STAMENLESS1 activates SUPERWOMAN 1 and FLORAL ORGAN NUMBER 1 to control floral organ identities and meristem fate in rice.

Floral patterns are unique to rice and contribute significantly to its reproductive success. SL1 encodes a C2H2 transcription factor that plays a critical role in flower development in rice, but the molecular mechanism regulated by it remains poorly understood. Here, we describe interactions of the SL1 with floral homeotic genes, SPW1, and DL in specifying floral organ identities and floral meristem fate. First, the sl1 spw1 double mutant exhibited a stamen-to-pistil transition similar to that of sl1, spw1, suggesting that SL1 and SPW1 may located in the same pathway regulating stamen development. Expression analysis revealed that SL1 is located upstream of SPW1 to maintain its high level of expression and that SPW1, in turn, activates the B-class genes OsMADS2 and OsMADS4 to suppress DL expression indirectly. Secondly, sl1 dl displayed a severe loss of floral meristem determinacy and produced amorphous tissues in the third/fourth whorl. Expression analysis revealed that the meristem identity gene OSH1 was ectopically expressed in sl1 dl in the fourth whorl, suggesting that SL1 and DL synergistically terminate the floral meristem fate. Another meristem identity gene, FON1, was significantly decreased in expression in sl1 background mutants, suggesting that SL1 may directly activate its expression to regulate floral meristem fate. Finally, molecular evidence supported the direct genomic binding of SL1 to SPW1 and FON1 and the subsequent activation of their expression. In conclusion, we present a model to illustrate the roles of SL1, SPW1, and DL in floral organ specification and regulation of floral meristem fate in rice.

Multi-omics reveals the role of MCM2 and hnRNP K phosphorylation in mouse renal aging through genomic instability.

The process of aging is characterized by structural degeneration and functional decline, as well as diminished adaptability and resistance. The aging kidney exhibits a variety of structural and functional impairments. In aging mice, thinning and graying of fur were observed, along with a significant increase in kidney indices compared to young mice. Biochemical indicators revealed elevated levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen and serum uric acid, suggesting impaired kidney function. Histological analysis unveiled glomerular enlargement and sclerosis, severe hyaline degeneration, capillary occlusion, lymphocyte infiltration, tubular and glomerular fibrosis, and increased collagen deposition. Observations under electron microscopy showed thickened basement membranes, altered foot processes, and increased mesangium and mesangial matrix. Molecular marker analysis indicated upregulation of aging-related ß-galactosidase, p16-INK4A, and the DNA damage marker γH2AX in the kidneys of aged mice. In metabolomics, a total of 62 significantly different metabolites were identified, and 10 pathways were enriched. We propose that citrulline, dopamine, and indoxyl sulfate have the potential to serve as markers of kidney damage related to aging in the future. Phosphoproteomics analysis identified 6656 phosphosites across 1555 proteins, annotated to 62 pathways, and indicated increased phosphorylation at the Ser27 site of Minichromosome maintenance complex component 2 (Mcm2) and decreased at the Ser284 site of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K), with these modifications being confirmed by western blotting. The phosphorylation changes in these molecules may contribute to aging by affecting genome stability. Eleven common pathways were detected in both omics, including arginine biosynthesis, purine metabolism and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, etc., which are closely associated with aging and renal insufficiency.

Proteomics and ß-hydroxybutyrylation Modification Characterization in the Hearts of Naturally Senescent Mice.

Aging is widely accepted as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which contributes to increasing morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. Lysine ß-hydroxybutyrylation (Kbhb) is a novel post-translational modification (PTM), wherein ß-hydroxybutyrate is covalently attached to lysine ε-amino groups. Recent studies have revealed that histone Kbhb contributes to tumor progression, diabetic cardiomyopathy progression, and postnatal heart development. However, no studies have yet reported a global analysis of Kbhb proteins in aging hearts or elucidated the mechanisms underlying this modification in the process. Herein, we conducted quantitative proteomics and Kbhb PTM omics to comprehensively elucidate the alterations of global proteome and Kbhb modification in the hearts of aged mice. The results revealed a decline in grip strength and cardiac diastolic function in 22-month-old aged mice compared to 3-month-old young mice. High-throughput liquid chromatogram-mass spectrometry analysis identified 1710 ß-hydroxybutyrylated lysine sites in 641 proteins in the cardiac tissue of young and aged mice. Additionally, 183 Kbhb sites identified in 134 proteins exhibited significant differential modification in aged hearts (fold change (FC) > 1.5 or <1/1.5, p < 0.05). Notably, the Kbhb-modified proteins were primarily detected in energy metabolism pathways, such as fatty acid elongation, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Furthermore, these Kbhb-modified proteins were predominantly localized in the mitochondria. The present study, for the first time, provides a global proteomic profile and Kbhb modification landscape of cardiomyocytes in aged hearts. These findings put forth novel possibilities for treating cardiac aging and aging-related CVDs by reversing abnormal Kbhb modifications.

