A cell transcriptomic profile p ovides insights into adipocytes of porcine mammary gland across development

Background Studying the composition and developmental mechanisms in mammary gland is crucial for healthy growth of newborns. The mammary gland is inherently heterogeneous, and its physiological function dependents on the gene expression of multiple cell types. Most studies focused on epithelial cells, disregarding the role of neighboring adipocytes.Results Here, we constructed the largest transcriptomic dataset of porcine mammary gland cells thus far. The dataset captured 126,829 high-quality nuclei from physiological mammary glands across five developmental stages(d 90 of gestation, G90;d 0 after lactation, L0;d 20 after lactation, L20;2 d post natural involution, PI2;7 d post natural involution, PI7). Seven cell types were identified, including epithelial cells, adipocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts cells, immune cells, myoepithelial cells and precursor cells. Our data indicate that mammary glands at different developmental stages have distinct phenotypic and transcriptional signatures. During late gestation(G90), the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes were inhibited. Meanwhile, partly epithelial cells were completely differentiated. Pseudo-time analysis showed that epithelial cells undergo three stages to achieve lactation, including cellular differentiation, hormone sensing, and metabolic activation. During lactation(L0 and L20), adipocytes area accounts for less than 0.5% of mammary glands. To maintain their own survival, the adipocyte exhibited a poorly differentiated state and a proliferative capacity. Epithelial cells initiate lactation upon hormonal stimulation. After fulfilling lactation mission, their undergo physiological death under high intensity lactation. Interestingly, the physiological dead cells seem to be actively cleared by immune cells via CCL21-ACKR4 pathway. This biological process may be an important mechanism for maintaining homeostasis of the mammary gland. During natural involution(PI2 and PI7), epithelial cell populations dedifferentiate into mesenchymal stem cells to maintain the lactation potential of mammary glands for the next lactation cycle.Conclusion The molecular mechanisms of dedifferentiation, proliferation and redifferentiation of adipocytes and epithelial cells were revealed from late pregnancy to natural involution. This cell transcriptomic profile constitutes an essential reference for future studies in the development and remodeling of the mammary gland at different stages.

Numerical study on gas production via a horizontal well from hydrate reservoirs with different slope angles in the South China Sea

It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the largescale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea.In this study,a multiphysical-field coupling model,combined with actual exploration drilling data and the mechanical experimental data of hydrate cores in the laboratory,was established to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability reservoirs with different slope angles during 5-year hydrate production by the depressurization method via a horizontal well.The result shows that the permeability of reservoirs severely affects gas production rate,and the maximum gas production amount of a 20-m-long horizontal well can reach186.8 m3/day during the 5-year hydrate production.Reservoirs with smaller slope angles show higher gas production rates.The depressurization propagation and hydrate dissociation mainly develop along the direction parallel to the slope.Besides,the mean effective stress of reservoirs is concentrated in the near-wellbore area with the on-going hydrate production,and gradually decreases with the increase of the slope angle.Different from the effective stress distribution law,the total reservoir settlement amount first decreases and then increases with the increase of the slope angle.The maximum settlement of reservoirs with a 0°slope angle is up to 3.4 m,and the displacement in the near-wellbore area is as high as2.2 m after 5 years of hydrate production.It is concluded that the pore pressure drop region of low-permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea is limited,and various slope angles further lead to differences in effective stress and strain of reservoirs during hydrate production,resulting in severe uneven settlement of reservoirs.

Interaction between internal solitary waves and the seafloor in the deep sea

Internal solitary wave(ISW),as a typical marine dynamic process in the deep sea,widely exists in oceans and marginal seas worldwide.The interaction between ISW and the seafloor mainly occurs in the bottom boundary layer.For the seabed boundary layer of the deep sea,ISW is the most important dynamic process.This study analyzed the current status,hotspots,and frontiers of research on the interaction between ISW and the seafloor by CiteSpace.Focusing on the action of ISW on the seabed,such as transformation and reaction,a large amount of research work and results were systematically analyzed and summarized.On this basis,this study analyzed the wave–wave interaction and interaction between ISW and the bedform or slope of the seabed,which provided a new perspective for an in‐depth understanding of the interaction between ISW and the seafloor.Finally,the latest research results of the bottom boundary layer and marine engineering stability by ISW were introduced,and the unresolved problems in the current research work were summarized.This study provides a valuable reference for further research on the hazards of ISW to marine engineering geology.

