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Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a poorly understood, multisystem disease with high morbidity and mortality. To improve understanding of its pathobiology, we analyzed single-nucleus RNA sequencing in human HFpEF myocardium versus controls. Septal myocardial biopsies from 19 HFpEF and 24 nonfailing controls were analyzed using the 10× Genomics Chromium platform, with nuclei isolated from combined samples (6 patients/pool). Genotype-based demultiplexing was performed with souporcell, and gene expression was quantified with CellRanger and CellBender. After quality control, nuclei were annotated by cell types, and differential expression was performed between HFpEF versus controls using limma-voom. Functional analysis was performed using Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. Data were compared with prior single-nucleus RNA sequencing in dilated cardiomyopathy versus controls. We successfully demultiplexed pooled myocardial biopsies, assigning >70% of nuclei to individuals. After quality control, we recovered 48 886 nuclei and identified 14 cell types. Many differentially expressed genes across cell types were detected in HFpEF versus controls (fibroblasts, 5905; cardiomyocytes, 5159; endothelial cells, 2143; pericytes, 1812; and macrophages, 1405). Enriched pathways common to multiple cell types included immune activation, transcription/translation, metabolism, and protein quality control. They were particularly shared between cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts. Vascular smooth muscle cells had a more synthetic, proliferative phenotype. Immune cell analyses suggested enhanced T-cell activation and reduced macrophage clearance programs. Comparative analysis between HFpEF and dilated cardiomyopathy identified transcriptional differences primarily in cardiomyocytes. Two of 3 cardiomyocyte differential expression genes unique to HFpEF were validated to have concordant protein expression changes in HFpEF (MAP2K6 and PLPP3). Our findings reveal a distinct, cell-type-specific transcriptomic landscape in the human HFpEF myocardium. While HFpEF and dilated cardiomyopathy share significant molecular pathways across most cell types, the profound divergence within cardiomyocytes suggests a unique pathological driver for HFpEF. These signatures may provide a high-resolution roadmap for identifying precision therapeutic targets in HFpEF.

Plant leaves are widely utilised globally for the packaging and serving of traditionally prepared foods. The microbial communities associated with these wrapping leaves, particularly endophytes, are recognised to potentially influence food quality, safety, and preservation. Specifically, certain endophytes can enhance sensory attributes and nutritional value through fermentative processes, while the presence of harmful microorganisms may lead to spoilage and pose a risk of foodborne illness. This study utilised 16S rRNA, ITS metabarcoding and metagenomic functional analysis (PICRUSt2) to comprehensively investigate the composition and infer the putative functional potential of putative endophytic bacterial and fungal communities present in 53 samples of four different food wrapping leaves. The leaves examined included Thaumatococcus daniellii (n = 10), Alstonia macrophylla (n = 18), Theobroma species (n = 14), and Megaphrynium macrostachyum (n = 11). Distinct microbial community profiles were observed across the different leaf types. Highest bacterial species richness and community variability were detected in A. macrophylla samples, reflected by Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) values (PCoA1 = 43.97%; PCoA2 = 10.68%). Conversely, M. macrostachyum exhibited the greatest fungal species richness and variability (PCoA1 = 20.08%; PCoA2 = 8.72%). Taxonomic analysis identified Proteobacteria as the dominant bacterial phylum and Stenotrophomonas as the dominant bacterial genus. Other notable bacterial taxa included the phyla Bacteroidota and Firmicutes, and genera such as Pseudomonas, Faecalibacterium, and Bacteroides. For fungal communities, Ascomycota was the dominant phylum. Additional fungal taxa included the phylum Basidiomycota and genera Cryptococcus, Candida, and Meyerozyma. A core microbiome analysis revealed that 42 bacterial (notably Stenotrophomonas and Chryseobacterium) and 7 fungal taxa (notably Pleosporaceae and Ascomycota) were shared across all examined wrapping leaves. The identified microbial communities (e.g., Lactobacillus and Geotrichum) encompass taxa with potential beneficial roles, such as enhancing food fermentation and potentially contributing to human gut health upon consumption of the packaged food. However, the detection of potentially pathogenic and toxigenic bacterial taxa highlights a possible public health risk associated with the use of these leaves. Further investigation into the specific functionalities of these associated bacteria and fungi is essential to maximise their beneficial applications while simultaneously mitigating potential health risks posed by harmful strains.

