Hippocampal and cortical memory circuits, which enable the capacity to remember details from one's past, are believed to reach maturity by early adolescence. Here, we demonstrate that the transition from early to late adolescence involves extensive reorganization of the retrosplenial (RSP) cortex along with significant memory expression deficits. Specifically, the densities of perineuronal nets (PNNs) and the expression of parvalbumin (PV) established in mice RSP during early adolescence (p30) significantly declined by late adolescence (p60-p75). In parallel, using context fear conditioning, we found that memories acquired during early adolescence were significantly impaired. These cellular and memory changes could be alleviated by PNN stabilization, indicating that they were secondary to PNN loss. Consistent with this, memory expression spontaneously recovered with PNN build-up in later life. Furthermore, late adolescence mice show a decrease in the level of key PNN constituents (especially aggrecan and neurocan) and the expression of transforming growth factor beta (Tgfβ) in RSP. RSP-targeted infusion of Tgfβ2 attenuated the decrease of PNN and neurocan, supporting a role of Tgfβ2 signaling in PNN build-up. These indicate that the decrease of PNNs during late adolescence was likely due to multiple molecular adaptations. Together, our findings show that RSP ECM undergoes dynamic reorganization until adulthood and beyond, with particularly strong fluctuations during late adolescence. In addition to affecting the expression of remote memories, in susceptible individuals, the observed dynamics could interact with genetic factors, increasing the risk of late adolescent psychopathologies.

Cancer cachexia is characterised by progressive skeletal muscle wasting and dysfunction, yet the early events that precede overt muscle wasting remain poorly defined. Here, we utilised a time-coursed C26 carcinoma model in male and female mice to define the pre-cachectic transcriptomic, proteostatic, immune, and metabolic adaptations between sexes. Males progressed more rapidly to cachexia and exhibited earlier impairments in body composition and grip strength, with shifts in muscle fiber size distribution detectable prior to changes in muscle mass. Transcriptomic analysis of the tibialis anterior muscle identified >6,000 differentially expressed genes, with >60% showing sex-specific regulation at the pre-cachectic stage. Proteostasis pathways were transcriptionally altered in both sexes, however, global muscle protein synthesis was suppressed earlier in males, preceding both measurable muscle mass loss and robust induction of specific E3 ubiquitin ligases. Transcripts related to innate immunity were preferentially elevated in males and accompanied by increased infiltration of myeloid cells, while systemic immune profiles showed limited concordant changes. Females showed preferential enrichment of insulin resistance and metabolic remodeling pathways, accompanied by early impairment of insulin handling and reduced muscle glycogen content at severe cachexia. These results show that cachexia progression in this model is sexually dimorphic and skeletal muscle undergoes extensive remodeling before overt wasting. Males exhibit earlier functional decline and muscle immune remodeling, whereas females show earlier metabolic vulnerability with impaired insulin handling. These findings define sex-divergent pre-cachectic windows that may guide early biomarker discovery and therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing progression and improving quality of life in cancer patients.

Male infertility poses a significant challenge in animal breeding, impacting genetic progress and reproductive efficiency. This study investigated the effects of L-carnitine supplementation (300 mg/kg basal diet for 105 days) on semen quality and underlying molecular mechanisms in Malabari bucks using a transcriptomic approach. Eight mature bucks (2-3 years) were randomly divided into control and treatment groups (n = 4 each). Semen parameters like semen volume (mL), concentration (10[6]/mL), viability (%), abnormality (%), acrosome integrity (%), plasma membrane integrity (%) and oxidative stress via the Nitro Blue Tetrazolium (NBT) assay were evaluated. For transcriptomic analysis, sperm RNA was isolated, sequenced on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform (150 bp paired-end), and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using DESeq2. Functional annotation was performed through GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis, whereas hub genes were identified via protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis using STRING and Cytoscape. A total of 425 DEGs were identified, with 258 upregulated and 167 downregulated. Significant improvements were observed in acrosomal integrity, plasma membrane integrity, and oxidative stress markers following L-carnitine supplementation. GO enrichment analysis suggested upregulation of biological processes associated with meiotic cell division, sperm structural integrity, DNA repair, and spermatogenesis, alongside downregulation of carbohydrate metabolism pathways and a possible shift toward fatty acid oxidation. KEGG pathway analysis indicated upregulated Polycomb repressive complex pathway, and downregulation of insulin resistance and oestrogen signalling pathways, potentially creating a favourable endocrinological environment for male fertility. The hub genes identified, namely PMS1, ZFAND4, MYSM1, EEFSEC and CEP126, were found to be associated with key processes in male fertility. These findings provide preliminary mechanistic insights into L-carnitine's potential therapeutic role in small ruminant reproduction, and further functional validation of the identified hub genes is warranted.

The genus Eudemopsis Falkovitsh, 1962 (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Olethreutinae) is recorded for the first time from India, based on the discovery of two new species, Eudemopsis hunliensissp. nov. and Eudemopsisgobukasp. nov. Detailed descriptions and diagnostic characters are provided, along with illustrations of adults and their genitalia. A checklist of the known species within the genus, accompanied by a taxonomic key that facilitates identification.

