Artificial selection footprints in indigenous and commercial chicken genomes.

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have been done to reveal artificial selection signatures in commercial and indigenous chickens, a limited number of genes have been linked to specific traits. To identify more trait-related artificial selection signatures and genes, we re-sequenced a total of 85 individuals of five indigenous chicken breeds with distinct traits from Yunnan Province, China. RESULTS: We found 30 million non-redundant single nucleotide variants and small indels (< 50 bp) in the indigenous chickens, of which 10 million were not seen in 60 broilers, 56 layers and 35 red jungle fowls (RJFs) that we compared with. The variants in each breed are enriched in non-coding regions, while those in coding regions are largely tolerant, suggesting that most variants might affect cis-regulatory sequences. Based on 27 million bi-allelic single nucleotide polymorphisms identified in the chickens, we found numerous selective sweeps and affected genes in each indigenous chicken breed and substantially larger numbers of selective sweeps and affected genes in the broilers and layers than previously reported using a rigorous statistical model. Consistent with the locations of the variants, the vast majority (~ 98.3%) of the identified selective sweeps overlap known quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Meanwhile, 74.2% known QTLs overlap our identified selective sweeps. We confirmed most of previously identified trait-related genes and identified many novel ones, some of which might be related to body size and high egg production traits. Using RT-qPCR, we validated differential expression of eight genes (GHR, GHRHR, IGF2BP1, OVALX, ELF2, MGARP, NOCT, SLC25A15) that might be related to body size and high egg production traits in relevant tissues of relevant breeds. CONCLUSION: We identify 30 million single nucleotide variants and small indels in the five indigenous chicken breeds, 10 million of which are novel. We predict substantially more selective sweeps and affected genes than previously reported in both indigenous and commercial breeds. These variants and affected genes are good candidates for further experimental investigations of genotype-phenotype relationships and practical applications in chicken breeding programs.

Annotations of four high-quality indigenous chicken genomes identify more than one thousand missing genes in subtelomeric regions and micro-chromosomes with high G/C contents.

BACKGROUND: Although multiple chicken genomes have been assembled and annotated, the numbers of protein-coding genes in chicken genomes and their variation among breeds are still uncertain due to the low quality of these genome assemblies and limited resources used in their gene annotations. To fill these gaps, we recently assembled genomes of four indigenous chicken breeds with distinct traits at chromosome-level. In this study, we annotated genes in each of these assembled genomes using a combination of RNA-seq- and homology-based approaches. RESULTS: We identified varying numbers (17,497-17,718) of protein-coding genes in the four indigenous chicken genomes, while recovering 51 of the 274 "missing" genes in birds in general, and 36 of the 174 "missing" genes in chickens in particular. Intriguingly, based on deeply sequenced RNA-seq data collected in multiple tissues in the four breeds, we found 571 ~ 627 protein-coding genes in each genome, which were missing in the annotations of the reference chicken genomes (GRCg6a and GRCg7b/w). After removing redundancy, we ended up with a total of 1,420 newly annotated genes (NAGs). The NAGs tend to be found in subtelomeric regions of macro-chromosomes (chr1 to chr5, plus chrZ) and middle chromosomes (chr6 to chr13, plus chrW), as well as in micro-chromosomes (chr14 to chr39) and unplaced contigs, where G/C contents are high. Moreover, the NAGs have elevated quadruplexes G frequencies, while both G/C contents and quadruplexes G frequencies in their surrounding regions are also high. The NAGs showed tissue-specific expression, and we were able to verify 39 (92.9%) of 42 randomly selected ones in various tissues of the four chicken breeds using RT-qPCR experiments. Most of the NAGs were also encoded in the reference chicken genomes, thus, these genomes might harbor more genes than previously thought. CONCLUSION: The NAGs are widely distributed in wild, indigenous and commercial chickens, and they might play critical roles in chicken physiology. Counting these new genes, chicken genomes harbor more genes than originally thought.

Vertical Evolution of Ozone Formation Sensitivity Based on Synchronous Vertical Observations of Ozone and Proxies for Its Precursors: Implications for Ozone Pollution Prevention Strategies.

