Higher-Order Clustering of the Transmembrane Anchor of DR5 Drives Signaling.

Receptor clustering on the cell membrane is critical in the signaling of many immunoreceptors, and this mechanism has previously been attributed to the extracellular and/or the intracellular interactions. Here, we report an unexpected finding that for death receptor 5 (DR5), a receptor in the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, the transmembrane helix (TMH) alone in the receptor directly assembles a higher-order structure to drive signaling and that this structure is inhibited by the unliganded ectodomain. Nuclear magnetic resonance structure of the TMH in bicelles shows distinct trimerization and dimerization faces, allowing formation of dimer-trimer interaction networks. Single-TMH mutations that disrupt either trimerization or dimerization abolish ligand-induced receptor activation. Surprisingly, proteolytic removal of the DR5 ectodomain can fully activate downstream signaling in the absence of ligand. Our data suggest a receptor activation mechanism in which binding of ligand or antibodies to overcome the pre-ligand autoinhibition allows TMH clustering and thus signaling.

Rynchopeterine inhibits the formation of hypertrophic scars by regulating the miR-21/HIF1AN axis.

Hypertrophic scar (HS) is a fibroproliferative skin disease characterized by abnormal wound healing and pathological excessive fibrosis of the skin. Currently, the molecular mechanism of the disease is still largely unknown, and there is no effective drug treatment. In this study, we explored the effect of Rynchopeterine on the formation of HS. HS fibroblasts (HSFs) were isolated from the HS tissues of patients recovering from severe burns. After treating HSFs with different concentrations of Rynchopeterine, CCK-8, EdU, and Annexin V-FITC/PI assays were used to detect the proliferation, apoptosis, and contractile ability of HSFs. RT-qPCR and Western blotting were performed to evaluate the effect of Rynchopeterine on the expression of miR-21 and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha subunit suppressor (HIF1AN). The dual-luciferase reporter gene was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-21 and HIF1AN. Rynchopeterine reduced the expression of Col1a2, Col3a1, and α-SMA, inhibited proliferation and contraction of HSFs, and increased apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. miR-21 was highly expressed in HS tissues and HSFs, and Rynchopeterine could inhibit miR-21 expression. Overexpression of miR-21 and knockdown of HIF1AN increased proliferation, activation, contraction, and collagen synthesis of HSFs, and inhibited their apoptosis. In vivo, Rynchopeterine could reduce the collagen content of the dermis and the positive ratio of PCNA and α-SMA. Rynchopeterine is a good therapeutic agent for HS, which up-regulates the expression of HIF1AN by inhibiting miR-21, thereby inhibiting the formation of HS.

Superantigen-fused T cell engagers for tumor antigen-mediated robust T cell activation and tumor cell killing.

Inadequate T cell activation has severely limited the success of T cell engager (TCE) therapy, especially in solid tumors. Enhancing T cell activity while maintaining the tumor specificity of TCEs is the key to improving their clinical efficacy. However, currently, there needs to be more effective strategies in clinical practice. Here, we design novel superantigen-fused TCEs that display robust tumor antigen-mediated T cell activation effects. These innovative drugs are not only armed with the powerful T cell activation ability of superantigens but also retain the dependence of TCEs on tumor antigens, realizing the ingenious combination of the advantages of two existing drugs. Superantigen-fused TCEs have been preliminarily proven to have good (>30-fold more potent) and specific (>25-fold more potent) antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Surprisingly, they can also induce the activation of T cell chemotaxis signals, which may promote T cell infiltration and further provide an additional guarantee for improving TCE efficacy in solid tumors. Overall, this proof-of-concept provides a potential strategy for improving the clinical efficacy of TCEs.

