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Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is an important solanaceous vegetable and economic crop in the world. It is a very popular and nutrient rich vegetable, and it can be grown round the year in China. In September 2023, a suspected bacterial disease of the eggplant was found in the Greenhouse Eggplant Seedling Production Base in Tieling, Liaoning Province, China. The disease symptom was water-soaked tawny or light brown spots on eggplant seedling leaves, that gradually became black. Pathogenic bacteria were isolated from the infected leaf spots. Based on the phenotypic characteristics, bacteriological characteristics, physiological and biochemical tests and molecular biological identification, the bacteria isolates obtained in this study were identified as Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. Pathogenicity of these isolates was confirmed on ground tomato and pepper seedlings by artificial inoculation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of X. euvesicatoria causing bacterial spot of eggplant in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortex rings can maintain their structure during motion and achieve longdistance transport with low energy consumption, which is a fluid transport method with great energy-saving potential. In this paper, a reciprocating vortex ring generator structure is designed, which can generate two vortex rings during the reciprocating motion of one piston, making full use of the thrust in the reciprocating motion period of the piston and improving the vortex ring generation frequency compared with traditional vortex ring generators. For the characteristics of long-distance transport of vortex rings, an experimental platform is designed and built, and 277 sets of experiments are carried out with different geometric parameters. The results show that the effect of generating two vortex rings could be achieved under other parameter conditions, except for some parameter conditions where the diameter ratio D1/D2 = 4. By analyzing the influence of baffle width ratio, length ratio, and diameter ratio on the moving distance of vortex rings, the performance of the vortex ring generator is preliminarily studied. In 277 sets of experiments, the maximum moving distance ratio x1 of vortex ring 1 is 13.7 when L1/L2 = 2.4, D1/D2 = 2, and w1 = 0.2. And the maximum moving distance ratio x2 of vortex ring 2 is 20 when L1/L2 = 2, D1/D2 = 2.5, and w2 = 0.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C38H36Cu2N4O9, monoclinic, C12/c1 (No. 15), a = 18.336(4) Å, b = 19.494(4) Å, c = 11.389(2) Å, β = 113.76(1)°, V = 3725.9 Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.029, wRref(F2) = 0.073, T = 296 K.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is very harmful to food and feed. Biological detoxification is an effective method to reduce the harmful effect and ensure safety of food and feed. In order to screen the strains that can detoxify DON, 10 samples were selected from the mouldy alfalfa silage; and the LB, NA, and MRS media with DON were used for primary screening and re-screening. The detoxification rate of DON was measured and calculated by ELISA method. The strains with high detoxification rate of DON were identified by morphology and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The selected strains were combined and used to ferment the bran, and the detoxification efficiency of DON in the bran was then determined. Sixteen strains with the ability of detoxification were screened, and the results showed that the highest detoxification rate was 66.75%. Three strains with high detoxification rate were isolated and identified as Bacillus subtilis, Pediococcus acidilactici, and Lactobacillus plantarum. The combination of B. subtilis and L. plantarum yielded the highest efficiency of DON detoxification in bran, which could reach to 75.98% in 96 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to illustrate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DLEU1 in regulating the malignant progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) by targeting microRNA-194-5p (miRNA-194-5p). PATIENTS AND METHODS: DLEU1 expression level in ccRCC tissues and para-cancerous tissues was determined by quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR). The correlation between DLEU1 expression and pathological indexes of ccRCC patients was assessed. After the silence of DLUE1, the proliferative and migratory abilities of ACHN and 786-O cells were evaluated. Furthermore, Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay and rescue experiments were conducted to identify the role of DLEU1/miRNA-194-5p in regulating the ccRCC progression in vitro. RESULTS: DLEU1 expression was markedly up-regulated in ccRCC tissues when compared with para-cancerous tissues. The rates of lymphatic metastasis and distant metastasis in ccRCC patients with a high level of DLEU1 were significantly higher, whereas the prognosis was significantly worse. Transfection of si-DLEU1 remarkably attenuated proliferative and migratory abilities of ACHN and 786-O cells. MiRNA-194-5p was identified as the target gene of DLEU1. In addition, the knockdown of miRNA-194-5p could reverse the regulatory effect of DLEU1 on the proliferative and metastatic abilities of ccRCC. CONCLUSIONS: DLEU1 is closely related to lymphatic metastasis, distant metastasis, and poor prognosis of ccRCC. It aggravates the progression of ccRCC by targeting miRNA-194-5p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to examine the role and mechanism of a conserved long noncoding RNA termed NORAD (noncoding RNA activated by DNA damage, also named LINC00657) in gastric cancer (GC) progression. