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The response mechanism of the pressure fluctuation to the unsteady heat release rate at the 'unsteady' combustion state in a strong rotating environment was investigated using a stratified vortex-tube combustor via a large eddy simulation method. Results show that the peak amplitude of heat release fluctuation at the 'unsteady' state is just 2.8 × 106 W/m3 and the peak amplitude of pressure fluctuation is always within 3000 Pa based on the vortex-tube configuration, indicating a weak fluctuation degree. The unsteady heat release does not bring about a higher momentum flux fluctuation due to quick momentum damping in the rotating reactive environment. The pressure fluctuation does not relate closely to the momentum flux and its fluctuation; this is due to the effect of the centrifugal force caused by rotating behavior. After splitting the momentum flux into the different components, we found that the tangential component acts in reverse to that of the radial and axial directions in the exterior region. Viz., the pressure increases when the tangential momentum flux increases in the exterior region but decreases when the radial and axial components increase. The laminarization of the fluid suppresses the fluctuations in the radial and axial directions only, therefore the uneven attenuation of the momentum flux fluctuation in different directions is the dominant cause of the enlarged pressure fluctuation in the 'unsteady' burning state. Moreover, we find that the pressure fluctuation degree is also closely related to the centrifugal weight coefficient. When this coefficient is far away from zero, the centrifugal effect will become obvious, and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens, is an important pest of rice that severely affects production. Insecticides are an important means of controlling BPH, but their long-term use has led to resistance. To provide insight into BPH responses to insecticide stress, we determined the expression levels of BPH ABCG transporter genes under treatment with thiamethoxam, abamectin, and cyantraniliprole at LC10, LC25, LC50, and LC90. We cloned 13 BPH ABCG transporters, named NlABCG1 to NlABCG13. Conservative domain analysis showed that all 13 transporters have one nucleotide binding domain and one transmembrane domain, typical of semi-molecular transporters. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that thiamethoxam, abamectin, and cyantraniliprole stress increased the expression of some NlABCG transporters gene in BPH. However, after treatment with thiamethoxam at LC25 and abamectin at LC10, there was no significant upregulation of NlABCG. These results indicate that the expression of NlABCG varies in response to stress from different insecticides. These findings provide baseline information for further understanding of the molecular mechanisms of insecticide resistance in BPH.

At present, the axis orbit (whirling) and the instantaneous angular speed (spinning) are important symptoms in the condition monitoring of rotor systems. However, because of the lack of research of the transient characteristics of axis orbit within a whirl cycle, the axis orbit cannot reflect the instantaneous characteristics of the rotation during one whirling cycle like the instantaneous angular speed. Therefore, in this paper, a new concept of instantaneous whirling speed of axis orbit within a whirling cycle is proposed and defined. In addition, the transient characteristics of instantaneous whirling speed are studied. Meanwhile, the response mechanisms are qualitative analyzed through the study of the work of the additional stiffness excitation and the conversion relationship between the kinetic energy and the potential energy. Then, the minimum of the relative instantaneous whirling speed (RWS) is proposed as a potential monitoring index for crack severity. The instantaneous whirling speed is a new attribute of axis orbit and a new perspective for the vibration analysis of cracked rotors. The addition of this new attribute significantly increases the effect of axis orbit for distinguishing normal and cracked rotors. The new analysis perspective and the new diagnosis index are potential supplements for crack diagnosis.

As a natural inhabitant of gastrointestinal tract, Lactobacillus plantarum is well known for its health-promoting effects, especially in heavy metal-removal function. The response mechanism integrated physiology and proteomics of Lactobacillus plantarum under excessive manganese stress was systematically performed. More extracellular polymeric substance was secreted, whereas cells preferred to aggregate for resisting manganese stress. The stability of the membrane was maintained by up-regulating the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, especially cyclopropane fatty acids. The contents of intracellular Asp and Arg, closely related with energy metabolism, decreased under excessive manganese stress. Comparative 2-DE proteomic analysis identified 52 proteins that significantly differed under different levels of manganese stress. The differentially expressed proteins, involved in the carbohydrate, amino acid, stress response and nucleotide metabolisms, were categorized as the crucial components during resisting manganese stress. Moreover, MntH 4 and MntH 5 were identified as the functional elements in regulation of manganese transportation model. The differential expression of six key transporter proteins under different manganese stresses indicated that the MntH 1, 2 and 3 was negatively regulated by MntR, while the regulation of MntH 4 and 5 presented the contrary model. Taken altogether, the study provides new insights into the response mechanism of probiotics to similar environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylparaben (EP) has been shown to have estrogenic effects and can affect the normal development, longevity, and reproductive system of some animals. In this study, we investigated the effects of EP in male Drosophila melanogaster using transcriptome analysis or digital gene expression profiling. We then screened differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two groups (EP-treated and control group) of Drosophila, and performed clustering analysis, gene ontology (GO) function annotation, kyoto encyclopedia of gene and genomes metabolic pathway analysis. We found that EP enriched GO in three processes: cellular component, molecular function, and biological process. Consequently, we detected 13,959 genes and among them, 18 genes were identified to be significantly expressed between the EP-treated and control samples. Of these, seven genes were down-regulated, and eleven genes were up-regulated in EP-treated samples. Furthermore, four DEGs including two down-regulated genes (CG9465, CG9468) and two up-regulated genes (TotA, Sqz) were verified by real-time quantitative PCR. This study revealed the impact of EP on gene expression in fruit fly and provided new insight into the mechanisms of this response, which is helpful for understanding EP toxicity to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury (Hg) pollution is a ubiquitous and serious concern in marine environments, but the response mechanisms of marine animals to Hg pollution (i.e., toxicity/tolerance) are poorly understood. To compare the global responses of two marine copepods ( Tigriopus japonicus and Pseudodiaptomus annandalei ), we analyzed whole transcriptomes using RNA-seq technology in response to Hg treatment (a nominal 10 μg/L HgCl 2 in seawater) for 5 h. Hg was strikingly accumulated in both copepods under treatment. The Hg concentration in P. annandalei was higher under metal exposure by approximately 1.4-fold compared with treated T. japonicus . Among transcriptomic data, 101 genes in T . japonicus and 18 genes in P . annandalei were differentially regulated in response to Hg exposure. The up-regulated genes in T . japonicus were concerned with stress, growth, and development, while the down-regulated ones were mainly related to immune response. In P . annandalei , most of the differentially expressed genes were up-regulated, and all were involved in stress response. Our work indicated that Hg exhibits endocrine-disrupting potential at the transcriptomic level in marine copepods. Overall, our study demonstrates the species-specific molecular responses of these two copepods to Hg pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water resources emergency management can mitigate regional damage from water emergencies. Taking Tongzhou District, Nantong City as the study area, this paper proposes technical and engineering measures to improve the water emergency management system. This paper chooses groundwater as the alternative emergency water source, and proposes an emergency wells layout scheme according to the disparities between current groundwater supply capacities and the emergency water demands in each planning unit in 2020. Jiuweigang River and Tonglv River are proposed as water-dilution channels to improve the surface water environment and provide suitable water to Tongzhou District by means of sluice gates. Lastly, this paper describes the water resources emergency management mechanism, including the organization system, the response mechanism, and the supporting measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polymer-coated surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based chemical sensor for organophosphorous compound sensing at extremely low concentrations was developed, in which a dual-delay-line oscillator coated with fluoroalcoholpolysiloxane (SXFA) acted as the sensor element. Response mechanism analysis was performed on the SXFA-coated chemical sensor, resulting in the optimal design parameters. The shear modulus of the SXFA, which is the key parameter for theoretical simulation, was extracted experimentally. New designs were done on the SAW devices to decrease the insertion loss. Referring to the new phase modulation approach, superior short-term frequency stability (±2 Hz in seconds) was achieved from the SAW oscillator using the fabricated 300 MHz delay line as the feedback element. In the sensor experiment on dimethylmethylphosphonate (DMMP) detection, the fabricated SXFA-coated chemical sensor exhibited an excellent threshold detection limit up to 0.004 mg/m3 (0.7 ppb) and good sensitivity (~485 Hz/mg/m3 for a DMMP concentration of 2~14 mg/m3).

La aparición de datos faltantes es un problema común en la mayoría de las encuestas llevadas a cabo en distintos ámbitos. Una técnica tradicional y muy conocida para el tratamiento de datos faltantes es la imputación. La mayoría de los estudios relacionados con los métodos de imputación se centran en el problema de la estimación de la media y su varianza y están basados en diseños muestrales simples tales como el muestreo aleatorio simple. En este trabajo se describen los métodos de imputación más conocidos y se plantean bajo el contexto de un diseño muestral general y para el caso de diferentes mecanismos de respuesta. Mediante estudios de simulación Monte Carlo basados en datos reales extraídos del ámbito de la economía y la empresa, analizamos las propiedades de varios métodos de imputación en la estimación de otros parámetros que también son utilizados con frecuencia en la práctica, como son las funciones de distribución y los cuantiles. Con el fin de que los métodos de imputación descritos en este trabajo se puedan implementar y usar con mayor facilidad, se proporcionan sus códigos en los lenguajes de programación R y Splus. = Missing values are a common problem in many sampling surveys, and imputation is usually employed to compensate for non-response. Most imputation methods are based upon the problem of the mean estimation and its variance, and they also assume simple sampling designs such as the simple random sampling without replacement. In this paper we describe some imputation methods and define them under a general sampling design. Different response mechanisms are also discussed. Assuming some populations based upon real data extracted from the context of the economy and business, Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to analyze the properties of the various imputation methods in the estimation of parameters such as distribution functions and quantiles. The various imputation methods are implemented using the popular statistical softwares R and Splus, and codes are here presented.

One of the significant limitations of aquaculture worldwide is the prevalence of divalent copper (Cu). Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are economically important freshwater species adapted to a variety of environmental stimuli, including heavy metal stresses; however, large-scale transcriptomic data of the hepatopancreas of crayfish in response to Cu stress are still scarce. Here, integrated comparative transcriptome and weighted gene co-expression network analyses were initially applied to investigate gene expression profiles of the hepatopancreas of crayfish subjected to Cu stress for different periods. As a result, 4662 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified following Cu stress. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that the "focal adhesion" pathway was one of the most significantly upregulated response pathways following Cu stress, and seven DEGs mapped to this pathway were identified as hub genes. Furthermore, the seven hub genes were examined by quantitative PCR, and each was found to have a substantial increase in transcript abundance, suggesting a critical role of the "focal adhesion" pathway in the response of crayfish to Cu stress. Our transcriptomic data can be a good resource for the functional transcriptomics of crayfish, and these results may provide valuable insights into the molecular response mechanisms underlying crayfish to Cu stress. [Display omitted] • Cu stress can cause physiological changes and histopathological damage in crayfish. • Transcriptomic analysis of the hepatopancreas of crayfish in response to Cu stress. • 4662 genes are significant differentially changed following Cu stress. • Focal adhesion pathway plays a key role in the response of crayfish to Cu toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect hormones, such