Running-specific prostheses (RSPs) enable individuals with lower-limb amputation to compete in Paralympic running disciplines. In a high-level sports context, optimal RSP tuning based on biomechanical parameters is essential to enhance running performance. Although on-track assessment is considered the gold standard, its high financial and logistical demands make treadmill-based setups valuable alternatives. Therefore, this single-case study aimed to present a method for assessing steady-state running (SSR) and resisted acceleration running (RAR) in an amputee athlete, comparing different RSP alignments. The experimental setup combined a commercial treadmill mounted over four dynamometric platforms with an eight-camera motion capture system, enabling the kinetic, kinematic, and spatiotemporal assessment of different RSP configurations. Differences in biomechanical parameters were observed between RSP configurations during both SSR and RAR, including variations in GRFs and corresponding impulses, as well as hip, knee, and ankle kinematics. However, the sensitivity of the proposed method in detecting biomechanical differences should be interpreted with caution, as it is based on a single Paralympic athlete. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the treadmill-based protocol may serve as a functional and controlled screening tool for preliminary performance-oriented RSP tuning, enabling the identification of promising configurations prior to definitive assessments on an instrumented athletics track.

We systematically evaluated soil heavy-metal contamination, speciation, ecological risks, and sources across the arid desert-oasis ecotone along the southern Tarim Basin margin (Northwest China). Total concentrations and sequential fractions of nine metals (As, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) were determined. An integrated framework combined probabilistic risk indices (Nemerow integrated pollution index, NIPI; potential ecological risk index; modified Nemerow integrated ecological risk index, mNIER; Monte Carlo), fraction-based risk (risk assessment code, RAC; ratio of secondary phase to primary phase, RSP), speciation drivers (partial least squares path modeling, PLS-PM; redundancy analysis, RDA), and source apportionment (absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression, APCS-MLR). Regionally, only Hg and Zn exceeded standards, and metals exhibited strong spatial heterogeneity. As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn were dominated by the table residual state fraction (F4) with a conserved hierarchy of F4 > the reducible fraction (F2) > the weak acid extractable fraction (F1) > the oxidizable fraction (F3), whereas Hg showed more labile partitioning and the lowest residual share. Soil physical properties, especially specific surface area and clay-silt fraction, primarily controlled heavy metal retention and fractionation, whereas sand played an inhibitory role. Multi-model assessments indicated generally low ecological risk, but Hg reached moderate risk in parts of the ecotone. Source apportionment attributed metals mainly to natural weathering (64.80 %), plus contributions from coal combustion (7.08 %) and traffic activities (8.25 %). Coal-emission control, low-disturbance farming, and roadside barriers are recommended to mitigate Hg input, metal activation, and traffic deposition, respectively.

In a recent work [Opt. Express32(5), 7171 (2024)10.1364/OE.515087], an efficient method based on the coupling theory of quasinormal mode (QNM) was proposed for the electromagnetic modeling of large-scale arrays of optical nanoresonators. In this method, the problem of QNM far-field divergence in the QNM-coupling theory is solved by introducing regularized QNM (RQNM). However, this method requires that each scatterer of resonator in the array is located in a homogeneous background medium, so that the RQNM far field over a large spatial range can be computed efficiently through the plane-wave expansion calculated by the stationary-phase principle (PESP). In this paper, we extend the method to the case where each resonator in the array is located on a metallic substrate. We propose to use radially propagating surface plasmon (RSP) to achieve an efficient calculation of the RQNM far field over a large spatial range near the metallic substrate surface for every single resonator. Thus, based on the QNM-coupling theory, an efficient computation of the electromagnetic response of a large-scale array of optical nanoresonators on a metallic substrate can be achieved. The numerical example of a large-scale periodic array of nanoantennas on a gold substrate with a dielectric spacer shows that compared to traditional full-wave numerical methods, this method can reduce the computation time by 1∼2 orders of magnitude while maintaining a moderate computational accuracy, and enable the calculation of the electromagnetic response of arrays with an overall size exceeding 50 × 50 wavelengths. Benefiting from the high computational efficiency and physical intuitiveness of this method, we elucidate the impact of array size, period, and field coupling range (far beyond the tight-binding approximation) on the optical response. This method provides an efficient and intuitive tool for the analysis and design of devices based on optical nanoresonator arrays on a metallic substrate.

The Golgi apparatus expands during differentiation and increased secretory demand, yet the transcriptional mechanisms governing its biogenesis remain poorly defined. To investigate this process, we developed an enzymatic approach to ablate preexisting Golgi and induce large-scale de novo organelle formation. Transcriptional profiling of cells rebuilding the Golgi revealed a coordinated induction of a broad gene network, coinciding with structural and functional maturation of the organelle. This network spans all Golgi subcompartments and activities, supporting the existence of a unified "Golgi regulon" that synchronizes expression of components required for organelle integrity. Failure to activate this regulon impaired Golgi reassembly. Promoter analysis and RNAi screening identified CREB3L1 as a central transcription factor for Golgi gene activation. Following Golgi loss, CREB3L1 translocates to the nucleus and activates its target genes, thereby driving biosynthesis of the components that are essential for organelle assembly. These findings demonstrate that Golgi biogenesis is governed by a coordinated transcriptional program that promotes organelle regeneration and enables secretory-pathway plasticity. This mechanism may support physiological remodeling by coupling Golgi biogenesis to cellular demand.

Mental fatigue poses significant risks in safety-critical environments, yet how task structure affects fatigue progression and its physiological expression remains unclear. This study recruited 40 participants to perform a Stroop-based mental fatigue task under two task structures (NORMAL vs. HALF) with identical durations but different block segmentation. Multimodal physiological signals-electrocardiography (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG), and respiration (RSP)-were recorded together with behavioural performance. Behavioural results indicated a shift from compensatory control to increased automaticity as fatigue accumulated, reflected in reduced reaction times and declining accuracy. EDA and ECG emerged as the most reliable single-signal indicators, while five-signal fusion with LightGBM achieved the highest classification performance (F1 = 0.9186). Compared with the NORMAL condition, the HALF structure showed attenuated physiological differentiation at higher fatigue levels. These findings advance understanding of task-structure-dependent fatigue dynamics and highlight the value of multimodal fusion for continuous fatigue monitoring in high-risk settings.