Quantification and Proteomic Characterization of ß-Hydroxybutyrylation Modification in the Hearts of AMPKα2 Knockout Mice.

AMP-activated protein kinase alpha 2 (AMPKα2) regulates energy metabolism, protein synthesis, and glucolipid metabolism myocardial cells. Ketone bodies produced by fatty acid ß-oxidation, especially ß-hydroxybutyrate, are fatty energy-supplying substances for the heart, brain, and other organs during fasting and long-term exercise. They also regulate metabolic signaling for multiple cellular functions. Lysine ß-hydroxybutyrylation (Kbhb) is a ß-hydroxybutyrate-mediated protein posttranslational modification. Histone Kbhb has been identified in yeast, mouse, and human cells. However, whether AMPK regulates protein Kbhb is yet unclear. Hence, the present study explored the changes in proteomics and Kbhb modification omics in the hearts of AMPKα2 knockout mice using a comprehensive quantitative proteomic analysis. Based on mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, the number of 1181 Kbhb modified sites in 455 proteins were quantified between AMPKα2 knockout mice and wildtype mice; 244 Kbhb sites in 142 proteins decreased or increased after AMPKα2 knockout (fold change >1.5 or <1/1.5, p < 0.05). The regulation of Kbhb sites in 26 key enzymes of fatty acid degradation and tricarboxylic acid cycle was noted in AMPKα2 knockout mouse cardiomyocytes. These findings, for the first time, identified proteomic features and Kbhb modification of cardiomyocytes after AMPKα2 knockout, suggesting that AMPKα2 regulates energy metabolism by modifying protein Kbhb.

Single-cell transcriptome analyses reveal critical regulators of spermatogonial stem cell fate transitions.

BACKGROUND: Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the foundation cells for continual spermatogenesis and germline regeneration in mammals. SSC activities reside in the undifferentiated spermatogonial population, and currently, the molecular identities of SSCs and their committed progenitors remain unclear. RESULTS: We performed single-cell transcriptome analysis on isolated undifferentiated spermatogonia from mice to decipher the molecular signatures of SSC fate transitions. Through comprehensive analysis, we delineated the developmental trajectory and identified candidate transcription factors (TFs) involved in the fate transitions of SSCs and their progenitors in distinct states. Specifically, we characterized the Asingle spermatogonial subtype marked by the expression of Eomes. Eomes+ cells contained enriched transplantable SSCs, and more than 90% of the cells remained in the quiescent state. Conditional deletion of Eomes in the germline did not impact steady-state spermatogenesis but enhanced SSC regeneration. Forced expression of Eomes in spermatogenic cells disrupted spermatogenesis mainly by affecting the cell cycle progression of undifferentiated spermatogonia. After injury, Eomes+ cells re-enter the cell cycle and divide to expand the SSC pool. Eomes+ cells consisted of 7 different subsets of cells at single-cell resolution, and genes enriched in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis and the PI3/Akt signaling pathway participated in the SSC regeneration process. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we explored the molecular characteristics and critical regulators of subpopulations of undifferentiated spermatogonia. The findings of the present study described a quiescent SSC subpopulation, Eomes+ spermatogonia, and provided a dynamic transcriptional map of SSC fate determination.

Global-optimal semi-supervised learning for single-pixel image-free sensing.