Recent advances in solid-state metal-air batteries

Solid-state metal-air batteries have emerged as a research hotspot due to their high energy density and high safety.Moreover,side reactions caused by infiltrated gases(O_(2),H_(2)O,or CO_(2))and safety issues caused by liquid electrolyte leakage will be eliminated radically.However,the solid-state metal–air battery is still in its infancy,and many thorny problems still need to be solved,such as the large resistance of the metal/electrolyte interface and catalyst design.This review will summarize some important progress and key issues for solid-state metal-air batteries,especially the lithium-,sodium-,and zinc-based metal-air batteries,clarify some core issues,and forecast the future direction of the solid-state metal-air batteries.

RDFAdaptor:Efficient ETL Plugins for RDF Data Process

Purpose:The interdisciplinary nature and rapid development of the Semantic Web led to the mass publication of RDF data in a large number of widely accepted serialization formats,thus developing out the necessity for RDF data processing with specific purposes.The paper reports on an assessment of chief RDF data endpoint challenges and introduces the RDF Adaptor,a set of plugins for RDF data processing which covers the whole life-cycle with high efficiency.Design/methodology/approach:The RDFAdaptor is designed based on the prominent ETL tool—Pentaho Data Integration—which provides a user-friendly and intuitive interface and allows connect to various data sources and formats,and reuses the Java framework RDF4J as middleware that realizes access to data repositories,SPARQL endpoints and all leading RDF database solutions with SPARQL 1.1 support.It can support effortless services with various configuration templates in multi-scenario applications,and help extend data process tasks in other services or tools to complement missing functions.Findings:The proposed comprehensive RDF ETL solution—RDFAdaptor—provides an easy-to-use and intuitive interface,supports data integration and federation over multi-source heterogeneous repositories or endpoints,as well as manage linked data in hybrid storage mode.Research limitations:The plugin set can support several application scenarios of RDF data process,but error detection/check and interaction with other graph repositories remain to be improved.Practical implications:The plugin set can provide user interface and configuration templates which enable its usability in various applications of RDF data generation,multi-format data conversion,remote RDF data migration,and RDF graph update in semantic query process.Originality/value:This is the first attempt to develop components instead of systems that can include extract,consolidate,and store RDF data on the basis of an ecologically mature data warehousing environment.

Cancer cells corrupt normal epithelial cells through miR-let-7c-rich small extracellular vesicle-mediated downregulation of p53/PTEN

Tumor volume increases continuously in the advanced stage, and aside from the self-renewal of tumor cells, whether the oncogenic transformation of surrounding normal cells is involved in this process is currently unclear. Here, we show that oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)-derived small extracellular vesicles(s EVs) promote the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) of normal epithelial cells but delay their apoptosis. In addition, nuclear-cytoplasmic invaginations and multiple nucleoli are observed in s EV-treated normal cells, both of which are typical characteristics of premalignant lesions of OSCC. Mechanistically, mi Rlet-7c in OSCC-derived s EVs is transferred to normal epithelial cells, leading to the transcriptional inhibition of p53 and inactivation of the p53/PTEN pathway. In summary, we demonstrate that OSCC-derived s EVs promote the precancerous transformation of normal epithelial cells, in which the mi R-let-7c/p53/PTEN pathway plays an important role. Our findings reveal that cancer cells can corrupt normal epithelial cells through s EVs, which provides new insight into the progression of OSCC.