Photochemical ozone (O3) formation in the atmospheric boundary layer occurs at both the surface and elevated altitudes. Therefore, the O3 formation sensitivity is needed to be evaluated at different altitudes before formulating an effective O3 pollution prevention and control strategy. Herein, we explore the vertical evolution of O3 formation sensitivity via synchronous observations of the vertical profiles of O3 and proxies for its precursors, formaldehyde (HCHO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), using multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) in urban areas of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Pearl River Delta (PRD) regions in China. The sensitivity thresholds indicated by the HCHO/NO2 ratio (FNR) varied with altitude. The VOC-limited regime dominated at the ground level, whereas the contribution of the NOx-limited regime increased with altitude, particularly on heavily polluted days. The NOx-limited and transition regimes played more important roles throughout the entire boundary layer than at the surface. The feasibility of extreme NOx reduction to mitigate the extent of the O3 pollution was evaluated using the FNR-O3 curve. Based on the surface sensitivity, the critical NOx reduction percentage for the transition from a VOC-limited to a NOx-limited regime is 45-72%, which will decrease to 27-61% when vertical evolution is considered. With the combined effects of clean air action and carbon neutrality, O3 pollution in the YRD and PRD regions will transition to the NOx-limited regime before 2030 and be mitigated with further NOx reduction.

Matrine suppresses liver cancer progression and the Warburg effect by regulating the circROBO1/miR-130a-5p/ROBO1 axis.

Matrine, an effective component extracted from the traditional Chinese herb, Sophora flavescens, has been indicated to exert antitumor activity in different types of cancer. However, the role and precise mechanism of matrine in the progression of liver cancer remains largely unclear. Cell viability, cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and Warburg effect were estimated by cell counting kit-8 assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry assay, and glucose uptake and lactate production assay, respectively. The candidate Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were screened by integrating the Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE155949) analysis with the online program GEO2R. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was employed to test the expression of circRNA circROBO1, microRNA miR-130a-5p, and roundabout homolog 1 (ROBO1). The interaction of circROBO1/miR-130a-5p/ROBO1 axis was predicted and confirmed by bioinformatics analysis, a dual-luciferase reporter assay, and an RNA pull-down assay. A xenograft mouse model was employed to reveal the role of matrine in vivo. Matrine repressed liver cancer cell viability, proliferation, and Warburg effect, but increased cell apoptosis in vitro. CircROBO1 and ROBO1 were upregulated, but miR-130a-5p was downregulated in liver cancer tissues. Additionally, matrine could reduce the expression of circROBO1 and ROBO1, and increase the expression of miR-130a-5p. Mechanically, overexpression of circROBO1 partly recovered the effect of matrine on liver cancer cell viability, proliferation, apoptosis, and Warburg effect by regulating the miR-130a-5p/ROBO1 axis. Matrine impeded liver cancer development by mediating the circROBO1/miR-130a-5p/ROBO1 axis, which provided a theoretical basis for the application of matrine as an effective anticancer drug for liver cancer.

Tough, Highly Oriented, Super Thermal Insulating Regenerated All-Cellulose Sponge-Aerogel Fibers Integrating a Graded Aligned Nanostructure.

Thermal insulating fibers can effectively regulate the human body temperature and decrease indoor energy consumption. However, designing super thermal insulating fibers integrating a sponge and aerogel structure based on biomass resources is still a challenge. Herein, a flow-assisted dynamic dual-cross-linking strategy is developed to realize the steady fabrication of regenerated all-cellulose graded sponge-aerogel fibers (CGFs) in a microfluidic chip. The chemically cross-linked cellulose solution is used as the core flow, which is passed through two sheath flow channels, containing either a diffusion solvent or a physical cross-linking solvent, resulting in CGFs with a porous sponge outer layer and a dense aerogel inner layer. By regulating and simulating the flow process in the microfluidic chip, CGFs with adjustable sponge thicknesses, excellent toughness (26.20 MJ m-3), and ultralow thermal conductivity (0.023 W m-1 K-1) are fabricated. This work provides a new method for fabricating graded biomass fibers and inspires attractive applications for thermal insulation in textiles.

Integrative analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics to reveal the melanogenesis pathway of muscle and related meat characters in Wuliangshan black-boned chickens.