as juvenile hormone (JH), precisely regulate insect life-history traits. The regulation of JH is tightly associated with the tolerance or resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). JH esterase (JHE) is a primary JH-specific metabolic enzyme which plays a key role in regulating JH titer. Here, we characterized a JHE gene from Plutella xylostella (PxJHE) , and found it was differentially expressed in the Bt Cry1Ac resistant and susceptible strains. Suppression of PxJHE expression with RNAi increased the tolerance of P. xylostella to Cry1Ac protoxin. To investigate the regulatory mechanism of PxJHE , two target site prediction algorithms were applied to predict the putative miRNAs targeting PxJHE , and the resulting putative miRNAs were subsequently verified for their function targeting PxJHE using luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation. MiR-108 or miR-234 agomir delivery dramatically reduced PxJHE expression in vivo, whilst only miR-108 overexpression consequently increased the tolerance of P. xylostella larvae to Cry1Ac protoxin. By contrast, reduction of miR-108 or miR-234 dramatically increased PxJHE expression, accompanied by the decreased tolerance to Cry1Ac protoxin. Furthermore, injection of miR-108 or miR-234 led to developmental defects in P. xylostella , whilst injection of antagomir did not cause any obvious abnormal phenotypes. Our results indicated that miR-108 or miR-234 can be applied as potential molecular targets to combat P. xylostella and perhaps other lepidopteran pests, providing novel insights into miRNA-based integrated pest management. [Display omitted] • A differentially expressed PxJHE was identified from P. xylostella transcriptome. • Knockdown of PxJHE via RNAi increased tolerance of P. xylostella to Cry1Ac toxin. • miR-108 and miR-234 were predicted and confirmed to down-regulate PxJHE expression. • Oversupply or inhibition of miR-108 or miR-234 altered tolerance of P. xylostella to Cry1Ac toxin. • Oversupply of miR-108 led to developmental defects in P. xylostella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global climate change has resulted in increasingly harsh environments that have become the restriction factors for plants growth and development. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) in plants play critical roles in resisting various abiotic stresses, such as heat and cold stresses. Using the expression pattern analysis of foxtail millet CDPK family members under heat- and cold-treatments, respectively, and the SiCDPK7 was found to respond to extreme temperature stress and was selected for further study. The results suggested that overexpression of SiCDPK7 in Arabidopsis conferred tolerance to heat stress by increasing seedling survival rates and hypocotyl elongation compared with wild type (WT) plants, and also can enhance heat stress tolerance in foxtail millet. Analysis of physiological and biochemical indexes showed that SiCDPK7 transgenic plant lines had the markedly higher catalase (CAT) activity and the significantly lower malonaldehyde (MDA) content than WT plants. In addition, qRT-PCR analysis showed that the transcription levels of heat and cold stress-responsive genes were significantly increased in SiCDPK7 transgenic Arabidopsis and foxtail millet under stress conditions. This supporting evidence suggests that SiCDPK7 facilitated the extreme temperature tolerance capabilities in plants • Our study suggests that SiCDPK7 facilitated the extreme temperature tolerance capabilities in plants. • We verified the function of SiCDPK7 by transgenic techniques in Arabidopsis thaliana and foxtail millet. • Further study showed that some heat- and cold-regulated genes were up-regulated in transgenic plants, which revealed that plant CDPKs play important roles in plants for responding to extreme temperature stress. • Our results possible to provide a great candidate gene and important theoretical evidences for breeding temperature-resistant varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetic (EM) transmission has an irreplaceable position in the information age, especially the advent of 5G and the intelligent era. However, the problem of EM wave pollution is becoming more and more serious, and there is an urgent need to explore efficient EM wave absorption materials. The significant advantages and unique EM properties of dipole polarization engineering create endless possibilities for designing simple EM wave absorbing materials with excellent performance and low price. However, there is currently no research summary of dipole polarization engineering, which is very unfavorable for mechanism research. Here, we conduct an in-depth analysis of the EM response of the dipole polarization effect. Firstly, the types of dipole polarization and the response mechanism are systematically introduced, and the characterization methods of polarization in materials are discussed. In addition, the application of dipole polarization in structural engineering is summarized. Finally, the current challenges and specific suggestions of dipole polarization engineering are proposed. Despite many difficulties and obstacles, we believe that dipole polarization engineering will lead to further developments in EM wave absorbing materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schematic diagram of fluorescence sensors constructed by MOFs doped with different guest substance. [Display omitted] • Fluorescent-substance@MOFs can improve the fluorescence sensing performance of dye on the original performance of dye, so it is necessary to summarize them. • According to different types of fluorescent substance, the design strategy and action mechanism of fluorescent-substance@MOFs are summarized. • The fluorescent-substance@MOFs sensor in the past five years is summarized, and the future research prospects and possible challenges in this field are discussed. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystal materials formed by the self-assembly of metal ions and organic ligands. MOFs have great application potential in many fields because of their adjustable pore structures, large specific surface area, and good stability. The introduction of fluorescent substances into the metal centers, organic ligands, or voids of MOFs can make them have the function of fluorescence sensing. Fluorescent-substance@MOFs offer a wide variety of advantages that are unmatched by other fluorescent probes, such as high stability, pre-enrichment, and ratiometric luminescence. Here, we introduce the research progress of fluorescent-substance@MOFs prepared from guest substances such as molecular dyes, quantum dots, nanoclusters, and lanthanide metals. And put forward the challenges and future development directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews current state-of-the-art methods of measuring pH levels that are based on polymer materials. These include polymer-coated fibre optic sensors, devices with electrodes modified with pH-sensitive polymers, fluorescent pH indicators, potentiometric pH sensors as well as sensors that use combinatory approach for ion concentration monitoring.