Emergence of a novel ISS1N-optrA-carrying transposon within an integrative and conjugative element from Streptococcus parasuis.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the genetic context and transferability of the oxazolidinone resistance gene optrA in a Streptococcus parasuis isolate. METHODS: The optrA-carrying S. parasuis isolate SFJ45 was characterized by PCR, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, complete genome sequencing and bioinformatic analysis. The transferability of optrA was verified by conjugation, followed by SmaI-PFGE and Southern blotting. RESULTS: The S. parasuis isolate SFJ45 was positive for optrA, mef(A), msr(D), erm(B), tetAB(P)', tet(M), aadE, aphA3, catQ, dfrG and mdt(A), conferring an MDR phenotype. The optrA gene was flanked by ISS1N at both termini in the same orientation, representing a novel 8750 bp pseudo-compound transposon, organized as the ISS1N-hth-clb-4hp-optrA-2hp-ISS1N structure. The ISS1N-optrA-carrying transposon was further inserted within an integrative and conjugative element, ICESpsuSFJ45, at 3' end of the fda gene. Conjugative transfer of the ISS1N-optrA-carrying transposon with ICESpsuSFJ45 was observed from S. parasuis to Streptococcus suis at a frequency of (1.01 ± 3.12) × 10-7. CONCLUSIONS: ISS1N was found to be associated with optrA spreading for the first time. Integration of the ISS1N-optrA transposon within ICESpsuSFJ45 may lead to the co-selection of optrA with other antimicrobial resistance genes, contributing to its horizontal transfer from S. parasuis to clinically more important bacterial pathogens.

Viscosities of the Baryon-Rich Quark-Gluon Plasma from Beam Energy Scan Data.

This work presents the first Bayesian inference study of the (3+1)D dynamics of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and quark-gluon plasma viscosities using an event-by-event (3+1)D hydrodynamics+hadronic transport theoretical framework and data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider Beam energy scan program. Robust constraints on initial state nuclear stopping and the baryon chemical potential-dependent shear viscosity of the produced quantum chromodynamic (QCD) matter are obtained. The specific bulk viscosity of the QCD matter is found to exhibit a preferred maximum around sqrt[s_{NN}]=19.6 GeV. This result allows for the alternative interpretation of a reduction (and/or increase) of the speed of sound relative to that of the employed lattice-QCD based equation of state for net baryon chemical potential µ_{B}∼0.2(0.4) GeV.

Sedimentary Vibrio Blooms in the Xisha Islands May Associate with the 2020 Coral Bleaching Event.

Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems, providing habitats for various organisms. Studies on coral bleaching have been increasing recently, but little is known about the distribution and community assembly of coral pathogenic bacteria (e.g., several Vibrio species). We elucidated the distribution pattern and interaction relationships of total bacteria and Vibrio spp. in sediments from the Xisha Islands, which are characterized by their high coverage and diversity of coral resources. Vibrio spp. showed significantly higher relative abundance values in the Xisha Islands (1.00 × 108 copies/g) than in other areas (approximately 1 × 104 to 9.04 × 105 copies/g), indicating that the coral bleaching event of 2020 may have promoted the bloom of vibrios. A spatial shift in community composition was observed between the northern (Photobacterium rosenbergii and Vibrio ponticus) and southern (Vibrio ishigakensis and Vibrio natriegens) sites, accompanied by a clear distance-decay pattern. The spatial distance and coral species (e.g., Acroporidae and Fungiidae) had much greater correlations with the Vibrio community than did environmental factors. However, complex mechanisms may exist in the community assembly of Vibrio spp. due to the large proportion of unexplained variation. Stochastic processes may play an important role, as shown by the neutral model. Vibrio harveyi had the highest relative abundance (77.56%) and niche breadth, compared to other species, and it was negatively correlated with Acroporidae, likely reflecting its strong competitive ability and adverse effects on specific corals. Our study provides insights into the bloom and underlying assembly mechanisms of sedimentary vibrios in the Xisha Islands, thereby contributing to identify the potential indicator of coral bleaching and provide inspiration for the environmental management of coral reef areas. IMPORTANCE Coral reefs exert important roles in maintaining the sustainability of marine ecosystems but decline worldwide due to various drivers, especially pathogenic microorganisms. Here, we investigated the distribution pattern and interactions of total bacteria and Vibrio spp. in the sediments from Xisha Islands during the coral bleaching event of 2020. Our results showed that the abundances of Vibrio (1.00 × 108 copies/g) were high across the whole sites, indicating the bloom of sedimentary Vibrio spp. Coral pathogenic Vibrio species were abundant in the sediments, likely reflecting adverse effects on several kinds of corals. The compositions of the Vibrio spp. were separated by geographical location, which was mainly attributable to the spatial distance and coral species. Overall, this work contributes by providing evidence for the outbreak of coral pathogenic vibrios. The pathogenic mechanism of the dominant species (especially V. harveyi) should be comprehensively considered by laboratory infection experiments in the future.

