Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Supplementation Improves Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Rescues Cellular Senescence by NAD+/Sirt3 Pathway in Mesenchymal Stem Cells

In vitro expansion-mediated replicative senescence has severely limited the clinical applications of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Accumulating studies manifested that nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) depletion is closely related to stem cell senescence and mitochondrial metabolism disorder. Promoting NAD⁺ level is considered as an effective way to delay aging. Previously, we have confirmed that nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a precursor of NAD⁺, can alleviate NAD⁺ deficiency-induced MSC senescence. However, whether NMN can attenuate MSC senescence and its underlying mechanisms are still incompletely clear. The present study herein showed that late passage (LP) MSCs displayed lower NAD⁺ content, reduced Sirt3 expression and mitochondrial dysfunction. NMN supplementation leads to significant increase in intracellular NAD⁺ level, NAD⁺/ NADH ratio, Sirt3 expression, as well as ameliorated mitochondrial function and rescued senescent MSCs. Additionally, Sirt3 over-expression relieved mitochondrial dysfunction, and retrieved senescence-associated phenotypic features in LP MSCs. Conversely, inhibition of Sirt3 activity via a selective Sirt3 inhibitor 3-TYP in early passage (EP) MSCs resulted in aggravated cellular senescence and abnormal mitochondrial function. Furthermore, NMN administration also improves 3-TYP-induced disordered mitochondrial function and cellular senescence in EP MSCs. Collectively, NMN replenishment alleviates mitochondrial dysfunction and rescues MSC senescence through mediating NAD⁺/Sirt3 pathway, possibly providing a novel mechanism for MSC senescence and a promising strategy for anti-aging pharmaceuticals.     

AAV13 Enables Precise Targeting of Local Neural Populations

As powerful tools for local gene delivery, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are widely used for neural circuit studies and therapeutical purposes. However, most of them have the characteristics of large diffusion range and retrograde labeling, which may result in off-target transduction during in vivo application. Here, in order to achieve precise gene delivery, we screened AAV serotypes that have not been commonly used as gene vectors and found that AAV13 can precisely transduce local neurons in the brain, with a smaller diffusion range than AAV2 and rigorous anterograde labeling. Then, AAV13-based single-viral and dual-viral strategies for sparse labeling of local neurons in the brains of C57BL/6 or Cre transgenic mice were developed. Additionally, through the neurobehavioral test in the ventral tegmental area, we demonstrated that AAV13 was validated for functional monitoring by means of carrying Cre recombinase to drive the expression of Cre-dependent calcium-sensitive indicator. In summary, our study provides AAV13-based toolkits for precise local gene delivery, which can be used for in situ small nuclei targeting, sparse labeling and functional monitoring.     

Synergistic Function between Phosphorus-Containing Flame Retardant and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes towards Fire Safe Polystyrene Composites with Enhanced Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

As a universal polymer material, polystyrene (PS) is widely applied in electrical devices and construction. Thus, it is necessary to improve the flame retardancy and electromagnetic shielding properties of PS material. In this work, PS/silicon-wrapped ammonium polyphosphate/Inorganic acid-treated multi-walled carbon nanotubes composites (PS/SiAPP/aMWCNT, abbreviated as PAC) were prepared via methods of filtration-induced assembly and hot-pressing. Morphology and structure characterization demonstrated that SiAPP and aMWCNT had good dispersion in PS and excellent compatibility with the PS matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the addition of aMWCNT to PS improved its thermal stability and carbon-forming characteristics. The peak heat release rate, the peak carbon monoxide production rate, and the peak smoke production rate of the PAC10 composite decreased by 53.7%, 41.9%, and 45.5%, respectively, while its electromagnetic shielding effectiveness reached 12 dB. These enhancements were attributed to the reason that SiAPP and aMWCNT synergistically catalyzed the char generation and SiAPP produced free radical scavengers and numbers of incombustible gases, which could decrease the oxygen concentration and retard the combustion reaction. Therefore, the assembled PS/SiAPP/aMWCNT system provides a new pathway to improve the flame retardant and electromagnetic shielding properties of PS.     

Increasing the Grain Yield and Grain Protein Content of Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum) by Introducing Missense Mutations in the Q Gene

Grain yield (GY) and grain protein content (GPC) are important traits for wheat breeding and production; however, they are usually negatively correlated. The Q gene is the most important domestication gene in cultivated wheat because it influences many traits, including GY and GPC. Allelic variations in the Q gene may positively affect both GY and GPC. Accordingly, we characterized two new Q alleles (Q^s1 and Q^c1-N8) obtained through ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutagenesis. Compared with the wild-type Q allele, Q^s1 contains a missense mutation in the sequence encoding the first AP₂ domain, whereas Q^c1-N8 has two missense mutations: one in the sequence encoding the second AP₂ domain and the other in the microRNA172-binding site. The Q^s1 allele did not significantly affect GPC or other processing quality parameters, but it adversely affected GY by decreasing the thousand kernel weight and grain number per spike. In contrast, Q^c1-N8 positively affected GPC and GY by increasing the thousand kernel weight and grain number per spike. Thus, we generated novel germplasm relevant for wheat breeding. A specific molecular marker was developed to facilitate the use of the Q^c1-N8 allele in breeding. Furthermore, our findings provide useful new information for enhancing cereal crops via non-transgenic approaches.     

