Vitamin D and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in the IEU OpenGWAS Project: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most prevalent pregnancy problems, and there is still debate over the relationship between vitamin D and GDM. OBJECTIVES: Our objective is to investigate the correlation between vitamin D and GDM by employing Mendelian randomization (MR) with summary data obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). METHODS: Data on exposures and outcomes, namely vitamin D, vitamin D insufficiency, and GDM, were acquired from the IEU OpenGWAS Project. Bidirectional MR analysis was performed utilizing the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method as the principal analytical approach. The complementary approaches employed in this study encompassed weighted median, simple mode, weighted mode, and MR-Egger regression. A series of sensitivity analysis were conducted in order to assess the reliability of the obtained results. RESULTS: The data were acquired from the IEU OpenGWAS Project. Following the application of the three assumptions of MR, 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were included in the MR analysis for vitamin D levels and vitamin D deficiency on GDM, and 10 and 26 SNPs were included for GDM on vitamin D levels and deficiency, respectively. The findings from the IVW analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between vitamin D levels and GDM (OR = 1.057, 95% CI: 1.011-1.104, p = 0.015). Conversely, a negative correlation was seen between vitamin D deficiency and GDM (OR = 0.979, 95% CI: 0.959-0.999, p = 0.039). The results of the reverse MR study revealed no evidence of reverse causation between GDM and vitamin D. The findings from multiple MR approaches were in line with the direction of IVW analysis. Sensitivity analysis revealed no evidence of heterogeneity, pleiotropy, or outliers, suggesting the robustness of the results. CONCLUSIONS: There exists a causal association between vitamin D and GDM, whereby vitamin D levels serve as a risk factor for GDM.

FOSL1 promotes stem cell­like characteristics and anoikis resistance to facilitate tumorigenesis and metastasis in osteosarcoma by targeting SOX2.

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer­related death in osteosarcoma (OS). OS stem cells (OSCs) and anoikis resistance are considered to be essential for tumor metastasis formation. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in the maintenance of a stem­cell phenotype and anoikis resistance in OS are mostly unknown. Fos­like antigen 1 (FOSL1) is important in maintaining a stem­like phenotype in various cancers; however, its role in OSCs and anoikis resistance remains unclear. In the present study, the dynamic expression patterns of FOSL1 were investigated during the acquisition of cancer stem­like properties using RNA sequencing, PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence. Flow cytometry, tumor­sphere formation, clone formation assays, anoikis assays, western blotting and in vivo xenograft and metastasis models were used to further investigate the responses of the stem­cell phenotype and anoikis resistance to FOSL1 overexpression or silencing in OS cell lines. The underlying molecular mechanisms were evaluated, focusing on whether SOX2 is crucially involved in FOSL1­mediated stemness and anoikis in OS. FOSL1 expression was observed to be upregulated in OSCs and promoted tumor­sphere formation, clone formation and tumorigenesis in OS cells. FOSL1 expression correlated positively with the expression of stemness­related factors (SOX2, NANOG, CD117 and Stro1). Moreover, FOSL1 facilitated OS cell anoikis resistance and promoted metastases by regulating the expression of apoptosis related proteins BCL2 and BAX. Mechanistically, FOSL1 upregulated SOX2 expression by interacting with the SOX2 promoter and activating its transcription. The results also showed that SOX2 is critical for FOSL1­mediated stem­like properties and anoikis resistance. The current findings indicated that FOSL1 is an important regulator that promotes a stem cell­like phenotype and anoikis resistance to facilitate tumorigenesis and metastasis in OS by regulating the transcription of SOX2. Thus, FOSL1 might represent an attractive target for therapeutic interventions in OS.

Modeling and Performance Study of Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Visible Light Communication System for Mountain Roads.