Bone regeneration scaffolds represent a promising solution for bone grafting of large and severe bone defects. The ideal bone substitute material is considered to have excellent biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity, and mechanical properties similar to bone. Different scaffold materials are currently available for clinical application, but despite the broad selection, no material has yet been described that has both excellent biological and mechanical properties. Bioceramics such as zirconia and alumina matrix composites could be promising alternative materials for bone grafting. Non-porous full density zirconia and alumina matrix composite implants require bioactive surface coating for osseointegration and bone formation, but porous scaffolds made of those materials may eliminate the need for bioactive porous coatings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term biocompatibility and osseointegration of directly foamed porous yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) and zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) scaffolds in calvarial and femoral bone defects in an ovine model in vivo. Cytocompatibility of ceramic material and scaffolds was investigated in vitro. Porous Y-TZP and ZTA scaffolds with different porosities (60% and 70%) were implanted into calvarial and femoral bone defects in sheep in vivo. Osseointegration, bone formation, and host response were histopathologically analyzed 12 and 24 weeks post implantation. The in vitro studies showed no negative influence on the cytocompatibility. In vivo, all implants were fully integrated into defect sites at both time points without any material degradation. A thick fibrous layer was present at the calvarial implant sites, which was associated with the implant's geometric misfit. After 12 weeks, early osseointegration was observed with Y-TZP 70% and ZTA 70%, which seemed to be rather dependent on porosity than ceramic material. After 24 weeks, bone formation and osseointegration increased and were similar for all scaffolds. A slight to moderate host response was present at both time points for all scaffolds, which was manifested by rare to mild macrophage and lymphocyte tissue infiltration and was considered an essential part of the healing process. Porous Y-TZP and ZTA scaffolds demonstrated early osseointegration, good cytocompatibility, and long-term biocompatibility in vivo. The porous surface of the scaffolds enables direct contact between the ceramic material and the bone, eliminating the need for additional coatings. Also, higher scaffold porosity together with pore interconnectivity facilitates intraporous bone formation, thus representing a promising alternative for bone scaffold materials for various medical applications such as orthopedics, dentistry, and cranio-maxillofacial surgery.

