-
Chemistry, An Asian Journal Jul 2024The introduction of phosphorous (P), and oxygen (O) heteroatoms in the natural honeydew chemical structure is one of the most effective, and practical approaches to...
The introduction of phosphorous (P), and oxygen (O) heteroatoms in the natural honeydew chemical structure is one of the most effective, and practical approaches to synthesizing activated carbon for possible high-performance energy storage applications. The performance metrics of supercapacitors depend on surface functional groups and high-surface-area electrodes that can play a dominant role in areas that require high-power applications. Here, we report a phosphorous and oxygen co-doped honeydew peel-derived activated carbon (HDP-AC) electrode with low surface area for supercapacitor via H3PO4 activation. This activator form phosphorylation with cellulose fibers in the HDP. The formation of heteroatoms stabilizes the cellulose structure by preventing the formation of levoglucosan (C6H10O5), a cellulose combustion product, which would otherwise offer a pathway for a substantial degradation of cellulose into volatile products. Therefore, heteroatom doping has proved effective, in improving the electrochemical properties. The improved performance is attributed to the high phosphorous doping with a hierarchical porous structure, which enables the transportation of ions at higher current rates. The high specific capacitance of 486, and 478 F/g at 0.6, and 1.3 A/g in 1M H2SO4 electrolyte with a prominent retention of 98% is observed for 2M H3PO4 having an impregnation ratio of 1:4.
PubMed: 38956831
DOI: 10.1002/asia.202400622 -
European Journal of Sport Science Jul 2024Sports performance is relatively robust under high levels of binocular blur. However, the limited research studies investigating monocular impairments has shown it has a...
Sports performance is relatively robust under high levels of binocular blur. However, the limited research studies investigating monocular impairments has shown it has a larger impact on sport performance. This research study is relevant for classification in sports for athletes with vision impairment (VI), where visual acuity (VA) from the better eye is used during classification. Across two experiments, we aimed to establish the point at which binocular and monocular impairments affected performance in a football penalty kick (PK) through simulating varying severities of degraded VA and contrast sensitivity (CS) in active football players. In experiment one, 25 footballers performed PKs as VA and CS were systematically decreased in both eyes, and in one condition, visual field (VF) was reduced. The most severe VA/CS condition and reduced VF significantly impacted outcome, ball velocity and placement (ball kicked closer to the centre of the goal) (p < 0.05). In experiment two, 29 different footballers performed PKs as VA and CS of only the dominant eye were systematically decreased and in one condition the dominant eye was occluded, and participants viewed their environment through the non-dominant eye (monocular viewing). No differences were observed when assessing monocular impairments influence on outcome, velocity and ball placement. PKs have a high resilience to VI, but binocular impairment has a more immediate effect, suggesting binocular measures should be used in classification processes in football.
Topics: Humans; Soccer; Vision, Binocular; Visual Acuity; Male; Athletic Performance; Young Adult; Adult; Vision Disorders; Contrast Sensitivity; Vision, Monocular; Visual Fields
PubMed: 38956797
DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12145 -
Environmental Science & Technology Jul 2024Transforming dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a crucial approach to alleviating the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in water treatment. Although catalytic...
Transforming dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a crucial approach to alleviating the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in water treatment. Although catalytic ozonation effectively transforms DOM, increases in DBP formation potential are often observed due to the accumulation of aldehydes, ketones, and nitro compound intermediates during DOM transformation. In this study, we propose a novel strategy for the sequential oxidation of DOM, effectively reducing the levels of accumulation of these intermediates. This is achieved through the development of a catalyst with a tailored surface and nanoconfined active sites for catalytic ozonation. The catalyst features a unique confinement structure, wherein Mn-N moieties are uniformly anchored on the catalyst surface and within nanopores (5-20 Å). This design enables the degradation of the large molecular weight fraction of DOM on the catalyst surface, while the transformed smaller molecular weight fraction enters the nanopores and undergoes rapid degradation due to the confinement effect. The generation of *O as the dominant reactive species is essential for effectively reducing these ozone refractory intermediates. This resulted in over 70% removal of carbonaceous and nitrogenous DBP precursors as well as brominated DBP precursors. This study highlights the importance of the nanoscale sequential reactor design and provides new insights into eliminating DBP precursors by the catalytic ozonation process.
PubMed: 38956762
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09295 -
Human Genomics Jul 2024Knockout of GAS2 (growth arrest-specific protein 2), causes disorganization and destabilization of microtubule bundles in supporting cells of the cochlear duct, leading...