Visible light communication (VLC) is considered to be a promising technology for realizing intelligent transportation systems (ITSs) and solving traffic safety problems. Due to the complex and changing environment and the influence of weather and other aspects, there are many problems in channel modeling and performance analysis of vehicular VLC. Unlike existing studies, this study proposes a practical vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) VLC propagation model for a typical mountain road. The model consists of both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) links. In the proposed model, the effects of vehicle mobility and weather conditions are considered. To analyze the impact of the considered propagation characteristics on the system, closed-form expressions for several performance metrics were derived, including average path loss, received power, channel capacity, and outage probability. Furthermore, to verify the accuracy of the derived theoretical expressions, simulation results were presented and analyzed in detail. The results indicate that, considering the LOS link and when the vehicle is 50 m away from the infrastructure, the difference in channel gain between moderate fog and dense fog versus clear weather conditions is 1.8 dB and 3 dB, respectively. In addition, the maximum difference in total received optical power between dense fog conditions and clear weather conditions can reach 76.2%. Moreover, under clear weather conditions, the channel capacity when vehicles are 40 m away from infrastructure is about 98.9% lower than when they are 10 m away. Additionally, the outage probability shows a high correlation with the threshold data transmission rate. Therefore, the considered propagation characteristics have a significant impact on the performance of V2I-VLC.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the relationship between internet usage patterns and depressive symptoms: Evidence from a Chinese longitudinal study.

Background: The increasing prevalence of depressive symptoms has emerged as a critical public health issue globally, highlighting the need for analyses of the factors contributing to depressive symptoms within the Chinese population and the development of targeted recommendations for improving mental well-being. We aimed to explore the correlation between internet use and depressive symptoms and the role of socioeconomic inequalities in this association. Methods: We included data on 8019 residents aged 18 years and above, which we retrieved from the 2018 and 2020 waves of the China Family Panel Studies. We used latent profile analysis to categorise individuals' internet usage patterns and multiple linear regression to determine their association with depressive symptoms. Results: Higher socioeconomic status (SES) was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (τ = -0.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.36, -0.18). Individuals in the high-dependence group presented a greater likelihood of developing depressive symptoms (τ = 0.04; 95% CI = 0.007, 0.66). We observed no significant difference in the interaction effect between individual-level SES and the four patterns of internet usage. However, compared with urban-dwelling respondents, those in rural areas had a stronger association between internet usage patterns and depressive symptoms, especially those in the high-dependence group (τ = -0.07; 95% CI = -1.47, -0.20). Conclusions: Our findings indicate a significant association between depressive symptoms and internet usage patterns, indicating a need for interventions related to internet use, especially those targeted at reducing the risk of depressive symptoms in individuals of lower SES.

Reversible switching from fluorescence to room temperature phosphorescence amplified by exciton-vibration coupling through pressure-induced tiny packing changes.

Investigating the impact of exciton-vibration coupling (EC) of molecular aggregates on regulating the excited-state dynamics and controlling room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emissions is crucial and challenging. We designed and synthesized ArBFO molecules and cultured two crystals with similar molecular packing and completely different luminescent mechanisms from B-form fluorescence to G-form RTP. The mechanism study combining measurement of photophysical properties, time-resolved fluorescence analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and theoretical calculations shows that tiny changes in molecular stacking amplify the EC value from B-form to G-form H-aggregates. The larger EC value accelerates the ISC process and suppresses the radiative singlet decay. Meanwhile, the stronger intermolecular interaction restricts non-radiative transitions. All of these facilitate green RTP emission in G-form aggregates. When treated with pressure-heating cycles, the transformation between B-form and G-form aggregates leads to a reversible blue fluorescence/green RTP switch with good reproducibility and photostability. Moreover, their potential in multi-level information encryption and anti-counterfeiting application has been well demonstrated. The results of this research deepen the understanding of the effect of aggregation on the luminescence mechanism and provide a new design guidance for developing smart materials with good performance.

Amino-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks Featuring Ultra-Strong Ethane Nano-Traps for Efficient C2H6/C2H4 Separation.