To examine whether different caregiving arrangements influence hospitalization risk and frequency among older adults with functional limitations. This longitudinal study used linear probability and Poisson regression models with individual and wave fixed effects, lagged predictors, and household-clustered standard errors to assess associations between different caregiving arrangements and hospitalization outcomes among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Caregiving was categorized as no help, family help, formal help, or combined help. Outcomes included any hospitalization and the number of hospital stays over a two-year period. Data came from eight waves of the Health and Retirement Study (2004-2018). The samples included adults aged 65 and older who reported difficulty with at least one activity of daily living and participated in at least two survey waves. The final analytic sample comprised 2926 individuals contributing 5595 person-wave observations. While the overall hospitalization risk did not differ significantly by caregiving type, receiving combined support was associated with a reduced number of hospital stays among those hospitalized (IRR&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.712, p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.01), compared to receiving no support. Cognitive functioning modified these relationships, with formal help linked to fewer hospitalizations among those with impairment but more among those without. Differences also emerged across racial and ethnic groups, where formal help was linked to lower hospitalization rates for Black individuals, and combined help was associated with increased hospitalizations among Hispanic older adults. Policies that expand access to both formal and family caregiving support may help reduce hospitalizations among older adults with functional limitations, particularly when tailored to care recipient characteristics.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a complex inflammatory disease with significant musculoskeletal, dermatological, and comorbidity burden. Despite therapeutic advances, many patients remain difficult to treat (D2T). Conventional definitions often overlook distinctions between inflammatory and non-inflammatory drivers, risking inappropriate treatment escalation. Two consensus frameworks-the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) and the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA)-have recently been proposed to better capture this complexity based on disease drivers. To evaluate the applicability, overlap, and clinical utility of EULAR and GRAPPA definitions for difficult/complex-to-manage (D2M/C2M) and treatment-refractory PsA (TR-PsA) in a real-world cohort. We conducted a retrospective analysis within the prospective Ottawa Rheumatology CompreHEnSive TReatment and Assessment (ORCHESTRA) cohort, including consecutive PsA patients initiating or switching advanced therapy between April 2022 and September 2025. Patients were classified according to EULAR and GRAPPA frameworks into the broader D2M-PsA (EULAR) and C2M-PsA (GRAPPA) groups, and narrower inflammation-restricted TR-PsA subsets. Prevalence, overlap, and agreement were assessed using descriptive statistics and kappa analysis. Baseline clinical, comorbidity, and ultrasound characteristics were compared across groups. Seventy-six PsA patients were included. GRAPPA identified more patients as C2M-PsA (35/76; 46%) than EULAR's D2M-PsA (16/76; 21%). All EULAR D2M-PsA patients were included in C2M-PsA, whereas 19 additional patients were uniquely identified by GRAPPA due to less stringent treatment failure thresholds. Agreement between EULAR D2M-PsA and GRAPPA C2M-PsA was moderate (&#x3ba;&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.48). TR-PsA classification showed perfect agreement (&#x3ba;&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.000), with identical patients identified by both frameworks. D2M/C2M patients had longer disease duration and greater prior therapy exposure than non-D2T patients, while objective inflammatory measures were largely comparable. EULAR and GRAPPA D2T PsA frameworks share conceptual intent but differ in real-world clinical capture. EULAR preferentially enriches for multidomain involvement and inflammatory refractoriness after multiple therapy failures, whereas GRAPPA identifies a broader population reflecting earlier disease complexity. While both frameworks identified the same patients using inflammation-restricted criteria, differences in operationalization limit assumptions of interchangeability. Understanding how different frameworks define &#x201c;difficult-to-treat&#x201d; psoriatic arthritis in real-world patients Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that can affect joints, skin, and many other aspects of health. Although several effective treatments are available, some patients remain difficult to manage. In these patients, ongoing symptoms may be caused by active inflammation, but also by other factors such as pain sensitization, comorbid conditions, or treatment intolerance. Distinguishing between these causes is important to avoid unnecessary escalation of immune-suppressing therapy. Recently, two expert groups&#x2014;GRAPPA and EULAR&#x2014;proposed new frameworks to better define &#x201c;difficult-to-treat&#x201d; PsA by considering disease drivers rather than treatment failure alone. However, how these frameworks perform in real-world clinical practice has not been well studied. In this study, we applied both frameworks to a real-world cohort of PsA patients from the ORCHESTRA registry in Canada who were starting or changing advanced therapies. We compared how often each framework identified patients as difficult-to-manage, how much they overlapped, and whether they identified similar clinical profiles. We found that the GRAPPA framework identified more patients as having complex or difficult-to-manage PsA, capturing patients earlier in their disease course with fewer treatment failures. In contrast, the EULAR framework identified a smaller group with more advanced disease and greater treatment exposure. When focusing only on patients with true inflammatory treatment refractoriness, both frameworks identified exactly the same patients. Overall, our findings suggest that while GRAPPA and EULAR share similar goals, they identify different patient populations in practice. GRAPPA may be more useful for recognizing early disease complexity, while EULAR may better identify patients with established inflammatory refractoriness. These differences should be considered when using these frameworks in clinical care and research.

To address the bottleneck problem of slow decomposition of returned maize straw under low-temperature constraints in the cold and arid regions of northern China, this study systematically explored the microbial decomposition-promoting mechanism of microbial inoculant M44 combined with three straw returning methods: deep plowing (DPR), deep scarification and mixing (SSR), and no-tillage mulching (NTR), by integrating field tillage and in-situ micro-zone degradation experiments. The results showed that different straw returning methods combined with inoculant M44 could effectively overcome low-temperature limitations, significantly increasing the straw degradation rate by 2.33-9.81 percentage points and shortening the half-life by 20.7-62.8 d. The core mechanism was that the "tillage-inoculant" interaction regulated the soil microenvironment, directionally shaped and enriched key functional microbial taxa with degradation ability (such as Pseudoxanthomonas, Devosia, Streptomyces, Pseudomonas, etc.) and their key ASVs (such as ASV6, ASV12, ASV412, ASV1546, etc.), reshaped the soil bacterial community structure, and synergistically activated the soil extracellular enzyme system (such as &#x3b2;-glucosidase, &#x3b2;-xylosidase, etc., with the comprehensive enzyme index increased by 0.74-1.06), thereby synergistically driving the rapid degradation of returned straw. The PLS-PM model further clarified that there were differences in the pathways driven by inoculant M44 for straw degradation under different returning methods. In the DPR and SSR treatments, bacterial community composition was the most important direct driving force for degradation, and key ASVs indirectly affected the degradation process by regulating bacterial composition and enzyme activity, while in the NTR treatment, extracellular enzyme activity became the core driving force for degradation, whose activity was directly driven by bacterial composition and diversity. This study revealed the hierarchical interaction driving mechanism of "key microorganisms-bacterial community structure-extracellular enzyme activity-straw degradation" at the field scale, providing an important scientific basis for optimizing the "tillage-inoculant" synergistic technology for straw resource utilization in cold and arid regions.