Comparison of Salt Tolerance in Brassicas and Some Related Species

In this paper the salt tolerance in Brassicas and some related species was compared. When seedlings germinated on sand cultures with liquid MS medium were considered, the relative germination rate, root length, shoot length and fresh seedling weight were significantly correlated with each other (P 0.01), and only the relative shoot lengths were significantly different among the tested genotypes (P 0.05);When both seedlings germinated on MS and MS plus 0.4% NaCl were considered, only the relative shoot length of seedlings germinated on MS was significantly different from that germinated on MS + 0.4% NaCl (P 0.05), and also only the relative shoot lengths were significantly different among the tested genotypes (P 0.01). Raphanus sativa cv. Changfeng, B. juncea cv. JC and Brassica napus cv. ZS 10 showed low salt tolerance in terms of relative germination rate, root length, shoot length and fresh seedling weight;B. oleracea cv. JF-1, Sinapis alba cv. HN-2 showed high salt tolerance in terms of relative germination rate, root length, shoot length and fresh seedling weight. Based on our result we suggest that relative shoot length might be convenient to rank the salt tolerance but cluster analysis based on multiple parameters of relative germination rate, root length, shoot length and fresh seedling weight might be more accurate in screening for salt tolerance in Brassicas and related species.

Correlation, Regression and Path Analyses of Seed Yield Components in <i>Crambe abyssinica</i>, a Promising Industrial Oil Crop

In the present study correlation, regression and path analyses were carried out to decide correlations among the agro- nomic traits and their contributions to seed yield per plant in Crambe abyssinica. Partial correlation analysis indicated that plant height (X1) was significantly correlated with branching height and the number of first branches (P 2) was significantly correlated with pod number of primary inflorescence (P 3) was significantly correlated with number of secondary branches (P -grain weight (P 4) was significantly correlated with seed yield per plant (P 7) was significantly correlated with seed yield per plant (P -grain weight (P -grain weight (X8) was significantly correlated with seed yield per plant (P -grain weight contributed significantly to seed yield per plant at P 7) and 1000-grain weight (X8) to seed yield per plant (Y) is Y = 0.006 X7 + 1.222 X8 - 7.191. The path coefficient of pod number per plant to seed yield per plant was 0.967 and that of 1000-grain weight was 0.194. The determination coefficient of pod number per plant and 1000-grain weight to seed yield per plant was 0.983 and the determination coefficient of other agronomic traits was 0.130. Coefficient of variance indicated that the length of primary inflorescence showed the greatest variation, followed by seed yield per plant, pod number per plant, number of secondary branches, branching height, pod number of primary inflorescence, number of first branches, seed yield per plot, 1000-grain weight and plant height. It was suggested that seed yield per plant in Crambe might be improved by increasing the pod number per plant through selection or cultivation, but the negative correlation between pod number per plant and 1000-grain weight also needs to be considered.

A cost-efficient quantum access network with qubit-based synchronization

Quantum key distribution(QKD)is a physical layer encryption technique that enables two distant parties to exchange secure keys with information-theoretic security.In the last two decades,QKD has transitioned from laboratory research to real-world applications,including multi-user quantum access networks(QANs).This network structure allows users to share a single-photon detector at a network node through time-division multiplexing,thereby significantly reducing the network cost.However,current QAN implementations require additional hardware for auxiliary tasks such as time synchronization.To address this issue,we propose a cost-efficient QAN that uses qubit-based synchronization.In this approach,the transmitted qubits facilitate time synchronization,eliminating the need for additional synchronization hardware.We tested our scheme by implementing a network for two users and successfully achieved average secure key rates of 53.84 kbps and 71.90 kbps for each user over a 50-km commercial fiber spool.In addition,we investigated the capacity of the access network under cross-talk and loss conditions.The simulation results demonstrate that this scheme can support a QAN with 64 users with key rates up to 1070 bps.Our work provides a feasible and cost-effective way to implement a multi-user QKD network,further promoting the widespread application of QKD.

Protective and Adverse Roles of DDX3X in Different Cell Types in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Progression