Multiscale Imaging of Nuclear Deformation at the Electron-Ion Collider.

We show within the color glass condensate framework that exclusive vector meson production at high energy is very sensitive to the geometric deformation of the target nucleus at multiple length scales. We show that different multipole deformation parameters affect different regions of transverse momentum transfer. These results have two important consequences: (1) Deformations of nuclear targets need to be taken into account when making predictions for and interpreting certain observables at the EIC. (2) Differential diffractive vector meson production has the potential to become a powerful tool, enabling the most direct measurements of nuclear structure at different length scales, ranging from large scale nuclear deformation at low transverse momentum transfer to fluctuations on nucleon- and subnucleon-size scales at higher transverse momentum transfer.

Improving the tumor selectivity of T cell engagers by logic-gated dual tumor-targeting.

Targeting single tumor antigens makes it difficult to provide sufficient tumor selectivity for T cell engagers (TCEs), leading to undesirable toxicity and even treatment failure, which is particularly serious in solid tumors. Here, we designed novel trispecific TCEs (TriTCEs) to improve the tumor selectivity of TCEs by logic-gated dual tumor-targeting. TriTCE can effectively redirect and activate T cells to kill tumor cells (∼18 pM EC50) by inducing the aggregation of dual tumor antigens, which was ∼70- or 750- fold more effective than the single tumor-targeted isotype controls, respectively. Further in vivo experiments indicated that TriTCE has the ability to accumulate in tumor tissue and can induce circulating T cells to infiltrate into tumor sites. Hence, TriTCE showed a stronger tumor growth inhibition ability and significantly prolonged the survival time of the mice. Finally, we revealed that this concept of logic-gated dual tumor-targeted TriTCE can be applied to target different tumor antigens. Cumulatively, we reported novel dual tumor-targeted TriTCEs that can mediate a robust T cell response by simultaneous recognition of dual tumor antigens at the same cell surface. TriTCEs allow better selective T cell activity on tumor cells, resulting in safer TCE treatment.

Vibrio amylolyticus sp. nov. and Vibrio gelatinilyticus sp. nov., two marine bacteria isolated from surface seawater of Qingdao.

Two Gram-stain-negative, oxidase-positive, facultative anaerobic and rod-shaped motile bacteria, designated strains ZSDZ34 and ZSDE26, were isolated from offshore surface seawater collected near Qingdao. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences placed ZSDE26T and ZSDZ34T within the genus Vibrio, family Vibrionaceae, class Gammaproteobacteria. Strain ZSDE26T was most closely related to Vibrio gallaecicus VB 8.9T with 97.3 % sequence similarity, whereas ZSDZ34T was most closely related to Vibrio aestuarianus subsp. cardii DSM 109723T with 97.8 % sequence similarity. Strain ZSDE26T grew with 1-5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 4 %), at 16-28 °C (optimum, 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0). Growth of strain ZSDZ34T occurred with 1-6 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3 %), at 16-37 °C (optimum, 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0). Both strains shared the same major fatty acid components (more than 10 % of total fatty acids) of summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c) and C16 : 0. Additionally, strain ZSDZ34T contained a higher proportion of iso-C16 : 0. The DNA G+C contents of strains ZSDE26T and ZSDZ34T were 42.8 and 44.5 mol%, respectively. On the basis of the results of polyphasic analysis, ZSDE26T and ZSDZ34T are considered to represent novel species within the genus Vibrio, for which the names Vibrio amylolyticus sp. nov. (type strain, ZSDE26T=KCTC 82890T=MCCC 1K06290T) and Vibrio gelatinilyticus sp. nov. (type strain, ZSDZ34T=KCTC 82888T=MCCC 1K06292T) are proposed, respectively.