Single-pixel sensing offers low-cost detection and reliable perception, and the image-free sensing technique enhances its efficiency by extracting high-level features directly from compressed measurements. However, the conventional methods have great limitations in practical applications, due to their high dependence on large labelled data sources and incapability to do complex tasks. In this Letter, we report an image-free semi-supervised sensing framework based on GAN and achieve an end-to-end global optimization on the part-labelled datasets. Simulation on the MNIST realizes 94.91% sensing accuracy at 0.1 sampling ratio, with merely 0.3% of the dataset holding its classification label. When comparing to the conventional single-pixel sensing methods, the reported technique not only contributes to a high-robust result in both conventional (98.49% vs. 97.36%) and resource-constrained situations (94.91% vs. 83.83%) but also offers a more practical and powerful detection fashion for single-pixel sensing, with much less human effort and computation resources.

Effect of frozen-thawed embryo transfer with a poor-quality embryo and a good-quality embryo on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of embryo quality and quantity, specifically a poor quality embryo (PQE) in combination with a good quality embryo (GQE), by double embryo transfer (DET) on the live birth rate (LBR) and neonatal outcomes in patients undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles. METHODS: A study on a cohort of women who underwent a total of 1462 frozen-thawed cleavage or blastocyst embryo transfer cycles with autologous oocytes was conducted between January 2018 and December 2021. To compare the outcomes between single embryo transfer (SET) with a GQE and DET with a GQE and a PQE, propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to control for potential confounders, and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used to determine the association between the effect of an additional PQE and the outcomes. Subgroup analysis was also performed for patients stratified by female age. RESULTS: After PS matching, DET-GQE + PQE did not significantly alter the LBR (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.421, 95% CI 0.907-2.228) compared with SET-GQE in cleavage-stage embryo transfer but did increase the multiple birth rate (MBR, [OR] 3.917, 95% CI 1.189-12.911). However, in patients who underwent blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, adding a second PQE increased the live birth rate by 7.8% ([OR] 1.477, 95% CI 1.046-2.086) and the multiple birth rate by 19.6% ([OR] 28.355, 95% CI 3.926-204.790), and resulted in adverse neonatal outcomes. For patients who underwent cleavage-stage embryo transfer, transferring a PQE with a GQE led to a significant increase in the MBR ([OR] 4.724, 95% CI 1.121-19.913) in women under 35 years old but not in the LBR ([OR] 1.227, 95% CI 0.719-2.092). The increases in LBR and MBR for DET-GQE + PQE compared with SET-GQE in women older than 35 years were nonsignificant toward. For patients who underwent blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, DET-GQE + PQE had a greater LBR ([OR] 1.803, 95% CI 1.165-2.789), MBR ([OR] 24.185, 95% CI 3.285-178.062) and preterm birth rate (PBR, [OR] 4.092, 95% CI 1.153-14.518) than did SET-GQE in women under 35 years old, while no significant impact on the LBR ([OR] 1.053, 95% CI 0.589-1.884) or MBR (0% vs. 8.3%) was observed in women older than 35 years. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a PQE has no significant benefit on the LBR but significantly increases the MBR in patients who underwent frozen-thawed cleavage-stage embryo transfer. However, for patients who underwent blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, DET-GQE + PQE resulted in an increase in both the LBR and MBR, which may lead to adverse neonatal outcomes. Thus, the benefits and risks of double blastocyst-stage embryo transfer should be balanced. In patients younger than 35 years, SET-GQE achieved satisfactory LBR either in cleavage-stage embryo transfer or blastocyst-stage embryo transfer, while DET-GQE + PQE resulted in a dramatically increased MBR. Considering the low LBR in women older than 35 years who underwent single cleavage-stage embryo transfer, selective single blastocyst-stage embryo transfer appears to be a more promising approach for reducing the risk of multiple live births and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Identification and characterization of endogenous biomarkers for hepatic vectorial transport (OATP1B3-P-gp) function using metabolomics with serum pharmacology.

The organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1B3 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) provide efficient directional transport (OATP1B3-P-gp) from the blood to the bile that serves as a key determinant of hepatic disposition of the drug. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of effective means to evaluate the disposal ability mediated by transporters. The present study was designed to identify a suitable endogenous biomarker for the assessment of OATP1B3-P-gp function in the liver. We established stably transfected HEK293T-OATP1B3 and HEK293T-P-gp cell lines. Results showed that azelaic acid (AzA) was an endogenous substrate for OATP1B3 and P-gp using serum pharmacology combined with metabolomics. There is a good correlation between the serum concentration of AzA and probe drugs of rOATP1B3 and rP-gp when rats were treated with their inhibitors. Importantly, after 5-fluorouracil-induced rat liver injury, the relative mRNA level and expression of rOATP1B3 and rP-gp were markedly down-regulated in the liver, and the serum concentration of AzA was significantly increased. These observations suggest that AzA is an endogenous substrate of both OATP1B3 and P-gp, and may serve as a potential endogenous biomarker for the assessment of the function of OATP1B3-P-gp for the prediction of changes in the pharmacokinetics of drugs transported by OATP1B3-P-gp in liver disease states.

