Challenges and opportunities in human dimensions behind cat-wildlife conflict.

Because global anthropogenic activities cause vast biodiversity loss, human dimensions research is essential to forming management plans applicable to biodiversity conservation outside wilderness areas. Engaging public participation is crucial in this context to achieve social and environmental benefits. However, knowledge gaps remain in understanding how a balance between conservation and public demands can be reached and how complicated sociocultural contexts in the Anthropocene can be incorporated in conservation planning. We examined China's nationwide conflict between free-ranging cats (owned cats that are allowed to go outdoors or homeless cats living outdoors) and wildlife to examine how a consensus between compassion and biodiversity conservation can help in decision-making. We surveyed a random sample of people in China online. Over 9000 questionnaires were completed (44.2% response). In aggregate, respondents reported approximately 29 million free-ranging owned cats and that over 5 million domestic cats per year become feral in mainland China. Respondents who were cat owners, female, and religious were more likely to deny the negative impacts of cats on wildlife and ongoing management strategies and more supportive of stray cat shelters, adoption, and community-based fund raising than nonowners, male, and nonreligious respondents (p < 0.05). Free-ranging cat ownership and abandonment occurred less with owners with more knowledge of biodiversity and invasive species than with respondents with less knowledge of these subjects (p < 0.05). We recommend that cat enthusiasts and wildlife conservationists participate in community-based initiatives, such as campaigns to keep cats indoors. Our study provides a substantially useful framework for other regions where free-ranging cats are undergoing rapid expansion.

Retos y oportunidades de las dimensiones humanas detrás del conflicto entre gatos y fauna Resumen Debido a que las actividades antropogénicas globales causan una enorme pérdida de la biodiversidad, la investigación sobre las dimensiones humanas es esencial para generar planes de manejo aplicables a la conservación de la biodiversidad fuera de las áreas silvestres. Es muy importante lograr que el público participe en este contexto para obtener los beneficios sociales y ambientales. Sin embargo, todavía existen vacíos en el conocimiento sobre cómo lograr el balance entre la conservación y las demandas públicas y cómo incorporar los contextos socioculturales complejos del Antropoceno a la planeación de la conservación. Analizamos el conflicto nacional entre los gatos libres (gatos callejeros o gatos domésticos que se les permite salir) y la fauna en China para estudiar cómo un consenso entre la compasión y la conservación de la biodiversidad puede ayudar en la toma de decisiones. Encuestamos en línea a una muestra aleatoria de personas en China. Se completaron más de 9000 cuestionarios (44.2% de respuesta). En total, los respondientes reportaron un aproximado de 29 millones de gatos libres y que más de cinco millones de gatos domésticos se vuelven ferales al año en China. Quienes respondieron y son dueños de gatos, mujeres y religiosos tuvieron la mayor probabilidad de negar los impactos negativos de los gatos sobre la fauna y de las estrategias actuales de manejo y de mostrar más apoyo por los refugios de gatos abandonados, la adopción y de la recaudación de fondos comunitaria que quienes no son dueños, no son religiosos y son hombres (p < 0.05). La propiedad de gatos libres y el abandono ocurrieron menos con los dueños con más conocimiento sobre la biodiversidad y las especies invasoras que con los respondientes con menos conocimiento sobre estos temas (p < 0.05). Recomendamos que los aficionados a los gatos y los conservacionistas de la fauna participen en las iniciativas comunitarias; por ejemplo, campañas para mantener a los gatos dentro de casa. Nuestro estudio proporciona un marco sustancialmente útil para otras regiones en donde los gatos libres se encuentran en rápida expansión.

Factors Affecting the Situational Awareness of Armored Vehicle Occupants.

In the field of armored vehicles, up to 70% of accidents are associated with low levels of situational awareness among the occupants, highlighting the importance of situational awareness in improving task performance. In this study, we explored the mechanisms influencing situational awareness by simulating an armored vehicle driving platform with 14 levels of experimentation in terms of five factors: experience, expectations, attention, the cueing channel, and automation. The experimental data included SART and SAGAT questionnaire scores, eye movement indicators, and electrocardiographic and electrodermal signals. Data processing and analysis revealed the following conclusions: (1) Experienced operators have higher levels of situational awareness. (2) Operators with certain expectations have lower levels of situational awareness. (3) Situational awareness levels are negatively correlated with information importance affiliations and the frequency of anomalous information in non-primary tasks. (4) Dual-channel cues lead to higher levels of situational awareness than single-channel cues. (5) Operators' situational awareness is lower at high automation levels.

