An atlas of genetic scores to predict multi-omic traits

The use of omic modalities to dissect the molecular underpinnings of common diseases and traits is becoming increasingly common. But multi-omic traits can be genetically predicted, which enables highly cost-effective and powerful analyses for studies that do not have multi-omics. Here we examine a large cohort (the INTERVAL study; n = 50,000 participants) with extensive multi-omic data for plasma proteomics (SomaScan, n = 3,175; Olink, n = 4,822), plasma metabolomics (Metabolon HD4, n = 8,153), serum metabolomics (Nightingale, n = 37,359) and whole-blood Illumina RNA sequencing (n = 4,136), and use machine learning to train genetic scores for 17,227 molecular traits, including 10,521 that reach Bonferroni-adjusted significance. We evaluate the performance of genetic scores through external validation across cohorts of individuals of European, Asian and African American ancestries. In addition, we show the utility of these multi-omic genetic scores by quantifying the genetic control of biological pathways and by generating a synthetic multi-omic dataset of the UK Biobank to identify disease associations using a phenome-wide scan. We highlight a series of biological insights with regard to genetic mechanisms in metabolism and canonical pathway associations with disease; for example, JAK-STAT signalling and coronary atherosclerosis. Finally, we develop a portal ( https://www.omicspred.org/ ) to facilitate public access to all genetic scores and validation results, as well as to serve as a platform for future extensions and enhancements of multi-omic genetic scores

Natural carriers in bioremediation: a review

Bioremediation of contaminated groundwater or soil is currently the cheapest and the least harmful method of removing xenobiotics from the environment. Immobilization of microorganisms capable of degrading specific contaminants significantly promotes bioremediation processes, reduces their costs, and also allows for the multiple use of biocatalysts. Among the developed methods of immobilization, adsorption on the surface is the most common method in bioremediation, due to the simplicity of the procedure and its non-toxicity. The choice of carrier is an essential element for successful bioremediation. It is also important to consider the type of process (in situ or ex situ), type of pollution, and properties of immobilized microorganisms. For these reasons, the article summarizes recent scientific reports about the use of natural carriers in bioremediation, including efficiency, the impact of the carrier on microorganisms and contamination, and the nature of the conducted research

