A pan-TE map highlights transposable elements underlying domestication and agronomic traits in Asian rice.

Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous genomic components and hard to study due to being highly repetitive. Here we assembled 232 chromosome-level genomes based on long-read sequencing data. Coupling the 232 genomes with 15 existing assemblies, we developed a pan-TE map comprising both cultivated and wild Asian rice. We detected 177 084 high-quality TE variations and inferred their derived state using outgroups. We found TEs were one source of phenotypic variation during rice domestication and differentiation. We identified 1246 genes whose expression variation was associated with TEs but not single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), such as OsRbohB, and validated OsRbohB's relative expression activity using a dual-Luciferase (LUC) reporter assays system. Our pan-TE map allowed us to detect multiple novel loci associated with agronomic traits. Collectively, our findings highlight the contributions of TEs to domestication, differentiation and agronomic traits in rice, and there is massive potential for gene cloning and molecular breeding by the high-quality Asian pan-TE map we generated.

Slow rupture in a fluid-rich fault zone initiated the 2024 Mw 7.5 Noto earthquake.

The 2024 moment magnitude (Mw) 7.5 Noto Peninsula (Japan) earthquake caused devastation to communities and was generated by a complex rupture process. Using space geodetic and seismic observations, we show that the event deformed the peninsula with a peak uplift reaching 5 m at the west coast. Shallow slip exceeded 10 m on an offshore fault. Peak stress drop was greater than 10 MPa. This devastating event began with a slow rupture propagation lasting 15-20 s near its hypocenter, where seismic swarms had surged since 2020 due to lower-crust fluid supply. The slow start was accompanied by intense high-frequency seismic radiation. These observations suggest a distinct coseismic slip mode reflecting high heterogeneity in fault properties within a fluid-rich fault zone.

[Applications of chromatography in glycomics].

Glycomics, an emerging "omics" technology that was developed after genomics and proteomics, is a discipline that studies the composition, structure, and functions of glycomes in cells, tissues, and organisms. Glycomics plays key roles in understanding the laws of major life activities, disease prevention and treatment, and drug quality control and development. At present, the structural analysis of glycans relies mainly on mass spectrometry. However, glycans have low abundance in biological samples. In addition, factors such as variable monosaccharide compositions, differences in glycosidic bond positions and modes, diverse branching structures, contribute to the complexity of the compositions and structures of glycans, posing great challenges to glycomics research. Liquid chromatography can effectively remove matrix interferences and enhance glycan separation to improve the mass spectrometric response of glycans. Thus, liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry are important technical tools that have been actively applied to solve these problems; these technologies play indispensable roles in glycomics research. Different studies have highlighted similarities and differences in the applications of various types of liquid chromatography, which also reflects the versatility and flexibility of this technology. In this review, we first discuss the enrichment methods for glycans and their applications in glycomics research from the perspective of chromatographic separation mechanisms. We then compare the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Some glycan-enrichment modes include affinity, hydrophilic interactions, size exclusion, and porous graphitized carbon adsorption. A number of newly developed materials exhibit excellent glycan-enrichment ability. We enumerate the separation mechanisms of reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), high performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC), hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC), and porous graphitic carbon (PGC) chromatography in the separation and analysis of glycans, and describe the applications of these methods in the separation of glycans, glycoconjugates, and glyco-derivatives. Among these methods, HILIC and PGC chromatography are the most widely used, whereas HPAEC and RP-HPLC are less commonly used. The HILIC and RP-HPLC modes are often used for the separation of derived glycans. The ionization efficiency and detectability of glycans are significantly improved after derivatization. However, the derivatization process is relatively cumbersome, and byproducts inevitably affect the accuracy and completeness of the detection results. HPAEC and PGC chromatography exhibit good separation effects on nonderivative glycans, but issues related to the detection integrity of low-abundance glycans owing to their poor detection effect continue to persist. Therefore, the appropriate analytical method for a specific sample or target analyte or mutual verification must be selected. Finally, we highlight the research progress in various chromatographic methods coupled with mass spectrometry for glycomics analysis. Significant progress has been made in glycomics research in recent years owing to advancements in the development of chromatographic separation techniques. However, several significant challenges remain. As the development of novel separation materials and methods continues, chromatographic techniques may be expected to play a critical role in future glycomics research.

Reliable object tracking by multimodal hybrid feature extraction and transformer-based fusion.

