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Previous studies showed that exoelectrogenic bacteria in paddy soil could suppress methanogens and methanogenesis after they were enriched by application of Fe3+ or running microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, the relationship between exoelectrogenic bacteria and methanogens without the enrichment process is unknown. Our study was conducted in three paddy fields in China and over three seasons. We explored novel MFC-based sensors to in situ detect voltage signals that were generated from paddy soil within 10 min. The voltage and methane emission flux were determined as an indicator of the exoelectrogenic activity and methanogenic activity, respectively. The abundance of exoelectrogenic bacteria was assessed by quantifying five exoelectrogenic bacterial-associated genera including Geobacter, Shewanella, Anaeromyxobacter, Desulfovibrio and Clostridium, while the methanogens were studied by quantifying and sequencing the mcrA gene. The results showed that the abundance of exoelectrogenic bacteria and the voltage signals were positively correlated to the abundance of mcrA gene and methane emission flux, respectively. Moreover, non-metric dimensional scaling reveals that the abundance of Geobacter, Desulfovibrio and Clostridium significantly correlated with that of Methanomassiliicoccus, Methanoregula and Methanolinea. The present study suggests that the voltage signals might act as a novel indicator of methane emission flux in paddy fields.

Changes in soil abiotic and biotic properties can be powerful drivers of feedback between plants and soil microbial communities. However, the specific mechanisms by which seasonal changes in environmental factors shape soil microbial communities are not well understood. Here, we collected soil samples from three sites along an elevational gradient (200–1200 m) in subtropical forests with unvarying canopy vegetation. We used an elevation gradient with similar annual precipitation but a clear temperature gradient, and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were measured to determine the seasonal variations in the composition of soil microbial communities in response to rising temperatures. Our results showed that the abundance of Gram-negative bacteria and total PLFAs were the lowest at low elevations in winter, and the ratio of Gram-positive to Gram-negative bacteria decreased with increasing elevation. However, the biomass of other microbial groups was the highest at medium elevations in summer, with the exception of actinomycetes species and fungi. Regardless of seasonal changes, soil fungal biomass tended to increase with increasing elevation. Moreover, in summer, microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) increased with increasing elevation, whereas an opposite trend was observed in winter. Redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling showed that the dissolved organic carbon in soil was the main factor affecting the microbial communities along the elevation gradient in winter, whereas in summer, the microbial community structure was driven by shifting nitrogen availability, with both being associated with changing microbial CUE. As such, this study demonstrates distinct seasonal changes in the soil microbial community composition across an elevation gradient that are driven by carbon and nitrogen resource availability and shifts in microbial CUE. Furthermore, our results suggest that the interaction of underground plant roots and microbes drives changes in resource availability, thereby resulting in seasonal variation in soil microbial community composition across an elevation gradient.

The super-hydrophobic copper surface was obtained by using a nanosecond pulsed laser. Different micro- and nano-structures were fabricated by changing the laser scanning interval and scanning speed, before heating in an electric heater at 150 °C for two hours to explore the effect of laser parameters and heat treatment on the wettability of the copper surface. It was found that the laser-treated copper surface is super-hydrophilic, and then, after the heat treatment, the surface switches to hydrophobic or even super-hydrophobic. The best super-hydrophobic surface’s apparent contact angle (APCA) was 155.6°, and the water sliding angle (WSA) was 4°. Super-hydrophobic copper is corrosion-resistant, self-cleaning, and dust-proof, and can be widely used in various mechanical devices.

Background Coat color, as a distinct phenotypic characteristic of pigs, is often subject to preference and selection, such as in the breeding process of new breed. Shanxia long black pig was derived from an intercross between Berkshire boars and Licha black pig sows, and it was bred as a paternal strain with high-quality meat and black coat color. Although the coat color was black in the F 1 generation of the intercross, it segregated in the subsequent generations. This study aims to decode the genetic basis of coat color segregation and develop a method to distinct black pigs from the spotted in Shanxia long black pig. Results Only a QTL was mapped at the proximal end of chromosome 6, and MC1R gene was picked out as functional candidate gene. A total of 11 polymorphic loci were identified in MC1R gene, and only the c.67_68insCC variant was co-segregating with coat color. This locus isn’t recognized by any restriction endonuclease, so it can’t be genotyped by PCR-RFLP. The c.370G > A polymorphic locus was also significantly associated with coat color, and has been in tightly linkage disequilibrium with the c.67_68insCC. Furthermore, it is recognized by BspHI . Therefore, a PCR-RFLP method was set up to genotype this locus. Besides the 175 sequenced individuals, another more 1,391 pigs were genotyped with PCR-RFLP, and all of pigs with GG (one band) were black. Conclusion MC1R gene (c.67_68insCC) is the causative gene (mutation) for the coat color segregation, and the PCR-RFLP of c.370G > A could be used in the breeding program of Shanxia long black pig.

Background: The aim of our study was to identify the association between Human papillomavirus (HPV) positive rate and smoking in lung cancer (LC) patients. Meanwhile, to analyze differences among gender, age differences on HPV infection rate in LC patients. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search through PubMed, Wan Fang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), MEDLINE, EMBASE (OVID), and Web of Science databases from 1991-2017, and we searched these keywords such as “lung cancer”, “HPV”, “smoking”, and “human papillomavirus”. Review Manager 5.3 software was used to analyze. An estimate of the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was calculated. Results: In China, a statistical significance was observed between HPV positive rate and smoking in LC patients (OR=2.34, 95%CI: 1.76–3.09, P<0.001; I2 =25%). However, after stratified by region, no significance was observed in other regions, gender, and age. Conclusion: HPV infections are associated with smoking in LC patients. The association between HPV infection and smoking in LC patients may relate to different regions. There were no differences between gender and age among HPV infection rates in LC patients. To identify the etiology of smoking, HPV, and LC, a further experimental research needs to be conducted.