Background Compared to other available non-microbial TTIs, the distinct advantage of microbial TTI is that its response (color change) is a result of a process (the growth and metabolic activity of the TTI microorganism) simulating the actual quality loss process (the bacterial growth and metabolism of the “specific spoilage organisms”) of many foods, especially most chilled high-protein foods. This indicates a high possibility that food quality changes due to microorganisms could be reflected by microbial TTIs accurately. Scope and approach The components of microbial TTIs, response and prediction mechanism are described. The application modeling methods, applications, benefits and limitations, research trends of microbial TTIs are systematically summarized and discussed. Key findings and conclusions The article puts forward five development trends of microbial TTIs: The microbial TTIs with microencapsulation of microorganisms and two separate compartments could keep microorganisms stable and allow for room temperature storage; The TTIs integrated with RFID and bar code technologies could identify and transmit the color message of TTIs automatically and systematically; The microbial TTIs could be fabricated by a simplified method; The sensitive TTIs to different microbial metabolites are valuable complementarity for microbial TTIs application; The available open shared TTI kinetic parameters database and shelf life prediction models could facilitate the microbial TTIs application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is a kind of vegetable with high economic benefits in protected farmland. Accounting for 30% of vegetable planting aea in the entire protected farmland, tomato plays an essential role in cultivation of protected vegetable. Different abiotic stresses have different degrees of influence on growth and development, yield, and fruit quality of tomatoes. Therefore, finding out life activity rules of tomatoes under diiferent abiotic stresses wiil be of great significance to breeding for stress tolerance and increasing tomato yield and income. This paper made an overview of research progress in tomato responses to abiotic stress in growth and development, physiology and biochemistry, and gene regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Both high and low densities of macrophyte vegetation can impair its ecosystem service function. Harvesting is often applied to macrophyte vegetation to maintain an appropriate density. Vegetation harvesting has occasionally gone awry and caused catastrophes, such as vegetation disappearance and cyanobacterial dominance in waterways and lakes. Because water depth influences macrophyte density at all life stages, the simultaneous influences of harvesting and water depth should be carefully examined. Thus, this study aims to quantify the effects of differently harvesting Elodea nuttallii on its growth and reproduction at different water depths in field experiments. Methods Four harvest intensities (harvesting E. nuttallii plant heights equal to 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of the water depth) were applied to E. nuttallii growing at four different water depths (60, 90, 120 and 150 cm). Plant length and root length were measured. The node number, root number of each plant and number of floating plants were counted before harvesting. The harvested plant were dried to a constant weight for dry weight determination. Important Findings The rate of increase in the length and shoot number of E. nuttallii varied from -0.012 to 0.440 day-1 and from -0.020 to 0.639 day-1, respectively. Water depth >150 cm would limit E. nuttallii growth. Elodea nuttallii responded to increasing water depths and low-intensity harvesting by increasing internodal length and decreasing shoot number. The larger internodal length of E. nuttallii observed in relatively deeper water was also induced by the physical strain generated by its buoyancy as its specific gravity was less than water's. The physical mechanism of removing the plant canopy by harvesting decreased E. nuttallii buoyancy and prevented floating. Harvesting increased plant production in shallow waters <90 cm deep. Moreover, it is also necessary to perform three medium-intensity harvests at a water depth of 120 cm and one low-intensity harvest or no harvesting at a water depth of 150 cm to achieve longer lifetimes and less biomass near the water surface when the plants reach or approach the water surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas phase ionization detectors are the most widely used detectors for gas chromatography. The column and makeup gases commonly used in gas chromatography are near perfect insulators. This facilitates the detection of a minute number of charge carriers facilitating the use of ionization mechanisms of low efficiency while providing high sensitivity. The main ionization mechanism discussed in this report are combustion in a hydrogen diffusion flame (flame ionization detector), surface ionization in a plasma (thermionic ionization detector), photon ionization (photoionization detector and pulsed discharge helium ionization detector), attachment of thermal electrons (electron-capture detector), and ionization by collision with metastable helium species (helium ionization detector). The design, response characteristics, response mechanism, and suitability for fast gas chromatography are the main features summarized in this report. Mass spectrometric detection and atomic emission detection, which could be considered as ionization detectors of a more sophisticated and complex design, are not discussed in this report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • OLR shock destabilized AGS system, while it reached a new stability eventually. • AGS could activate protection mechanisms to resist OLR shock and recover stability. • Amino acid, aminoacyl-tRNA and UDPG synthesis were up-regulated under OLR shock. • Glycogen synthesis and denitrification were up-regulated under long-term OLR shock. • Abundant GAO contributed to the enhanced glycogen synthesis and denitrification. In this work, the response of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) to organic loading rate (OLR) shock was investigated from proteomic level for the first time. Results showed that OLR shock destabilized AGS system in terms of sludge properties, nutrient removal and microbial community, while they reached a new stability eventually. The AGS system exhibited larger-size granules (4 mm), higher biomass retention (6.9 g/L), enhanced nitrogen removal (97%-99%) and abundant Candidatus_Competibacter (30.7%) under OLR shock. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that AGS system responded to OLR shock by activating protection mechanism through up-regulating numerous metabolic pathways related to amino acid synthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and gluconeogenesis. With the extension of OLR-shocking tests, AGS up-regulated metabolic pathways associated with glycogen synthesis and denitrification, which were mainly contributed by Candidatus_Competibacter based on species annotation analysis. This study offers an in-depth mechanistic insight into response of AGS to OLR shock and relevant regulation mechanisms, which will provide fundamental information and important implications for practically relevant cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The symbiosis of corals, zooxanthellae, and microbes is the foundation of the coral reef ecosystem. In addition to global warming, marine pollutants are another important factor causing the breakdown of coral symbiosis. Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a globally widespread marine environmental pollutant that poses a severe threat to marine ecosystems. However, responses of coral symbionts to global marine pollutant stress remain unclear. In this study, we selected Acropora formosa as the target coral to explore its response to 50 μg L−1 BaP stress using diaPASEF proteomics and 16s rRNA microbiome analysis. The results showed that: 1) the coral symbionts were sensitive to BaP stress; 2) the photosynthetic system of zooxanthellae was crucial for the balance of symbiotic relationships; 3) the destruction of the photosynthetic system induced a zooxanthellae hypoxic stress response; 4) corals adapted to BaP stress by promoting non-essential protein degradation and changing energy metabolism strategies; 5) symbiotic bacteria showed strong adaptability to BaP. This study not only fills the gap in understanding the response mechanism of coral symbionts under BaP stress, but also provides fundamental data for coral reef protection strategies. [Display omitted] • The coral symbiont was sensitive to BaP stress. • Photosynthetic system was crucial for the balance of symbiosis. • BaP promoted non-essential protein degradation. • BaP exposure changed energy metabolism strategies. • Symbiotic bacteria showed strong adaptability to BaP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High-sensitivity (0 to 100 μg/L) trichloroacetaldehyde sensor is constructed. • The electrical signal can feedback shock and toxicity accurately. • Autotrophic/heterotrophic nitrifying microorganisms maintain sensing elements. • Trichloroacetaldehyde inhibits microbial activity by reducing functional enzymes. • Electron transfer relies on enzymes of cytochrome and ferredoxin. In this work, a toxicity monitoring microbial system (TMMS) with a nitrifying biofilm as a sensing element and cathode oxygen reduction as an electrical signal was successfully constructed for trichloroacetaldehyde (TCAL) detection. The current and nitrification rate showed a linear relationship with TCAL concentration from 0 to 100 μg/L (R2 current = 0.9892, R2 nitrification = 0.9858), indicating that the target substrate concentration can be directly obtained from an electrical signal without further sample concentration. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the TMMS was composed of autotrophic/heterotrophic nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms. Further analysis via a symbiotic relationship network demonstrated that unclassified_Comamonadaceae and unclassified_Xanthobacteraceae were the core nodes for maintaining the interaction between autotropic and heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that the electron transfer process primarily relied on ferredoxin and cytochromes under TCAL stress, and the abundance of functional enzymes involved in the process of nitrification was decreased, resulting in changes in electrical signal output. This work explored a visual signal sensor combined with electrochemistry and autotrophic/heterotrophic nitrification, which provided new insights into recognition and response mechanisms for microbial monitoring of toxic substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The anoxic P removal performance decayed with the rate of 0.162 ± 0.022 d−1. • Metabolic activity decay was responsible 93.2% for the damaged DPR performance. • The endogenous consumption of PHA accelerated metabolic activity decay. • The available intracellular polymers alleviated biomass decay of DPR system. • The genus Dechloromonas showed stronger survival adaptability to starvation. Starvation conditions were inevitably encountered by biological wastewater treatment systems. Four anaerobic starvation periods (5, 10, 16 and 20 days) were conducted to investigate the response mechanism of denitrifying phosphate-accumulating organisms (DPAOs) in order to dissect denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) decay processes. The denitrifying phosphorus removal performance suffered with the decay rate of 0.162 ± 0.022 d−1 during 20-day starved duration. Metabolic activity decay was responsible 93.20 ± 0.11% for the damaged DPR performance, while biomass decay contributed to 6.79 ± 0.68%. The genus Dechloromonas affiliated to DPAOs exerted stronger survival adaptability to starvation with the abundance increasing from 1.98% to 3.15%, depended upon the endogenous consumption of intracellular polymers. In view of PHA-driven DPR mechanism of DPAOs, the metabolic activity was restricted by the depletion of available PHA. These results revealed the poorer stability but preponderant recovery of DPR system encountering with starvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We propose jackknife empirical likelihood (EL) methods for constructing confidence intervals of mean with regression imputation that allows ignorable or nonignorable missingness. The confidence interval is constructed based on the adjusted jackknife pseudo-values (Rao and Shao, 1992). The proposed EL ratios evaluated at the true value converge to the standard chi-square distribution under both missing mechanisms for simple random sampling. Thus the EL can be applied to construct a Wilks type confidence interval without any secondary estimation. We then extend the proposed method to accommodate Poisson sampling design in survey sampling. The proposed methods are compared with some existing methods in simulation studies. We also apply the proposed method to an Italy household income panel survey data set. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Macroalgae can accumulate a wide array of metals, leading to their appliance as biomonitors of aquatic environments. With the rapid development of industrial and agricultural-based activities, Cd pollution in aquatic environments is considered an increasingly severe problem worldwide. Although La could alleviate the Cd stress in higher terrestrial plants, the response mechanisms of macroalgae to Cd and La are unknown. Along these lines, in this work, Cd significantly affected the growth, internal cellular structure, photosynthesis, pigment content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and lipid peroxidation level of G. bailiniae . However, the presence of La alleviated these adverse effects from Cd. Furthermore, the response mechanism of G. bailiniae to Cd was attributed to the self-antioxidant ability enhancement, membrane defense, and programmed-cellular regulation. However, the presence of La mediated the biosynthesis of both flavonoids and lipids, which inhibited the Cd accumulation, modulated algal stress signalling networks, renewed the impaired chlorophyll molecule, maintained the activity of the crucial enzyme, enhanced antioxidant ability, and maintained the stabilization of redox homeostasis, alleviating the adverse impact from Cd and improve the growth of G. bailiniae . The experimental results successfully demonstrate a new detoxicant to alleviate Cd stress, promoting a more comprehensive array of macroalgal applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Huang, Cui, Ran, Chen, Li, Zhang, Li and Xie.)

