Search Results (42,240)

Cyanobacteria, the only prokaryotic oxygenic phototrophs, rely on sophisticated regulatory networks, including those mediated by small RNAs (sRNAs) to cope with environmental fluctuations. Here, we delineate the sRNA landscape of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under short- and long-term ammonium stress, revealing a significant proportion of antisense RNAs (asRNAs). Functional characterization identified three asRNAs (sll0312-as, sll0873-as, and slr1667-as) as key regulators of ammonium stress tolerance, implicating their targets (sll0312, sll0873, and slr1667) as new players in nitrogen fluctuation acclimation. The sll0944-as and sll1515-as were also identified, revealing an additional regulatory layer targeting known carbon/nitrogen metabolism regulators. Mechanistically, we characterized the ammonium-induced asRNA ssr0692-as, demonstrating that it represses pirA translation via direct 5′UTR interaction. This finding, integrated with the known role of the nitrogen limitation-responsive sRNA NsiR4 targeting the same region, supports a synergistic model wherein these two sRNAs precisely modulate PirA protein levels—and thus the downstream nitrogen flux—across varying nitrogen availability. Together, our findings expand the functional repertoire of cyanobacterial sRNAs and elucidate a dynamic post-transcriptional mechanism to fine-tune nitrogen metabolism in response to fluctuating nutrient conditions. Full article

Inhalational anesthesia, which includes anesthetics such as sevoflurane, isoflurane, and desflurane, is widely used in clinical settings for surgical interventions across all age groups. Nonetheless, recent findings from preclinical research raise important questions regarding their potential neurotoxic effects, especially within the developing brain, though clinical implications remain to be fully established. This narrative review was conducted through a literature search of the PubMed database and synthesizes preclinical investigations into gene modifications associated with neurotoxicity following exposure to inhalation anesthetics. Emphasis was placed on anesthetic exposure in human and animal-derived cell lines, neurodevelopmental animal models, as well as adult and aged animals. In various models, the neurotoxic mechanisms of inhalational anesthesia involve a complex interaction of apoptosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and epigenetic remodeling. Developmental studies indicate additional susceptibilities, including impaired neuronal migration, myelination deficits, and transgenerational epigenetic effects, whereas aging models exhibit oxidative stress injury, microglial activation, and heightened perioperative neurocognitive sensitivity. Understanding these neurotoxic mechanisms is essential for identifying risk factors, formulating age-specific neuroprotective strategies, and enhancing the overall safety of anesthetic use, particularly in vulnerable populations. Full article

Multimodal recommender systems are challenged by heterogeneous modality noise and coarse-grained feature fusion. Specifically, existing frequency-domain methods typically apply symmetric filtering across modalities, ignoring their distinct spectral characteristics. Consequently, symmetric filtering cannot simultaneously satisfy the denoising requirements of visual features and the semantic preservation requirements of textual features, leading to suboptimal multimodal representations. Meanwhile, current fusion strategies mainly operate at the instance level with static modality weights, lacking flexibility to dynamically adjust feature channels for user-specific collaborative contexts. To address these issues, this paper proposes MFA-GCN, a multimodal recommendation framework that combines asymmetric spectral filtering, multiview graph enhancement, and behavior-guided channel attention. For visual modalities, a multiscale frequency-domain module integrating 1D convolution and self-attention is adopted to suppress high-frequency disturbances while preserving informative structures. For textual modalities, a lightweight complex-domain scaling strategy is introduced to adjust spectral energy while maintaining semantic consistency. In addition, auxiliary user–user and item–item graphs are constructed to supplement sparse user–item interactions and provide richer collaborative signals. A behavior-guided channel attention mechanism is further used to dynamically refine multimodal representations. Experiments on three public Amazon datasets demonstrate that MFA-GCN consistently outperforms several representative baselines. Full article

