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Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is responsible for avian infectious bronchitis, a disease prevalent in countries with intensive poultry farming practices. Given the presence of multiple genotypic strains in China, identifying the regionally dominant genotypes is crucial for the implementation of effective prevention and control measures. This study focuses on the IBV strain CK/CH/WJ/215, isolated from a diseased commercial chicken flock in China in 2021. The CK/CH/WJ/215 isolate was genetically characterized through complete S1 sequence analysis. Phylogenetic comparisons were made with prevalent vaccine strains (H120, LDT3-A, and 4/91). Glycosylation patterns in the S1 protein were also analyzed. Pathogenicity was assessed in 7-day-old specific-pathogen-free chicks, monitoring morbidity, mortality, and tissue tropisms. Phylogenetic analysis clustered the CK/CH/WJ/215 isolate within the GI-19 lineage. Identity with the vaccination strains H120, LDT3-A, and 4/91 was low (75.7%, 78.6%, and 77.5% respectively). Novel glycosylation sites at positions 138 and 530 were identified compared to H120 and LDT-A. The isolate demonstrated nephropathogenic characteristics, causing 100% morbidity and 73.3% mortality in SPF chicks, with broader tropisms in tissues including trachea, lungs, kidneys, and bursa of Fabricius. Comprehensive genetic and pathological investigations revealed significant differences between the CK/CH/WJ/215 isolate and common vaccine strains, including novel glycosylation sites and a strong multiorgan infective capability. These findings are crucial for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of IBV and developing more effective prevention and control strategies.

Abstract Background Glioblastoma (GBM) characterized by immune escape is the most malignant primary brain tumors, which has strong immunosuppressive effect. Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is a recognized immunosuppressive member on the surface of tumor cells, and plays a crucial role in immune evasion of tumors. Actually, little is known about the regulation of PD-L1 expression in GBM. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) is upregulated in GBM and is related to poor patient prognosis. However, it remains unclear whether IGFBP3 plays a role in the regulation of PD-L1 expression in GBM. Methods The role of IGFBP3 in the glioma immune microenvironment was investigated using the CIBERSORT algorithm. The correlation between IGFBP3 and PD-L1 expression was analyzed using TCGA and CGGA databases. QRT-PCR, immunoblotting and RNA-seq were used to examine the regulatory effect of IGFBP3 on PD-L1 expression. Co-culture assay, cell counting kit (CCK-8), qRT-PCR, ELISA and flow cytometry were performed to explore the function of IGFBP3 in inducing immunosuppression. The biological role of IGFBP3 was verified using immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence and mice orthotopic tumor model. Results In this study, we analyzed immune cells infiltration in gliomas and found that IGFBP3 may be associated with an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Then, by analyzing TCGA and CGGA databases, our results showed that IGFBP3 and PD-L1 expression were positively correlated in GBM patients, but not in LGG patients. In vitro experiments conducted on different GBM cell lines revealed that the overexpression of IGFBP3 led to an increase in PD-L1 expression, which was reversible upon knockdown IGFBP3. Mechanistically, IGFBP3 activated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, leading to an increase in PD-L1 expression. Additionally, co-culture experiments results showed IGFBP3 overexpression induced upregulation of PD-L1 expression promoted apoptosis in Jurkat cells, and this effect was blocked by IGFBP3 antibody and PDL-1 inhibitors. Importantly, in vivo experiments targeting IGFBP3 suppressed tumor growth and significantly prolonged the survival of mice. Conclusions This research demonstrated IGFBP3 is a novel regulator for PD-L1 expression in GBM, and identified a new mechanism by which IGFBP3 regulates immune evasion through PD-L1, suggesting that IGFBP3 may be a potential novel target for GBM therapy.

Abstract The ability to transfer microdroplets between fluid phases offers numerous advantages in various fields. This study focuses on the stability and morphology of a sessile oil microdropletduring the transfer from underwater to air. A distinct transition in microdroplet dynamics is observed, characterized by a shift from a scenario dominated by Marangoni forces to one dominated by capillary forces. In the former regime, the oil microdroplets spread in response to the contact between the water‐air interface and the water‐oil interface. The spreading distance follows a power law relationship of t3/4, reflecting the balance between Marangoni forces and viscous forces. On the other hand, in the capillarity‐dominated regime, the oil microdroplets remain stable at the contact line and after being transferred into the air. The crossover between these two regimes is identified in the parameter space defined by three factors: the approaching velocity of the solid‐water‐air contact line (vcl), the radius of the oil microdroplet (ro), and the radius of the water drop (rw). Furthermore, how to use the four‐phase contact line for shaping oil microdroplets is demonstrated using a full liquid process by the contact line lithography.

Abstract Background Though our previous study has demonstrated that the single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic surgery (SILS + 1) is safe and feasible for sigmoid colon and upper rectal cancer and has better short-term outcomes compared with conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS), the long-term outcomes of SILS + 1 remains uncertain and are needed to evaluated by an RCT. Methods Patients with clinical stage T1-4aN0-2M0 rectosigmoid cancer were enrolled. The participants were randomly assigned to either SILS + 1 (n = 99) or CLS (n = 99). The 3-year DFS, 5-year OS, and recurrence patterns were analyzed. Results Between April 2014 and July 2016, 198 patients were randomly assigned to either the SILS + 1 group (n = 99) or CLS group (n = 99). The median follow-up in the SILS + 1 group was 64.0 months and in CLS group was 65.0 months. The 3-year DFS was 87.8% (95% CI, 81.6–94.8%) in SILS + 1 group and 86.9% (95% CI, 81.3–94.5%) in CLS group (hazard ratio: 1.09 (95% CI, 0.48–2.47; P = 0.84)). The 5-year OS was 86.7% (95% CI,79.6–93.8%) in the SILS + 1 group and 80.5% (95% CI,72.5–88.5%) in the CLS group (hazard ratio: 1.53 (95% CI, 0.74–3.18; P = 0.25)). There were no significant differences in the recurrence patterns between the two groups. Conclusions We found no significant difference in 3-year DFS and 5-year OS of patients with sigmoid colon and upper rectal cancer treated with SILS + 1 vs. CLS. SILS + 1 is noninferior to CLS when performed by expert surgeons. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02117557 (registered on 21/04/2014).

