Shotgun and targeted proteomics of Mycolicibacterium smegmatis highlight the role of arginine phosphorylation in the functional adaptation to its environment.

Although the phosphorylation of serine (S), threonine (T), and tyrosine (Y) is well-established, arginine phosphorylation (pR) has recently garnered significant attention due to its crucial role in bacteria pathogenicity and stress response. Mycolicibacterium smegmatis, a nonpathogenic surrogate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, serves as a model for studying mycobacterial pathogenesis. A recent proteomics study identified six pR proteins in M.

Coupled effects of initial water content with refrigeration temperature and freeze-thaw cycles on dewatering of sludge.

Many studies have displayed that freeze-thaw (F/T) conditioning is an environmentally friendly approach of improving sludge dewaterability. However, Initial water content (IWC) has a strong influence on the efficiency of the F/T method in conditioning sludge dewatering performance. Finding the most suitable F/T parameters for sludge with different IWCs is a critical issue that needs to be solved.

From river to groundwater: Antibiotics pollution, resistance prevalence, and source tracking.

The extensive use of antibiotics has led to their frequent detection as residues in the environment. However, monitoring of their levels in groundwater and the associated ecological and health risks remains limited, and the impact of river pollution on groundwater is still unclear. This study focused on the highly urbanized Maozhou River and its groundwater.

A novel amino-pyrimidine inhibitor suppresses tumor growth via microtubule destabilization and Bmi-1 down-regulation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the diseases posing a threat to global health, according to the latest data, is the third most common cancer globally and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The development and refinement of novel structures of small molecular compounds play a crucial role in tumor treatment and overcoming drug resistance. In this study, our objective was to screen and characterize novel compounds for overcoming drug resistance via the B Lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (Bmi-1) reporter screen assay.

Small-molecule activator of SMUG1 enhances repair of pyrimidine lesions in DNA.

A potentially promising approach to targeted cancer prevention in genetically at-risk populations is the pharmacological upregulation of DNA repair pathways. SMUG1 is a base excision repair enzyme that ameliorates adverse genotoxic and mutagenic effects of hydrolytic and oxidative damage to pyrimidines. Here we describe the discovery and initial cellular activity of a small-molecule activator of SMUG1.

Flyscan terahertz multi-plane lensless imaging with suppressed coherent noise.

Coherent lensless imaging usually suffers from coherent noise and twin-image artifacts. In the terahertz (THz) range, where wavelengths are 2 to 4 orders of magnitude longer than those in the visible spectrum, the coherent noise manifests primarily as parasitic interference fringes and edge diffraction, rather than speckle noise. In this work, to suppress the Fabry-Pérot (F-P) interference fringes, we propose a novel method, which involves the averaging over multiple diffraction patterns that are acquired at equal intervals within a sample's half-wavelength axial shift.

High-sensitivity hot-wire anemometer using cobalt-doped fiber-based long-period gratings.

A high-sensitivity hot-wire anemometer is proposed for use with a cobalt-doped fiber (CDF) based long-period grating (LPG) heated optically by a 1480 nm laser. The CDF-LPG absorbs laser power and generates heat inherently, thereby eliminating the need for both metal coating and mode coupling devices that are usually required in optical fiber grating anemometers. The dip wavelength of the CDF-LPG shifts with airflow velocity due to the cooling effect of the airflow.

Enhanced high brightness DBR tapered diode laser based on polarization match.

Tapered diode lasers, composed of an index-guided ridge waveguide and a gain-guided tapered amplifier, are affected by polarization mismatch between the ridge and tapered sections. Beam quality deterioration is caused by TM high-order modes generated in the ridge section. Under high current injection, these TM modes are further amplified in the tapered section due to polarization mismatch, leading to a decrease in the laser output brightness.

Research on the modulation aberration numerical correction method of interference signals for high aspect ratio samples utilizing coherence scanning interferometry.

Coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) is a non-destructive method for measuring the microstructure surface topography, but it fails to retrieve the bottom topography because the detection light is blocked by the sidewalls of the high aspect ratio (HAR) samples. Our team has proposed CSI technology with the detection light transparent to the sample to measure the surface topography thus ensuring the numerical aperture of the detection light with high throughput. However, a dedicated optical path to monitor the aberrations caused by the modulation from the sample is necessary and a complex optical path is added for aberration correction, which inevitably increases the design complexity and component costs of the optical system.

Riverine microplastics in the Mount Everest region affected by glacier meltwater.

Understanding the distribution and drivers of microplastics (MPs) in remote and sensitive environments is essential for assessing their ecological impacts and devising mitigation strategies. This study investigates the distribution and characteristics of MPs in streams and sediments of the Mt. Everest region.

The impact of running experience and shoe longitudinal bending stiffness on lower extremity biomechanics: a cross-sectional study.

: The impact of shoe stiffness on running biomechanics is well-documented, while the specific effect on the performance of biomechanically distinct groups such as novice runners and experienced runners is still largely unexplored. The study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical effect of different shoe longitudinal bending stiffness on the lower limb during running in novice runners and experienced runners. : Twelve experienced runners and ten novice runners ran at a speed of 4.

Valorization of wheat straw through enhancement of cellulose accessibility, xylan elimination and lignin removal by choline chloride:p-toluenesulfonic acid pretreatment.

Different molar ratio of choline chloride (ChCl) and p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) (2: 1, 1: 1 and 1: 2, mol: mol) were used to prepare deep eutectic solvents (ChCl: p-TsOH) for pretreating cellulose fibers to elevate cellulose accessibility, enhance xylan elimination, increase lignin removal and promote enzymatic digestion. ChCl: p-TsOH (1: 1, mol: mol) could effectually destroy the dense layout of wheat straw (WS) at 80 °C for 60 min. Cellulose crystallinity declined from 43.

Effect of estrogen on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in male and female rats and related mechanism.

Due to the difference of estrogen levels in different phases of estrous cycle, it is necessary to exclude the influence of endogenous estrogen when studying the cardiovascular effects of estrogen and its analogues. In this study, the ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of isolated heart were investigated in female rats during different phases of estrous cycle with male rats as comparison. The results indicated that the estrogen content in blood of rats during metestrus and diestrus (MD) was lower than those during proestrus and estrous (PE).

IL-21 signaling promotes IgM B cell proliferation and antibody production via JAK/STAT3 and AKT pathways in early vertebrates.

IL-21 is a type I cytokine that is produced by activated CD4 T cells and has a significant impact on the growth, survival, and functional activation of B lymphocytes. While IL-21 has been identified in several teleost fish species, its function and associated mechanisms focus on teleost fish B cells remain largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of IL-21 (OnIL-21) on IgM B cells from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), as well as the intracellular signaling transduction pathway involved.

Degradation of anthracene and phenanthrene by strain Streptomyces sp. M-1 and its application in the treatment of PAHs-contaminated water.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants with mutagenicity, carcinogenicity and teratogenicity, widely distributed in the environment. Effective biodegradation of PAHs is highly required, especially in wastewater. An efficient PAHs degrading strain Streptomyces sp.

Characteristics of patients with undiagnosed stage 3 chronic kidney disease: results from an observational study (REVEAL-CKD) in China.

Background: Early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is crucial for timely intervention to delay disease progression and improve patient outcomes. However, data for clinical characteristics of Chinese patients with undiagnosed, early-stage CKD are lacking.

Methods: REVEAL-CKD is a multinational, observational study using real-world data in selected countries to describe factors associated with undiagnosed stage 3 CKD, time to diagnosis, and CKD management post diagnosis.

LWheatNet: a lightweight convolutional neural network with mixed attention mechanism for wheat seed classification.

