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Abstract Background Neuroblastoma, a prevalent solid tumor in children, often manifests with hidden onset sites, rapid growth, and high metastatic potential. The prognosis for children with high-risk neuroblastoma remains poor, highlighting the urgent need for novel prognostic models and therapeutic avenues. In recent years, puerarin, as a kind of small molecule drug extracted from Chinese medicine Pueraria lobata, has demonstrated significant anticancer effects on various cancer cell types. In this study, through bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments, the potential and mechanism of puerarin in the treatment of neuroblastoma were investigated, and a prognostic model was established. Methods A total of 9 drug-disease related targets were observed by constructing a database of drug targets and disease genes. Besides, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed to explore the potential mechanism of its therapeutic effect. To construct the prognostic model, risk regression analysis and LASSO analysis were carried out for validation. Finally, the prognostic genes were identified. Parachute test and immunofluorescence staining were performed to verify the potential mechanism of puerarin in neuroblastoma treatment. Results Three prognostic genes, i.e., BIRC5, TIMP2 and CASP9, were identified. In vitro studies verified puerarin's impact on BIRC5, TIMP2, and CASP9 expression, inhibiting proliferation in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Puerarin disrupts the cytoskeleton, boosts gap junctional communication, curtailing invasion and migration, and induces mitochondrial damage in SH-SY5Y cells. Conclusions Based on network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis, combined with in vitro experimental verification, puerarin was hereby observed to enhance GJIC in neuroblastoma, destroy cytoskeleton and thus inhibit cell invasion and migration, cause mitochondrial damage of tumor cells, and inhibit cell proliferation. Overall, puerarin, as a natural medicinal compound, does hold potential as a novel therapy for neuroblastoma.

Abstract Background In this study, we present the unique case of a patient with knee osteoarthritis (OA) of the medial compartment and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) deficiency who underwent simultaneous medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) and PCL reconstruction. Case presentation A 49-year-old male patient presented with a 1-year history of pain and instability in the left knee. The patient had previously experienced a trauma-related injury to the PCL of the left knee that was left untreated. Imaging and physical examination confirmed the presence of left medial knee OA along with PCL rupture. To address these issues, the patient underwent UKA combined with PCL reconstruction. The patient’s Lysholm score was 47 before surgery and 81 three months after surgery, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score was 29 before surgery and 18 three months after surgery, and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score was 56.3 before surgery and 74.7 three months after surgery. Six months after surgery, the patient's gait returned to normal, and he was able to jog. Conclusion This case report presents the first instance of UKA combined with PCL reconstruction and introduces a novel treatment approach for patients suffering from medial knee OA and ligament injury.

This is an article in the field of metallurgical engineering. In this article, TiH2 powder was selected as the experimental raw material to study the sintering behavior of TiH2 powder under different pressing pressure and holding time in cold isostatic pressing, to reveal the effects of pressing pressure and holding time on the shrinkage as well as the relative density of TiH2 sintered specimens, in order to improve the density of the billet and the performance of the products. The results show that the shrinkage of the sintered sample decreases with the increase of the pressing pressure, and when the pressing pressure reaches 400 MPa, the pressing pressure has little effect on the relative density of the sintered sample. For the consideration of the sample preparation efficiency and the pressing pressure limit of the cold isostatic press, the pressing pressure should not exceed 400 Mpa. The shrinkage of sintered samples decreases with the increase of holding time, and when the holding time reaches 20 min, the relative density of sintered samples changes little with the extension of holding time. For the consideration of sample preparation efficiency, the suitable holding time is 15～20 min.

Objectives Despite the use of multimodal analgesia, patients undergoing knee arthroplasty still encounter residual moderate pain. The addition of betamethasone to local anesthetic has been shown to improve postoperative pain. However, it remains uncertain whether the positive effects of perineural or intravenous administration of betamethasone on analgesia outcomes lead to better early mobility and postoperative recovery. Methods Between June 2022 and February 2023, a total of 159 patients who were undergoing knee arthroplasty were included in this study. These patients were allocated randomly into three groups: (i) the NS group, received ropivacaine 0.375% and intravenous 3mL 0.9% normal saline; (ii) the PNB group, received ropivacaine 0.375% plus perineural betamethasone (12mg) 3mL and intravenous 3mL 0.9% normal saline; and (iii) the IVB group, received ropivacaine 0.375% and intravenous betamethasone (12mg) 3mL. Results Both perineural and intravenous administration of betamethasone led to improved median (IQR) numeric rating scale (NRS) scores on the 6‐meter walk test, with a score of 1.0 (1.0–2.0) for both groups, compared with 2.0 (1.0–2.0) for the NS group (p = 0.003). Compared to the NS group, both the PNB and IVB groups showed significant reductions in NRS scores at 24 and 36 h after surgery, along with a significant increase in ROM at 24, 36, and 48 h post‐operation. Additionally, it exhibited lower levels of cytokine IL‐1β and TNF‐α in fluid samples, as well as lower level of HS‐CRP in blood samples in the PNB and IVB groups compared to the NS group. Conclusion The administration of perineural and intravenous betamethasone demonstrated an enhanced analgesic effect following knee arthroplasty. Furthermore, it was associated with reduced levels of IL‐1β, TNF‐α, and HS‐CRP, as well as enhanced knee ROM, which is conducive to early ambulation and postoperative rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty.