Vibrio paucivorans sp. nov. and Vibrio qingdaonensis sp. nov., two marine bacteria.

Two Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile, rod-shaped and flagellated marine bacteria, designated strains DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T, were isolated from the surface sediments of the Bohai sea and Qingdao coastal seawater, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA genes, multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA), phylogenomic analysis of single-copy gene families and whole-genome data placed DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T within the genus Vibrio. DBSS07T was most closely related to Vibrio aestivus M22T, with 97.51 % sequence similarity, whereas ZSDZ65T was most closely related to Vibrio variabilis R-40492T with 97.58 % sequence similarity. DBSS07T grew with 1-7 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3 %), at 16-37 °C (optimum 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 7.0); whereas ZSDZ65T grew with 1-5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 2 %), at 16-32 °C (optimum 28 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum pH 8.0). Both strains shared the same major fatty acid components (more than 10 % of total fatty acids) of summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c or/and C16 : 1ω6c), with different proportions. The DNA G+C contents of DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T were 44.7 and 44.3 %, respectively. On the basis of the results of polyphasic analysis, DBSS07T and ZSDZ65T are considered to represent novel species within the genus Vibrio, for which the names V. paucivorans sp. nov. (type strain, DBSS07T = KCTC 82896T= MCCC 1K06284T) and V. qingdaonensis sp. nov. (type strain, ZSDZ65T = KCTC 82893T = MCCC 1K06289T) are proposed, respectively.

Photobacterium obscurum sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from the coast of Qingdao.

A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped strain, named SDRW27T, was isolated from offshore seawater collected near Qingdao. Strain SDRW27T was able to grow at 16-37 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 6.0) and in the presence of 1-7 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3 %). Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain SDRW27T was most closely related to Photobacterium toruni H01100410BT (97.89 % sequence similarity), Photobacterium andalusiense H01100409BT (97.89 %) and Photobacterium leiognathi ATCC 25521T (97.82 %). The predominant fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH), summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c) and C16 : 0. The polar lipids of strain SDRW27T comprised phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol dimannoside, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and three unidentified lipids. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8. The G+C content was 47.71 mol%. The genome size was 5.84 Mbp, including 85 contigs with an N50 value of 223 542. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values of SDRW27T with its three most similar strains, P. toruni H01100410BT, P. andalusiense H01100409BT and P. leiognathi ATCC 25521T, were 71.36, 71.58 and 72.23 %, respectively (all lower than the 95-96 % ANI threshold), and the DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) values were 20.4, 20.8 and 20.4 % (all lower than the 70 % DDH threshold). The obtained results of polyphasic analysis demonstrate that strain SDRW27T represents a novel species, for which the name Photobacterium obscurum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SDRW27T (=MCCC 1K06286T=KCTC 82892T).

Vibrio sinus sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from coastal seawater.