Abstract Background Single-incision plus one-port laparoscopic surgery (SILS + 1) has been demonstrated to be minimally invasive while possessing better cosmesis and less pain compared with conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS). However, SILS + 1 as an alternative to CLS for colorectal cancer is still controversial. Methods A total of 1071 patients who underwent curative laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer between 2015 and 2018 were included. Of these patients, 258 SILS + 1 cases and 516 CLS cases were analyzed using propensity score matching. The baseline characteristics, surgical outcomes, pathologic findings and recovery course, morbidity and mortality within postoperative 30 days and 3-year disease-free and overall survival were compared. Results Baseline characteristics were balanced between the groups. The mean operating time was significantly shorter in SILS + 1 group, with less estimated blood loss. Tumor size, tumor differentiation, number of harvested lymph nodes, resection margin and pathologic T, N, TNM stage was similar between the groups. There was no significant difference in overall perioperative complications. Uni- and multivariate analyses revealed that SILS + 1 was not a risk factor for complications. Postoperatively, SILS + 1 group showed faster recovery than CLS group in terms of ambulation, bowel function, oral intake and discharge. The 3-year disease-free survival rates of SILS + 1 and CLS groups were 90.1% and 87.3%(p = 0.59), respectively and the 3-year overall survival rates were 93.3% vs. 89.8%(p = 0.172). Discussion Our study revealed that SILS + 1 is safe, feasible, oncologically efficient, and may be considered as a surgical option for selected patients with colorectal cancer.

The enormous effects of avian influenza on poultry production and the possible health risks to humans have drawn much attention to this disease. The H9N2 subtype of avian influenza virus is widely prevalent among poultry, posing a direct threat to humans through infection or by contributing internal genes to various zoonotic strains of avian influenza. Despite the widespread use of H9N2 subtype vaccines, outbreaks of the virus persist due to the rapid antigenic drift and shifts in the influenza virus. As a result, it is critical to develop a broader spectrum of H9N2 subtype avian influenza vaccines and evaluate their effectiveness. In this study, a recombinant baculovirus expressing the broad-spectrum HA protein was obtained via bioinformatics analysis and a baculovirus expression system (BES). This recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) protein displayed cross-reactivity to positive sera against several subbranch H9 subtype AIVs. An adjuvant and purified HA protein were then used to create an rHA vaccine candidate. Evaluation of the vaccine demonstrated that subcutaneous immunization of the neck with the rHA vaccine candidate stimulated a robust immune response, providing complete clinical protection against various H9N2 virus challenges. Additionally, virus shedding was more effectively inhibited by rHA than by the commercial vaccine. Thus, our findings illustrate the efficacy of the rHA vaccine candidate in shielding chickens against the H9N2 virus challenge, underscoring its potential as an alternative to conventional vaccines.

Solar‐driven water treatment suffers from low efficiency due to the solar energy loss during the energy conversion, especially in the scale‐up operation. One promising solution is using microlenses (MLs) to enhance the photodegradation of organic contaminants in water. However, most MLs fabrications apply to 2D planar surface only, which restricts their potential applications. In this study, a flexible and scalable technology is presented to fabricate MLs on curved surfaces. Precursor microdroplets form in a dilution process and are converted to MLs by photopolymerization. Optical simulations and experiments are combined to establish the correlation between optical properties of MLs and the performance of ML‐functionalized reactors in photodegradation. It is demonstrated that surface MLs on all‐shaped reactors significantly enhance the photodegradation efficiency of organic contaminants under simulated solar light or natural indoor light, with a maximum improvement of 83 folds. The surface coverage and size distribution of MLs can be adjusted by varying the solution concentration and the dilution rate when generating microdroplets. In addition, fabrication of MLs on a larger scale is achieved over an area up to 250 cm 2 . MLs on 3‐dimensional curved surfaces fabricated by the technique enable significantly enhanced, highly customized, and sustainable solar‐driven water treatment.

Abstract Solar‐driven photodegradation for water treatment faces challenges such as low energy conversion rates, high maintenance costs, and over‐sensitivity to the environment. In this study, we develop reusable concave microlens arrays (MLAs) for more efficient solar photodegradation by optimizing light distribution. Concave MLAs with the base radius of ∼5 μm are fabricated by imprinting convex MLAs to polydimethylsiloxane elastomers. Concave MLAs possess a non‐contact reactor configuration, preventing MLAs from detaching or being contaminated. By precisely controlling the solvent exchange, concave MLAs are fabricated with well‐defined curvature and adjustable volume on femtoliter scale. The focusing effects of MLAs are examined, and good agreement is presented between experiments and simulations. The photodegradation efficiency of organic pollutants in water is significantly enhanced by 5.1‐fold, attributed to higher intensity at focal points of concave MLAs. Furthermore, enhanced photodegradation by concave MLAs is demonstrated under low light irradiation, applicable to real river water and highly turbid water.

