Collective effects of rising average temperatures and heat events on oviparous embryos.

Survival of the immobile embryo in response to rising temperature is important to determine a species' vulnerability to climate change. However, the collective effects of 2 key thermal characteristics associated with climate change (i.e., rising average temperature and acute heat events) on embryonic survival remain largely unexplored. We used empirical measurements and niche modeling to investigate how chronic and acute heat stress independently and collectively influence the embryonic survival of lizards across latitudes. We collected and bred lizards from 5 latitudes and incubated their eggs across a range of temperatures to quantify population-specific responses to chronic and acute heat stress. Using an embryonic development model parameterized with measured embryonic heat tolerances, we further identified a collective impact of embryonic chronic and acute heat tolerances on embryonic survival. We also incorporated embryonic chronic and acute heat tolerance in hybrid species distribution models to determine species' range shifts under climate change. Embryos' tolerance of chronic heat (T-chronic) remained consistent across latitudes, whereas their tolerance of acute heat (T-acute) was higher at high latitudes than at low latitudes. Tolerance of acute heat exerted a more pronounced influence than tolerance of chronic heat. In species distribution models, climate change led to the most significant habitat loss for each population and species in its low-latitude distribution. Consequently, habitat for populations across all latitudes will shift toward high latitudes. Our study also highlights the importance of considering embryonic survival under chronic and acute heat stresses to predict species' vulnerability to climate change.

Efectos colectivos del aumento de las temperaturas promedio y los eventos de calor en embriones ovíparos Resumen La supervivencia de los embriones inmóviles en respuesta al incremento de temperatura es importante para determinar la vulnerabilidad de las especies al cambio climático. Sin embargo, los efectos colectivos de dos características térmicas claves asociadas con el cambio climático (i. e., aumento de temperatura promedio y eventos de calor agudo) sobre la supervivencia embrionaria permanecen en gran parte inexplorados. Utilizamos mediciones empíricas y modelos de nicho para investigar cómo el estrés térmico crónico y agudo influye de forma independiente y colectiva en la supervivencia embrionaria de los lagartos en todas las latitudes. Recolectamos y criamos lagartos de cinco latitudes e incubamos sus huevos en un rango de temperaturas para cuantificar las respuestas específicas de la población al estrés por calor crónico y agudo. Posteriormente, mediante un modelo de desarrollo embrionario parametrizado con mediciones de tolerancia embrionaria al calor, identificamos un impacto colectivo de las tolerancias embrionarias al calor agudo y crónico en la supervivencia embrionaria. También incorporamos la tolerancia embrionaria crónica y aguda al calor en modelos de distribución de especies híbridas para determinar los cambios de distribución de las especies bajo el cambio climático. La tolerancia embrionaria al calor crónico (T­crónico) permaneció constante, mientras que la tolerancia al calor agudo (T­agudo) fue mayor en latitudes altas que en latitudes bajas. La tolerancia al calor agudo ejerció una influencia más pronunciada que la tolerancia al calor crónico. En los modelos de distribución de especies, el cambio climático provocó la pérdida de hábitat más significativa para cada población y especie en su distribución de latitudes bajas. En consecuencia, el hábitat para poblaciones en todas las latitudes se desplazará a latitudes altas. Nuestro estudio también resalta la importancia de considerar la supervivencia embrionaria bajo estrés térmico crónico y agudo para predecir la vulnerabilidad de las especies al cambio climático.

Danggui Sini decoction alleviates oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy by regulating gut microbiota and potentially relieving neuroinflammation related metabolic disorder.