BACKGROUND: Melanin is an important antioxidant in food and has been used in medicine and cosmetology. Chicken meat with high melanin content from black-boned chickens have been considered a high nutritious food with potential medicinal properties. The molecular mechanism of melanogenesis of skeletal muscle in black-boned chickens remain poorly understood. This study investigated the biological gene-metabolite associations regulating the muscle melanogenesis pathways in Wuliangshan black-boned chickens with two normal boned chicken breeds as control. RESULTS: We identified 25 differentially expressed genes and 11 transcription factors in the melanogenesis pathways. High levels of the meat flavor compounds inosine monophosphate, hypoxanthine, lysophospholipid, hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid, and nicotinamide mononucleotide were found in Wuliangshan black-boned chickens. CONCLUSION: Integrative analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics revealed the dual physiological functions of the PDZK1 gene, involved in pigmentation and/or melanogenesis and regulating the phospholipid signaling processes in muscle of black boned chickens.

32 Gb/s physical-layer secure optical communication over 200†km based on temporal dispersion and self-feedback phase encryption.

Providing physical layer security at the lowest network layer in fiber-optic communication systems is a technical challenge worldwide. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a pure hardware optical encryption scheme based on temporal spreading and self-feedback phase encryption for high-speed and long-distance physical-layer secure optical communication. A record high bit-rate-distance product of 6400 Gb/s km is successfully achieved by the secure transmission of a 32 Gb/s on-off-keying modulated confidential signal over a 200 km optical fiber link. The demonstrated scheme is fully compatible with conventional optical transmission systems and can be operated in a pluggable manner, which may pave a new path to ultra-high-speed physical-layer secure optical communication in the future.

Multicentre, randomized comparison of two-stent and provisional stenting techniques in patients with complex coronary bifurcation lesions: the DEFINITION II trial.

AIM: The present study aimed to assess the benefits of two-stent techniques for patients with DEFINITION criteria-defined complex coronary bifurcation lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 653 patients with complex bifurcation lesions at 49 international centres were randomly assigned to undergo the systematic two-stent technique (two-stent group) or provisional stenting (provisional group). The primary endpoint was the composite of target lesion failure (TLF) at the 1-year follow-up, including cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TVMI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). The safety endpoint was definite or probable stent thrombosis. At the 1-year follow-up, TLF occurred in 37 (11.4%) and 20 (6.1%) patients in the provisional and two-stent groups, respectively [77.8%: double-kissing crush; hazard ratio (HR) 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30-0.90; P = 0.019], largely driven by increased TVMI (7.1%, HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.20-0.90; P = 0.025) and clinically driven TLR (5.5%, HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19-1.00; P = 0.049) in the provisional group. At the 1 year after indexed procedures, the incidence of cardiac death was 2.5% in the provisional group, non-significant to 2.1% in the two-stent group (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.31-2.37; P = 0.772). CONCLUSION: For DEFINITION criteria-defined complex coronary bifurcation lesions, the systematic two-stent approach was associated with a significant improvement in clinical outcomes compared with the provisional stenting approach. Further study is urgently warranted to identify the mechanisms contributing to the increased rate of TVMI after provisional stenting. STUDY REGISTRATION: http://www.clinicaltrials.com; Identifier: NCT02284750.

Cafeteria-style feeding trials provide new insights into the diet and nutritional strategies of the black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri): Implications for conservation.

Anthropogenic changes and fragmentation of natural habitats often exert a negative effect on resource availability and distribution, and the nutritional ecology and feeding behavior of nonhuman primates. The goals of this study are to examine food choice and to identify the nutritional profile of foods consumed by the Critically Endangered black snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri). To accomplish our study goals, we presented cafeteria-style feeding trials of fresh food items collected in the home range of wild black snub-nosed monkeys to the only two captive R. strykeri, and compared the nutritional profiles of the leafy foods (buds, young, and mature leaves, 100 i23tems from 70 plant species) selected with those avoided (54 items from 48 plant species). Overall, the results indicate that captive R. strykeri selected foods that were higher in moisture (Mo; 77.7%), crude protein (CP; 21.2%), total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC; 34.9%), and phosphorus (P; 0.37%) while tending to avoid foods with a neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content of greater than 46.8%. Leaves collected in autumn and selected by the monkeys were characterized by a slightly higher amount of metabolizable energy (ME) than those rejected (1,350 kJ/100 g vs. 1,268 kJ/100 g). In contrast, the protein content of foods collected and consumed during the spring was greater (22.9%) than in autumn (16.4%). Random Forests modeling, an ensemble learning method, indicated that the proportion of Mo, NDF, ME, CP, P, and TNC were among the most important factors in predicting which items were consumed by the captive R. strykeri during spring and autumn. On the basis of the nutritional profile of foods consumed across the two seasons, we identified 18 nutrient-rich native plant species that we recommend for use in ex- and in-situ conservation management and reforestation programs to provide long-term access to a nutritionally adequate diet.