Diagnosis rates of depression and demand for psychotherapy are increasing, posing significant challenges to the mental health care system. Availability of different treatments enables patients to express their preferences. Understanding these preferences can inform policy makers and clinicians and holds the potential to increase treatment adherence and improve clinical outcomes. A web survey was carried out among German adults (18-74) with psychotherapy experience, using quota sampling to reflect the gender distribution of psychotherapy-seeking adults. We conducted a discrete choice experiment to measure factors influencing the choice of psychotherapy. Included attributes were setting, delivery mode, waiting time, gender and professional experience of psychotherapist. Latent class analysis (LCA) was applied to identify preference patterns. Respondents (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;1575, 70.5% female, Mage&#x2009;=&#x2009;47) preferred individual, face-to-face, shorter waiting times, female and more experienced therapists. Setting was most influential, followed by professional experience, waiting time, delivery mode and gender. LCA revealed five distinct classes that showed varying valuations of the attributes and their relative importance. Results showed that respondents mainly homogeneously preferred specific treatment characteristics. These preferences should be considered when planning mental health services. Identification of distinct preference types suggests tailored provision of mental health care.

Salmonella is a major foodborne pathogen threatening public health, and the cross-transmission between food and human sources remains a critical concern. To elucidate the epidemiological characteristics and potential transmission of Salmonella in Ruian City, China, we conducted a comprehensive phenotypic and genomic analysis of 173 archived Salmonella isolates collected from patients (n =&#x202f;101) and food samples (n =&#x202f;72) during 2020-2021. We serotyped the strains and determined their antimicrobial resistance phenotypes, and used whole-genome sequencing(WGS) to analyze virulence genes, resistance genes, and the genetic relatedness among the isolates. A total of 28 distinct serovars were identified, with S. Typhimurium being the most prevalent in clinical isolates (26.73%) and S. London the dominant serovar in food isolates (29.85%); S. Typhimurium, S. I 4,[5],12:i:-, S. London, S. Rissen and S. Goldcoast were detected in both sources. Clinical and food isolates exhibited high resistance rates to amoxicillin (72.28%/47.22%), piperacillin (67.33%/43.06%), minocycline (42.57%/41.67%), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (34.65%/40.28%), with multidrug-resistant (MDR) rates of 43.56 and 31.94%, respectively. Statistically significant differences in resistance to amoxicillin, piperacillin, gentamicin and minocycline were observed between S. Typhimurium and S. London. WGS identified 31 STs, with high concordance between serovar and ST. A total of 91 antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) were detected, with aac(6')-Iaa (67.05%) being the most prevalent aminoglycoside resistance gene and bla TEM-1 being the dominant &#x3b2;-lactamase gene; a discrepancy between ARGs and phenotype was observed for several antibiotics. S. Rissen harbored fewer virulence genes (e.g., lacking lpfD, ratB, sodC1, sseI and sspH2) and exhibited a gene-content pattern consistent with lower virulence potential. Phylogenomic analysis based on cgSNP showed that isolates of the same serovar clustered together, and cgSNP-based minimum spanning tree revealed close genetic relatedness (SNP&#x202f;&#x2264;&#x202f;20) between pork and clinical isolates of S. Typhimurium, S. London, S. Goldcoast and S. Rissen, indicating potential cross-transmission between food and human sources. Our findings highlight the dis-tinct serotype distribution, ARGs and virulence characteristics of Salmonella from different sources in Ruian. These data provide a scientific basis for the prevention, control and clinical treatment of salmonellosis, and emphasize the necessity of continuous surveillance and the implementation of the One Health approach to mitigate Salmonella transmission along the food chain.