Visual object tracking, which is primarily based on visible light image sequences, encounters numerous challenges in complicated scenarios, such as low light conditions, high dynamic ranges, and background clutter. To address these challenges, incorporating the advantages of multiple visual modalities is a promising solution for achieving reliable object tracking. However, the existing approaches usually integrate multimodal inputs through adaptive local feature interactions, which cannot leverage the full potential of visual cues, thus resulting in insufficient feature modeling. In this study, we propose a novel multimodal hybrid tracker (MMHT) that utilizes frame-event-based data for reliable single object tracking. The MMHT model employs a hybrid backbone consisting of an artificial neural network (ANN) and a spiking neural network (SNN) to extract dominant features from different visual modalities and then uses a unified encoder to align the features across different domains. Moreover, we propose an enhanced transformer-based module to fuse multimodal features using attention mechanisms. With these methods, the MMHT model can effectively construct a multiscale and multidimensional visual feature space and achieve discriminative feature modeling. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the MMHT model exhibits competitive performance in comparison with that of other state-of-the-art methods. Overall, our results highlight the effectiveness of the MMHT model in terms of addressing the challenges faced in visual object tracking tasks.

A ferritin-based nanoparticle displaying a neutralizing epitope for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) confers partial protection in guinea pigs.

BACKGROUND: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a devastating disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, that leads to significant economic losses in affected countries and regions. Currently, there is an evident inclination towards the utilization of nanoparticles as powerful platforms for innovative vaccine development. Therefore, this study developed a ferritin-based nanoparticle (FNP) vaccine that displays a neutralizing epitope of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) VP1 (aa 140-158) on the surface of FNP, and evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of these FNPs in mouse and guinea pig models to provide a strategy for developing potential FMD vaccines. RESULTS: This study expressed the recombinant proteins Hpf, HPF-NE and HPF-T34E via an E. coli expression system. The results showed that the recombinant proteins Hpf, Hpf-NE and Hpf-T34E could be effectively assembled into nanoparticles. Subsequently, we evaluated the immunogenicity of the Hpf, Hpf-NE and Hpf-T34E proteins in mice, as well as the immunogenicity and protectiveness of the Hpf-T34E protein in guinea pigs. The results of the mouse experiment showed that the immune efficacy in the Hpf-T34E group was greater than the Hpf-NE group. The results from guinea pigs immunized with Hpf-T34E showed that the immune efficacy was largely consistent with the immunogenicity of the FMD inactivated vaccine (IV) and could confer partial protection against FMDV challenge in guinea pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The Hpf-T34E nanoparticles stand out as a superior choice for a subunit vaccine candidate against FMD, offering effective protection in FMDV-infected model animals. FNP-based vaccines exhibit excellent safety and immunogenicity, thus representing a promising strategy for the continued development of highly efficient and safe FMD vaccines.

Population-level exploration of alternative splicing and its unique role in controlling agronomic traits of rice.

Alternative splicing (AS) plays crucial roles in regulating various biological processes in plants. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying AS and its role in controlling important agronomic traits in rice (Oryza sativa) remain poorly understood. In this study, we explored AS in rice leaves and panicles using the rice minicore collection. Our analysis revealed a high level of transcript isoform diversity, with approximately one fifth of potential isoforms acting as major transcripts in both tissues. Regarding the genetic mechanism of AS, we found that the splicing of 833 genes in the leaf and 1,230 genes in the panicle was affected by cis-genetic variation. Twenty-one percent of these AS events could only be explained by large structural variations. Approximately 77.5% of genes with significant splicing quantitative trait loci (sGenes) exhibited tissue-specific regulation, and AS can cause 26.9% (leaf) and 23.6% (panicle) of sGenes to have altered, lost or gained functional domains. Additionally, through splicing-phenotype association analysis, we identified phosphate-starvation induced RING-type E3 ligase (OsPIE1; LOC_Os01g72480), whose splicing ratio was significantly associated with plant height. In summary, this study provides an understanding of AS in rice and its contribution to the regulation of important agronomic traits.

Optimizing clinico-genomic disease prediction across ancestries: a machine learning strategy with Pareto improvement.

