Chromosome-level Genome Assembly of Theretra japonica (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).

Theretra japonica is an important pollinator and agricultural pest in the family Sphingidae with a wide range of host plants. High-quality genomic resources facilitate investigations into behavioral ecology, morphological and physiological adaptations, and the evolution of genomic architecture. However, chromosome-level genome of T. japonica is still lacking. Here we sequenced and assembled the high-quality genome of T. japonica by combining PacBio long reads, Illumina short reads, and Hi-C data. The genome was contained in 95 scaffolds with an accumulated length of 409.55 Mb (BUSCO calculated a genome completeness of 99.2%). The 29 pseudochromosomes had a combined length of 403.77 Mb, with a mapping rate of 98.59%. The genomic characterisation of T. japonica will contribute to further studies for Sphingidae and Lepidoptera.

Research on the Asymmetric Phenomenon of Voltage Polarity Based on Dielectric Wetting.

The present research investigated the voltage polarity asymmetry phenomenon based on dielectric wetting. In an ITO-hydrophobic layer-droplet setup, three reagents with different pH values (3.96, 7.0, and 10.18), two types of hydrophobic materials (AF1601 and 6%T6), and two different thicknesses (340 nm and 2.5 µm) of each material were systematically investigated. The results show that the thickness of the hydrophobic dielectric layer and the pH of the droplets had a significant impact on the droplet contact angle variation with the voltage. The contact angle on the thick hydrophobic dielectric layer followed the Lippmann-Young equation as the voltage changed. The angle of the thin hydrophobic dielectric layer was affected by its own properties and the type of droplet, which led to the occurrence of voltage polarity asymmetry of the electrowetting phenomenon. After further investigation of this phenomenon, it was found that it mainly accounted for the decrease in electric field strength at both ends of the droplet, which was caused by electrochemical reactions and changes in circuit resistance. The leakage current is an important indicator, and this phenomenon can be prevented by increasing the thickness of the hydrophobic dielectric layer.

Corrigendum: Intelligent diagnosis of the severity of disease conditions in COVID-19 patients based on the LASSO method.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1302256.].

Long-neglected contribution of nitrification to N2O emissions in the Yellow River.

Rivers play a significant role in the global nitrous oxide (N2O) budget. However, the microbial sources and sinks of N2O in river systems are not well understood or quantified, resulting in the prolonged neglect of nitrification. This study investigated the isotopic signatures of N2O, thereby quantifying the microbial source of N2O production and the degree of N2O reduction in the Yellow River. Although denitrification has long been considered to be the dominant pathway of N2O production in rivers, our findings indicated that denitrification only accounted for 18.3% (8.2%-43.0%) of the total contribution to N2O production in the Yellow River, with 50.2%-80.2% being concurrently reduced. The denitrification contribution to N2O production (R2 = 0.44, p < 0.01) and N2O reduction degree (R2 = 0.70, p < 0.01) were positively related to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content. Similar to urban rivers and eutrophic lakes, denitrification was the primary process responsible for N2O production (43.0%) in certain reaches with high organic content (DOC = 5.29 mg/L). Nevertheless, the denitrification activity was generally constrained by the availability of electron donors (average DOC = 2.51 mg/L) throughout the Yellow River basin. Consequently, nitrification emerged as the primary contributor in the well-oxygenated Yellow River. Additionally, our findings further distinguished the respective contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) to N2O emissions. Although AOB dominated the N2O production in the Yellow River, the AOA specie abundance (AOA/(AOA + AOB)) contributed up to 32.6%, which resulted in 25.6% of the total nitrifier-produced N2O, suggesting a significant occurrence of AOA in the oligotrophic Yellow River. Overall, this study provided a non-invasive approach for quantifying the microbial sources and sinks to N2O emissions, and demonstrated the substantial role of nitrification in the large oligotrophic rivers.

Revision of the Genus Rhagastis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from China, Based on Morphological and Phylogenetic Analyses.