Development of a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Evaluating the Comprehensive Application of Herbaceous Peony at Low Latitudes

The growing region of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora) has been severely constrained due to the intensification of global warming and extreme weather events, especially at low latitudes. Assessing and selecting stress-tolerant and high-quality peony germplasm is essential for maintaining the normal growth and application of peonies under adverse conditions. This study proposed a modified multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model for assessing peonies adapted to low-latitude climates based on our previous study. This model is low-cost, timesaving and suitable for screening the adapted peony germplasm under hot and humid climates. The evaluation was conducted through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), three major criteria, including adaptability-related, ornamental feature-related and growth habits-related criteria, and eighteen sub-criteria were proposed and constructed in this study. The model was validated on fifteen herbaceous peonies cultivars from different latitudes. The results showed that ‘Meiju’, ‘Hang Baishao’, ‘Hongpan Tuojin’ and ‘Bo Baishao’ were assessed as Level I, which have strong growth adaptability and high ornamental values, and were recommended for promotion and application at low latitudes. The reliability and stability of the MCDM model were further confirmed by measuring the chlorophyll fluorescence of the selected adaptive cultivars ‘Meiju’ and ‘Hang Baishao’ and one maladaptive cultivar ‘Zhuguang’. This study could provide a reference for the introduction, breeding and application of perennials under everchanging unfavorable climatic conditions.     

人工神经网络方法辨识岩体力学参数的可辨识性及其稳定性探讨

探讨了以巷道围岩变形观测为依据 ,用神经网络反推岩体物理力学性质和初始地应力环境参数时各参数的可辨识性 ,以及参数辨识的稳定性。找出了待辨识参数个数与所需最少巷道变形观测项目数之间的关系 ,并给出了巷道围岩变形观测项目选择的建议     

基于 Lamb 波能量和飞行时间的碳纤维复合材料 疲劳损伤成像

碳纤维复合材料被广泛应用于航空航天等高新技术领域,其在服役过程中会产生疲劳损伤,埋下安全隐患,因此需要对其健康状况进行监测,利用损伤概率成像算法能够得到直观反映结构健康状况的图像,但传统的损伤概率成像算法在无损伤区域的损伤概率高,难以准确定位损伤,针对以上问题,提出基于Lamb波能量和飞行时间的损伤概率成像算法。将待测区域均匀划分成N个像素点,计算每条通道的Lamb波能量与飞行时间损伤因子,确定各通道损伤因子影响区域的概率值并叠加,得到每个像素点的损伤概率并成像。实验结果表明,与目前常用的基于能量损伤因子和互相关损伤因子的损伤概率成像算法进行对比,提出的方法能够直观地反映碳纤维复合材料缺陷情况,并且识别效果更优,成像误差显著减小,误差error分别降低了4.420、2.117、2.055和4.732、2.380、2.647,能够更准确地识别缺陷,有效地保障碳纤维复合材料结构的安全应用。     

一种结合阴影补偿的城市高分遥感影像分割方法

随着遥感影像空间分辨率的不断提高,由于阴影导致的弱边缘及虚假边缘等对于准确定位对象边缘所造成的干扰也更加突出。在传统的影像分割中进一步引入阴影补偿策略,在之前所提出的WJSEG算法基础上,通过将阴影视为出界点并利用卡方变换进行阴影识别,提出了一种结合阴影补偿的城市场景高分辨率遥感影像分割算法SWJSEG。实验表明,该方法能够有效应对阴影造成的干扰,有助于更加准确地定位对象边缘,使影像分割的精度及可靠性显著提高。     

HPC—11型混凝土喷射车的研制

混凝土喷射支护由于具有快速、及时、方便、低成本的优点,在地下矿山和隧道工程中得到了广泛应用。ＨＰＣ－１１型混凝土喷射车是集机电液为一体的新型混凝土喷射设备,该设备采用多种先进技术,具有自动变速行驶、湿式喷射、有线遥控操纵等特点。实际应用表明：该机具有喷射能力大、工作效率高、操作简单方便、粉尘小、回弹率低等优点,受到施工人员的欢迎。     

Comprehensive Transcriptome Analysis of Hair Follicle Morphogenesis Reveals That lncRNA-H19 Promotes Dermal Papilla Cell Proliferation through the Chi-miR-214-3p/β-Catenin Axis in Cashmere Goats

Cashmere is initiated and develops in the fetal stages and the number and density of secondary hair follicles (SHFs) determine cashmere production and quality. Growing evidence indicates that both microRNA (miRNA) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) play an indispensable role in hair follicle (HF) growth and development. However, little is known about miRNAs, lncRNAs, and their functions as well as their interactions during cashmere initiation and development. Here, based on lncRNA and miRNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, we identified 10,485 lncRNAs, 40,639 mRNAs, and 605 miRNAs in cashmere goat skin during HF induction, organogenesis, and cytodifferentiation stages. Among them, 521 lncRNAs, 5976 genes, and 204 miRNAs were differentially expressed (DE). KEGG analysis of DE genes indicated that ECM–receptor interaction and biosynthesis of amino acids were crucial for HF development. Notch, TGF-beta, and Wnt signaling pathways were also identified, which are conventional pathways associated with HF growth and development. Then, the ceRNA regulatory network was constructed, and the impact of lncRNA H19 was investigated in dermal papilla (DP) cells. The MTT, CCK-8, and EdU assays showed that the viability and proliferation of DP cells were promoted by H19, and mechanistic studies suggested that H19 performed its function through the chi-miR-214-3p/β-catenin axis. The present study created a resource for lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA studies in cashmere morphogenesis. It could contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of ncRNAs involved in the regulation of HF growth and development.