ABSTRACTPlants are considered as sessile organisms that cannot avoid adverse environmental conditions and developed complex signaling networks composed of different pathways. WRKY transcription factors (TFs) are key regulators of various plant processes, including the responses to abiotic stresses. WRKY TFs are one of the largest family of transcriptional regulators found in plants. WRKY TFs act as molecular switches that modulate the expression of stress-responsive genes. Stress-induced WRKY TFs expression modulated by a complex transcriptional regulatory network that maintain the proper balance between growth, development, and stress responses. WRKY TFs typically interact with the W-box [TGACC(A/T)] of the target gene promoter to activate the expression of downstream genes. These TFs are associated in the regulation of different physiological processes. Overexpression of various WRKY genes faces the paradox of having various significant effects. These overexpression-associated undesirable phenotypes must be identified and removed for proper plant development. The present review summarized the recent development of various WRKY TFs during adverse environmental conditions as well as their role in plant growth, development and productivity for sustainable agriculture in near future.

BackgroundMycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) is a prevalent respiratory infectious disease in children. Given the increasing resistance of M. pneumoniae (MP) to macrolide antibiotics, the identification of new therapeutic agents is critical. Yinqin Qingfei granules (YQQFG), a Chinese patent medicine formulated specifically for pediatric MPP, lacks a clear explanation of its mechanism.MethodsThe primary components of YQQFG were identified using LC-MS/MS. In vitro, RAW264.7 cells infected with MP underwent morphological examination via scanning electron microscopy. Drug-containing serum was prepared, and its intervention concentration was determined using the CCK-8 assay. The active components of YQQFG were molecularly docked with NLRP3 protein using Autodock Vina software. A RAW264.7 cell line overexpressing NLRP3 was created using lentivirus to pinpoint the target of YQQFG. In vivo, MPP model mice were established via nasal instillation of MP. Lung damage was assessed by lung index and H&E staining. Pyroptosis-associated protein levels in cells and lung tissue were measured by western blot, while interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 levels in cell supernatants and mouse serum were quantified using ELISA. Immunofluorescence double staining of lung tissue sections was conducted to assess the correlation between NLRP3 protein expression and macrophages. The expression of the community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome toxin (CARDS TX) was evaluated by qPCR.Results25 effective components with favorable oral bioavailability were identified in YQQFG. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that YQQFG substantially reduced the expression of the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway, decreasing the release of IL-1β and IL-18, and inhibited MP exotoxin. Molecular docking indicated strong affinity between most YQQFG components and NLRP3 protein. Lentivirus transfection and immunofluorescence double staining confirmed that YQQFG significantly suppressed NLRP3 expression in macrophages, outperforming azithromycin (AZM). The combination of YQQFG and AZM yielded the optimal therapeutic effect for MPP.ConclusionYQQFG mitigates inflammatory responses by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated macrophage pyroptosis, thereby ameliorating MP-induced acute lung injury. YQQFG serves as an effective adjunct and alternative medication for pediatric MPP treatment.

Saccharum complex includes genera Saccharum, Miscanthus, Erianthus, Narenga, and Tripidium. Since the Saccharum complex/Saccharinae constitutes the gene pool used by sugarcane breeders to introduce useful traits into sugarcane, studying the genomic characterization of the Saccharum complex has become particularly important. Here, we assembled graph-based mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of four Saccharinae species (T. arundinaceum, E. rockii, M. sinensis, and N. porphyrocoma) using Illumina and PacBio sequencing data. The total lengths of the mitogenomes of T. arundinaceum, M. sinensis, E. rockii and N. porphyrocoma were 549,593 bp, 514,248 bp, 481,576 bp and 513,095 bp, respectively. Then, we performed a comparative mitogenomes analysis of Saccharinae species, including characterization, organelles transfer sequence, collinear sequence, phylogenetics analysis, and gene duplicated/loss. Our results provided the mitogenomes of four species closely related to sugarcane breeding, enriching the mitochondrial genomic resources of the Saccharinae. Additionally, our study offered new insights into the evolution of mitogenomes at the family and genus levels and enhanced our understanding of organelle evolution in the highly polyploid Saccharum genus.