Knockout of GAS2 (growth arrest-specific protein 2), causes disorganization and destabilization of microtubule bundles in supporting cells of the cochlear duct, leading to hearing loss in vivo. However, the molecular mechanism through which GAS2 variant results in hearing loss remains unknown. By Whole-exome sequencing, we identified a novel heterozygous splicing variant in GAS2 (c.616-2 A > G) as the only candidate mutation segregating with late-onset and progressive nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) in a large dominant family. This splicing mutation causes an intron retention and produces a C-terminal truncated protein (named GAS2mu). Mechanistically, the degradation of GAS2mu via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is enhanced, and cells expressing GAS2mu exhibit disorganized microtubule bundles. Additionally, GAS2mu further promotes apoptosis by increasing the Bcl-xS/Bcl-xL ratio instead of through the p53-dependent pathway as wild-type GAS2 does, indicating that GAS2mu acts as a toxic molecule to exacerbate apoptosis. Our findings demonstrate that this novel variant of GAS2 promotes its own protein degradation, microtubule disorganization and cellular apoptosis, leading to hearing loss in carriers. This study expands the spectrum of GAS2 variants and elucidates the underlying pathogenic mechanisms, providing a foundation for future investigations of new therapeutic strategies to prevent GAS2-associated progressive hearing loss.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Pedigree; Deafness; Mutation; Apoptosis; Adult; Asian People; Middle Aged; Exome Sequencing; Genes, Dominant; Microtubules; East Asian People
PubMed: 38956677
DOI: 10.1186/s40246-024-00628-2 -
BMC Genomics Jul 2024The cashmere goat industry is one of the main pillars of animal husbandry in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and plays an irreplaceable role in local economic...
BACKGROUND
The cashmere goat industry is one of the main pillars of animal husbandry in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and plays an irreplaceable role in local economic development. With the change in feeding methods and environment, the cashmere produced by Inner Mongolia cashmere goats shows a tendency of coarser, and the cashmere yield can not meet the consumption demand of people. However, the genetic basis behind these changes is not fully understood. We measured cashmere traits, including cashmere yield (CY), cashmere diameter (CD), cashmere thickness (CT), and fleece length (FL) traits for four consecutive years, and utilized Genome-wide association study of four cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats was carried out using new genomics tools to infer genomic regions and functional loci associated with cashmere traits and to construct haplotypes that significantly affect cashmere traits.
RESULTS
We estimated the genetic parameters of cashmere traits in Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. The heritability of cashmere yield, cashmere diameter, and fleece length traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats were 0.229, 0.359, and 0.250, which belonged to the medium heritability traits (0.2 ~ 0.4). The cashmere thickness trait has a low heritability of 0.053. We detected 151 genome-wide significantly associated SNPs with four cashmere traits on different chromosomes, which were very close to the chromosomes of 392 genes (located within the gene or within ± 500 kb). Notch3, BMPR1B, and CCNA2 have direct functional associations with fibroblasts and follicle stem cells, which play important roles in hair follicle growth and development. Based on GO functional annotation and KEGG enrichment analysis, potential candidate genes were associated with pathways of hair follicle genesis and development (Notch, P13K-Akt, TGF-beta, Cell cycle, Wnt, MAPK). We calculated the effective allele number of the Inner Mongolia cashmere goat population to be 1.109-1.998, the dominant genotypes of most SNPs were wild-type, the polymorphic information content of 57 SNPs were low polymorphism (0 < PIC < 0.25), and the polymorphic information content of 79 SNPs were moderate polymorphism (0.25 < PIC < 0.50). We analyzed the association of SNPs with phenotypes and found that the homozygous mutant type of SNP1 and SNP3 was associated with the highest cashmere yield, the heterozygous mutant type of SNP30 was associated with the lowest cashmere thickness, the wild type of SNP76, SNP77, SNP78, SNP80, and SNP81 was associated with the highest cashmere thickness, and the wild type type of SNP137 was associated with the highest fleece length. 21 haplotype blocks and 68 haplotype combinations were constructed. Haplotypes A2A2, B2B2, C2C2, and D4D4 were associated with increased cashmere yield, haplotypes E2E2, F1F1, G5G5, and G1G5 were associated with decreased cashmere fineness, haplotypes H2H2 was associated with increased cashmere thickness, haplotypes I1I1, I1I2, J1J4, L5L3, N3N2, N3N3, O2O1, P2P2, and Q3Q3 were associated with increased cashmere length. We verified the polymorphism of 8 SNPs by KASP, and found that chr7_g.102631194A > G, chr10_g.82715068 T > C, chr1_g.124483769C > T, chr24_g.12811352C > T, chr6_g.114111249A > G, and chr6_g.115606026 T > C were significantly genotyped in verified populations (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, the genetic effect of single SNP on phenotypes is small, and SNPs are more inclined to be inherited as a whole. By constructing haplotypes from SNPs that are significantly associated with cashmere traits, it will help to reveal the complex and potential causal variations in cashmere traits of Inner Mongolia cashmere goats. This will be a valuable resource for genomics and breeding of the cashmere goat.
