Omicron-specific ultra-potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies targeting the N1/N2 loop of Spike N-terminal domain.

A multitude of functional mutations continue to emerge on the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. Understanding the immunogenicity of Omicron NTD and the properties of antibodies elicited by it is crucial for comprehending the impact of NTD mutations on viral fitness and guiding vaccine design. In this study, we find that most of NTD-targeting antibodies isolated from individuals with BA.5/BF.7 breakthrough infection (BTI) are ancestral (wildtype or WT)-reactive and non-neutralizing. Surprisingly, we identified five ultra-potent neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) that can only bind to Omicron but not WT NTD. Structural analysis revealed that they bind to a unique epitope on the N1/N2 loop of NTD and interact with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) via the light chain. These Omicron-specific NAbs achieve neutralization through ACE2 competition and blockage of ACE2-mediated S1 shedding. However, BA.2.86 and BA.2.87.1, which carry insertions or deletions on the N1/N2 loop, can evade these antibodies. Together, we provided a detailed map of the NTD-targeting antibody repertoire in the post-Omicron era, demonstrating their vulnerability to NTD mutations enabled by its evolutionary flexibility, despite their potent neutralization. These results revealed the function of the indels in the NTD of BA.2.86/JN.1 sublineage in evading neutralizing antibodies and highlighted the importance of considering the immunogenicity of NTD in vaccine design.

Active encoding of flexural wave with non-diffractive Talbot effect.

In this paper, a flexural Mikaelian lens in thin plate is designed by using conformation transformation. The propagation characteristics of flexural waves in the lens are investigated through rays trajectory equation, simulation analyses, and experimental tests, confirming the self-focusing properties of the Mikaelian lens. Additionally, the study explores the Talbot effect for flexural waves, revealing through simulation studies that the Talbot effect within the Mikaelian lens exhibits nearly diffraction-free properties. Building on the non-diffractive nature of the Talbot effect within the Mikaelian lens, we explore the potential for encoding flexural waves using active interference sources. The simulation and experiment results demonstrate the good performance of the designed active encoding system. This work opens up new avenues for the encoding of flexural waves, presenting promising implications for applications in communication such as structural health monitoring, wireless communication in solid media and data transmission in robotics and other areas related to flexural wave technology.

The Effect of Long-Term Particulate Matter Exposure on Respiratory Mortality: Cohort Study in China.

Background: Particulate matter (PM), which affects respiratory health, has been well documented; however, substantial evidence from large cohorts is still limited, particularly in highly polluted countries and for PM1. Objective: Our objective was to examine the potential causal links between long-term exposure to PMs (PM2.5, PM10, and more importantly, PM1) and respiratory mortality. Methods: A total of 580,757 participants from the Guangzhou area, China, were recruited from 2009 to 2015 and followed up through 2020. The annual average concentrations of PMs at a 1-km spatial resolution around the residential addresses were estimated using validated spatiotemporal models. The marginal structural Cox model was used to estimate the associations of PM exposure with respiratory mortality, accounting for time-varying PM exposure. Results were stratified by demographics and lifestyle behaviors factors. Results: Among the participants, the mean age was 48.33 (SD 17.55) years, and 275,676 (47.47%) of them were men. During the follow-up period, 7260 deaths occurred due to respiratory diseases. The annual average concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 showed a declining trend during the follow-up period. After adjusting for confounders, a 6.6% (95% CI 5.6%-7.6%), 4.2% (95% CI 3.6%-4.7%), and 4.0% (95% CI 3.6%-4.5%) increase in the risk of respiratory mortality was observed following each 1-µg/m3 increase in concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, respectively. In addition, older participants, nonsmokers, participants with higher exercise frequency, and those exposed to a lower normalized difference vegetation index tended to be more susceptible to the effects of PMs. Furthermore, participants in the low-exposure group tended to be at a 7.6% and 2.7% greater risk of respiratory mortality following PM1 and PM10 exposure, respectively, compared to the entire cohort. Conclusions: This cohort study provides causal clues of the respiratory impact of long-term ambient PM exposure, indicating that PM reduction efforts may continuously benefit the population's respiratory health.

The Growth Performance and Nutrient Composition of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Fed Slaughtered Bovine Blood.