Abstract In light of the uprising global development on sustainability, an innovative and environmental friendly wood‐based material derived from natural pinewood has been developed as a high‐performance alternative to petrochemical‐based materials. The wood‐based functional material, named as BC‐CaCl2, is synthesized through the coordination of carboxyl groups (−COOH) present in pinewood with calcium ions (Ca2+), which facilitates the formation of a high‐density cross‐linking structure through the combined action of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The as‐prepared BC‐CaCl2 exhibits excellent tensile strength (470.5 MPa) and flexural strength (539.5 MPa), establishing a robust structural basis for the materials. Meanwhile, BC‐CaCl2 shows good water resistance, thermal conductivity, thermal stability, UV resistance, corrosion resistance, and antibacterial properties. BC‐CaCl2 represents a viable alternative to petrochemical‐based materials. Its potential application areas include waterproof enclosure structure of buildings, indoor underfloor heating, outdoor UV resistant protective cover, and anti‐corrosion materials for installation engineering, and so forth.

Excessive intake of sodium chloride may bring a series of diseases; as a result, reduced-salt surimi gels have gained growing popularity for sodium reduction. This paper studied soy protein isolate (SPI, 2.0%, 4.0%, and 6.0%, w/w) as a gel enhancer for reduced-salt silver carp surimi. Compared with the control (2.0% NaCl), the addition of SPI significantly increased (P

Abstract Switchable hydrophilicity solvents (SHSs) are a unique class of chemical compounds that can be switched between their hydrophobic and hydrophilic forms. The switchable characteristics allow SHSs to be used as emerging, green solvents for sustainable extraction and separation technology. In the production of polymeric microparticles from recycled plastics, SHSs are used to dissolve the polymer and then are switched to the hydrophilic form for separation from the generated polymeric microparticles. However, it is extremely difficult to fully recover the SHS residue from the mixtures. In this work, we will identify the key parameters that determine the level of the solvent residue during the switched‐on dissolution of emulsion microdroplets. The SHS N,N‐dimethylcyclohexylamine from solvent–polymer binary emulsion droplets was switched to the hydrophilic, water‐soluble form, triggered by addition of an acid in the surrounding aqueous phase. By applying a sensitive detection method developed in this work, we compared the levels of SHS residue in polymer microparticles obtained under 30 different dynamical and chemical conditions for the switching processes. The quantitative analysis revealed that residue levels remained constant at varied addition rates and concentration of the trigger solution, but decreased with the increase in organic phase fractions or the decrease in the emulsion temperature. Trapped water in the drops during switched‐on dissolution may have contributed to the high level of solvent residue. The understanding of the new possible mechanism for residual solvent reported in this work may help develop effective approaches for the recovery of switchable solvents in environmentally friendly separation processes.

The effects of ultrasonic power (0, 150, 300, 450, and 600 W) on the extraction yield and the structure and rheological properties of pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) from albacore skin were investigated. Compared with the conventional pepsin extraction method, ultrasonic treatment (UPSC) significantly increased the extraction yield of collagen from albacore skin, with a maximum increase of 8.56%. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that peptides of low molecular weight were produced when the ultrasonic power exceeded 300 W. Meanwhile, secondary structure, tertiary structure, and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the original triple helix structure of collagen was intact after the ultrasonic treatment. The collagen solutions extracted under different ultrasonic powers had significant effects on the dynamic frequency sweep, but a steady shear test suggested that the collagen extracted at 150 W had the best viscosity. These results indicate that an ultrasonic power between 150 and 300 W can improve not only the extraction yield of natural collagen, but also the rheological properties of the collagen solution without compromising the triple helix structure.

Salmonella spp. is one of the most important foodborne pathogens. Typhoid fever and enteritis caused by Salmonella enterica are associated with 16–33 million infections and 500,000 to 600,000 deaths annually worldwide. The eradication of Salmonella is becoming increasingly difficult because of its remarkable capacity to counter antimicrobial agents. In addition to the intrinsic and acquired resistance of Salmonella, increasing studies indicated that its non-inherited resistance, which commonly mentioned as biofilms and persister cells, plays a critical role in refractory infections and resistance evolution. These remind the urgent demand for new therapeutic strategies against Salmonella. This review starts with escape mechanisms of Salmonella against antimicrobial agents, with particular emphasis on the roles of the non-inherited resistance in antibiotic failure and resistance evolution. Then, drug design or therapeutic strategies that show impressive effects in overcoming Salmonella resistance and tolerance are summarized completely, such as overcoming the barrier of outer membrane by targeting MlaABC system, reducing persister cells by limiting hydrogen sulfide, and applying probiotics or predatory bacteria. Meanwhile, according to the clinical practice, the advantages and disadvantages of above strategies are discussed. Finally, we further analyze how to deal with this tricky problems, thus can promote above novel strategies to be applied in the clinic as soon as possible. We believed that this review will be helpful in understanding the relationships between tolerance phenotype and resistance of Salmonella as well as the efficient control of antibiotic resistance.

Summary: Dual or multi-targets therapy targeting epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) and other molecular may relax the constraint for glioblastoma (GBM), putting forward the urgent requirement of finding candidate molecules. Here, the insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP3) was considered a candidate, whereas the mechanisms of IGFBP3 production remain unclear. We treated GBM cells with exogenous transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) to simulate the microenvironment. We found that TGF-β and EGFRvIII transactivation induced the activation of transcription factor c-Jun, which specifically bound to the promoter region of IGFBP3 through Smad2/3 and ERK1/2 pathways and promoted the production and secretion of IGFBP3. IGFBP3 knockdown inhibited the activation of TGF-β and EGFRvIII signals and the malignant behaviors triggered by them in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results indicated a positive feedback loop of p-EGFRvIII/IGFBP3 under administration of TGF-β, blocking IGFBP3 may be an additional target in EGFRvIII-expressing GBM-selective therapeutic strategy.

