repeat elements constitute approximately 38.97% of the genome. This comprehensive genome assembly represents an invaluable resource for advancing hybrid breeding, comparative genomics, and evolutionary studies in catfish and related species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Great temperature variations increase the risk of illness or death in the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, potentially leading to significant economic losses in the farming industry. Therefore, it is crucial to find effective strategies to overcome temperature stress-induced damage in the farming industry. Herein, we evaluated the roles of dietary tannic acid in regulating liver health under temperature fluctuations. The results found that 2 g/kg dietary tannic acid improved the activities of antioxidant enzymes and alleviated histological injuries in the liver. Furthermore, it affected the metabolic profiles and regulated energy-related signaling pathways in the liver to deal with cold stress, such as adipocytokine signaling pathway, steroid biosynthesis, and α-linolenic acid metabolism. Generally, this research indicated that 2 g/kg TA could protect hepatic health from temperature fluctuations by enhancing the antioxidant capacity, reducing histological injuries, and regulating lipid-related signaling pathways. To assess the impact of tannic acid (TA) on the hepatic health of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, the individuals were fed diets containing 0 (CG), 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 g/kg TA diets for 60 days (0 hps). Afterwards, the turtles were challenged with 15 °C cold stress for 24 h (24 hps) and then recovered to 28 °C for 24 h (48 hps). The results indicated that 4 g/kg TA has a significant toxic effect on the turtles after 60-day administration. The hepatic T-SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, and T-AOC activities in the TA2 were increased at 0 hps and 24 hps (p < 0.05) compared with CG. Similarly, Sod1, Sod2, Cat, Gsh-px3, and Gsh-px4 mRNA levels in the TA2 were higher than in the other four groups at 0 hps and 24 hps (p < 0.05). The histology data showed that 4 g/kg TA induced injuries in liver at 0 hps and after temperature fluctuation, whereas the 2 g/kg TA effectively attenuated the hepatic injuries. A total of 202 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) in the CG vs. TA2 and 115 DEMs in the LTCG vs. LTTA2 were separately detected by the metabolome. The cephalosporin C, protoporphyrin, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 2-acetamidoethylphosphonat, verbasosid, and norcocain, were obvious DEMs in the CG vs. TA2. Furthermore, valienone 7-phosphate, 5-HETE, pregnanetriolone, 4-keto-anhydrotetracyclin, dephospho-CoA, and lysoPC(18:4(6Z,9Z,12Z,15Z)/0:0) were top DEMs in the LTCG vs. LTTA2. The "adipocytokine signaling pathway" and "AMPK signaling pathway" were the key pathways enriched in the CG vs. TA2, while "fatty acid biosynthesis", "steroid biosynthesis", and "linoleic acid metabolism" were most abundant in the LTCG vs. LTTA2. Generally, this research indicated that 2 g/kg TA could protect hepatic health from temperature fluctuations by improving antioxidant capacity, reducing histological injuries, and regulating lipid-related signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis), as a type of warm-water reptile, could be induced to massive death by sharp temperature decline. Hence, the mechanism of spleen tissue responding to cold stress in the P. sinensis was investigated. The present results showed that the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity declined from 4 to 16 days post-cold-stress (dps), while the catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities increased, from 4 to 8 dps in the 14 °C (T14) and 7 °C (T7) stress groups. The spleen transcriptome in the T7 group and the control group (CG) at 4 dps obtained 2625 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 1462 upregulated and 1663 downregulated genes. The DEGs were enriched mainly in the pathways "intestinal immune network for IgA production" (Pigr, Il15ra, Tnfrsf17, Aicda, and Cd28), "toll-like receptor signaling pathway" (Mapk10, Tlr2, Tlr5, Tlr7, and Tlr8), and "cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction" (Cx3cl1, Cx3cr1, Cxcl14, Cxcr3, and Cxcr4). The metabolomic data showed that esculentic acid, tyrosol, diosgenin, heptadecanoic acid, and 7-ketodeoxycholic acid were obviously increased, while baccatin III, taurohyocholate, parthenolide, enterolactone, and tricin were decreased, in the CG vs. T7 comparison. Integrated analysis of the two omics revealed that "glycine, serine and threonine metabolism", "FoxO signaling pathway", and "neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction" were the main pathways responding to the cold stress. Overall, this work found that low temperature remarkably influenced the antioxidant enzyme activities, gene expression pattern, and metabolite profile in the spleen, indicating that immunity might be weakened by cold stress in P. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) has a high mortality and morbidity rate and seriously jeopardizes human life. Chemicals and chemotherapeutic agents have been experiencing problems such as side effects and drug resistance in the treatment of HCC, which cannot meet the needs of clinical treatment. Therefore, finding novel low-toxicity and high-efficiency anti-hepatocellular carcinoma drugs and exploring their mechanisms of action have become the current problems to be solved in the treatment of HCC. Several studies have reported anticancer effects of inotodiol. This study focuses on the anticancer effect of inotodiol in HCC cells and its molecular mechanism, aiming to explore its anticancer effect in depth. The CCK8 assay was utilized to assess cell viability, the scratch assay was utilized to detect migration ability, the clone formation assay was utilized to detect clonogenic ability, and flow cytometry was utilized to analyze apoptosis and cell cycle. Animal experiments was utilized to verify the inhibitory effect of inotodiol on HCC. Meanwhile, western blotting was utilized to detect proteins associated with apoptosis, cell cycle and MAPK/ERK pathway. These results showed that inotodiol has the ability to promote apoptosis, as well as inhibit the ability of cell proliferation, migration, and clonogenic ability. The cell cycle was arrested in G1 phase, when the expression of CDK2, CDK4, CDK6 and Cyclin D were inhibited. In addition, inotodiol showed to induce apoptosis, characterized by an increase in Bax expression, a decrease in Bcl-2, Bcl-XL and MCL1 expression, the initiation of cleaved PARP1 and cleaved caspase 3, and inhibition of the MAPK/ERK pathway. Animal studies demonstrated that inotodiol possessed the ability to suppress tumor growth in nude mice models, at the same time, there was no significant impact on the body weight and organs of the mice. In conclusion, the findings presented herein compellingly suggest that inotodiol may serve as a promising candidate for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel geometry-based synchrosqueezing S-transform (GSSST) for advanced gearbox fault diagnosis, designed to enhance diagnostic precision in both planetary and parallel gearboxes. Traditional time-frequency analysis (TFA) methods, such as the Synchrosqueezing S-transform (SSST), often face challenges in accurately representing fault-related features when significant mode closely spaced components are present. The proposed GSSST method overcomes these limitations by implementing an intuitive geometric reassignment framework, which reassigns time-frequency (TF) coefficients to maximize energy concentration, thereby allowing fault components to be distinctly isolated even under challenging conditions. The GSSST algorithm calculates a new instantaneous frequency (IF) estimator that aligns closely with the ideal IF, thus concentrating TF coefficients more effectively than existing methods. Experimental validation, including tests on simulated signals and real-world gearbox fault data, demonstrates that GSSST achieves high robustness and diagnostic accuracy across various types of gearbox faults even in the presence of noise. Moreover, unlike conventional reassignment method, GSSST supports partial signal reconstruction, a key advantage for applications requiring accurate signal recovery. This research highlights GSSST as a promising and versatile tool for diagnosing complex mechanical faults and provides new insights for the future development of TFA methods in mechanical fault analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotary vector planetary gear reducer is a critical joint reducer widely employed in various robotic systems. Due to numerous components and complex motion, the machining and assembly of its components significantly impact its motion accuracy. This paper utilizes transmission error (TE) traceability analysis and Fourier analysis to identify and characterize the TE components in rotary vector planetary reducers. By analyzing the motion characteristics of individual components, this study identifies the frequency characteristics of each component. Fourier frequency domain discretization, based on experimental TE measurements, verifies these characteristics, identifying the main factors affecting TE and providing theoretical support for enhancing