The outer solar system is theoretically predicted to harbour an undiscovered planet, often referred to as Planet Nine. Simulations suggest that its gravitational influence could explain the unusual clustering of minor bodies in the Kuiper Belt. However, no observational evidence for Planet Nine has been found so far, as its predicted orbit lies far beyond Neptune, where it reflects only a faint amount of Sunlight. This work aims to find Planet Nine candidates by taking advantage of two far-infrared all-sky surveys, which are IRAS and AKARI. The epochs of these two surveys were separated by 23 years, which is large enough to detect Planet Nine’s ∼ 3′/year orbital motion. We use a dedicated AKARI Far-Infrared point source list for the purpose of our Planet Nine search — AKARI-FIS Monthly Unconfirmed Source List (AKARI-MUSL), which includes sources detected repeatedly only in hours timescale, but not after months. AKARI-MUSL is more advantageous than the AKARI Bright Source Catalogue (AKARI-BSC) for detecting moving and faint objects like Planet Nine with a twice-deeper flux detection limit. We search for objects that moved slowly between IRAS and AKARI detections given in the catalogues. First, we estimated the expected flux and orbital motion of Planet Nine by assuming its mass, distance, and effective temperature to ensure it can be detected by IRAS and AKARI, then applied the positional and flux selection criteria to narrow down the number of sources from the catalogues. Next, we produced all possible candidate pairs including one IRAS source and one AKARI source whose angular separations were limited between 42′ and 69.6′, corresponding to the heliocentric distance range of 500 – 700 AU and the mass range of 7 – 17M⊕. There are 13 candidate pairs obtained after the selection criteria. After image inspection, we found one good candidate, of which the IRAS source is absent from the same coordinate in the AKARI image after 23 years and vice versa. However, AKARI and IRAS detections are not enough to determine the full orbit of this candidate. This issue leads to the need for follow-up observations, which will determine the Keplerian motion of our Planet Nine candidate.

An unusual orbital element clustering of Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) has been observed. The most promising dynamic solution is the presence of a giant planet in the outer Solar system, Planet Nine. However, due to its extreme distance, intensive searches in optical have not been successful. We aim to find Planet Nine in the far-infrared, where it has the peak of the black body radiation, using the most sensitive all-sky far-infrared survey to date, AKARI. In contrast to optical searches, where the energy of reflected sunlight decreases by $d^{4}$, thermal radiation in the infrared decreases with the square of the heliocentric distance $d^{2}$. We search for moving objects in the AKARI Single Scan Detection List. We select sources from a promising region suggested by an N-body simulation from Millholland and Laughlin 2017: $30^{\circ}\lt$ R.A. $\lt50^{\circ}$ and $-20^{\circ}\lt$ Dec. $\lt20^{\circ}$. Known sources are excluded by cross-matching AKARI sources with 9 optical and infrared catalogues. Furthermore, we select sources with small background strength to avoid sources in the cirrus. Since Planet Nine is stationary in a timescale of hours but moves on a monthly scale, our primary strategy is to select slowly moving objects that are stationary in 24 h but not in six months, using multiple single scans by AKARI. The selected slowly moving AKARI sources are scrutinised for potential contamination from cosmic rays. Our analysis reveals two possible Planet Nine candidates whose positions and flux are within the theoretical prediction ranges. These candidates warrant further investigation through follow-up observations to confirm the existence and properties of Planet Nine.

