Surface display of the COE antigen of porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus on Bacillus subtilis spores.

Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) infects pigs of all ages by invading small intestine, causing acute diarrhoea, vomiting, and dehydration with high morbidity and mortality among newborn piglets. However, current PEDV vaccines are not effective to protect the pigs from field epidemic strains because of poor mucosal immune response and strain variation. Therefore, it is indispensable to develop a novel oral vaccine based on epidemic strains. Bacillus subtilis spores are attractive delivery vehicles for oral vaccination on account of the safety, high stability, and low cost. In this study, a chimeric gene CotC-Linker-COE (CLE), comprising of the B. subtilis spore coat gene cotC fused to the core neutralizing epitope CO-26 K equivalent (COE) of the epidemic strain PEDV-AJ1102 spike protein gene, was constructed. Then recombinant B. subtilis displaying the CLE on the spore surface was developed by homologous recombination. Mice were immunized by oral route with B. subtilis 168-CLE, B. subtilis 168, or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as control. Results showed that the IgG antibodies and cytokine (IL-4, IFN-γ) levels in the B. subtilis 168-CLE group were significantly higher than the control groups. This study demonstrates that B. subtilis 168-CLE can generate specific systemic immune and mucosal immune responses and is a potential vaccine candidate against PEDV infection.

Involvement of METTL3-mediated m6A methylation in the early development of porcine cloned embryos.

METTL3-mediated N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is critical for gametogenesis and early embryonic development. However, the function of METTL3-mediated m6A modification in the early development of somatic nuclear transfer embryos (SCNT) remains unclear. Here, we found that METTL3 mRNA and protein levels exhibit dynamic changes during the early development of porcine SCNT embryos. The levels of METTL3 mRNA and protein in SCNT embryos at specific developmental stages differ from those in parthenogenetic activation (PA) counterparts. SiRNA injection effectively reduced the levels of METTL3 mRNA and protein in 4-cell embryos and blastocysts. METTL3 knockdown significantly reduced the cleavage and blastocyst rates of SCNT embryos. METTL3 knockdown significantly reduced the number of total cells and trophectoderm (TE) cells in the resulting blastocysts and perturbed cell lineage allocation. In addition, METTL3 knockdown reduced the levels of m6A modification in 4-cell embryos and blastocysts. Importantly, METTL3 knockdown decreased the expression levels of CDX2, GATA3, NANOG and YAP, and increased the expression levels of SOX2 and OCT4. Taken together, these results demonstrate that METTL3-mediated m6A modification regulates early development and lineage differentiation of porcine SCNT embryos.

Relationship between carotid atherosclerosis and lipoprotein (a) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]) and other blood lipid indexes and carotid artery atherosclerosis in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: A total of 2,018 patients were selected from the hospital "acute stroke intervention and secondary prevention registration database" by identifying blood fat indexes (cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and Lp[a]). Based on the results of carotid artery ultrasound examinations, the patients were divided into a "no plaque" group, comprising 400 patients, a "plaque and no stenosis" group, comprising 1,122 patients and a "carotid stenosis" group, comprising 496 patients. The relationship between Lp(a) and blood lipid indexes and carotid artery atherosclerosis was then investigated using multi-factor logistics regression analysis. Results: There were 400 patients (19.8%) with no carotid plaque, 1,122 patients (55.6%) with plaque and no carotid stenosis and 496 patients (24.6%) with carotid stenosis. As the degree of carotid artery atherosclerosis increased, the Lp(a) level gradually increased; Lp(a) and cholesterol were identified as independent risk factors for carotid atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Lipoprotein (a) and cholesterol are independent risk factors for patients with AIS with carotid atherosclerosis, and their levels increase with the degree of carotid artery atherosclerosis; therefore, attention should focus on levels of cholesterol and Lp(a) in acute stroke patients to control atherosclerosis effectively.

Defect Passivation and Crystallization Regulation for Efficient and Stable Formamidinium Lead Iodide Solar Cells with Multifunctional Amidino Additive.

