ORGB: Offset Correction in RGB Color Space for Illumination-Robust Image Processing

Single materials have colors which form straight lines in RGB space. However, in severe shadow cases, those lines do not intersect the origin, which is inconsistent with the description of most literature. This paper is concerned with the detection and correction of the offset between the intersection and origin. First, we analyze the reason for forming that offset via an optical imaging model. Second, we present a simple and effective way to detect and remove the offset. The resulting images, named ORGB, have almost the same appearance as the original RGB images while are more illumination-robust for color space conversion. Besides, image processing using ORGB instead of RGB is free from the interference of shadows. Finally, the proposed offset correction method is applied to road detection task, improving the performance both in quantitative and qualitative evaluations.Comment: Project website: https://baidut.github.io/ORGB

Global trends in COVID-19 Alzheimer's related research: a bibliometric analysis

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted public health, putting people with Alzheimer's disease at significant risk. This study used bibliometric analysis method to conduct in-depth research on the relationship between COVID-19 and Alzheimer's disease, as well as to predict its development trends.MethodsThe Web of Science Core Collection was searched for relevant literature on Alzheimer's and Coronavirus-19 during 2019–2023. We used a search query string in our advanced search. Using Microsoft Excel 2021 and VOSviewer software, a statistical analysis of primary high-yield authors, research institutions, countries, and journals was performed. Knowledge networks, collaboration maps, hotspots, and regional trends were analyzed using VOSviewer and CiteSpace.ResultsDuring 2020–2023, 866 academic studies were published in international journals. United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom rank top three in the survey; in terms of productivity, the top three schools were Harvard Medical School, the University of Padua, and the University of Oxford; Bonanni, Laura, from Gabriele d'Annunzio University (Italy), Tedeschi, Gioacchino from the University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli (Italy), Vanacore, Nicola from Natl Ctr Dis Prevent and Health Promot (Italy), Reddy, P. Hemachandra from Texas Tech University (USA), and El Haj, Mohamad from University of Nantes (France) were the authors who published the most articles; The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease is the journals with the most published articles; “COVID-19,” “Alzheimer's disease,” “neurodegenerative diseases,” “cognitive impairment,” “neuroinflammation,” “quality of life,” and “neurological complications” have been the focus of attention in the last 3 years.ConclusionThe disease caused by the COVID-19 virus infection related to Alzheimer's disease has attracted significant attention worldwide. The major hot topics in 2020 were: “Alzheimer' disease,” COVID-19,” risk factors,” care,” and “Parkinson's disease.” During the 2 years 2021 and 2022, researchers were also interested in “neurodegenerative diseases,” “cognitive impairment,” and “quality of life,” which require further investigation

GRA86 Is a Novel Dense Granule Protein Important for Virulence and Bradyzoite Differentiation in Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is a globally prevalent parasite capable of establishing lifelong infections, which can have severe consequences in immunocompromised individuals and developing fetuses. GRAs are essential secretory effectors that facilitate nutrient acquisition, modulate host immune responses, and support intracellular survival. In this study, we characterized four putative GRAs (GRA85–88) that co-localize with GRA12 in both tachyzoite and bradyzoite stages. Using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated homologous recombination, we successfully generated knockout strains in both type I RH and type II Pru backgrounds. Phenotypic analysis revealed that GRA85, GRA87, and GRA88 were not individually required for parasite replication, invasion, or virulence. However, deletion of gra86 (PruΔgra86) resulted in a significant reduction in virulence and fewer brain cysts in chronically infected mice, although in vitro growth remained unaffected. Transcriptomic profiling of PruΔgra86 revealed downregulation of bradyzoite–related genes and upregulation of GRAs involved in host interaction. Additionally, in vitro differentiation assays showed impaired bradyzoite development in the absence of GRA86. These findings from murine models and in vitro phenotypic assays highlight GRA86 as a regulator of chronic infection and stage conversion, positioning it as an important player in T. gondii pathogenesis and a promising target for therapeutic intervention

Masson pine pollen aqueous extract ameliorates cadmium-induced kidney damage in rats

Introduction: Cadmium (Cd) is a hazardous environmental pollutant present in soil, water, and food. Accumulation of Cd in organisms can cause systematic injury and damage to the kidney. The Masson pine pollen aqueous extract (MPPAE) has attracted increasing attention due to its antioxidant activity and ability to enhance immunity.Methods: In this study, we investigated the potential of MPPAE to protect against Cd-induced kidney damage in rats and the underlying mechanism. The transcriptome and metabolome of rats with Cd-induced kidney damage, following treatment with MPPAE, were explored.Results: The concentrations of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were both significantly altered after treatment with MPPAE. Furthermore, sequencing and analysis of the transcriptome and metabolome of rats with Cd-induced kidney damage, following treatment with MPPAE, revealed differential expression of numerous genes and metabolites compared with the untreated control rats. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) included detoxification-related genes such as cytochrome P450 and the transporter. The differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) included 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, L-ascorbate, and ciliatine. Conjoint transcriptome and metabolome analysis showed that several DEGs were correlated with DEMs.Conclusion: These preliminary findings indicate the potential of MPPAE for the treatment of toxic metal poisoning