Impact of intravascular ultrasound-guided drug-eluting stent implantation on patients with chronic kidney disease: Results from ULTIMATE trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the impacts of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation on patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on the ULTIMATE trial. BACKGROUND: IVUS-guided DES implantation improves clinical outcomes in complex lesions. However, routine IVUS guidance in patients with CKD remains controversial. METHODS: CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL min-1 1.73 m-2 . The primary end point was target vessel failure (TVF) at 12 months, including cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and clinically driven target vessel revascularization. RESULTS: eGFR was available in 1,443 patients, of whom 723 were in the IVUS guidance group, and 720 were in the angiography guidance group. Finally, CKD was present in 349 (24.2%) patients. At 12 months, TVF in the CKD group was 7.2%, which was significantly higher than 3.2% in the non-CKD group (p = .001). Moreover, there were 25 TVFs in the CKD patients, with 7 (3.9%) TVFs in the IVUS group and 18 (10.7%) TVFs in the angiography group (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.15-0.84; p = .01), whereas 35 TVFs occurred in patients without CKD, with 14 (2.6%) TVFs in the IVUS group and 21 (3.8%) TVFs in the angiography group (HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.34-1.32; p = .25; p for interaction = .24). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that CKD patients undergoing DES implantations were associated with a higher risk of TVF at 12 months. More importantly, the risk of TVF in the CKD patients could be significantly decreased through IVUS guidance. CLINICAL TRIAL: NCT02215915.

MRI-based radiomics of rectal cancer: preoperative assessment of the pathological features.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the significance of MRI-based radiomics model derived from high-resolution T2-weighted images (T2WIs) in predicting tumor pathological features of rectal cancer. METHODS: A total of 152 patients with rectal cancer who underwent surgery without any neoadjuvant therapy between March 2017 and September 2018 were included retrospectively. The patients were scanned using a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging, and high-resolution T2WIs were obtained. Lesions were delineated, and 1029 radiomics features were extracted. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was used to select features, and multilayer perceptron (MLP), logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) were trained using fivefold cross-validation to build a prediction model. The diagnostic performance of the prediction models was assessed using the receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS: A total of 1029 features were extracted, and 15, 11, and 11 features were selected to predict the degree of differentiation, T stage, and N stage, respectively. The best performance of the radiomics model for the degree of differentiation, T stage, and N stage was obtained by SVM [area under the curve (AUC), 0.862; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.750-0.967; sensitivity, 83.3%; specificity, 85.0%], MLP (AUC, 0.809; 95% CI, 0.690-0.905; sensitivity, 76.2%; specificity, 74.1%), and RF (AUC, 0.746; 95% CI, 0.622-0.872; sensitivity, 79.3%; specificity, 72.2%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that the high-resolution T2WI-based radiomics model could serve as pretreatment biomarkers in predicting pathological features of rectal cancer.

Multiregional radiomics features from multiparametric MRI for prediction of MGMT methylation status in glioblastoma multiforme: A multicentre study.

OBJECTIVES: To build a reliable radiomics model from multiregional and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for pretreatment prediction of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promotor methylation status in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). METHODS: In this retrospective multicentre study, 1,705 multiregional radiomics features were automatically extracted from multiparametric MRI. A radiomics model with a minimal set of all-relevant features and a radiomics model with univariately-predictive and non-redundant features were built for MGMT methylation prediction from a primary cohort (133 patients) and tested on an independent validation cohort (60 patients). Predictive models combing clinical factors were built and evaluated. Both radiomics models were assessed on subgroups stratified by clinical factors. RESULTS: The radiomics model with six all-relevant features allowed pretreatment prediction of MGMT methylation (AUC=0.88, accuracy=80 %), which significantly outperformed the model with eight univariately-predictive and non-redundant features (AUC=0.76, accuracy=70 %). Combing clinical factors with radiomics features did not benefit the prediction performance. The all-relevant model achieved significantly better performance in stratified analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Radiomics model built from multiregional and multiparameter MRI may serve as a potential imaging biomarker for pretreatment prediction of MGMT methylation in GBM. The all-relevant features have the potential of offering better predictive power than the univariately-predictive and non-redundant features. KEY POINTS: • Multiregional and multiparametric MRI features reliably predicted MGMT methylation in multicentre cohorts. • All-relevant imaging features predicted MGMT methylation better than univariately-predictive and non-redundant features. • Combing clinical factors with radiomics features did not benefit the prediction performance.