Here, the taxonomy of the genus Rhagastis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae, Macroglossinae, Macroglossini) from China is revised based on differences in wing morphology, male and female genitalia, and the phylogenetic relationship of the DNA barcodes. Subspecies of Rhagastis albomarginatus (Rothschild, 1894) and R. castor (Walker, 1856) are treated as "good" species, namely Rhagastis dichroae Mell, 1922 stat. nov.; R. everetti Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 stat. nov.; R. aurifera (Butler, 1875) stat. rev.; R. chinensis Mell, 1922 stat. nov.; R. formosana Clark, 1925 stat. nov.; and R. jordani Oberthür, 1904 stat. rev. The distribution maps, biological notes, and ecological records of the genus Rhagastis Rothschild & Jordan, 1903 from China are given, and a species inventory of genus Rhagastis in the world is also included.

SEA Anemone-inspired Conducting Polymer Sensing Platform for Integrated Detection of Tumor Protein Marker and Circulating Tumor Cell.

Combining the detection of tumor protein markers with the capture of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represents an ultra-promising approach for early tumor detection. However, current methodologies have not yet achieved the necessary low detection limits and efficient capture. Here, we introduced a novel polypyrrole nanotentacles sensing platform featuring anemone-like structures capable of simultaneously detecting protein biomarkers and capturing CTCs. The incorporation of nanotentacles significantly enhanced the electrode surface area, providing abundant active sites for antibody binding. This enhancement allowed detecting nucleus matrix protein22 (NMP22) and bladder tumor antigen (BTA) with 2.39 and 3.12 pg/mL detection limit, respectively. Furthermore, our developed sensing platform effectively captured MCF-7 cells in blood samples with a detection limit of fewer than 10 cells/mL, attributed to the synergistic multivalent binding facilitated by the specific recognition antibodies and the positive charge on the nanotentacles surface. This sensing platform demonstrated excellent detection capabilities and outstanding capture efficiency, offering a simple, accurate, and efficient strategy for early tumor detection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Unveiling the impact of cryptic plasmids curing on Escherichia coli Nissle 1917: massive increase in Ag43c expression.

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is an important chassis strain widely used for the development of live biotherapeutic products (LBPs). EcN strain naturally harbors two cryptic plasmids with unknown function. During the development of LBPs using EcN strain, the cryptic plasmids were cured usually to avoid plasmid incompatibility or alleviate metabolic burdens associated with these cryptic plasmids. While the cryptic plasmids curing in EcN may appear to be a routine procedure, the comprehensive impact of cryptic plasmids curing on the EcN strain remains incompletely understood. In the present study, the effects of cryptic plasmids curing on EcN were investigated using transcriptome sequencing. The results revealed that only a small number of genes showed significant changes in mRNA levels after cryptic plasmid curing (4 upregulated and 6 downregulated genes), primarily involved in amino acid metabolism. Furthermore, the flu gene showed the most significant different expression, encoding Antigen 43 (Ag43) protein, a Cah family adhesin. Mass spectrometry analysis further confirmed the significant increase in Ag43 expression. Ag43 is commonly present in Escherichia coli and mediates the bacterial autoaggregation. However, despite the upregulation of Ag43 expression, no Ag43-mediated cell self-sedimentation was observed in the cured EcN strain. These findings contribute to making informed decisions regarding the curing of the cryptic plasmids when Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 is used as the chassis strain.

Intelligent diagnosis of the severity of disease conditions in COVID-19 patients based on the LASSO method.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop an intelligent diagnosis model based on the LASSO method to predict the severity of COVID-19 patients. Methods: The study uses the clinical data of 500 COVID-19 patients from a designated hospital in Guangzhou, China, and selects eight features, including age, sex, dyspnea, comorbidity, complication, lymphocytes (LYM), CRP, and lung injury score, as the most important predictors of COVID-19 severity. The study applies the LASSO method to perform feature selection and regularization, and compares the LASSO method with other machine learning methods, such as ridge regression, support vector machine, and random forest. Results: The study finds that the ridge regression model has the best performance among the four models, with an AUROC of 0.92 in the internal validation and 0.91 in the external validation. Conclusion: The study provides a simple, robust, and interpretable model for the intelligent diagnosis of COVID-19 severity, and a convenient and practical tool for the public and the health care workers to assess COVID-19 severity. However, the study also has some limitations and directions for future research, such as the need for more data from different sources and settings, and from prospective, longitudinal, multi-class classification models. The study hopes to contribute to the prevention and control of COVID-19, and to the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Exploring the effect of high pressure in the denaturation of casein micelles by in-situ SERS.