The Yesso scallop is a large and ancient molluscan group with great economic value; however, it has recently suffered severe cases of Polydora infection. Polydora parasitizes the shells of scallops, badly damaging shell structures and affecting growth and mortality. To investigate the molecular mechanism of Yesso scallops' response to Polydora infection, proteomic profiling changes in the mantle tissues of Polydora -infected (diseased) and healthy scallops were systematically analysed by tandem mass tags (TMT) labelling technology in this study. A total of 519 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed most innated immune-related functions and pathways were significantly downregulated in diseased scallops, except the phagocytosis pathway, indicating an important role of phagocytosis in response to Polydora infection. DEPs involved in the phagocytosis pathway were associated with phagocytic receptor recognition, phagosome biogenesis and pathogen degradation, and they were further verified by quantitative real-time PCR. The results elucidate the molecular components of phagocytosis in molluscs for the first time. Polydora can be encapsulated by melanization with an obvious appearance in shells; indeed, melanization-related DEPs were upregulated in diseased scallops. Inhibition of apoptosis and nervous modulation may be also involved in the response mechanism, with some highly associated proteins significantly differentially expressed. Finally, a protein-protein interaction network was constructed to provide a global view of the interaction relationships of the DEPs. The study predicts the molecular response mechanism of Yesso scallops to Polydora infection, and lays a theoretical foundation for Polydora disease control., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Trichloroacetic acid (TCA), a toxic substance produced in the disinfection process of wastewater treatment plants, will accumulate in the receiving water. The detection of TCA in the water can achieve the purpose of early warning. However, currently there are few reports on microbial sensors used for TCA detection, and the characteristics of their microbial communities are still unclear. In this work, a toxicity monitoring microbial system (TMMS) with nitrifying biofilm as a sensing element and cathode oxygen reduction as a current signal was successfully constructed for TCA detection. The current and nitrification rate showed a linear relationship with low TCA concentration from 0 to 50 μg/L (R2 current = 0.9892, R2 nitrification = 0.9860), and high concentration range from 50 to 5000 μg/L (R2 current = 0.9883, R2 nitrification = 0.9721). High-throughput sequencing revealed that the TMMS was composed of autotrophic/heterotrophic nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms. Further analysis via symbiotic relationship network demonstrated that Arenimonas and Hyphomicrobium were the core nodes for maintaining interaction between autotropic and heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that after adding TCA to TMMS, the carbon metabolism and the abundance of the tricarboxylic acid cycle pathway were reduced, and the activity of microorganisms was inhibited. TCA stress caused a low abundance of nitrifying and denitrifying functional enzymes, resulting in low oxygen consumption in the nitrification process, but more oxygen supply for cathode oxygen reduction. This work explored a novel sensor combined with electrochemistry and autotrophic/heterotrophic nitrification, which provided a new insight into the development of microbial monitoring of toxic substances. [Display omitted] • A novel TCA sensor with a wide detection range of 0–5000 μg. • A symbiotic network with Arenimonas and Hyphomicrobium as core nodes is constructed. • Autotrophic/heterotrophic nitrifying microorganisms constitute sensing elements. • The response mechanism of nitrification rate and current to TCA is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a dynamic multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (DMOEA) with an adaptive response mechanism selection strategy is proposed to address the shortcoming that a single response mechanism is suitable only for solving a certain type of dynamic multiobjective optimization problem. The proposed algorithm combines an adaptive response mechanism selection (ARMS) strategy and a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D), and it is denoted as the MOEA/D-ARMS. Unlike the existing approaches, the ARMS strategy can adaptively select effective response mechanisms from the response mechanism pool based on the recent performance of each response mechanism. Four representative response mechanisms are selected to form the response mechanism pool. An overall evaluation strategy that assigns rewards to the response mechanism is adopted, and a probability-based method that is used to decide which response mechanism can be used to generate a new solution is employed. The proposed MOEA/D-ARMS algorithm is tested on two groups of test instances and compared with the decomposition-based and dominance-based DMOEAs. The results of the proposed MOEA/D-ARMS algorithm are superior to the compared algorithms, demonstrating its effectiveness. • This paper proposed an adaptive response mechanism selection (ARMS) framework and a dynamic MOEA. • The ARMS framework can adaptively select the most effective response mechanisms based on their recent performance. • An overall evaluation strategy that assigned rewards to the response mechanism was adopted. • The simple ARMS framework can easily incorporate more response mechanisms. • The statistical results clearly demonstrated that MOEA/D-ARMS were superior to the compared algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), has evolved resistance to multiple insecticides including Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are a class of transmembrane protein families, involved in multiple physiological processes and pesticide resistances in insects. However, the role and regulatory mechanism of ABC transporter in mediating the response to Bt Cry1Ac toxin remain unclear. Here, we characterized a MAPK signaling pathway-enriched ABCG subfamily gene PxABCG20 from DBM, and found it was differentially expressed in the Cry1Ac-resistant and Cry1Ac-susceptible strains. RNAi knockdown of PxABCG20 increased the tolerance of DBM to Cry1Ac protoxin. To explore the regulatory mechanism of PxABCG20 expression, we predicted the potential miRNAs targeting PxABCG20 using two target prediction algorithms. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that novel-miR-310 was able to down-regulate PxABCG20 expression in HEK293T cells. Furthermore, injection of novel-miR-310 agomir markedly inhibited PxABCG20 expression, resulting in increased tolerance to Cry1Ac protoxin in susceptible strain, while injection of novel-miR-310 antagomir markedly induced the expression of PxABCG20, leading to decreased tolerance to Cry1Ac protoxin. Our work provides theoretical basis for exploring novel targets for the DBM response to Cry1Ac toxin and expands the understanding of miRNA role in mediating the susceptibility of insect pest to Cry1Ac toxin., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Modern sugarcane cultivars were generated through interspecific crossing of the stress resistance Saccharum spontaneum and the high sugar content Saccharum officinarum which was domesticated from Saccharum robustum . Magnesium deficiency (MGD) is particularly prominent in tropical and subtropical regions where sugarcane is grown, but the response mechanism to MGD in sugarcane remains unknown. Physiological and transcriptomic analysis of the three founding Saccharum species under different magnesium (Mg) levels was performed. Our result showed that MGD decreased chlorophyll content and photosynthetic efficiency of three Saccharum species but led to increased starch in leaves and lignin content in roots of Saccharum robustum and Saccharum spontaneum . We identified 12,129, 11,306 and 12,178 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of Saccharum officinarum , Saccharum robustum and Saccharum spontaneum , respectively. In Saccharum officinarum , MGD affected signal transduction by up-regulating the expression of xylan biosynthesis process-related genes. Saccharum robustum, responded to the MGD by regulating the expression of transcription and detoxification process-related genes. Saccharum spontaneum , avoids damage from MGD by regulating the expression of the signing transduction process and the transformation from growth and development to reproductive development. This novel repertoire of candidate genes related to MGD response in sugarcane will be helpful for engineering MGD tolerant varieties.