Phenolic acids are allelopathic substances that mediate plant-fungal interactions. However, the regulatory effects of phenolic acids on soil microbiota and crop phosphorus (P) uptake remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of continuous addition of cumalic acid (CA) on soil microbial communities and P uptake of rice. We continuously added different concentrations of CA to the rhizosphere during the rice growth to investigate its effects on soil fungal communities and P uptake of rice. The addition of 5 and 10 &#x3bc;mol kg-1 CA significantly increased P uptake in rice by 51.4% and 63.8%, respectively. In addition, the 10 &#x3bc;mol kg-1 CA treatment significantly increased soil Olsen P content. Exogenous addition of CA altered the diversity and composition of soil microbial communities. The application of 5 and 10 &#x3bc;mol kg-1 CA significantly elevated the relative abundance of Diversisporales from 46.3% to 68.7% and 67.1%, respectively; while suppressing Eurotiales from 15.8% to 2.6% and 5.7%, respectively. At the genus level, the treatment enhanced Diversispora (from 46.3% to 68.7% and 67.0%) and reduced Penicillium (from 9.0% to 1.2% and 2.2%). Notably, the relative abundance of Diversispora was significantly and positively correlated with P uptake of rice, whereas Penicillium was negatively correlated with P uptake. CA stimulated the P uptake of rice by shaping keystone fungal taxa. Our results suggest that the indirect microbial-mediated mechanism dominated P uptake improvement of rice. This study provides critical insights into the potential application of allelopathic substances in agricultural production.

We report here the design of orthogonal, enzyme-driven DNA transcriptional timers that enable precise programming of time delays in cell-free in vitro transcription. These timers utilize blocker strands that transiently bind to the promoter domain, preventing transcription onset. Selective enzymatic cleavage of the blocker strands triggers their removal, allowing input DNA strands to bind and initiate transcription. By tuning the kinetics of enzymatic blocker degradation&#x2500;through varying enzyme or blocker strand concentrations&#x2500;we achieve fine temporal control over transcription half-life (t1/2) from 0.48 &#xb1; 0.02 h up to 8.4 &#xb1; 0.1 h. Using three different blocker-degrading enzymes (RNase H, uracil-DNA glycosylase (UDG), and formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg)), we also demonstrate orthogonal temporal control of multiple transcription templates in a single solution. Finally, we show the programmed termination control and downstream regulation of Cas12a enzymatic collateral cleavage activity through such transcription timers. Together, these orthogonal DNA transcriptional timers establish a generalizable and straightforward framework for programming time-resolved transcription and gene expression in cell-free synthetic biology.

Learning and memory are essential for the acquisition, storage, and recall of information, enabling organisms to adapt to changes in their environment. Associative learning begins when a stimulus, either positive or negative in valence, is presented alongside a neutral stimulus. This drives the development of an association between the stimuli, leading to the subsequent establishment of a learned behavioral response to the previously neutral stimulus. Associative learning is well conserved across species, from invertebrates to humans, and is highly amenable to experimental manipulation. Drosophila melanogaster is a valuable model for dissecting the mechanisms underlying associative learning and memory, given its genetic tractability, low cost, and the high-throughput nature of fly behavioral assays. Here, we describe two distinct associative learning paradigms in the Drosophila model that employ olfaction to establish short-term learned associations using a Y-maze assay. We first describe a novel negative associative learning paradigm employing a mechanical aversive stimulus. We next describe a positive associative learning paradigm in which flies learn to approach an odor paired with an appetitive sucrose reward. Overall, these protocols offer an inexpensive and streamlined approach to investigating associative learning under a multitude of different contexts. &#xa9; 2026 The Author(s). Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Negative associative learning paradigm utilizing mechanical stimulation Basic Protocol 2: Positive associative learning paradigm utilizing sucrose feeding.

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) is a potent antiproliferative immunosuppressive agent used to prevent organ transplant rejection and to treat various immune-mediated diseases. MPA is the active metabolite formed from the biotransformation of the prodrugs mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS). MPA exerts its therapeutic effects by inhibiting guanosine nucleotide synthesis in lymphocytes. Through this inhibition, cell and humoral immunity is suppressed, resulting in a reduction of cytotoxicity and inflammation. Systemic exposure to MPA is influenced by a complex pharmacokinetic pathway, which involves various drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and transporters. Substantial interindividual variability exists in MPA exposure, efficacy, and adverse effects. Genetic polymorphisms in the genes encoding DMEs and transporters have been reported to influence this observed variability; however, evidence remains inconsistent and is largely derived from non-African populations. African populations exhibit high levels of genetic diversity, and their underrepresentation in pharmacogenetic studies may hinder the identification of important variants influencing MPA disposition and clinical outcomes. This review evaluates the genes that have been reported to affect MPA exposure as well as highlights conflicting results on the role of these pharmacogenetic variants in different populations. The review highlights the lack of data on African populations and provides justification for their inclusion in the study of MPA pharmacogenetics.