BACKGROUND: Accurate prediction of an individual's predisposition to diseases is vital for preventive medicine and early intervention. Various statistical and machine learning models have been developed for disease prediction using clinico-genomic data. However, the accuracy of clinico-genomic prediction of diseases may vary significantly across ancestry groups due to their unequal representation in clinical genomic datasets. METHODS: We introduced a deep transfer learning approach to improve the performance of clinico-genomic prediction models for data-disadvantaged ancestry groups. We conducted machine learning experiments on multi-ancestral genomic datasets of lung cancer, prostate cancer, and Alzheimer's disease, as well as on synthetic datasets with built-in data inequality and distribution shifts across ancestry groups. RESULTS: Deep transfer learning significantly improved disease prediction accuracy for data-disadvantaged populations in our multi-ancestral machine learning experiments. In contrast, transfer learning based on linear frameworks did not achieve comparable improvements for these data-disadvantaged populations. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that deep transfer learning can enhance fairness in multi-ancestral machine learning by improving prediction accuracy for data-disadvantaged populations without compromising prediction accuracy for other populations, thus providing a Pareto improvement towards equitable clinico-genomic prediction of diseases.

TREM2 deficiency aggravates renal injury by promoting macrophage apoptosis and polarization via the JAK-STAT pathway in mice.

The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is an immune receptor that affects cellular phenotypes by modulating phagocytosis and metabolism, promoting cell survival, and counteracting inflammation. Its role in renal injury, in particular, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) or ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)-induced renal injury remains unclear. In our study, WT and Trem2-/- mice were employed to evaluate the role of TREM2 in renal macrophage infiltration and tissue injury after UUO. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) from both mouse genotypes were cultured and polarized for in vitro experiments. Next, the effects of TREM2 on renal injury and macrophage polarization in IRI mice were also explored. We found that TREM2 expression was upregulated in the obstructed kidneys. TREM2 deficiency exacerbated renal inflammation and fibrosis 3 and 7 days after UUO, in association with reduced macrophage infiltration. Trem2-/- BMDM exhibited increased apoptosis and poorer survival compared with WT BMDM. Meanwhile, TREM2 deficiency augmented M1 and M2 polarization after UUO. Consistent with the in vivo observations, TREM2 deficiency led to increased polarization of BMDM towards the M1 proinflammatory phenotype. Mechanistically, TREM2 deficiency promoted M1 and M2 polarization via the JAK-STAT pathway in the presence of TGF-ß1, thereby affecting cell survival by regulating mTOR signaling. Furthermore, cyclocreatine supplementation alleviated cell death caused by TREM2 deficiency. Additionally, we found that TREM2 deficiency promoted renal injury, fibrosis, and macrophage polarization in IRI mice. The current data suggest that TREM2 deficiency aggravates renal injury by promoting macrophage apoptosis and polarization via the JAK-STAT pathway. These findings have implications for the role of TREM2 in the regulation of renal injury that justify further evaluation.

UV-Cured Highly Crosslinked Polyurethane Acrylate to Serve as a Barrier against Chemical Warfare Agent Simulants.

Ultraviolet (UV) curing is an efficient and environmentally friendly curing method. In this paper, UV-cured polyurethane acrylates (PUAs) were investigated as potential military coatings to serve as barriers against chemical warfare agents (CWAs). Seven UV-cured PUA coatings were formulated utilizing hydroxyethyl methacrylate-capped hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer (HEMA-Htri) and trimethylolpropane triacrylate-capped polycarbonate prepolymer (PETA-PCDL) as the PUA monomers. Isobornyl acrylate (IBOA) and triethyleneglycol divinyl ether (DVE-3) were employed as reactive diluents. Gas chromatography was utilized to investigate the constitutive relationships between the structures of the PUA coatings and their protective properties against simulant agents for CWAs, including dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), a nerve agent simulant, and 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (CEES), a mustard simulant. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and crosslinking density (υe) of PUAs were found to be crucial factors affecting their ability to serve as barriers against CWAs. The incorporation of IBOA units led to enhanced Tg and barrier performance of the PUAs, resulting in a DMMP retention of less than 0.5% and nearly 0 retention of CEES. However, an excessive introduction of polycarbonate chains decreased the υe and barrier performance of the PUAs. These findings may offer valuable insights for enhancing the protection of UV-cured PU coatings against CWAs.