Brown dwarfs are failed stars with very low mass (13–75 Jupiter mass) and an effective temperature lower than 2 500 K. Their mass range is between Jupiter and red dwarfs. Thus, they play a key role in understanding the gap in the mass function between stars and planets. However, due to their faint nature, previous searches are inevitably limited to the solar neighbourhood (20 pc). To improve our knowledge of the low mass part of the initial stellar mass function and the star formation history of the Milky Way, it is crucial to find more distant brown dwarfs. Using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) COSMOS-Web data, this study seeks to enhance our comprehension of the physical characteristics of brown dwarfs situated at a distance of kpc scale. The exceptional sensitivity of the JWST enables the detection of brown dwarfs that are up to 100 times more distant than those discovered in the earlier all-sky infrared surveys. The large area coverage of the JWST COSMOS-Web survey allows us to find more distant brown dwarfs than earlier JWST studies with smaller area coverages. To capture prominent water absorption features around 2.7 ${\unicode{x03BC}}$m, we apply two colour criteria, $\text{F115W}-\text{F277W}+1\lt\text{F277W}-\text{F444W}$ and $\text{F277W}-\text{F444W}\gt\,0.9$. We then select point sources by CLASS_STAR, FLUX_RADIUS, and SPREAD_MODEL criteria. Faint sources are visually checked to exclude possibly extended sources. We conduct SED fitting and MCMC simulations to determine their physical properties and associated uncertainties. Our search reveals 25 T-dwarf candidates and 2 Y-dwarf candidates, more than any previous JWST brown dwarf searches. They are located from 0.3 to 4 kpc away from the Earth. The spatial number density of 900–1 050 K dwarf is $(2.0\pm0.9) \times10^{-6}\text{ pc}^{-3}$, 1 050–1 200 K dwarf is $(1.2\pm0.7) \times10^{-6}\text{ pc}^{-3}$, and 1 200–1 350 K dwarf is $(4.4\pm1.3) \times10^{-6}\text{ pc}^{-3}$. The cumulative number count of our brown dwarf candidates is consistent with the prediction from a standard double exponential model. Three of our brown dwarf candidates were detected by HST, with transverse velocities $12\pm5$, $12\pm4$, and $17\pm6$ km s$^{-1}$. Along with earlier studies, the JWST has opened a new window of brown dwarf research in the Milky Way thick disk and halo.

Fine particulate matter (PM2·5) is a known risk factor for heart failure (HF), while plant-based dietary patterns may help reduce HF risk. This study examined the combined impact of PM2·5 exposure and a plant-based diet on HF incidence. A total of 190 092 participants from the UK Biobank were included in this study. HF cases were identified through linkage to the UK National Health Services register, with follow-up lasting until October 2022 in England, August 2022 in Scotland and May 2022 in Wales. Annual mean PM2·5 concentration was obtained using a land use regression model, while the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) was calculated using the Oxford WebQ tool based on two or more 24-hour dietary assessments of seventeen major food groups. Cox proportional hazard models assessed the associations of PM2·5 and hPDI with HF risk, and interactions were evaluated on additive and multiplicative scales. During a median of 13·4-year follow-up, 4351 HF cases were recorded. Participants in the highest PM2·5 tertile had a 23 % increased HF risk (hazard ratio: 1·23, 95 % CI: 1·14, 1·32) compared with those in the lowest tertile. Moderate or high hPDI was associated with reduced HF risk relative to low hPDI. The lowest HF risk was observed in individuals with high hPDI and low PM2·5 exposure, underscoring the protective role of a plant-based diet, particularly in areas with lower PM2·5 levels. A healthy plant-based diet may mitigate HF risk, especially in populations exposed to lower PM2·5 levels.

This paper reports an expansion of the English as a second language (L2) component of the Multilingual Eye Movement Corpus (MECO L2), an international database of eye movements during text reading. While the previous Wave 1 of the MECO project (Kuperman et al., 2023) contained English as a L2 reading data from readers with 12 different first language (L1) backgrounds, the newly collected dataset adds eye-tracking data on English text reading from 13 distinct L1 backgrounds (N = 660) as well as participants’ scores on component skills of English proficiency and information about their demographics and language background and use. The paper reports reliability estimates, descriptive statistics, and correlational analyses as means to validate the expansion dataset. Consistent with prior literature and the MECO Wave 1, trends in the MECO Wave 2 data include a weak correlation between reading comprehension and oculomotor measures of reading fluency and a greater L1-L2 contrast in reading fluency than reading comprehension. Jointly with Wave 1, the MECO project includes English reading data from more than 1,200 readers representing a diversity of native writing systems (logographic, abjad, abugida, and alphabetic) and 19 distinct L1 backgrounds. We provide multiple pointers to new venues of how L2 reading researchers can mine this rich publicly available dataset.