transmission accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effect of tannic acid (TA) on the growth, disease resistance, and intestinal health of Chinese soft-shelled turtles, individual turtles were fed with 0 g/kg (CG), 0.5 g/kg, 1 g/kg, 2 g/kg, and 4 g/kg TA diets for 98 days. Afterwards, the turtles' disease resistance was tested using Aeromonas hydrophila. The results showed that 0.5–4 g/kg of dietary TA increased the growth performance and feed utilization (p < 0.05), with 2.38 g/kg being the optimal level for the specific growth rate (SGR). The addition of 0.5–4 g/kg of TA in diets increased the mucosal fold height and submucosa thickness of the small intestine, which reached a maximum of 2 g/kg. The addition of 0.5–2 g/kg of TA effectively reduced the cumulative mortality that had been induced by A. hydrophila, with the 2 g/kg dosage leading to the lowest mortality. Additionally, 1–4 g/kg of TA improved the T-SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px activities during infection, while 2 g/kg of dietary TA enhanced the richness and diversity of the microbiota, for example, by increasing Actinobacteria but inhibiting Firmicutes. The transcriptome demonstrated that the predominant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in TA2 were mainly enriched in the PPAR signaling pathway (Acsl5, Apoa2, Apoa5, Fabp1, Fabp2, and Fabp6); in glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism (Chdh, Gatm, and Shmt1); and in steroid biosynthesis (Cel, Hsd17b7, Soat2, and Sqle). The main differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) that were discovered by means of metabolome analysis included cholylhistidine, calcipotriol, 13-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 12-acetate, and hexahomomethionine in CG vs. TA2. Integrative analyses of two omics revealed that 2 g/kg of TA mitigated inflammation by activating the PPAR signaling pathway and regulating the lipid metabolism via multiple pathways, such as steroid biosynthesis and α-linolenic acid metabolism. In general, the inclusion of 2 g/kg of TA in turtle diets can optimally promote growth and bacterial resistance by maintaining intestinal health and improving antioxidant capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: As a warm-water species, The Chinese soft-shelled turtle is fragile to external cold stress. It has been reported that the sudden temperature decline can lead to massive turtle death, which brings about huge economic loss in the farming industry. Our study can help us to understand how cold stress can damage turtles. In addition, it can promote knowing about the responding mechanism of turtles to low temperatures with molecular, metabolic, and pathway analyses. The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis), a type of warm-water reptile, is frequently chosen as the model animal to understand how organisms respond to environmental stressors. However, the responsive mechanism of P. sinensis to natural cold stress is unclear, especially in terms of metabolic pattern and molecular pathways. Herein, plasma biochemical, hepatic morphological, apoptotic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic detection methods were performed to investigate the response of P. sinensis to acute cold stress. A consistent increase in plasma AST and ALT activities with a decline in ALP activity was found following 14 °C and 7 °C cold stress compared with the control group. Plasma GLU, TG, CHO, and HDL contents, reflecting energy metabolism, were decreased to lower levels from 2 to 16 days post cold stress (dps). Histological and TUNEL detection in the liver demonstrated that the 14 °C and 7 °C cold stress caused severe morphological damage and cell apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. DEGs in the biosynthesis of fatty acids (Acsbg2, Acsl3, Acsl4, Acsl5, Mcat, and Acacb), as well as unsaturated fatty acids (Hsd17b12, Elovl7, Scd, and Baat), starch and sucrose metabolism (Pgm1, Pgm2, and Treh), and apoptosis (Ddit3, Gadd45a, Lmnb1, Tuba1c, Tnf, Tnfsf10, Fos, Itpr1, and Ctso) were discovered in the transcriptome under cold stress. The metabolomic data showed that metabolites, including chenodeoxycholic acid, oleoylethanolamide, uric acid, fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, CMP, and S-(Hydroxymethyl)-glutathione, were remarkably altered in the cold stress groups. Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic data revealed that pyrimidine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and pyruvate metabolism were the most significant pathways regulated by the low-temperature exposure. Overall, this work suggests that 14 °C and 7 °C cold stress could induce obvious morphological damage and apoptosis in the liver at 4 dps. Moreover, energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism were the main signaling pathways in response to cold stress for P. sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the issue of safe, orderly, and efficient operation for unmanned vehicles within the apron area in the future, a hardware framework of aircraft–vehicle–airfield collaboration and a trajectory planning method for unmanned vehicles on the apron were proposed. As for the vehicle–airfield perspective, a collaboration mechanism between flight support tasks and unmanned vehicle departure movement was constructed. As for the latter, a control mechanism was established for the right-of-way control of the apron. With the goal of reducing waiting time downstream of the pre-selected path, a multi-agent reinforcement learning model with a collaborative graph was created to accomplish path selection among various origin–destination pairs. Then, we took Apron NO.2 in Ezhou Huahu Airport as an example for simulation verification. The results show that, compared with traditional methods, the proposed method improves the average vehicle speed and reduces average vehicle queue time by 11.60% and 32.34%, respectively. The right-of-way signal-switching actions are associated with the path selection behavior of the corresponding agent, fitting the created aircraft–vehicle collaboration. After 10 episodes of training, the Q-values can steadily converge, with the deviation rate decreasing from 40% to below 0.22%, making the balance between sociality and competitiveness. A single trajectory can be planned in just 0.78 s, and for each second of training, 7.54 s of future movement of vehicles can be planned in the simulation world. Future research could focus on online rolling trajectory planning for UGSVs in the apron area, and realistic verification under multi-sensor networks can further advance the application of unmanned vehicles in apron operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft-shelled turtles, or Trionychia, are an enigmatic and fascinating group due to their specific morphological features and ecological adaptations. Based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and/or nuclear markers, previous studies showed the incongruent phylogenetic topologies within Trionychia (e.g., the Palea and its closely related species). In order to resolve the equivocal relationships and obtain some "genome-level" common evolutionary characters of soft-shelled turtles, in this study, we assembled and annotated the complete mitochondrial genomes of Palea steindachneri and Pelodiscus axenaria, both naturally distributed in Asia. The sizes of the two mitochondrial genomes were 16,811 bp and 17,143 bp, respectively. Typical vertebrate animal mtDNA features were observed, such as the usual gene components and arrangements (37 genes with a non-coding control region) and the A + T biased nucleotide compositions on the light strand (61.5% and 62.7%, respectively). All conserved blocks common to the vertebrates control region except for the extended terminal associated sequences (ETAS2) were found in the two soft-shelled turtles. The ω ratio averaged over all sites of each protein-coding gene (PCG) was below 1, which indicated purifying selection at the gene-wide level. However, a positive selection site at the 350-codon position in the cytb gene was detected, as estimated by Bayes empirical Bayes (BEB) analysis. Compared with the gene subsets, the mitogenomes provided the most robust phylogenetic resolution. The monophyly of the clades Amydona, Gigantaesuarochelys, and Apalonia was well supported. Topology discrepancies were observed among different datasets (e.g., the positions of Lissemys and Palea), reflecting the heterogeneous phylogenetic signals in the soft-shelled turtle mitogenomes. Precise date estimation based on Bayesian relaxed clock analyses indicated that the crown group age of extant Trionychia was approximately 115.84 Ma (95% HPD: 91.33-142.18 Ma). Paleoclimate changes, especially the Eocene - Oligocene transition, could be responsible for the speciation in these groups. Our results reiterated the necessity and effectiveness of incorporating entire mitochondrial genomes to delineate phylogenetic relationships in chelonian phylogeny studies., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: The methods involving animals in this study were approved by the Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, CAFS (LAEC-PRFRI-2021-05-01). All experimental methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations, including the ARRIVE guidelines and the institutional animal care and use guidelines., (© 2025. The Author(s).)