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between lower limb alignment and patient outcomes after lateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (LUKA). Methods In this retrospective study, the information of 51 patients who underwent lateral UKA was collected after an average of 27months of follow-up (13 to 60 months). Evaluation indicators include the AKS and WOMAC score. The Kellgren-Lawrence grade is used to evaluate the severity of osteoarthritis, while the hip-knee-ankle (HKA) angle is utilized to measure the valgus angle of lower limb alignment. Result Patients with postoperative valgus (≥ 3°) alignment had the best outcomes, while those with varus (≤-3°) alignment had the worst outcomes (p

Abstract Previous observational researches have discovered a connection between circulating concentrations of micronutrients and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the results may be influenced by confounding factors and reverse causation. This study aims to explore the causal relationship between circulating concentrations of micronutrients and ADHD using Mendelian randomization (MR). In a two-sample MR context, we used summary data from the major European genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for these illnesses to assess the genetically anticipated effects of circulating concentrations of micronutrients on ADHD risk. In order to achieve this, we took single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the GWAS that were highly related with concentrations of nine micronutrients. The corresponding data for ADHD were extracted from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main MR analysis, and the reliability of the study’s conclusions was assessed using sensitivity analyses. Our MR analyses showed that the copper level may be associated with a reduced risk of ADHD. However, the significance of the research results is weak. There were no clear relationships between other micronutrients and ADHD. Our sensitivity studies confirmed the findings of the primary IVW MR analyses. According to this study, there may be some association between copper level and ADHD, but the significance of the research results is weak, and it is recommended that copper level should be used as a long-term monitoring indicator for further research. The results provide a new idea for the further study of ADHD, and provide guidance for the prevention and treatment of ADHD.

Objective Bone cement releases a large amount of heat as it polymerizes. Skin burns caused by discarded bone cement are not well understood during arthroplasty. It is important to study the correlates and mechanisms of scalding and to accurately evaluate the severity of burns to guide treatment decisions. Methods Standardized burns were created in eight anesthetized rabbits using different thicknesses of bone cement. Bone cement was uniformly stirred to make thicknesses of 1 mm, 4 mm, 8 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm, and 20 mm and a 20 × 40 mm cuboid. Bone cement samples were then placed on the back of a rabbit, and the temperature changes were recorded with an industrial digital thermometer. One hour later, the appearance of scalded skin was observed, and the rabbits were euthanized. The scalded parts were cut to make pathological sections and stained with HE, and the differences in the depth of the scalded skin caused by different thicknesses of bone cement were observed under a light microscope. Results Damage caused by 1 mm‐, 4 mm‐, 8 mm‐, 12 mm‐, 16 mm‐, and 20 mm‐thick bone cement samples mainly involved the epidermis, the papillary dermis, the reticular dermis layer, and the full thickness of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue. The maximum temperature of 1 mm, 4 mm, 8 mm, and 12 mm bone cementation had a statistically significant difference (p

BackgroundMycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP), attributable to Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), represents a predominant form of community-acquired pneumonia in pediatric populations, thereby posing a significant threat to pediatric health. Given the burgeoning volume of research literature associated with pediatric MPP in recent years, it becomes imperative to undertake a bibliometric analysis aimed at delineating the current research landscape and emerging trends, thereby furnishing a framework for subsequent investigations.MethodsA comprehensive literature search targeting pediatric MPP was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection. After the removal of duplicate entries through Endnote software, the remaining articles were subject to scientometric analysis via Citespace software, VOSviewer software and R language, focusing on variables such as publication volume, contributing nations, institutions and authors, references and keywords.ResultsA total of 1,729 articles pertinent to pediatric MPP were included in the analysis. China and the United States emerged as the nations with the highest publication output. Italian scholar Susanna Esposito and Japanese scholar Kazunobu Ouchi were the most influential authors in the domain of pediatric MPP. Highly-cited articles primarily focused on the epidemiological investigation of pediatric MPP, the clinical characteristics and treatment of macrolide-resistant MPP, and biomarkers for refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (RMPP). From the corpus of 1,729 articles, 636 keywords were extracted and categorized into ten clusters: Cluster #0 centered on molecular-level typing of macrolide-resistant strains; Cluster #1 focused on lower respiratory tract co-infections; Clusters #2 and #6 emphasized other respiratory ailments caused by MP; Cluster #3 involved biomarkers and treatment of RMPP; Clusters #4 and #9 pertained to extrapulmonary complications of MPP, Clusters #5 and #7 addressed etiological diagnosis of MPP, and Cluster #8 explored pathogenic mechanisms.ConclusionsThe past few years have witnessed extensive attention directed towards pediatric MPP. Research in pediatric MPP principally revolves around diagnostic techniques for MP, macrolide resistance, complications of MPP, treatment and diagnosis of RMPP, and elucidation of pathogenic mechanisms. The present study provides pediatric clinicians and researchers with the research status and focal points in this field, thereby guiding the orientation of future research endeavors.