Introduction: With the advent of technologies such as deep learning in agriculture, a novel approach to classifying wheat seed varieties has emerged. However, some existing deep learning models encounter challenges, including long processing times, high computational demands, and low classification accuracy when analyzing wheat seed images, which can hinder their ability to meet real-time requirements.

Methods: To address these challenges, we propose a lightweight wheat seed classification model called LWheatNet.

Crystal Structural Editing: Novel Biaxial MgTeO Crystal as Zero-Order Waveplates.

Waveplates are important optical components to control the polarization of light. Currently, they are often fabricated from uniaxial crystals, and there is no report about waveplates based on the biaxial crystals. In this work, a novel biaxial crystal MgTeO with a structure constructed by 0D TeO groups is designed and grown as waveplate materials for the first time.

Antiviral effects and mechanism of Qi pi pill against influenza viruses.

Background: Qi pi pill (QPP), which contains Renshen, Baizhu, Fuling, Gancao, Chenpi, Shanyao, Lianzi, Shanzha, Liushenqu, Maiya, and Zexie, was recommended for preventing and treating COVID-19 in Shandong Province (China). However, the mechanism by which QPP treats infectious diseases remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of QPP in vitro and on acute influenza infection in mice, exploring its mechanism of action against influenza A virus (IAV).

Development of high-throughput electrospun chitosan/PEO-CNC composite membranes with enhanced antibacterial and oil-water separation properties.

Untreated waste liquid mixtures often support large bacterial populations, posing challenges to effective purification due to high volume and limited filtration efficiency. This study aims to develop a multifunctional filtration membrane that combines both filtration and sterilization, enhancing overall purification efficiency. Using electrospinning technology, we fabricated a superhydrophilic, oil-repellent membrane by integrating the hydrophilic properties of chitosan, antibacterial N-halamine groups, and the mechanical strength of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC).

Transferring mouse Emx1 and Emx2 lentiviruses into the chicken embryonic brain and their implication to the organization and evolution of the amniote pallium.

Introduction: Homeobox genes are highly conserved and play critical roles in brain development. Recently we have found that mammals have an additional fragment of approximately 20 amino acids in Emx1 and a poly-(Ala)6-7 in Emx2, compared to other amniotes. It has been shown that Emx1 and Emx2 have synergistic actions in the brain development.

Using monitoring and simulation to analyze the failure characteristics of multizone landslides controlled by faults: a case study.

Slopes influenced by multiple faults are prone to large-scale landslides triggered by multi-regional failures. Understanding the failure process and sequence is essential for the sustainable development of mining operations. This paper presents a method combining InSAR monitoring and numerical simulation to analyze the failure processes of slopes affected by multiple faults.

Quasi-vertically asymmetric channels of graphene oxide membrane for ultrafast ion sieving.

The high performance of two-dimensional (2D) channel membranes is generally achieved by preparing ultrathin or forming short channels with less tortuous transport through self-assembly of small flakes, demonstrating potential for highly efficient water desalination and purification, gas and ion separation, and organic solvent waste treatment. Here, we report the construction of vertical channels in graphene oxide (GO) membrane based on a substrate template with asymmetric pores. The membranes achieved water permeance of 2647 L m h bar while still maintaining an ultrahigh rejection rate of 99.

Efficient and Rapid Microfluidics Production of Bio-Inspired Nanoparticles Derived from Silkworm for Enhanced Breast Cancer Treatment.

: In the quest for sustainable and biocompatible materials, silk fibroin (SF), derived from natural silk, has emerged as a promising candidate for nanoparticle production. This study aimed to fabricate silk fibroin particles (SFPs) using a novel swirl mixer previously presented by our group, evaluating their characteristics and suitability for drug delivery applications, including magnetic nanoparticles and dual-drug encapsulation with curcumin (CUR) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). : SFPs were fabricated via microfluidics-assisted desolvation using a swirl mixer, ensuring precise mixing kinetics.