Too beautiful to be fake: Attractive faces are less likely to be judged as artificially generated.

Technological advances render the distinction between artificial (e.g., computer-generated faces) and real stimuli increasingly difficult, yet the factors driving our beliefs regarding the nature of ambiguous stimuli remain largely unknown.

[Identification and analysis of CmOMT gene family in Chrysanthemum morifolium].

Chrysanthemum morifolium is rich in hydroxyflavonoids and methoxyflavonoids(OMFs), and dissecting the biosynthetic pathway of OMFs in Ch. morifolium is of great theoretical and economic value because of the diverse physiological activities and pharmacological effects of OMFs. To investigate the biosynthetic pathway of OMFs in Ch.

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting P53-Mediated Mitochondria-Associated Apoptosis.

Ischemia-reperfusion is a complex brain disease involving multiple biological processes, including autophagy, oxidative stress, and mitochondria-associated apoptosis. Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a selective autophagy, is involved in the development of various neurodegenerative diseases and acute nerve injury, but its role in ischemia-reperfusion is unclear. Here, we used middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) models to simulate cerebral ischemic stroke in vivo and in vitro, respectively.

Mercury reduction by agricultural organic waste-derived dissolved organic matter: Kinetic analysis and the role of light-induced free radicals.

Agricultural organic wastes can leach dissolved organic matter (DOM) into surrounding water bodies, establishing them as significant sources of aquatic DOM. Given the importance of DOM in biogeochemical cycling of mercury (Hg), this DOM may mediate divalent Hg (Hg(II)) reduction, a process that remains poorly understood. This study investigated Hg(II) reduction using DOM derived from six representative agricultural wastes, categorized into livestock manure (chicken, pig, cow) and crop straw (rice, corn, rapeseed), with systematic considerations of the kinetics of reduction processes and the involvement of key free radicals.

The biologically and ecologically important natural products from the Chinese sea hare Bursatella leachii: structures, stereochemistry and beyond.

A novel amide alkaloid, bursatamide A (1), featuring an unprecedented propyl-hexahydronaphthalene carbon framework, was isolated from the infrequently studied sea hare Bursatella leachi, alongside a new 3-phenoxypropanenitrile alkaloid, bursatellin B (2), and twelve known compounds. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated through comprehensive spectroscopic data analyses, while their relative and absolute configurations (ACs) were established through total synthesis and a series of quantum chemical calculations, including calculated electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra, optical rotatory dispersion (ORD) methods, and DP4+ probability analyses. Bursatamide A (1) demonstrated inhibitory effects against the human pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio cholerae.

Behenic acid alleviates inflammation and insulin resistance in gestational diabetes mellitus by regulating TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a distinct form of diabetes that poses a significant threat to the health of both pregnant women and fetuses. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of behenic acid (BA) on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and insulin resistance in GDM mice, and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. Here, we demonstrated that daily administration of 10 mg/mL BA during pregnancy effectively ameliorated abnormal glucose metabolism in GDM mice and their offspring and improved birth outcomes in the offspring.

Characterization and Molecular Engineering of a -Methyltransferase from Edible Leaves Involved in Nuciferine Biosynthesis.

Lotus leaf, traditionally used as both edible tea and herbal medicine in Asia, contains nuciferine, a lipid-lowering and weight-loss compoud. The biosynthetic pathways of nuciferine in remain unclear. We characterized a specific -methyltransferase, NnNMT, which had a novel function and catalyzed only nuciferine synthesis from the aporphine-type alkaloid -nornuciferine.

Air quality and health benefits of achieving carbon-neutrality in building sector over Beijing, China.

To meet the goal of the Paris Agreement, China pledges to realize the "Dual Carbon" targets by 2060. As the capital of China, Beijing plays a leading role in becoming zero-emission or carbon neutral in the future. We project the pollutants emissions of building sector based on current strict clean air policies (PO scenario) and China's carbon neutrality target by 2060 (CN scenario) from 2019 to 2050.

The Chinese visceral adiposity index: a novel indicator more closely related to cardiovascular disease than other abdominal obesity indices among postmenopausal women.

Background: Several abdominal obesity indices including waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) were considered effective and useful predictive markers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in general populations or diabetic populations. However, studies investigating the associations between these indices among postmenopausal women are limited. Our study aimed to investigate the associations of the five indices with incident CVD and compare the predictive performance of CVAI with other abdominal obesity indices among postmenopausal women.

Alleviation of cadmium uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by iron plaque on the root surface generated by Providencia manganoxydans via Fe(II) oxidation.

Iron plaque is believed to be effective in reducing the accumulation of heavy metals in rice. In this work, a known soil-derived Mn(II)-oxidizing bacterium, LLDRA6, which represents the type strain of Providencia manganoxydans, was employed to investigate the feasibility of decreasing cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice by promoting the formation of iron plaque on the root surface. Firstly, the Fe(II) oxidation ability of LLDRA6 was evaluated using various techniques including Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, phenanthroline photometry, and FeS gel-stabilized gradient assays.

