The role of mobile DNA elements in the dynamic of plants genome plasticity.

Plants host a range of DNA elements capable of self-replication. These molecules, usually associated to the activity of transposable elements or viruses, are found integrated in the genome or in the form of extrachromosomal DNA. The activity of these elements can impact genome plasticity by a variety of mechanisms, including the generation of structural variants, the shuffling of regulatory or coding DNA sequences across the genome, and DNA endoduplication.

Identification of a candidate sex determination region and sex-specific molecular markers based on whole-genome re‑sequencing in the sea star Asterias amurensis.

Sex determination systems are diverse in echinoderms, however, our understanding is still very limited in this research field, especially for Asteroidea species. The northern Pacific seastar, Asterias amurensis, has attracted widespread concern due to its population outbreaks and high-risk invasions. Using whole-genome re-sequencing data from 40 females and 40 males, we identified a candidate sex determination region in A.

Sensory Characteristics and Impact of Flavanol-Rich Grape and Blueberry Extract on Blood Flow Velocity and Oxidative Stress.

Background: Several epidemiological studies and intervention trials have demonstrated that grapes and blueberries, which are rich in flavanols, can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanisms of action of these compounds remain unclear due to their low bioavailability.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the sensory properties, blood flow velocity, and oxidative stress of a polyphenol rich grape and blueberry extract (PEGB) containing approximately 16% flavanols (11% monomers and 4% dimers).

Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte subtypes and microorganisms in triple-negative breast cancer.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are key components of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and serve as prognostic markers for breast cancer. Patients with high TIL infiltration generally experience better clinical outcomes and extended survival compared to those with low TIL infiltration. However, as the TME is highly complex and TIL subtypes perform distinct biological functions, TILs may only provide an approximate indication of tumor immune status, potentially leading to biased prognostic results.

Dynamic Phosphorescence Behavior of Carbene-Metal-Amide Complexes from the Perspective of Excited State Modulation.

Carbene-metal-amide (CMA) complexes have diverse applications in luminescence, imaging and sensing. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of CMA complexes, which were subsequently doped into a PMMA host. These materials demonstrate light-induced dynamic phosphorescence, attributed to their long intrinsic triplet state lifetime (τP,int, in the μs-ms scale), high intersystem crossing (ISC) rate constant (kISC, up to 107 s-1), and bright phosphorescence.

Critical Structures of Bisphenol Analogues on Embryonic Toxicity Identified by a Computational Approach.

Safer chemical alternatives to bisphenol (BP) have been a major pursuit of modern green chemistry and toxicology. Using a chemical similarity-based approach, it is difficult to identify minor structural differences that contribute to the significant changes of toxicity. Here, we used omics and computational toxicology to identify chemical features associated with BP analogue-induced embryonic toxicity, offering valuable insights to inform the design of safer chemical alternatives.

Slower swimming promotes chemotactic encounters between bacteria and small phytoplankton.

Chemotaxis enables marine bacteria to increase encounters with phytoplankton cells by reducing their search times, provided that bacteria detect noisy chemical gradients around phytoplankton. Gradient detection depends on bacterial phenotypes and phytoplankton size: large phytoplankton produce spatially extended but shallow gradients, whereas small phytoplankton produce steeper but spatially more confined gradients. To date, it has remained unclear how phytoplankton size and bacterial swimming speed affect bacteria's gradient detection ability and search times for phytoplankton.

Modeling DNA methyltransferase function to predict epigenetic correlation patterns in healthy and cancer cells.

DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic modification that orchestrates chromatin remodelers that suppress transcription, and aberrations in DNA methylation result in a variety of conditions such as cancers and developmental disorders. While it is understood that methylation occurs at CpG-rich DNA regions, it is less understood how distinct methylation profiles are established within various cell types. In this work, we develop a molecular-transport model that depicts the genomic exploration of DNA methyltransferase within a multiscale DNA environment, incorporating biologically relevant factors like methylation rate and CpG density to predict how patterns are established.

Smartphone-assisted hydrogel sensing platform based on double emission carbon dots for portable on-site tetracycline detection.