Complex optimization problems are widely encountered in engineering design, intelligent manufacturing, communication systems, and wireless sensor network deployment. However, the original Enterprise Development Optimization Algorithm (EDOA) still suffers from insufficient population diversity, weak search guidance, and limited adaptability in balancing exploration and exploitation when solving high-dimensional and multimodal optimization problems. To address these issues, this paper proposes a Multi-Strategy Improved Enterprise Development Optimization Algorithm (MIEDOA). First, a Strategic Diversification Initialization (SDI) strategy is developed by integrating Sobol sequence sampling, random initialization, and Gaussian perturbation to improve the diversity and distribution quality of the initial population. Second, an Organizational Synergy Learning (OSL) mechanism is introduced to enhance search guidance through the collaborative utilization of elite information, population mean information, and peer interaction. Third, an Adaptive Governance with Feedback Regulation (AGFR) strategy is designed to dynamically regulate the exploration–exploitation behavior according to the current population fitness state. The proposed MIEDOA is evaluated on the CEC2017 and CEC2020 benchmark suites and compared with representative EDOA variants, CEC winner algorithms, and other advanced optimization methods. The experimental results indicate that MIEDOA generally achieves competitive performance in terms of solution quality, convergence behavior, and robustness across different benchmark scenarios. In addition, strategy effectiveness analysis, parameter sensitivity analysis, and statistical tests further provide evidence supporting the effectiveness of the proposed strategies. Finally, MIEDOA is applied to a three-dimensional wireless sensor network deployment problem. The results suggest that the proposed algorithm can obtain competitive deployment solutions and satisfactory coverage performance under different node scales, demonstrating its potential applicability to practical engineering optimization problems. Full article

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe diabetic complication with substantial clinical burden. The complex pathogenesis of DN has hindered the development of targeted therapies, creating an urgent need to develop novel strategies that directly address its underlying inflammatory and fibrotic mechanisms. Coreopsis tinctoria (CE) is an edible plant rich in polyphenols, but its mechanism against DN remains understood. An integrated framework combining network pharmacology and machine learning was developed to prioritize active polyphenols and their targets. A multi-layer perceptron classifier, trained on 3.16 million compound–target pairs from Binding DB, predicted interactions between 36 CE polyphenols and 12,030 DN-associated genes. The top 100 targets were subjected to KEGG enrichment analysis, and the identified pathways were validated in a high-fat diet/STZ-induced DN rat model. The MLP model achieved superior performance (AUC-ROC = 0.9219, AP = 0.9592). Five lead polyphenols (flavonoids/chalcones) showed high predicted activity. KEGG analysis revealed enrichment in PI3K-Akt, calcium signaling, metabolic pathways, and cellular senescence. In vivo, CE treatment (150–600 mg/kg/day) dose-dependently improved glucose/lipid metabolism and renal function, and ameliorated histopathological damage, including glomerular hypertrophy, fibrosis, and mesangial expansion. Mechanistically, CE suppressed NFκB/TGFβ/Smad signaling, restored PPARγ and Nrf2/HO-1/FoxO1 antioxidant defenses, and inhibited apoptosis via Bcl-2/Bax regulation. CE exerts multi-target renoprotective effects through coordinated modulation of metabolic, inflammatory, fibrotic, and antioxidant pathways, supporting its potential as a functional food ingredient for DN management. Full article

New copper(II) (C1) and palladium(II) (C2) complexes with S,O-tetradentate ligand (L) derived from thiosalicylic and thiopropionic acids were synthesized. In cell-based assays, (C1) exhibited the most pronounced activity within the tested compound series and was therefore advanced for mechanistic evaluation in 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer cells. (C1) significantly reduced 4T1 cell viability by inducing early and late apoptosis, accompanied by mitochondrial membrane depolarization and enhanced cytochrome C release. Consistently, (C1) increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, promoting a pro-apoptotic shift. In parallel, (C1) triggered autophagy, as evidenced by decreased p62 and LC3B levels, induced G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest, and suppressed proliferative signaling by downregulating Ki67, cyclin D, and phosphorylated AKT. The DNA-binding studies showed moderate to strong affinity, favoring minor groove binding, with higher affinity for (C1) than for (C2). Tryptophan fluorescence quenching indicated a strong interaction with BSA via a predominantly static mechanism, more pronounced for (C1). Molecular docking at the DNA and BSA binding sites corroborated experimental findings and suggested favorable interactions between the complexes and apoptosis-related proteins (CASP3, BAX, and BCL2). The integrated experimental and computational data identify (C1) as a biologically active compound with multimodal biological effects in vitro, supporting further structural optimization and mechanistic investigation. Full article