The selective preparation of vanillin (Van) and ethyl vanillate (EV) remains a major challenge in depolymerizing lignin. Larch lignin is full of coniferyl alcohol unit, which is preferred to produce Van and EV. In this study, the counterions in H5PMo10V2O40 were replaced with different metal ions (Cu2+, Fe3+, and Co2+) to develop the modified polyoxometalates, which were then combined with alkaline ionic liquid (IL) to construct a multiactive catalyst possessing acidic, basic, and oxidizing properties. The incorporation of Cu significantly enhanced the cleavage of C-C and C-O&#xa0;bonds in larch lignin at 160&#xb0;C for 6&#x2009;h in an ethanol/water/H2O2 system. Under these conditions, the total yield of monophenol reached 15.62 wt%, Van and EV were dominant with the yield of 5.93 and 9.1 wt%, respectively. The fracture of lignin model compounds showed Cu-based polyoxometalates/IL catalysts are effective in selectively preparing EV and Van. The catalyst can be recycled up to 4 times with excellent stability and recoverability. This study provides a more effective strategy for converting waste biomass into valuable platform chemicals.

Non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), particularly the O118 serogroup, are emerging pathogens linked to severe foodborne illnesses, which are characterized by the production of a potent phage-borne cytotoxin. This study explores the genomic landscape, virulence factors, and resistance traits of O118 STEC. We analyzed 357 publicly available O118 genomes, all but three available only in draft stage spanning ten different H-antigen types. To enhance the availability of high-quality reference genomes, we additionally included two O118:H16 STEC strains from our collection that were sequenced to closure. Multilocus sequence typing based on the 4,160 shared genes revealed phylogenetic clustering by H-type and delineated distinct STEC-phylogroups, alongside relationships to non-STEC pathovars such as uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). Identified STEC-phylogroups encompass H6, H12, H16, and H2 strains with diverse Shiga toxin profiles (stx1a, stx2a, stx2b, stx2c, stx2f). A subset of H2-STEC lacked stx, suggesting potential secondary phage loss. Most STEC groups carried the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). Further, a strong correlation was observed between H-antigens and eae subtypes, with specific pairings such as H6/eae-&#x3b9;, H16/eae-&#x3b2;, and H2/eae-&#x3b5;. Horizontally acquired pathogenicity islands, including O-island 122 in H16 strains and a novel pathogenicity-associated island carrying antibiotic resistance, along with other loci related to colonization and interbacterial competition, further enhance their virulence potential. Our findings underscore the genetic diversity and virulence potential of O118 STEC. Understanding such phylogroup-linked virulence and resistance traits is crucial for effective surveillance and public health interventions.

American protective gun ownership privatizes collective behavior, transmuting the role of the state to keep citizens safe into individual actions to protect one's family and one's immediate community. In doing so, owners may sharpen the ingroup/outgroup divide into those who need protection and those who need to be protected against. Using nationally representative individual-level data from the General Social Survey, we find that American gun owners have friendship structures that are more ingroup-focused than nonowners: more cohesive (more of owners' friends are friends with each other) and less diverse (fewer of owners' friends are of different races or religions). Using county-aggregated data from over 70 million Facebook users (over 21 billion friendship ties), we similarly find that US counties with higher rates of gun ownership have friendship structures that are more cohesive and less diverse. This is mirrored in our findings that states and counties with higher rates of firearm ownership have lower rates of social infrastructural sites that bring communities together and lower rates of civic trust. Finally, we show evidence that the presence of guns is a quasi-causal factor in declining social capital-using modern time-series analyses, we show that a state-level increase in gun sales predicts a significant decrease in the next year's rates of social capital.