BACKGROUND: Danggui Sini decoction (DSD), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, has the function of nourishing blood, warming meridians, and unblocking collaterals. Our clinical and animal studies had shown that DSD can effectively protect against oxaliplatin (OXA)-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN), but the detailed mechanisms remain uncertain. Multiple studies have confirmed that gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the development of OIPN. In this study, the potential mechanism of protective effect of DSD against OIPN by regulating gut microbiota was investigated. METHODS: The neuroprotective effects of DSD against OIPN were examined on a rat model of OIPN by determining mechanical allodynia, biological features of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) as well as proinflammatory indicators. Gut microbiota dysbiosis was characterized using 16S rDNA gene sequencing and metabolism disorders were evaluated using untargeted and targeted metabolomics. Moreover the gut microbiota mediated mechanisms were validated by antibiotic intervention and fecal microbiota transplantation. RESULTS: DSD treatment significantly alleviated OIPN symptoms by relieving mechanical allodynia, preserving DRG integrity and reducing proinflammatory indicators lipopolysaccharide (LPS), IL-6 and TNF-α. Besides, DSD restored OXA induced intestinal barrier disruption, gut microbiota dysbiosis as well as systemic metabolic disorders. Correlation analysis revealed that DSD increased bacterial genera such as Faecalibaculum, Allobaculum, Dubosiella and Rhodospirillales_unclassified were closely associated with neuroinflammation related metabolites, including positively with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and sphingomyelin (d18:1/16:0), and negatively with pi-methylimidazoleacetic acid, L-glutamine and homovanillic acid. Meanwhile, antibiotic intervention apparently relieved OIPN symptoms. Furthermore, fecal microbiota transplantation further confirmed the mediated effects of gut microbiota. CONCLUSION: DSD alleviates OIPN by regulating gut microbiota and potentially relieving neuroinflammation related metabolic disorder.

GATA3 functions downstream of BRCA1 to promote DNA damage repair and suppress dedifferentiation in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate DNA damage repair promotes aberrant differentiation of mammary epithelial cells. Mammary luminal cell fate is mainly determined by a few transcription factors including GATA3. We previously reported that GATA3 functions downstream of BRCA1 to suppress aberrant differentiation in breast cancer. How GATA3 impacts DNA damage repair preventing aberrant cell differentiation in breast cancer remains elusive. We previously demonstrated that loss of p18, a cell cycle inhibitor, in mice induces luminal-type mammary tumors, whereas depletion of either Brca1 or Gata3 in p18 null mice leads to basal-like breast cancers (BLBCs) with activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We took advantage of these mutant mice to examine the role of Gata3 as well as the interaction of Gata3 and Brca1 in DNA damage repair in mammary tumorigenesis. RESULTS: Depletion of Gata3, like that of Brca1, promoted DNA damage accumulation in breast cancer cells in vitro and in basal-like breast cancers in vivo. Reconstitution of Gata3 improved DNA damage repair in Brca1-deficient mammary tumorigenesis. Overexpression of GATA3 promoted homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DNA damage repair and restored HR efficiency of BRCA1-deficient cells. Depletion of Gata3 sensitized tumor cells to PARP inhibitor (PARPi), and reconstitution of Gata3 enhanced resistance of Brca1-deficient tumor cells to PARP inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that Gata3 functions downstream of BRCA1 to promote DNA damage repair and suppress dedifferentiation in mammary tumorigenesis and progression. Our findings suggest that PARP inhibitors are effective for the treatment of GATA3-deficient BLBCs.

Hodge Decomposition of Single-Cell RNA Velocity.

RNA velocity has the ability to capture the cell dynamic information in the biological processes; yet, a comprehensive analysis of the cell state transitions and their associated chemical and biological processes remains a gap. In this work, we provide the Hodge decomposition, coupled with discrete exterior calculus (DEC), to unveil cell dynamics by examining the decomposed curl-free, divergence-free, and harmonic components of the RNA velocity field in a low dimensional representation, such as a UMAP or a t-SNE representation. Decomposition results show that the decomposed components distinctly reveal key cell dynamic features such as cell cycle, bifurcation, and cell lineage differentiation, regardless of the choice of the low-dimensional representations. The consistency across different representations demonstrates that the Hodge decomposition is a reliable and robust way to extract these cell dynamic features, offering unique analysis and insightful visualization of single-cell RNA velocity fields.

Optimal decision-making in relieving global high temperature-related disease burden by data-driven simulation.

