Comparative histology of abscission zones reveals the extent of convergence and divergence in seed shattering in weedy and cultivated rice.

The modification of seed shattering has been a recurring theme in rice evolution. The wild ancestor of cultivated rice disperses its seeds, but reduced shattering was selected during multiple domestication events to facilitate harvesting. Conversely, selection for increased shattering occurred during the evolution of weedy rice, a weed invading cultivated rice fields that has originated multiple times from domesticated ancestors.

The Mutation Does Not Affect the Calcium Homeostasis of the Epididymis and Male Fertility in Mice.

A low-calcium microenvironment is imperative for spermatozoa maturation within the epididymis. Our previous work has shown that γ-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX), the carboxylation enzyme of the matrix Gla protein (MGP), plays an essential role in epididymal calcium homeostasis and sperm maturation in rats and that the GGCX SNP mutation rs699664 was associated with asthenozoospermia (AZS) in humans. Here, we investigated the expression patterns of GGCX and MGP in the mouse epididymis and generated knock-in (KI) mice.

The endocast morphology of LES1, Homo naledi.

Objectives: Homo naledi is near the extreme of small brain size within Homo but is easily recognized as Homo in other aspects of endocast morphology. This study adds new evidence of the endocast morphology of H. naledi by describing the Lesedi Hominin 1 (LES1) endocranium from the Lesedi Chamber and compares it to the previously known H.

Presynaptic regulators in memory formation.

The intricate molecular and structural sequences guiding the formation and consolidation of memories within neuronal circuits remain largely elusive. In this study, we investigate the roles of two pivotal presynaptic regulators, the small GTPase Rab3, enriched at synaptic vesicles, and the cell adhesion protein Neurexin-1, in the formation of distinct memory phases within the mushroom body Kenyon cells. Our findings suggest that both proteins play crucial roles in memory-supporting processes within the presynaptic terminal, operating within distinct plasticity modules.

Scriptaid is a prospective agent for improving human asthenozoospermic sample quality and fertilization rate in vitro.

Male infertility is a global issue caused by poor sperm quality, particularly motility. Enhancement of the sperm quality may improve the fertilization rate in assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment. Scriptaid, with a novel human sperm motility-stimulating activity, has been investigated as a prospective agent for improving sperm quality and fertilization rate in ART.

Synapse-specific structural plasticity that protects and refines local circuits during LTP and LTD.

Synapses form trillions of connections in the brain. Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) are cellular mechanisms vital for learning that modify the strength and structure of synapses. Three-dimensional reconstruction from serial section electron microscopy reveals three distinct pre- to post-synaptic arrangements: strong active zones (AZs) with tightly docked vesicles, weak AZs with loose or non-docked vesicles, and nascent zones (NZs) with a postsynaptic density but no presynaptic vesicles.

Identification of gene in and validation of its function in .

Unlabelled: Sweet cherry ( L.) is one of the most economically important fruits in the world. However, severe fruit abscission has brought significant challenges to the cherry industry.

Application of Deep Learning for Real-Time Ablation Zone Measurement in Ultrasound Imaging.

Background: The accurate delineation of ablation zones (AZs) is crucial for assessing radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy's efficacy. Manual measurement, the current standard, is subject to variability and potential inaccuracies.

Aim: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in automating AZ measurements in ultrasound images and compare its accuracy with manual measurements in ultrasound images.

A Modular Trial of Androgen Signaling Inhibitor Combinations Testing a Risk-Adapted Strategy in Patients with Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy and safety of risk-adapted combinations of androgen signaling inhibitors and inform disease classifiers for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers.

Patients And Methods: In a modular, randomized phase II trial, 192 men were treated with 8 weeks of abiraterone acetate, prednisone, and apalutamide (AAPA; module 1) and then allocated to modules 2 or 3 based on satisfactory (≥50% PSA decline from baseline and <5 circulating tumor cell/7.5 mL) versus unsatisfactory status.

Risk of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events After Emergency Department Visits for Hypertensive Urgency.

Background: Chronic hypertension is an established long-term risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). However, little is known about short-term MACE risk after hypertensive urgency, defined as an episode of acute severe hypertension without evidence of target-organ damage. We sought to evaluate the short-term risk of MACE after an emergency department (ED) visit for hypertensive urgency resulting in discharge to home.

Thidiazuron combined with cyclanilide modulates hormone pathways and ROS systems in cotton, increasing defoliation at low temperatures.

Low temperatures decrease the thidiazuron (TDZ) defoliation efficiency in cotton, while cyclanilide (CYC) combined with TDZ can improve the defoliation efficiency at low temperatures, but the mechanism is unknown. This study analyzed the effect of exogenous TDZ and CYC application on cotton leaf abscissions at low temperatures (daily mean temperature: 15°C) using physiology and transcriptomic analysis. The results showed that compared with the TDZ treatment, TDZ combined with CYC accelerated cotton leaf abscission and increased the defoliation rate at low temperatures.

An ethylene response factor AcERF116 identified from A. catechu is involved in fruitlet abscission.

Procedural abscission of outer reproductive organs during flower and fruit development occurs in most plant lineages. Undesired abscission, such as fruitlet shedding causes considerable yield loss in many fruit-producing species. Ethylene is one of the key factors regulating organ abscission.

Pregnancy Outcomes among Pregnant Persons after COVID-19 Vaccination: Assessing Vaccine Safety in Retrospective Cohort Analysis of U.S. National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C).