The assessment of seed quality and physiological potential is essential in seed production and crop breeding. In the process of rapid detection of seed viability using tetrazolium (TZ) staining, it is necessary to spend a lot of labour and material resources to explore the pretreatment and staining methods of hard and solid seeds with physical barriers. This study explores the TZ staining methods of six hard seeds (Tilia miqueliana, Tilia henryana, Sassafras tzumu, Prunus subhirtella, Prunus sibirica, and Juglans mandshurica) and summarizes the TZ staining conditions required for hard seeds by combining the difference in fat content between seeds and the kinship between species, thus providing a rapid viability test method for the protection of germplasm resources of endangered plants and the optimization of seed bank construction. The TZ staining of six species of hard seeds requires a staining temperature above 35 °C and a TZ solution concentration higher than 1%. Endospermic seeds require shorter staining times than exalbuminous seeds. The higher the fat content of the seeds, the lower the required incubation temperature and TZ concentration for staining, and the longer the staining time. And the closer the relationship between the two species, the more similar their staining conditions become. The TZ staining method of similar species can be predicted according to the genetic distance between the phylogenetic trees, and the viability of new species can be detected quickly.

Heritable thoracic aortic aneurysms are complex conditions characterised by the dilation or rupture of the thoracic aorta, often occurring as an autosomal-dominant disorder associated with life-threatening complications. In this case report, we present a de novo variant, MFAP5 c.236_237insA (p.N79Kfs9), which is implicated in the development of inherited thoracic aortic aneurysm. The proband, a 15-year-old male, presented with recurrent cough, dull chest pain, chest distress, vomiting, and reduced activity tolerance, leading to the diagnosis of heritable thoracic aortic aneurysms. Whole-exome sequencing identified a novel heterozygous variant in MFAP5 (NM_003480, c.236_237insA, and p.N79Kfs9). MutationTester and PolyPhen-s predicted this variant to be damaging and disease-causing (probability = 1), while the SFIT score indicated protein damage (0.001). Structural analysis using the AlphaFold Protein structure database revealed that this mutation disrupted the N-linked glycosylation site, resulting in a frameshift, amino acid sequence alteration, and truncation of an essential protein site. To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing a young patient with heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm carrying the novel MFAP5 c.236_237insA (p.N79Kfs*9) variant. This variant represents the third identified mutation site associated with heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm. Given the high mortality and morbidity rates associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms, the prevention of severe and fatal complications is crucial in the clinical management of this condition. Our case highlights the importance of whole-exome sequencing and genetic screening in identifying potential pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, particularly in early-onset patients with aortic dilation, to inform appropriate management strategies.

We investigate the spatial distribution and dynamics of the vortices in rotating Rayleigh–Bénard convection in a reduced Rayleigh number range $1.3\le Ra/Ra_{c}\le 83.1$. Under slow rotations ($Ra\approx 80\,Ra_{c}$), the vortices are distributed randomly, which is manifested by the size distribution of the Voronoi cells of the vortex centres being a standard $\varGamma$ distribution. The vortices exhibit Brownian-type horizontal motion in the parameter range $Ra\gtrsim 10\,Ra_{c}$. The probability density functions of the vortex displacements are, however, non-Gaussian at short time scales. At modest rotating rates ($4\,Ra_{c}\le Ra\lesssim 10\,Ra_{c}$), the centrifugal force leads to radial vortex motions, i.e. warm cyclones (cold anticyclones) moving towards (outwards from) the rotation axis. The horizontal scale of the vortices decreases with decreasing $Ra/Ra_c$, and the size distribution of their Voronoi cells deviates from the $\varGamma$ distribution. In the rapidly rotating regime ($1.6\,Ra_{c}\le Ra\le 4\,Ra_{c}$), the vortices are densely distributed. The hydrodynamic interaction of neighbouring vortices results in the formation of vortex clusters. Within clusters, cyclones exhibit inverse-centrifugal motion as they submit to the outward motion of the strong anticyclones, and the radial velocity of the anticyclones is enhanced. The radial mobility of isolated vortices, scaled by their vorticity strength, is shown to be a simple power function of the Froude number. For all flow regimes studied, we show that the number of vortices with a lifespan greater than $t$ decreases exponentially as $\exp ({-t/{\tau }})$ for large time, where $\tau$ represents the characteristic lifetime of long-lived vortices.