Association between drinking water sources and cognitive functioning in Chinese older adults residing in rural areas.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between drinking water sources and cognitive functioning among older adults residing in rural China. METHODS: Data were extracted from the 2008-2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Drinking water sources were categorized according to whether purification measures were employed. The Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination was used for cognitive functioning assessment, and the score of <24 was considered as having cognitive dysfunction. Cox regression analyses were conducted to derive hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the effects of various drinking water sources, changes in such sources, and its interaction with exercise on cognition dysfunction. RESULTS: We included 2304 respondents aged 79.67 ± 10.02 years; of them, 1084 (44.49%) were men. Our adjusted model revealed that respondents consistently drinking tap water were 21% less likely to experience cognitive dysfunction compared with those drinking untreated water (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.70-0.90). Respondents transitioning from natural to tap water showed were 33% less likely to experience cognitive dysfunction (HR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.58-0.78). Moreover, the HR (95% CI) for the interaction between drinking tap water and exercising was 0.86 (0.75-1.00) when compared with that between drinking untreated water and not exercising. All results adjusted for age, occupation, exercise, and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged tap water consumption and switching from untreated water to tap water were associated with a decreased risk of cognitive dysfunction in older individuals. Additionally, exercising and drinking tap water was synergistically associated with the low incidence of cognitive dysfunction. These findings demonstrate the importance of prioritizing drinking water health in rural areas, indicating that purified tap water can enhance cognitive function among older adults.

Progress in the study of antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent malignancy affecting women's health globally, and the number of morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer continues to rise worldwide. The 5-year survival rate of patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer is significantly reduced, and existing treatment modalities have low efficacy and high adverse effects, so there is a strong need for new, effective, and well-tolerated therapies. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a new targeted therapeutic modality that can efficiently kill tumor cells. This review aims to summarize the composition, research, and development history and mechanism of action of ADCs, to review the research progress of ADCs in the treatment of cervical cancer, and to summarize and prospect the application of ADCs.

Microglial activation in the medial prefrontal cortex after remote fear recall participates in the regulation of auditory fear extinction.

Excessive or inappropriate fear responses can lead to anxiety-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Studies have shown that microglial activation occurs after fear conditioning and that microglial inhibition impacts fear memory. However, the role of microglia in fear memory recall remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the activated profiles of microglia after the recall of remote-cued fear memory and the role of activated microglia in the extinction of remote-cued fear in adult male C57BL/6 mice. The results revealed that the expression of the microglia marker Iba1 increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) at 10 min and 1 h following remote-cued fear recall, which was accompanied by amoeboid morphology. Inhibiting microglial activation through PLX3397 treatment before remote fear recall did not affect recall, reconsolidation, or regular extinction but facilitated recall-extinction and mitigated spontaneous recovery. Moreover, our results demonstrated reduced co-expression of Iba1 and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) in the mPFC, along with decreases in the p-PI3K/PI3K ratio, p-Akt/Akt ratio, and KLF4 expression after PLX3397 treatment. Our results suggest that microglial activation after remote fear recall impedes fear extinction through the pruning of synapses in the mPFC, accompanied by alterations in the expression of the PI3K/AKT/KLF4 pathway. This finding can help elucidate the mechanism involved in remote fear extinction, contributing to the theoretical foundation for the intervention and treatment of PTSD.

Corrigendum: Pre-operative evaluation and mid-term outcomes of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery based on left ventricular ejection fraction.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.961491.].

Sigh generation in preBötzinger Complex.

We explored neural mechanisms underlying sighing. Photostimulation of parafacial (pF) neuromedin B (NMB) or gastrin releasing peptide (GRP), or preBötzinger Complex (preBötC) NMBR or GRPR neurons elicited ectopic sighs with latency inversely related to time from preceding endogenous sigh. Of particular note, ectopic sighs could be produced without involvement of these peptides or their receptors in preBötC. Moreover, chemogenetic or optogenetic activation of preBötC SST neurons induced sighing, even in the presence of NMBR and/or GRPR antagonists. We propose that an increase in the excitability of preBötC NMBR or GRPR neurons not requiring activation of their peptide receptors activates partially overlapping pathways to generate sighs, and that preBötC SST neurons are a downstream element in the sigh generation circuit that converts normal breaths into sighs.

CD-MOF-1 Growth on Polysaccharide Gels through Only C2-OH/C3-OH or C5-O/C6-OH Group Formed Four-Coordinated K+ Ions for Developing Porous Biogels.

The γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) metal-organic frameworks (CD-MOF-1) consist of γ-CD and potassium (K+) ions through coordinating an eight-coordinated K+ ion with two C5-linked oxygen and C6-linked hydroxyl (C5-O/C6-OH) groups in the primary faces of adjacent γ-CD units and two C2- and C3-linked hydroxyl (C2-OH/C3-OH) groups in the secondary faces. Herein, we found polysaccharide gels with only C2-OH/C3-OH or C5-O/C6-OH groups in pyranoid rings can form four-coordinated K+ ions and then coordinate γ-CD in a KOH solution for CD-MOF-1 growth. Exposure of C2-OH/C3-OH or C5-O/C6-OH groups in polysaccharide gels is important to form active four-coordinated K+ ions. Mechanism supporting this work is that four-coordinated K+ ion sites are first formed after coordinating C2-OH/C3-OH groups in pectin and then coordinating C5-O/C6-OH groups in the primary faces of γ-CD units. Alternatively, four-coordinated K+ ions with C5-O/C6-OH groups in chitosan can coordinate the C2-OH/C3-OH groups in the secondary faces of γ-CD units. Mechanism of CD-MOF-1 growing on pectin and chitosan gels through the proposed four-coordinated K+ ions is also universally applicable to other polysaccharide gels with similar C2-OH/C3-OH or C5-O/C6-OH groups such as alginate gel. Based on this mechanism, we developed pectin and chitosan gel-based CD-MOF-1 composites and exemplified applications of them in antibacterial and organic dye removal. To help future research and applications of this mechanism, we share our theoretical assumption for further investigations that any matrices with an ortho-hydroxyl carbon chain or ortho-hydroxyl ether structures may form four-coordinated K+ ions for CD-MOF-1 growth. The proposed mechanism will broaden the development of novel CD-MOF-1 composites in various fields.

Physical frailty intensifies the positive association of oral frailty with poor global cognitive function and executive function among older adults especially for females: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Oral frailty is reported to increase the risk of new onset of mild cognitive impairment. Whereas, the association of oral frailty with cognition among older adults in both physical frail and non-physical frail status has not been sufficiently explored, and whether there are sex differences in the association is unclear. This study investigated the association of oral frailty and physical frailty with global cognitive function and executive function among older adults, as well as the sex differences in such association. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 307 participants aged ≥ 60 years old from communities between June 2023 and August 2023, in Nanjing, China. Global cognitive function and executive function were assessed by using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Trail Making Tests A (TMT-A), respectively. Oral frailty was identified by the combination of natural tooth, Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8), and oral diadochokinesis. Physical frailty was measured by using Fried phenotype model which contained 5 criteria: unintentional weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slowness, and low physical activity. Multiple linear regression analyses for overall participants and stratified by sex and presence or absence of physical frailty were performed, respectively, to examine the association between oral frailty and cognitive functions. RESULTS: The median age of participants was 70 years old. The study included 158 (51.5%) females, 53 (17.3%) individuals with physical frailty, and 65 (21.2%) participants with oral frailty. After adjustment, the association between oral frailty and global cognitive function was observed in the physical frailty group (B = -2.67, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -5.27 to -0.07, p = 0.045) and the females with physical frailty (B = -4, 95% CI: -7.41 to -0.58, p = 0.024). Oral frailty was associated with executive function in overall participants (B = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.22, p = 0.037), physical frailty group (B = 23.68, 95% CI: 1.37 to 45.99, p = 0.038). In the adjusted models, oral frailty was significantly associated with executive function in all females (B = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.36, p = 0.009), in females without physical frailty (B = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.36, p = 0.027), and in females with physical frailty (B = 48.69, 95% CI: 7.17 to 90.21, p = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: Physical frailty intensifies the positive association of oral frailty with poor global cognitive function and executive function among older adults, particularly among females. It is ponderable to consider sex differences and facilitate the management of physical frailty when it comes to promoting cognitive health based on the perspective of oral health among older adults.

Incidence rate of occult lymph node metastasis in clinical T1-2N0M0 small cell lung cancer patients and radiomic prediction based on contrast-enhanced CT imaging: a multicenter study : Original research.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the incidence of occult lymph node metastasis (OLM) in clinical T1 - 2N0M0 (cT1 - 2N0M0) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients and develop machine learning prediction models using preoperative intratumoral and peritumoral contrast-enhanced CT-based radiomic data. METHODS: By conducting a retrospective analysis involving 242 eligible patients from 4 centeres, we determined the incidence of OLM in cT1 - 2N0M0 SCLC patients. For each lesion, two ROIs were defined using the gross tumour volume (GTV) and peritumoral volume 15 mm around the tumour (PTV). By extracting a comprehensive set of 1595 enhanced CT-based radiomic features individually from the GTV and PTV, five models were constucted and we rigorously evaluated the model performance using various metrics, including the area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). For enhanced clinical applicability, we formulated a nomogram that integrates clinical parameters and the rad_score (GTV and PTV). RESULTS: The initial investigation revealed a 33.9% OLM positivity rate in cT1 - 2N0M0 SCLC patients. Our combined model, which incorporates three radiomic features from the GTV and PTV, along with two clinical parameters (smoking status and shape), exhibited robust predictive capabilities. With a peak AUC value of 0.772 in the external validation cohort, the model outperformed the alternative models. The nomogram significantly enhanced diagnostic precision for radiologists and added substantial value to the clinical decision-making process for cT1 - 2N0M0 SCLC patients. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of OLM in SCLC patients surpassed that in non-small cell lung cancer patients. The combined model demonstrated a notable generalization effect, effectively distinguishing between positive and negative OLMs in a noninvasive manner, thereby guiding individualized clinical decisions for patients with cT1 - 2N0M0 SCLC.