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be effective in preventing severe illness, including among pregnant persons. The vaccines appear to be safe in pregnancy, supporting a continuously favorable overall risk/benefit profile, though supportive data for the U.S.

Mechanical properties of reaction mediums in permeable reactive barriers.

The mechanical properties of reaction media in permeable reactive barriers (PRB) is vital in geoenvironmental applications. Bentonite, activated carbon and zeolite, recognized for their excellent adsorption capabilities, are employed as the main reaction media in PRB for the treatment of contaminated underground water. The compaction test and the undrained and unconsolidated triaxial test were carried out to investigate the compression and shear strength of the activated carbon-zeolite mixture and activated carbon-bentonite mixture at various composition ratios.

Diversity of US participants in AstraZeneca-sponsored clinical trials.

Background: To develop medicines that are safe and efficacious to all patients, clinical trials must enroll appropriate target populations, but imbalances related to race, ethnicity and sex have been reported. A comprehensive analysis and improvement in understanding representativeness of patient enrollment in industry-sponsored trials are key public health needs.

Methods: We assessed race/ethnicity and sex representation in AstraZeneca (AZ)-sponsored clinical trials in the United States (US) from 2010 to 2022, compared with the 2019 US Census.

RIM-BP2 regulates Ca channel abundance and neurotransmitter release at hippocampal mossy fiber terminals.

Synaptic vesicles dock and fuse at the presynaptic active zone (AZ), the specialized site for transmitter release. AZ proteins play multiple roles such as recruitment of Ca channels as well as synaptic vesicle docking, priming, and fusion. However, the precise role of each AZ protein type remains unknown.

Antizyme inhibitor family: biological and translational research implications.

Metabolism of polyamines is of critical importance to physiological processes. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) antizyme inhibitors (AZINs) are capable of interacting with antizymes (AZs), thereby releasing ODC from ODC-AZs complex, and promote polyamine biosynthesis. AZINs regulate reproduction, embryonic development, fibrogenesis and tumorigenesis through polyamine and other signaling pathways.

Improved Dimethyl Ether Production from Syngas over Aerogel Sulfated Zirconia and Cu-ZnO(Al) Bifunctional Composite Catalysts.

This work is dedicated to the study of the effect of the synthesis conditions (drying and calcination) of sulfated zirconia on the final catalytic behavior of bifunctional composite catalysts prepared by the physical mixing of the sulfated zirconia (methanol dehydration catalyst) with Cu/ZnO/AlO (CZA; methanol synthesis catalyst). The main objective was to optimize the CZA-ZrO/SO composite catalyst for its use in the direct production of dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas. Sulfated zirconia aerogel (AZS) and xerogel (XZS) were prepared using the sol-gel method using different solvent evacuation conditions and calcination temperatures, while the Cu-ZnO(Al) catalyst was synthesized using the coprecipitation procedure.

Optimal approaches to analyzing functional MRI data in glioma patients.

Background: Resting-state fMRI is increasingly used to study the effects of gliomas on the functional organization of the brain. A variety of preprocessing techniques and functional connectivity analyses are represented in the literature. However, there so far has been no systematic comparison of how alternative methods impact observed results.

Online dynamical learning and sequence memory with neuromorphic nanowire networks.

Nanowire Networks (NWNs) belong to an emerging class of neuromorphic systems that exploit the unique physical properties of nanostructured materials. In addition to their neural network-like physical structure, NWNs also exhibit resistive memory switching in response to electrical inputs due to synapse-like changes in conductance at nanowire-nanowire cross-point junctions. Previous studies have demonstrated how the neuromorphic dynamics generated by NWNs can be harnessed for temporal learning tasks.

Limited effects of azithromycin on the oropharyngeal microbiome in children with CF and early pseudomonas infection.

Background: Tobramycin inhalation solution (TIS) and chronic azithromycin (AZ) have known clinical benefits for children with CF, likely due to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity. The effects of chronic AZ in combination with TIS on the airway microbiome have not been extensively investigated. Oropharyngeal swab samples were collected in the OPTIMIZE multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial examining the addition of AZ to TIS in 198 children with CF and early P.

LRRC23 deficiency causes male infertility with idiopathic asthenozoospermia by disrupting the assembly of radial spokes.

Asthenozoospermia (AZS) is the primary cause of infertility in males. The radial spoke (RS) is an axonemal structure, connecting the peripheral doublet microtubules with the central pair of microtubules. This T-shaped multiprotein complex functions as a mechanochemical sensor to promote sperm motility.

Synaptic activity is not required for establishing heterogeneity of inner hair cell ribbon synapses.

Neural sound encoding in the mammalian cochlea faces the challenge of representing audible sound pressures that vary over six orders of magnitude. The cochlea meets this demand through the use of active micromechanics as well as the diversity and adaptation of afferent neurons and their synapses. Mechanisms underlying neural diversity likely include heterogeneous presynaptic input from inner hair cells (IHCs) to spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) as well as differences in the molecular profile of SGNs and in their efferent control.

Cryogenic Soft Landing Improves Structural Preservation of Protein Complexes.

We describe an apparatus for the cryogenic landing of particles from the ion beam of a mass spectrometer onto transmission electron microscope grids for cryo-electron microscopy. This system also allows for the controlled formation of thin films of amorphous ice on the grid surface. We demonstrate that as compared to room temperature landings, the use of this cryogenic landing device greatly improves the structural preservation of deposited protein-protein complexes.