5-Demethylnobiletin is the active ingredient in citrus polymethoxyflavones that could inhibit the proliferation of several tumor cells. However, the anti-tumor effect of 5-Demethylnobiletin on glioblastoma and the underlying molecular mechanisms are remains unknown. In our study, 5-Demethylnobiletin markedly inhibited the viability, migration and invasion of glioblastoma U87-MG, A172 and U251 cells. Further research revealed that 5-Demethylnobiletin induces cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase in glioblastoma cells by downregulating Cyclin D1 and CDK6 expression levels. Furthermore, 5-Demethylnobiletin significantly induced glioblastoma cells apoptosis by upregulating the protein levels of Bax and downregulating the protein level of Bcl-2, subsequently increasing the expression of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9. Mechanically, 5-Demethylnobiletin trigged G0/G1 phase arrest and apoptosis by inhibiting the ERK1/2, AKT and STAT3 signaling pathway. Furthermore, 5-Demethylnobiletin inhibition of U87-MG cell growth was reproducible in vivo model. Therefore, 5-Demethylnobiletin is a promising bioactive agent that might be used as glioblastoma treatment drug.

Hyperuricemia, pulmonary hypertension, and renal failure in infancy and alkalosis syndrome (HUPRA syndrome) is an ultrarare mitochondrial disease that is characterized by hyperuricemia, pulmonary hypertension, renal failure, and alkalosis. Seryl-tRNA synthetase 2 (SARS2) gene variants are believed to cause HUPRA syndrome, and these variants result in the loss of function of seryl-tRNA synthetase. Eventually, mutated seryl-tRNA synthetase is unable to catalyze tRNA synthesis and leads to the inhibition of the biosynthesis of mitochondrial proteins. This causes oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system impairments. To date, five mutation sites in the SARS2 gene have been identified. We used whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing to find and validate a novel compound heterozygous variants of SARS2 [c.1205G>A (p.Arg402His) and c.680G>A (p.Arg227Gln)], and in silico analysis to analyze the structural change of the variants. We found that both variants were not sufficient to cause obvious structural damage but changed the intermolecular bond of the protein, which could be the cause of HUPRA syndrome in this case. We also performed the literature review and found this patient had significant pulmonary hypertension and minor renal dysfunction compared with other reported cases. This study inspired us to recognize HUPRA syndrome and broaden our knowledge of gene variation in PH.

The effects of ultrasound combined (25 kHz, 400 ± 20 W/L, ultrasonic time of 5, 10 and 15 min) with soy protein isolate processing on gelling properties of low-salt silver carp surimi, aggregation and conformation of myofibrillar protein were investigated. The results revealed that, compared with only adding soy protein isolate components, ultrasound-assisted soy protein isolate had a more obvious effect on the protein structure in low-salt surimi, leading to the decrease in α-helix and total sulfhydryl contents, and the increase in β-sheet content and protein solubility. As a result, more proteins participated in the formation of the gel network, and significant improvements in hardness, gel strength and water-holding capacity of the low-salt surimi gel were observed, while the myosin heavy chain in SDS-PAGE was weakened. The low-field NMR results showed that the initial relaxation time of T2 was apparently shorter, the free water content decreased and the bound water content increased under the action of ultrasound. Scanning electron microscope observation found that the surimi gel treated by ultrasound exhibited smaller holes, and had a more stable and denser network structure. In conclusion, the results of our work demonstrated that ultrasound combined with soy protein isolate can significantly improve the gel quality properties of low-salt silver carp.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant intracranial tumor in adults, characterized by extensive infiltrative growth, high vascularization, and resistance to multiple therapeutic approaches. Among the many factors affecting the therapeutic effect, the immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment that is created by cells and associated molecules via complex mechanisms plays a particularly important role in facilitating evasion of the tumor from the immune response. Accumulating evidence is also revealing a close association of the gut microbiota with the challenges in the treatment of GBM. The gut microbiota establishes a connection with the central nervous system through bidirectional signals of the gut–brain axis, thus affecting the occurrence and development of GBM. In this review, we discuss the key immunosuppressive components in the tumor microenvironment, along with the regulatory mechanism of the gut microbiota involved in immunity and metabolism in the GBM microenvironment. Lastly, we concentrate on the immunotherapeutic strategies currently under investigation, which hold promise to overcome the hurdles of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and improve the therapeutic outcome for patients with GBM.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) not only causes great economic loss to the pig industry but also seriously threatens the biosafety of other mammals, including humans. Since 2011, PRV mutant strains have emerged widely in China, and the classical Bartha-K61 vaccine cannot confer complete protection for pigs. PRV mainly infects pigs via the respiratory tract. Intranasal immunization with PRV has received more attention because intranasal vaccination elicits systemic and mucosal immune responses. To induce systemic and mucosal immune responses against PRV, we developed a combination adjuvant as a delivery system for intranasal vaccine, which was formulated with MONTANIDE™ Gel 01 and CVCVA5. In comparison to naked antigen of inactivated PRV, single Gel 01 adjuvanted inactivated antigen and single CVCVA5 adjuvanted inactivated antigen, intranasal inactivated PRV vaccine formulated with the combination adjuvant induced greater mucosal IgA immunity and serum antibody responses (IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a). Furthermore, the production of the Th1-type cytokine IFN-γ and the Th2-type cytokine IL-4 indicated that the cellular and humoral responses to the intranasal vaccine were improved by the combination adjuvant. In addition, the intranasal vaccine formulated with the combination adjuvant induced long-term T lymphocyte memory with increased central (CD62L+CD44+) and effector (CD62L–CD44+) memory subsets of both CD4 and CD8 T cells in nasal-associated lymphoid tissue. Intranasal challenge with virulent PRV in mice showed that the protective efficacy of the intranasal PRV vaccine was improved by the combination adjuvant compared with the other single-adjuvanted vaccines. In summary, these data demonstrated that Gel 01 combined with the CVCVA5 adjuvant induced a synergistic effect to improve mucosal immunity and protective efficacy of the intranasally inactivated PRV vaccine in mice. It represents a promising vaccination approach against PRV infection.