In China, migrants with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have become a serious problem in the field of AIDS prevention. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of interventions for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection prevention for migrants in China and to identify factors associated with intervention efficacy. A computerized literature search of the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang, and PubMed databases was conducted to collect related articles published in China. Only self-control intervention studies or studies containing sections regarding self-control interventions wherein the method of intervention was health education were included. Rev Manager 5.3 software was used to analyze the intervention effects in terms of knowledge, attitude, and behavior indexes. Relative to pre-intervention, the HIV interventions showed statistically significant efficacy in terms of sexual transmission of HIV, condom use for HIV prevention, change in attitude towards HIV/AIDS patients, incidence of commercial sex behavior, and recent condoms use during sex (P < .01). Moreover, the baseline rate of migrants, intervention time, peer education, region, and education background were factors influencing the efficacy of the intervention. Significant improvement in terms of knowledge of sexual transmission of HIV and attitudes and behaviors among migrants was observed; however, based on the findings of previous studies, the interventions should be customized for different people from different districts in China. Further research is needed to evaluate subgroups of migrants in China according to their baseline characteristics.

Finding the electromagnetic （EM） counterpart of binary compact star merger, especially the binary neutron star （BNS） merger, is critically important for gravitational wave （GW） astronomy, cosmology and fundamental physics. On Aug. 17, 2017, Advanced LIGO and Fermi/GBM independently triggered the first BNS merger, GW170817, and its high energy EM counterpart, GRB 170817A, respectively, resulting in a global observation campaign covering gamma-ray, X-ray, UV, optical, IR, radio as well as neutrinos. The High Energy X-ray telescope （HE） onboard Insight-HXMT （Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope） is the unique high-energy gamma-ray telescope that monitored the entire GW localization area and especially the optical counterpart （SSS17a/AT2017gfo） with very large collection area （M000 cm2） and microsecond time resolution in 0.2-5 MeV. In addition, Insight-HXMT quickly implemented a Target of Opportunity （TOO） observation to scan the GW localization area for potential X-ray emission from the GW source. Although Insight-HXMT did not detect any significant high energy （0.2-5 MeV） radiation from GW170817, its observation helped to confirm the unexpected weak and soft nature of GRB 170817A. Meanwhile, Insight-HXMT/HE provides one of the most stringent constraints （-10-7 to 104 erg/cm2/s） for both GRB170817A and any other possible precursor or extended emissions in 0.2-5 MeV, which help us to better understand the properties of EM radiation from this BNS merger. Therefore the observation of Insight-HXMT constitutes an important chapter in the full context of multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observation of this historical GW event.

In this study, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were first synthesized using a hydrothermal method, and then, Au@SiO 2 core-shell nanomaterials were synthesized using layer-by-layer assembly. CQDs were adsorbed on the surface of Au@SiO 2 nanoparticles through self-assembly to form Au@SiO 2 /CQDs nanocomposite materials. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the size, shape, element composition, and structure of nanocomposites; ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to analyze the optical properties of nanocomposites. The results show that Au@SiO 2 /CQD nanomaterials have a core-shell structure with good morphology and exhibit excellent luminescence characteristics. The electrochemical performance of nanocomposites was characterized using electrochemical means, and a hydrogen peroxide sensor was constructed for the sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide, thus realizing the rapid and sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide at levels as low as 0.2 mM. The electrode GCE modified with Au@SiO 2 /CQDs exhibits good selectivity and stability in the detection of hydrogen peroxide.

In this paper, the chemical reduction method was used to prepare silver nanoparticles with different morphologies and sizes by controlling the proportion of ascorbic acid and silver nitrate at room temperature. In the experiment, the molar ratio of ascorbic acid and silver nitrate was mainly 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, 1:8, 2:1, 4:1 and 8:1 to prepare nano silver. The morphology of silver nanoparticles was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the phase content was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the obtained material is pure silver nanoparticles, and the silver nanoparticles are spherical and multilevel branched.

Recent years have seen persistently poor prognoses for glioma patients. Therefore, exploring the molecular subtyping of gliomas, identifying novel prognostic biomarkers, and understanding the characteristics of their immune microenvironments are crucial for improving treatment strategies and patient outcomes. We integrated glioma datasets from multiple sources, employing Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) to cluster samples and filter for differentially expressed metabolic genes. Additionally, we utilized Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to identify key genes. A predictive model was developed utilizing the optimal consistency index derived from a combination of 101 machine learning techniques, and its effectiveness was confirmed through multiple datasets employing different methodologies. In-depth analyses were conducted on immune cell infiltration and tumor microenvironmental aspects. Single-cell sequencing data were employed for clustering and differential expression analysis of genes associated with glioma. Finally, the immune relevance of the model gene ALPK1 in the context of pan-cancer was explored, including its relationship with immune checkpoints. The application of NMF, coupled with differential analysis of metabolic-related genes, led to the identification of two clusters exhibiting significant differences in survival, age, and metabolic gene expression among patients. Core genes were identified through WGCNA, and a total of 101 machine learning models were constructed, with LASSO+GBM selected as the optimal model, demonstrating robust validation performance. Comprehensive analyses revealed that high-risk groups exhibited greater expression of specific genes, with ALPK1 showing significant correlations with immune regulation. This research employed a multi-dataset strategy and various methods to clarify the differences in metabolic traits and immune conditions in glioma patients, while creating an innovative prognostic risk evaluation framework. These results offer fresh perspectives on the intricate biological processes that define gliomas.