π-Conjugated In-Plane Heterostructure Enables Long-Lived Shallow Trapping in Graphitic Carbon Nitride for Increased Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation.

The relatively short-lived excited states, such as the nascent electron-hole pairs (excitons) and the shallow trapping states, in semiconductor-based photocatalysts produce an exceptionally high charge carrier recombination rate, dominating a low solar-to-fuel performance. Here, a π-conjugated in-plane heterostructure between graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) and carbon rings (Crings ) (labeling g-CN/Crings ) is effectively synthesized from the thermolysis of melamine-citric acid aggregates via a microwave-assisted heating process. The g-CN/Crings in-plane heterostructure shows remarkably suppressed excited-state decay and increased charge carrier population in photocatalysis. Kinetics analysis from the femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy illustrates that the g-CN/Crings π-conjugated heterostructure produces slower exciton annihilation (τ1  = 7.9 ps) and longer shallow electron trapping (τ2  = 407.1 ps) than pristine g-CN (τ1  = 3.6 ps, τ2  = 264.1 ps) owing to Crings incorporation, both of which enable more photoinduced electrons to participate in the photocatalytic reactions, thereby realizing photoactivity enhancement. As a result, the photocatalytic activity exhibits an eightfold enhancement in visible-light-driven H2 generation. This work provides a viable route of constructing π-conjugated in-plane heterostructures to suppress the excited-state decay and improve the photocatalytic performance.

Seafood allergy: Allergen, epitope mapping and immunotherapy strategy.

Seafoods are fashionable delicacies with high nutritional values and culinary properties, while seafood belongs to worldwide common food allergens. In recent years, many seafood allergens have been identified, while the diversity of various seafood species give a great challenge in identifying and characterizing seafood allergens, mapping IgE-binding epitopes and allergen immunotherapy development, which are critical for allergy diagnostics and immunotherapy treatments. This paper reviewed the recent progress on seafood (fish, crustacean, and mollusk) allergens, IgE-binding epitopes and allergen immunotherapy for seafood allergy. In recent years, many newly identified seafood allergens were reported, this work concluded the current situation of seafood allergen identification and designation by the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee. Moreover, this review represented the recent advances in identifying the IgE-binding epitopes of seafood allergens, which were helpful to the diagnosis, prevention and treatment for seafood allergy. Furthermore, the allergen immunotherapy could alleviate seafood allergy and provide promising approaches for seafood allergy treatment. This review represents the recent advances and future outlook on seafood allergen identification, IgE-binding epitope mapping and allergen immunotherapy strategies for seafood allergy prevention and treatment.

Immune regulation by fermented milk products: the role of the proteolytic system of lactic acid bacteria in the release of immunomodulatory peptides.

Food allergies have emerged as a pressing health concern in recent years, largely due to food resources and environmental changes. Dairy products fermented by lactic acid bacteria play an essential role in mitigating allergic diseases. Lactic acid bacteria have been found to possess a distinctive proteolytic system comprising a cell envelope protease (CEP), transporter system, and intracellular peptidase. Studying the impact of different Lactobacillus proteolytic systems on the destruction of milk allergen epitopes and their potential to alleviate allergy symptoms by releasing peptides containing immune regulatory properties is a valuable and auspicious research approach. This paper summarizes the proteolytic systems of different species of lactic acid bacteria, especially the correlation between CEPs and the epitopes from milk allergens. Furthermore, the mechanism of immunomodulatory peptide release was also concluded. Finally, further research on the proteolytic system of lactic acid bacteria will provide additional clinical evidence for the possible treatment and/or prevention of allergic diseases with specific fermented milk/dairy products in the future.

Dimensionality reduction induced synergetic optimization of the thermoelectric properties in Bi2Si2X6 (X = Se, Te) monolayers.