The rapid acceleration of global warming has led to an increased burden of high temperature-related diseases (HTDs), highlighting the need for advanced evidence-based management strategies. We have developed a conceptual framework aimed at alleviating the global burden of HTDs, grounded in the One Health concept. This framework refines the impact pathway and establishes systematic data-driven models to inform the adoption of evidence-based decision-making, tailored to distinct contexts. We collected extensive national-level data from authoritative public databases for the years 2010-2019. The burdens of five categories of disease causes - cardiovascular diseases, infectious respiratory diseases, injuries, metabolic diseases, and non-infectious respiratory diseases - were designated as intermediate outcome variables. The cumulative burden of these five categories, referred to as the total HTD burden, was the final outcome variable. We evaluated the predictive performance of eight models and subsequently introduced twelve intervention measures, allowing us to explore optimal decision-making strategies and assess their corresponding contributions. Our model selection results demonstrated the superior performance of the Graph Neural Network (GNN) model across various metrics. Utilizing simulations driven by the GNN model, we identified a set of optimal intervention strategies for reducing disease burden, specifically tailored to the seven major regions: East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Sectoral mitigation and adaptation measures, acting upon our categories of Infrastructure & Community, Ecosystem Resilience, and Health System Capacity, exhibited particularly strong performance for various regions and diseases. Seven out of twelve interventions were included in the optimal intervention package for each region, including raising low-carbon energy use, increasing energy intensity, improving livestock feed, expanding basic health care delivery coverage, enhancing health financing, addressing air pollution, and improving road infrastructure. The outcome of this study is a global decision-making tool, offering a systematic methodology for policymakers to develop targeted intervention strategies to address the increasingly severe challenge of HTDs in the context of global warming.

Oncolytic virotherapy stimulates anti­tumor immune response and demonstrates activity in advanced sarcoma: Report of two cases.

Sarcoma is derived from mesenchymal neoplasms and has numerous subtypes, accounting for 1% of all adult malignancies and 15% of childhood malignancies. The prognosis of metastatic or recurrent sarcoma remains poor. The current study presents two cases of sarcoma enrolled in a phase I dose escalation trial for solid tumor, who had previously failed all standard therapies. These patients were treated with VG161, an immune-stimulating herpes simplex virus type 1 oncolytic virus with payloads of IL-12, IL-15 and IL-15 receptor α unit, and a programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand 1 blocking peptide. Both cases demonstrated stable disease as the best response, accompanied by a noteworthy prolongation of progression-free survival (11.8 months for chondrosarcoma and 11.9 months for soft tissue sarcoma, respectively) at a dose of 2.5×108 PFU/cycle. In addition, the treatment led to the activation of anti-cancer immunity, as evident from cytokine, lymphocyte subset and related pathway analyses of peripheral blood and/or tumor biopsy samples. These promising results suggest that VG161 monotherapy holds promise as an effective treatment for sarcoma and warrants further investigation through clinical trials. The two reported patients were part of a phase I clinical trial conducted and registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry in Australia (registration no. ACTRN12620000244909; registration date, 26 February, 2020).

HyCas9-12aGEP: an efficient genome editing platform for Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Corynebacterium glutamicum plays a crucial role as a significant industrial producer of metabolites. Despite the successful development of CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12a-assisted genome editing technologies in C. glutamicum, their editing resolution and efficiency are hampered by the diverse on-target activities of guide RNAs (gRNAs). To address this problem, a hybrid CRISPR-Cas9-Cas12a genome editing platform (HyCas9-12aGEP) was developed in C. glutamicum in this study to co-express sgRNA (corresponding to SpCas9 guide RNA), crRNA (corresponding to FnCas12a guide RNA), or hfgRNA (formed by the fusion of sgRNA and crRNA). HyCas9-12aGEP improves the efficiency of mapping active gRNAs and outperforms both CRISPR-Cas9 and CRISPR-Cas12a in genome editing resolution and efficiency. In the experiment involving the deletion of the cg0697-0740 gene segment, an unexpected phenotype was observed, and HyCas9-12aGEP efficiently identified the responsible genotype from more than 40 genes. Here, HyCas9-12aGEP greatly improve our capability in terms of genome reprogramming in C. glutamicum.