Developing high-performance porous materials to separate ethane from ethylene is an important but challenging task in the chemical industry, given their similar sizes and physicochemical properties. Herein, a new type of ultra-strong C2H6 nano-trap, CuIn(3-ain)4 is presented, which utilizes multiple guest-host interactions to efficiently capture C2H6 molecules and separate mixtures of C2H6 and C2H4. The ultra-strong C2H6 nano-trap exhibits the high C2H6 (2.38 mmol g-1) uptake at 6.25 kPa and 298 K and demonstrates a remarkable selectivity of 3.42 for C2H6/C2H4 (10:90). Additionally, equimolar C2H6/C2H4 exhibited a superior high separation potential ∆Q (2286 mmol L-1) at 298 K. Kinetic adsorption tests demonstrated that CuIn(3-ain)4 has a high adsorption rate for C2H6, establishing it as a new benchmark material for the capture of C2H6 and the separation of C2H6/C2H4. Notably, this exceptional performance is maintained even at a higher temperature of 333 K, a phenomenon not observed before. Theoretical simulations and single-crystal X-ray diffraction provide critical insights into how selective adsorption properties can be tuned by manipulating pore dimensions and geometry. The excellent separation performance of CuIn(3-ain)4 has been confirmed through breakthrough experiments for C2H6/C2H4 gas mixtures.

Diagnostic Efficacy of Type B Vessels in the Japan Esophageal Society Classification for the Depth of Invasion of Superficial Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

AIM: The preoperative diagnostic method for superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC) invasion depth based on the Japan Esophageal Society (JES) classification has been promoted. However, there have been a few investigations into its diagnostic performance in clinical settings. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the actual diagnostic performance of the JES classification using a single-center retrospective study design. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 315 newly diagnosed SESCC patients who underwent narrow-band imaging magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) examination and received endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) or esophagectomy in our center during the past 5 years. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of JES classification in assessing the depth of invasion of SESCC, clinical data of these patients were collected, and the concordance between NBI-ME findings and postoperative pathology reports was analyzed. RESULTS: This study included a total of 338 lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of vascular morphology was 76.0%. The sensitivity (87.0%) and positive predictive value (PPV, 85.4%) of B1 vessels were high, but the specificity (42.0%) and negative predictive value (NPV, 45.3%) were low. The specificity (86.9% and 98.8%) and NPVs (87.5% and 96.8%) of B2 and B3 vessels were high, but the sensitivity (36.4% and 21.4%) and PPVs (35.1% and 42.9%) ware low. Furthermore, only a few lesions (n = 57) described avascular area, but the overall diagnostic accuracy was not ideal (21.1%). However, if lesions invading the superficial submucosa or shallower were included in the category of "suitable for ESD", the overall accuracy of the JES classification was found to be 95.6%. CONCLUSIONS: In actual clinical settings, the overall accuracy of the JES classification system decreases, but the diagnostic performance of each subtype retains its original characteristics. Additionally, this classification is appropriate for determining whether type 0-II SESCC lesions are suitable for ESD.

Copper-loaded Milk-Protein Derived Microgel Preserves Cardiac Metabolic Homeostasis After Myocardial Infarction.

Myocardial Infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Metabolic modulation is a promising therapeutic approach to prevent adverse remodeling after MI. However, whether material-derived cues can treat MI through metabolic regulation is mainly unexplored. Herein, a Cu2+ loaded casein microgel (CuCMG) aiming to rescue the pathological intramyocardial metabolism for MI amelioration is developed. Cu2+ is an important ion factor involved in metabolic pathways, and intracardiac copper drain is observed after MI. It is thus speculated that intramyocardial supplementation of Cu2+ can rescue myocardial metabolism. Casein, a milk-derived protein, is screened out as Cu2+ carrier through molecular-docking based on Cu2+ loading capacity and accessibility. CuCMGs notably attenuate MI-induced cardiac dysfunction and maladaptive remodeling, accompanied by increased angiogenesis. The results from unbiased transcriptome profiling and oxidative phosphorylation analyses support the hypothesis that CuCMG prominently rescued the metabolic homeostasis of myocardium after MI. These findings enhance the understanding of the design and application of metabolic-modulating biomaterials for ischemic cardiomyopathy therapy.