Regulation of myostatin expression is associated with growth and muscle development in commercial broiler and DMC muscle.

Myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth. Muscle tissue is the largest tissue in the body and influences body growth. Commercial Avian broiler chickens are selected for high growth rate and muscularity. Daweishan mini chickens are a slow growing small-sized chicken breed. We investigated the relations between muscle (breast and leg) myostatin mRNA expression and body and muscle growth. Twenty chickens per breed were slaughtered at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 days of age. Body and muscle weights were higher at all times in Avian chickens. Breast muscle myostatin expression was higher in Avian chickens than in Daweishan mini chickens at day 30. Myostatin expression peaked at day 60 in Daweishan mini chickens and expression remained higher in breast muscle. Daweishan mini chickens myostatin expression correlated positively with carcass weight, breast and leg muscle weight from day 0 to 60, and correlated negatively with body weight from day 90 to 150, while myostatin expression in Avian chickens was negatively correlated with carcass and muscle weight from day 90 to 150. The results suggest that myostatin expression is related to regulation of body growth and muscle development, with two different regulatory mechanisms that switch between days 30 and 60.

Biological mechanisms discriminating growth rate and adult body weight phenotypes in two Chinese indigenous chicken breeds.

BACKGROUND: Intensive selection has resulted in increased growth rates and muscularity in broiler chickens, in addition to adverse effects, including delayed organ development, sudden death syndrome, and altered metabolic rates. The biological mechanisms underlying selection responses remain largely unknown. Non-artificially-selected indigenous Chinese chicken breeds display a wide variety of phenotypes, including differential growth rate, body weight, and muscularity. The Wuding chicken breed is a fast growing large chicken breed, and the Daweishan mini chicken breed is a slow growing small chicken breed. Together they form an ideal model system to study the biological mechanisms underlying broiler chicken selection responses in a natural system. The objective of this study was to study the biological mechanisms underlying differential phenotypes between the two breeds in muscle and liver tissues, and relate these to the growth rate and body development phenotypes of the two breeds. RESULTS: The muscle tissue in the Wuding breed showed higher expression of muscle development genes than muscle tissue in the Daweishan chicken breed. This expression was accompanied by higher expression of acute inflammatory response genes in Wuding chicken than in Daweishan chicken. The muscle tissue of the Daweishan mini chicken breed showed higher expression of genes involved in several metabolic mechanisms including endoplasmic reticulum, protein and lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, as well as specific immune traits than in the Wuding chicken. The liver tissue showed fewer differences between the two breeds. Genes displaying higher expression in the Wuding breed than in the Daweishan breed were not associated with a specific gene network or biological mechanism. Genes highly expressed in the Daweishan mini chicken breed compared to the Wuding breed were enriched for protein metabolism, ABC receptors, signal transduction, and IL6-related mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that faster growth rates and larger body size are related to increased expression of genes involved in muscle development and immune response in muscle, while slower growth rates and smaller body size are related to increased general cellular metabolism. The liver of the Daweishan breed displayed increased expression of metabolic genes.

The role of neuroglial cells communication in ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability globally, but its treatment options are limited due to therapeutic window and reperfusion injury constraints. Microglia, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes are the major components of the neurovascular unit, and there is substantial evidence suggesting their contributions to maintaining homeostasis in the central nervous system. Neuroglial cells participate in neuronal physiological functions and the repair of damaged neurons through various communication methods, including gap junctions, chemical signaling, and extracellular vesicles, in conjunction with other components of the neurovascular unit. Ischemia-induced microglia and astrocytes polarize into "M1/M2" and "A1/A2" phenotypes and exert neurotoxic or neuroprotective effects by releasing soluble factors, secreting extracellular vesicles, and forming syncytia networks in the acute (<72 h), subacute (>72 h), and chronic phases (>6 weeks). Apoptosis of oligodendrocytes due to ischemic hypoxia leads to white matter injury, causing long-term cognitive dysfunction, and promoting oligodendrogenesis is a crucial direction for achieving functional recovery in ischemic stroke. In this article, we summarize the cellular interactions following cerebral ischemia, analyze the roles of neuroglial cells through gap junctions, chemical signaling, and extracellular vesicles in different stages of ischemic stroke, and further explore strategies for intervening in ischemic stroke.

