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Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most severe type of Aspergillus infection. Yunnan has developed agriculture, and the proportion of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus induced by triazole fungicides is much higher than that in other regions of China. Inhalation of triazole-resistant A. fumigatus is one of the main factors inducing IA. We gathered five strains of A. fumigatus from the sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of patients with IA in Yunnan. Subsequent testing showed that all of these strains were resistant to triazoles and harboured mutations in the tandem repeat sequence of the cyp51A promoter region, suggesting that they may be triazole-resistant A. fumigatus present in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the mechanism of action of oil and fatty acid accumulation and desaturase gene expression in how oilseed flax responds to different fertilization conditions, a three-factor split-plot experiment was conducted to investigate the accumulation trends of oil and fatty acids. The results revealed that soluble sugar (SS) and sucrose (SUC) contents decreased, and the starch (ST) content increased gradually with the grain development and maturity of oilseed flax. The application of sheep manure promoted the accumulation of nonstructural carbohydrates in the grains. Soluble sugar (SS) and sucrose (SUC) contents were negatively correlated with the oil content. Compared with chemical fertilizer, organic manure decreased the total saturated fatty acid but increased the unsaturated fatty acid. Organic manure significantly upregulated the expression of various genes, and fad2a gene expression was higher with the 5.8 t ha−1 chicken manure treatment. The 25 t ha−1 sheep manure treatment was more conducive to the expression of fad3a and fad3b genes and promoted the accumulation of linolenic acid (LIN), and the LIN content increased by 0.64–3.90% compared with other treatments. Consequently, an ongoing anthropogenic sheep manure input may impact the regulation of grain oil quality and yield per unit area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various crop rotation patterns can result in differences in nutrient consumption and the accumulation of toxic substances in the soil, indirectly impacting the soil environment and its nutrient supply capacity. Implementing optimized crop planting practices is beneficial for maintaining the favorable physical and chemical properties of farmland soil in the arid area of northwestern China. This study aimed to establish a crop rotation pattern to improve key enzyme activities and soil nitrogen conversion efficiency, as well as understand the underlying mechanism for enhancing nitrogen supply capacity. A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of four flax planting patterns, which included 13 crop rotation patterns with different crop frequencies: 100% Flax (Cont F), 50% Flax (I) (WFPF, FPFW, PFWF, FWFP), 50% Flax (II) (FWPF, WPFF, PFFW, FFWP), 25% Flax (WPWF, PWFW, WFWP, FWPW), on the key enzyme activities and the rate of soil nitrogen conversion, as well as the nitrogen supply capacity. Here, F, P, and W represent oilseed flax, potato, and wheat, respectively. The results indicated that the wheat stubble significantly increased the intensity of soil ammonification and denitrification before planting. Additionally, the activity levels of soil nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase under wheat stubble were significantly increased by 66.67% to 104.55%, while soil urease activity significantly decreased by 27.27–133.33% under wheat stubble compared to other stubbles. After harvest, the activities of soil nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase under the wheat stubble decreased significantly, and the intensity of soil ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification reduced significantly by 7.83–27.72%. The WFWP and FWFP treatments led to a significant increase in soil nitrogen fixation intensity under various crop rotations after harvest and significantly increased the levels of inorganic nitrogen in the soil before the planting of the next crop. This study suggests that the long-term rotation planting patterns WFWP and FWFP can significantly enhance the key enzyme activities of soil nitrogen conversion and significantly improve soil nitrogen conversion before crop sowing. This may increase the rate of soil nitrogen transfer and raise the available nitrogen content of the soil. These findings are crucial for reducing soil nitrogen loss and improving soil nitrogen nutrient supply capacity in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic fertilizers could be useful for agricultural sustainability. Therefore, this study explored green cultivation techniques to improve the grain yield of oilseed flax in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China. With no fertilization (CK) as the control, the effects of sheep manure (S1: 12.5 t ha−1; S2: 25 t ha−1), poultry manure (C1: 5.8 t ha−1; C2: 11.6 t ha−1), and chemical fertilizers (F1: N 112 kg ha−1, P 75 kg ha−1, K 67.5 kg ha−1; F2: N 225 kg ha−1, P 150 kg ha−1, K 135 kg ha−1) on the growth and development, the grain filling characteristics, and the yield of the Zhangya 2 oilseed flax (Linum usitatisimum L.) variety were compared and analyzed based on a two-factor split plot experiment. The results showed that the application of manure significantly increased the emergence rate (ER) of oilseed