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the expression level of relevant genes in GC cell lines. Cell proliferation was examined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assays. Cell migration and invasion were detected by transwell migration and invasion assays. Protein levels of the indicated genes were detected by Western blotting. Cell apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Results showed that NORAD knockdown decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion but increased cell apoptosis. NORAD knockdown affected the expression of genes related to apoptosis and Epithelial- Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). In addition, NORAD's depletion resulted in reduced Ras Homolog Family Member A (RhoA) and Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) expression. Furthermore, NORAD's expression was positively correlated with RhoA and ROCK1 expressions in GC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate the oncogenic role of NORAD in gastric cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an advanced method was proposed for the empirical formation of current profiles. A probabilistic approach was adopted to generate a reliable empirical model which can be expressed as a function of current velocity and water depth from the obtained best-fit probability density function (PDF) with sub-parameters. It is recognised that the statistical scatter of current velocity at each normalised water depth is wide and requires a reliable method (or technique) with a refined manner to generate a simplified current profile model. From the probabilistic approach, the best-fit PDF of the current velocity distribution, including all ranges of normalised water depth is decided. In addition, sub-parameters of PDF (i.e. shape, scale, location parameters) can also be formulated as a function of normalised water depth through curve-fitting. For better understanding, three main steps which are (1) individual, (2) overall, and (3) optimised outcomes have been highlighted in order to propose the empirical formulation of current profiles. Applicability of the proposed method was verified by collecting 54 current profiles obtained from existing offshore fields, thus making it possible to generate a more accurate current profile model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for assessing the reliability of a corroded pipeline placed in series, with special consideration given to the effect of the length scale imposed by each segment of the pipe. The features of corrosion in different pipe segments are statistically correlated; thus, a failure in one section may impact the adjacent sections. Herein, using a correlation distance parameter, such statistical correlation is described considering the length-scale effects. The reliability of the corroded pipeline is presented in the form of a failure probability. The results show that analysing a corroded pipeline by considering length-scale effects produces a higher failure probability compared with the case where such effects are excluded, even when the parameters that govern corrosion in a pipeline are included in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel di-functional system was synthesized by encapsulation of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 and a therapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) with the thermo-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), which was coated with mesoporous SiO2 nanoparticles in a mesoporous core–shell structure. The system featured functionalized magnetic Fe3O4 and a smart thermo-responsive polymer PNIPAM. In an alternating magnetic field (AMF), the magnetic nanoparticles were heated up to 45 °C, which was the cancer treatment temperature. Therefore, it has potential for hyperthermia treatment. The smart polymer PNIPAM has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST), which is representative of a phase transition behavior. Based on it, the thermo-responsive polymer PNIPAM played a role of an on-off trigger switch in the process of drug releasing. The tests of drug releasing were investigated by UV-visible spectrophotometry at 45 °C and 25 °C. The test results showed that there was little drug released at 25 °C (below the LCST) but drug was mainly released at the temperature of 45 °C (above the LCST). In a word, our studies were mainly about the di-function of the composite: magnetic hyperthermia treatment and drug release. It has potential applications for reducing side effects of cancer treatment and achieving controlled drug release in response to variations of temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we investigated the molecule mechanisms of podocyte injury and proteinuria and the protective effects of losartan.Methods: This study set up three groups: a control group; an Ang II group (Ang II 10(-6) mol/l, Sigma); and a losartan group (losartan 10(-6) mol/l, Sigma). We