A novel compound heterozygous mutation of UFC1 in a patient with neurodevelopmental disorder.

BACKGROUND: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) encompass a diverse group of disorders characterized by impaired cognition, behavior, and motor skills. Genetic factor is the leading cause in about 35% of NDDs patients. Mutations of UFC1, an E2 enzyme participating in the post-translational modification of proteins through attachment of ubiquitin-like proteins, were recently reported to be associated with NDDs. However, the UFC1 associated NDDs are rare and the data are scarce, thus making it difficult to identify this disease. OBJECTIVE: This study reported a novel compound heterozygous mutation of UFC1 in a Chinese patient with NDD. METHODS: Detailed clinical data were recorded. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to determine the genetic cause of the patient. The candidate mutation was verified using Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: WES analysis identified a novel compound heterozygous mutation of UFC1 (c.19 C > T, p.Arg7* and c.164G > A, p.Arg55Gln). The nonsense mutation c.19 C > T (p.Arg7*) led to a premature truncation of UFC1 and nonsense-mediated RNA decay. Arg55 is highly conserved among orthologues. Molecular modeling predicted that mutation c.164G > A (p.Arg55Gln) may influence the correct folding of UFC1. These two mutations were evaluated as likely pathogenic based on the ACMG guideline. Moreover, neurodevelopmental delay, microcephaly, and epilepsy were confirmed as major phenotypes of UFC1 mutation. CONCLUSION: This study expands the mutational spectrum of NDDs. We reported the nonsense mutation of UFC1 for the first time. We also confirmed the major phenotypes that may guide clinical identification of UFC1 mutation. Ubiquitination mechanism is highlighted in NDDs pathogenesis.

Enhancing storage stability of pea peptides through encapsulation in maltodextrin and gum tragacanth via monitoring scavenge ability to free radicals.

Pea peptides can lead to degradation through oxidation, deamidation, hydrolysis, or cyclization during production, processing, and storage, which in turn limit their broader application. To stabilize pea peptides, this study employed spray drying technology to create a pea peptide micro-encapsule using maltodextrin, gum tragacanth, and pea peptides. Four key factors, including polysaccharide ratio, glycopeptide ratio, solid-liquid ratio, and inlet temperature, were optimized to enhance the antioxidant properties of the pea peptide micro-encapsule. The results indicated that the utilization of maltodextrin and gum tragacanth significantly improves the storage stability and antioxidant activity of pea peptides. Moreover, optimal storage stability for pea peptides was achieved with a polysaccharide ratio of 9:1, a glycopeptide ratio of 10:1, a solid-liquid ratio of 4:40, and an inlet temperature of 180 °C. After 60 days of storage, the encapsulated pea peptides maintained 70.22 %, 25.19 %, and 40.32 % for scavenging abilities to hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion, and ABTS radical, respectively. In contrast, the unencapsulated pea peptides showed a decline to 47.02 %, 0 %, and 24.46 % in the same antioxidant activities after storage. These findings underscore the potential of spray drying technology to enhance the functional properties of pea peptides for various applications.

Metagenome-assembled bacterial genomes derived from various aging flue-cured tobacco samples.

We recovered 16 bacterial metagenome-assembled genomes from 11 flue-cured tobacco samples with different aging stage and various geographic origins. Their sizes range from 2.3 M to 5.4 M, with GC contents of 43.17%-74.45%, completeness of 78.80%-99.25%, and contamination of 0.47%-8.56%.

Methods for improving imaging quality of a small-distance high-speed rotational reflection tracking system.

