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Endometritis is a common reproductive disorder in dairy cows, with antibiotics being the primary treatment option. However, the overuse of antibiotics has contributed to the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been widely studied for their ability to kill bacteria and modulate immune responses. Previous research has focused on modifying natural AMPs extracted from Zophabas atratus haemolymph; however, these peptides have displayed limited effectiveness against bacteria. To overcome this limitation, researchers engineered a modified AMP, Z-FV7, by incorporating the sequence of the human-derived AMP LL-37. The resulting peptide demonstrated a favourable safety profile, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) reduced to 32 μg/mL and improved antibacterial activity against pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Z-FV7 was tested in a bovine uterine epithelial cell model infected with Escherichia coli and in a murine model of endometritis. The findings showed that Z-FV7 alleviated clinical symptoms, inhibited the activation of the NF-κB signalling pathway induced by drug-resistant E. coli , reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6), and promoted the expression of tight junction proteins (Claudin-1 and ZO-1). These results indicated that Z-FV7 can help reduce uterine inflammation and provide therapeutic outcomes similar to those of antibiotics during E. coli infection. Overall, Z-FV7 holds promise as a potential alternative to antibiotics for treating endometriosis in the future.

Aims/hypothesisAbsent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) is a cytosolic sensor for double-stranded DNA and a tumour suppressor. Binding of double-stranded DNA to AIM2 forms the AIM2 inflammasome, leading to activation of caspase-1 and production of IL-1β and IL-18. Although inflammasome-independent effects of AIM2 have been reported, its role in energy metabolism is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the effect of AIM2 in energy metabolism and glucose homeostasis.MethodsMale and female whole body Aim2 knockout (Aim2−/−) mice were used in the current study. Body weight, food intake, body composition, energy expenditure, fasting blood glucose levels, GTT and body temperature were measured at indicated time points. RNA sequencing was carried out on gonadal white adipose tissue (gWAT) in 14-month-old female mice. mRNA and protein levels in tissues were analysed by quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblot. Immune cell infiltration in gWAT was examined by flow cytometry. Stromal vascular fractions isolated from gWAT were used to investigate adipocyte differentiation.ResultsMale and female Aim2−/− mice were obese compared with wild-type controls from 7 weeks of age until 51 weeks of age, with increased adiposity in both subcutaneous and visceral fat depots. While there were no differences in food intake, Aim2−/− mice demonstrated decreased energy expenditure and impaired brown adipose tissue function compared with wild-type controls. Fasting glucose and insulin levels were elevated, and Aim2−/− mice were glucose intolerant on intraperitoneal GTT. RNA sequencing revealed marked upregulation of the IFN-inducible gene Ifi202b, which encodes protein 202 (p202) and elevated inflammatory signalling in gWAT of Aim2−/− mice. Increased infiltration of total and Ly6Clow monocytes was noted at 8 weeks of age in gWAT, before the onset of obesity and insulin resistance. Ifi202b knockdown blocked adipogenesis in stromal vascular fractions and reduced inflammation in bone marrow-derived macrophages, demonstrating a key role of p202 in mediating the increased adipogenesis and inflammation in Aim2−/− mice.Conclusions/interpretationThese results demonstrate a fundamental role for AIM2 in energy metabolism, inflammation and insulin resistance. Our studies establish a novel link between the innate immunity proteins, AIM2 and p202, and metabolism.

Background Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are continuous homozygous regions typically located in the DNA sequence of diploid organisms. Identifications of ROH that lead to reduced performance can provide valuable insight into the genetic architecture of complex traits. Here, we systematically investigated the population genetic structure of five Anhui indigenous pig breeds (AHIPs), and compared them to those of five Western commercial pig breeds (WECPs). Furthermore, we examined the occurrence and distribution of ROHs in the five AHIPs and estimated the inbreeding coefficients based on the ROHs (F ROH ) and homozygosity (F HOM ). Finally, we identified genomic regions with high frequencies of ROHs and annotated candidate genes contained therein. Results The WECPs and AHIPs were clearly differentiated into two separate clades consistent with their geographical origins, as revealed by the population structure and principal component analysis. We identified 13,530 ROHs across all individuals, of which 4,555 and 8,975 ROHs were unique to AHIPs and WECPs, respectively. Most ROHs identified in our study were short (< 10 Mb) or medium (10–20 Mb) in length. WECPs had significantly higher numbers of short ROHs, and AHIPs generally had longer ROHs. F ROH values were significantly lower in AHIPs than in WECPs, indicating that breed improvement and conservation programmes were successful in AHIPs. On average, F ROH and F HOM values were highly correlated (0.952–0.991) in AHIPs and WECPs. A total of 27 regions had a high frequency of ROHs and contained 17 key candidate genes associated with economically important traits in pigs. Among these, nine candidate genes ( CCNT2 , EGR2 , MYL3 , CDH13 , PROX1 , FLVCR1 , SETD2 , FGF18 , and FGF20 ) found in WECPs were related to muscular and skeletal development, whereas eight candidate genes ( CSN1S1 , SULT1E1 , TJP1, ZNF366 , LIPC , MCEE , STAP1 , and DUSP ) found in AHIPs were associated with health, reproduction, and fatness traits. Conclusion Our findings provide a useful reference for the selection and assortative mating of pig breeds, laying the groundwork for future research on the population genetic structures of AHIPs, ultimately helping protect these local varieties.