The aim of this article is to identify how research on smart buildings has evolved in the context of the energy transition, with particular emphasis on energy flexibility, grid interaction, market integration, and policy barriers. The study addresses a gap in previous reviews, which have often focused on individual technological domains, building automation, or smart-readiness assessment, while paying less attention to the conditions under which smart buildings become active energy-system resources. A systematic review protocol based on the PRISMA logic was combined with bibliometric mapping and qualitative synthesis. Bibliographic data were retrieved from Scopus on 28 February 2026 and covered 663 English-language journal articles published between 2015 and February 2026. A core set of 63 studies was selected through explicit cluster-based and relevance-based criteria for in-depth qualitative synthesis. The results show a gradual shift from component-level efficiency research towards system-level studies in which smart buildings are analyzed as flexible demand-side assets, distributed energy nodes, and participants in emerging market mechanisms. At the same time, the evidence base remains uneven: many studies rely on simulation or case-specific modeling, while empirical validation, interoperability, occupant behavior, business models, and regulatory implementation remain less mature. The article contributes by distinguishing observed bibliometric patterns from conceptual interpretation and by integrating technological, economic, behavioral, and regulatory evidence into a framework explaining the persistent implementation gap in smart building deployment. Full article

To further investigate altitude-associated variations in gut microbiota and serum metabolites of plateau zokors (Eospalax baileyi) and elucidate their adaptive mechanisms to high-altitude environments, we performed fecal metagenomic sequencing and serum metabolomic profiling (Q200 platform) on individuals from high (3700 m, n = 6) and low (2700 m, n = 6) elevations, followed by integrated analysis of microbial and metabolomic datasets. Results indicated that in high-altitude plateau zokors, the relative abundance of Firmicutes decreased, while that of Bacteroidota increased. The dominant genera within this group were identified as Bacteroides and unclassified members of the Lachnospiraceae family. Moreover, the abundances of Bacteroides and unclassified members of the Muribaculaceae family increased with elevation. At the species level, seven fully annotated differentially abundant taxa were identified: Candidatus Amulumruptor caecigallinarius, Schaedlerella arabinosiphila, Muribaculum gordoncarteri, Heminiphilus faecis, Prevotellamassilia timonensis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacteroides graminisolvens. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated significant upregulation (p < 0.05) of energy supply pathways, such as oxidative phosphorylation, and antioxidant-related pathways, including β-alanine and lysine metabolism, in the high-altitude group. Conversely, cysteine and methionine metabolism pathways were markedly downregulated (p < 0.05). Serum levels of ursodeoxycholic acid and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) were significantly elevated (p < 0.05), while deoxycholic acid (DCA) levels decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the composition and function of gut microbiota, along with serum metabolite profiles, differ significantly (p < 0.05) between plateau zokors from different altitudes. Through synergistic interactions between gut microbiota and host metabolites, plateau zokors develop adaptive mechanisms that integrate energy metabolism, oxidative stress response, intestinal barrier integrity, and mucosal immunity. This ultimately facilitates their acclimatization to high-altitude extreme environments characterized by hypoxia and low temperatures. Full article

Endometrial polyps are common benign lesions of the uterine cavity characterized by localized overgrowth of endometrial glands, stroma, and vasculature. They are mostly asymptomatic, although in some cases they cause abnormal uterine bleeding and infertility. Increasing evidence indicates that endometrial polyps represent genetically heterogeneous lesions with a multifactorial molecular basis. This review aims to analyze current knowledge on the genetic background of endometrial polyps. For this narrative review article, we searched PubMed and Scopus databases for peer-reviewed research, review articles, and meta-analyses regarding the role of genetics in endometrial polyps, published in the English language with no time restrictions. References of the selected articles for possible additional articles were also screened in order to include most of the key recent evidence. This review highlights the multifactorial genetic landscape underlying the development of endometrial polyps. Current data suggest that these lesions cannot be explained by a single pathogenic mechanism, but rather arise through the interaction of chromosomal changes, somatic and germline genetic variants and dysregulated gene expression. Understanding and integrating these genetic and molecular alterations may improve future diagnostic evaluation, risk stratification, and clinical management of endometrial polyps, although most findings are not yet ready for routine clinical application. Full article