Observations of HONO and its precursors between urban and its surrounding agricultural fields: The vertical transports, sources and contribution to OH.

The insufficient study on vertical observations of main atmospheric reactive nitrogen oxides (NO2 and HONO) posed a great challenge to evaluate their intertransport between urban and agricultural areas, and to further learn the atmospheric nitrogen chemistry and the atmospheric oxidation capacity at high altitudes. A stereoscopic measurement campaign (satellite remote sensing, hyperspectral unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing and MAX-DOAS observation) was performed in a typical inland city Hefei and its surrounding agricultural fields from June to October 2022. Average aerosol vertical profiles exhibited a Gaussian shape above 100 m with maximum values of 0.67 km-1 and 0.55 km-1 at 300-400 m layer at Anhui University (AHU) and Changfeng (CF), respectively. The distinct layered structure was mainly attributed to regional transport. Average H2O and NO2 vertical profiles all showed a Gaussian shape and an exponential shape at AHU and CF, respectively. Moreover, the diurnal evolution of H2O profiles performed one peak and bi-peak patterns at AHU and CF, respectively, whereas the diurnal evolution of NO2 at two stations all exhibited bi-peak patterns attributed to vehicle emissions. Average HONO vertical profiles showed an exponential shape and a Gaussian shape at AHU and CF, respectively. Higher HONO (> 0.05 ppb) above 1.0 km at 14:00-16:00 was observed at CF. The transport flux analysis showed that the northern transport flux always larger than southern transport flux for aerosol and H2O. The maximum northern transport fluxes appeared at 300 m and surface for aerosol and H2O, respectively. It indicated that surrounding agricultural fields was an important source of atmospheric H2O of city. The southern transport flux was larger than northern transport flux for NO2, with a maximum net transport flux of 9.20 ppb m s-1 at 100 m. It demonstrated that NO2 transported from urban areas was an important source of NO2 in agricultural fields. For HONO, the southern transport flux was larger than northern transport flux under 100 m, whereas it was opposite above 100 m. It indicated that the HONO distributed at high altitudes at agricultural fields had potential to enhance the atmospheric oxidation capacity of urban area. The net horizontal transport fluxes of HONO of our defined cropland were 5.25 µg m-2 s-1 and -3.65 µg m-2 s-1 during non-fertilization and fertilization periods, respectively. It indicated that the cropland could obviously export HONO to surrounding atmosphere during the fertilization period. Deducing the contribution of direct emission, heterogeneous process was a major source of HONO at urban and agricultural areas. The average surface conversion rate of NO2-to-HONO (CHONO) was 0.01467 h-1, and this value decreased with the increase of height at urban station. While average surface CHONO was 0.0322 h-1 at agricultural fields, which was ~1.2-2.8 times higher than that at urban area. The CHONO at agricultural fields significantly increased with the increase of height. The average CHONO at 1.0 km was ~2.0-3.6 times higher than that at surface. That suggested that the heterogeneous process was the main HONO source at high altitudes at CF, and this process obviously correlated with aerosol and H2O. The higher OH production from HONO (P(OH)HONO) occurred at 0-200 m and 100-400 m with averaged values of 0.31 ppb h-1 and 0.39 ppb h-1 at AHU and CF, respectively. The high P(OH)HONO above 1.0 km at CF from September to October was strongly correlated with high O3 (> 80 ppb). This study emphasized the importance of the stereoscopic of HONO on the analysis of its distribution, evolution, source and atmospheric oxidizing contribution.

High quality assemblies of four indigenous chicken genomes and related functional data resources.

Many lines of evidence indicate that red jungle fowl (RJF) is the primary ancestor of domestic chickens. Although multiple versions of RJF (galgal2-galgal5 and GRCg6a) and commercial chickens (GRCg7b/w and Huxu) genomes have been assembled since 2004, no high-quality indigenous chicken genomes have been assembled, hampering the understanding of chicken domestication and evolution. To fill the gap, we sequenced the genomes of four indigenous chickens with distinct morphological traits in southwest China, using a combination of short, long and Hi-C reads. We assembled each genome (~1.0 Gb) into 42 chromosomes with chromosome N50 90.5-90.9 Mb, amongst the highest quality of chicken genome assemblies. To provide resources for gene annotation and functional analysis, we also sequenced transcriptomes of 10 tissues for each of the four chickens. Moreover, we corrected many mis-assemblies and assembled missing micro-chromosomes 29 and 34-39 for GRCg6a. Our assemblies, sequencing data and the correction of GRCg6a can be valuable resources for studying chicken domestication and evolution.