Amidino-based additives show great potential in high-performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the role of different functional groups in amidino-based additives have not been well elucidated. Herein, two multifunctional amidino additives 4-amidinobenzoic acid hydrochloride (ABAc) and 4-amidinobenzamide hydrochloride (ABAm) are employed to improve the film quality of formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI3) perovskites. Compared with ABAc, the amide group imparts ABAm with larger dipole moment and thus stronger interactions with the perovskite components, i.e., the hydrogen bonds between N…H and I- anion and coordination bonds between C = O and Pb2+ cation. It strengthens the passivation effect of iodine vacancy defect and slows down the crystallization process of α-FAPbI3, resulting in the significantly reduced non-radiative recombination, long carrier lifetime of 1.7 µs, uniformly large crystalline grains, and enhances hydrophobicity. Profiting from the improved film quality, the ABAm-treated PSC achieves a high efficiency of 24.60%, and maintains 93% of the initial efficiency after storage in ambient environment for 1200 hours. This work provides new insights for rational design of multifunctional additives regarding of defect passivation and crystallization control toward highly efficient and stable PSCs.

Identification of Immune-Related Gene Signature in Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a type of psychiatric disorder characterized by multiple symptoms. Our aim is to decipher the relevant mechanisms of immune-related gene signatures in SCZ. METHODS: The SCZ dataset and its associated immunoregulatory genes were retrieved using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). Co-expressed gene modules were determined through weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA). To elucidate the functional characteristics of these clusters, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses were used. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) were conducted to identify enriched pathways for the immune subgroups. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis was performed to identify core genes relevant to SCZ. RESULTS: A significantly higher immune score was observed in SCZ compared to control samples. Seven distinct gene modules were identified, with genes highlighted in green selected for further analysis. Using the Cell-type Identification By Estimating Relative Subsets Of RNA Transcripts (CIBERSORT) method, degrees of immune cell adhesion and accumulation related to 22 different immune cell types were calculated. Significantly enriched bioprocesses concerning the immunoregulatory genes with differential expressions included interferon-beta, IgG binding, and response to interferon-gamma, according to GO and KEGG analyses. Eleven hub genes related to immune infiltration emerged as key players among the three top-ranked GO terms. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the involvement of immunoregulatory reactions in SCZ development. Eleven immune-related genes (IFITM1 (interferon induced transmembrane protein 1), GBP1 (guanylate binding protein 1), BST2 (bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2), IFITM3 (interferon induced transmembrane protein 3), GBP2 (guanylate binding protein 2), CD44 (CD44 molecule), FCER1G (Fc epsilon receptor Ig), HLA-DRA (major histocompatibility complex, class II, DR alpha), FCGR2A (Fc gamma receptor IIa), IFI16 (interferon gamma inducible protein 16), and FCGR3B (Fc gamma receptor IIIb)) were identified as hub genes, representing potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets associated with the immune response in SCZ patients.

[Research on Construction of Test Environment for Assessment of RF-Induced Heating Effects of Implants].

In magnetic resonance examination, the interaction between implants and the radio frequency (RF) fields induces heating in human tissue and may cause tissue damage. To assess the RF-induced heating of implants, three steps should be executed, including electromagnetic model construction, electromagnetic model validation, and virtual human body simulations. The crucial step of assessing RF-induced heating involves the construction of a test environment for electromagnetic model validation. In this study, a hardware environment, comprised of a RF generation system, electromagnetic field measurement system, and a robotic arm positioning system, was established. Furthermore, an automated control software environment was developed using a Python-based software development platform to enable the creation of a high-precision automated integrated test environment. The results indicate that the electric field generated in this test environment aligns well with the simulated electric field, making it suitable for assessing the RF-induced heating effects of implants.

HOT-GAN: Hilbert Optimal Transport for Generative Adversarial Network.