Global warming poses serious threats to plant reproduction and agricultural productivity by affecting the timing of flowering, a critical developmental transition. Although transcriptional regulation of flowering pathways has been extensively studied, posttranslational and protein-level regulatory mechanisms are gaining increasing attention as important thermosensory switches enabling rapid and reversible responses to temperature fluctuations. These mechanisms include temperature-dependent protein degradation, ubiquitination, liquid–liquid phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins, protein sequestration, and dynamic protein–protein interactions. This review summarizes current understanding of posttranslational flowering time regulation under high-temperature conditions, focusing on the major interconnected thermosensory modules, such as the temperature-dependent proteostasis of floral repressors and the emergence of temperature-responsive liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Recent discoveries indicate that temperature-responsive flowering relies not only on transcriptional networks but also on dynamic protein-level regulatory mechanisms, including ubiquitination, proteasomal degradation, and liquid–liquid phase separation. However, the fact that these mechanisms have not been validated in crop species leaves their translational potential an open question. Full article

Orchestration of Asymmetric Multiprocessing Platforms (AMPs), such as ARM big.LITTLE, frequently relies on the heuristic assumption of cluster independence, wherein high-performance (“Big”) and high-efficiency (“Little”) cores operate as computationally orthogonal resources. These cores are partitioned into “islands” of separate power/performance clusters, operating on independent/voltage frequency rails. However, these platforms share resources, including Last-Level Cache (LLC), main memory, and interconnects across all cores. Therefore, we assume that islands interact, operating in a functionally “coupled state.” To conduct a measure-theoretic evaluation of this assumption, we apply the Boltzmann uniqueness theorem, recently demonstrated to be the singular method to determine the veracity of this assumption. Mathematically, we define an “uncoupled” system as one whose joint resource measurement is strictly the convolution of its subsystem measures. We evaluate two distinct AMP topologies—Orange Pi 5 and Cubie A7A under controlled saturation—and demonstrate a systemic failure of convolution commutativity. We subsequently expand this investigation to high-performance x86 hybrid architectures via the Intel i7-12800H platform. Our findings, characterized by significant negative power correlations and the failure of predictive convolution models, constitute a counterexample for cluster independence. We identify shared architectural resources, specifically the LLC and shared power rails, as the likely physical mechanisms of “architectural entanglement,” rendering traditional additive performance models underspecified. Full article

Fruit color is a key quality indicator for apples and directly influences their market value. The process of fruit ripening encompasses various physiological and biochemical changes, such as the breakdown of chlorophyll and the buildup of anthocyanins and carotenoids. This study investigated the mechanism of chlorophyll degradation in apple peels using ‘Granny Smith’ varieties. The experiments involving the treatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) indicated that a concentration of 10 µM MeJA led to a reduction in chlorophyll degradation, while a higher concentration of 1500 µM MeJA enhanced this degradation, which aligned with the variations observed in the expression of genes associated with chlorophyll degradation. The key chlorophyll degradation gene MdSGR1 was cloned and found to be induced by methyl jasmonate. MdSGR1 encodes a 283-amino-acid protein belonging to the stay-green superfamily. The promoter possesses inducible cis-acting elements that respond to methyl jasmonate, low temperature and light, while the protein is localized to chloroplasts. Overexpression and silencing vectors were constructed. Overexpression of MdSGR1 induced chlorosis in tobacco leaves and ‘Granny Smith’ apple peels, decreased chlorophyll content, and upregulated related gene expression. Conversely, silencing MdSGR1 produced opposite effects. Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing MdSGR1 exhibited low chlorophyll content, reduced photosynthetic rate, upregulated expression of genes associated with chlorophyll degradation. The results of yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase reporter assays indicated that the MdMYC2 transcription factor interacts with the promoter region of MdSGR1. In conclusion, MdSGR1 is crucial for the degradation of chlorophyll in apple peel, and it is regulated both by the MdMYC2 transcription factor and different concentrations of MeJA. This study preliminarily elucidated the regulatory mechanism of methyl jasmonate on chlorophyll degradation in fruit peel, and these findings provide an important theoretical basis for controlling degreening and color quality in apple fruit. Full article