Different from three-dimensional bulk compounds, two-dimensional monolayer compounds exhibit much better thermoelectric performance on account of the quantum confinement and interface effect. Here, we present a systematic study on the electronic and thermal transport properties of bulk and monolayer Bi2Si2X6 (X = Se, Te) through theoretical calculations using density functional theory based on first-principles and Boltzmann transport theory. Monolayer Bi2Si2X6 are chemically, mechanically and thermodynamically stable semiconductors with suitable band gaps, and they have lower lattice thermal conductivity (κL) in the a/b direction than their bulk counterparts. The calculated κL of monolayer Bi2Si2Se6 (Bi2Si2Te6) is as low as 0.72 (0.95) W m-1 K-1 at 700 K. Moreover, monolayer Bi2Si2X6 exhibit a higher Seebeck coefficient compared with bulk Bi2Si2X6 owing to the sharper peaks in the electronic density of states (DOS). This results in a significant increase in power factor by dimensionality reduction. Combined with the synergetically suppressed thermal conductivity, the maximum ZT values for monolayer Bi2Si2Se6 and Bi2Si2Te6 are significantly enhanced up to 5.03 and 2.87 with p-type doping at 700 K, which are more than 2 times that of the corresponding bulk compounds. These results demonstrate the superb thermoelectric performance of monolayer Bi2Si2X6 for promising thermoelectric conversion applications.

Comparative analysis of allergenicity and predicted linear epitopes in α and ß parvalbumin from turbot (Scophthalmus maximus).

BACKGROUND: Parvalbumin (PV) can be subdivided into two phylogenetic lineages, αPV and ßPV. The bony fish ßPV is considered a major fish allergen. However, there is no available report on the immunological property and epitope mapping of bony fish αPV. RESULTS: To characterize the allergenic property of bony fish αPV and investigate the difference in allergenic property of bony fish αPV and ßPV, turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) αPV and ßPV were identified by mass spectrometry and were expressed in Escherichia coli system in this study. Spectra analysis and three-dimensional (3D) modeling showed the similar structure between αPV and ßPV. However, αPV exhibited lower immunoglobulin E/immunoglobulin G (IgE/IgG) binding capacity than ßPV. Three identified ßPV epitopes possessed higher IgE reactivity and more hydrophobic residues than three identified αPV epitopes. In addition, less similarity in sequence homology of αPV epitopes was observed with allergen sequences in database. CONCLUSION: These finding expanded information on fish PV epitopes and substantiated the difference in allergenicity and epitope mapping between fish αPV and ßPV, which will improve the epitope-based detection tools of PV and diagnostic of PV induced fish allergy. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Diagnosis of Bacterial Plant Diseases via a Nitroreductase-Activated Fluorescent Sensor.

Plant diseases caused by bacteria have become one of the serious problems that threaten human food security, which led to the remarkable reduction of agricultural yields and economic loss. Nitroreductase (NTR), as an important biomarker, is highly expressed in bacteria, and the level of NTR is closely related to the progression of pathogen infection. Therefore, the design of small-molecule fluorescent sensors targeting NTR is of great significance for the detection and diagnosis of plant pathogenic bacteria. In this study, a new fluorescent sensor targeting NTR was discovered and then successfully applied to the imaging of zebrafish and pathogenic bacteria. Most importantly, the developed sensor achieved the real-time diagnosis of Brassica napus L. infected with bacteria, which provides a promising tool for examining the temporal and spatial infection of plant pathogens in precision agriculture.

Development of a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent kit for reliable detection of milk allergens in processed food.

The inclusion of undeclared cow's milk proteins may cause health complications to milk-allergic consumers and is one of the leading cause of food recall in many countries all over the world. Therefore, to keep control on such incidences in processed products, we established a milk sandwich ELISA test kit by incorporating two polyclonal antibodies against milk proteins obtained from different species. Its analytical effectiveness in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, trueness, and precision were all analyzed. The limit of detection (LOD) of the test kit was 0.011 ppm, with high specificity for milk protein residues. The test kit was highly specific, apart from considerable cross-reactivity with goat milk and minor cross-reactivity with donkey and horse milk. The coefficient of variation of the test kit for intra-assay ranged from 4.02% to 14.62% and inter-assay ranged from 6.05% to 15.08% respectively. The sandwich ELISA was highly specific in detecting commercial food products. In a limited retail survey, 5/6 of the milk proteins declared on the ingredient labels tested positive for milk proteins. The study offers effective technical support for the sensitive detection of milk products both for food manufacturers and regulatory authorities.