flax. Poultry manure increased plant height while sheep manure increased stem diameter. The dry matter production was higher in the 25 t ha−1 sheep manure treatment by 2.47–40.11% compared with that of the other treatments, and it promoted the distribution ratio of dry matter to grains after anthesis. The observed relationship was in accordance with that presented by the logistic equation between grain weight and days after anthesis, and there were significant positive correlations between the 1000-grain weight and the average filling rate (V-ave), the maximum filling rate (V-max), and the growth at the maximum filling rate (W-max). The application of organic manure accelerated the grain filling rate (GFR); under the treatment with 25 t ha−1 sheep manure, V-ave, V-max, and W-max increased by 4.84–22.72%, 1.16–17.54%, and 4.58–22.63%, respectively, and the grain yield and the net income per unit area increased by 6.35–39.25% and 3.04–95.07%, respectively, compared with those under the other treatments. Consequently, the treatment with 25 t ha−1 sheep manure can significantly promote the growth and development of oilseed flax plants, optimize the grain filling characteristics, and increase the grain yield and net income, making it a suitable fertilization technique for oilseed flax in dry areas of the Loess Plateau of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic fertilizers are an important source of nutrients for improving farmland fertility. To explore high-yield, efficient and green production technology for oilseed flax in dryland agricultural areas, a field split plot experiment was conducted in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau in northwest China from April to August in 2020 and 2021. The study compared and analyzed the effects of different nutrient sources and their application rates on water consumption characteristics, grain yield and water use efficiency of oilseed flax. The main plots were fertilizer types (sheep manure, chicken manure and chemical fertilizer), while the subplots were fertilizer application rates (sheep manure: S1-12,500 kg·hm−2 and S2-25,000 kg·hm−2; chicken manure: C1-5800 kg·hm−2 and C2-11,600 kg·hm−2; chemical fertilizer: F1-N 112.5 kg·hm−2, P 75 kg·hm−2, K 67.5 kg·hm−2 and F2-N 225 kg·hm−2, P2O5 150 kg·hm−2, K2O 135 kg·hm−2). The results showed that compared with chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers significantly increased the soil water storage capacity of the 0–160 cm soil layer during the whole growth period of oilseed flax and significantly reduced water consumption. During two growing seasons, the application of 25,000 kg·hm−2 sheep manure significantly reduced water consumption during the seedling-bud period and green fruit period-maturity period of oilseed flax by 16.13% and 23.19% compared with CK, respectively. Thousand-grain weight, yield and water use efficiency were significantly increased by 14.70%, 48.32% and 61.29%, respectively. These results indicate that the application of 25,000 kg·hm−2 sheep manure can significantly increase soil water storage capacity of the 0–160 cm soil layer, reduce water consumption during the whole growth period of oilseed flax and thus improve grain yield and water use efficiency of oilseed flax. It is a suitable fertilization technology for the high-yield, efficient and green production of oilseed flax in the semi-arid areas of northwest Loess Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving water use efficiency is essential for the advancement of agricultural production, particularly in arid and semiarid regions. Two-year field experiments were conducted to study the effects of ridge–furrow (RF) and flat planting (FP) plastic film mulching combined with five different nitrogen (N) fertilizers, N1 (KNO3), the nitrate (NO3−)/ammonium (NH4+) mixtures with different pure nitrogen ratios N2 (1:1), N3 (1:3), and N4 (3:1), and the control N5 (urea) on maize dry matter accumulation, soil water content, grain yield, water use efficiency (WUE), and N partial factor productivity. Our results showed that RF and N4 were more efficient than FP for increasing maize grain yield, WUE, and nitrogen partial factor productivity, and there was a significant interaction for cultivation practices × N formulation. RF and 3:1 NO3−/NH4+ significantly increased grain yield by 14.73% and 13.15%, and 20.07% and 24.14% in 2016 and 2017, respectively, compared to FP and nitrate only. RFN4 produced the highest grain yield in 2016 and 2017 due to the highest dry matter accumulation at filling and physiological maturity stage, ear rows per spike, and row grains per row. Over two growing seasons, the WUE and N partial factor productivity under RFN4 were 18.75% and 29.17% more on average than those of other treatments. Therefore, RFN4 is an effective planting system for increasing the simultaneity of grain yield and WUE for maize production in rain-fed agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important transcriptional regulatory RNA molecule that can regulate the transcription of downstream genes by competitive binding of miRNAs or coding proteins or by blocking mRNAs translation. Numerous studies have shown that circRNAs are extensively involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, gene transcription and signal transduction. Fat deposition and muscle development have important effects on beef traits. CircRNAs are involved in regulating bovine fat and muscle cells and are differentially expressed in the tissues composed of these cells, suggesting that circRNAs play