Generative adversarial network (GAN) has achieved remarkable success in generating high-quality synthetic data by learning the underlying distributions of target data. Recent efforts have been devoted to utilizing optimal transport (OT) to tackle the gradient vanishing and instability issues in GAN. They use the Wasserstein distance as a metric to measure the discrepancy between the generator distribution and the real data distribution. However, most optimal transport GANs define loss functions in Euclidean space, which limits their capability in handling high-order statistics that are of much interest in a variety of practical applications. In this article, we propose a computational framework to alleviate this issue from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Particularly, we generalize the optimal transport-based GAN from Euclidean space to the reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) and propose Hilbert Optimal Transport GAN (HOT-GAN). First, we design HOT-GAN with a Hilbert embedding that allows the discriminator to tackle more informative and high-order statistics in RKHS. Second, we prove that HOT-GAN has a closed-form kernel reformulation in RKHS that can achieve a tractable objective under the GAN framework. Third, HOT-GAN's objective enjoys the theoretical guarantee of differentiability with respect to generator parameters, which is beneficial to learn powerful generators via adversarial kernel learning. Extensive experiments are conducted, showing that our proposed HOT-GAN consistently outperforms the representative GAN works.

Association between estimated glucose disposal rate and atrial fibrillation recurrence in patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have shown a clear link between insulin resistance (IR) and an elevated risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the relationship between the estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR), which serves as a marker for IR, and the risk of AF recurrence after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) remains uncertain. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the potential association between the eGDR and the risk of AF recurrence following RFCA. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at Nanchang University Affiliated Second Hospital. The study enrolled 899 patients with AF who underwent RFCA between January 2015 and January 2022. The formula used to calculate the eGDR was as follows: 19.02 - (0.22 * body mass index) - (3.26 * hypertension) - (0.61 * HbA1c). Cox proportional hazard regression models and exposure-effect curves were used to explore the correlation between the baseline eGDR and AF recurrence. The ability of the eGDR to predict AF recurrence was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). RESULTS: The study observed a median follow-up period of 11.63 months, during which 296 patients experienced AF recurrence. K‒M analyses revealed that the cumulative incidence AF recurrence rate was significantly greater in the group with the lowest eGDR (log-rank p < 0.01). Participants with an eGDR ≥ 8 mg/kg/min had a lower risk of AF recurrence than those with an eGDR < 4 mg/kg/min, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.28 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18, 0.42]. Additionally, restricted cubic spline analyses demonstrated a linear association between the eGDR and AF recurrence (p nonlinear = 0.70). The area under the curve (AUC) for predicting AF recurrence using the eGDR was 0.75. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that a decrease in the eGDR is associated with a greater AF recurrence risk after RFCA. Hence, the eGDR could be used as a novel biomarker for assessing AF recurrence risk.

[Response of Relationship Between Microplastic Abundance and Nitrogen Metabolism Function Microorganisms and Genes in Water].

The impact of microplastics (MPs) as a new type of pollutant on water pollution has become a research hotspot. To explore the response relationship between the abundance of MPs and nitrogen metabolism function in a freshwater environment, Lake Ulansuhai was used as the research object; the abundance of MPs in the water was detected using a Zeiss microscope, and the distribution characteristics of nitrogen metabolism functional bacteria and functional genes in the water were analyzed using metagenomics sequencing. The correlation analysis method was used to explore the relationship between the abundance of MPs and nitrogen metabolism functional microorganisms and nitrogen metabolism functional genes. The results showed that the presence of MPs in freshwater environments had a higher impact on Cyanobacteria and Firmicutes as the dominant phyla, and the presence of MPs promoted their enrichment and growth. Among the dominant bacterial genera, MPs promoted the growth of Mycobacterium and inhibited Candidatus_Planktopila more significantly, further indicating that in freshwater environments, MPs affected normal nitrogen metabolism by affecting microbial communities, and pathways such as carbon and nitrogen fixation and denitrification were important pathways for MPs to affect nitrogen metabolism. From the perspective of nitrogen metabolism functional genes, it was found that the abundance of MPs significantly affected some functional genes during nitrification (pmoA-amoA, pmoB-amoB, and pmoC-amoC), denitrification (nirK and napA), and dissimilatory nitrate reduction (nrfA) processes (P < 0.05). Moreover, the influence of MPs abundance on different functional genes in the same pathway of nitrogen metabolism varied, making the impact of MPs on aquatic environments very complex; thus, its harm to the water environment cannot be underestimated.

AMPK targets PDZD8 to trigger carbon source shift from glucose to glutamine.