The imaging quality of a rotational reflection high-speed tracking system is greatly affected by the optical characteristics of the reflector and the depth of field limitations of the imaging system, especially for tracking systems working in small distances. In order to improve the imaging quality, this paper focused on two factors that affect the imaging quality: double vision caused by the optical characteristics of reflectors and blurring caused by the depth of field of imaging systems. This paper quantified the impact of these two factors on imaging through theoretical analysis, proposed a method of changing the hardware position, and conducted a simulation and experiments. The results show that the proposed solution in this paper can effectively improve the imaging quality of the system. The content studied in this paper has certain significance in the field of high-speed tracking of rotating reflectors and can provide reference for relevant researchers.

CsAlB3O6Cl: the rational construction of a KBBF-type structure with aligned 2∞[AlB3O6Cl] layers via introducing unprecedented [AlO3Cl] tetrahedra.

The first chloroaluminoborate, CsAlB3O6Cl, with innovative AlO3Cl tetrahedra and a perfect planar arrangement of [B3O6] groups, was structurally designed and synthesized via chlorination of [AlO4] tetrahedra. Simultaneously, the smooth introduction of the [AlO3Cl] group into borates initiates the development of a chloroaluminoborate and greatly enriches the structural chemistry of aluminoborates.

Anthrahydroquinone­2,6­disulfonate attenuates PQ­induced acute lung injury through decreasing pulmonary microvascular permeability via inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/eNOS pathway.

In paraquat (PQ)­induced acute lung injury (ALI)/ acute respiratory distress syndrome, PQ disrupts endothelial cell function and vascular integrity, which leads to increased pulmonary leakage. Anthrahydroquinone­2,6­disulfonate (AH2QDS) is a reducing agent that attenuates the extent of renal injury and improves survival in PQ­intoxicated Sprague­Dawley (SD) rats. The present study aimed to explore the beneficial role of AH2QDS in PQ­induced ALI and its related mechanisms. A PQ­intoxicated ALI model was established using PQ gavage in SD rats. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) were challenged with PQ. Superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide (NO) fluorescence were examined to detect the level of oxidative stress in HPMECs. The levels of TNF­α, IL­1ß and IL­6 were assessed using an ELISA. Transwell and Cell Counting Kit­8 assays were performed to detect the migration and proliferation of the cells. The pathological changes in lung tissues and blood vessels were examined by haematoxylin and eosin staining. Evans blue staining was used to detect pulmonary microvascular permeability. Western blotting was performed to detect target protein levels. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the expression levels of target proteins in HPMECs and lung tissues. AH2QDS inhibited inflammatory responses in lung tissues and HPMECs, and promoted the proliferation and migration of HPMECs. In addition, AH2QDS reduced pulmonary microvascular permeability by upregulating the levels of vascular endothelial­cadherin, zonula occludens­1 and CD31, thereby attenuating pathological changes in the lungs in rats. Finally, these effects may be related to the suppression of the phosphatidylinositol­3­kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/endothelial­type NO synthase (eNOS) signalling pathway in endothelial cells. In conclusion, AH2QDS ameliorated PQ­induced ALI by improving alveolar endothelial barrier disruption via modulation of the PI3K/AKT/eNOS signalling pathway, which may be an effective candidate for the treatment of PQ­induced ALI.

Viscoelastic Adhesive, Super-Conformable, and Semi-Flowable Liquid Metal Eutectogels for High-Fidelity Electrophysiological Monitoring.