Effects of breeds and dietary protein levels on the growth performance, energy expenditure and expression of avUCP mRNA in chickens.

The physiological mechanisms of thermogenesis, energy balance and energy expenditure are poorly understood in poultry. The aim of this study was designed to investigate the physiological roles of avian uncoupling protein (avUCP) regulating in energy balance and thermogenesis by using three chicken breeds of existence striking genetic difference and feeding with different dietary protein levels. Three chicken breeds including broilers, hybrid chickens, and non-selection Wuding chickens were used in this study. Total 150 chicks of 1 day of age, with 50 from each breed were reared under standard conditions on starter diets to 30 days. At 30 days of age, forty chicks from each breed chicks were divided into two groups. One group was fed low protein diet (LP, 17.0 %), and the other group was fed high protein diet (HP, 19.5 %) for 60 days. Wuding chickens showed the lowest feed conversion efficiency (FCE) and the highest expressions of avUCP mRNA association with high plasma T3 and insulin concentrations. Hybrid chickens showed the lowest expressions of avUCP mRNA association with high FCE and energy efficiency. Expressions of avUCP mRNA association with diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) were only observed in broiler and hybrid chickens. The expressions of avUCP mRNA were positive association with plasma insulin, T3 and NEFA concentrations. Age influence on the expression of avUCP mRNA were observed only for hybrid and broiler chickens. It seems that both roles of avUCP regulation thermogenesis and lipid utilisation as fuel were observed in the present study response to variation in dietary protein and breeds.

Effects of Different Iron Supplements on Reproductive Performance and Antioxidant Capacity of Pregnant Sows as Well as Iron Content and Antioxidant Gene Expression in Newborn Piglets.

To improve the reproductive performance of sows and the iron nutrition of newborn piglets, we studied the effects of dietary iron on reproductive performance in pregnant sows as well as antioxidant capacity and the visceral iron content of sows and newborn piglets. Forty pregnant sows were divided into four groups, the iron deficiency group (Id group) was fed a basic diet while sows in the treatment groups were fed diets supplemented with 200 mg/kg lactoferrin (LF group), 0.8% heme-iron (Heme-Fe group), or 500 mg/kg iron-glycine complex (Fe-Gly group). The results indicated that (1) different sources of iron had no significant effect on litter size, live litter size, and litter weight of sows; (2) the three additives improved iron nutrition in newborn piglets, with LF and Heme-Fe having better improvement effects; and (3) the addition of different iron sources improved the level of serum antioxidant biochemical indexes of sows and newborn piglets, and it can have an effect on gene level, among which lactoferrin has the best effect. Thus, adding LF, Heme-iron, or Fe-Gly to the diet of sows during the second and third trimester of gestation can improve the antioxidant capacity of the sows. The supplementation of LF in pregnant sow diets can also improve the antioxidant capacity and the iron nutrition of newborn piglets, with better additive effects than in Heme-Fe and Fe-Gly.

High-Mobility and Bias-Stable Field-Effect Transistors Based on Lead-Free Formamidinium Tin Iodide Perovskites.

Electronic devices based on tin halide perovskites often exhibit a poor operational stability. Here, we report an additive engineering strategy to realize high-performance and stable field-effect transistors (FETs) based on 3D formamidinium tin iodide (FASnI3) films. By comparatively studying the modification effects of two additives, i.e., phenethylammonium iodide and 4-fluorophenylethylammonium iodide via combined experimental and theoretical investigations, we unambiguously point out the general effects of phenethylammonium (PEA) and its fluorinated derivative (FPEA) in enhancing crystallization of FASnI3 films and the unique role of fluorination in reducing structural defects, suppressing oxidation of Sn2+ and blocking oxygen and water involved defect reactions. The optimized FPEA-modified FASnI3 FETs reach a record high field-effect mobility of 15.1 cm2/(V·s) while showing negligible hysteresis. The devices exhibit less than 10% and 3% current variation during over 2 h continuous bias stressing and 4200-cycle switching test, respectively, representing the best stability achieved so far for all Sn-based FETs.