The shift of carbon utilization from primarily glucose to other nutrients is a fundamental metabolic adaptation to cope with decreased blood glucose levels and the consequent decline in glucose oxidation. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays crucial roles in this metabolic adaptation. However, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we show that PDZ domain containing 8 (PDZD8), which we identify as a new substrate of AMPK activated in low glucose, is required for the low glucose-promoted glutaminolysis. AMPK phosphorylates PDZD8 at threonine 527 (T527) and promotes the interaction of PDZD8 with and activation of glutaminase 1 (GLS1), a rate-limiting enzyme of glutaminolysis. In vivo, the AMPK-PDZD8-GLS1 axis is required for the enhancement of glutaminolysis as tested in the skeletal muscle tissues, which occurs earlier than the increase in fatty acid utilization during fasting. The enhanced glutaminolysis is also observed in macrophages in low glucose or under acute lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Consistent with a requirement of heightened glutaminolysis, the PDZD8-T527A mutation dampens the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages in mice treated with LPS. Together, we have revealed an AMPK-PDZD8-GLS1 axis that promotes glutaminolysis ahead of increased fatty acid utilization under glucose shortage.

Esculentoside H reduces the PANoptosis and protects the blood-brain barrier after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion through the TLE1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

AIMS: Matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP9) plays a role in the destruction of blood-brain barrier (BBB) and cell death after cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R). Esculentoside H (EH) is a saponin found in Phytolacca esculenta. It can block JNK1/2 and NF-κB signal mediated expression of MMP9. In this study, we determined whether EH can protect against cerebral I/R injury by inhibiting MMP9 and elucidated the underlying mechanism. MAIN METHODS: Male SD rats were used to construct middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) models. We determined the effect of EH on MMP9 inhibition, BBB destruction, neuronal death, PANoptosis, infarct volume, and the protective factor TLE1. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) infection was used to establish TLE1 gene overexpression and knockdown rats, which were used to determine the function. LY294002 was used to determine the role of PI3K/AKT signaling in TLE1 function. KEY FINDINGS: After EH treatment, MMP9 expression, BBB destruction, neuronal death, and infarct volume decreased. We found that TLE1 expression decreased obviously after cerebral I/R. TLE1-overexpressing rats revealed distinct protective effects to cerebral I/R injury. After treatment with LY294002, the protective effect was inhibited. The curative effect of EH also decreased when TLE1 was knocked down. SIGNIFICANCE: EH alleviates PANoptosis and protects BBB after cerebral I/R via the TLE1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Our findings reveal a novel strategy and new target for treating cerebral I/R injury.

Polygenic Risk Score Modifies the Association of HbA1c With Hearing Loss in Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Individuals: The Dongfeng-Tongji Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence regarding the modifying effect of the polygenic risk score (PRS) on the associations between glycemic traits and hearing loss (HL) was lacking. We aimed to examine whether these associations can be influenced by genetic susceptibility. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 13,275 participants aged 64.9 years from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort. HL was defined according to a pure tone average >25 dB in the better ear and further classified by severity. Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) were defined based on the 2013 criteria from the American Diabetes Association. A PRS was derived from 37 single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with HL. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the associations of PRS and glycemic traits with HL and its severity. RESULTS: Elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and T2D were positively associated with higher HL risks and its severity, with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 1.04 (95% CI 1.00, 1.08) to 1.25 (95% CI 1.06, 1.46). We also found significant interaction between HbA1c and PRS on risks of overall HL and its severity (P for multiplicative interaction <0.05), and the effects of HbA1c on HL risks were significant only in the group with high PRS. Additionally, compared with normoglycemia in the group with low PRS, T2D was associated with an OR of up to 2.00 and 2.40 for overall HL and moderate to severe HL, respectively, in the group with high PRS (P for additive interaction <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PRS modifies the association of HbA1c with HL prevalence among middle-aged and older Chinese individuals.