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are powerful and flexible tools for identifying single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with quantitative traits (yield, stress resistance) in plants. Variable selection and machine learning are two effective approaches in GWAS. However, both face limitations in complex, noisy data analysis in the big-data era. In this study, we integrated variable selection and machine learning under the mixed linear model framework, proposing a novel method, the improved LASSO screening and sparse Bayesian learning algorithm (ILSBL). The ILSBL first corrects the polygenic and environmental noise, then reduces genotypic dimensionality by LASSO-based variable selection, and finally performs parameter estimation using sparse Bayesian learning. Two simulation experiments and association analyses of three flowering-time-related traits in Arabidopsis thaliana were conducted to validate the new algorithm. The results showed that, compared to established methods, the ILSBL exhibited flexibility in simulation studies and maintained robust performance under complex genetic backgrounds, achieving a favorable balance among statistical power, parameter estimation accuracy, runtime efficiency, and false-positive rate. The analysis of the real Arabidopsis datasets further confirmed the advantages of ILSBL for GWASs, with 30 candidate genes adjacent to significant quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) associated with flowering-related traits. These results provide valuable insights for a better understanding of the genetic basis underlying flowering-related traits in Arabidopsis.

Background The relationship between public health emergencies and psychological distress had been well known, yet none research had been conducted on the trend in psychological resilience and its longitudinal determinants during the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the changes of psychological resilience of university students during COVID-19 pandemic, and further clarify the longitudinal relationship between family factors, mental health, social mentality and psychological resilience. Methods Questionnaires were distributed to students from five universities in Shandong Province, China during the COVID-19. A total of 1635 students were finally included in this three-wave follow-up study using stratified random sampling method. Mental health was assessed by Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, social mentality was measured by the Bi-Dimensional Structure Questionnaire of Social Mentality, psychological resilience was evaluated by the Chinese version of the Psychological Resilience Scale. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze the longitudinal changes of psychological resilience, generalized estimating equation (GEE) was conducted to estimate the determinants of psychological resilience. Results Psychological resilience changed from 28.37 in Wave 1, 29.10 in Wave 2, and 29.15 in Wave 3 among the university students. The students who majored in Art (β = 0.872, P  = 0.032), parents (mother β = 0.546, P  = 0.035; father β = 0.718, P  = 0.012) had a greater influence on children’s personality, and positive social mentality (β = 5.725, P  < 0.001) were more likely to report a higher psychological resilience. Being female (β=-0.932, P  < 0.001), not being a student leader (β=-0.911, P  < 0.001), being anxious (β=-1.845, P  < 0.001) and depressed (β=-1.846, P  < 0.001), and negative social mentality (β=-0.803, P  < 0.001) were less likely to report a higher psychological resilience. Conclusions The psychological resilience of the university students in Shandong Province, China increased significantly from Wave 1 to Wave 3 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Majoring in Art, parents having a greater influence on children’s personality, better mental health, positive social mentality were more likely to report a higher psychological resilience, while female, not student leader, worse mental health, and negative social mentality were less likely to report a higher the psychological resilience.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), one of the most successful biopesticides, may expand its potential by producing bacteriocins (thuricins). The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial potential of a novel Bt bacteriocin, thuricin Bt CspB, produced by Bt BRC-ZYR2. The results showed that this bacteriocin has a high similarity with cold-shock protein B (CspB). Bt CspB lost its activity after proteinase K treatment; however it was active at 60 °C for 30 min and was stable in the pH range 5–7. The partial loss of activity after the treatments of lipase II and catalase were likely due to the change in Bt CspB structure and the partial degradation of Bt CspB, respectively. The loss of activity at high temperatures and the activity variation at different pHs were not due to degradation or large conformational change. Bt CspB did not inhibit four probiotics. It was only active against B. cereus strains 0938 and ATCC 10987 with MIC values of 3.125 μg/mL and 0.781 μg/mL, and MBC values of 12.5 μg/mL and 6.25 μg/mL, respectively. Taken together, these results provide new insights into a novel cold shock protein-like bacteriocin, Bt CspB, which displayed promise for its use in food preservation and treatment of B. cereus -associated diseases.