Background: Previous researches have demonstrated a connection between psychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but the cause-and-effect relationship is still unclear. To that goal, the mendelian randomization (MR) method was used to study the causal link between psychiatric disorders and CVDs. Methods: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data were collected for four CVDs, including coronary artery disease (n = 547,261), atrial fibrillation (n = 537,409), heart failure (n = 977,323) and ischemic stroke (n = 440,328). Summary data for four psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder (n = 51,710), major depressive disorder (n = 480,359), schizophrenia (n = 127,906) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 55,374), came from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC). All participants were European. The IVW method was mainly used, and the reliability of the results was increased using sensitivity analyses such as MR-Egger, Cochrane's Q test, MR-PRESSO and leave-one-out. Results: MR revealed that the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was linked to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (OR, 1.085; 95% CI, 1.021–1.153; P = 0.008), heart failure (OR, 1.117; 95% CI, 1.044–1.195; P = 0.001), and ischemic stroke (OR, 1.146; 95% CI, 1.052–1.248; P = 0.002). The schizophrenia was linked to an increased risk of heart failure (OR, 1.035; 95% CI, 1.006–1.066; P = 0.017), but was found to be suggestively inverse associated with coronary artery disease (OR, 0.969; 95% CI, 0.941–0.997; P = 0.03). The major depressive disorder was associated with higher odds of coronary artery disease (OR, 1.109; 95% CI, 1.018–1.208; P = 0.018), while the bipolar disorder was linked to a reduced incidence of coronary artery disease (OR, 0.894; 95% CI, 0.831–0.961; P = 0.002) and heart failure (OR, 0.889; 95% CI, 0.829–0.955; P = 0.001). There were no clear relationships between other psychiatric disorders and CVDs. Conclusion: The results provide genetic proof of a possible causal relationship between psychiatric disorders and CVDs. These results imply that psychiatric disorders may be the cause of some CVDs, and that some abnormal mental states may increase or reduce the likelihood of CVDs, providing guidance for the CVDs prevention.

Summary: Background: No standard maintenance treatment has been obtained to prolong the response duration of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) after first-line chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as a maintenance treatment after chemotherapy in STS. Methods: In this multicentre, open-label, single-arm phase 2 trial, patients with advanced STS who achieved partial response or stable disease after first-line anthracycline-based chemotherapy were enrolled between April 2019 and January 2022. All patients received anlotinib as a maintenance treatment. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) of anlotinib maintenance treatment. Other endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and safety. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03890068. Findings: At the data cut-off date (August 8, 2022), 49 patients were enrolled, including 17 with liposarcoma (35%) and 15 with leiomyosarcoma (31%). After a median follow-up of 17.1 months (IQR 9.0–27.2), the median PFS from the beginning of maintenance treatment was 9.1 months (95% CI 5.7–12.5), and the median OS was not reached, and the 1-year OS rate for anlotinib maintenance treatment was 98.0%. The best ORR and DCR were 16% (8/49, 95% CI 7–30) and 94% (46/49, 95% CI 83–99), respectively. Most of the treatment-related adverse events were grade 1–2. Of the grade 3–4 adverse events, the most common were hypertension (10%) and hand-foot syndrome reaction (6%). Interpretation: Postchemotherapy maintenance treatment with anlotinib exhibits promising efficacy and tolerable toxicity in patients with advanced STS. Funding: Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., the National Key Research and Development Program of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

In this paper, a narrowband bandpass filter comprising substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) and spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) is proposed, achieving miniaturization and low insertion loss at Ka-band. SIWs and SSPPs exhibit low and high cut-off responses, respectively, which can be combined for filtering functionalities. By designing I-shaped SSPP structures with large effective length, the cut-off frequencies of SIW and SSPPs can be tailed to converge at a certain frequency for the narrowband filter, where the SIW mode functions as a quasi-evanescent mode, and the mode impedance ramps fast. A sharp funnel-shaped transition is designed to connect SIW with a large impedance and 50- $\Omega $ microstrip line for low insertion loss and a compact profile. In addition, no transitional SSPP structures are desired in the proposed devices, which further shortens the profile dimension. To verify our design, a hybrid filter at 30 GHz is fabricated and characterized. The measured insertion loss is as low as 1.5 dB, and the 3-dB bandwidth is as narrow as 3%, which shows good consistency with the simulation. The proposed SIW-SSPP device has a low profile of $0.70\,\,\lambda \times 0.38\,\,\lambda $ and may find important applications in frequency division multiplexing.

Abstract Multi-frequency multi-bit programmable amplitude modulation (AM) of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) is realized at millimeter wave frequencies with interdigital split-ring resonators (SRRs) and In-Ga-Zn-O (IGZO) Schottky diodes. Periodic SRRs on a metal line guide both SRR mode and spoof SPP mode, the former of which rejects the spoof SPP propagation at the SRR resonant frequencies. To actively modulate the amplitude of spoof SPPs, IGZO Schottky diodes are fabricated in the SRR gaps, which continuously re-configure SRRs to metallic loops by applying bias. Interdigital gaps are designed in SRRs to increase the capacitance, thus red shifting the resonant frequencies, which significantly broadens the operation bandwidth of multi-frequency AM. Thus, cascading different kinds of interdigital SRRs with Schottky diodes enables multi-frequency multi-bit AM programmable. As a demonstration, a dual-frequency device was fabricated and characterized, which achieved significant multi-bit AM from −12.5 to −6.2 dB at 34.7 GHz and from −26 to −8.5 dB at 50 GHz independently and showed programmable capability.