To investigate the structural changes of casein in response to the pressurization process under varying pressure levels, this study carried out both ex-situ and in-situ high-pressure experiments. In the in-situ experiments, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique was combined with a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The high-pressure experiments indicated that significant dissociation of casein occurred at 200 MPa. Over the range of 0-302 MPa, casein exhibited both dissociation and aggregation behaviors. However, casein tended towards aggregation at pressures of 302-486 MPa, with a further increase observed beyond 486 MPa.

Unveiling Atomic-Scale Product Selectivity at the Cocatalyst-TiO2 Interface Using X-Ray Techniques: Insights into Interface Reactivity.

The microstructure at the interface between the cocatalyst and semiconductor plays a vital role in concentrating photo-induced carriers and reactants. However, observing the atomic arrangement of this interface directly using an electron microscope is challenging due to the coverings of the semiconductor and cocatalyst. To address this, multiple metal-semiconductor interfaces on three TiO2 crystal facets (M/TiO2 ─N, where M represents Ag, Au, and Pt, and N represents the 001, 010, and 101 single crystal facets). The identical surface atomic configuration of the TiO2 facets allowed us to investigate the evolution of the microstructure within these constructs using spectroscopies and DFT calculations. For the first time, they observed the transformation of saturated Ti6c ─O bonds into unsaturated Ti5c ─O and Ti6c ─O─Pt bonds on the TiO2 ─010 facet after loading Pt. This transformation have a direct impact on the selectivity of the resulting products, leading to the generation of CO and CH4 at the Ti6c ─O─Pt and Pt sites, respectively. These findings pinpoint the pivotal roles played by the atomic arrangement at the M/TiO2 ─N interfaces and provide valuable insights for the development of new methodologies using conventional lab-grade equipment.

Comprehensive investigation of pressure-induced gelatinization of starches using in situ and ex-situ technical analyses.

The pressure-induce gelatinization of pea starch, potato starch and corn starch was investigated by a combination of in situ and ex-situ technical analyses. According to in-situ observation of gelatinization process and the analysis of granular morphology by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), the pressure that caused potato starch gelatinization was the highest at 600 MPa. This was followed by pea starch, and the pressure that caused the gelatinization of corn starch was the lowest at 400 MPa. In situ Raman spectral analysis revealed the molecular mechanism of starch gelatinization. This indicated that high pressure treatment resulted in the modification of the structure of the double helical polymers and the degree of a double helix of the starch crystalline varied as well. This study dynamically monitors the starch gelatinization process, aiming to better understand the gelatinization mechanism and provide a theoretical basis for the application of pressure in the starch field.

Deep reinforcement learning enables adaptive-image augmentation for automated optical inspection of plant rust.

This study proposes an adaptive image augmentation scheme using deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to improve the performance of a deep learning-based automated optical inspection system. The study addresses the challenge of inconsistency in the performance of single image augmentation methods. It introduces a DRL algorithm, DQN, to select the most suitable augmentation method for each image. The proposed approach extracts geometric and pixel indicators to form states, and uses DeepLab-v3+ model to verify the augmented images and generate rewards. Image augmentation methods are treated as actions, and the DQN algorithm selects the best methods based on the images and segmentation model. The study demonstrates that the proposed framework outperforms any single image augmentation method and achieves better segmentation performance than other semantic segmentation models. The framework has practical implications for developing more accurate and robust automated optical inspection systems, critical for ensuring product quality in various industries. Future research can explore the generalizability and scalability of the proposed framework to other domains and applications. The code for this application is uploaded at https://github.com/lynnkobe/Adaptive-Image-Augmentation.git.