an important role in regulating bovine fat formation and muscle development. This review describes differential expression of circRNAs in bovine fat and muscle tissues, research progress in understanding how circRNAs regulate the proliferation and differentiation of bovine fat and muscle cells through competing endogenous RNAs networks, and provide a reference for the subsequent research on the molecular mechanism of circRNAs in regulating fat deposition and muscle development in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the expression of programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) in rat models of coronary atherosclerosis (AS) and analyzed its role and mechanism. A total of 80 Wistar rats were selected and divided into the control group (n=40) and research group (n=40) according to the principle of similar body weight, of which coronary AS models were established in rats in the research group. PDCD4 expression in coronary artery tissues was detected using western blotting, and the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 in the coronary artery tissues were measured by means of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The apoptotic rate of coronary artery smooth muscle cells was determined via terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). The relative expression of PDCD4 in coronary artery tissues in the research group was obviously higher than that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=6.121, P<0.01). In terms of the relative expression of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) of IL-6 in the coronary artery tissues, the research group had a remarkably higher level than the control group, with a statistically significant difference (t=21.03, P<0.01). The difference in the relative expression of IL-8 mRNA between the research group and the control group was statistically significant, of which a much higher level was detected in the research group (t=19.96, P<0.01). The apoptotic rate of smooth muscle cells in the research group was increased notably compared with that in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (t=5.985, P<0.01). PDCD4 may participate in the formation of coronary AS plaque, and its possible function in the process is to inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and promote the upregulation of IL-6 and IL-8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of climate change on crop production is a major concern in drought-prone regions, which are experiencing increasingly severe drought conditions. The goal of this study was to use the Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM) model to simulate and predict flax yield and water balance, as well as to determine the optimal irrigation and fertilizer for flax production to counteract the effects of climate change under arid and semiarid conditions. The model was calibrated using field experimental data from 2019 to 2020 and evaluated using field experimental data from 2021 to 2022 with a combination of four irrigation treatments (full irrigation, 180 mm, deficit irrigation at vegetative and reproductive stage, no irrigation) and four fertilizer rates (no fertilizer, NPK, NPK + flax oil residue, NPK + farm manure) using a plot design for a total of 16 treatments. To determine the key irrigation and fertility periods and irrigation and fertilization amounts that affect flax yield to address climate change, a combination of four irrigation and six fertilizer rates and six irrigation stages were simulated. The results showed that the model successfully predicted flax yield (R2 = 0.98) and water-use efficiency (WUE) (R2 = 0.79). When compared to inorganic fertilization, the grain yield and WUE improved by 16.47% and 13.83%; replacing 50% of inorganic fertilizer with flax oil residue achieved the optimal results. The flax yield and WUE increased by 3.37% and 1.25% under full irrigation (180 mm) compared to irrigation of 120 mm with a not-very-significant difference. The positive effect of irrigation on soil water content (SWC) was highest during the budding stage, followed by the flowering stage, fruiting stage, and stemming stage. Therefore, in arid and semiarid areas with scarce water resources, irrigation at a 55% deficiency during the vegetative growth period of flax combined with the application of flax oil residue and NPK (1550 flax oil residue, 45 N, 50.2 P2O5, and 33.9 K2O kg ha−1) might be an effective adaptation strategy for improved future flax production. Our results can facilitate the development of sustainable agriculture practices that reduce water input and improve WUE to counteract climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perimeter traffic control of urban road network is of great significance for alleviating traffic congestion. Most of the existing perimeter control methods are design schemes based on macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD), accompanied by effective algorithmic techniques. However, when applying MFD-based models for perimeter traffic control, it is always restricted by the heterogeneity of road network. In response to this problem, it is urgent to find a new model, which can not only get rid of the influence of heterogeneity, but also describe the evolution of traffic flow to guide the perimeter control. Research displays that the road network traffic carrying capacity model, a model designed to calculate the maximum number of vehicles in the road network under a certain service level, can meet these requirements. First, through