Turnover of retroelements and satellite DNA drives centromere reorganization over short evolutionary timescales in Drosophila.

Centromeres reside in rapidly evolving, repeat-rich genomic regions, despite their essential function in chromosome segregation. Across organisms, centromeres are rich in selfish genetic elements such as transposable elements and satellite DNAs that can bias their transmission through meiosis. However, these elements still need to cooperate at some level and contribute to, or avoid interfering with, centromere function.

Ecological niche contributes to the persistence of the western × glaucous-winged gull hybrid zone.

Hybrid zones occur in nature when populations with limited reproductive barriers overlap in space. Many hybrid zones persist over time, and different models have been proposed to explain how selection can maintain hybrid zone stability. More empirical studies are needed to elucidate the role of ecological adaptation in maintaining stable hybrid zones.

Ecological niche contributes to the persistence of the Western x Glaucous-winged Gull hybrid zone.

Hybrid zones occur in nature when populations with limited reproductive barriers overlap in space. Many hybrid zones persist over time, and different models have been proposed to explain how selection can maintain hybrid zone stability. More empirical studies are needed to elucidate the role of ecological adaptation in maintaining stable hybrid zones.

The Chemistry of Organic Contrast Agents in the NIR-II Window.

Optical imaging, especially fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging, is a non-invasive imaging approach with high spatial and temporal resolution and high sensitivity, compared to positron emission tomography (PET) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Due to the merits of imaging using the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window, like deeper penetration depth, high signal-to-noise ratio, high resolution, and low tissue damage, researchers have devoted great effort to developing contrast agents with NIR-II absorption or emission. In this Review, we summarize recently developed organic luminescent and photoacoustic materials, ranging from small molecules to conjugated polymers.

ASPEN PLUS desulfurization simulations for the scrubber of a large-scale marine diesel engine: main scrubbing section's desulfurization share optimization and superiority confirmation for the seawater/seawater cascade-scrubbing solution.

Aiming at perfecting the proposed three-stage cascade-scrubbing desulfurization technology, ASPEN PLUS simulations of seawater/seawater cascade-scrubbing desulfurization for an exhaust gas scrubber designed for a 10-MW large-scale marine diesel engine were performed to fix a reasonable desulfurization share for the main scrubbing section. Accordingly, three typical desulfurization share setups of 80%, 85%, and 90% were compared under various operational conditions by varying the fuel-sulfur content, liquid/gas ratio, and seawater alkalinity. In complying with the desulfurization requirements of emission control areas, 85% was obtained as the optimal desulfurization share among the three setups.

miR-137 and miR-491 Negatively Regulate Dopamine Transporter Expression and Function in Neural Cells.

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is involved in the regulation of extracellular dopamine levels. A 40-bp variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of the DAT has been reported to be associated with various phenotypes that are involved in the aberrant regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission. In the present study, we found that miR-137 and miR-491 caused a marked reduction of DAT expression, thereby influencing neuronal dopamine transport.

Rational Synthesis of Branched CoMoO4@CoNiO2 Core/Shell Nanowire Arrays for All-Solid-State Supercapacitors with Improved Performance.

Effectively composite materials with optimized structures exhibited promising potential in continuing improving the electrochemical performances of supercapacitors in the past few years. Here, we proposed a rational design of branched CoMoO4@CoNiO2 core/shell nanowire arrays on Ni foam by two steps of hydrothermal processing. Owing to the high activity of the scaffold-like CoMoO4 nanowires and the well-defined CoNiO2 nanoneedles, the three-dimensional (3D) electrode architectures achieved remarkable electrochemical performances with high areal specific capacitance (5.