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Illicium verum Hook. f. (star anise) is a highly important plant in terms of both its edible and medicinal properties and its economic value. The suitable habitat for star anise may undergo alterations in response to climate changes and human activities, which in turn might impact its quality. To ensure the future introduction and protection of star anise, it is crucial to analyze the impacts of climate change on the potential distribution of the species. The approach presented in this study integrates the MaxEnt model and chemical composition analysis to assess the potential distribution patterns of star anise in response to climate change and evaluate the impact of environmental variables on its quality. The results revealed that the soil pH, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, mean diurnal range, precipitation of the warmest quarter and annual precipitation were the main factors affecting the current distribution of I. verum. The current area of suitable habitat is approximately 17.6 × 104 km2, accounting for 74% of the total area of Guangxi Province. Under the future climate scenarios, the overall pattern of the potential distribution range shifted northwards, and the SSP3126 scenario showed the most significant increase in the area. By utilizing comprehensive 2D chromatography technologies, 111 volatile compounds present in the 61 batches of star anise were identified. Further analysis via chemometric methods revealed that the components β-bisabolene, caryophyllene, 4-methoxyphenylacetone, cis-β-farnesene, anethole and linalool could serve as potential markers for distinguishing the quality of star anise from different geographical origins. Finally, a stepwise regression model between chemical compositions and environmental variables was established, and based on this, a quality zoning map was subsequently plotted. This study provides valuable scientific insights for resource conservation, planting site selection and quality control for star anise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callerya speciosa (Champ. ex Benth.) Schot is a significant leguminous plant valued for its edible tuberous roots, which are a plentiful source of isoflavonoids. Basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors (TFs) have been reported to regulate secondary metabolism in plants, especially flavonoid biosynthesis. However, the bHLH genes in C. speciosa have not yet been reported, and their regulatory role in isoflavonoid biosynthesis remains unexplored. Here, 146 CsbHLH genes were identified in the C. speciosa genome, classifying them into 23 subfamilies based on the gene structures and phylogenetic relationships. All the CsbHLH proteins contained both motifs 1 and 2, whereas motif 8 was only distributed in subgroup III (d + e). Collinearity analysis demonstrated that fragmental replications are the primary driver of CsbHLH evolution, with the majority of duplicated CsbHLH gene pairs experiencing selective pressure. Nine candidate CsbHLH genes were found to play a potential role in regulating isoflavonoid biosynthesis through a combination of gene-to-metabolite correlation analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Additionally, the cis-regulatory elements and response to MeJA of these nine genes were characterized and confirmed through quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. Among them, three CsbHLHs (CsbHLH9, CsbHLH89, and CsbHLH95) were selected for further investigation. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H), dual-luciferase (LUC) assays, bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays, and transient transformation demonstrated that CsbHLH9 acted as a transcriptional activator through its interaction with CsMYB36 and binding to the promoters of isoflavonoid biosynthesis genes in a MeJA-induced manner, such as CsIFR2, CsI3′H2, and CsCHS4, to promote isoflavonoid (calycosin, calycosin-7-o-glucoside, and formononetin) accumulation. Our results establish a basis for the functional analysis of bHLH genes and investigations into the molecular mechanisms underlying isoflavonoid biosynthesis in C. speciosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a crucial high-performance material, nickel-based superalloys inevitably generate residual stresses during processing, manufacturing, and usage. The mechanical properties of nickel-based superalloys are significantly reduced by residual stress, which becomes one of the important factors restricting material reliability. The systematic analysis of residual stresses in nickel-based superalloys throughout the entire manufacturing and usage processes is insufficient. The residual stress generation factors, measurement methods, prediction models, and control methods in nickel-based superalloys in recent years are summarized in this paper. The current challenge and future development trends in the research process of nickel-based superalloy residual stress are also presented. A theoretical reference for further research on residual stresses in nickel-based superalloys can be provided in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are small vesicles containing proteins, nucleic acids, and biological lipids, which are responsible for intercellular communication. Studies have shown that exosomes can be utilized as effective drug delivery vehicles to accurately deliver therapeutic substances to target tissues, enhancing therapeutic effects and reducing side effects. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a class of stem cells widely used for tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and immunotherapy. Exosomes derived from MSCs have special immunomodulatory functions, low immunogenicity, the ability to penetrate tumor tissues, and high yield, which are expected to be engineered into efficient drug delivery systems. Despite the promising promise of MSC-derived exosomes, exploring their optimal preparation methods, drug-loading modalities, and therapeutic potential remains challenging. Therefore, this article reviews the related characteristics, preparation methods, application, and potential risks of MSC-derived exosomes as drug delivery systems in order to find potential therapeutic breakthroughs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass concentration is a commonly used but insufficient metric to evaluate the particulate matter (PM) exposure hazard. Recent studies have declared that small particles have more serious impacts on human health than big particles given the same mass concentration. However, state-of-the-art PM sensors cannot provide explicit information of the particle size for further analysis. In this work, we adopt Sauter mean diameter (SMD) as a key metric to reflect the particle size besides the mass concentration. To measure SMD, an effective optical sensing method and a proof-of-concept prototype sensor are proposed by using dual wavelengths technology. In the proposed method, a non-linear conversion model is developed to improve the SMD measurement accuracy for aerosol samples of different particle size distributions and reflective indices based on multiple scattering channels. In the experiment of Di-Ethyl-Hexyl-Sebacate (DEHS) aerosols, the outputs of our prototype sensor demonstrated a good agreement with existing laboratory reference instruments with maximum SMD measurement error down to 7.04%. Furthermore, the simplicity, feasibility and low-cost features of this new method present great potential for distributed PM monitoring, to support sophisticated human exposure hazard assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]