Integrating gels with human skin through wearables provides unprecedented opportunities for health monitoring technology and artificial intelligence. However, most conductive hydrogels, organogels, and ionogels lack essential environmental stability, biocompatibility, and adhesion for reliable epidermal sensing. In this study, we have developed a liquid metal eutectogel simultaneously possessing superior viscoelasticity, semiflowability, and mechanical rigidity for low interfacial skin impedance, high skin adhesion, and durability. Liquid metal particles (LMPs) are employed to generate free radicals and gallium ions to accelerate the polymerization of acrylic acid monomers in a deep eutectic solvent (DES), obtaining highly viscoelastic polymer networks via physical cross-linking. In particular, graphene oxide (GO) is utilized to encapsulate the LMPs through a sonication-assisted electrostatic assembly to stabilize the LMPs in DES, which also enhances the mechanical toughness and regulates the rheological properties of the eutectogels. Our optimized semi-flowable eutectogel exhibits viscous fluid behavior at low shear rates, facilitating a highly conformable interface with hairy skin. Simultaneously, it demonstrates viscoelastic behavior at high shear rates, allowing for easy peel-off. These distinctive attributes enable the successful applications of on-skin adhesive strain sensing and high-fidelity human electrophysiological (EP) monitoring, showcasing the versatility of these ionically conductive liquid metal eutectogels in advanced personal health monitoring.

Thermally Conductive and UV-EMI Shielding Electronic Textiles for Unrestricted and Multifaceted Health Monitoring.

Skin-attachable electronics have garnered considerable research attention in health monitoring and artificial intelligence domains, whereas susceptibility to electromagnetic interference (EMI), heat accumulation issues, and ultraviolet (UV)-induced aging problems pose significant constraints on their potential applications. Here, an ultra-elastic, highly breathable, and thermal-comfortable epidermal sensor with exceptional UV-EMI shielding performance and remarkable thermal conductivity is developed for high-fidelity monitoring of multiple human electrophysiological signals. Via filling the elastomeric microfibers with thermally conductive boron nitride nanoparticles and bridging the insulating fiber interfaces by plating Ag nanoparticles (NPs), an interwoven thermal conducting fiber network (0.72 W m-1 K-1) is constructed benefiting from the seamless thermal interfaces, facilitating unimpeded heat dissipation for comfort skin wearing. More excitingly, the elastomeric fiber substrates simultaneously achieve outstanding UV protection (UPF = 143.1) and EMI shielding (SET > 65, X-band) capabilities owing to the high electrical conductivity and surface plasmon resonance of Ag NPs. Furthermore, an electronic textile prepared by printing liquid metal on the UV-EMI shielding and thermally conductive nonwoven textile is finally utilized as an advanced epidermal sensor, which succeeds in monitoring different electrophysiological signals under vigorous electromagnetic interference. This research paves the way for developing protective and environmentally adaptive epidermal electronics for next-generation health regulation.

Paracoccus benzoatiresistens sp. nov., a benzoate resistance and selenite reduction bacterium isolated from wetland.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, catalase- and oxidase-positive, pale orange, rod-shaped strain EF6T, was isolated from a natural wetland reserve in Hebei province, China. The strain grew at 25-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5-9 (optimum, pH 7), and in the presence of 1.0-4.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2%). A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain EF6T belongs to the genus Paracoccus, and the closest members were Paracoccus shandongensis wg2T with 98.1% similarity, Paracoccus fontiphilus MVW-1 T (97.9%), Paracoccus everestensis S8-55 T (97.7%), Paracoccus subflavus GY0581T (97.6%), Paracoccus sediminis CMB17T (97.3%), Paracoccus caeni MJ17T (97.0%), and Paracoccus angustae E6T (97.0%). The genome size of strain EF6T was 4.88 Mb, and the DNA G + C content was 65.3%. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization, average nucleotide identity, and average amino acid identity values between strain EF6T and the reference strains were all below the threshold limit for species delineation (< 32.8%, < 88.0%, and < 86.7%, respectively). The major fatty acids (≥ 5.0%) were summed feature 8 (86.3%, C18:1 ω6c and/or C18:1 ω7c) and C18:1 (5.0%) and the only isoprenoid quinone was Q-10. The polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, two unidentified glycolipids, five unidentified phospholipids, and an unidentified aminolipid. Strain EF6T displays notable resistance to benzoate and selenite, with higher tolerance levels (25 g/L for benzoate and 150 mM for selenite) compared to the closely related species. Genomic analysis identified six benzoate resistance genes (acdA, pcaF, fadA, pcaC, purB, and catA) and twenty selenite resistance and reduction-related genes (iscR, ssuB, ssuD, selA, selD and so on). Additionally, EF6T possesses unique genes (catA, ssuB, and ssuC) absent in the closely related species for benzoate and selenite resistance. Its robust resistance to benzoate and selenite, coupled with its genomic makeup, make EF6T a promising candidate for the remediation of both organic and inorganic pollutants. It is worth noting that the specific resistance phenotypes described above were not reported in other novel species in Paracoccus. Based on the results of biochemical, physiological, phylogenetic, and chemotaxonomic analyses, combined with comparisons of the 16S rRNA gene sequence and the whole genome sequence, strain EF6T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paracoccus within the family Rhodobacteraceae, for which the name Paracoccus benzoatiresistens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is EF6T (= GDMCC 1.3400 T = JCM 35642 T = MCCC 1K08702T).