Comparison of Deep and Moderate Neuromuscular Blockade for Major Laparoscopic Surgery in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Neuromuscular blocking agents are routinely used in laparoscopic surgery to optimize operative conditions. We compared the effect of a deep and moderate neuromuscular blockade (NMB) on surgical conditions and postoperative outcomes in children undergoing major laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: Sixty children aged 2-14 years scheduled to undergo major laparoscopic surgery were randomly allocated to deep (post-tetanic count 1-2 twitches) or moderate (train-of-four 1-2 twitches) NMB groups. The anesthesia was maintained with propofol and remifentanil, and the NMB was maintained with a rocuronium continuous infusion. At the end of the operation, the NMB were antagonized with sugammadex. The intra-abdominal pressure, airway pressure, Leiden Surgical Rating Scale, intraoperative hemodynamics, drug usages, duration of surgery, postoperative recovery time, pain, and complications were compared between the groups. RESULTS: The maximum and mean intra-abdominal pressure, the peak inspiratory pressure, and mean airway pressure were significantly lower in the deep NMB group than in the moderate NMB group (p < 0.001). The Leiden Surgical Rating Scale and the dosage of rocuronium were significantly higher in the deep NMB group than the moderate NMB group (p < 0.001). The intraoperative hemodynamics, duration of surgery, post-operative recovery time, pain, and the incidence rate of complications were not significantly different between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A deep NMB provided better operative conditions and similar recovery profiles compared with a moderate NMB as reversed with sugammadex in children undergoing major laparoscopic surgery. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, No. ChiCTR2100053821.

State-dependent movement choices of desert lizards: The role of behavioural thermoregulation during summer and winter.

Environmental temperatures are increasing worldwide, threatening desert ectotherms already living at their thermal limits. Organisms with flexible thermoregulatory behaviours may be able to mitigate the effects of extreme temperatures by moving among microhabitats, yet little work has tracked movement patterns of desert ectotherms in the wild over diurnal scales or compared behaviour among seasons. Here, we used camera traps to track the thermoregulatory behaviour and microhabitat choices of 30 desert lizards (Messalina bahaldini) in custom, outdoor arenas that provided access to open, rock, and bush microhabitats. We found that in the summer, lizards preferred to move to the shaded microhabitats and remain there under warmer conditions. During winter, however, lizards' activity was not related to temperature, and lizards mostly chose to remain in the open habitat. Interestingly, in both seasons, lizards tended to remain in their current microhabitat and moved infrequently between certain combinations of microhabitats. Our study shows that thermoregulation (shade-seeking behaviour) is a major factor during summer, helping lizards to avoid extreme temperatures, but not during winter, and shows a novel effect of current microhabitat on movement, suggesting that other biotic or abiotic factors may also drive microhabitat choice. Understanding the complex factors at play in microhabitat choice is critical for developing conservation programs that effectively mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on desert animals.

Geographic differences in psychological symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A multicenter study in China.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the geographic differences in psychological symptoms, sleep quality, and quality of life (QoL) among adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: A unified questionnaire was developed to collect data on psychological status and QoL of IBD patients from 42 hospitals across 22 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China's mainland from September 2021 to May 2022. RESULTS: A total of 2478 patients with IBD were surveyed. The proportions of patients with anxiety (28.5% vs 23.1%), depression (32.3% vs 27.8%), and poor QoL (44.8% vs 32.2%) were significantly higher in patients from the northern region compared to the southern region (all P < 0.05). In the western region, the proportions of patients with anxiety (31.9% vs 23.0%), depression (37.7% vs 26.7%), sleep disturbances (64.5% vs 58.5%), and poor QoL (44.9% vs 34.8%) were significantly higher than in the eastern and central regions (all P < 0.01). Patients from inland regions had significantly higher rates of anxiety (27.1% vs 23.3%), depression (32.5% vs 26.0%), sleep disturbance (62.0% vs 57.7%), and poor QoL (43.5% vs 29.9%) compared to those from coastal regions (all P < 0.05). In economically underdeveloped areas, the proportions of patients with depression (33.1% vs 28.5%) and poor QoL (52.0% vs 32.4%) were significantly higher than in economically (relatively) developed areas (both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There are significant geographic differences in psychological symptoms, sleep quality, and QoL among Chinese patients with IBD, which might provide valuable insights for global IBD research and clinical practice.