The life history of Hayesiana triopus (Westwood, 1847), with taxonomic notes on both present and former species of the genus Hayesiana Fletcher, 1982 (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).

The two species previously included in the genus Hayesiana Fletcher, 1982 were studied. The life history of the sole currently included species, Hayesiana triopus (Westwood, 1847) is illustrated in colour for the first time. Field records of Hayesiana triopus and Dahira farintaenia (Zhu & Wang, 1997) (previously Hayesiana farintaenia) are given, with the first description of the female genitalia of the latter. The diagnostic features and DNA barcoding data of Hayesiana triopus and Dahira farintaenia are also discussed.

Life strategies and metabolic interactions of core microbes during thiosulphate-based denitrification.

Sulphur-driven denitrification is a low-cost process for the treatment of nitrate-contaminated water. However, a comprehensive understanding of core populations and microbial interactions of a sulphur-based denitrifying system is lacking. This study presents results from three replicated denitrifying systems amended with thiosulphate and operated under a low C/N ratio. Amplicon sequencing revealed gradual enrichments of a few abundant denitrifiers. Based on genome-centred metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, a core set of microbes was identified in the systems, with Pseudomonas 1 and Thauera 2 being the most abundant ones. Although the replicates showed different enrichments, generalized observations were summarized. Most core populations conserved energy from denitrification coupled with sulphur. Pseudomonas 1 and Thauera 2 were able to finish complete denitrification. Surprisingly, they were also able to synthesize almost all amino acids and vitamins. In contrast, less abundant members, including Pseudomonas 2, were relatively auxotrophic and required an exogenous supply of amino acids and vitamins. The high expression of enzymes involved in biosynthesis and transport systems indicated their syntrophic relationships. The genomic findings suggested life strategies and interactions of the core thiosulphate-based denitrifying microbiome, with implications for nitrate-polluted water remediation.

Two new species of Platynectes Régimbart, 1879 from China with notes on other Chinese members of the genus, including a key to species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Agabinae).

Two new Platynectes species, P. maizuqii sp. nov. from Guangdong and P. pangu sp. nov. from Yunnan, are described. New records are provided for the following species: P. davidorum Hájek, Alarie, Stastný & Vondrácek, 2019 from Jiangxi, P. dissimilis (Sharp, 1873) from Guangxi, P. gemellatus Stastný, 2003 from Hunan and Zhejiang, P. kashmiranus lemberki Stastný, 2003 from Xizang and P. nanlingensis Stastný, 2003 from Jiangxi. Additional records are also given for most other Chinese species. Platynectes kashmiranus kashmiranus J. Balfour-Browne, 1944 is removed from the Chinese fauna. The habitus of all and the male genitalia of most species are illustrated. An updated key to all Chinese species of Platynectes is provided.

Effects of dexmedetomidine administration on outcomes in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury: A propensity score-matching analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on outcomes of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database (MIMIC III). Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis (1 : 3), Cox proportional hazards model, linear regression and logistic regression model were used to assess the effect of DEX on clinical outcomes. RESULTS: After PSM, 324 pairs of patients were matched between the patients with DEX administration and those without. DEX administration was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 0.287; 95% CI 0.151 - 0.542; p < 0.001) and 90-day mortality (HR 0.344; 95% CI 0.221 - 0.534; p < 0.001), and it was also associated with reduced length of stay (LOS) in ICU (4.54 (3.13,7.72) vs. 5.24 (3.15,10.91), p < 0.001) and LOS in hospital (11.63 (8.02,16.79) vs 12.09 (7.83,20.44), p = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed that the above associations existed only in the mild and moderate AKI subgroups, but not in the severe AKI subgroup. Nevertheless, DEX administration was not associated with recovery of renal function (HR 1.199; 95% CI 0.851 - 1.688; p = 0.300). CONCLUSION: DEX administration improved outcomes in critically ill patients with mild and moderate AKI and could be a good choice of sedation.

Structure of a novel Co-based heterogeneous catalyst via Mn3(PO4)2 as a carrier to efficiently activate peroxymonosulfate for improving degradation of sulfonamides.