the theoretical demonstration of the mathematical model, it is proved that the network heterogeneity neither affects the existence of traffic carrying capacity nor changes its parameter value. This further clarifies that there is no need to divide the homogeneous sub-regions in the preliminary steps of the proposed perimeter control. Second, an innovative road network perimeter coordination control framework is developed, which has a simple operation process and high computational efficiency. The main components of the structural framework include data collector, sub-region coordination controller, and perimeter signal controller. In particular, the core idea of coordinated control is to adjust and model the distribution mode of vehicles in the road network through the transfer of traffic flow between sub-regions, thereby achieving the optimal operation efficiency of the transportation system. Finally, the SUMO simulation software is employed to verify and evaluate the proposed model. The results show that compared with the no perimeter control and the MFD-based perimeter control, the proposed perimeter control strategy is demonstrated to have impressive performance. A key advantage is that the application of the proposed approach does not need to consider the road network heterogeneity, and has great results in both non-congested and congested conditions. Findings from this study can provide a novel direction for the application of urban regional traffic control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Heat-moisture treated ginseng with high content of ginsenoside Rg 3 and CK. • The transformation of ginsenosides by heat-moisture treatment was speculated. • HMGE have strong free radical scavenging ability. • HMGE could enhance the cytotoxic and apoptotic potentials against HepG2 cells. In the current study, the effects of heat-moisture treatment on the ginsenoside contents and ginsenoside compositions such as Rg 3 , CK and Rb 1 etc. were investigated at different temperatures, relative humidities (RHs) and treatment times. Our findings demonstrated that the highest total ginsenoside content was 7.48% after 12 days treatment at temperature 80 °C and RH 75%. Correspondingly, less polar ginsenosides Rg 3 and CK were accumulated increasingly from 0.88 mg/g and 0.84 mg/g to 7.30 mg/g and 15.08 mg/g, respectively, during heat-moisture treatment. Compared to the ginsenoside extracts of untreated ginseng (UGE), the ginsenoside extracts of heat-moisture treated ginseng (HMGE) exerted better scavenging activities of 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) cation (ABTS+), and hydroxyl (OH) radicals, as well as higher cytotoxicity efficiency against HepG2. In addition, HMGE promoted cell apoptosis by up-regulating the related protein expression, especially the caspase-3, caspase-9, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). Therefore, the cytotoxicity of HMGE against HepG2 cells may be due to the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway induced by up-regulated caspase. These results strongly proved the promising prospect of HMGE as functional food or ingredient in nourishing or disease chemoprevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Albendazole (ABZ) is a veterinary drug with a high efficiency against helminths. Here reproductive responses of earthworms Eisenia fetida to ABZ exposure (0, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 mg kg −1 soil dry weight) were investigated for 56 d in chronic reproduction test, and deformed sperm were counted and morphological alterations in the seminal vesicles were qualitatively assessed by light and transmission electron microscopy. Results have showed that cocoon number of earthworms was more sensitive to low concentrations of ABZ than cocoon hatching success and hatching survival, showing a significant dose-related decrease in cocoon number at 3, 6, 9 and 12 mg kg −1 . In short-time exposure of 14 d, the sperm deformity (%) of earthworms increased at 6, 9 and 12 mg kg −1 , and the microstructural alteration in seminal vesicles was also observed at these concentrations, whereas ultrastructural alteration of germ cells, particularly morphology of mitochondria, was observed at 3 mg kg −1 and above, suggesting the high sensitivity of germ cell ultrastructure to low concentrations of ABZ in short-time exposure. The results can provide important information for prediction of ecologically significant toxic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of the traffic carrying capacity of road network is of great significance to the scale control of urban vehicles and the control of transportation systems. Existing related works have proposed calculation models and solutions for different application environments. However, these studies have problems such as diversification of capacity definitions, incorrect analysis of factors, and excessive model constraints. In response to these problems, this paper aims to determine the connotation of traffic carrying capacity and put forward a novel calculation model for carrying capacity. Firstly, in-depth analysis found that the key factor affecting the number of vehicles is the service level of road network. Then, the connotation of traffic carrying capacity is clarified, that is, the maximum number of vehicles travelling simultaneously in the road network under a certain service level. Second, based on the definition of carrying capacity and the characterization relationship between average travel speed and service level, the calculation of