Time-dependent proteomics and drug response in expanding cancer cells.

Cancer cell line is commonly used for discovery and development of anti-cancer drugs. It is generally considered that drug response remains constant for a certain cell line due to the identity of genetics thus protein patterns. Here, we demonstrated that cancer cells continued dividing even after reaching confluence, in that the proteomics was changed continuously and dramatically with strong relevance to cell division, cell adhesion and cell metabolism, indicating time-dependent intrinsically reprogramming of cells during expansion. Of note, the inhibition effect of most anti-cancer drugs was strikingly attenuated in culture cells along with cell expansion, with the strongest change at the third day when cells were still expanding. Profiling of an FDA-approved drug library revealed that attenuation of response with cell expansion is common for most drugs, an exception was TAK165 that was a selective inhibitor of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I. Finally, we screened a panel of natural products and identified four pentacyclic triterpenes as selective inhibitors of cancer cells under prolonged growth. Taken together, our findings underscore that caution should be taken in evaluation of anti-cancer drugs using culture cells, and provide agents selectively targeting overgrowth cancer cells.

TBK1 upregulates the interferon response against virus by the TBK1-IRF3/7 axis in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco).

Yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) is an important economic species of freshwater fish, widely distributed in China. Recently, viral diseases of yellow catfish have been identified in Chian (Hubei province), arising more attention to the viral immunity in P. fulvidraco. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor NF-κB activator (TANK)-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) plays an essential role in IFN production and innate antiviral immunity. In the present study, we characterized the P. fulvidraco TBK1 (PfTBK1) and reported its function in interferon response. The full-length open reading frame (ORF) is 2184 bp encoding a protein with 727 amino acids, which is composed of four conserved domains, including KD, ULD, CCD1, and CCD2, similar to TBK1 in other species. Pftbk1 was widely expressed in all detected tissues by qPCR and was not inducible by the spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), a single-strand RNA virus. In addition, the cellular distribution indicated that PfTBK1 was only located in the cytoplasm. Moreover, PfTBK1 induced strong IFN promoter activities through the Jak-stat pathway, and PfTBK1 interacted with and significantly phosphorylated IFN regulatory factor 3/7 (IRF3/7) in P. fulvidraco, promoting the nuclear translocation of pfIRF3 and PfIRF7, and PfTBK1 upregulated IFN response by PfTBK1-PfIRF3/7 axis. Above all, PfTBK1 triggered IFN response and strongly inhibited the replication of SVCV in EPC cells through induction of IFN downstream IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Summarily, this work reveals that PfTBK1 plays a positive regulatory role in IFN induction through the TBK1-IRF3/7 axis, laying a foundation for further exploring the molecular mechanism of the antiviral process in P. fulvidraco.

Integrated metabolomics and phosphoproteomics reveal the protective role of exosomes from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in naturally aging mouse livers.

BACKGROUND: Aging is characterized by a general decline in cellular function, which ultimately affects whole body homeostasis. This study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSC-exos) on the livers of naturally aging mice. METHOD: Twenty-two-month-old C57BL6 mice were used as a natural aging animal model, divided into a saline-treated wild-type aged control group (WT-AC) and a hUCMSC-exo-treated group (WT-AEX), and then detected by morphology, metabolomics and phosphoproteomics. RESULTS: Morphological analysis showed that hUCMSC-exos ameliorated structural disorder and decreased markers of senescence and genome instability in aging livers. Metabolomics showed that hUCMSC-exos decreased the contents of saturated glycerophospholipids, palmitoyl-glycerols and eicosanoid derivatives associated with lipotoxicity and inflammation, consistent with the decreased phosphorylation of metabolic enzymes, such as propionate-CoA ligase (Acss2), at S267 detected by phosphoproteomics. Moreover, phosphoproteomics indicated that hUCMSC-exos reduced the phosphorylation of proteins participating in nuclear transport and cancer signaling, such as heat shock protein HSP90-beta (Hsp90ab1) at S226 and nucleoprotein TPR (Tpr) at S453 and S379, while increasing those involved in intracellular communication, such as calnexin (Canx) at S563 and PDZ domain-containing protein 8 (Pdzd8). Finally, phosphorylated HSP90ß and Tpr were verified predominantly in hepatocytes. CONCLUSION: HUCMSC-exos improved metabolic reprogramming and genome stability mainly associated with phosphorylated HSP90ß in hepatocytes in natural aging livers. This work provides a comprehensive resource of biological data by omics to support future investigations of hUCMSC-exos in aging.