A Low-Noble-Metal Ru@CoMn2O4 Spinel Catalyst for the Efficient Oxidation of Propane.

Noble metals have become a research hotspot for the oxidation of light alkanes due to their low ignition temperature and easy activation of C-H; however, sintering and a high price limit their industrial applications. The preparation of effective and low-noble-metal catalysts still presents profound challenges. Herein, we describe how a Ru@CoMn2O4 spinel catalyst was synthesized via Ru in situ doping to promote the activity of propane oxidation. Ru@CoMn2O4 exhibited much higher catalytic activity than CoMn2O4, achieving 90% propane conversion at 217 °C. H2-TPR, O2-TPD, and XPS were used to evaluate the catalyst adsorption/lattice oxygen activity and the adsorption and catalytic oxidation capacity of propane. It could be concluded that Ru promoted synergistic interactions between cobalt and manganese, leading to electron transfer from the highly electronegative Ru to Co2+ and Mn3+. Compared with CoMn2O4, 0.1% Ru@CoMn2O4, with a higher quantity of lattice oxygen and oxygen mobility, possessed a stronger capability of reducibility, which was the main reason for the significant increase in the activity of Ru@CoMn2O4. In addition, intermediates of the reaction between adsorbed propane and lattice oxygen on the catalyst were monitored by in situ DRIFTS. This work highlights a new strategy for the design of a low-noble-metal catalyst for the efficient oxidation of propane.

Paraspeckles / CARM1 mediates the regulation of OEVs on cell differentiation during in vitro embryonic development of yak.

Mammalian embryos produced in vitro have poor embryo quality and low developmental ability compared with in vivo embryos. The main manifestations are the low number of blastocysts, the low ratio of the number of inner cell mass cells to the number of trophoblastic cells, and the high apoptosis rate of blastocysts, resulting in low embryo implantation rate. Therefore, optimizing in vitro culture conditions has become a key technology to im-prove the quality of preimplantation embryos. Oviduct Epithelial cells exosomes (OEVs) can be absorbed and internalized by embryos to improve the blastocyst rate and blastocyst quality of embryos in vitro. As a special nuclear structure, Paraspeckles are involved in the fate determination of mammalian early embryonic mammalian cells. However, the regulation of embryonic cell differentiation by OEVs remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the effects of OEVs on paraspeckle formation and cell fate determination in yak in vitro fertilization (IVF) of em-bryos. To simulate the in vivo oviduct environment after ovulation, we used follicular fluid exosomes (FEVs) to stimulate yak oviduct epithelial cells and collect OEVs. OEVs were added to the yak IVF embryo culture system. Paraspeckle formation, cell differentiation, and blastocyst quality in yak embryos were determined. Our results show that, development of yak embryos is unique compared to other bovine species, and OEVs can be used as a supplement to the in vitro culture system of yak embryos to improve embryonic development and blas-tocyst quality. And also Paraspeckles/CARM1 mediated the regulation of OEVs on cell differentiation during in vitro yak embryo production. These results provide new insights into the study of yak embryonic development and the role of OEVs in embryonic development.

Complete spatially resolved gene expression is not necessary for identifying spatial domains.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) technologies have revolutionized the study of tissue organization. We introduce a graph convolutional network with an attention and positive emphasis mechanism, termed BINARY, relying exclusively on binarized SRT data to accurately delineate spatial domains. BINARY outperforms existing methods across various SRT data types while using significantly less input information. Our study suggests that precise gene expression quantification may not always be essential, inspiring further exploration of the broader applications of spatially resolved binarized gene expression data.