used RT-PCR assay to detect TRPC6 mRNA expression, and Western blot to detect TRPC6 protein expression.Results: TRPC6 overexpression was the basic change of podocyte injury and proteinuria occurrence. Losartan can treat podocyte injury and proteinuria induced by Ang II via downregulation of TRPC6 in podocytes.Conclusion: These findings maybe provide an ideal drug target for the diagnosis and treatment of acquired glomerular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the fabrication and characterization of magnetic silica nanospheres covalently bonded with near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) luminescent lanthanide complexes [denoted as Fe3O4@SiO2@Ln-PABI/SiO2 (Ln = Nd, Eu)]. Fe3O4@SiO2@Ln-PABI/SiO2 (Ln = Nd, Eu) nanospheres with an average size of 150-200 nm were synthesized via incorporation of the chelate ligand PABI (N-(4-benzoic acid-yl)-N'-(propyltriethoxysilyl) urea) with Ln (Nd, Eu) into a framework of magnetic silica (denoted as Fe3O4@SiO2), followed by a modified Stöber method and a layer-by-layer assembly technique. The morphological, structural, textural, magnetic, NIR luminescence and UV luminescence properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. These multifunctional nanocomposites exhibit superparamagnetic behavior, and the characteristic NIR emission and UV emission of Nd3+ and Eu3+, respectively. Such materials with superparamagnetic and lanthanide-based near-infrared and UV luminescence properties have several advantages for potential applications in optical imaging or as biological luminescent labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coesite-bearing eclogites from >100 km in the southern Dulan area, North Qaidam Mountains (NQM) of western China, contain zircon that records protolith crystallization and ultra high pressure (UHP) metamorphism. Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (Mass Spectrometer) and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry U-Pb analyses from cathodoluminescence (CL)-dark zircon cores in a coesite-bearing eclogite yield an upper intercept age of 838 ± 50 Ma, and oscillatory zoned cores in a kyanite-bearing eclogite gave a weighted mean Pb/U age of 832 ± 20 Ma. These zircon cores yield steep heavy rare earth element (HREE) slopes and negative Eu anomalies that suggest a magmatic origin. Thus, c. 835 Ma is interpreted as the eclogite protolith age. Unzoned CL-grey or -bright zircon and zircon rims from four samples yield weighted mean ages of 430 ± 4, 438 ± 2, 446 ± 10 and 446 ± 3 Ma, flat HREE patterns without Eu anomalies, and contain inclusions of garnet, omphacite, rutile, phengite and rare coesite. These ages are interpreted to record 16 ± 5 Myr of UHP metamorphism. These new UHP ages overlap the age range of both eclogite and paragneiss from the northern Dulan area, suggesting that all UHP rock types in the Dulan area belong to the same tectonic unit. Our results are consistent with slow continental subduction, but do not match oceanic subduction and diapiric exhumation UHP model predictions. These new data suggest that, similar to eclogites in other HP/UHP units of the NQM and South Altyn Tagh, protoliths of the eclogites in the Dulan area formed in a continental setting during the Neoproterozoic, and then subducted to mantle depth together with continental materials during the Early Palaeozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CASPT2 calculations for the S0, T1, S1, T2, and S2 states of the cis- and trans-CH3ONO molecules predict the energy levels and geometries of the cis- and trans-isomers in the different states. The CASPT2 adiabatic (T0) and vertical (Tv) excitation energies are in good agreement with available experimental data (for the S1 cis- and trans-isomers). The CH3O-NO dissociation potential energy curves were calculated at the CASPT2//CASSCF level, and the CASPT2 calculations were performed for the transition states along the T1, S1, and T2 dissociation paths. For the repulsive S2 state the calculations predict the Tv values larger than 5.4 eV and dissociation products of CH3O (12A'') + NO (X2Π). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of a novel ultrawideband printed-circuit antenna is presented. By using a stepped-patch in combination with multiple resonating elements, a bandwidth of more than 150% is obtained. The performance is demonstrated through measurements and calculations with a commercially available field solver. A phase center analysis shows very small variations over the entire available bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial companies are facing more pressure to improve the recyclability performance of their new designed products. The concept of Environmental Conscious Design (ECD) has been adopted to assist more concerning about the environmental impact of the products at the early stage of designing. This new trend requires that the design strategy should be modified to integrate environmental constraints. This paper develops an Environmental Design Support Tool (EDST) to help designers improve their product in aspect of the environment. The proposed EDST is capable of evaluating the new designed product in terms of environmental sustainability, i.e., material selection, recyclability evaluation, and disassemblability analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]