Theoretical Study of Small Molecules Adsorption on Pristine and Transition Metal Doped GeSe Monolayer for Gas Sensing Application.

By using first-principles calculations, the sensing properties of pristine and transition metal (TM) atoms (Ti, V, and Co) embedded germanium selenide (GeSe) monolayer toward small gas molecules (H2, NH3, CO, O2, SO2, NO, and NO2) were investigated. The adsorption energies, electronic structure, optical properties, and recovery time of the adsorption systems were calculated and analyzed in detail. The results indicate that TM doped GeSe has stronger interaction with gas molecules compared with the pristine GeSe monolayer. Especially for Ti- and V-GeSe monolayer, the absolute value of adsorption energies are up to 2 eV for O2, NO, and NO2. The doping with TM atoms also changes the charge transfer and electronic structures of adsorption systems. Combined with the result of the calculated optical properties and recovery time, it can be concluded that Ti-GeSe monolayer has great potential for NH3 detection, while Co-GeSe monolayer can be very promising SO2 gas sensors.

Azure-winged Magpies would rather avoid losses than strive for benefits based on reciprocal altruism.

It is no doubt that the reciprocal altruism of humans is unparalleled in the animal world. However, how strong altruistic behavior in the non-human animal is still very controversial. Almost all previous researches allowed only one individual in the dyad for action or dyad to accomplish tasks and obtain rewards simultaneously. Here, we designed current study based on the prisoner's dilemma to investigate reciprocal altruism under interactions of Azure-winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus), which is direct reciprocity of allowing subjects obtain rewards, respectively. The results suggest that Azure-winged Magpies failed to show continuously altruistic behavior due to the empiricism that stemmed from interactions, that is, avoiding losses. Meanwhile, the resource exchange game paradigm, which is designed in our study, is worthwhile to study the evolution of cooperation in more species in the future.

Crustacean shellfish allergens: influence of food processing and their detection strategies.

Despite the increasing popularity of crustacean shellfish among consumers due to their rich nutrients, they can induce a serious allergic response, sometimes even life-threatening. In the past decades, a variety of crustacean allergens have been identified to facilitate the diagnosis and management of crustacean allergies. Although food processing techniques can ease the risk of crustacean shellfish allergy, no available processing methods to tackle crustacean allergies thoroughly. Strict dietary avoidance of crustacean shellfish and its component is the best option for the protection of sensitized individuals, which should rely on the compliance of food labeling and, as such, on their verification by sensitive, reliable, and accurate detection techniques. In this present review, the physiochemical properties, structure aspects, and immunological characteristics of the major crustacean allergens have been described and discussed. Subsequently, the current research progresses on how various processing techniques cause the alterations and modifications in crustacean allergens to produce hypoallergenic crustacean food products were summarized and discussed. Particularly, various analytical methodologies employed in crustacean shellfish allergen detection, and the effect of food processing and matrix on these techniques, are also herein emphasized for the appropriate selection of analytical detection tools to safeguard consumers safety.

ß-Ga2O3: a potential high-temperature thermoelectric material.

The thermoelectric properties of intrinsic n-type ß-Ga2O3 are evaluated by first-principles calculations combined with Boltzmann transport theory and relaxation time approximation. The electron mobility is predicted by considering polar optical phonon scattering in ß-Ga2O3. A temperature power law of T-0.67 is obtained for the intrinsic electron mobility. Due to the ultra-wide band gap of 4.7-4.9 eV, ß-Ga2O3 has a large Seebeck coefficient. As a result, a maximum power factor of 3.1 × 10-3 W m-1 K-2 is obtained at 1600 K. A clear anisotropy in lattice thermal conductivity is observed, with the highest thermal conductivity of 23.1 W m-1 K-1 at 300 K along the [010] direction, and a lower value of 13.2 and 12.2 W m-1 K-1 along the [001] and [100] directions, respectively. A high ZT value of 1.07 at 1600 K can be obtained at the optimal carrier concentration of 2.4 × 1019 cm-3, which is superior to that of most other oxides such as ZnO. In addition, the lattice thermal conductivity can be reduced by precisely adjusting the grain size, and the lattice thermal conductivity at 300 K (1600 K) can be reduced by 73% (39%) when the grain size is decreased to 10 nm. The excellent thermoelectric properties of ß-Ga2O3 have promoted its potential application in the field of high temperature thermoelectric conversion.