Unveiling the transferability of PLSR models for leaf trait estimation: lessons from a comprehensive analysis with a novel global dataset.

Leaf traits are essential for understanding many physiological and ecological processes. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) models with leaf spectroscopy are widely applied for trait estimation, but their transferability across space, time, and plant functional types (PFTs) remains unclear. We compiled a novel dataset of paired leaf traits and spectra, with 47 393 records for > 700 species and eight PFTs at 101 globally distributed locations across multiple seasons. Using this dataset, we conducted an unprecedented comprehensive analysis to assess the transferability of PLSR models in estimating leaf traits. While PLSR models demonstrate commendable performance in predicting chlorophyll content, carotenoid, leaf water, and leaf mass per area prediction within their training data space, their efficacy diminishes when extrapolating to new contexts. Specifically, extrapolating to locations, seasons, and PFTs beyond the training data leads to reduced R2 (0.12-0.49, 0.15-0.42, and 0.25-0.56) and increased NRMSE (3.58-18.24%, 6.27-11.55%, and 7.0-33.12%) compared with nonspatial random cross-validation. The results underscore the importance of incorporating greater spectral diversity in model training to boost its transferability. These findings highlight potential errors in estimating leaf traits across large spatial domains, diverse PFTs, and time due to biased validation schemes, and provide guidance for future field sampling strategies and remote sensing applications.

Online Compositional Analysis of Complex Oligomers in Biomass Degradation by High-Pressure Flow-Through Reactor Coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Online analysis of the composition and evolution of complex oligomeric intermediates in biomass degradation is highly desirable to elucidate the mechanism of bond cleavage and study the effect of conditions on the selective conversion of feedstocks. However, harsh reaction conditions and complicated conversion systems pose tremendous challenges for conventional, state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Herein, we introduce a continuous and rapid compositional analysis strategy coupling a high-pressure flow-through reactor with online high-resolution mass spectrometry, which enables the molecular-level characterization of most biomass-related products throughout the conversion for over 2 h. Catalytic depolymerization of one model compound was studied, and temperature-dependent data of over 50 intermediates as well as recondensation dimers and oligomers were obtained, which have rarely been reported in the literature. Thousands of products during the flow-through conversion of birch wood with molecular weights up to 1000 Da were presented, and 8 typical lignin dimers and oligomers with various interunit linkages were identified at the molecular level, demonstrating the potential to analyze more complicated systems far beyond conventional methods, especially for complex oligomers. The continuous evolutions of different components and typical products were unveiled for the first time, providing valuable insights into the investigation of the structure, composition, and decomposition mechanism of lignocellulose as well as the influence of reaction conditions. This method leads to the previously unattained ability to probe and reveal complicated chemical compositions in high-pressure reactions and can be applied to all other high-pressure heterogeneous aqueous reactions.