The disposal of slaughterhouse blood poses significant environmental challenges due to its biological instability and high nutrient content. We used a gradient of 10% blood increments (0-100%) to feed BSFL, and the correlation between the proportion of bovine blood and the BSFL weight gain, mortality rate, fatty acid content, and amino acid content was researched. Results indicate a positive correlation between the bovine blood content and BSFL mortality, with survival rates above 95% for blood proportions below 60%. Larval weight exhibited a negative correlation as the bovine blood content increased. Nutritional analysis revealed that the crude protein content in BSFL increased proportionally with bovine blood (14.75-25.45 g/100 g), while the crude fat content decreased correspondingly (10.70-4.66 g/100 g). The sugar content remained relatively constant across groups. Fatty acid analysis showed increased levels of C16:0, C14:0, and C16:1 and decreased levels of C18:1, C18:2, and C18:3 with higher bovine blood contents. The amino acid content generally increased with higher blood proportions. This study highlights the bioconversion potential of BSFL for bovine blood and underscores the impact of protein, lipid, and sugar concentrations in feed on BSFL growth. These findings provide valuable insights for utilizing slaughterhouse waste in BSFL rearing, contributing to the development of more sustainable waste management and animal feed production methods.

Recent Southern Hemisphere Lamprimine Stag Beetle in Cretaceous Burmese Amber and Its Biogeographic Implications (Coleoptera: Lucanidae).

A new stag beetle fossil, Prostreptocerus burmiticus Yu & Cai gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a single male specimen. This is the first representative of the subfamily Lampriminae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Lucanidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The new species is distinctive among Lucanidae due to its well-developed, right-angled mandible, frons featuring a pair of large protuberances, a coarse and sparsely punctate elytral disc, and large tubercles on the humeri. Prostreptocerus Yu & Cai is placed within Lampriminae based on several key characteristics. Morphologically, it is most similar to the extant Streptocerus Fairmaire, 1850. The current distribution of Streptocerus and Lampriminae is primarily restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, suggesting that this lineage is ancient and existed on Gondwanaland, which has significant geographical implications. This discovery extends the fossil record of Lampriminae and provides additional evidence for the existence of sexual dimorphism and potential combat behavior in Mesozoic lucanids. Additionally, Electraesalopsis Bai, Zhang & Qiu, 2017, previously placed as Lucanidae incertae sedis, shares many characteristics with Prostreptocerus Yu & Cai and is also assigned to Lampriminae based on a suite of traits.

Endo-Lysosomal Network Disorder Reprograms Energy Metabolism in SorL1-Null Rat Hippocampus.

Sortilin-related receptor 1 (SorL1) deficiency is a genetic predisposition to familial Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its pathology is poorly understood. In SorL1-null rats, a disorder of the global endosome-lysosome network (ELN) is found in hippocampal neurons. Deletion of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in SorL1-null rats could not completely rescue the neuronal abnormalities in the ELN of the hippocampus and the impairment of spatial memory in SorL1-null young rats. These in vivo observations indicated that APP is one of the cargoes of SorL1 in the regulation of the ELN, which affects hippocampal-dependent memory. When SorL1 is depleted, the endolysosome takes up more of the lysosome flux and damages lysosomal digestion, leading to pathological lysosomal storage and disturbance of cholesterol and iron homeostasis in the hippocampus. These disturbances disrupt the original homeostasis of the material-energy-subcellular structure and reprogram energy metabolism based on fatty acids in the SorL1-null hippocampus, instead of glucose. Although fatty acid oxidation increases ATP supply, it cannot reduce the levels of the harmful byproduct ROS during oxidative phosphorylation, as it does in glucose catabolism. Therefore, the SorL1-null rats exhibit hippocampal degeneration, and their spatial memory is impaired. Our research sheds light on the pathology of SorL1 deficiency in AD.

Theoretical study of adsorption of gas (CO, CO2, NH3) by metal (Au, Ag, Cu)-doped single-layer WS2.