Deep Learning-based Trichoscopic Image Analysis and Quantitative Model for Predicting Basic and Specific Classification in Male Androgenetic Alopecia.

Since the results of basic and specific classification in male androgenetic alopecia are subjective, and trichoscopic data, such as hair density and diameter distribution, are potential quantitative indicators, the aim of this study was to develop a deep learning framework for automatic trichoscopic image analysis and a quantitative model for predicting basic and specific classification in male androgenetic alopecia. A total of 2,910 trichoscopic images were collected and a deep learning framework was created on convolutional neural networks. Based on the trichoscopic data provided by the framework, correlations with basic and specific classification were analysed and a quantitative model was developed for predicting basic and specific classification using multiple ordinal logistic regression. A deep learning framework that can accurately analyse hair density and diameter distribution on trichoscopic images and a quantitative model for predicting basic and specific classification in male androgenetic alopecia were established.

Bioremediation of lead-contaminated soil by inorganic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria immobilized on biochar.

In this study, a bio-composite (IBWS700) was prepared using inorganic phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (iPSB), which were immobilized on biochar produced from wheat straw (WS700). Further, the bio-remediation effects of the composite for lead (Pb) in soil were also investigated. The presence of different Pb species, physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and immobilization mechanisms of Pb in soil were also evaluated. Compared to free iPSB and biochar, IBWS700 significantly decreased the lead bio-availability whereas increased the residual fraction, also affected available phosphorus (AP), cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic matter (OM) and activity of urease, alkaline phosphatase, sucrase and catalase. Interestingly, the changes in the enzyme activity, AP and OM performed twice increases with increasing Pb concentration, which was rarely reported. The reason might be attributed to the reconstruction of bacteria communities with high Pb load. Further, the immobilization mechanisms mainly included bio-adsorption and bio-precipitation. SEM revealed that the surface of IBWS700 covered with a large number of heterogeneous colonization of iPSB and white stack after Pb2+ adsorption. FTIR spectra showed that O-H, C-O-P, CO, and C =C could play important roles in bio-adsorption. Moreover, XRD analysis indicated that bio-precipitates were mainly Pb5(PO4)3Cl. In general, the use of IBWS700 could effectively immobilize Pb2+ and improve soil quality.

[Organoids derived from the digestive system and their perspective applications in exercise physiology].

Organoid, formed from organ-specific cells, is a group of self-renewal and self-organizing cells growing in a 3-dimensional structure. With the recent progress on microenvironment regulation, stem cell differentiation and organ development, organoids have been constructed and used as promising tools for a wide range of multidisciplinary biomedical applications. Exercise disrupts the internal environment homeostasis, which brings a series of physiological alterations to the digestive system. The current animal or human models are necessary, but not sufficient to monitor the fluctuating microenvironment of gastrointestinal epithelial cells or hepatocytes during exercise. This review described the construction and application of digestive system organoids, as well as the effect of exercise on the microenvironment of intestinal epithelial cells and hepatocytes. The perspective applications of digestive system organoids in exercise physiology were also stated. Using organoid technologies, the possible mechanisms of the exercise-induced dynamic physiological changes would be explored in a new dimension.

RNA-binding protein Musashi2 stabilizing androgen receptor drives prostate cancer progression.

