Evolutionary analysis of genes associated with the sense of balance in semi-aquatic mammals.

Background: Semi-aquatic mammals represent a transitional phase in the evolutionary spectrum between terrestrial and aquatic mammals. The sense of balance is crucial for mammalian locomotion, and in semi-aquatic mammals, the structural foundation of this sense (the vestibular system) shows distinct morphological adaptations to both aquatic and terrestrial environments compared to their terrestrial counterparts. Despite this, the precise molecular mechanisms driving these adaptations remain elusive.

Chromosome-level genome provides insights into evolution and diving adaptability in the vulnerable common pochard (Aythya ferina).

The common pochard (Aythya ferina) is a freshwater diving duck found in the Palearctic region that has been classified as vulnerable by the IUCN due to continuous and rapid population declines across their distribution. To gain a better understanding of its genetic mechanism of adaptive evolution, we successfully sequenced and assembled the first high-quality chromosome-level genome of A. ferina using Illumina, Nanopore and Hi-C sequencing technologies.

Bacterial and fungal community structures in Hulun Lake are regulated by both stochastic processes and environmental factors.

Microorganisms are a crucial component of lake ecosystems and significant contributors to biogeochemical cycles. However, the understanding of how primary microorganism groups (e.g.

Learning Local and Global Temporal Contexts for Video Semantic Segmentation.

Contextual information plays a core role for video semantic segmentation (VSS). This paper summarizes contexts for VSS in two-fold: local temporal contexts (LTC) which define the contexts from neighboring frames, and global temporal contexts (GTC) which represent the contexts from the whole video. As for LTC, it includes static and motional contexts, corresponding to static and moving content in neighboring frames, respectively.

Analysis of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of and .

and are two otter species, which successfully occupied semi-aquatic habitats and diverged from other Mustelidae. Herein, the full-length mitochondrial genome sequences were constructed for these two otter species for the first time. Comparative mitochondrial genome, selection pressure, and phylogenetic independent contrasts (PICs) analyses were conducted to determine the structure and evolutionary characteristics of their mitochondrial genomes.

Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of .

is a large diving duck belonging to the family Anatidae. However, the phylogenetic relationship among these species remains unclear due to the presence of extensive interspecific hybridization events within the genus. Here, we sequenced and annotated the complete mitochondrial genome of , which contained 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 1 D-loop, with a length of 16,617 bp.

Coronary Artery Calcium Score Improves Risk Assessment of Symptomatic Patients in Low-Risk Group Based on Current Guidelines.

Background: The guidelines for evaluation and diagnosis of stable chest pain (SCP) released by American societies in 2021 (2021 GL) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2019 both recommended the estimation of pretest probability (PTP) by ESC-PTP model. Further risk assessment for the low-risk group according to 2021 GL (ESC-PTP 15%) is important but still remains unclear. Thus, the present study intended to comprehensively investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of coronary artery calcium score (CACS) in these low-risk patients.

Presumptive First Record of (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from China with a Phylogenetic Analysis.

Bat groups have a high degree of species diversity, and the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships among bat species have always been research hotspots. Due to the fact that morphological characteristics do not always reflect the evolutionary relationships among species, mitochondrial DNA has been widely used in the study of species relationships due to its maternal inheritance pattern. has been suggested as a possible synonym for .

Using Machine Learning to Predict the In-Hospital Mortality in Women with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Several studies have shown that women have a higher mortality rate than do men from ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The present study was aimed at developing a new risk-prediction model for all-cause in-hospital mortality in women with STEMI, using predictors that can be obtained at the time of initial evaluation.

Methods: We enrolled 8158 patients who were admitted with STEMI to the Tianjin Chest Hospital and divided them into two groups according to hospital outcomes.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the critically endangered Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri).

Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri) is a critically endangered species historically widespread throughout East Asia, whose population according to a recent estimate has decreased to between 150 and 700 individuals, and faces a long-term risk of extinction. However, the lack of a reference genome limits the study of conservation management and molecular biology of this species. We therefore report the first high-quality genome assembly of Baer's pochard.

Comparative Analyses of the Fecal Microbiome of Five Wild Black-Billed Capercaillie () Flocks.

Black-billed capercaillie () was listed as a first-class state-protected animal because it was endangered in China (Category I). This study is the first to examine the diversity and composition of gut microbiome in the wild. We collected fecal samples from five black-billed capercaillie flock roosting sites (each 20 km apart) in one day.

Environmental factors and stochasticity affect the fungal community structures in the water and sediments of Hulun Lake, China.