Abstract: This paper studies the large deflection response of an elastic, perfectly plastic cantilever beam subjected to a step load using finite difference method. A computational stability requirement is proposed to determine the relationship between the time-step and the element size. It is demonstrated that the numerical solution is convergent if the stability requirement can be satisfied. The deformation mechanism of the cantilever beam is studied based on the instantaneous distributions of bending moment and curvature during the response of the beam. It is found that the deformation mechanism depends on the magnitude of the step load. When the step load is moderate, only a single stationary plastic bending hinge is formed at the root of cantilever beam during the response. For intensive loading magnitude, stationary plastic bending hinges at both interior and root positions are formed with the latter as the predominant deformation mode during the response of the cantilever beam, which is supported by the rigid, perfectly plastic analysis. The limitations of the classical rigid, perfectly plastic cantilever beam model are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The electrochemical sensing of different analytes with metal oxide modified electrodes by various mechanisms viz., free radial, catalytic, ion exchange, mixed ligand, ion association, etc., captured explicit attraction in the field of catalysis. Recently, we have reported the design and development of metal oxide modified and unmodified molecularly imprinted polypyrrole film coated glassy carbon based tyrosine sensors. The current paper highlights the mechanistic aspects of tyrosine sensing event on an in situ copper oxide modified molecularly imprinted polypyrrole coated glassy carbon electrode (MIPPy-GCE) in phosphate buffered solutions to explain the experimental findings. Complexation mechanism takes into account for the formation of both binary and ternary complexes of copper with tyrosine and/or phosphate. Electrocatalytic mechanism invokes the formation of copper (I) species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Karenia mikimotoi is a toxic, widespread dinoflagellate which could produce hemolytic toxins and ichthyotoxins affecting fisheries within the area of its bloom. Previous ecophysiological studies indicated that the enhance of environmental phosphate concentration could promote the growth of K. mikimotoi. Intrinsic mechanisms regarding the effects of external phosphate on its photosynthesis, cell cycle succession and differential proteins’ expressions are still unknown. K. mikimotoi was cultured in phosphate-deprived medium, while the culture in f/2 medium (Guillard, 1975) was introduced as phosphate-sufficient control experiment. Cell counts and phosphate concentration detection were performed every other day. Flowcytometry was applied to measure cell cycle succession and chlorophyll fluorescence intensity fluctuation. Differential proteomics expression was examined by SDS-PAGE tandem LTQ Orbitrap MS/MS spectrometry. Functions of each differential protein were searched within NCBInr protein database and Swissprot database. Our study demonstrated that phosphate stress inhibited growth and cell cycle succession of K. mikimotoi remarkably (p <0.01). Algal chlorophyll fluorescence intensity was significantly affected by phosphate deprivation (p <0.05). 11 species of differential proteins were detected only in phosphate-limited culture sample which related to stress signal transduction, vacuolar phosphate release, phospholipid degradation, organic acid synthesis and phagotrophy. 4 kinds of differential proteins were identified only in f/2 medium culture sample which referred to cell proliferation, glycolysis, SAM cycle and polyamine production. Based on analysis of differential proteomic functional annotation, we hypothesized proteomic response mechanism of K. mikimotoi to phosphate stress. Molecular biological responses of dinoflagellate K. mikimotoi to phosphate stress was explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Karenia mikimotoi is one of the most important harmful algal species in the Chinese coastal waters, and which produce hemolytic toxins and ichthyotoxins, resulting in devastating economic losses. Previous studies demonstrated that the increase of nitrate concentration could promote the growth and reproduction of K. mikimotoi. However, the intrinsic mechanisms regarding the effects of nitrate on the K. mikimotoi photosynthesis, nucleic acid replication and differential protein expression remain to be elucidated. Our study demonstrated that nitrate stress inhibited growth of K. mikimotoi (p <0.01). Algal chlorophyll fluorescence intensity varied slightly while algal cell cycle succession was significantly retarded by nitrate stress (p <0.05). Sixteen proteins were detected only in nitrate-limited cultures which related to nitrate transport, signal transduction, amino acid metabolism, DNA repair and hemolysin manufacture. Eleven proteins were detected only in nitrate-replete sample and were related to photorespiration, reproduction and growth, assistance of protein modification, cytoskeleton stability and signal transduction. Based on analysis of differential proteomic functional annotations, we hypothesized a proteomic response mechanism of K. mikimotoi to environmental nitrate stress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A polymer-coated surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based chemical sensor for organophosphorous compound sensing at extremely low concentrations was developed, in which a dual-delay-line oscillator coated with fluoroalcoholpolysiloxane (SXFA) acted as the sensor element. Response mechanism analysis was performed on the SXFA-coated chemical sensor, resulting in the optimal design parameters. The shear modulus of the SXFA, which is the key parameter for theoretical simulation, was extracted experimentally. New designs were done on the SAW devices to decrease the insertion loss. Referring to the new phase modulation approach, superior short-term frequency stability (±2 Hz in seconds) was achieved from the SAW oscillator using the fabricated 300 MHz delay line as the feedback element. In the sensor experiment on dimethylmethylphosphonate (DMMP) detection, the fabricated SXFA-coated chemical sensor exhibited an excellent threshold detection limit up to 0.004 mg/m3 (0.7 ppb) and good sensitivity (∼485 Hz/mg/m3 for a DMMP concentration of 2∼14 mg/m3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The problem of missing values commonly arises in data sets, and imputation is usually employed to compensate for non-response. We propose a novel imputation method based on quantiles, which can be implemented with or without the presence of auxiliary information. The proposed method is extended to unequal sampling designs and non-uniform response mechanisms. Iterative algorithms to compute the proposed imputation methods are presented. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to assess the performance of the proposed imputation methods with respect to alternative imputation methods. Simulation results indicate that the proposed methods perform competitively in terms of relative bias and relative root mean square error. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The response mechanism of a vertical alignment mode, driven by a fringe field, is investigated in detail using small-angle approximation. The flow effects can be ignored when using theoretical analysis. The period of the liquid crystal (LC) deformation in the transversal direction, instead of the lognitudinal direction, shows the cell gap effect on the response time in the LC layer's thickness. The authors' analytical results indicate that a liquid crystal display (LCD) mode with a small transversal period could provide a new method that gives a fast response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a theoretical analysis on response mechanism of polymer-coated Love wave chemical sensor. A theoretical model is presented to describe wave propagation in Love wave devices with viscoelastic polymer guiding layer and to provide the optimal design parameters. A complex dispersion equation expanded into Taylor series was presented to describe the lossy mechanism of the viscoelastic polymer guiding layer. Using the polymer films (fluoropolyol (FPOL)) as the chemical interfaces to organophosphorous compounds (dimethymethylphosponate (DMMP)) detection, the response mechanism of the Love wave chemical sensor structured by ST-90°X quartz substrate and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) guiding layer was performed, including the perturbation of different polymer types (glassy, glassy–rubbery and rubbery) to Love wave propagation, and optimal guiding layer thickness extraction. Calculated results indicate that the glassy–rubbery polymer shows better linearity of the velocity change, and exhibits higher sensitivity over other films. A ∼2μm optimal PMMA guiding layer thickness was evaluated to yield superior sensor performance in case of 40ppm DMMP adsorption by 0.1μm FPOL film. And, superior sensor sensitivity was observed from chemical sensor based on Love wave mode in comparison with surface acoustic wave (SAW) mode. Experimental data mentioned that the theoretical model is valid for response mechanism analysis of Love wave chemical sensor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We firstly reported mycelial sluggish growth disease of Flammulina filiformis. • Pseudomonas migulae is the pathogenic bacterium of this disease. • Molecular mechanism of F. filiformis in response to P. migulae was elucidated. • Hydrogen peroxide silver disinfectant can effectively inhibit P. migulae. Flammulina filiformis , an industrially cultivated edible mushroom worldwide, suffers serious losses in yield and quality owing to bacterial diseases. Here, we reported the mycelial sluggish growth disease (MSGD), a new bacteriosis on F. filiformis. Pseudomonas migulae was identified as the pathogen by 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis and morphologic observation. Hydrogen peroxide silver disinfectant (HPSD) was shown to effectively inhibit P. migulae and alleviate the disease symptoms at 10.00 g/L concentration. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of F. filiformis in response to P. migulae infection was elucidated by transcriptome analysis. In the early infection stage, the infection signals are transducted into the mycelia, thus activating a series of stress defense responses, including peroxidase activity, antibiotic synthesis, and drug catabolism. In the middle and late infection stages, the apoptosis signal is transducted through the mitochondrial pathway, causing damage to DNA in the cell nucleus, resulting in DNA repair, gene silencing, and negative regulation of macromolecule synthesis. Finally, proteins and polysaccharides are strongly hydrolyzed to accelerate cell senescence, death, and mycelial growth retardation. These findings provide references for understanding the interaction mechanism between edible mushroom and pathogenic bacterium and for controlling mushroom bacterial diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs/LTPs) play important roles in plant growth, development and abiotic stress responses. However, little is known about LTPs in soybean. In this study, 131 LTPs were identified and divided into ten types (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and Y), and each GmLtp has the characteristic eight-cysteine motif (8 CM) of plant LTPs. RNA-seq data showed that most GmLtps responded to a variety of abiotic stresses. Among the GmLtp members, GmLtpⅠ.3 was significantly induced under drought and salt treatments. Overexpressing GmLtpⅠ.3 improved tolerance to drought and salt stresses in transgenic Arabidopsis and soybean. The results showed that the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the roots of GmLtpⅠ.3 -overexpressing (OE -GmLtpⅠ.3) plants decreased significantly, compare with GmLtpⅠ.3 RNA interference (RNAi- GmLtpⅠ.3) and empty vector (EV-Control) plants. Furthermore, compared with EV-Control, the expression level of GmSOD1 and GmSOD2 increased in OE- GmLtpI.3. Contrarily, the expression of GmRBOHA and GmRBOHB decreased in OE- GmLtpI.3. The results of this study provide the basis for further comprehensive analyses of LTP genes and insights into abiotic stress response mechanisms in soybean. • 131 plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins genes were identified and analyzed in soybean. • Overexpression of GmLtpⅠ.3 can improve Arabidopsis and soybean stress tolerance. • GmLtpⅠ.3 regulates soybean tolerance to drought and salt stresses at the molecular levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal ions are among the most toxic pollutants, and they are responsible for many human diseases. Thus, developing advanced methods for their detection is crucial for the global public health. Fluorescent chemosensor has been proved to be one of the effective strategies that can be used for metal ion detection. In particular, those based on fluorine-boron (F–B) compounds have attracted considerable attention owing to their ease of synthesis, high sensitivity, and easy modifiability. In this review, the progress in the development of F–B compound-based fluorescent chemosensors for metal ion detection in the last few years is presented, which is mainly structured into two parts: the first part discusses the mechanisms by which analytes trigger a change in the fluorescence response, and the second part presents examples for the detection of metal ions such as Cu2+ and Hg2+ based on these mechanisms. Additionally, the detection of other metal ions is briefly discussed and our perspectives on the further investigation and optimization are also proposed. We believe that this comprehensive review will aid the design and development of advanced fluorescent chemosensors. [Display omitted] • Elucidated mechanisms governing metal ions detection by fluorescent chemosensors. • Compared the molecular structure characteristics of various mechanisms. • Reviewed the Cu2+, Hg2+ and other metal ions detection strategies based on F–B compounds. • Identified future research needs of fluorescent chemosensors on metal ions detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]