A Gram-straining-negative, facultatively anaerobic, motile by means of a polar flagellum and rod-shaped marine bacterium, designated S4M6T, was isolated from surface seawater collected in Dongshan Bay (Fujian, PR China). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA genes, phylogenomic analysis of single-copy gene families and whole genome data indicated that S4M6T represented a member of the genus Vibrio. The closest phylogenetic relatives of S4M6T were Vibrio marisflavi CGMCC 1.8994T (97.8 % 16S rRNA gene sequence pairwise similarity), Vibrio variabilis LMG 25438T (96.9 %), Vibrio gangliei SZDIS-1T (96.2 %) and Vibrio aestivus M22T (96.1 %). The growth of S4M6T occurred at 15-35 °C (optimum 28 °C), pH 4.0-9.0 (optimum 5.0-7.0) and in the presence of 2-5 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 3 %). The predominant fatty acids (>10 %) are C16 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or C16 :  1ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω7c and/or C18 :  1ω6c). The DNA G+C content of the assembled genomic sequences was 43.4 % for S4M6T. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between S4M6T and the reference species were lower than the threshold for species delineation (95-96 %); in silico DNA-DNA hybridization further indicated that S4M6T had less than 70 % similarity to its relatives. On the basis of the polyphasic evidence, strain S4M6T is proposed to represent a novel species of the genus Vibrio, for which the name Vibrio sinus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S4M6T (= KCTC 92312T= MCCC 1K06167T).

Preparation of dopamine-modified sea squirt cellulose hydrogel dust-fixing agent to prevent raising of dust.

Sea squirts, a tunicate, are found in all oceans and can foul marine ports and aquaculture, mainly affecting shipping and biodiversity. In this study, cellulose was extracted from sea squirts, and its hydrophilic properties were improved by substituting the hydrogen ions of the cellulose -OH with dopamine. The modified cellulose was used to prepare a hydrogel for use as a dust-fixing agent (CDP) to reduce air pollution caused by dust. After response surface method optimization, the proportions of binder, water-retaining agent, wetting agent, and antifreeze in CDP were 0.97, 1.44, 0.23, and 6.32%, respectively. This composition improved the wetting ability and permeability of CDP on particle surfaces. CDP exhibited good water retention at -11-50 °C. CDP reduced the wind erosion rate of dust at a wind speed of 12 m/s to 1.18%. The molecular dynamics method was used to analyze the wetting process and mechanism of CDP, revealing that hydrogen bonds were the dominant force at the solid-liquid interface. The adsorption of CDP onto the surface of coal increased the number of hydrophilic points. Water molecules were adsorbed on these hydrophilic points through hydrogen bonding, improving the binding energy between the solid and liquid interfaces. The application of ascidian cellulose in dust control makes full use of the biological value of ascidians, promoting sustainable development of the global biological economy.

Value of Combined Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2/7 Testing in the Assessment of Infected Preterm Labor.

Objective: To analyze the clinical significance of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7), members of the bone morphogenetic protein family, in infectious preterm birth, to provide references for future prevention and management of IPB. Methods: The study participants were 20 pregnant women with IPB admitted to between January 2022 and January 2023 (research group) and 20 concurrent normal pregnancies (control group). Serum BMP2, BMP-7 inflammatory factors were quantified. Differences in BMP2 and BMP-7 were identified. The Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analyzed the evaluation value of BMP2 and BMP-7 on infectious preterm birth and adverse pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women, and Pearson correlation coefficient determined the correlation of the two with inflammatory factors levels. Results: The research group was higher in serum BMP2 and BMP-7 levels than control group (P < .05). The joint detection by BMP2 and BMP-7 had a sensitivity of 80.00% and a specificity of 90.00% in diagnosing infectious preterm birth (P < .05), and its sensitivity and specificity in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in infectious preterm birth pregnant women were 100.0% and 66.67%, respectively (P < .05). According to Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, there was an obvious positive relationship between BMP-2 and BMP-7 and inflammatory factors in research group (P < .05). Conclusions: BMP-2 and BMP-7 are elevated in IPB and are linked to inflammatory factor levels. Joint detection of BMP2 and BMP-7 shows promising potential for evaluating infectious preterm birth.

Fine-Scale Structuring of Planktonic Vibrio spp. in the Chinese Marginal Seas.