carrying capacity is transformed into the establishment of relationship between average travel speed and maximum number of vehicles. The construction of this relationship includes five steps, which are proposal of equivalent lane, division of traffic basic units, construction of basic unit travel time model, calculation of basic unit carrying capacity, and calculation of road network carrying capacity. In particular, the proposal of equivalent lane achieves the conversion from intermittent flow to continuous flow, and the abstraction of traffic flow further unifies the operation process into a unified mode of free travel and stacked release. Finally, the VISSIM simulation software is employed to verify and evaluate the proposed models. The results show that the average relative error between the simulated data and the calculated data obtained from the model is -0. 46%. Findings from this study will provide an innovative idea for the evaluation of urban road network performance. It can also provide a basis for urban managers to improve service level of road network and optimize the design of transportation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on findings of a study on Adsorption of Rare Earth Elements on Kaolinite and Halloysite. Topics include significance of Halloysite and kaolinite as the most common clay minerals in the weathered crust rare earth deposits; role of pH as one of the most significant factor to affect the adsorption capacities of halloysite and kaolinite; and transformation of potash feldspar in granite to halloysite and kaolinite.

Highlights: [•] Maize rooted to 160cm deep with the majority of roots positioned in the 0–40cm depth. [•] Maize with full-film mulching increased root volume by >40% over the unmulched check. [•] Increased yield (81–92%) with mulching was due to increased soil water at various depths. [•] Increased maize root weight with mulching may eventually increase soil carbon content. [•] Full-film mulching is an effective system for maize production in arid and semiarid areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper aims to determine the relationship between signal timing, queue length and travel speed. To this end, based on the kinematics theory and the spatio-temporal features of the vehicle trajectories, the operation process of traffic flow is first abstracted into two stages: traveling freely on the road section and queuing at the intersection. The problem solved is then transformed into determining the correlation between signal timing, queue length and average vehicle delay. Second, since vehicles move and stop dynamically, it is difficult to directly construct the model of delay and the other two parameters. To cope with this problem, the paper proposes an innovative concept — equivalent queue length, which enables vehicles to move continuously under the premise of ensuring the same number of vehicles before and after the equivalence. After this series of conversions, the relationship between average vehicle delay and equivalent queue length is obtained. Third, the calculation models of average travel speed are established according to timing parameters and queue length under different road network structures. Finally, multi-perspective case studies are provided to demonstrate the impressive performance of the proposed models. It is also found that the multi-dimensional optimization control of relationship model can significantly improve the service level of the road. The findings can provide support for the optimization of signal control and speed guidance. • Abstract the operation process of traffic flow into two stages: traveling freely on the road section and queuing at the intersection. • Propose the concept of equivalent queue length and utilize it to convert intermittent traffic flow into continuous traffic flow. • Put forward the relationship model between timing parameters, queue length and travel speed. • Perform simulations with multi-dimensional control perspectives. • Provide new directions for speed improvement and queue length optimization in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Enrofloxacin (EFLX) has been proven effective against both gram-negative and gram-positive microorganisms and used widely in animal husbandry. It may enter the soil environment with the excreta of treated animals. The aim of this study is to determine the toxicity of EFLX on the whole earthworms as well as its different tissues. Earthworms of Eisenia fetida were exposed to EFLX at 0, 500, 1000, 3000, and 5000mg/kg concentrations; samples were taken at days 2, 7, and 14 of exposure for determination of catalase (CAT) activity and growth rate. The growth rate showed little differences in all treatment groups. CAT activity was shown to be changeable at different tissues, exposure time, and EFLX concentrations. The intestinal tissues were more sensitive to EFLX than the body wall muscle tissues and whole earthworms. The investigation of CAT activity, especially in the intestinal tissues, can provide important information in terms of toxic effects of soil contamination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Quantitative structure–retention relationship (QSRR) models for the gas chromatographic (GC) Kava´ts indices of disulfides on four different polarity stationary phase have been developed. Semi-empirical quantum chemical method (AM1) implemented in hyperchem 4.0 was employed to calculate a set of molecular descriptors of 50 disulfides. The four stationary phases in the research were: Apiezon M, OV-17, Triton