Feeding Ecology of Nemipterus japonicus in Beibu Gulf

The Beibu Gulf is the fourth largest Chinese fishing ground, with rich fishery resources and a significant role in marine fishery production. The feeding ecology of fish is important to explain the structure and function of marine ecosystems. As one of the most important fish species in the Beibu Gulf, Nemipterus japonicus plays an essential role in energy flow and other aspects of the marine ecosystem. Understanding its feeding ecology could provide a basic theoretical basis for the rational utilization and protection of this resource. A total of 248 N. japonicus specimens were collected from Beibu Gulf from January to April and August to December in 2018. The food content composition, feeding intensity, and feeding niche of N. japonicus were analyzed using stomach contents to reflect feeding habits. Combined with carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes, the food source and trophic structure characteristics were analyzed, the trophic level was determined, and the feeding ecology of N. japonicus in the Beibu Gulf was discussed. The stomach content analysis revealed that N. japonicus is a broad-feeding benthic carnivore, which feeds on a large number of species, including eight prey groups, including fish, shrimp, and crab, among which fish and shrimp are the dominant food groups, with a relative importance index of 92.92%. The proportion of food species varied with the season and growth. Fish were an important prey group across all seasons. Moreover, N. japonicus preyed on shrimp in spring, crab in summer, shrimp and polychaetes in autumn, and shrimp and sipunculoidea in winter. With an increase in body length, the feeding habits of N. japonicus gradually change from primarily feeding on shrimp and fish to mainly feeding on fish, and the body length node of feeding transition was approximately 130 mm. There were clear seasonal variations in feeding intensity, with the highest intensity in autumn, followed by that in spring and summer, and the lowest in winter. N. japonicus had a high prey diversity; the Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H') was 1.77, and the Pielou evenness index (J') was 0.64. From spring to winter, the H' and J' values tended to increase and then decrease, and the highest value occurred in autumn, which meant that the feeding niche was the highest in autumn. The number of prey species increased with individual growth, and H' and J' showed an increasing trend with body length. The group with a body length ≥ 160 mm had the largest niche width, which suggested that the food diversity increased with individual growth, and the diet changed to broad-feeding.Based on stable isotope analysis, δ13C was positively correlated with the body length of N. japonicus (P < 0.05), indicating that the trophic source changed with growth. The span of the δ13C (CR) range was 2.86%, indicating extensive basic food sources. The span of the δ15N (NR) range was 4.23%, and the trophic span was more than one trophic level, indicating considerable differences in feeding among individuals. A significant positive correlation was found between body length and δ15N (P < 0.01), which indicated that the trophic level increased with an increasing body length. The trophic level of N. japonicus ranged from 3.21 to 4.46, with an average value of 3.97, indicating that N. japonicus species were middle-high carnivorous animals, and were at a high trophic level in the fish food web of the Beibu Gulf. The trophic level obtained in this study is higher than that obtained in other studies, which may be related to the changes in the composition of the prey, N. japonicus has shifted from feeding mainly on the low trophic level (crustaceans) to the high trophic levels (fish).In terms of trophic structure, the CR value of N. japonicus in the Beibu Gulf in spring and winter was lower than that in summer and autumn, indicating that the basic food source diversity in spring and winter is lower than that in summer and autumn, however, there are fewer prey species in summer, which might be caused by the feeding preference of N. japonicus. Simultaneously, the NR values in spring and summer were greater than those in summer and autumn, indicating that the span of the main trophic sources in the feed was higher than that in summer and autumn, consistent with the seasonal variation of dominant prey. Although the standard ellipse area (SEA) overlaps to different degrees among seasons, the total niche (TA) had clear seasonal differences, signifying that there were certain similarities and specific differences in prey resource utilization, which is beneficial for alleviating the seasonal pressure on the dominant prey. Furthermore, the CR value in different body length groups of N. japonicus showed an overall upward trend with individual growth, indicating that the food source diversity increased with growth. The NR value decreased when body length was greater than 130 mm, which indicates that the average trophic level of the population was concentrated when individuals grew to a certain stage. The SEA overlap rate was higher among length groups, implying that the trophic source components were similar at different growth stages; however, TA tended to increase and then decrease with body length, which may reduce food competition within species by niche differentiation

Dietary Shifts in the Adaptation to Changing Marine Resources: Insights from a Decadal Study on Greater Lizardfish (<i>Saurida tumbil</i>) in the Beibu Gulf, South China Sea

Understanding dietary behavior during the individual development of marine predators and its temporal variations elucidates how species adapt to changes in marine resources. This is crucial for predicting marine predators’ habitat selection and the natural population’s responses to environmental changes. The authors conducted a comparative analysis of dietary shift strategies and trophic level variations in Greater lizardfish (Saurida tumbil) in the Beibu Gulf during two distinct periods (2010 and 2020) using stomach content and stable isotope analysis methods. Possible driving factors for these changes were also explored. Changes in the fishery community structure and the decline in the abundance of primary prey resources have led the S. tumbil population to diversify their prey species, utilize alternative resources, and expand their foraging space. However, the species’ foraging strategy, characterized by chasing and preying on schooling and pelagic prey, promoted stability in their feeding behavior across spatial and temporal scales. The main prey items remained demersal and pelagic fish species, followed by cephalopods and crustaceans. Similar to other generalist fish species, ontogenetic dietary shifts (ODSs) indicated a partial transition towards larger prey items. However, the timing and magnitude of the ODSs varied between the two periods, reflecting life-history variations and adaptive adjustments to environmental changes. In comparison to 2010, the population’s mean body length (BL) increased in 2020, and the proportion of the population feeding on pelagic–neritic prey significantly increased. However, the δ15N values were lower, indicating that the shift in the ecological niche of preferred prey from demersal to pelagic–neritic was the primary cause of the decrease in trophic levels. In the future, we will conduct further quantitative research integrating the spatiotemporal data of both predators and prey to clarify the relationships between marine predators’ feeding behavior, trophic levels, and changes in prey community structure