Vibrio is ubiquitous in marine environments with high metabolism flexibility and genome plasticity. Studies have investigated the ecological distribution of Vibrio spp. in several narrow zones, but a broad scale pattern of distribution and community assembly is still lacking. Here, we elucidated the distribution of Vibrio spp. in seawater along the Chinese marginal seas with a high spatial range. Comparison of Vibrio abundance between 3- and 0.2-µm-pore-size membranes showed distinction in preferential lifestyle. Vibrio spp. in the Yellow Sea (YS) was low in abundance and adopted a particle-associated lifestyle, whereas that in the East China Sea (ECS) and South China Sea (SCS) was more abundant and was likely in a temporary free-living state as a strategy to cope with nutrient limitation. Vibrio community compositions were also separated by sampling area, with different dominant groups in YS (Vibrio chagasii and Vibrio harveyi), ECS and SCS (Vibrio japonicus and V. chagasii). The community niche breadth was significantly wider in ECS and SCS than that of YS. Among species, V. chagasii and V. harveyi had the largest niche breadths likely reflecting strong competitive positions. Stochastic processes played important roles in shaping the geographical pattern of the vibrionic community. Environmental selection (e.g., temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen) had a much greater impact on the community in surface than in bottom water. The large proportions of unexplained variations (78.9%) imply complex mechanisms in their community assembly. Our study provides insights into the spatial distribution patterns and underlying assembly mechanisms of Vibrio at a broad spatial scale. IMPORTANCE Vibrio spp. may exert large impacts on biogeochemical cycling in coastal habitats, and their ecological importance has drawn increasing attention. Here, we investigated the spatial distribution pattern and community assembly of Vibrio populations along the Chinese marginal seas, spanning a wide spatial scale. Our results showed that the abundances of the Vibrio population increased with decreasing latitude and their preferential lifestyle differed among adjacent coastal areas. The compositions of Vibrio spp. were also separated by geographical location, which was mainly attributable to stochastic processes. Overall, this work contributes to the understanding of the ecological distribution patterns and the community assembly mechanisms of marine vibrios at a high spatial range. The large proportion of unexplained variations indicates the existence of complex mechanisms in the assembly of vibrionic community which should be considered comprehensively in future.

The mechanism of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in patients with COVID-19.

In late 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) arose, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease rapidly became a public health event of international concern. In addition to the most typical symptoms of dyspnea, numerous patients with COVID-19 exhibited systemic symptoms, such as cardiovascular disease, liver and kidney failure, and disorders in coagulation. At present, clinical data indicates that numerous patients who are critically ill die from multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS). Moreover, the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into cells causing severe pathology and progressive organ failure is precisely mediated by the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 protein. This plays a role in maintaining both fluid and electrolyte homeostasis, ensuring the stability of the internal environment. Therefore, the present review aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of MODS caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the current clinical data and previous studies.

Collectivity in Ultraperipheral Pb+Pb Collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.

We present the first full (3+1)D dynamical simulations of ultraperipheral Pb+Pb collisions at the Large Hadron Collider. Extrapolating from p+Pb collisions, we explore whether a quasireal photon γ^{*} interacting with the lead nucleus in an ultraperipheral collision can create a many-body system exhibiting fluid behavior. Assuming strong final-state interactions, we provide model results for charged hadron multiplicity, identified particle mean transverse momenta, and charged hadron anisotropic flow coefficients, and compare them with experimental data from the ALICE and ATLAS Collaborations. The elliptic flow hierarchy between p+Pb and γ^{*}+Pb collisions is dominated by the difference in longitudinal flow decorrelations and reproduces the experimental data well. We have demonstrated that our theoretical framework provides a quantitative tool to study particle production and collectivity for all system sizes, ranging from central heavy-ion collisions to small asymmetric collision systems at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider and even at the future Electron-Ion Collider.