Dietary antioxidant indices (DAI) may be potentially associated with relative telomere length (RTL) of leucocytes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DAI and RTL. A cross-sectional study involving 1656 participants was conducted. A generalised linear regression model and a restricted cubic spline model were used to assess the correlation of DAI and its components with RTL. Generalised linear regression analysis revealed that DAI (β = 0·005, P = 0·002) and the intake of its constituents vitamin C (β = 0·043, P = 0·027), vitamin E (β = 0·088, P < 0·001), Se (β = 0·075, P = 0·003), and Zn (β = 0·075, P = 0·023) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL. Sex-stratified analysis showed that DAI (β = 0·006, P = 0·005) and its constituents vitamin E (β = 0·083, P = 0·012), Se (β = 0·093, P = 0·006), and Zn (β = 0·092, P = 0·034) were significantly and positively correlated with RTL among females. Meanwhile, among males, only vitamin E intake (β = 0·089, P = 0·013) was significantly and positively associated with RTL. Restricted cubic spline analysis revealed linear positive associations between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in the total population. Sex-stratified analysis revealed a linear positive correlation between DAI and its constituents’ (vitamin E, Se and Zn) intake and RTL in females. Our study found a significant positive correlation between DAI and RTL, with sex differences.

To alleviate the growth inhibition, and intestinal damage of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) induced by low fishmeal diets (LF), an 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the addition of dietary soybean-derived bioactive peptides (SBP) in LF diets on the regulation of growth, digestion and intestinal health. The crabs were fed isonitrogenous and isoenergetic conventional diet and LF diets (10 % fishmeal replaced by soybean meal, LF) supplemented with 0, 1 %, 2 %, 4 % and 6 % SBP, respectively. The results showed that LF diet inhibited growth while inclusion of SBP quadratically remitted the growth inhibition induced by LF. For digestive function, increasing addition level of SBP quadratically improved the α-amylase and trypsin activities. For antioxidant function, LF group significantly increased the malondialdehyde content, while SBP linearly decreased the malondialdehyde level and cubically increased the anti-superoxide anion activity and total antioxidant capacity level. For intestinal health, the peritrophic membrane (PM) almost completely separated from the inner wall of the intestinal lumen, the epithelial cells reduced, the muscularis became thinner and the apoptotic signals increased in LF group; with SBP addition, the intestinal morphology was improved, with the PM adhering to the inner wall of the intestinal lumen, an increase in the number of epithelial cells and an increase in the thickness of the muscularis. Additionally, there was a decrease in apoptotic signals. Dietary SBP also increased the expression of PT and Crustin1 quadratically and decreased the expression of ALF1 linearly, ALF3 and ILF2 quadratically.