Activation of AMPK in platelets promotes the production of offspring.

Platelets are terminally differentiated anucleated cells, but they still have cell-like functions and can even produce progeny platelets. However, the mechanism of platelet sprouting has not been elucidated so far. Here, we show that when platelet-rich plasma(PRP) was cultured at 37°C, platelets showed a spore phenomenon. The number of platelets increased when given a specific shear force. It is found that AMP-related signaling pathways, such as PKA and AMPK are activated in platelets in the spore state. Meanwhile, the mRNA expression levels of genes, such as CNN3, CAPZB, DBNL, KRT19, and ESPN related to PLS1 skeleton proteins also changed. Moreover, when we use the AMPK activator AICAR(AI) to treat washed platelets, cultured platelets can still appear spore phenomenon. We further demonstrate that washed platelets treated with Forskolin, an activator of PKA, not only platelet sprouting after culture but also the AMPK is activated. Taken together, these data demonstrate that AMPK plays a key role in the process of platelet budding and proliferation, suggesting a novel strategy to solve the problem of clinical platelet shortage.

What is new? In this study, we showed that when platelet-rich plasma(PRP) was cultured at 37°C, platelets showed spore phenomenon and increased.It was found that AMP-related signaling pathways, such as PKA and AMPK were activated in platelets in the spore state.In addition, we found that PKA acts as an upstream kinase of AMPK.In the process of platelet sprouting and proliferation, the mRNA expression levels of skeleton protein PLS1 and its related genes, such as CNN3, CAPZB, DBNL, KRT19, andESPN also changed.What is the impact? Our study proposes a new strategy to solve the problem of clinical platelet shortage.

Endovascular Denervation for the Improvement of Limb Ischemia in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of endovascular denervation (EDN) as an adjunct to percutaneous vascular intervention (PVI) for peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS: From August 2019 to April 2021, 38 eligible patients with PAD enrolled in this study were randomly and equally assigned into 2 groups: the PVI group and the PVI + EDN group treated with EDN at the iliac and femoral arteries before PVI. The primary endpoint was the improvement in the ankle brachial index at 6 months after the procedure. The secondary endpoints were transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2), Rutherford category, numerical rating scale score, and safety. RESULTS: The technical success rates of PVI and EDN were 100%, and no device-related or procedure-related major adverse events occurred in either group. Compared with PVI alone, PVI + EDN demonstrated a significant improvement in limb hemodynamics at 6 months (Δ ankle brachial index 0.44 ± 0.31 vs. 0.24 ± 0.15, P = 0.018). Microcirculatory perfusion of PAD was significantly better at 6 months in the PVI + EDN group (ΔTcPO2, 15.68 ± 16.72 vs. 4.95 ± 13.43, P = 0.036). The Rutherford category was significantly improved in the PVI + EDN group in comparison with the PVI group at the 3-month follow-up (100.00% vs. 68.42%, P = 0.02). The decrease in the numerical rating scale score in the PVI + EDN group was greater than that in the PVI group at 1 week following the procedure (3 [2-5] vs. 4 [4-6], P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: In this single-center pilot analysis of a heterogeneous cohort of patients with PAD, PVI with EDN demonstrated a significant improvement in limb ischemia at 6 months compared with PVI alone.

Non-volatile and volatile compound changes in blueberry juice inoculated with different lactic acid bacteria strains.