Aquatic fungi form both morphologically and ecologically diverse communities. However, lake ecosystems are frequently overlooked as fungal habitats, despite the potentially important role of fungi in matter cycling and energy flow. Hulun Lake is a typical example of a seasonal glacial lake; however, previous studies have only focused on bacteria in this ecosystem.

Convergent evolution of the gut microbiome in marine carnivores.

The gut microbiome can help the host adapt to a variety of environments and is affected by many factors. Marine carnivores have unique habitats in extreme environments. The question of whether marine habitats surpass phylogeny to drive the convergent evolution of the gut microbiome in marine carnivores remains unanswered.

Adaptability and Evolution of Gobiidae: A Genetic Exploration.

The Gobiidae family occupy one of the most diverse habitat ranges of all fishes. One key reason for their successful colonization of different habitats is their ability to adapt to different energy demands. This energy requirement is related to the ability of mitochondria in cells to generate energy via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS).

Transcriptome analysis provides new insights into cold adaptation of corsac fox ().

are widely distributed throughout the world and have undergone drastic physiological and phenotypic changes in response to their environment. However, little is known about the underlying genetic causes of these traits, especially . In this study, RNA-Seq was used to obtain a comprehensive dataset for multiple pooled tissues of corsac fox, and selection analysis of orthologous genes was performed to identify the genes that may be influenced by the low-temperature environment.

Looking Beyond Single Images for Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation Learning.

This article studies the problem of learning weakly supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS) from image-level supervision only. Current popular solutions leverage object localization maps from classifiers as supervision for semantic segmentation learning, and struggle to make the localization maps capture more complete object content. Rather than previous efforts that primarily focus on intra-image information, we address the value of cross-image semantic relations for comprehensive object pattern mining.

Evolution of toll-like receptor gene family in amphibians.

The evolutionary position and lifestyle of amphibians highlights the important roles of the immune system in adaptive radiation and their adaptation to a complex pathogenic environment. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are membrane-like sensors that recognize and bind conserved molecular motifs in pathogens to initiate downstream immune responses. To understand the evolutionary patterns of TLRs in amphibians, we analyzed TLR genes from the genomes and transcriptomes of 102 amphibian species.

The complete mitochondrial genome of (Passeriformes: Turdidae).

The Eyebrowed Thrush () is a highly migratory bird, which breeds in northeastern Asia and overwinters in southeastern Asia. We obtained the mitochondrial genome of by Sanger sequencing. The mitogenome was 16,739 bp in length, which contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and one control region.

Factors affecting seasonal variation of microbial community structure in Hulun Lake, China.

Microbial communities play an important role in water quality regulation and biogeochemical cycling in freshwater ecosystems. However, there is a lack of research on the seasonal variation in lake water microorganisms in cold environments. In this study, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing was used to explore the microbial community and its influencing factors in Hulun Lake water during different seasons.

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence and phylogenetic analysis of (Stylommatophora: Arionidae).

are a group of mollusks, almost all of which live in a dark and humid environment during their life cycle. In this study, the complete mitogenome of was sequenced using next generation sequencing, analyzed and compared with other Stylommatophorans. The total length of the mitochondrial genome is 14,314 bp and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 1 control region.

Analysis of gut microbiota in three species belonging to different genera (, , and ) from the subfamily Caprinae in the absence of environmental variance.

This study aimed to identify the effects of host species on the gut microbial flora in three species (, , and ) from the subfamily Caprinae, by excluding the impact of environment factors. We investigated the differences in intestinal flora of three species belonging to Caprinae, which were raised in identical conditions. Fecal samples were collected from tahr, mouflon, and bharal, and the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing.

gene family characterization provides insights into its adaptive evolution in Carnivora.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) encoded by the gene family can regulate development and physiology in animals. However, their evolutionary characteristics in Carnivora are largely unknown. In this study, we identified 660 sequences of three types of genes from 30 unannotated genomes of Carnivora animals (before 7th May 2020), and the genes from 52 Carnivora species were analyzed through the method of comparative genomics.

Genomic evidence of adaptive evolution in the reptilian SOCS gene family.

The suppressor of the cytokine signaling (SOCS) family of proteins play an essential role in inhibiting cytokine receptor signaling by regulating immune signal pathways. Although SOCS gene functions have been examined extensively, no comprehensive study has been performed on this gene family's molecular evolution in reptiles. In this study, we identified eight canonical SOCS genes using recently-published reptilian genomes.