Innovative double-emission carbon dots (DE-CDs) were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method using fennel and m-phenylenediamine (m-PD) as precursors. These DE-CDs exhibited dual emission wavelengths at 432 and 515 nm under different excitations, making them highly versatile for fluorescence-based applications. The fluorescence of the DE-CDs was efficiently quenched by tetracycline (TC) through the inner filter effect (IFE), allowing for the construction of a sensitive dual-response fluorescent sensor.

Application of active biomonitoring technique for the assessment of air pollution by potentially toxic elements in urban areas in the Kemerovo Region, Russia.

In Kemerovo Region (Kuzbass, Southwest Siberia), there is the largest coal basin in Russia and one of the largest in the world. Active moss biomonitoring was applied to assess the impact of potentially toxic elements on air pollution in five urban areas of the region. In each of the chosen urban regions, the moss bags were exposed in November and December of 2022 at locations with varying degrees of anthropogenic pressure.

Monitoring the trends of carbon monoxide and tropospheric formaldehyde in Edo State using Sentinel-5P and Google Earth Engine from 2018 to 2023.

This research was carried out to assess the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and formaldehyde (HCHO) in Edo State, Southern Nigeria, using remote sensing data. A secondary data collection method was used for the assessment, and the levels of CO and HCHO were extracted annually from Google Earth Engine using information from Sentinel-5-P satellite data (COPERNISCUS/S5P/NRTI/L3_) and processed using ArcMap, Google Earth Engine, and Microsoft Excel to determine the levels of CO and HCHO in the study area from 2018 to 2023. The geometry of the study location is highlighted, saved and run, and a raster imagery file of the study area is generated after the task has been completed with a 'projection and extent' in the Geographic Tagged Image File Format (.

Mechanistic Understanding of the pH-Dependent Oxygen Reduction Reaction on the Fe-N-C Surface: Linking Surface Charge to Adsorbed Oxygen-Containing Species.

The Fe-N-C catalyst, featuring a single-atom Fe-N configuration, is regarded as one of the most promising catalytic materials for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the significant activity difference under acidic and alkaline conditions of Fe-N-C remains a long-standing puzzle. In this work, using extensive ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, we revealed that pH conditions influence ORR activity by tuning the surface charge density of the Fe-N-C surface, rather than through the direct involvement of HO or OH ions.

Microbe-mediated synthesis of defect-rich CeO nanoparticles with oxidase-like activity for colorimetric detection of L-penicillamine and glutathione.

To enhance production efficiency, curtail costs, and minimize environmental impact, developing simple and sustainable nanozyme synthesis methods has been the focus of relevant research. In this report, graphite-coated CeO nanoparticles (CeO NPs) with multiple defects (Ce defects, oxygen vacancies and carbon defects) were synthesized the culture filtrate of the extremely radioresistant bacterium R12 ( R12). The as-prepared CeO NPs exhibit remarkable oxidase (OXD)-like activity, efficiently catalyzing the oxidation of the chromogenic substrate 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to form oxTMB, even in the absence of HO.

Supplemental Operational Guidance for Minimizing Potential Inhalation Doses to Workers and Volunteers at Community Reception Centers and Public Shelters.

In the event of a nuclear explosion in an urban environment, contaminated persons may be directed to Community Reception Centers (CRC) and/or public shelters. This paper is a companion document to a previous paper that addresses the inhalation hazard to workers at a CRC from resuspension of fallout from the evacuees. To limit the inhalation hazard evacuees must be screened to prevent severely contaminated persons from entering a CRC.

A primer on low-carbon design in architectural acoustics using a case study of residential floorsa).

Designers are increasingly tasked to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings. While core disciplines (e.g.

Fluoride-Induced Autophagy and Apoptosis in the Mouse Ovary: Genomic Insights into IL-17 Signaling and Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis.

Chronic fluoride (F) exposure is linked to gonadotoxicity in females, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated fluoride-induced reprotoxicity using advanced genomic profiling. RNA-seq analysis identified significant activation of autophagy, apoptosis, and IL-17 signaling pathways in fluoride-exposed female mice.