Drought is a major constraint on rice production, yet the coordinated responses of rhizosphere microbial communities and metabolites across rice genotypes with contrasting drought tolerance remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we combined metagenomic and metabolomic analyses to investigate drought-induced changes in the rhizosphere of three rice genotypes with distinct ecological backgrounds: the drought-sensitive cultivar Bhutan, the upland rice genotype TGR78, and Oryza rufipogon K111. Field experiments were conducted under well-watered and drought conditions, and rhizosphere soil samples were collected for multi-omics profiling. Drought stress reduced plant height and panicle number in all three genotypes, but the magnitude of these effects differed among genotypes. Bhutan showed the greatest reduction in plant height (42.1%) and the largest number of differential metabolites (146), indicating a stronger drought response at both phenotypic and metabolic levels. In contrast, TGR78 and K111 displayed relatively greater phenotypic stability under drought stress. Metagenomic analysis revealed pronounced genotype-dependent shifts in rhizosphere bacterial community composition, whereas metabolomic profiling showed distinct changes in metabolite accumulation patterns among genotypes. Correlation analysis further demonstrated that drought substantially reshaped rhizosphere microbe-metabolite associations, shifting the interaction network from broadly positive and highly connected under well-watered conditions to more selective associations under drought stress. Collectively, these results indicate that rice drought adaptation is associated with genotype-dependent reorganization of the rhizosphere microbiome and metabolic profile. This study provides new insight into rhizosphere-mediated drought responses in rice and offers a basis for developing microbiome-informed strategies for drought-resilient crop improvement.

Expensive platinum group metals (PGMs) are used to enhance the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics, and they represent a real bottleneck in the commercialization of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs). Therefore, we present a scalable and economical homogeneous precipitation method to synthesize NixFe1-xO nanoparticles with different Ni/Fe ratios, while reducing the dependence on expensive PGM-based electrocatalysts. The effects of Ni/Fe ratios in the synthesized NixFe1-xO, along with morphological and surface chemical characteristics, on electrocatalytic performance were thoroughly investigated with half-cell measurements. Furthermore, critical electrode design factors, that is, ink composition and electrocatalyst loading, were scientifically investigated and optimized. Among the explored compositions, amorphous Ni0.28Fe0.72O and crystalline Ni0.66Fe0.34O exhibited superior OER activity, achieving mean overpotentials of 359&#x2009;mV and 359.1&#x2009;mV at 10 mA cm-2, respectively. This superior activity was attributed to a higher concentration of Ni3+ (NiOOH), a highly active compound for OER. These high-performing samples were integrated as anodes in a lab-scale AEMWE for device-level evaluation. Ni0.28Fe0.72O achieved the highest performance at 80 &#xb0;C, by delivering the current density of 7.81&#x2009;A cm-2 against a cell voltage of 2.2&#x2009;V. Whereas, Ni0.66Fe0.34O achieved a current density of 6.49&#x2009;A cm-2 at 2.2&#x2009;V. Both samples exhibited excellent stability during short-term durability tests (ca. 90&#x2009;h) at 1&#x2009;A cm-2 and 80&#xb0;C.

Microorganisms are intricately interrelated with each other in the gut microecosystem, which influences the colonization and functional roles of probiotics. However, how these interactions dynamically change during host development and whether their topological features influence host phenotypes, such as average daily gain (ADG), remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed metagenome analysis for 2,311 fecal samples collected from a specifically designed eight genetically divergent breed intercrossed mosaic F6 and F7 population, at three developmental ages of 25 days (D25), 120 days (D120), and 240 days (D240) of each individual, covering pre-weaning to market. By constructing their microbiota co-abundance networks, we systematically characterized dynamic changes in beneficial commensal bacteria involved co-abundance networks in the pig gut microbiome across three ages. We elucidated conserved and variable co-abundance features involving these bacteria across developmental stages. We observed that the cross-age stable co-abundance correlations of beneficial commensal bacteria were maintained by a large set of weak correlations. A subset of age-shared co-abundance correlations remained variable across different ages in correlation strength and direction. Topological analysis revealed that beneficial commensal bacteria involved co-abundance networks were highly age-specific. Among the three age stages sampled in this study, the D120 stage represented a critical window for the structural and functional reorganization of gut microbiota. Using metagenomic sequencing data at the D120, we identified two guilds that were significantly associated with ADG from D120 to D240. Guild 1 included short chain fatty acid-producing taxa and was positively associated with ADG, whereas Guild 2 tended to self-utilization of energy and was negatively associated with ADG. We also inferred the ecological interaction mechanisms of ADG-associated microbial communities using genome-scale metabolic models. These findings provided a theoretical basis for stage-specific intervention in the pig gut microbiome using probiotics to improve production traits.