Type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs) represent a major group of protein phosphatases in plants, some of which have already been confirmed to play important roles in diverse plant processes. In this study, analyses of the phylogenetics, gene structure, protein domain, chromosome localization, and collinearity, as well as an identification of the expression profile, protein–protein interaction, and subcellular location, were carried out on the PP2C family in wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum). The results showed that 145 PP2C proteins were classified into 13 clades. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that SsPP2Cs are evolutionarily closer to those of sorghum, and the number of SsPP2Cs is the highest. There were 124 pairs of SsPP2C genes expanding via segmental duplications. Half of the SsPP2C proteins were predicted to be localized in the chloroplast (73), with the next most common predicted localizations being in the cytoplasm (37) and nucleus (17). Analysis of the promoter revealed that SsPP2Cs might be photosensitive, responsive to abiotic stresses, and hormone-stimulated. A total of 27 SsPP2Cs showed cold-stress-induced expressions, and SsPP2C27 (Sspon.01G0007840-2D) and SsPP2C64 (Sspon.03G0002800-3D) were the potential hubs involved in ABA signal transduction. Our study presents a comprehensive analysis of the SsPP2C gene family, which can play a vital role in the further study of phosphatases in wild sugarcane. The results suggest that the PP2C family is evolutionarily conserved, and that it functions in various developmental processes in wild sugarcane.

Ratoon stunt caused by Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli (Lxx) is widely spread across sugarcane planting regions. Here, transcriptomics and cytology were conducted to analyze the changes in gene expression levels and chloroplast ultrastructures after Lxx inoculation. A total of 90.26 Gb clean bases, 156,713 unigenes and 406 differentially expressed genes were obtained. The genes of HSP and ACS were continuously differentially expressed. The photosynthesis-related genes of PsbO, PsbQ, PsaD, PsaE, PsaG and PsaH were up-regulated. PIRH2, WRKY, NCED, AHP and GST were identified as the important specific genes that responded to Lxx inoculation. Lxx inoculation also altered the shape and damaged the membrane of chloroplasts in sugarcane leaves. Sugarcane responds to Lxx infection likely via changing the expression levels of some specific genes and interfered with photosynthesis. A possible molecular regulation network induced by Lxx was speculated. These findings broaden the understanding to the mechanisms of the interaction between sugarcane and Lxx.

Abstract Changes in ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) and evapotranspiration (ET) that are driven by vegetation change can be used as metrics to quantify ecosystem carbon and water exchange. The effect of vegetation on WUE has been explored in the past through consideration of total ET. However, interception (Ei) doesn't directly participate in ecosystem carbon and water exchange, and uncertainty of modeled Ei, resulting in great uncertainty of ET partitioning and ecosystem WUE. Here, we estimated Ei in China using Gerrits' model, replacing the algorithm for Ei in the Priestley‐Taylor Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT‐JPL) model. The modified PT‐JPL model was then incorporated into the analytical WUE model to estimate WUE over China for 2003–2011, and the results were validated against literature data (WUELiterature). To evaluate the net effect of vegetation restoration on WUE, we simulated WUE in three ways: with vegetation change; without vegetation change; and with vegetation change, but without any Ei changes caused by vegetation changes. In the study presented here, we demonstrate the WUE simulated by the analytical WUE model is significantly correlated with the WUELiterature (R2 = 0.76, p‐value

Sugarcane is one of the most important industrial crops globally. It is the second largest source of bioethanol, and a major crop for biomass-derived electricity and sugar worldwide. Smut, caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, is a major sugarcane disease in many countries, and is managed by smut-resistant varieties. In China, smut remains the single largest constraint for sugarcane production, and consequently it impacts the value of sugarcane as an energy feedstock. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with smut resistance and linked diagnostic markers are valuable tools for smut resistance breeding. Here, we developed an F1 population (192 progeny) by crossing two sugarcane varieties with contrasting smut resistance and used for genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery and mapping, using a high-throughput genotyping method called “specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) and bulked-segregant RNA sequencing (BSR-seq). SLAF-seq generated 148,500 polymorphic SNP markers. Using SNP and previously identified SSR markers, an integrated genetic map with an average 1.96 cM marker interval was produced. With this genetic map and smut resistance scores of the F1 individuals from four crop years, 21 major QTLs were mapped, with a phenotypic variance explanation (PVE) > 8.0%. Among them, 10 QTLs were stable (repeatable) with PVEs ranging from 8.0 to 81.7%. Further, four QTLs were detected based on BSR-seq analysis. aligning major QTLs with the genome of a sugarcane progenitor Saccharum spontaneum, six markers were found co-localized. Markers located in QTLs and functional annotation of BSR-seq-derived unigenes helped identify four disease resistance candidate genes located in major QTLs. 77 SNPs from major QTLs were then converted to Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) markers, of which five were highly significantly linked to smut resistance. The co-localized QTLs, candidate resistance genes, and KASP markers identified in this study provide practically useful tools for marker-assisted sugarcane smut resistance breeding.