Effective degradation of sulfonamides (SAs) in water is of global importance for decreasing its pathogenicity and bioaccumulation. In this study, Mn3(PO4)2 was used as a carrier to fabricate a novel and high-efficient catalyst with Co3O4 anchored (Co3O4@Mn3(PO4)2) for the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade SAs. Surprisingly, the catalyst exhibited superior performance, and nearly 100% of SAs (10 mg L-1) including sulfamethazine (SMZ), sulfadimethoxine (SDM), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and sulfisoxazole (SIZ) was degraded by Co3O4@Mn3(PO4)2-activated PMS within 10 min. A series of characterization of the Co3O4@Mn3(PO4)2 composite were conducted and the main operational parameters of SMZ degradation were investigated. SO4•-, •OH, and 1O2 were determined to be the dominating reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for the degradation of SMZ. Co3O4@Mn3(PO4)2 also exhibited excellent stability and the removal rate of SMZ still maintained over 99% even in the fifth cycle. The plausible pathways and mechanisms of SMZ degradation in the system of Co3O4@Mn3(PO4)2/PMS were deduced on the basis of the analyses of LCMS/MS and XPS. This is the first report on high-efficient heterogeneous activating PMS by mooring Co3O4 on Mn3(PO4)2 to degrade SAs, which provides us with a strategy to structure novel bimetallic catalysts for PMS activation.

Genome Assembly and Comparative Analysis of the Egg Parasitoid Wasp Trichogramma dendrolimi Shed Light on the Composition and Evolution of Olfactory Receptors and Venoms.

Trichogramma dendrolimi is one of the most successfully industrialized Trichogramma species used to control agricultural and forestry pests in China. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its host recognition and parasitism remain largely unknown, partially due to the limited genome information of this parasitoid wasp. Here, we present a high-quality de novo assembly of T. dendrolimi through a combination of Illumina and PacBio sequencing technologies. The final assembly had a length of 215.2 Mb and contains 316 scaffolds with a scaffold N50 size of 1.41 Mb. Repetitive sequences with a length of 63.4 Mb and 12,785 protein-coding genes were identified. Significantly expanded gene families were identified to be involved in the development and regulatory processes, while remarkably contracted gene families were involved in the transport processes in T. dendrolimi. The olfactory and venom-associated genes were identified in T. dendrolimi and 24 other hymenopteran species, using uniform methods combining BLAST and HMM profiling. The identified venom genes of T. dendrolimi were enriched in antioxidant activity, tricarboxylic acid cycle, response to oxidative stress and cell redox homeostasis. Our study provides an important resource for comparative genomics and functional studies to interpret the molecular mechanisms underlying host recognition and parasitism of Trichogramma species.

Effect of low temperature on contributions of ammonia oxidizing archaea and bacteria to nitrous oxide in constructed wetlands.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely used for ecological remediation of micro-polluted source water. Nitrous oxide (N2O) from CWs has caused great concern as a greenhouse gas. However, the contribution of ammonia oxidation driven by ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to N2O emission, especially at low temperature, was unknown. This study aimed to quantify the contributions of AOA and AOB to N2O through lab-scale subsurface CWs. The N2O emission flux of CW at 8 °C was 1.23 mg m-2·h-1, significantly lower than that at 25 °C (1.92 mg m-2·h-1). The contribution of ammonia oxidation to N2O at 8 °C (33.04%) was significantly higher than that at 25 °C (24.17%). The N2O production from AOA increased from 1.91 ng N·g-1 at 25 °C to 4.11 ng N·g-1 soil at 8 °C and its contribution increased from 23.38% to 30.18% (P < 0.05). Low temperature impaired functional gene groups and inhibited the activity of AOB, resulting in its declined contribution. Based on the transcriptional analysis, AOA was less affected by low temperature, thus stably contributing to N2O. Moreover, community diversity and relationships of AOA were enhanced at 8 °C, while AOB declined. The results confirmed the significant contribution of AOA and demonstrated molecular mechanisms (higher activity and community stability) of the increased contribution of AOA to N2O at low temperature.