Research progress in the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and quality control of Valeriana jatamansi Jones.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGIC RELEVANCE: Valeriana jatamansi Jones, belongs to the Valerianaceae family, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine (TIM). This traditional herb has been officially listed in the pharmacopoeia of sixteen countries. Its usage was first described in Diannan Bencao, also known as "Zhizhuxiang", is a famous folk medicine herb with a long history of medicinal usage in China, and it was used to treat indigestion, flu, and mental disorders in the Han, Achang, Bai, Blang, Dai, Jingpo, Naxi, and Wa ethnic groups. In recent years, V. jatamansi has attracted worldwide attention as an important medicinal due to its pharmacological activity especially in nervous and digestive systems, and multiple uses. AIM OF THE STUDY: The current review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicity, and quality control of V. jatamansi. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The relevant information of V. jatamansi was obtained from several databases including Web of Science, PubMed, ACS Publications, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, CNKI, Ph.D. and MSc dissertations, using "Valeriana jatamansi Jones", "Valeriana jatamansi", and "" as keywords. After eliminating repetitive and low-quality reports, the remaining reports were analyzed and summarized to prepare this review. Plant information was retrieved by www.worldfloraonline.org and www.gbif.org using "Valeriana jatamansi Jones" as keyword. RESULTS: V. jatamansi has been historically utilized as a traditional medicine to treat various diseases, including infectious, inflammatory, neurological, and gastrointestinal disorders. More than 400 compounds have been identified in V. jatamansi including iridoids, volatile oils, lignans, flavonoids, phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids, sesquiterpenes, sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, triterpenes as well as other compounds. The plant extracts and compounds showed various pharmacological activities such as antitumor, cytotoxic, antivirus, etc. In addition, V. jatamansi has found various applications in the agricultural, food, and cosmetics industry. CONCLUSION: A review of literature shows V. jatamansi has pharmacological properties valuable in treating diseases, particularly for antianxiety and gastrointestinal disorders. Despite a wide spectrum of effects from specific compounds, research mainly focuses on in vitro and in vivo, with a lack of pharmacokinetics, clinical trials and underlying mechanisms. Consequently, it becomes important to embark on additional researchs to elucidate the pharmacokinetics, material basis and mechanisms of V. jatamansi, thereby realizing the aspiration of its comprehensive utilization and sustainable development.

The safety and efficacy of Sotn ureteroscopy for renal and upper ureteral calculi: a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Sotn ureteroscopy is a new lithotripsy procedure developed on the basis of ureteroscopy and includes a rigid ureteral access sheath, standard mirror, lithotripsy mirror, and Sotn perfusion aspirator. Thus, we performed a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing the safety and efficacy of Sotn ureteroscopy in the treatment of renal and upper ureteral calculi. METHODS: In this study, 224 patients with renal and upper ureteral calculi were randomly divided equally into study and control groups from March 2018 to March 2022. All the patients were approved by the hospital ethics committee (proof number: ZF-2018-164-01 and ZF-2018-165-01) of the Second Affiliate Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine in China. The primary outcome was stone-free rate (SFR) assessed by computed tomography on the 1st day and month after treatment and operation duration. The secondary outcome was postoperative complication rate. RESULTS: In total, for upper ureteral calculi, the SFR of 1 day after operation of the Sotn ureteroscopy group was significantly higher than the rigid ureteroscopy group (83.6% vs. 60%, P=0.006). Moreover, operative time (33.7±1.80 vs. 52.9±2.73 min, P<0.005) of the Sotn ureteroscopy group was significantly lower than the rigid ureteroscopy group. Additionally, the SFR of 1 day after operation and operative time for the study group (Sotn ureteroscopy combined with flexible ureteroscopy) and the control group (flexible ureteroscopy alone) were 63.2% and 36.8% (P=0.005), 65.6±4.06 and 80.3±4.91 (P=0.023), respectively. However, there were no significant differences in the SFR of 1 month after operation, success rate of ureteral access sheath placement, and postoperative complications between the two groups (P>0.05). In subgroups with stone diameters ≥1.5 cm and stone CT values ≥1000 Hounsfield units, Sotn ureteroscopy showed more advantages in terms of the SFR of 1 day after operation. Importantly, complications such as ureteral injury, sepsis, fever, and severe hematuria were not statistically different between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For renal and upper ureteral calculi, Sotn ureteroscopy has the advantage of a higher SFR of 1 day after the operation and a shorter operative time, suggesting that the Sotn ureteroscopy may have further potential applications in clinics.