Distribution Characteristics and Factors Influencing Culturable Bacterial Bioaerosols on a Dairy Farm in Northern China

Studying the distribution characteristics of bioaerosols and their interaction with the environment is crucial for dairy farms. The distribution of aerosols differs in dairy farming from farming of other livestock, and their sensitivity to environmental factors varies across sites. Field experiments were conducted in an intensive commercial dairy farm in Northern China to investigate the horizontal and vertical distribution of culturable bacterial bioaerosols. Concentration levels and particle size ranges were analyzed, and the impact of multiple environmental factors on culturable bacterial bioaerosols was assessed. Significant variations in culturable bacterial bioaerosol concentrations were observed across eight functional zones, ranging from 1.14 × 103 to 7.35 × 103 CFU/m3. Culturable bacterial bioaerosols exhibited consistent carrier distribution patterns across six different size ranges. Vertical analysis revealed significantly higher culturable bacterial bioaerosol concentrations at a 1 m height compared to 4 m (p < 0.05), while similar size distributions were observed at different heights of the same sampling location. The top three environmental factors influencing culturable bacterial bioaerosol concentrations were PM100 concentration, wind direction, and air temperature. This study provides insights into the distribution characteristics of culturable bacterial bioaerosols on dairy farms and their response to environmental factors. The findings serve as a reference for evaluating bioaerosol emissions and establishing daily disinfection management measures on dairy farms

Water-Surface Drag Coating: A New Route Toward High-Quality Conjugated Small-Molecule Thin Films with Enhanced Charge Transport Properties.

Electronic properties of organic semiconductor (OSC) thin films are largely determined by their morphologies and crystallinities. However, solution-processed conjugated small-molecule OSC thin films usually exhibit abundant grain boundaries and impure grain orientations because of complex fluid dynamics during solution coating. Here, a novel methodology, water-surface drag coating, is demonstrated to fabricate high-quality OSC thin films with greatly enhanced charge transport properties. This method utilizes the water surface to alter the evaporation dynamics of solution to enlarge the grain size, and a unique drag-coating process to achieve the unidirectional growth of organic crystals. Using 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene (Dif-TES-ADT) as an example, thin films with millimeter-sized single-crystal domains and pure crystallographic orientations are achieved, revealing a significant enhancement (4.7 times) of carrier mobility. More importantly, the resulting film can be directly transferred onto any desired flexible substrates, and flexible transistors based on the Dif-TES-ADT thin films show a mobility as high as 16.1 cm2 V-1 s-1 , which represents the highest mobility value for the flexible transistors reported thus far. The method is general for the growth of various high-quality OSC thin films, thus opening up opportunities for high-performance organic flexible electronics

Water‐Surface Drag Coating: A New Route Toward High‐Quality Conjugated Small‐Molecule Thin Films with Enhanced Charge Transport Properties

Electronic properties of organic semiconductor (OSC) thin films are largely determined by their morphologies and crystallinities. However, solution-processed conjugated small-molecule OSC thin films usually exhibit abundant grain boundaries and impure grain orientations because of complex fluid dynamics during solution coating. Here, a novel methodology, water-surface drag coating, is demonstrated to fabricate high-quality OSC thin films with greatly enhanced charge transport properties. This method utilizes the water surface to alter the evaporation dynamics of solution to enlarge the grain size, and a unique drag-coating process to achieve the unidirectional growth of organic crystals. Using 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene (Dif-TES-ADT) as an example, thin films with millimeter-sized single-crystal domains and pure crystallographic orientations are achieved, revealing a significant enhancement (4.7 times) of carrier mobility. More importantly, the resulting film can be directly transferred onto any desired flexible substrates, and flexible transistors based on the Dif-TES-ADT thin films show a mobility as high as 16.1 cm2 V-1 s-1 , which represents the highest mobility value for the flexible transistors reported thus far. The method is general for the growth of various high-quality OSC thin films, thus opening up opportunities for high-performance organic flexible electronics