Hydroperoxides (R–OOH, organic hydroperoxides) constitute a relatively small but structurally diverse class of natural metabolites occurring in higher plants, fungi, and marine organisms. Their formation is closely associated with oxidative processes involving redox-active metal ions, particularly iron and copper, which promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and the oxidative transformation of steroids and triterpenoids. In the present study, approximately 1500 naturally occurring steroids and triterpenoids were screened using the PASS (Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances) platform to identify compounds with potential relevance to neurodegenerative disorders. Among the analyzed compounds, only 17 hydroperoxide-containing steroids and triterpenoids exhibited notable predicted anti-dementia activity and were selected for detailed evaluation. The selected compounds displayed a broad spectrum of predicted biological activities, including antineoplastic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcerative, antithrombotic, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Several hydroperoxide-containing triterpenoids demonstrated particularly high predicted anti-dementia activity, with a norlupane-type hydroperoxide exhibiting the highest probability of activity (Pa = 0.972). The biological significance of these compounds may be related to the unique redox properties of the hydroperoxide functionality, which can participate in both oxidative and adaptive signaling processes. Because hydroperoxides interact with transition metal ions and reactive oxygen species, they occupy a complex position at the interface between oxidative stress, cellular defense mechanisms, and neurodegeneration. The present analysis highlights hydroperoxide-containing steroids and triterpenoids as an underexplored class of natural products with potential relevance to dementia research. However, the reported activities are based primarily on computational predictions and should be interpreted as indicators of pharmacological potential rather than experimentally validated therapeutic effects. Further investigations involving blood–brain barrier permeability assessment, biochemical studies, cellular assays, animal models, and clinical evaluation will be required to determine the true therapeutic value of these compounds in neurodegenerative diseases. Full article

Buried parallel pipelines are increasingly common, and unlike single-line systems, adjacent pipelines exhibit mutual interactions. This study investigated their behavior under symmetric and asymmetric conditions, considering empty pipeline, water filling, and normal working, as well as the effects of diameter-to-thickness ratio, spacing, and burial depth. The results indicate that the pipeline–soil interaction differs significantly from single pipelines and is highly dependent on working conditions. Under symmetric conditions, vertical and horizontal deformations differ by 3.0–4.3 mm; contact pressure is nearly circular under empty pipeline and water filling conditions, but elliptical under normal working condition; tangential force follows a cloverleaf pattern; and soil pressure at the pipeline top and vertical soil support lose axial symmetry, with unequal horizontal resistance on either side. Under asymmetric operations, the largest differences occur under the water filling—normal working condition, with the soil pressure at the top of the #1 pipeline being 36.7% lower than that of the #2 pipeline. Moreover, smaller diameter-to-thickness ratios reduce sensitivity to working conditions, while greater burial depth linearly increases deformation and soil pressure, amplifying inter-pipeline differences. Pipeline spacing has only limited effects. These findings reveal the mechanical properties of parallel pipelines under various operating scenarios, providing a reference for the design of multi-pipeline systems. Full article

Brucellosis and tuberculosis (TB) are chronic infectious diseases of international public health importance, with developing countries being most affected. The diagnosis of brucellosis and tuberculosis co-infection remains challenging because both diseases present with overlapping nonspecific clinical manifestations, such as prolonged fever, fatigue, and weight loss, and elicit similar cell-mediated immune and inflammatory responses, which can complicate differential diagnosis, particularly in endemic regions. Recently, it has been shown that chronic infections affect cell stress pathways such as oxidative stress and telomere function. The current literature review provides an overview of the relationship between brucellosis and TB at a molecular level, focusing on telomere biology, oxidative stress and the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. Due to chronic immune response in brucellosis and TB patients, an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels is observed, leading to DNA damage and subsequent telomere shortening and alteration of telomerase activity. These alterations might be responsible for immune senescence, weakened defense response and persistent infection. In addition, different methods of drug resistance have been discovered among brucellae and mycobacteria, such as mutation in target sites, efflux systems and intracellular persistence, making their eradication difficult. Finally, the potential role of telomere-related genes and biomarkers of oxidative stress in diagnosis and prognosis is also highlighted. Insights into these interrelated pathways would allow us to have a better understanding of host–pathogen interactions and hence offer a possible means of developing new strategies in the fight against co-infection by finding new biomarkers. Full article