12 research outputs found
Morphology and molecular phylogeny of two new Aspidisca species (Ciliophora, Spirotrichea, Euplotida) collected from subtropical coastal waters in China
No full textCiliates are morphologically diverse and highly specialized unicellular eukaryotes that constitute an important component of the microbial food web. Aspidisca Ehrenberg, 1830, is a highly speciose genus that plays key ecological roles in a wide range of environments, and its species diversity has always been a hot spot in protozoan research. In this study, we investigate the living morphology, infraciliature, silverline system, and ribosomal small subunit (SSU rRNA) gene sequences of two new Aspidisca species collected from subtropical coastal waters of China using standard methods. Aspidisca spina sp. n. is characterized by having an obvious peristomial spur, two transparent posterior protrusions, seven frontoventral cirri in “polystyla-arrangement”, and six dorsal ridges. It can be distinguished from the most similar congener, A. magna Kahl, 1932, by the presence of posterior protrusions, more membranelles in the posterior part of adoral zone (AZM2), and different SSU rRNA gene sequences. A. shini sp. n. is smaller in body size, only 35–40 × 25–30 μm in vivo, with four prominent ridges on the arched dorsal side, very similar with the “well-known” species A. steini Buddenbrock, 1920, in morphological characteristics, but it can be distinguished by the arrangement of frontoventral cirri and 121 nucleotide difference in the SSU rRNA gene sequences. Phylogenetic analyses based on the SSU rRNA gene sequences revealed the systematic positions of two new taxa and supported the validity of them as distinct species
Characterization of the macronuclear and micronuclear pheromone genes of Euplotes raikovi reveals the origin of the mating type genetic diversity
No full textCiliates produce diffusible, cell-type-specific pheromones to regulate growth and mating. In Euplotes, these signaling molecules belong to species-specific families of disulfide-rich and structurally homologous proteins. Pheromones are co-dominantly expressed by genes in the somatic macronucleus (MAC), whereas their allelic diversity originates from the mating type locus in the germline micronucleus (MIC). During MAC development in sexual process, the MIC-derived diversity of specific alleles is rearranged via macronucleus-destined sequences (MDSs) assembly. While many MAC pheromones are well characterized, their MIC precursors and rearrangement process remain unknown. Here, we identified two MAC pheromone genes (mac-er-13/14) of E. raikovi, and two MIC regions (19 kb in total) containing 10 MDSs that assemble into mac-er-13. These MDSs are separated by internal eliminated sequences (234-3345 bp). The shortest MDSs (9-36 bp) encode the secreted region of pheromone, while longer MDSs (44-419 bp) encode other regions. Considering that the secreted regions show a higher sequence variation and the shorter MDSs have higher probability of alternative processing or imprecise assembly, we hypothesize that the high sequence variability of the macronuclear pheromone genes, which underlies the large number of mating types in E. raikovi, may result from alternative processing or imprecise assembly of these short MDSs
Large Equalization Current Control Strategy for Series Connected Battery Packs Based on Buck-Boost Converter
No full textTHE INFLUENCE OF PINCH HOLDS\u27 WIDTH ON THE MECHANICS AND MUSCULAR ACTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PINCH TECHNIQUE FOR ADVANCED CLIMBERS
No full textThis study aims to explore the effects of pinch holds’ width on the mechanics and muscle activity characteristics of the pinch technique in sport climbing. 22 climbers completed maximum gripping or pinching biomechanic test of a jug hold and two pinch holds with different width. The resultant traction force, traction force components, the utilization ratio of traction forces and root mean square (RMS) amplitude of the electromyography (EMG) signals of upper limb muscles were collected. Compared to the jug, traction force decreased by 6%-19% when using the broad pinch and 31%-46% with the narrow pinch (all P \u3c 0.05). The RMS of the pectoralis major, biceps brachii, and latissimus dorsi showed the pattern: jug \u3e the broad pinch \u3e the narrow pinch (all P \u3c 0.05). Traction force utilization at the broad pinch was 21%-62% higher than at the narrow (all P \u3c 0.05). Holds’ width is a significant factor in the biomechanical characteristics of pinching technique for climbers
Prediction of postoperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing laparoscopic pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma resection: protocol for an ambispective cohort study
No full textIntroduction Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) resection remains a high-risk surgical procedure owing to severe haemodynamic instability, which can lead to myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS). MINS is the most common and easily overlooked cardiovascular complication and results in increased postoperative mortality and prolonged inpatient hospitalisation. We aimed to develop and validate a predictive model for MINS in patients undergoing laparoscopic PPGL resection.Methods and analysis The PPGL-MINS study is a single-centre, observational, ambispective cohort study that includes patients undergoing elective laparoscopic PPGL resection under general anaesthesia at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) between 1 January 2013 and 31 May 2025. We expect to enrol 700 patients, including at least 550 patients retrospectively and 150 patients prospectively. A prediction model will be developed for the retrospective cohort (training cohort) of patients from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2022. Possible clinically relevant variables, particularly intraoperative blood pressure and heart rate, will be selected as candidate predictors. Stepwise and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression will be used for predictor selection. Multivariate logistic regression will be used to develop the prediction model, which will be presented as a nomogram. The developed model will be used to assess discrimination with the receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve value, calibration with the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration curve, and clinical usefulness with decision curve analysis. Internal validation will be assessed with bootstrap. For external validation, we will use an independent prospective cohort (validation cohort) of patients from 1 March 2023 to 31 May 2025.Ethics and dissemination The study protocol has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of PUMCH (IRB-K2893). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants in the prospective cohort before enrolment in the study. We aim to publish and disseminate the findings in peer-reviewed journals and at scientific conferences.Trial registration number NCT05752773
ProMoHGT: a heterogeneous graph transformer with graph contrastive learning for robust microbial protein function prediction
No full textGraphene “bridge” in transferring hot electrons from plasmonic Ag nanocubes to TiO2 nanosheets for enhanced visible light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution
No full textNovel diagnostic biomarkers regulating macrophages autophagy in ischemic cardiomyopathy: An analysis integrating bulk RNA sequencing with single-cell RNA sequencing
No full textMacrophage autophagy plays a pivotal role in ischemia cardiomyopathy (ICM). However, the underlying mechanisms and macrophage autophagy-related biomarkers in ICM have not been elucidated. Therefore, this study was designed to explore novel macrophage autophagy-related biomarkers for ICM. The autophagy-related genes were downloaded from the Human Autophagy Modulator and intersected with the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of GSE46224 identified with “limma” package in R to obtain the autophagy-related DEGs. Immune infiltration analysis showed that macrophages were the dominant immune cells in ICM tissue. Then the macrophage autophagy-related DEGs were identified using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). A total of six hub genes were obtained from the PPI network. All of the hub genes showed specific diagnostic significance with AUCs higher than 0.7, as also validated in the external dataset GSE116250. RT-qPCR was conducted to detect the mRNA expression levels of hub genes in vivo ICM rat model. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis was also performed to investigate gene expression profiles. Our study explored the macrophage autophagy-related biomarkers and their relative pathways in ICM, provided novel diagnostic biomarkers for ICM, and gave new insight into the progression mechanism of ICM
Comparative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Elevated Capacity for Photosynthesis in Polyphenol Oxidase Expression-Silenced Clematis terniflora DC. Leaves
No full textPolyphenol oxidase (PPO) catalyzes the o-hydroxylation of monophenols and oxidation of o-diphenols to quinones. Although the effects of PPO on plant physiology were recently proposed, little has been done to explore the inherent molecular mechanisms. To explore the in vivo physiological functions of PPO, a model with decreased PPO expression and enzymatic activity was constructed on Clematis terniflora DC. using virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technology. Proteomics was performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the model (VC) and empty vector-carrying plants (VV) untreated or exposed to high levels of UV-B and dark (HUV-B+D). Following integration, it was concluded that the DEPs mainly functioned in photosynthesis, glycolysis, and redox in the PPO silence plants. Mapman analysis showed that the DEPs were mainly involved in light reaction and Calvin cycle in photosynthesis. Further analysis illustrated that the expression level of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase, the content of chlorophyll, and the photosynthesis rate were increased in VC plants compared to VV plants pre- and post HUV-B+D. These results indicate that the silence of PPO elevated the plant photosynthesis by activating the glycolysis process, regulating Calvin cycle and providing ATP for energy metabolism. This study provides a prospective approach for increasing crop yield in agricultural production
CdBi<sub>2</sub>S<sub>4</sub>‑Decorated Aminated Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber for Photocatalytic Treatment of Cr(VI) and Tetracycline Wastewater
No full textThe
significant threat posed by the high toxicity of heavy metals
and antibiotics in water pollutants has prompted a growing emphasis
on the development of highly efficient removal methods for these pollutants.
In this paper, flexible electrospinning polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber-supported
CdBi2S4 was synthesized via a hydrothermal method,
followed by amination treatment with diethylenetriamine (DETA). The
as-prepared CdBi2S4/NH2–PAN
nanofiber, enriched with sulfur vacancies, demonstrated outstanding
visible-light trapping ability and a suitable band gap, leading to
efficient separation and transport of photogenerated carriers, ultimately
resulting in exceptional photocatalytic capability. The optimal 3-CdBi2S4/NH2–PAN nanofiber achieved
impressive reduction rates of 92.26% for Cr(VI) and 96.45% for tetracycline
hydrochloride (TCH) within 120 min, which were much higher than those
for CdS/NH2–PAN, Bi2S3/NH2–PAN, and CdBi2S4/PAN nanofibers.
After five cycles, the removal rate of the CdBi2S4/NH2–PAN nanofiber consistently remained above
90%. Their ease of separation and recovery from the application environment
contributes to their practicality. Additionally, compared with conventional
suspended particle catalyzers, the composite nanofiber exhibited remarkable
flexibility and self-supporting properties
