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According to panspermia, life on Earth may have originated from life forms transported through space from elsewhere. These life forms could have passed through molecular clouds, where the process of methanogenesis could have provided enough energy to sustain living organisms. In this study, we calculate the Gibbs free energy released from synthesizing hydrocarbons for methanogenic (acetogenic) life in a molecular cloud, with methane (acetic acid) as the final metabolic product. Our calculations demonstrate that the chemical reactions during methanogenesis can release enough free energy to support living organisms. The methanogenic life may have served as the predecessor of life on Earth, and there is some preliminary evidence from various molecular biology studies to support this idea. Furthermore, we propose a potential distinguishing signal to test our model.

The atmospheric water vapor transport for summer precipitation over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (hereafter TP) during 1979–2002 is examined by using five precipitation data sets and three reanalysis data sets. The multidata ensemble mean shows that under climate mean conditions, TP is a moisture sink in summer, having a net moisture convergence of 4 mm/day. The climatological water vapor transport from the southern boundary, which originates from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, dominates the summer precipitation over the southeastern TP. It is estimated that the water vapor from the western boundary along the southern edge of the TP is about 32% of that from the southern boundary. The summer precipitation over the southeastern TP exhibits strong interannual variability, with a standard deviation of 1.3 mm/day, but no significant long‐term trend. The water vapor transport for the interannual variability of summer rainfall over the southeastern TP mainly comes from the western boundary of the TP, which is originally from lower latitudes. An excessive rainfall anomaly of 1 mm/day over the southeastern TP is associated with an anomalous water vapor input of 138 (104) kg/m/s from the western (southern) boundary. It is worth noting that the quantitative analysis in this study is determined by the setting of the domain. The interannual variability of summer precipitation over the southeastern TP is dominated by an anomalous anticyclone over the northern Indian subcontinent and the Bay of Bengal, which intensifies the water vapor transport along the southern edge of the TP and leads to more water vapor convergence over the southeastern TP, thus the excessive rainfall in the area. Key Points The climate mean water vapor transport is examined The interannual variability of water vapor transport is examined Compare the results by using mutiple data sets

Background The role of physical exercise in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been widely studied. Microglia play an important role in AD. Triggering receptor expressed in myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is expressed on microglia and is known to mediate microglial metabolic activity and brain glucose metabolism. However, the relationship between brain glucose metabolism and microglial metabolic activity during running exercise in APP/PS1 mice remains unclear. Methods Ten-month-old male APP/PS1 mice and wild-type mice were randomly divided into sedentary groups or running groups (AD_Sed, WT_Sed, AD_Run and WT_Run, n  = 20/group). Running mice had free access to a running wheel for 3 months. Behavioral tests, [18]F-FDG-PET and hippocampal RNA-Seq were performed. The expression levels of microglial glucose transporter (GLUT5), TREM2, soluble TREM2 (sTREM2), TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein (TYROBP), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), and phosphorylated spleen tyrosine kinase (p-SYK) were estimated by western blot or ELISA. Immunohistochemistry, stereological methods and immunofluorescence were used to investigate the morphology, proliferation and activity of microglia. Results Long-term voluntary running significantly improved cognitive function in APP/PS1 mice. Although there were few differentially expressed genes (DEGs), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed enriched glycometabolic pathways in APP/PS1 running mice. Running exercise increased FDG uptake in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice, as well as the protein expression of GLUT5, TREM2, SPP1 and p-SYK. The level of sTREM2 decreased in the plasma of APP/PS1 running mice. The number of microglia, the length and endpoints of microglial processes, and the ratio of GLUT5 + /IBA1 + microglia were increased in the dentate gyrus (DG) of APP/PS1 running mice. Running exercise did not alter the number of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) + /IBA1 + microglia but reduced the immunoactivity of CD68 in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice. Conclusions Running exercise inhibited TREM2 shedding and maintained TREM2 protein levels, which were accompanied by the promotion of brain glucose metabolism, microglial glucose metabolism and morphological plasticity in the hippocampus of AD mice. Microglia might be a structural target responsible for the benefits of running exercise in AD. Promoting microglial glucose metabolism and morphological plasticity modulated by TREM2 might be a novel strategy for AD treatment.