Recent developments in ultrafine bubble generation have opened up new possibilities for applications in various fields. Herein, we investigated how substances in water affect the size distribution and stability of microbubbles generated by a common nanobubble generator. By combining light scattering techniques with optical microscopy and high-speed imaging, we were able to track the evolution of microbubbles over time during and after bubble generation. Our results showed that air injection generated a higher number of microbubbles (μm) than CO2 injection. Increasing detergent concentration led to a rapid increase in the number of microbubbles generated by both air and CO2 injection and the intensity signal detected by dynamic light scattering (DLS) slightly increased. This suggested that surface-active molecules may inhibit the growth and coalescence of bubbles. In contrast, we found that salts (NaCl and Na2CO3) in water did not significantly affect the number or size distribution of bubbles. Interestingly, the presence of oil in water increased the intensity signal and we observed that the bubbles were coated with an oil layer. This may contribute to the stability of bubbles. Overall, our study sheds light on the effects of common impurities on bubble generation and provides insights for analyzing dispersed bubbles in bulk.

Laurate (LA−)-intercalated nickel–chromium-layered double hydroxides (LDHs) were synthesized using the co-precipitation method and investigated as a potential photocatalyst for methylene orange (MO) degradation. For comparison, a series of LDHs with various molar ratios of Ni2+(or Mg2+)/Cr3+(or Fe3+)/LA−(or CO32−) were prepared. X−ray diffraction (XRD) and element analysis showed that Ni/Cr(2/1)−1.0 LA LDH had the most ordered crystal structure, and showed the same photocatalytic decolorization performance as Mg/Cr(2/1)−1.0LA LDH towards MO, which was significantly superior to Ni/Cr−CO3 LDH, Ni/Fe(2/1)−1.0LA LDH, and Ni/Cr−CO3 LDH with LA−, and Cr3+ with LA−. The photocatalytic removal rate of MO with the initial concentration of 100 mg/L by Ni/Cr(2/1)−1.0LA LDH (0.5 g/L) could be up to 80% with UV light irradiation for 3 h, which was almost twice higher than that of the sorption test. The photocatalytic reaction was in accordance with the pseudo-first-order kinetics, which implied that the catalytic process took place on the surface of the catalyst. All the results indicate the photodegradation of MO by Ni/Cr−LA LDHs was enhanced by the sorption of MO onto the intercalated LA− in the interlayer. The free radical capture experiments suggest that the main role of the photocatalytic mechanism of Ni/Cr−LA LDHs could be the •O2− with high oxidation activity produced by the electron-hole pairs of LDH, as excited by UV light. Additionally, the •O2− further reacted with the adjacent MO molecule pre-sorbed on the intercalated LA.

Abstract Background The fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans (Lm). causes blackleg disease on canola/rapeseed in many parts of the world. It is important to use resistant cultivars to manage the disease and minimize yield losses. In this study, twenty-two Lm isolates were used to identify resistance genes in a collection of 243 canola/rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) accessions from Canada and China. These Lm isolates carry different compliments of avirulence genes, and the investigation was based on a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genotype-by-sequencing (GBS). Results Using the CROP-SNP pipeline, a total of 81,471 variants, including 78,632 SNPs and 2839 InDels, were identified. The GWAS was performed using TASSEL 5.0 with GLM + Q model. Thirty-two and 13 SNPs were identified from the Canadian and Chinese accessions, respectively, tightly associated with blackleg resistance with P values

The development of inexpensive carbon fiber precursors is necessary to meet the future demands of carbon fibers. This work shows how asphaltenes, which are obtained as a by-product in bitumen production, can play an important role as such inexpensive carbon fiber precursors. To synthesize carbon fibers from asphaltene, stabilization by means of oxidizing acids (HNO3 and H2SO4) was developed. Stabilization could not be achieved by a non-oxidizing acid (HCl). The reactions leading to fiber stabilization was investigated for nitric acid treatment, which led to oxidation and the incorporation of nitro-groups. Further thermal treatment caused an increase in C/H ratio that was related to decomposition of nitro-groups, which facilitated air oxidation and other reactions leading to the loss of volatile hydrogen-rich products, such as light hydrocarbons. Additionally, the influence of the acid concentration during treatment on fiber properties, such as fiber diameter, composition, tensile strength and elastic modulus, has been examined. The application of the acid treatment leads to carbon fibers with good tensile properties, with a tensile strength and elastic modulus of 811 MPa and 32.7 GPa, respectively. The overall yield of carbon fibers is 37 – 38 wt.%.

