Transcriptome sequencing and comparative analysis of adult ovary and testis identify potential gonadal maintenance-related genes in Mauremys reevesii with temperature-dependent sex determination

Mauremys reevesii is a classical organism with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Gonad development in early life has recently received considerable attention but gonadal maintenance after sex differentiation in turtles with TSD remains a mystery. In this study, we sequenced the transcriptomes for the adult testis and ovary using RNA-seq, and 36,221 transcripts were identified. In total, 1,594 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified where 756 DEGs were upregulated in the testis and 838 DEGs were upregulated in the ovary. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis suggested that the TGF-beta signaling pathway and Hedgehog signaling pathway have important roles in testis maintenance and spermatogenesis, whereas the Hippo signaling pathway and Wnt signaling pathway are likely to participate in ovary maintenance. We determined the existence of antagonistic networks containing significant specific-expressed genes and pathways related to gonadal maintenance and gametogenesis in the adult gonads of M. reevesii. The candidate gene Fibronectin type 3 and ankyrin repeat domains 1 (FANK1) might be involved with the regulation of testis spermatogenesis

Genetic Drivers of Heterogeneity in Type 2 Diabetes Pathophysiology

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes1,2 and molecular mechanisms that are often specific to cell type3,4. Here, to characterize the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% not of European ancestry), including 428,452 cases of T2D. We identify 1,289 independent association signals at genome-wide significance (P \u3c 5 × 10-8) that map to 611 loci, of which 145 loci are, to our knowledge, previously unreported. We define eight non-overlapping clusters of T2D signals that are characterized by distinct profiles of cardiometabolic trait associations. These clusters are differentially enriched for cell-type-specific regions of open chromatin, including pancreatic islets, adipocytes, endothelial cells and enteroendocrine cells. We build cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores5 in a further 279,552 individuals of diverse ancestry, including 30,288 cases of T2D, and test their association with T2D-related vascular outcomes. Cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores are associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and end-stage diabetic nephropathy across ancestry groups, highlighting the importance of obesity-related processes in the development of vascular outcomes. Our findings show the value of integrating multi-ancestry genome-wide association study data with single-cell epigenomics to disentangle the aetiological heterogeneity that drives the development and progression of T2D. This might offer a route to optimize global access to genetically informed diabetes care

Genetic drivers of heterogeneity in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes1,2 and molecular mechanisms that are often specific to cell type3,4. Here, to characterize the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% not of European ancestry), including 428,452 cases of T2D. We identify 1,289 independent association signals at genome-wide significance (P &lt; 5 × 10-8) that map to 611 loci, of which 145 loci are, to our knowledge, previously unreported. We define eight non-overlapping clusters of T2D signals that are characterized by distinct profiles of cardiometabolic trait associations. These clusters are differentially enriched for cell-type-specific regions of open chromatin, including pancreatic islets, adipocytes, endothelial cells and enteroendocrine cells. We build cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores5 in a further 279,552 individuals of diverse ancestry, including 30,288 cases of T2D, and test their association with T2D-related vascular outcomes. Cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores are associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and end-stage diabetic nephropathy across ancestry groups, highlighting the importance of obesity-related processes in the development of vascular outcomes. Our findings show the value of integrating multi-ancestry genome-wide association study data with single-cell epigenomics to disentangle the aetiological heterogeneity that drives the development and progression of T2D. This might offer a route to optimize global access to genetically informed diabetes care.</p

Factor of safety of slope stability from deformation energy

The factor of safety of a slope (Fs) is invariably assessed using methods underpinned by moment, force, and (or) shear strength equilibrium concerning slip surfaces. Each method inherently embeds some form of limitations, despite being popularly adopted in practice. In this paper, a new Fs is devised using the ratio of ultimate energy (eu, upon sliding) over accumulated elastic energy. The Fs is then reduced to a simple expression of the power to shear stress and shear strength, by taking soil as an elastic-plastic material obeying the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. This expression empowers significant efficacy in gaining the factor of safety (without involving energy or directions of shear stresses). The Fs values were calculated for three typical slopes concerning various mechanical properties (dilation, Poisson\u27s ratio, and shear modulus) and effective computational strategies. All of the Fs values (to a congruous accuracy of available methods) were obtained in less than 1% the time of conventional numerical analyses. The proposed Fs, equally applicable to limit equilibrium methods, may be utilized in practice to expedite slope design

Ecological renovation process of Nanjing’s housing stock built between 1840 and 1949, China