Pathogen infection seriously affects plant development and crop productivity, sometimes causing total crop failure. In this study, artificial stab inoculation was used to inoculate sugarcane smut. The changes in leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence variables, and related defense enzyme activities were measured in sugarcane cultivar ROC22 after pathogen infection. The results showed that the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), and transpiration rate (Tr) downregulated in the first three days after smut infection and upregulated on the fourth day; intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) increased in the first three days of smut infection and reduced on the fourth day. The chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, i.e., Fo, Fm, Fv/Fm, Fs, and Fv′/Fm′ decreased at the initial stage of pathogen infection but increased rapidly up to 3 days after smut infection. It can be seen that sugarcane seedlings showed a positive response to pathogen infection. The correlation coefficient relationship between Pn, gs, and Tr reached above 0.800, showing a significant correlation; Ci was positively correlated with Fv′/Fm′ and ΦPSII, reaching above 0.800 and showing a significant correlation; Fo positively correlated with Fv/Fm, Fs, and ETR; Fv /Fm was positively correlated with Fv′/Fm′; Fs significantly correlated with Fv′/Fm′; and Fv′/Fm′ positively correlated with ΦPSII. After inoculation with smut, the related defense enzymes, i.e., POD, SOD, PPO, and PAL, were increased and upregulated; photosynthetic parameters can be associated with an increase in enzymatic activities. The results of this study will help to further study of the response mechanism to smut in the sugarcane growing period and provide a theoretical reference for sugarcane resistance to smut breeding.

Cold stress causes major losses to sugarcane production, yet the precise molecular mechanisms that cause losses due to cold stress are not well-understood. To survey miRNAs and genes involved in cold tolerance, RNA-seq, miRNA-seq, and integration analyses were performed on Saccharum spontaneum. Results showed that a total of 118,015 genes and 6,034 of these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. Protein–protein interaction (PPI) analyses revealed that ABA signaling via protein phosphatase 2Cs was the most important signal transduction pathway and late embryogenesis abundant protein was the hub protein associated with adaptation to cold stress. Furthermore, a total of 856 miRNAs were identified in this study and 109 of them were differentially expressed in sugarcane responding to cold stress. Most importantly, the miRNA–gene regulatory networks suggested the complex post-transcriptional regulation in sugarcane under cold stress, including 10 miRNAs−42 genes, 16 miRNAs−70 genes, and three miRNAs−18 genes in CT vs. LT0.5, CT vs. LT1, and CT0.5 vs. LT1, respectively. Specifically, key regulators from 16 genes encoding laccase were targeted by novel-Chr4C_47059 and Novel-Chr4A_40498, while five LRR-RLK genes were targeted by Novel-Chr6B_65233 and Novel-Chr5D_60023, 19 PPR repeat proteins by Novel-Chr5C_57213 and Novel-Chr5D_58065. Our findings suggested that these miRNAs and cell wall-related genes played vital regulatory roles in the responses of sugarcane to cold stress. Overall, the results of this study provide insights into the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory network underlying the responses of sugarcane to cold stress.

Composite materials and their applications constitute a hot field of research nowadays due to the fact that they comprise a combination of the unique properties of each component of which they consist. Very often, they exhibit better performance and properties compared to their combined building blocks. Graphene oxide (GO), as the most widely used derivative of graphene, has attracted widespread attention because of its excellent properties. Abundant oxygen-containing functional groups on GO can provide various reactive sites for chemical modification or functionalization of GO, which in turn can be used to develop novel GO-based composites. This review outlines the most recent advances in the field of novel dyes and pigments encompassing GO as a key ingredient or as an important cofactor. The interactions of graphene with other materials/compounds are highlighted. The special structure and unique properties of GO have a great effect on the performance of fabricated hybrid dyes and pigments by enhancing the color performance of dyes, the anticorrosion properties of pigments, the viscosity and rheology of inks, etc., which further expands the applications of dyes and pigments in dyeing, optical elements, solar-thermal energy storage, sensing, coatings, and microelectronics devices. Finally, challenges in the current development as well as the future prospects of GO-based dyes and pigments are also discussed. This review provides a reference for the further exploration of novel dyes and pigments.

Microsatellites, or simple sequence repeats (SSR), developed by expressed sequence tag (EST) databases is an economical and efficient tools that can be used to perform genetic investigations at a functional level. Here, a new sugarcane database of transcriptome from our variety, GT35, was examined for the presence of SSRs. To test the utility of EST-derived SSR markers, a total of 51 new EST-SSRs were identified for possible use as potential genetic markers from no redundant SSR-positive ESTs, which were unmapped with the sequences available in the NCBI’EST database of sugarcane by BLASTN. Polymorphisms of the identified 51 EST-SSR markers were evaluated in 21 sugarcane genotypes, planted and collected in 2013 at Sugarcane Research Institute of Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SRI-GXAAS) in China. High polymorphisms were detected in terms of number of alleles ranging from 5-36 with an average of 16.8 per locus and polymorphism information content values ranging from 0.74 to 0.95 with a mean of 0.92. Average transferability to Erianthus arundinaceus and Narenga porphyrocoma was 23.9% and 34.4%, respectively. The ability to establish genetic relationship was analyzed by cluster analysis, the result of which revealed that the major grouping was in accordance with taxonomical classification. The development of new EST-SSR markers presented in this work will have important implications for genetic analysis and breeding.