BACKGROUND: Lactic acid bacteria (LABs) are widely present in foods and affect the flavour of fermented cultures. This study investigates the effects of fermentation with Lactobacillus acidophilus JYLA-16 (La), Lactobacillus plantarum JYLP-375 (Lp), and Lactobacillus rhamnosus JYLR-005 (Lr) on the flavour profile of blueberry juice. RESULTS: This study showed that all LABs strains preferentially used glucose rather than fructose as the carbon source during fermentation. Lactic acid was the main fermentation product, reaching 7.76 g L-1 in La-fermented blueberry juice, 5.86 g L-1 in Lp-fermented blueberry juice, and 6.41 g L-1 in Lr-fermented blueberry juice. These strains extensively metabolized quinic acid, whereas oxalic acid metabolism was almost unaffected. Sixty-four volatile compounds were identified using gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). All fermented blueberry juices exhibited decreased aldehyde levels. Furthermore, fermentation with La was dominated by alcohols, Lp was dominated by esters, and Lr was dominated by ketones. Linear discriminant analysis of the electronic nose and principal component analysis of the GC-IMS data effectively differentiated between unfermented and fermented blueberry juices. CONCLUSION: This study informs LABs selection for producing desirable flavours in fermented blueberry juice and provides a theoretical framework for flavour detection. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Elevated Id2 expression causes defective meiosis and spermatogenesis in mice.

BACKGROUND: Inhibitors of DNA binding (ID) proteins mainly inhibit gene expression and regulate cell fate decisions by interacting with E-proteins. All four ID proteins (ID1-4) are present in the testis, and ID4 has a particularly important role in spermatogonial stem cell fate determination. Several lines of evidence indicate that ID proteins are involved in meiosis; however, functional experiments have not been conducted to validate this observation. RESULTS: In this study, we report that ID2 is enriched in spermatocytes and that forced ID2 expression in germ cells causes defects in spermatogenesis. A detailed analysis demonstrated that Id2 overexpression (Id2 OE) decreased the total number of spermatogonia and changed the dynamics of meiosis progression. Specifically, spermatocytes were enriched in the zygotene stage, and the proportion of pachytene spermatocytes was significantly decreased, indicating defects in the zygotene-pachytene transition. The number of MLH1-positive foci per cell was decreased in pachytene spermatocytes from Id2 OE testes, suggesting abnormalities in recombination. Transcriptome analysis revealed that forced Id2 expression changed the expression of a list of genes mainly associated with meiosis and spermatid development. CONCLUSIONS: ID2 protein is expressed in spermatocytes, and its genetic ablation in the germline does not affect spermatogenesis, likely due to genetic compensation of its family members. However, forced Id2 expression changes meiosis progression and causes defects in spermiogenesis. These data provide important evidence that ID proteins play pivotal roles in male meiosis and spermatid development.

The development of English language connected speech perception skills: an empirical study on Chinese EFL children.

Connected speech processes (CSPs) occur randomly in everyday conversations of native speakers; however, such phonological variations can bring about challenges for non-native listeners. Looking at CSP literature, there seems to be very few studies that involved young foreign language learners. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the development of connected speech perception skills by focusing on 201 9- to 12-year-old Chinese EFL children. It also incorporated systematic error analysis to further probe into the specific perceptual difficulties. The results indicate that: (1) Despite a significantly ascending trend for the overall growth of perception skills, no significant differences were found between 11 and 12 year olds in elision and contraction, which suggests that the developmental trend varied depending on different CSP types; (2) Although random errors decreased with age, the number of lexicon and syntax errors gradually increased, and the distribution of perceptual errors shifted from the level of words and syllables to that of phonemes; (3) The primary types of errors resulting in the perception difficulties for elision and contraction were consonant errors, grammatical errors and morphology errors. Ergo, this study enhances the understanding of connected speech perception among EFL children and provides some implications for EFL/ESL listening instructions.