Topics: Animals; Goats; Genome-Wide Association Study; Haplotypes; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Quantitative Trait Loci; Phenotype; China; Quantitative Trait, Heritable
PubMed: 38956486
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10543-4 -
BMC Ecology and Evolution Jul 2024Galician forests in northwestern Spain are subject to frequent wildfires with high environmental and economic costs. In addition, due to the consequences of climate...
Galician forests in northwestern Spain are subject to frequent wildfires with high environmental and economic costs. In addition, due to the consequences of climate change, these fires are becoming more virulent, occurring throughout the year, and taking place in populated areas, in some cases involving the loss of human life. Therefore, forest fire prevention is even more relevant than mitigating its consequences. Given the costs involved in forestry work, alternative measures to reduce fuel load and create vegetation gaps are needed. One involves grazing by an endemic species of feral horses (Equus ferus atlanticus) that feed on thicket-forming gorse (Ulex europaeus). In a 100-ha forest fenced study area stocked with 11 horses, four 50 m enclosed plots prevented the access of these wild animals to the vegetation, with the aim of manipulating their impact on the reduction of forest biomass. The measurement of biomass volumes is an important method that can describe the assessment of wildfire risks, unfortunately, high-resolution data collection at the regional scale is very time-consuming. The best result can be using drones (unmanned aerial vehicles - UAVs) as a method of collecting remotely sensed data at low cost. From September 2018 to November 2020, we collected information about aboveground biomass from these four enclosed plots and their surrounding areas available for horses to forage, via UAV. These data, together with environmental variables from the study site, were used as input for a fire model to assess the differences in the surface rate of spread (SROS) among grazed and ungrazed areas. Our results indicated a consistent but small reduction in the SROS between 0.55 and 3.10 m/min in the ungrazed enclosured plots in comparison to their grazed surrounding areas (which have an SROS between 15 and 25 m/min). The research showed that radar remote sensing (UAV) can be used to map forest aboveground biomass, and emphasized the importance and role of feral horses in Galicia as a prevention tool against wildfires in gorse-dominated landscapes.
Topics: Animals; Horses; Biomass; Spain; Remote Sensing Technology; Forests; Grassland; Wildfires; Conservation of Natural Resources
PubMed: 38956462
DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02276-5 -
BMC Genomics Jul 2024Carcass weight (HCW) and marbling (MARB) are critical for meat quality and market value in beef cattle. In composite breeds like Brangus, which meld the genetics of...
BACKGROUND
Carcass weight (HCW) and marbling (MARB) are critical for meat quality and market value in beef cattle. In composite breeds like Brangus, which meld the genetics of Angus and Brahman, SNP-based analyses have illuminated some genetic influences on these traits, but they fall short in fully capturing the nuanced effects of breed of origin alleles (BOA) on these traits. Focus on the impacts of BOA on phenotypic features within Brangus populations can result in a more profound understanding of the specific influences of Angus and Brahman genetics. Moreover, the consideration of BOA becomes particularly significant when evaluating dominance effects contributing to heterosis in crossbred populations. BOA provides a more comprehensive measure of heterosis due to its ability to differentiate the distinct genetic contributions originating from each parent breed. This detailed understanding of genetic effects is essential for making informed breeding decisions to optimize the benefits of heterosis in composite breeds like Brangus.
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) influencing HCW and MARB by utilizing SNP and BOA information, incorporating additive, dominance, and overdominance effects within a multi-generational Brangus commercial herd.
METHODS
We analyzed phenotypic data from 1,066 genotyped Brangus steers. BOA inference was performed using LAMP-LD software using Angus and Brahman reference sets. SNP-based and BOA-based GWAS were then conducted considering additive, dominance, and overdominance models.
RESULTS
The study identified numerous QTLs for HCW and MARB. A notable QTL for HCW was associated to the SGCB gene, pivotal for muscle growth, and was identified solely in the BOA GWAS. Several BOA GWAS QTLs exhibited a dominance effect underscoring their importance in estimating heterosis.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings demonstrate that SNP-based methods may not detect all genetic variation affecting economically important traits in composite breeds. BOA inclusion in genomic evaluations is crucial for identifying genetic regions contributing to trait variation and for understanding the dominance value underpinning heterosis. By considering BOA, we gain a deeper understanding of genetic interactions and heterosis, which is integral to advancing breeding programs. The incorporation of BOA is recommended for comprehensive genomic evaluations to optimize trait improvements in crossbred cattle populations.
Topics: Animals; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Cattle; Quantitative Trait Loci; Genome-Wide Association Study; Breeding; Phenotype; Genotype; Hybrid Vigor; Meat; Alleles
PubMed: 38956457
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-024-10465-1 -
Nature Communications Jul 2024Circadian gene expression is fundamental to the establishment and functions of the circadian clock, a cell-autonomous and evolutionary-conserved timing system. Yet, how...