Drug resistance revealed by in silico deep mutational scanning and mutation tracker.

As COVID-19 enters its fifth year, it continues to pose a significant global health threat, with the constantly mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus challenging drug effectiveness. A comprehensive understanding of virus-drug interactions is essential for predicting and improving drug effectiveness, especially in combating drug resistance during the pandemic. In response, the Path Laplacian Transformer-based Prospective Analysis Framework (PLFormer-PAF) has been proposed, integrating historical data analysis and predictive modeling strategies. This dual-strategy approach utilizes path topology to transform protein-ligand complexes into topological sequences, enabling the use of advanced large language models for analyzing protein-ligand interactions and enhancing its reliability with factual insights garnered from historical data. It has shown unparalleled performance in predicting binding affinity tasks across various benchmarks, including specific evaluations related to SARS-CoV-2, and assesses the impact of virus mutations on drug efficacy, offering crucial insights into potential drug resistance. The predictions align with observed mutation patterns in SARS-CoV-2, indicating that the widespread use of the Pfizer drug has lead to viral evolution and reduced drug efficacy. PLFormer-PAF's capabilities extend beyond identifying drug-resistant strains, positioning it as a key tool in drug discovery research and the development of new therapeutic strategies against fast-mutating viruses like COVID-19.

Dental implant failures in Utah and US veteran cohorts.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately, 5.5 million dental implants are estimated to be surgically placed in the United States yearly, with an anticipated long-term failure rate ranging from 3% to 10%. At the Salt Lake City Dental Clinic within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VHA), specific protocols have been established to mandate that clinicians present every dental implant case for review by a committee. To understand the effectiveness of this approach, a comparative data analysis was undertaken to compare local dental implant failure data against national VHA data. METHODS: Leveraging electronic health records of veterans spanning from 2000 to 2021, we gathered procedural records related to dental implant placement or failure, demographic information, and medical history for individuals who received dental care at various dental clinics within the nationwide VHA network. Subsequently, statistical analyses were conducted using mixed-effects Poisson regression models with cluster-robust standard errors. Incident rate ratios (IRRs) for Utah-specific and nationwide cohorts were ascertained. RESULTS: The Utah VHA dental clinical data showed that there was a slightly lower prevalence of implant failure at 6.7% compared to the national cohort, which had a rate of 6.9%. The implant level failure rates were also low, with 4.20 (confidence interval [CI]: 3.68, 4.81) per 1000 implant placements per year for Utah cohorts. The adjusted IRR indicated a relative 16% reduction in risk among Utah Veterans (IRR 0.84, 95% CI [0.76-0.92]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The stringent protocols in place at Salt Lake City, which integrate evidence-based practices and expert opinion for evaluating patient suitability for dental implant placement and subsequent care, contributed to the reduced risk among Utah Dental Clinic veterans pool compared to veterans of other states.

Multiscale topology in interactomic network: from transcriptome to antiaddiction drug repurposing.

The escalating drug addiction crisis in the United States underscores the urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies. This study embarked on an innovative and rigorous strategy to unearth potential drug repurposing candidates for opioid and cocaine addiction treatment, bridging the gap between transcriptomic data analysis and drug discovery. We initiated our approach by conducting differential gene expression analysis on addiction-related transcriptomic data to identify key genes. We propose a novel topological differentiation to identify key genes from a protein-protein interaction network derived from DEGs. This method utilizes persistent Laplacians to accurately single out pivotal nodes within the network, conducting this analysis in a multiscale manner to ensure high reliability. Through rigorous literature validation, pathway analysis and data-availability scrutiny, we identified three pivotal molecular targets, mTOR, mGluR5 and NMDAR, for drug repurposing from DrugBank. We crafted machine learning models employing two natural language processing (NLP)-based embeddings and a traditional 2D fingerprint, which demonstrated robust predictive ability in gauging binding affinities of DrugBank compounds to selected targets. Furthermore, we elucidated the interactions of promising drugs with the targets and evaluated their drug-likeness. This study delineates a multi-faceted and comprehensive analytical framework, amalgamating bioinformatics, topological data analysis and machine learning, for drug repurposing in addiction treatment, setting the stage for subsequent experimental validation. The versatility of the methods we developed allows for applications across a range of diseases and transcriptomic datasets.