Available data suggest that the immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines might decrease in the immunocompromised population, but data on vaccine immunogenicity and safety among people living with HIV (PLWH) are still lacking. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the immunogenicity and safety of COVID-19 vaccines in PLWH with healthy controls. We comprehensively searched the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. The risk ratio (RR) of seroconversion after the first and second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine was separately pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Seroconversion rate was lower among PLWH compared with healthy individuals after the first (RR = 0.77, 95% confident interval (CI) 0.64–0.92) and second doses (RR = 0.97, 95%CI 0.95–0.99). The risk of total adverse reactions among PLWH is similar to the risk in the healthy group, after the first (RR = 0.87, 95%CI 0.70–1.10) and second (RR = 0.83, 95%CI 0.65–1.07) doses. This study demonstrates that the immunogenicity and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in fully vaccinated HIV-infected patients were generally satisfactory. A second dose was related to seroconversion enhancement. Therefore, we considered that a booster dose may provide better seroprotection for PLWH. On the basis of a conventional two-dose regimen for COVID-19 vaccines, the booster dose is very necessary.

In a recent study, visual signals were recorded for the first time in starburst amacrine cells of the macaque retina, and, as for mouse and rabbit, a directional bias observed in calcium signals was recorded from near the dendritic tips. Stimulus motion from the soma toward the tip generated a larger calcium signal than motion from the tip toward the soma. Two mechanisms affecting the spatiotemporal summation of excitatory postsynaptic currents have been proposed to contribute to directional signaling at the dendritic tips of starbursts: (1) a “morphological” mechanism in which electrotonic propagation of excitatory synaptic currents along a dendrite sums bipolar cell inputs at the dendritic tip preferentially for stimulus motion in the centrifugal direction; (2) a “space–time” mechanism that relies on differences in the time-courses of proximal and distal bipolar cell inputs to favor centrifugal stimulus motion. To explore the contributions of these two mechanisms in the primate, we developed a realistic computational model based on connectomic reconstruction of a macaque starburst cell and the distribution of its synaptic inputs from sustained and transient bipolar cell types. Our model suggests that both mechanisms can initiate direction selectivity in starburst dendrites, but their contributions differ depending on the spatiotemporal properties of the stimulus. Specifically, the morphological mechanism dominates when small visual objects are moving at high velocities, and the space–time mechanism contributes most for large visual objects moving at low velocities.

Water pollution by hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is widespread and problematic. As a result, more research into economic Cr(VI) removal is needed. In this study, we created and employed an adsorption–reduction mechanism to remove Cr(VI). Magnetically reduced graphene oxide bentonite (MrGO-BT) is acid resistant and can undergo magnetic separation. The hydroxyl group of chitosan (CS) condensed with the functional groups on the surface of bentonite (BT), and the MrGO-BT sandwich has been fabricated and constructed from an Fe3O4 core layer sandwiched by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and a BT shell, with CS acting as a crosslinker. Cr(VI) elimination by MrGO-BT was exothermic and spontaneous according to thermodynamic analyses. The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms were characterized by the pseudo-second order kinetic theory and the Langmuir model, respectively. Regarding the elimination of Cr(VI), the greatest adsorption ability for Cr(VI) elimination achieved was 91.5 mg g–1. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggested that Cr(VI) was reduced by C–O–H on MrGO-BT to produce Cr(III) and H–C=O, and that Cr(III) chelated with amino groups or exchanged with BT after intercalation. In addition, the introduction of Cu2+ increased the positive charge of MrGO-BT and amplified the electrostatic interaction between Cr2O72− and HCrO4–, which is what caused Cr(VI) to be eliminated. Cu2+ and reduced Cr(III) combined with -NH2 on the surface of MrGO-BT to form -NH-Cr(III) or -NH-Cu2+, and Cr(VI) elimination via chelation and ion exchange was confirmed. MrGO-BT is shown to be an adsorbent with high acid resistance and good magnetic responsiveness and stability.