Persistent hepatic cellular metabolic stress and liver inflammatory stimuli are key signatures of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).DDX3X is a vital molecule involved in cell fate decisions in both pro-survival stress granule(SG)and pro-death NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome assembly in response to stress signals.However,the role of DDX3X in NASH remains unclear.We characterized the cell type-specific roles of DDX3X in NASH.Human liver tissues from NASH patients and normal control subjects were collected to assess DDX3X expression and distribution.Nutritional steatohepatitis models were constructed by feeding macrophage-specific DDX3X knockout(DDX3^(XΔMφ)),hepatocyte-specific DDX3X knockout(DDX3X^(Δhep)),and wild-type control(DDX3X^(fl/fl))mice a high-fat and high-cholesterol(HFHC)diet,a methionine-and choline-deficient(MCD)diet,and a high-fat/high-iron/high-fructose/high-cholesterol,low-methionine,and choline-deficient(HFHIHFHC-MCD)diet.The study demonstrated that DDX3X was predominantly expressed in macrophages and hepatocytes in control liver tissues,and its expression was down-regulated in patients or mice with NASH.Compared to DDX3X^(fl/fl) littermates,DDX3^(XΔMφ)mice showed improved liver histology in nutritional steatohepatitis models.Loss of macrophage DDX3X inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis,causing anti-inflammatory M2 polarization and alleviating hepatocyte steatohepatitic changes.DDX3X^(Δhep) mice developed marked steatohepatitis in multiple nutritional steatohepatitis models compared to DDX3X^(fl/fl) littermates.DDX3X-deleted hepatocytes showed impaired SG assembly,leading to increased sensitivity and intolerance to metabolic stimulation and resultant steatohepatitis.In conclusion,DDX3X plays opposite roles in different cell types during the progression of NASH.A better understanding of the cell-specific differences in the crosstalk between SG formation and NLRP3 activation is crucial for developing prospective targeted DDX3X inhibitors for the treatment of NASH.

Compression schemes for concept classes induced by three types of discrete undirected graphical models

Sample compression schemes were first proposed by Littlestone and Warmuth in 1986.Undi-rected graphical model is a powerful tool for classification in statistical learning.In this paper,we consider labelled compression schemes for concept classes induced by discrete undirected graphical models.For the undirected graph of two vertices with no edge,where one vertex takes two values and the other vertex can take any finite number of values,we propose an algorithm to establish a labelled compression scheme of size VC dimension of associated concept class.Further,we extend the result to other two types of undirected graphical models and show the existence of labelled compression schemes of size VC dimension for induced concept classes.The work of this paper makes a step forward in solving sample compression problem for concept class induced by a general discrete undirected graphical model.

Targeted inhibition of GRK2 kinase domain by CP-25 to reverse fibroblast-like synoviocytes dysfunction and improve collagen-induced arthritis in rats

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an autoimmune disease and is mainly characterized by abnormal proliferation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLS).The up-regulated cellular membrane expression of G protein coupled receptor kinase 2(GRK2)of FLS plays a critical role in RA progression,the increase of GRK2 translocation activity promotes dysfunctional prostaglandin E4 receptor(EP4)signaling and FLS abnormal proliferation.Recently,although our group found that paeoniflorin-6’-O-benzene sulfonate(CP-25),a novel compound,could reverse FLS dysfunction via GRK2,little is known as to how GRK2 translocation activity is suppressed.Our findings revealed that GRK2 expression up-regulated and EP4 expression down-regulated in synovial tissues of RA patients and collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)rats,and prostaglandin E2(PGE2)level increased in arthritis.CP-25 could down-regulate GRK2 expression,up-regulate EP4 expression,and improve synovitis of CIA rats.CP-25 and GRK2 inhibitors(paroxetine or GSK180736 A)inhibited the abnormal proliferation of FLS in RA patients and CIA rats by down-regulating GRK2 translocation to EP4 receptor.The results of microscale thermophoresis(MST),cellular thermal shift assay,and inhibition of kinase activity assay indicated that CP-25 could directly target GRK2,increase the protein stability of GRK2 in cells,and inhibit GRK2 kinase activity.The docking of CP-25 and GRK2 suggested that the kinase domain of GRK2 might be an important active pocket for CP-25.G201,K220,K230,A321,and D335 in kinase domain of GRK2 might form hydrogen bonds with CP-25.Site-directed mutagenesis and co-immunoprecipitation assay further revealed that CP-25 down-regulated the interaction of GRK2 and EP4 via controlling the key amino acid residue of Ala321 of GRK2.Our data demonstrate that FLS proliferation is regulated by GRK2 translocation to EP4.Targeted inhibition of GRK2 kinase domain by CP-25 improves FLS function and represents an innovative drug for the treatment of RA by targeting GRK2.

