Genome-Wide Identification and Evaluation of New Reference Genes for Gene Expression Analysis Under Temperature and Salinity Stresses in Ciona savignyi

Rapid adaptation/accommodation to changing environments largely contributes to maximal survival of invaders during biological invasions, usually leading to success in crossing multiple barriers and finally in varied environments in recipient habitats. Gene expression is one of the most important and rapid ways during responses to environmental stresses. Selection of proper reference genes is the crucial prerequisite for gene expression analysis using the common approach, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Here we identified eight candidate novel reference genes from the RNA-Seq data in an invasive model ascidian Ciona savignyi under temperature and salinity stresses. Subsequently, the expression stability of these eight novel reference genes, as well as other six traditionally used reference genes, was evaluated using RT-qPCR and comprehensive tool RefFinder. Under the temperature stress, two traditional reference genes, ribosomal proteins S15 and L17 (RPS15, RPL17), and one novel gene Ras homolog A (RhoA), were recommended as the top three stable genes, which can be used to normalize target genes with a high and moderate expression level, respectively. Under the salinity stress, transmembrane 9 superfamily member (TMN), MOB kinase activator 1A-like gene (MOB) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (UBQ2) were suggested as the top three stable genes. On the other hand, several commonly used reference genes such as α-tubulin (TubA), β-tubulin (TubB) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) showed unstable expressions, thus these genes should not be used as internal controls for gene expression analysis. We also tested the expression level of an important stress response gene, large proline-rich protein bag6-like gene (BAG) using different reference genes. As expected, we observed different results and conclusions when using different normalization methods, thus suggesting the importance of selection of proper reference genes and associated normalization methods. Our results provide a valuable reference gene resource for the normalization of gene expression in the study of environmental adaptation/accommodation during biological invasions using C. savignyi as a model

Emotional Intelligence of Large Language Models

Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable abilities across numerous disciplines, primarily assessed through tasks in language generation, knowledge utilization, and complex reasoning. However, their alignment with human emotions and values, which is critical for real-world applications, has not been systematically evaluated. Here, we assessed LLMs' Emotional Intelligence (EI), encompassing emotion recognition, interpretation, and understanding, which is necessary for effective communication and social interactions. Specifically, we first developed a novel psychometric assessment focusing on Emotion Understanding (EU), a core component of EI, suitable for both humans and LLMs. This test requires evaluating complex emotions (e.g., surprised, joyful, puzzled, proud) in realistic scenarios (e.g., despite feeling underperformed, John surprisingly achieved a top score). With a reference frame constructed from over 500 adults, we tested a variety of mainstream LLMs. Most achieved above-average EQ scores, with GPT-4 exceeding 89% of human participants with an EQ of 117. Interestingly, a multivariate pattern analysis revealed that some LLMs apparently did not reply on the human-like mechanism to achieve human-level performance, as their representational patterns were qualitatively distinct from humans. In addition, we discussed the impact of factors such as model size, training method, and architecture on LLMs' EQ. In summary, our study presents one of the first psychometric evaluations of the human-like characteristics of LLMs, which may shed light on the future development of LLMs aiming for both high intellectual and emotional intelligence. Project website: https://emotional-intelligence.github.io/Comment: 34 pages, 4 figure

Actin reorganization in hippocampal neurons may play a role in early learning and memory impairment after propofol anesthesia in rats

Objectives To observe changes in actin and dendritic spines in the hippocampus after propofol anesthesia, and to evaluate the role of these changes in subsequent learning impairment in both young (3-month-old) and aged (20-month-old) male rats. Methods The shuttle box test was used to evaluate learning from 1, 3, 7, or 14 days after anesthesia. Both F-actin content and dendritic spines in the hippocampal CA1 region were observed using immunofluorescent staining and western blot assays. Results The latency of the escape response was significantly prolonged until 7 days after anesthesia in the aged rats, and their learning curves were shifted. Dendritic spines were also decreased in the aged rats within 7 days after anesthesia, and F-actin content was significantly increased until 14 days after anesthesia. Conclusions Learning was inhibited after propofol anesthesia, especially in aged rats. The over-polymerization of actin and subsequent reorganization of dendritic spines in the hippocampus may be responsible for this learning impairment. Our findings suggest that synaptic plasticity may be an underlying mechanism of perioperative neurocognitive disorders

The Synthesis and Evaluations of the 68Ga-Lissamine Rhodamine B (LRB) as a New Radiotracer for Imaging Tumors by Positron Emission Tomography

Purpose. The aim of this study is to synthesize and evaluate 68Ga-labeled Lissamine Rhodamine B (LRB) as a new radiotracer for imaging MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells induced tumor mice by positron emission tomography (PET). Methods. Firstly, we performed the radio synthesis and microPET imaging of 68Ga(DOTA-LRB) in athymic nude mice bearing MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 human breast cancer xenografts. Additionally, the evaluations of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), as a glucose metabolism radiotracer for imaging tumors in the same xenografts, have been conducted as a comparison. Results. The radiochemical purity of 68Ga(DOTA-LRB) was >95%. MicroPET dynamic imaging revealed that the uptake of 68Ga(DOTA-LRB) was mainly in normal organs, such as kidney, heart, liver, and brain and mainly excreted from kidney. The MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 tumors were not clearly visible in PET images at 5, 15, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min after injection of 68Ga(DOTA-LRB). The tumor uptake values of 18F-FDG were 3.79±0.57 and 1.93±0.48%ID/g in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 tumor xenografts, respectively. Conclusions. 68Ga(DOTA-LRB) can be easily synthesized with high radiochemical purity and stability; however, it may be not an ideal PET radiotracer for imaging of MDR-positive tumors