A novel high-throughput array analytical platform based on derived β-cyclodextrin supramolecular imprinted polymer (SMIP) fibers was constructed to achieve selective enrichment and removal of parabens. SMIP fiber arrays have abundant imprinting sites and introduce the host–guest inclusion effect of the derived β-cyclodextrin, which is beneficial to significantly improve the adsorption ability of fiber for parabens. Upon combination with HPLC, a specific and sensitive recognition method was developed with a low limit of detection (0.003–0.02 µg/L, S/N = 3) for parabens analysis in environmental water. This method has a good linearity (R > 0.9994) in the linear range of 0.01–200 µg/L. The proposed SMIP fiber array with high-throughput adsorption capacity has great potential in monitoring water pollution, which also provides a reliable reference for the analysis of more categories of pharmaceutical and personal care product pollutants.

The rapid assessment of earthquake-stricken regions immediately after a seismic event is crucial for earthquake relief operations. Since unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can quickly reach the affected areas and obtain images, they are widely used in the post-earthquake rapid assessment. However, sensor noise and other unavoidable errors can affect the quality of images acquired by sensors attached to the UAVs, which can, in turn, reduce the quality of the assessment. We defined a new problem in the application of multiple UAVs in the rapid assessment of earthquake-stricken regions. The rapid-assessment task-assignment problem (RATAP) was used to construct the assignment plan for multiple UAVs in a rapid-assessment task while considering the weights of potential targets, the endurance of the UAVs, and the sensor errors. The RATAP was formulated as a variant of the team orienteering problem (TOP) called the revisit-allowed TOP with reward probability (RTOP-RP). We then developed an efficient hybrid particle swarm optimization with simulated annealing (HPSO-SA) algorithm, which produced a high-quality solution for the RATAP, and confirmed the effectiveness and rapidity of our algorithm through numerical experiments. Finally, we conducted a case study based on real-world data from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China to demonstrate our approach.

Mass fabrication of supraparticles is essential for their applications, but it is not easy. Tan et al. produce porous supraparticles with tunable shapes by drying colloidal particles in water-ethanol-oil ternary drops, where the pining effect at drop edges is alleviated by the formation of oil rings.

Acute coronary syndrome in the young population is infrequently seen and has a different etiology from that in the elderly population. Giant coronary artery aneurysms are rare and usually asymptomatic, but they can cause acute clinical symptoms such as chest pain or chest tightness. We herein describe a young woman with a history of mitral valve prolapse who developed sudden-onset chest pain. She had mild elevations of her creatine kinase and cardiac troponin levels; however, no ST segment alteration was found on an electrocardiogram, and no abnormal regional wall movement was noted on echocardiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging with late gadolinium enhancement revealed a “mass” at the right coronary artery and linear subendocardial enhancement at the posterior wall. Coronary angiography later confirmed a giant coronary aneurysm with a substantial thrombus. The combined presence of the coronary artery aneurysm and mitral valve prolapse in this patient was likely a sequela of Kawasaki disease.

A fundamental process culminating in the mechanisms of plant-pathogen interactions is the regulation of trophic divergence into biotrophic, hemibiotrophic, and necrotrophic interactions. Plant hormones, of almost all types, play significant roles in this regulatory apparatus. In plant-pathogen interactions, two classical mechanisms underlying hormone-dependent trophic divergence are long recognized. While salicylic acid dominates in the execution of host defense response against biotrophic and early-stage hemibiotrophic pathogens, jasmonic acid, and ethylene are key players facilitating host defense response against necrotrophic and later-stage hemibiotrophic pathogens. Evidence increasingly suggests that trophic divergence appears to be modulated by more complex signaling networks. Acting antagonistically or agonistically, other hormones such as auxins, cytokinins, abscisic acid, gibberellins, brassinosteroids, and strigolactones, as well as nitric oxide, are emerging candidates in the regulation of trophic divergence. In this review, the latest advances in the dynamic regulation of trophic divergence are summarized, emphasizing common and contrasting hormonal and nitric oxide signaling strategies deployed in plant-pathogen interactions.

Landslides can be triggered by natural and human activities, threatening the safety of buildings and infrastructures. Mapping potential landslide runout zones are critical for regional risk evaluation. Although remote sensing technology has been widely used to discover unstable areas, an entire landslide runout zone is difficult to identify using these techniques alone. Some simplified methods based on empirical models are used to simulate full-scale movements, but these methods do not consider the kinematic uncertainties caused by random particle collisions in practice. In this paper, we develop a semi-empirical landslide dynamics method considering kinematic uncertainties to solve this problem. The uncertainties caused by the microtopography and anisotropy of the material are expressed by the diffusion angle. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are adopted to calculate the probability of each cell. Compared with the existing Flow-R model, this method can more accurately and effectively estimate runout zones of the Yigong landslide where random particle collisions are intense. Combining the D-InSAR technique, we evaluate the runout zones in the Jinsha River from June 2019 to December 2020. This result shows that the method is of great significance in early warning and risk mitigation, especially in remote areas. The source area of the landslide and DEM resolution together affect the number of MC simulations required. A landslide with a larger volume requires a larger diffusion angle and more MC simulations.