Circadian gene expression is fundamental to the establishment and functions of the circadian clock, a cell-autonomous and evolutionary-conserved timing system. Yet, how it is affected by environmental-circadian disruption (ECD) such as shiftwork and jetlag are ill-defined. Here, we provided a comprehensive and comparative description of male liver circadian gene expression, encompassing transcriptomes, whole-cell proteomes and nuclear proteomes, under normal and after ECD conditions. Under both conditions, post-translation, rather than transcription, is the dominant contributor to circadian functional outputs. After ECD, post-transcriptional and post-translational processes are the major contributors to whole-cell or nuclear circadian proteome, respectively. Furthermore, ECD re-writes the rhythmicity of 64% transcriptome, 98% whole-cell proteome and 95% nuclear proteome. The re-writing, which is associated with changes of circadian regulatory cis-elements, RNA-processing and protein localization, diminishes circadian regulation of fat and carbohydrate metabolism and persists after one week of ECD-recovery.
Topics: Animals; Liver; Proteome; Male; Circadian Rhythm; Circadian Clocks; Transcriptome; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Gene Expression Regulation; Jet Lag Syndrome; Shift Work Schedule
PubMed: 38956413
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49852-3 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2024Wheat straw returning is a common agronomic measure in the farmland. Understanding organic carbon transformation is of great significance for carbon budget under the...
Wheat straw returning is a common agronomic measure in the farmland. Understanding organic carbon transformation is of great significance for carbon budget under the premise of widespread distribution of cadmium (Cd) contaminated soils. An incubation experiment was conducted to assess the influence of Cd contamination on the decomposition and accumulation of total organic carbon (TOC) as well as the composition and abundance of bacterial communities in eight soil types with wheat straw addition. The results showed that inhibition of Cd contamination on microbially mediated organic carbon decomposition was affected by soil types. The lower cumulative C mineralization and higher TOC content could be observed in the acidic soils relative to that in the alkaline soils. The content of Cd in soil exhibits different effects on the inhibition in decomposition of TOC. The high dosage level of Cd had stronger inhibitory impact due to its high toxicity. The decomposition of TOC was restricted by a reduction in soil bacterial abundance and weakening of bacterial activities. Redundancy analysis (RDA) indicated that Proteobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes were abundant in alkaline Cd-contaminated soils with wheat straw addition, while Bacteroidetes dominated cumulative C mineralization in acidic Cd-contamination soils. Moreover, the abundance of predicted functional bacteria indicated that high-dose Cd-contamination and acid environment all inhibited the decomposition of TOC. The present study suggested that pH played an important role on carbon dynamics in the Cd-contaminated soils with wheat straw addition.
Topics: Cadmium; Triticum; Soil Pollutants; Soil Microbiology; Carbon; Soil; Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
PubMed: 38956155
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64267-2 -
Scientific Reports Jul 2024Analyze the relationship between genetic variations in the MTHFR gene at SNPs (rs1801131 and rs1801133) and the therapy outcomes for Iraqi patients with rheumatoid...
Analyze the relationship between genetic variations in the MTHFR gene at SNPs (rs1801131 and rs1801133) and the therapy outcomes for Iraqi patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study was conducted on a cohort of 95 RA Iraqi patients. Based on their treatment response, the cohort was divided into two groups: the responder (47 patients) and the nonresponder (48 patients), identified after at least three months of methotrexate (MTX) treatment. A polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique was employed to analyze the MTHFR variations, specifically at rs1801133 and rs1801131. Overall, rs1801131 followed both codominant and dominate models, in which in the codominant model, GG [OR (95% CI) 0.11 (0.022-0.553)] and TG [OR (95% CI) 0.106 (0.021-0.528)] predict responders compared to the TT genotype; meanwhile, for the dominate model, the presence of both GG and TG genotypes [OR (95% CI) 0.108 (0.023-0.507)] together predict responders compared to the TT genotype. The AG haplotype was significantly associated with responders [OR (95% CI): 0.388 (0.208-0.723)], while the GT haplotype was associated marginally with nonresponders [OR (95% CI) 1.980 (0.965-4.064)]. In the final multivariate analysis, GG/TG genotypes were independently related to responders after adjustment for patients, disease, and treatment characteristics, while TT genotypes were associated with nonresponders. The Iraqi RA patients showed genetic polymorphism in MTHFR gene rs1801131 with T carrier allele associated with nonresponders to MTX therapy. The rs1801131 followed both codominant and dominant models. The G-carried allele for rs1801131 showed an independent association with responder to MTX therapy after adjustment for patients, disease, and treatment characteristics.
Topics: Humans; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2); Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Methotrexate; Male; Female; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Iraq; Middle Aged; Adult; Treatment Outcome; Antirheumatic Agents; Genotype
PubMed: 38956106
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65199-7