What Impact Does Net Zero Action on Road Transport and Building Heating Have on Exposure to UK Air Pollution?

This study explores the cobenefits of reduced nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O), and particulate matter (PM), through net zero (NZ) climate policy in the UK. Two alternative NZ scenarios, the balanced net zero (BNZP) and widespread innovation (WI) pathways, from the UK Climate Change Committee's Sixth Carbon Budget, were examined using a chemical transport model (CTM). Under the UK existing policy, Business as Usual (BAU), reductions in NO and PM were predicted by 2030 due to new vehicle technologies but plateau by 2040.

Sustainable Valorization of Rice Straw into Biochar and Carbon Dots Using a Novel One-Pot Approach for Dual Applications in Detection and Removal of Lead Ions.

Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic heavy metal that causes significant health hazards and environmental damage. Thus, the detection and removal of Pb ions in freshwater sources are imperative for safeguarding public health and the environment. Moreover, the transformation of single resources into multiple high-value products is vital for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Growth of MoS Nanosheets on Brush-Shaped PI-ZnO Hybrid Nanofibers and Study of the Photocatalytic Performance.

The design and preparation of advanced hybrid nanofibers with controllable microstructures will be interesting because of their potential high-efficiency applications in the environmental and energy domains. In this paper, a simple and efficient strategy was developed for preparing hybrid nanofibers of zinc oxide-molybdenum disulfide (ZnO-MoS) grown on polyimide (PI) nanofibers by combining electrospinning, a high-pressure hydrothermal process, and in situ growth. Unlike simple composite nanoparticles, the structure is shown in PI-ZnO to be like the skeleton of a tree for the growth of MoS "leaves" as macro-materials with controlled microstructures.

Multifunctional Nanoparticles as Radiosensitizers to Overcome Hypoxia-Associated Resistance in Cancer Radiotherapy.

Hypoxia, a phenomenon that occurs when the oxygen level in tissues is lower than average, is commonly observed in human solid tumors. For oncological treatment, the hypoxic environment often results in radioresistance and chemoresistance. In this study, a new multifunctional oxygen carrier, carboxymethyl hexanoyl chitosan (CHC) nanodroplets decorated with perfluorohexane (PFH) and superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanodroplets (SPIO@PFH-CHC), was developed and investigated.

Enabling Fast AI-Driven Inverse Design of a Multifunctional Nanosurface by Parallel Evolution Strategies.

Multifunctional nanosurfaces receive growing attention due to their versatile properties. Capillary force lithography (CFL) has emerged as a simple and economical method for fabricating these surfaces. In recent works, the authors proposed to leverage the evolution strategies (ES) to modify nanosurface characteristics with CFL to achieve specific functionalities such as frictional, optical, and bactericidal properties.

Biochar in the Remediation of Organic Pollutants in Water: A Review of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Pesticide Removal.

This review explores biochar's potential as a sustainable and cost-effective solution for remediating organic pollutants, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and pesticides, in water. Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from biomass pyrolysis, has demonstrated adsorption efficiencies exceeding 90% under optimal conditions, depending on the feedstock type, pyrolysis temperature, and functionalization. High surface area (up to 1500 m/g), porosity, and modifiable surface functional groups make biochar effective in adsorbing a wide range of contaminants, including toxic metals, organic pollutants, and nutrients.

TiO Nanosphere/MoSe Nanosheet-Based Heterojunction Gas Sensor for High-Sensitivity Sulfur Dioxide Detection.

With the growing severity of air pollution, monitoring harmful gases that pose risks to both human health and the ecological environment has become a focal point of research. Titanium dioxide (TiO) demonstrates significant potential for application in SO gas detection. However, the performance of pure TiO is limited.

The Effects of Polystyrene Microplastics and Copper Ion Co-Contamination on the Growth of Rice Seedlings.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of global concern, while heavy metals such as copper ions (Cu) are longstanding environmental contaminants with well-documented toxicity. This study investigates the independent and combined effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) and Cu on the physiological and biochemical responses of rice seedlings ( L.), a key staple crop.