The androgen receptor (AR) pathway is critical for prostate cancer carcinogenesis and development; however, after 18-24 months of AR blocking therapy, patients invariably progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), which remains an urgent problem to be solved. Therefore, finding key molecules that interact with AR as novel strategies to treat prostate cancer and even CRPC is desperately needed. In the current study, we focused on the regulation of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) associated with AR and determined that the mRNA and protein levels of AR were highly correlated with Musashi2 (MSI2) levels. MSI2 was upregulated in prostate cancer specimens and significantly correlated with advanced tumor grades. Downregulation of MSI2 in both androgen sensitive and insensitive prostate cancer cells inhibited tumor formation in vivo and decreased cell growth in vitro, which could be reversed by AR overexpression. Mechanistically, MSI2 directly bound to the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of AR mRNA to increase its stability and, thus, enhanced its transcriptional activity. Our findings illustrate a previously unknown regulatory mechanism in prostate cancer cell proliferation regulated by the MSI2-AR axis and provide novel evidence towards a strategy against prostate cancer.

High thermoelectric performance of topological half-Heusler compound LaPtBi achieved by hydrostatic pressure.

The topological phase transition and thermoelectric performance of LaPtBi under hydrostatic pressure up to 34.6 GPa have been systematically investigated using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. The results indicate that the band structure can be tuned by applying hydrostatic pressure. As the energy band gap is opened under the hydrostatic pressure, a topological phase transition occurs in this material, changing from a topologically nontrivial semimetal to a trivial semiconductor. In addition, the hydrostatic pressure also has a remarkable effect on the thermoelectric properties of the topological half-Heusler compound LaPtBi. Though the lattice thermal conductivity shows a continuous increase with increasing hydrostatic pressure, the power factor is greatly enhanced due to the increase of the Seebeck coefficient. As a result, a maximum ZT value of 1.74 at 1000 K is achieved in n-type LaPtBi under pressure of 21.0 GPa. It is obvious that the thermoelectric figure of merit of LaPtBi is far beyond that of state-of-the-art half-Heusler thermoelectric materials, such as ZrNiSn, FeNbSb and TiCoSb. The realization of high thermoelectric performance in the half-Heusler compound LaPtBi under hydrostatic pressure could provide a new way to further explore other topological thermoelectric materials.

Microscopic origin of the extremely low thermal conductivity and outstanding thermoelectric performance of BiSbX3 (X = S, Se) revealed by first-principles study.

In this paper, we performed comprehensive investigations of both the thermal and electrical transport properties of BiSbSe3 and BiSbS3 by using first-principles calculations and Boltzmann transport theory. Due to the repulsion between the lone-pair electrons of Sb and the p orbital of Se(S), both BiSbSe3 and BiSbS3 show strong anharmonicity with Grüneisen parameters of 1.90 and 1.79, respectively. As a result, these two materials possess extremely low lattice thermal conductivities. Meanwhile, both BiSbSe3 and BiSbS3 exhibit similar anisotropic thermal transport behaviors, which is due to the smaller phonon group velocities along the a axis. The predicted highest ZT values at 750 K are 2.9 for n-type BiSbSe3 and 1.2 for p-type BiSbS3. Our calculations provide insights into the origin of the extremely low thermal conductivity in BiSbSe3 and BiSbS3, which is meaningful for exploiting high performance thermoelectric materials with low thermal conductivity.

[Drug-target protein interaction prediction based on AdaBoost algorithm].

The drug-target protein interaction prediction can be used for the discovery of new drug effects. Recent studies often focus on the prediction of an independent matrix filling algorithm, which apply a single algorithm to predict the drug-target protein interaction. The single-model matrix-filling algorithms have low accuracy, so it is difficult to obtain satisfactory results in the prediction of drug-target protein interaction. AdaBoost algorithm is a strong multiple classifier combination framework, which is proved by the past researches in classification applications. The drug-target interaction prediction is a matrix filling problem. Therefore, we need to adjust the matrix filling problem to a classification problem before predicting the interaction among drug-target protein. We make full use of the AdaBoost algorithm framework to integrate several weak classifiers to improve performance and make accurate prediction of drug-target protein interaction. Experimental results based on the metric datasets show that our algorithm outperforms the other state-of-the-art approaches and classical methods in accuracy. Our algorithm can overcome the limitations of the single algorithm based on machine learning method, exploit the hidden factors better and improve the accuracy of prediction effectively.