[A multicenter study of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen, China]. / 深圳市新生儿脑卒中多中心现况调查.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence rate, clinical characteristics, and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen, China. METHODS: Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital, the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022. The incidence, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137, 1/6 060, and 1/7 704, respectively. Ischemic stroke accounted for 75% (27/36); boys accounted for 64% (23/36). Among the 36 neonates, 31 (86%) had disease onset within 3 days after birth, and 19 (53%) had convulsion as the initial presentation. Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates (61%) had left cerebral infarction and 13 (36%) had basal ganglia infarction. Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates, among whom 9 (75%) had involvement of the middle cerebral artery. Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates, with sharp waves in 21 neonates (72%) and seizures in 10 neonates (34%). Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals. Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates (33%, 12/36), with a mean score of (32±4) points. The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age, with 44% (12/27) of the neonates having a good prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke, often with convulsions as the initial presentation, involvement of the middle cerebral artery, sharp waves on electroencephalography, and a relatively low neurodevelopment score. Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method, and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Vinculin Identified as a Potential Biomarker in Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome Based on iTRAQ and LC-MS/MS-Based Proteomic Analysis.

Local vibration can induce vascular injuries, one example is the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) caused by hand-transmitted vibration (HTV). Little is known about the molecular mechanism of HAVS-induced vascular injuries. Herein, the iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomics approach was applied to conduct the quantitative proteomic analysis of plasma from specimens with HTV exposure or HAVS diagnosis. Overall, 726 proteins were identified in iTRAQ. 37 proteins upregulated and 43 downregulated in HAVS. Moreover, 37 upregulated and 40 downregulated when comparing severe HAVS and mild HAVS. Among them, Vinculin (VCL) was found to be downregulated in the whole process of HAVS. The concentration of vinculin was further verified by ELISA, and the results suggested that the proteomics data was reliable. Bioinformative analyses were used, and those proteins mainly engaged in specific biological processes like binding, focal adhesion, and integrins. The potential of vinculin application in HAVS diagnosis was validated by the receiver operating characteristic curve.

RNA Polymerase III-Dependent BoNR8 and AtR8 lncRNAs Contribute to Hypocotyl Elongation in Response to Light and Abscisic Acid.

Hypocotyl elongation is inhibited by light and promoted by darkness. The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) also inhibits hypocotyl elongation. However, details of the molecular mechanism that regulates the integrated effects of light and ABA signaling on hypocotyl elongation remain unclear. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs; >200 nt) do not encode proteins but play many physiological roles in organisms. Until now, only a few lncRNAs related to hypocotyl elongation have been reported. The lncRNAs BoNR8 (272 nt) and AtR8 (259 nt), both of which are transcribed by RNA polymerase III, are homologous lncRNAs that are abundantly present in cabbage and Arabidopsis, respectively. These lncRNAs shared 77% sequence identity, and their predicted RNA secondary structures were similar; the non-conserved nucleotides in both sequences were positioned mainly in the stem-loop regions of the secondary structures. A previous study showed that BoNR8 regulated seed germination along with ABA and that AtR8 may be involved in innate immune function in Arabidopsis. Our results show that the expression levels of BoNR8 and AtR8 were differentially affected by light and ABA and that overexpression (OX) of both BoNR8 and AtR8 in Arabidopsis regulated hypocotyl elongation depending on light and ABA.. The expression levels of light-related genes PHYB, COP1, HY5 and PIF4 and ABA-related genes ABI3 and ABI5 were altered in the AtR8-OX and BoNR8-OX lines, and, in an ABI3-defective mutant, hypocotyl elongation was greatly increased under dark condition with the addition of ABA. These results indicate that BoNR8 and AtR8 regulate hypocotyl elongation together with ABI3 and key downstream light signaling genes.

Computational spectrometer based on local feature-weighted spectral reconstruction.

The computational spectrometer enables the reconstruction of spectra from precalibrated information encoded. In the last decade, it has emerged as an integrated and low-cost paradigm with vast potential for applications, especially in portable or handheld spectral analysis devices. The conventional methods utilize a local-weighted strategy in feature spaces. These methods overlook the fact that the coefficients of important features could be too large to reflect differences in more detailed feature spaces during calculations. In this work, we report a local feature-weighted spectral reconstruction (LFWSR) method, and construct a high-accuracy computational spectrometer. Different from existing methods, the reported method learns a spectral dictionary via L 4-norm maximization for representing spectral curve features, and considers the statistical ranking of features. According to the ranking, weight features and update coefficients then calculate the similarity. What's more, the inverse distance weighted is utilized to pick samples and weight a local training set. Finally, the final spectrum is reconstructed utilizing the local training set and measurements. Experiments indicate that the reported method's two weighting processes produce state-of-the-art high accuracy.