Abstract Background Low concentrations of nonionic surfactants can change the physical properties of cell membranes, and thus and in turn increase drug permeability. Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is an extremely slow-growing virus, and PCV2 infection of PK-15 cells yields very low viral titers. The present study investigates the effect of various nonionic surfactants, namely, Tween-20, Tween-28, Tween-40, Tween-80, Brij-30, Brij-35, NP-40, and Triton X-100 on PCV2 infection and yield in PK-15 cells. Result Significantly increased PCV2 infection was observed in cells treated with Tween-20 compared to those treated with Tween-28, Tween-40, Brij-30, Brij-35, NP-40, and Triton X-100 (p

Fungal diseases of plants continue to contribute to heavy crop losses in spite of the best control efforts of plant pathologists. Breeding for disease-resistant varieties and the application of synthetic chemical fungicides are the most widely accepted approaches in plant disease management. CMN1308 strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was isolated from healthy Chinese chestnut fruit, which has antibiosis and induced resistance to the prevention mechanism of pathogenic bacterium after picking. In order to evaluate the antibiosis mechanism, CMN1308 was fostered with the method of confront culture. The antimicrobial components were also isolated from the culture of CMN1308, and their stability and antimicrobial activity was tested under different treatments such as temperature, pH and UV. The results showed that CMN1308 displays advantages in regard to spatial competition against the major pathogens of chestnut, Rhizopus stolonifer, Fusarium solani, Stachybotrys chartarum, Cryphonectria parasitica, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus niger. Among this, CMN1308 had the best antimicrobial activity against P. expansum, with the inhibition zone diameter of 27.1 mm. The antimicrobial material isolated from CMN1308 culture showed a strong inhibition to the growth of P. expansum hyphal and also had a good stability to high temperature, alkali media and UV, but was sensitive to acidic conditions. Furthermore, CMN1308 increased the peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase activity and reduced the MDA content in chestnuts after infecting by pathogenic fungi. Thus, producing antibiotic compounds and inducible resistance are the main factors that may explain the antibacterial mechanism of CMN1308 on chestnut pathogenic. The results of this study might help to optimize the practical use of CMN1308 in the biological control of chestnut rot or other fruit rot infected by pathogenic fungi.

In the last decade, with the wide application of UAVs in post-earthquake relief operations, the images and videos of affected areas obtained by UAVs immediately after a seismic event have become an important source of information for post-earthquake rapid assessment, which is crucial for initiating effective emergency response operations. In this study, we first consider the kinematic constraints of UAV and the Dubins curve is introduced to fit the shortest flyable path for each UAV that meets the maximum curvature constraint. Second, based on the actual requirements of post-earthquake rapid assessment, heterogeneous UAVs, multi-depot launching, and targets allowed access to multiple times, the paper proposes a multi-UAV rapid-assessment routing problem (MURARP). The MURARP is modeled as the multi-depot revisit-allowed Dubins TOP with variable profit (MD-RDTOP-VP) which is a variant of the team orienteering problem (TOP). Third, a hybrid genetic simulated annealing (HGSA) algorithm is developed to solve the problem. The result of numerical experiments shows that the HGSA algorithm can quickly plan flyable paths for heterogeneous UAVs to maximize the expected profit. Finally, a case study based on real data of the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake in China shows how the method can be applied in a post-earthquake scenario.

The H5 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus is one of the greatest threats to global poultry industry. To develop broadly protective H5 subunit vaccine, a recombinant consensus HA sequence (rHA) was constructed and expressed in virus-like particles (rHA VLPs) in the baculovirus-insect cell system. The efficacy of the rHA VLPs vaccine with or without immunopotentiator (CVCVA5) was assessed in chickens. Compared to the commercial Re6 or Re6-CVCVA5 vaccines, single dose immunization of chickens with rHA VLPs or rHA-CVCVA5 vaccines induced higher levels of serum hemagglutinin inhibition titers and neutralization titers, mucosal antibodies, IFN-γ and IL-4 cytokines in sera, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses. The rHA VLPs vaccine was superior to the commercial Re6 vaccine in conferring cross-protection against different clades of H5 subtype viruses. This study reports that H5 subtype consensus HA VLP single dose vaccination provides broad protection against HPAI virus in chickens.

We previously described that immunopotentiators, CVCVA5, increased the efficacy of H5 and H9 subtype avian influenza vaccines in chickens, ducks, and geese. In this study, we further investigated the effects of the CVCVA5 for improving the efficacy of other univalent or multivalent inactivated vaccines. The immune response administrated with half-dose of monovalent vaccine plus CVCVA5 were higher than those of one dose of monovalent vaccine without immunopotentiators as measured by levels of antibodies from serum, tears and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, and cytokines of IFNγ and IL-4 from serum. Vaccines included the univalent vaccine of Newcastle Disease virus (ND), Egg Drop Syndrome virus (EDS), Infectious Bronchitis virus (IB), and Infectious Bursal Disease virus (IBD). The CVCVA5 also improved the immune response of both ND and IBD vaccines with less dosage. The sterile protective immunity was monitored with one- or a half-dose of adjuvanted ND vaccine or one dose of adjuvanted IBD vaccine, respectively. The improved immune efficacy was observed in a half-dose of adjuvanted bivalent vaccines compared to one dose of vaccines without CVCVA5 as measured by the antibody levels, including bivalent vaccine of ND-H9, ND-IB, and ND-IBD. The CVCVA5 also boosted the immune efficacy of the tetravalent vaccine (ND-IB-EDS-H9). A half-dose of adjuvanted commercial vaccine or 75% antigen-sparing adjuvanted vaccine elicited similar antibody levels to those of one dose non-adjuvanted commercial vaccines. The CVCVA5 improved the effect of a booster vaccination as measured by the antibody levels against H5 or H9 virus antigens, in which chickens primed with the adjuvanted ND-IB vaccines given a booster with H5–H9 bivalent vaccines without CVCVA5 using 5-day intervals. The inflammatory response may contribute to these additional effects by increasing the levels of IFNγ and IL-4 after the injection of the adjuvanted ND-IB vaccines. Results indicated that the CVCVA5 improved the serum and mucosal antibody levels, cytokine levels of the chickens given the univalent vaccine, and also improved serum antibody titers in bivalent and tetravalent vaccines. This has a potential as an improve vaccine.