Investigating the molecular mechanisms of microRNA­409­3p in tumor progression: Towards targeted therapeutics (Review).

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non­coding RNAs that exert master regulatory functions in post­-transcriptional gene expression. Accumulating evidence shows that miRNAs can either promote or suppress tumorigenesis by regulating different target genes or pathways and may be involved in the occurrence of carcinoma. miR­409­3p is dysregulated in a variety of malignant cancers. It plays a fundamental role in numerous cellular biological processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, autophagy, angiogenesis and glycolysis. In addition, studies have shown that miR­409­3p is expected to become a non­invasive biomarker. Identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying miR­409­3p­mediated tumor progression will help investigate miR­409­3p­based targeted therapy for human cancers. The present review comprehensively summarized the recently published literature on miR­409­3p, with a focus on the regulation and function of miR­409­3p in various types of cancer, and discussed the clinical implications of miR­409­3p, providing new insight for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers.

CircHIRA sponges miR-196b-5p to promote porcine early embryonic development.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is abundantly expressed in preimplantation embryos and embryonic stem cells in mice and humans. However, its function and mechanism in early development of mammalian embryos remain unclear. Here, we showed that circHIRA mediated miR-196b-5p to regulate porcine early embryonic development. We verified the circular feature of circHIRA by sanger sequencing, and proved the authenticity of circHIRA by enzyme digestion test. HIRA and circHIRA were expressed in porcine early embryos, and its expression levels significantly increased from 8-cell stage onwards and reached the maximum at the blastocyst stage. Functional studies revealed that circHIRA knockdown not only significantly reduced the developmental efficiency of embryos from 8-cell stage to blastocyst stage, but also impaired the blastocyst quality. Mechanistically, integrated analysis of miRNA prediction and gene expression showed that circHIRA knockdown significantly increased the expression of miR-196b-5p in porcine early embryos. Furthermore, miR-196b-5p inhibitor injection could rescue the early development of circHIRA knockdown embryos. Taken together, the findings reveal that circHIRA regulates porcine early embryonic development via inhibiting the expression of miR-196b-5p.

Study on the Performance Test of Fe-Ce-Al/MMT Catalysts with Different Fe/Ce Molar Ratios for Coking Wastewater Treatment.

It is very important to choose a suitable method and catalyst to treat coking wastewater. In this study, Fe-Ce-Al/MMT catalysts with different Fe/Ce molar ratios were prepared, characterized by XRD, SEM, and N2 adsorption/desorption, and treated with coking wastewater. The results showed that the optimal Fe-Ce-Al/MMT catalyst with a molar ratio of Fe/Ce of 7/3 has larger interlayer spacing, specific surface area, and pore volume. Based on the composition analysis of real coking wastewater and the study of phenol simulated wastewater, the response surface test of the best catalyst for real coking wastewater was carried out, and the results are as follows: initial pH 3.46, H2O2 dosage 19.02 mL/L, Fe2+ dosage 5475.39 mL/L, reaction temperature 60 °C, and reaction time 248.14 min. Under these conditions, the COD removal rate was 86.23%.

A density map-based method for counting wheat ears.

Introduction: Field wheat ear counting is an important step in wheat yield estimation, and how to solve the problem of rapid and effective wheat ear counting in a field environment to ensure the stability of food supply and provide more reliable data support for agricultural management and policy making is a key concern in the current agricultural field. Methods: There are still some bottlenecks and challenges in solving the dense wheat counting problem with the currently available methods. To address these issues, we propose a new method based on the YOLACT framework that aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of dense wheat counting. Replacing the pooling layer in the CBAM module with a GeM pooling layer, and then introducing the density map into the FPN, these improvements together make our method better able to cope with the challenges in dense scenarios. Results: Experiments show our model improves wheat ear counting performance in complex backgrounds. The improved attention mechanism reduces the RMSE from 1.75 to 1.57. Based on the improved CBAM, the R2 increases from 0.9615 to 0.9798 through pixel-level density estimation, the density map mechanism accurately discerns overlapping count targets, which can provide more granular information. Discussion: The findings demonstrate the practical potential of our framework for intelligent agriculture applications.