Reduced insulin clearance in paediatric metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease and its dual role in beta-cell offload and diabetes risk.

Aim: Diminished hepatic insulin clearance (HIC) is observed in obese adults and is presumed to be mediated by fatty liver. However, few reports have examined HIC in Chinese children with metabolic (dysfunction)-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This study aimed to investigate the correlation between HIC, insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in obese Chinese children with MAFLD.

Alignment of behaviour and tDCS stimulation site induces maximum response: evidence from online tDCS and ERP.

tDCS modulates the activity of the neuronal networks to induce the desired behavioural changes. Two factors determine its effectiveness- (1) whether the network being stimulated is relevant to the task, and (2) if there is a scope for improvement in behavioral performance. To explore this, both dorsal (sub-lexical) and ventral (lexical) reading networks were stimulated (20 min, 2 mA) in 25 healthy young volunteers.

Carbonized wood fiber-supported S, N-codoped carbon layer-coated multinary metal sulfide nanoarchitecture for efficient oxygen evolution reaction at ampere-level current density.

Multinary metal sulfides (MMSs) are highly suitable candidates for the application of electrocatalysis as they offer numerous parameters for optimizing the electronic structure and catalytic sites. Herein, a stable nanoarchitecture consisting of MMSs ((NiCoCrMnFe)S) nanoparticles embedded in S, N-codoped carbon (SNC) layers derived from metal organic framework (MOF) and supported on carbonized wood fibers (CWF) was fabricated by directly carbonization. Benefiting from this carbon-coated configuration, along with the synergistic effects within multinary metal systems, (NiCoCrMnFe)S@SNC/CWF delivers an exceptionally low overpotential of 260 mV at a high current density of 1000 mA cm, a small Tafel slope of 48.

Case report: A novel compound heterozygous variant in the gene was identified in a patient with autosomal recessive Alport syndrome.

Alport syndrome (AS), a hereditary kidney disease with a high risk for renal failure, is attributed to pathogenic variants in genes , , and that encode type IV collagen. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly applied to the diagnosis of AS, but complex genotype-phenotype correlation, that is, identifying the significance of variants, is still a huge clinical challenge. In this study, we reported the case of a 27-year-old Chinese woman with a family history of hematuria and proteinuria.

Identification and bioactivity evaluation of twelve previously undescribed depsidone derivatives from Garcinia oligantha.

Phytochemical studies on the leaves and twigs of Garcinia oligantha Merr. led to the isolation of twelve previously undescribed depsidone derivatives (oliganthdepsidones A-L, 1-12). Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analysis including H and C NMR, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY along with HRESIMS.

ARL13B promotes cell cycle through the sonic hedgehog signaling pathway to alleviate nerve damage during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CIRI) is a leading cause of death worldwide. A small GTPase known as ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 13B (ARL13B) is essential in several illnesses. The role of ARL13B in CIRI remains unknown, though.

In situ imaging of intracellular miRNAs in tumour cells by branched hybridisation chain reaction.

The ability to visualise microRNA in situ is crucial for studying microRNAs, their microRNA-associated biological functions and disease diagnosis. Traditional fluorescence in situ hybridisation methods based on paraformaldehyde fixation of microRNAs suffer from release of microRNAs from cells, which limits the sensitivity of in situ hybridisation, making them unsuitable for the detection of small, low-abundance microRNAs. To reduce the loss, microRNAs were covalently cross-linked to proteins within cells by combining EDC and paraformaldehyde, and the target microRNA was used as the initiator chain for a branched hybridisation chain reaction to detect microRNA expression levels in situ.

[Analysis of Ozone and VOCs Pollution Characteristics, Sources, and Abatement Control Strategies in Hebi].

In order to control the increasing ozone （O） pollution in Hebi, Henan Province, clarifying the pollution characteristics of ozone and its precursors is vital. Therefore, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of O pollution utilizing the OFP-PMF-EKMA method combined with online hourly resolution monitoring data of conventional pollutants and volatile organic compounds （VOCs） in the summer of 2022 （June-September）. Ozone formation potential （OFP） was used to identify the key VOCs species, and the PMF model was used to identify the VOCs emission sources, whereas EKMA curves and scenario analysis were used to identify the main ozone control area in Hebi and to determine the reduction ratio of VOCs and NO in a scientifically refined way.

Understanding music and aging through the lens of Bayesian inference.

Bayesian inference has recently gained momentum in explaining music perception and aging. A fundamental mechanism underlying Bayesian inference is the notion of prediction. This framework could explain how predictions pertaining to musical (melodic, rhythmic, harmonic) structures engender action, emotion, and learning, expanding related concepts of music research, such as musical expectancies, groove, pleasure, and tension.