Drought and cold stresses are the main environmental factors that affect the yield of sugarcane, and DREB genes play very important roles in tolerance to drought, cold, and other environmental stresses. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was performed to characterize Saccharum spontaneum SsDREB genes. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to detect the expression profiles of SsDREBs induced by cold and drought stresses. According to our results, there are 110 SsDREB subfamily proteins in S. spontaneum, which can be classified into six groups; 106 of these genes are distributed among 29 chromosomes. Inter- and intraspecies synteny analyses suggested that all DREB groups have undergone gene duplication, highlighting the polyploid events that played an important role in the expansion of the DREB subfamily. Furthermore, RNA-seq results showed that 45 SsDREBs were up- or downregulated under cold stress; 35 of them were found to be involved in responding to drought stress. According to protein–protein interaction analysis, SsDREB100, SsDREB102, and SsDREB105 play key roles during the response to cold stress. These results reveal that functional divergence exists between collinear homologous genes or among common origin genes in the DREB subfamily of S. spontaneum. This study presents a comprehensive analysis and systematic understanding of the precise mechanism of SsDREBs in response to abiotic stress and will lead to improvements in sugarcane.

Zr50Cu50, Zr47Cu44Al9, Zr46.3Cu43.4Al8.3Nb2 and Zr41.2Ti13.8Cu17.5Ni5Be22.5 thin film metallic glasses (TFMGs) were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on glass substrates at room temperature. The effect of thickness on the electrical and optical properties of the Zr-based TFMGs was investigated. It was found that the resistivity of the Zr-based TFMGs basically decreased as the thickness varied from 10 nm to 40 nm. Interestingly, while the transmittance in the visible region decreased significantly with the increase of thickness, the transmittance in the near-infrared range still remained at a high level of larger than 80%. Through the characterization of electrical properties, the high transmittance of the Zr-based TFMGs in the near-infrared range was attributed to their rather low carrier concentration. Our findings provided the possibility for TFMGs to be used as transparent electrodes in the field of near infrared sensors and solar cells. Keywords: Thin film metallic glass, Zr-based alloys, Transmittance, Near infrared

We reported here the studies of a series of Zr20Ti20Hf20M20Be20 (M = Cu, Ni and Co) quinary high entropy bulk metallic glasses. Glasses with critical diameters (Dc) of 3 mm, 8 mm and 5 mm, respectively has been successfully fabricated by copper mold casting. Strikingly, a plastic strain of 11.6% is achieved in the Zr20Ti20Hf20Cu20Be20 metallic glass. The dynamic fragility the Zr20Ti20Hf20Cu20Be20 alloy is determined from calorimetric measurements. The excellent plasticity is explained to be attributed to relatively higher fragility. Keywords: High entropy alloys, Bulk metallic glasses, Glass forming ability, Mechanical property and fragility

Novel AZO/Zr50Cu50/AZO tri-layer transparent conductive films with excellent transmittance in both visible and near infrared region were successfully prepared by pulsed laser deposition on glass substrates. The electrical and optical properties were investigated at various Zr50Cu50 thicknesses. As the AZO thickness was fixed at 50 nm and Zr50Cu50 thickness was varied between 1 and 18 nm, it was found that AZO (50 nm)/Zr50Cu50/AZO (50 nm) tri-layer films exhibited good conductivity and high transmittance in both visible and near infrared wavelength. Additionally, both the electrical and optical properties of AZO (50 nm)/Zr50Cu50 (2 nm)/AZO (50 nm) tri-layer films were found to be sensitive to the growth temperature. In this work, the lowest sheet resistance (43 Ω/□) and relatively high transmittance (∼80%) in the range of 400–2000 nm were achieved while the growth temperature was 350 °C. Furthermore, the AZO (50 nm)/Zr50Cu50 (2 nm)/AZO (50 nm) thin film deposited at 350 °C exhibits the highest figure of merit of 1.42 × 10−3 Ω−1, indicating that the multilayer is promising for coated glasses and thin film solar cells. Keywords: Transparent conductive oxide, AZO, Zr50Cu50, Electrical and optical properties, Visible and near infrared transmittance