Recently, pulsar timing array (PTA) experiments have provided compelling evidence for the existence of the nanohertz stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB). In this work, we demonstrated that cosmic string loops generated from cosmic global strings offer a viable explanation for the observed nanohertz SGWB data, requiring a cosmic string tension parameter of log( Gμ ) ∼ −12 and a loop number density of log N ∼ 4. Additionally, we revisited the impact of cosmic string loops on the abundance of massive galaxies at high redshifts. However, our analysis revealed challenges in identifying a consistent parameter space that can concurrently explain both the SGWB data and observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. This indicates the necessity for either extending the existing model employed in this research or acknowledging distinct physical origins for these two phenomena.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non‐coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at a post‐transcriptional level via either the degradation or translational repression of a target mRNA. They play an irreplaceable role in angiogenesis by regulating the proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, migration and tube formation of angiogenesis‐related cells, which are indispensable for multitudinous physiological and pathological processes, especially for the occurrence and development of vascular diseases. Imbalance between the regulation of miRNAs and angiogenesis may cause many diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, aneurysm, Kawasaki disease, aortic dissection, phlebothrombosis and diabetic microvascular complication. Therefore, it is important to explore the essential role of miRNAs in angiogenesis, which might help to uncover new and effective therapeutic strategies for vascular diseases. This review focuses on the interactions between miRNAs and angiogenesis, and miRNA‐based biomarkers in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of angiogenesis‐related diseases, providing an update on the understanding of the clinical value of miRNAs in targeting angiogenesis.

Quantum processors use the native interactions between effective spins to simulate Hamiltonians or execute quantum gates. In most processors, the native interactions are pairwise, limiting the efficiency of controlling entanglement between many qubits. The capability of manipulating entanglement generated by higher-order interactions is a key challenge for the simulation of many Hamiltonian models appearing in various fields, including high-energy and nuclear physics, as well as quantum chemistry and error correction applications. Here we experimentally demonstrate control over a class of native interactions between trapped-ion qubits, extending conventional pairwise interactions to a higher order. By exploiting state-dependent squeezing operations, we realize and characterize high-fidelity gates and spin Hamiltonians comprising three- and four-body spin interactions. Our results demonstrate the potential of high-order spin interactions as a toolbox for quantum information applications.Generation of entanglement in quantum computers stems from the native interactions between qubits, which are usually restricted to the pairwise limit. A method to control three- and four-body interactions has now been demonstrated with trapped ions.

We develop a new heavy quark transport model, QLBT, to simulate the dynamical propagation of heavy quarks inside the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Our QLBT model is based on the linear Boltzmann transport (LBT) model with the ideal QGP replaced by a collection of quasi-particles to account for the non-perturbative interactions among quarks and gluons of the hot QGP. The thermal masses of quasi-particles are fitted to the equation of state from lattice QCD simulations using the Bayesian statistical analysis method. Combining QLBT with our advanced hybrid fragmentation-coalescence hadronization approach, we calculate the nuclear modification factor RAA and the elliptic flow v2 of D mesons at the Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider. By comparing our QLBT calculation to the experimental data on the D meson RAA and v2, we extract the heavy quark transport parameter q^ and diffusion coefficient Ds in the temperature range of 1-4Tc, and compare them with the lattice QCD results and other phenomenological studies.