Engineering Microbial Consortia for High-Performance Cellulosic Hydrolyzates-Fed Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are eco-friendly bio-electrochemical reactors that use exoelectrogens as biocatalyst for electricity harvest from organic biomass, which could also be used as biosensors for long-term environmental monitoring. Glucose and xylose, as the primary ingredients from cellulose hydrolyzates, is an appealing substrate for MFC. Nevertheless, neither xylose nor glucose can be utilized as carbon source by well-studied exoelectrogens such as Shewanella oneidensis. In this study, to harvest the electricity by rapidly harnessing xylose and glucose from corn stalk hydrolysate, we herein firstly designed glucose and xylose co-fed engineered Klebsiella pneumoniae-S. oneidensis microbial consortium, in which K. pneumoniae as the fermenter converted glucose and xylose into lactate to feed the exoelectrogens (S. oneidensis). To produce more lactate in K. pneumoniae, we eliminated the ethanol and acetate pathway via deleting pta (phosphotransacetylase gene) and adhE (alcohol dehydrogenase gene) and further constructed a synthesis and delivery system through expressing ldhD (lactate dehydrogenase gene) and lldP (lactate transporter gene). To facilitate extracellular electron transfer (EET) of S. oneidensis, a biosynthetic flavins pathway from Bacillus subtilis was expressed in a highly hydrophobic S. oneidensis CP-S1, which not only improved direct-contacted EET via enhancing S. oneidensis adhesion to the carbon electrode but also accelerated the flavins-mediated EET via increasing flavins synthesis. Furthermore, we optimized the ratio of glucose and xylose concentration to provide a stable carbon source supply in MFCs for higher power density. The glucose and xylose co-fed MFC inoculated with the recombinant consortium generated a maximum power density of 104.7 ± 10.0 mW/m2, which was 7.2-folds higher than that of the wild-type consortium (12.7 ± 8.0 mW/m2). Lastly, we used this synthetic microbial consortium in the corn straw hydrolyzates-fed MFC, obtaining a power density 23.5 ± 6.0 mW/m2

Chenodeoxycholic Acid Improves Embryo Implantation and Metabolic Health through Modulating Gut Microbiota-Host Metabolites Interaction during Early Pregnancy.

peer reviewedFetus loss in early pregnancy is of major concern to both humans and animals, and this issue is largely influenced by embryo implantation. Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), a primary bile acid, contributes to metabolic improvements and protects against intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. However, the effect of CDCA on embryo implantation during early pregnancy has not been investigated. The present study demonstrated that CDCA administration during early pregnancy improved embryo implantation in sows and rats, thereby improving the pregnancy outcomes of sows. CDCA significantly reduced inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. The metabolomics analysis indicated significant differences in the fecal metabolome, especially regarding the level of secondary bile acids, between the control and CDCA-treated sows. CDCA also influenced the serum metabolite profiles in sows, and the serum L-Histidine level was significantly correlated with the abundance of 19 differential fecal metabolites. Importantly, L-Histidine administration improved embryo implantation and metabolic health in rats during early pregnancy. Moreover, CDCA administration during early pregnancy also led to long-term metabolic improvements in sows. Our data indicated that CDCA improved embryo implantation by alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress, improving insulin sensitivity, and modulating the interaction between the gut microbiota and host metabolites. Therefore, CDCA intervention is a potential therapeutic strategy regarding embryo loss during pregnancy

Ordered Mesostructured CdS Nanowire Arrays with Rectifying Properties

Highly ordered mesoporous CdS nanowire arrays were synthesized by using mesoporous silica as hard template and cadmium xanthate (CdR2) as a single precursor. Upon etching silica, mesoporous CdS nanowire arrays were produced with a yield as high as 93 wt%. The nanowire arrays were characterized by XRD, N2adsorption, TEM, and SEM. The results show that the CdS products replicated from the mesoporous silica SBA-15 hard template possess highly ordered hexagonal mesostructure and fiber-like morphology, analogous to the mother template. The current–voltage characteristics of CdS nanoarrays are strongly nonlinear and asymmetrical, showing rectifying diode-like behavior