Defect engineering improves CO2/N2 and CH4/N2 separation performance of MOF-801.

A defect engineering modification method is reported to improve the CO2/N2 and CH4/N2 separation performance of MOF-801, owing to skeleton shrinkage caused by defect modification, Zr-FA0.5 shows excellent gas separation performance compared with the prototype MOF.

Machine Learning Analysis Classifies Patients with Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma Using Abnormal Brain White Matter Function.

Objective: Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a globally prevalent, irreversible eye disease leading to blindness. Previous neuroimaging studies demonstrated that PACG patients were associated with gray matter function changes. However, whether the white matter(WM) function changes in PACG patients remains unknown. The purpose of the study is to investigate WM function changes in the PACG patients. Methods: In total, 40 PACG patients and 40 well-matched HCs participated in our study and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. We compared between-group differences between PACG patients and HC in the WM function using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). In addition, the SVM method was applied to the construction of the PACG classification model. Results: Compared with the HC group, ALFF was attenuated in right posterior thalamic radiation (include optic radiation), splenium of corpus callosum, and left tapetum in the PACG group, the results are statistically significant (GRF correction, voxel-level P < 0.001, cluster-level P < 0.05). Furthermore, the SVM classification had an accuracy of 80.0% and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 for distinguishing patients with PACG from HC. Conclusion: The findings of our study uncover abnormal WM functional alterations in PACG patients and mainly involves vision-related regions. These findings provide new insights into widespread brain damage in PACG from an alternative WM functional perspective.

Toxicological Research on Nano and Microplastics in Environmental Pollution: Current Advances and Future Directions.

This review explains the sources of nanoplastics (NPs) and microplastics (MPs), their release, fate, and associated health risks in the aquatic environment. In the 21st century, scientists are grappling with a major challenge posed by MPs and NPs. The global production of plastic has skyrocketed from 1.5 million tons in the 1950s to an astonishing 390.7 million tons in 2021. This pervasive presence of these materials in our environment has spurred scientific inquiry into their potentially harmful effects on living organisms. Studies have revealed that while MPs, with their larger surface area, are capable of absorbing contaminants and pathogens from the surroundings, NPs can easily be transferred through the food chain. As a result, living organisms may ingest them and accumulate them within their bodies. Due to their minuscule size, NPs are particularly difficult to isolate and quantify. Furthermore, exposure to both NPs and MPs has been linked to various adverse health effects in aquatic species, including neurological impairments, disruption of lipid and energy metabolism, and increased susceptibility to cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. It is alarming to note that MPs have even been detected in commercial fish, highlighting the severity of this issue. There are also challenges associated with elucidating the toxicological effects of NPs and MPs, which are discussed in detail in this review. In conclusion, plastic pollution is a pressing issue that governments should tackle by ensuring proper implementation of rules and regulations at national and provincial levels to reduce its health risks.

Dual-mode sensing strategy based on carbon dots for sensitive and selective detection of molybdate ions.

Two kinds of carbon dots with the maximum fluorescence peak of 492 nm (named as G-CDs) and 607 nm (named as R-CDs) were synthesized. In the presence of MoO42- ions, the fluorescence of R-CDs at 607 nm can be quenched, which can probably be assigned to their aggregation caused by MoO42-, while that of G-CDs at 492 nm remained unchanged. For the first time, a ratiometric fluorescence probe was developed for MoO42- ions detection. In the range 0.25 ~ 100 µM, the fluorescence ratio (F492/F607) of the probe was linearly related to MoO42- concentration, and the detection limit was 61.5 nM, which fully meets the minimum detection requirements of MoO42- ions in drinking water. On the other hand, when MoO42- was introduced, a significant fading phenomenon of R-CDs can be observed with the naked eye; thereby, the colorimetric method can also be proposed. Based on above, the ratiometric fluorometric/colorimetric dual-mode sensing method was established for MoO42- anion quantification. Compared with the traditional analysis methods, the results obtained by multimodal sensing can be mutually verified, which effectively improves the accuracy and reliability. The dual-mode assay proposed in this work provides an alternative scheme to meet the need of sensing target compounds in complex matrices.