Overall diet quality during pregnancy has played an important role on maternal glucose metabolism. However, evidence based on the adherence to the dietary guideline is limited, especially for Asian populations. We aimed to examine the association between adherence to the Chinese dietary guideline measured by the Diet Balance Index for Pregnancy (DBI-P) and maternal glucose metabolism, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) status, fasting and 2-h plasma glucose. Data were obtained from the baseline survey of the Yuexiu birth cohort. We recruited 942 pregnant women at 20–28 weeks of gestation in 2017–2018. Dietary intakes during the past month were collected using a validated semi-quantitative FFQ. The scores of DBI-P were calculated to assess dietary quality. Lower absolute values of the scores indicate higher adherence to the Chinese dietary guidelines. All participants underwent a 75 g of oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were conducted. The Benjamini–Hochberg method was used to adjust multiple comparisons across DBI-P food components. The value of high bound score indicator, reflecting excessive total food intake, was positively associated with OGTT-2h glucose levels (β = 0·037, P = 0·029). After adjustment for multiple comparisons, the score of animal food intake was positively associated with OGTT-2 h glucose levels (β = 0·045, P = 0·045) and risk of GDM (OR = 1·105, P = 0·030). In conclusion, excessive total food intake was associated with higher postprandial glucose in pregnant women. Lower compliance with the dietary guideline for animal food was associated with both higher postprandial glucose and increased risk of GDM during pregnancy.

Microtubule-severing proteins (MTSPs) play important roles in mitosis and interphase. However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have evaluated the role of MTSPs in female meiosis in mammals. It was found that FIGNL1, a member of MTSPs, was predominantly expressed in mouse oocytes and distributed at the spindle poles during meiosis in the present study. FIGNL1 was co-localized and interacted with γ-tubulin, an important component of the microtubule tissue centre (MTOC). Fignl1 knockdown by specific small interfering RNA caused spindle defects characterized by an abnormal length:width ratio and decreased microtubule density, which consequently led to aberrant chromosome arrangement, oocyte maturation and fertilization obstacles. In conclusion, the present results suggested that FIGNL1 may be an essential factor in oocyte maturation by influencing the meiosis process via the formation of spindles.

The sequential occurrence of three layers of smooth muscle layers (SML) in human embryos and fetus is not known. Here, we investigated the process of gut SML development in human embryos and fetuses and compared the morphology of SML in fetuses and neonates. The H&E, Masson trichrome staining, and Immunohistochemistry were conducted on 6–12 gestation week human embryos and fetuses and on normal neonatal intestine. We showed that no lumen was seen in 6–7th gestation week embryonic gut, neither gut wall nor SML was developed in this period. In 8–9th gestation week embryonic and fetal gut, primitive inner circular SML (IC-SML) was identified in a narrow and discontinuous gut lumen with some vacuoles. In 10th gestation week fetal gut, the outer longitudinal SML (OL-SML) in gut wall was clearly identifiable, both the inner and outer SML expressed α-SMA. In 11–12th gestation week fetal gut, in addition to the IC-SML and OL-SML, the muscularis mucosae started to develop as revealed by α-SMA immune-reactivity beneath the developing mucosal epithelial layer. Comparing with the gut of fetuses of 11–12th week of gestation, the muscularis mucosae, IC-SML, and OL-SML of neonatal intestine displayed different morphology, including branching into glands of lamina propria in mucosa and increased thickness. In conclusions, in the human developing gut between week-8 to week-12 of gestation, the IC-SML develops and forms at week-8, followed by the formation of OL-SML at week-10, and the muscularis mucosae develops and forms last at week-12.

We present a self-biased three-stage GaN-based monolithic microwave integrated circuit low-noise amplifier (LNA) operating between 26 and 29 GHz for 5G mobile communications. The self-biasing circuit, common-source topology with inductive source feedback, and RLC negative feedback loops between gate and drain of the third transistor were implemented to achieve low noise, good port match, high stability, high gain, and compact size. Measurement results show that the LNA has a high and flat gain of 30.5 ± 0.4 dB with noise figure (NF) of 1.65–1.8 dB across the band. The three-stage topology also achieves high linearity, providing the 1 dB compression point output power (P1dB) of 21 dBm in the band. To our knowledge, this combination of NF, gain, and linearity performance represents the state of art of self-biased LNA in this frequency band.