CONTEXT: The adsorptions of gas (CO, CO2, NH3) by metal (Au, Ag, Cu)-doped single layer WS2 are studied by density functional theory. The doping of metal atoms makes WS2 behave as n-type semiconductors. The final adsorption sites for CO, CO2, and NH3 are close to the atomic sites of the doped metal. The adsorptions of CO and NH3 gases on Cu/WS2, Ag/WS2, and Au/WS2 are dominated by chemisorption. The doped metal atoms enhance the hybridization of the substrate with the gas molecular orbitals, which contributes to the charge transfer and enhances the adsorption of the gas with the material surface. The adsorptions of CO and NH3 on Cu/WS2 and Ag/WS2 allow favorable desorption in a short time after heating. The single-layer Cu/WS2 is proved to have the potential to be used as a reliable recyclable sensor for CO. This work provides a theoretical basis for developing high-performance WS2-based gas sensors. METHODS: In this paper, the adsorption energy, electronic structure, charge transfer, and recovery time of CO, CO2, and NH3 in the doped system have been investigated based on the CASTEP code of density functional theory. The exchange correlation function used is the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The TS (Tkatchenko-Scheffler) dispersion correction method was used to involve the effects of van der Waals interaction on the adsorption energies for all adsorption system. The ultrasoft pseudopotentials are chosen and the plane-wave cut-off energies are set to 500 eV. The k-point mesh generated by the Monkhorst package scheme is used to perform the numerical integration of the Brillouin zone and 5 × 5 × 1 k-point grid is used. The tolerances of total energy convergence, maximum ionic force, ionic displacement, and stress component are 1.0 × 10-5 eV/atom, 0.03 eV/Å, 0.001 Å, and 0.05 GPa, respectively.

Efficacy and Safety of Catheter-Based Radiofrequency Renal Denervation in Chinese Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension: The Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Multi-Center Iberis-HTN Trial.

BACKGROUND: Renal denervation (RDN) can lower blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension in both the presence and absence of medication. This is the first sham-controlled trial investigating the safety and efficacy of RDN in China. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, randomized, patient- and outcome-assessor-blinded, sham-controlled trial investigated radiofrequency RDN in patients with hypertension on standardized triple antihypertensive therapy. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to undergo RDN using a multi-electrode radiofrequency catheter (Iberis; AngioCare, Shanghai, China) or a sham procedure. The primary efficacy outcome was the between-group difference in baseline-adjusted change in mean 24-hour ambulatory systolic BP from randomization to 6 months. RESULTS: Of 217 randomized patients (mean age, 45.3±10.2 years; 21% female), 107 were randomized to RDN and 110 were randomized to sham control. At 6 months, there was a greater reduction in 24-hour systolic BP in the RDN (-13.0±12.1 mm Hg) compared with the sham control group (-3.0±13.0 mm Hg; baseline-adjusted between-group difference, -9.4 mm Hg [95% CI, -12.8 to -5.9]; P<0.001). Compared with sham, 24-hour diastolic BP was lowered by -5.0 mm Hg ([95% CI, -7.5 to -2.4]; P<0.001) 6 months after RDN, and office systolic and diastolic BP was lowered by -6.4 mm Hg ([95% CI, -10.5 to -2.3]; P=0.003) and -5.1 mm Hg ([95% CI, -8.2 to -2.0]; P=0.001), respectively. One patient in the RDN group experienced an access site complication (hematoma), which resolved without sequelae. No other major device- or procedure-related safety events occurred through follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In this trial of Chinese patients with uncontrolled hypertension on a standardized triple pharmacotherapy, RDN was safe and reduced ambulatory and office BP at 6 months compared with sham. REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02901704.

Heterogeneous Nucleation Regulation Amends Unfavorable Crystallization Orientation and Defect Features of Antimony Selenosulfide Film for High-Efficient Planar Solar Cells.

Antimony selenosulfide (Sb2(S,Se)3) has obtained widespread concern for photovoltaic applications as a light absorber due to superior photoelectric features. Accordingly, various deposition technologies have been developed in recent years, especially hydrothermal deposition method, which has achieved a great success. However, device performances are limited with severe carrier recombination, relating to the quality of absorber and interfaces. Herein, bulk and interface defects are simultaneously suppressed by regulating heterogeneous nucleation kinetics with barium dibromide (BaBr2) introduction. In details, the Br adsorbs and dopes on the polar planes of cadmium sulfide (CdS) buffer layer, promoting the exposure of nonpolar planes of CdS, which facilitates the favorable growth of [hk1]-Sb2(S,Se)3 films possessing superior crystallinity and small interface defects. Additionally, the Se/S ratio is increased due to the replacement of S/Se by Br, causing a downshift of the Fermi levels with a benign band alignment and a shallow-level defect. Moreover, Ba2+ is located at grain boundaries by coordination with S and Se ions, passivating grain boundary defects. Consequently, the efficiency is increased from 7.70% to 10.12%. This work opens an avenue towards regulating the heterogeneous nucleation kinetics of Sb2(S,Se)3 film deposited via hydrothermal deposition approach to optimize its crystalline orientation and defect features.