Functional characterization of terpene synthases SmTPS1 involved in floral scent formation in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Plants attract beneficial insects and promote pollination by releasing floral scents. Salvia miltiorrhiza, as an insect-pollinated flowering plant, which has been less studied for its floral aroma substances. This study revealed that S. miltiorrhiza flowers produce various volatile terpenoids, including five monoterpenes and ten sesquiterpenes, with the sesquiterpene compound (E)-ß-caryophyllene being the most abundant, accounting for 28.1% of the total volatile terpenoids. Y-tube olfactometer experiments were conducted on the primary pollinator of S. miltiorrhiza, the Apis ceranas. The results indicated that (E)-ß-caryophyllene compound had an attractive effect on the Apis ceranas. By comparing the homologous sequences with the genes of (E)-ß-caryophyllene terpene synthases in other plants, the SmTPS1 gene was selected for further experiment. Subcellular localization experiments showed SmTPS1 localized in the cytoplasm, and its in vitro enzyme assay revealed that it could catalyze FPP into ß-Elemene, (E)-ß-caryophyllene and α-Humulene. Overexpression of SmTPS1 in S. miltiorrhiza resulted in a 5.29-fold increase in gene expression. The GC-MS analysis revealed a significant increase in the concentration of (E)-ß-caryophyllene in the transgenic plants, with levels 2.47-fold higher compared to the empty vector plants. Furthermore, Y-tube olfactometer experiments showed that the transgenic plants were significantly more attractive to Apis ceranas compared to the empty vector plants. Co-expression analysis suggested that four SmMYCs (SmMYC1, SmMYC5, SmMYC10, and SmMYC11) may be involved in the transcriptional regulation of SmTPS1. The yeast one-hybrid screen and the Dual luciferase assay indicated that SmMYC10 positively regulates the expression of SmTPS1. In conclusion, this study lays a foundation for the functional analysis and transcriptional regulation of terpene synthase genes in S. miltiorrhiza.

Impact of different grade roads on ecological networks: A case study of Fuzhou City, China.

The expansion of roads exacerbates the fragmentation of ecological networks and obstructs landscape connectivity. Scientific analysis of the impacts of different grades of roads on landscape connectivity and ecological networks is crucial for guiding road planning and ecological conservation. Based on the data of 2020 road network, land cover types, and digital elevation models, we used morphological spatial pattern analysis and circuit theory to construct ecological networks within different species dispersal distances (1, 3, 5, 10 km) in Fuzhou. We analyzed the impacts of roads of different grades (motorway, urban expressway, primary and secondary highway) on landscape connectivity at the landscape-patch-corridor scale. The results showed that at the landscape scale, overall landscape connectivity was significantly positively correlated with species dispersal distance. The motorway, urban expressway, primary and secondary highway had the lowest decline rate of overall landscape connectivity within a 10 km species dispersal range, being reduced by 15.6%, 5.3%, 1.5% and 5.2%, respectively. At the patch scale, in the comparison of roads of different grades, motorway led to the highest decline rate of patch connectivity within 1 and 5 km species dispersal range, while primary highway led to the highest decline rate of patch connectivity within 3 and 10 km species dispersal range. At the corridor scale, urban expressway led the highest increase rate of indices. The cost-weighted distance of the overall least-cost path, the ratio of cost-weighted distance to length, ove-rall effective resistance, and total corridor length within 5 km species dispersal range were increased by 43.4%, 33.2%, 57.3%, and 7.3%, respectively. As the distance of species dispersal increased, the patches with high importance were reduced from the northern, central, and northwestern regions to the northern regions, leading to a decrease in the living space of species, and the key corridors were gradually extending from the northwestern and southern regions to the central regions. Our results can guide the construction and optimization of Fuzhou's ecological network from an overall perspective, and provide a scientific basis for biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, and road network planning under the context of limited land resource utilization.