Numerous in number and mostly still in use, buildings built between 1840 and 1949 are valuable assets in the rapid development and renovation of Chinese cities. However, due to lack of maintenance and being inhabited mainly by the elderly and people with low incomes, many of these buildings are in poor condition and have much higher possibilities of being demolished. The objectives of ecological renovation presented in this paper are to improve building performance and to achieve higher levels of comfort and lower levels of energy consumption. The housings in Zhong-nong-li block in Nanjing are used as an example in this paper to show how a strategy of “basic” renovation and “thorough” renovation is used in the ecological renovation of housing stock between 1840 and 1949 in China. The paper demonstrates that these are very practical steps for this building stock in China and could not only help to balance social and economic factors in practice, but also improve the living conditions of the residents, and endow the old houses with a new, long life. Numerical simulations of the natural day lighting and ventilation situations before and after renovation are made to show the improvement in building performance after renovation

Optimal Design and Verification of Informal Learning Spaces (ILS) in Chinese Universities Based on Visual Perception Analysis

As the focus on higher education in China gradually shifts from rapid development to an emphasis on quality, the need for campus environments to become facilitators of education has gained increasing attention. The accelerated development of information technology has also led to tremendous changes in both teaching and learning methods, with informal learning taking on an increasingly important role. Furthermore, the development of human sensing technology, especially visual perception technology, has brought in new opportunities for the research and optimization of informal learning spaces (ILSs) in universities. This paper focuses on the ILS in Chinese universities by exploring optimal design approaches based on visual perception analysis. Through research and field investigation, this paper proposes revised theoretical research of classifications and spatial elements of ILS in universities more applicable to the architectural study of space. This paper also explores practical optimal design methods with two case studies and makes experiments with wearable eye trackers to study the users’ perception in these spaces before and after optimization. The optimal design is made from the aspects of physical space, facilities, and environment. Visual perception experiments and quantitative analysis were used to obtain a higher level of experimental accuracy than the previous studies and thus to study the real feeling of users in spaces. By these means, the effect of the optimized design was verified and the relation between users’ perceptions and the spatial environments was explored for further improvements to optimal design methods. This article can provide theoretical and practical references for campus space optimization research and design, especially for ILS on university campuses

Macroinvertebrate communities and the relationships with biotic factors in river-connected lakes in the lower reaches of Yangtze River, China

The relationships of macroinvertebrate communities with abiotic factors in lake and river system were well documented, but their relationships with biotic factors were few explored. The macroinvertebrate communities in two river-disconnected lakes (Poyang Lake and Shijiu Lake) and the rivers connected to Shijiu Lake were investigated to reveal the differences in communities and explore the relationships with biotic factors. A total of 34 species were recorded in the three water bodies. Combined with the previous study results, the dominant species in Poyang Lake is almost unchanged since 1997. Mollusks were dominated in abundance in Poyang Lake and the rivers connected to Shijiu Lake, while oligochaetes dominated the communities in Shijiu Lake. The alpha diversity indices of macroinvertebrates in Poyang Lake and the rivers connected to Shijiu Lake were distinctly higher than that of Shijiu Lake, and the beta diversity index of Shijiu Lake was the highest, supporting the rules that alpha diversity of macroinvertebrates achieves a maximum at a moderate level of connectivity and beta diversity seems to be higher when the connectivity is weaker. The differences in communities were significant between the Poyang Lake and Shijiu Lake, while the differences in the Poyang Lake and the rivers connected to Shijiu Lake were not significant. According to the results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), protozoon densities and phytoplankton biomass affected the distribution of macroinvertebrates in Shijiu Lake. Species number of planktonic crustaceans influenced the distribution of macroinvertebrates in rivers connected to Shijiu Lake, while species number of rotifer and densities of phytoplankton distinctly impacted on the distribution of macroinvertebrates in Poyang Lake

Optimal Design and Verification of Informal Learning Spaces (ILS) in Chinese Universities Based on Visual Perception Analysis

As the focus on higher education in China gradually shifts from rapid development to an emphasis on quality, the need for campus environments to become facilitators of education has gained increasing attention. The accelerated development of information technology has also led to tremendous changes in both teaching and learning methods, with informal learning taking on an increasingly important role. Furthermore, the development of human sensing technology, especially visual perception technology, has brought in new opportunities for the research and optimization of informal learning spaces (ILSs) in universities. This paper focuses on the ILS in Chinese universities by exploring optimal design approaches based on visual perception analysis. Through research and field investigation, this paper proposes revised theoretical research of classifications and spatial elements of ILS in universities more applicable to the architectural study of space. This paper also explores practical optimal design methods with two case studies and makes experiments with wearable eye trackers to study the users&rsquo; perception in these spaces before and after optimization. The optimal design is made from the aspects of physical space, facilities, and environment. Visual perception experiments and quantitative analysis were used to obtain a higher level of experimental accuracy than the previous studies and thus to study the real feeling of users in spaces. By these means, the effect of the optimized design was verified and the relation between users&rsquo; perceptions and the spatial environments was explored for further improvements to optimal design methods. This article can provide theoretical and practical references for campus space optimization research and design, especially for ILS on university campuses