Background Solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11) is a component of cysteine/glutamate transporter, which plays a key role in tumor growth; however, its underlying effect on radiosensitivity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify SLC7A11’s expression and correlation with nuclear expression of nuclear factor erythroid-2 ( NRF2)-associated radioresistance in ESCC. Methods We included 127 ESCC patients who received radical chemoradiotherapy. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect SLC7A11 and NRF2 nuclear expression, and the relationship between clinicopathological characteristics and survival rates or therapy response were evaluated. Western blot, dual-reporter assays and Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-sequencing were used to analyze their relationship in vitro. Their roles in radioresistance were then investigated through multiple validation steps. Results NRF2 nuclear expression and SLC7A11 expression were overexpressed in ESCC tissues and were positively correlated with one another. NRF2 nuclear expression was significantly associated with tumor length, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage, while SLC7A11 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis. Patients with high NRF2 nuclear expression and SLC7A11 expression had significantly shorter overall and progression-free survival, and poor treatment response. The multivariate model showed that NRF2 nuclear expression and SLC7A11 expression, sex and tumor location are independent prognostic factors. In vitro analysis confirmed that hyperactivation of NRF2 induced SLC7A11 expression by directly binding to its promoter region, promoting radioresistance, reducing radiotherapy-induced lipid peroxidation levels, PTGS2 expression, and radiotherapy-related ferroptosis morphologic features. Conclusion Our study reveals a connection between high SLC7A11 expression and NRF2 nuclear expression in patients with ESCC that was related to worse survival and poorer therapy outcomes. SLC7A11-mediated ferroptosis inhibition induced NRF2-associated radioresistance, highlighting potential of NRF2/SLC7A11/ferroptosis axis as future therapeutic targets against therapy resistance biomarker.

IntroductionGut microbiota is now considered to be a hidden organ that interacts bidirectionally with cellular responses in numerous organs belonged to the immune, bone, and nervous systems. Here, we aimed to investigate the relationships between gut microbiota and complex diseases by utilizing multiple publicly available genome-wide association.Materials and methodsWe applied a novel microbiota-related gene set enrichment analysis approach to detect the associations between gut microbiota and complex diseases by processing genome-wide association studies (GWASs) data sets of six autoimmune diseases (including celiac disease (CeD), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), multiple sclerosis (MS), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), type 1 diabetes (T1D) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)) and osteoporosis (OP).ResultsThe family Oxalobacteraceae and genus Candidatus_Soleaferrea were found to be correlated with all of the six autoimmune diseases (FDR adjusted P < 0.05). Moreover, we observed that the six autoimmune diseases except PBC shared 3 overlapping features (including family Peptostreptococcaceae, order Gastranaerophilales and genus Romboutsia). For all of the six autoimmune diseases and BMDs (LS-BMD and TB-BMD), an association signal was observed for genus Candidatus_Soleaferrea (FDR adjusted P < 0.05). Notably, FA / FN-BMD shared the maximum number of overlapping microbial features (e.g., genus Ruminococcaceae_UCG009, Erysipelatoclostridium and Ruminococcaceae_UCG013).ConclusionOur study found that part of the gut microbiota could be novel regulators of BMDs and autoimmune diseases via the effects of its metabolites and may lead to a better understanding of the role played by gut microbiota in the communication of the microbiota-skeletal/immune-gut axis.

Harmonicity is a fundamental element of music, speech, and animal vocalizations. How the auditory system extracts harmonic structures embedded in complex sounds and uses them to form a coherent unitary entity is not fully understood. Despite the prevalence of sounds rich in harmonic structures in our everyday hearing environment, it has remained largely unknown what neural mechanisms are used by the primate auditory cortex to extract these biologically important acoustic structures. In this study, we discovered a unique class of harmonic template neurons in the core region of auditory cortex of a highly vocal New World primate, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), across the entire hearing frequency range. Marmosets have a rich vocal repertoire and a similar hearing range to that of humans. Responses of these neurons show nonlinear facilitation to harmonic complex sounds over inharmonic sounds, selectivity for particular harmonic structures beyond two-tone combinations, and sensitivity to harmonic number and spectral regularity. Our findings suggest that the harmonic template neurons in auditory cortex may play an important role in processing sounds with harmonic structures, such as animal vocalizations, human speech, and music.