Vegetation is the major component of the terrestrial ecosystem. Understanding both climate change and anthropogenically induced vegetation variation is essential for ecosystem management. In this study, we used an ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and a linear regression model to investigate spatiotemporal variations in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) over the agropastoral ecotone of northern China (APENC) during the 1982−2015 period. A quantitative approach was proposed based on the residual trend (RESTREND) method to distinguish the effects of climatic (i.e., temperature (TEM), precipitation (PRE), total downward solar radiation (RAD), and near surface wind speed (SWS)) and anthropogenic effects on vegetation variations. The results showed that the NDVI exhibited a significant greening trend of 0.002 year−1 over the entire study period of 1982−2015 and that areas with monotonous greening dominated the entire APENC, occupying 40.97% of the region. A browning trend was also found in the central and northern parts of the APENC. PRE presented the highest spatial correlation with the NDVI and climate factors, suggesting that PRE was the most important factor affecting NDVI changes in the study area. In addition, the RESTREND results indicated that anthropogenic contributions dominated the vegetation variations in the APENC. Therefore, reusing farmland for grass and tree planting made a positive contribution to vegetation restoration, while deforestation, overgrazing, and the reclamation of grasslands were the opposite. In addition, with the continuous implementation of national ecological engineering programs such as the Grain to Green Program, positive human activity contributions to vegetation greening significantly increased. These results will support decision- and policy-making in the assessment and rehabilitation of ecosystems in the study region.

Recently, semiconducting metal oxide (SMO) gas sensors have attracted the attention of researchers for high conductivity, labile features by environment, low cost, easy preparation, etc. However, traditional SMOs have some defects such as higher operating temperature and lower response value, which greatly limit their application in the field of gas sensor. In this work, the carbon nitride decorated ball-flower like Co3O4 composite was successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method, the composition and morphology of the as-synthesized samples were studied by the techniques of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and N2-sorption. As a consequence, the pure Co3O4 and the carbon nitride decorated Co3O4 both possess ball-flower like structure, and the as-synthesized carbon nitride decorated Co3O4 composite exhibits significant sensing properties to ethanol which is 1.6 times higher than that of pure Co3O4, furthermore, the composite possesses high selectivity and stability towards ethanol detection.

Biometrics has the advantages of efficiency and convenience in identity authentication. As one of the most promising biometric-based methods, ear recognition has received broad attention and research. Previous studies have achieved remarkable performance with multiple samples per person (MSPP) in the gallery. However, most conventional methods are insufficient when there is only one sample per person (OSPP) available in the gallery. To solve the OSPP problem by maximizing the use of a single sample, this paper proposes a hybrid multi-keypoint descriptor sparse representation-based classification (MKD-SRC) ear recognition approach based on 2D and 3D information. Because most 3D sensors capture 3D data accessorizing the corresponding 2D data, it is sensible to use both types of information. First, the ear region is extracted from the profile. Second, keypoints are detected and described for both the 2D texture image and 3D range image. Then, the hybrid MKD-SRC algorithm is used to complete the recognition with only OSPP in the gallery. Experimental results on a benchmark dataset have demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method in resolving the OSPP problem. A Rank-one recognition rate of 96.4% is achieved for a gallery of 415 subjects, and the time involved in the computation is satisfactory compared to conventional methods.

Orientation information is critical to the accuracy of ear recognition systems. In this paper, a new feature extraction approach is investigated for ear recognition by using orientation information of Gabor wavelets. The proposed Gabor orientation feature can not only avoid too much redundancy in conventional Gabor feature but also tend to extract more precise orientation information of the ear shape contours. Then, Gabor orientation feature based nonnegative sparse representation classification (Gabor orientation + NSRC) is proposed for ear recognition. Compared with SRC in which the sparse coding coefficients can be negative, the nonnegativity of NSRC conforms to the intuitive notion of combining parts to form a whole and therefore is more consistent with the biological modeling of visual data. Additionally, the use of Gabor orientation features increases the discriminative power of NSRC. Extensive experimental results show that the proposed Gabor orientation feature based nonnegative sparse representation classification paradigm achieves much better recognition performance and is found to be more robust to challenging problems such as pose changes, illumination variations, and ear partial occlusion in real-world applications.

Limiting global warming to 2 °C requires urgent action on land-based mitigation. This study evaluates the biogeochemical and biogeophysical implications of two alternative land-based mitigation scenarios that aim to achieve the same radiative forcing. One scenario is primarily driven by bioenergy expansion (SSP226Lu-BIOCROP), while the other involves re/afforestation (SSP126Lu-REFOREST). We find that overall, SSP126Lu-REFOREST is a more efficient strategy for removing CO2 from the atmosphere by 2100, resulting in a net carbon sink of 242 ~ 483 PgC with smaller uncertainties compared to SSP226Lu-BIOCROP, which exhibits a wider range of -78 ~ 621 PgC. However, SSP126Lu-REFOREST leads to a relatively warmer planetary climate than SSP226Lu-BIOCROP, and this relative warming can be intensified in certain re/afforested regions where local climates are not favorable for tree growth. Despite the cooling effect on a global scale, SSP226Lu-BIOCROP reshuffles regional warming hotspots, amplifying summer temperatures in vulnerable tropical regions such as Central Africa and Southeast Asia. Our findings highlight the need for strategic land use planning to identify suitable regions for re/afforestation and bioenergy expansion, thereby improving the likelihood of achieving the intended climate mitigation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]