From Hydrodynamics to Jet Quenching, Coalescence, and Hadron Cascade: A Coupled Approach to Solving the R_{AA}⊗v_{2} Puzzle.

Hydrodynamics and jet quenching are responsible for the elliptic flow v_{2} and suppression of large transverse momentum (p_{T}) hadrons, respectively, two of the most important phenomena leading to the discovery of a strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. A consistent description of the hadron suppression factor R_{AA} and v_{2}, especially at intermediate p_{T}, however, remains a challenge. We solve this long-standing R_{AA}⊗v_{2} puzzle by including quark coalescence for hadronization and final state hadron cascade in the coupled linear Boltzmann transport-hydro model that combines concurrent jet transport and hydrodynamic evolution of the bulk medium. We illustrate that quark coalescence and hadron cascade, two keys to solving the puzzle, also lead to a splitting of v_{2} for pions, kaons, and protons in the intermediate p_{T} region. We demonstrate for the first time that experimental data on R_{AA}, v_{2}, and their hadron flavor dependence from low to intermediate and high p_{T} in high-energy heavy-ion collisions can be understood within this coupled framework.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the different developmental stages of ovary in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

BACKGROUND: The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii is a freshwater species that possesses high adaptability, environmental tolerance, and fecundity. P. clarkii is artificially farmed on a large scale in China. However, the molecular mechanisms of ovarian development in P. clarkii remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified four stages of P. clarkii ovary development, the previtellogenic stage (stage I), early vitellogenic stage (stage II), middle vitellogenic stage (stage III), and mature stage (stage IV) and compared the transcriptomics among these four stages through next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: The total numbers of clean reads of the four stages ranged from 42,013,648 to 62,220,956. A total of 216,444 unigenes were obtained, and the GC content of most unigenes was slightly less than the AT content. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Anosim analysis demonstrated that the grouping of these four stages was feasible, and each stage could be distinguished from the others. In the expression pattern analysis, 2301 genes were continuously increase from stage I to stage IV, and 2660 genes were sharply decrease at stage IV compared to stages I-III. By comparing each of the stages at the same time, four clusters of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found to be uniquely highly expressed in stage I (136 genes), stage II (43 genes), stage III-IV (49 genes), and stage IV (22 genes), thus exhibiting developmental stage specificity. Moreover, in comparisons between adjacent stages, the number of DEGs between stage III and IV was the highest. GO enrichment analysis demonstrated that nutrient reservoir activity was highest at stage II and that this played a foreshadowing role in ovarian development, and the GO terms of cell, intracellular and organelle participated in the ovary maturation during later stages. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the early development of the ovary was mainly associated with the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and focal adhesion; the middle developmental period was related to apoptosis, lysine biosynthesis, and the NF-kappa B signaling pathway; the late developmental period was involved with the cell cycle and the p53 signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: These transcriptomic data provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of ovarian development in P. clarkii. The results will be helpful for improving the reproduction and development of this aquatic species.

Optimization of the phase generated carrier demodulation algorithm based on support vector regression.

The phase generated carrier (PGC) algorithm is often used in the demodulation of interference signals in optical fiber sensors for its high sensitivity, good linearity, and large dynamic range. However, the PGC demodulation method is often distorted by the amplitude of the interference signal and the depth of modulation. In this study, the support vector regression (SVR) method is used to compensate the distortion of the PGC demodulation schemes. Simulation results showed that the SVR algorithm can effectively reduce the nonlinear error of the PGC demodulation system. The fitting accuracy of the SVR algorithm is 97.5% and greater than 90% in noiseless and noise systems, which is better than the back propagation (BP) neural network algorithm. Also, the SVR-based algorithm can better restore the amplitude with smaller mean square error and good correlation. A vibration monitoring system has been built, and experiment results confirm that the performance of the SVR-based algorithm is better than direct PGC demodulation and BP algorithm with the mean square error of 0.0005 and relevance of 0.94.