During the nestling period, brood‐parasitic birds stimulate host parents to provide food through complex visual and auditory signals, including emitting supernormal stimuli in the form of begging calls to increase the feeding frequency. However, whether the begging calls of brood‐parasitic nestlings act as a universal type of supernormal stimulus signal and their effects on less common host species still require further research. In this study, we used playback recordings to verify the impact of the begging calls of Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) nestlings on the parental care behavior of host Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) parents. Contrary to our expectations, the results showed that male Barn Swallow parents decreased their feeding frequency in response to both types of Common Cuckoo nestling calls (cuckoo nestlings reared by the Oriental Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis/the Barn Swallow), while females decreased their feeding frequency in response to the begging calls of Common Cuckoo nestlings reared by the common host (the Oriental Reed Warbler). Additionally, brood size, temperature, and weather all affected the feeding frequency in the Barn Swallow. This study supports the idea that the supernormal stimulus of brood‐parasitic nestling begging calls does not always work as a universal signal; the behavioral adaptations formed by parasitic birds in response to common hosts may lead to reduced fitness when utilizing uncommon hosts, for example, the Barn Swallow. The exaggerated begging calls of brood‐parasitic nestlings, for example, the Common Cuckoo, could serve as a supernormal stimulus to the host parents, but their effectiveness in uncommon host species remains unclear. In this study, we tested the effect of cuckoo nesting begging calls on an uncommon host species, the Barn Swallow, with manipulative playback experiments. Contrary to our expectations, we found that male Barn Swallows significantly reduced their feeding frequency in response to cuckoo nestling calls, suggesting that this signal inhibited parental investment in a less common host species.

Guangdong Province, a significant wind energy producer in China, is frequently impacted by landing typhoons along its coastal areas. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze the characteristics and influencing factors of wind power generation during typhoons at coastal wind farms in Guangdong. This study examines power generation data from the Lingnan Wind Farm during Typhoon Chaba and calculates indexes including wind shear, temperature and pressure change. Results show that the average power generation of Lingnan Wind Farm was 44.4 MW/h during the study period, and when Typhoon Chaba approaches the wind farm within a proximity of less than 300 km, the average power generation increases by 43%. Conversely, when Chaba is more than 600 km away from the wind farm, the average power generation decreases by 10%. The analysis employing a random forest model identifies wind speed at 80 m height, 24‐h pressure change, and pressure as the most influential factors throughout the study period. This underscores the significance of surface pressure and pressure variations at the wind farm for predicting wind power output at coastal wind farms during a typhoon process. The random forest model yields mean absolute error and root mean square error values of 9.4 MW/h and 11.6 MW/h, respectively, in the prediction of wind power generation. Using wind farm observations, ERA5 reanalysis, and Typhoon datasets, this study examines power generation data from the Lingnan Wind Farm during Typhoon Chaba and calculates indices including wind shear, temperature and pressure change. When ws_80 is below 20 m/s, a rise of 1 m/s in ws_80 results in a corresponding increase in wind power generation of approximately 5.2 MW/h. However, once ws_80 reaches 20 m/s, certain turbines at Lingnan Wind Farm reach their cut‐out wind speed, causing a decline in power generation as ws_80 continues to rise. The analysis employing a random forest model identifies wind speed at 80 m height, 24‐h pressure change, and pressure as the most influential factors throughout the study period. This underscores the significance of surface pressure and pressure variations at the wind farm for predicting wind power output at coastal wind farms during a typhoon process.

Little studies evaluated the effectiveness of booster vaccination of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines against being infected (susceptibility), infecting others (infectiousness), and spreading the disease from one to another (transmission). Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the effectiveness of booster vaccination of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines against susceptibility, infectiousness, and transmission in Shenzhen during an Omicron BA.2 outbreak period from 1 February to 21 April 2022. The eligible individuals were classified as four sub-cohorts according to the inactivated COVID-19 vaccination status of both the close contacts and their index cases: group 2-2, fully vaccinated close contacts seeded by fully vaccinated index cases (reference group); group 2-3, booster-vaccinated close contacts seeded by fully vaccinated index cases; group 3-2, fully vaccinated close contacts seeded by booster-vaccinated index cases; and group 3-3, booster-vaccinated close contacts seeded by booster-vaccinated index cases. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to estimate the effectiveness of booster vaccination. The sample sizes of groups 2-2, 2-3, 3-2, and 3-3 were 846, 1,115, 1,210, and 2,417, respectively. We found that booster vaccination had an effectiveness against infectiousness of 44.9% (95% CI: 19.7%, 62.2%) for the adults ≥ 18 years, 62.2% (95% CI: 32.0%, 78.9%) for the female close contacts, and 60.8% (95% CI: 38.5%, 75.1%) for the non-household close contacts. Moreover, booster vaccination had an effectiveness against transmission of 29.0% (95% CI: 3.2%, 47.9%) for the adults ≥ 18 years, 38.9% (95% CI: 3.3%, 61.3%) for the female close contacts, and 45.8% (95% CI: 22.1%, 62.3%) for the non-household close contacts. However, booster vaccination against susceptibility did not provide any protective effect. In summary, this study confirm that booster vaccination of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccines provides low level of protection and moderate level of protection against Omicron BA.2 transmission and infectiousness, respectively. However, booster vaccination does not provide any protection against Omicron BA.2 susceptibility.

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