Leptosphaeria maculans is a hemibiotrophic fungus that causes blackleg of canola (Brassica napus), one of the most devastating diseases of this crop. In the present study, transcriptome profiling of L. maculans was performed in an effort to understand and define the pathogenicity genes that govern both the biotrophic and the necrotrophic phase of the fungus, as well as those that separate a compatible from an incompatible interaction. For this purpose, comparative RNA-seq analyses were performed on L. maculans isolate D5 at four different time points following inoculation on susceptible cultivar Topas-wild or resistant near isogenic line Topas-Rlm2. Analysis of 1.6 billion Illumina reads readily identified differentially expressed genes that were over represented by candidate secretory effector proteins, CAZymes, and other pathogenicity genes. Comparisons between the compatible and incompatible interactions led to the identification of 28 effector proteins whose chronology and level of expression suggested a role in the establishment and maintenance of biotrophy with the plant. These included all known Avr genes of isolate D5 along with eight newly characterized effectors. In addition, another 15 effector proteins were found to be exclusively expressed during the necrotrophic phase of the fungus, which supports the concept that L. maculans has a separate and distinct arsenal contributing to each phase. As for CAZymes, they were often highly expressed at 3 dpi but with no difference in expression between the compatible and incompatible interactions, indicating that other factors were necessary to determine the outcome of the interaction. However, their significantly higher expression at 11 dpi in the compatible interaction confirmed that they contributed to the necrotrophic phase of the fungus. A notable exception was LysM genes whose high expression was singularly observed on the susceptible host at 7 dpi. In the case of TFs, their higher expression at 7 and 11 dpi on susceptible Topas support an important role in regulating the genes involved in the different pathogenic phases of L. maculans. In conclusion, comparison of the transcriptome of L. maculans during compatible and incompatible interactions has led to the identification of key pathogenicity genes that regulate not only the fate of the interaction

Blackleg (Phoma stem canker) of crucifers is a globally important disease caused by the ascomycete species complex comprising of Leptosphaeria maculans and Leptosphaeria biglobosa. Six blackleg isolates recovered from Brassica rapa cv. Mizspoona in the Willamette Valley of Oregon were characterized as L. biglobosa based on standard pathogenicity tests and molecular phylogenetic analysis. These isolates were compared to 88 characterized L. biglobosa isolates from western Canada, 22 isolates from Australia, and 6 L. maculans isolates from Idaho, USA using maximum parsimony and distance analysis of phylogenetic trees generated from the ITS rDNA (internal transcribed spacer rDNA) sequence, and the actin and β-tubulin gene sequences. The L. biglobosa isolates derived from B. rapa collected in Oregon formed a separate subclade based on concatenated gene sequences or a single gene sequence, regardless of the analyses. Pathogenicity tests showed that these isolates failed to infect either resistant or susceptible B. napus cultivars, but caused severe symptoms on three B. rapa cultivars (Accession number: UM1113, UM1112, and UM1161), a B. oleracea var. capitata (cabbage) cultivar (Copenhagen Market), and two B. juncea cultivars (CBM, a common brown Mustard, and Forge). These findings demonstrated that the L. biglobosa isolates derived from a B. rapa crop in Oregon were genetically distinct from existing species of L. biglobosa, and constitute a new subclade, herein proposed as L. biglobosa ‘americensis’.

Combination of CVCVA5 adjuvant and commercial avian influenza (AI) vaccine has been previously demonstrated to provide good protection against different AI viruses in chickens. In this study, we further investigated the protective immunity of CVCVA5-adjuvanted oil-emulsion inactivated AI vaccine in chickens, ducks and geese. Compared to the commercial H5 inactivated vaccine, the H5-CVCVA5 vaccine induced significantly higher titers of hemaglutinin inhibitory antibodies in three lines of broiler chickens and ducks, elongated the antibody persistence periods in geese, elevated the levels of cross serum neutralization antibody against different clade and subclade H5 AI viruses in chicken embryos. High levels of mucosal antibody were detected in chickens injected with the H5 or H9-CVCA5 vaccine. Furthermore, cellular immune response was markedly improved in terms of increasing the serum levels of cytokine interferon-γ and interleukine 4, promoting proliferation of splenocytes and upregulating cytotoxicity activity in both H5- and H9-CVCVA5 vaccinated chickens. Together, these results provide evidence that AI vaccines supplemented with CVCVA5 adjuvant is a promising approach for overcoming the limitation of vaccine strain specificity of protection.

Blackleg, caused by Leptosphaeria maculans, is a major threat to canola production in Canada. With the exception of China, L. maculans is present in areas around the world where cruciferous crops are grown. The pathogen can cause trade barriers in international canola seed export due to its potential risk as a seed contaminant. The most recent example is China restricting canola seeds imported from Canada and Australia in 2009. Therefore, it is important to assess the level of Blackleg infection in Canadian canola seed lots and dockage (seeds and admixture). In this study, canola seed lots and dockage samples collected from Western Canada were tested for the presence of the aggressive L. maculans and the less aggressive L. biglobosa. Results showed that both L. maculans and L. biglobosa were present in seed lots and dockage samples, with L. biglobosa being predominant in infected seeds. Admixture separated from dockage had higher levels of L. maculans and L. biglobosa infection than samples from seed lots. Admixture appears to harbour higher levels of L. maculans infection compared to seeds and is more likely to be a major source of inoculum for the spread of the disease than infected seeds.