Bimetallic nickel molybdate supported Pt catalyst for efficient removal of formaldehyde at low temperature

Efficient removal of formaldehyde from indoor environments is of significance for human health.In this work,a typical binary transition metal oxide that could provide various oxidation states,β-NiMoO4,was employed as a support to immobilize the active Pt component(Pt/NiMoO4)for catalytic formaldehyde elimination at low ambient temperature(15℃).The results showed that the hydrothermal preparation temperature and time had a noticeable impact on the morphology and catalytic activity of the samples.The catalyst prepared with hydrothermal temperature of 150℃for 4 hr(Pt-150-4)exhibited superior catalytic activity and stability mainly due to its distinctly porous structure,relative abundance of adsorbed surface hydroxyls/water,and high oxidation ability,which resulted from the interaction of Pt with Ni and Mo of the bimetallic NiMoO4 support.Our results might shed light on the rational design of multifunctional catalysts for removal of indoor air pollutants at low ambient temperature.

Realization of non-equilibrium process for high thermoelectric performance Sb-doped Ge Te

Pristine GeTe shows inferior thermoelectric performance around unit due to the large carrier concentration induced by the presence of intrinsic high concentration of Ge vacancy. In this study, we report a thermoelectric figure of merit ZT of 1.56 at 700 K, realized in Sb-doped GeTe based thermoelectric(TE)materials via combined effect of suppression of intrinsic Ge vacancy and Sb doping. The nonequilibrium nature during melt spinning process plays very important role. For one thing, it promotes the homogeneity in Ge_(1-x)Sb_xTe samples and refines the grain size of the product. Moreover the persistent Ge precipitated as impurity phase in the traditional synthesis process is found to be dissolved back into the GeTe sublattice, accompanying with a drastic suppression of Ge vacancies concentration which in combination with Sb electron doping significantly reduced the inherent carrier concentration in GeTe.Low carrier concentration, approaching the optimum carrier concentration ～3.74 × 10^(-20) cm^(-3) and a high power factor of 4.01 × 10^(-3) W m^(-1)K^(-2) at 750 K are achieved for Ge_(0.98)Sb_(0.02) Te sample. In addition,the enhanced grain boundary phonon scattering by refining the grain size through melt spinning(MS)process, coupled with the intensified alloying phonon scattering via Sb doping leads to low thermal conductivity of 1.53 W m^(-1) K^(-1) at 700 K for Ge_(0.94) Sb_(0.06) Te sample. All those contribute to a high ZT value,representing over 50% improvement in the ZT value compared to the Sb free samples, which provides an alternative way for ultrafast synthesis of high performance GeTe based thermoelectric material.

Achieving superior performance in thermoelectric Bi_(0.4)Sb_(1.6)Te_(3.72)by enhancing texture and inducing high-density line defects

Miniaturization of efficient thermoelectric(TE)devices has long been hindered by the weak mechanical strength and insufficient heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency of zone-melted(ZM)ingots.Here,we successfully prepared a robust high-performance p-type Bi_(0.4)Sb_(1.6)Te_(3.72)bulk alloy by combining an ultrafast thermal explosion reaction with the spark plasma sintering(TER-SPS)process.It is observed that the introduced excess Te not only enhances the(00l)-oriented texture to ensure an outstanding power factor(PF)of 5 mW m^(−1)K^(−2),but also induces extremely high-density line defects of up to 10^(11)–10^(12)cm^(−2).Benefiting from such heavily dense line defects,the enhancement of the electronic thermal conductance from the increased electron mobility is fully compensated by the stronger phonon scattering,leading to an evident net reduction in total thermal conductivity.As a result,a superior ZT value of~1.4 at 350 K is achieved,which is 40%higher than that of commercial ZM ingots.Moreover,owing to the strengthening of grain refinement and highdensity line defects,the mechanical compressive stress reaches up to 94 MPa,which is 154%more than that of commercial single crystals.This research presents an effective strategy for the collaborative optimization of the texture,TE performance,and mechanical strength of Bi2Te3-based materials.As such,the present study contributes significantly to the future commercial development of miniature TE devices.