X-305 and PEG-1000. By using multiple linear regression (MLR), we obtained four empirical functions with high correlation coefficient (R1=0.995, R2=0.994, R3=0.990, R4=0.976). At the same time, using Thin Plat Spline the Radial Basis Function neural networks models were obtained with root mean squared error (RMS) of training set (RMST1=0.013351, RMST2=0.012973, RMST3=0.023228, RMST4=0.020755) and RMS of validation set (RMSV1=0.007626, RMSV2=0.005897, RMSV3=0.005109, RMSV4=0.007377) and RMS of testing set (RMSX1=0.016676, RMSX2=0.016704, RMSX3=0.017162, RMSX4=0.014755). The results indicated that the QSRR models proposed were very satisfactory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ‘Kyoho’ grape (Vitaceae, Plantae) has large ears, plenty of flesh, and rich nutrition and is planted across a large area in China. There are few reports on this variety in winemaking, especially on the dynamic changes of fungi in the wine fermentation broth. In this study, we used the ‘Kyoho’ grapes as raw materials and adopted a high throughput to analyze dynamic changes in fungal species composition of the natural fermentation broth at four time points: day 1 (D1P), day 3 (D3P), day 5 (D5P), and day 15 (D15P). Changes in fungal metabolic pathways and dominant yeasts were also analyzed. A total of 78 families, 110 genera, and 137 species were detected, in the natural fermentation broth samples. Forty-nine families, 60 genera, and 72 species were found in the control check (CK). A total of 66 differential metabolic pathways were enriched; of those, 41 were up-regulated compared to CK, such as CDP-diacylglycerol biosynthesis I (PWY 5667), chitin degradation to ethanol (PWY 7118), and the super pathway of phosphatidate biosynthesis (PWY 7411). Changes in fungal metabolic pathways were in line with the dynamic changes of dominant yeast species in the whole process of fermentation. Pichia kluyveri, P. membranifaciens, and Citeromyces matritensis are the dominant species in the later stages of natural fermentation. These yeast species may play vital roles in the ‘Kyoho’ wine industry in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crop rotation aims to improve the sustainability and production efficiency of agricultural ecosystems, especially as demands for food and energy continue to increase. However, the regulation of soil microbial communities using crop rotation with oilseed flax and its relationship with key soil physicochemical driving factors are still not clear. In order to investigate this matter, we carried out a field study lasting four years involving various crop rotation sequences including FWPF, FPFW, PFWF, FWFP, ContF, and ContF1. In addition to evaluating soil physicochemical parameters, we employed Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology to explore the structure and variety of soil microbial communities. The findings indicated a notable rise in pH value with the FPFW treatment in contrast to other treatments, along with significant increases in AP, MBC, MBN, and qSMBC compared to ContF. The number of OTUs in the FPFW, WFPF, FPFW, and PFWF treatments was significantly increased by 4.10–11.11% compared to ContF (p < 0.05). The presence of Actinobacteria and Acidobacteria was greatly impacted by the FPFW treatment, whereas the presence of Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi was notably influenced by the ContF treatment. The soil bacterial community was primarily influenced by TC, pH, and NO3−-N according to correlation analysis. Specifically, the FPFW therapy notably raised the soil pH level while lowering the TC level. Furthermore, the FPFW therapy led to a notable rise in the proportion of Acidobacteria and a significant decline in the proportion of Actinobacteria. These findings provide important theoretical support for using FPFW rotation to regulate soil microbial communities and solve the problems of continuous cropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the isolation of brewers' yeast pyruvate decarboxylase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae that possesses four cysteines and are subjected to substrate activation. Construction of in vitro mutated PDC1 genes; Purification and kinetic studies; Site of the substrate activation in the C221 strain of PDC.

BACKGROUND: Lima bean protein isolate (LPI) is an underutilized plant protein. Similar to other plant proteins, it may display poor emulsification properties. In order to improve its emulsifying properties, one effective approach is using protein and polysaccharide mixtures. This work investigated the structural and emulsifying properties of LPI as well as the development of an LPI/xanthan gum (XG)‐stabilized oil‐in‐water emulsion. RESULTS: The highest protein solubility (84.14%) of LPI was observed and the molecular weights (Mw) of most LPI subunits were less than 35 kDa. The enhanced emulsifying activity index (15.97 m2 g−1) of LPI might be associated with its relatively high protein solubility and more low‐Mw subunits (Mw < 35 kDa). The effects of oil volume fraction (ϕ) on droplet size, microstructure, rheological behavior and stability of emulsions were investigated. As ϕ increased from 0.2 to 0.8, the emulsion was arranged from spherical and dispersed oil droplets to polyhedral packing of oil droplets adjacent to each other, while the LPI/XG mixtures changed from particles (in the uncrowded interfacial layer) to lamellae (in the crowded interfacial layer). When ϕ was 0.6, the emulsion was in a transitional state with the coexistence of particles and lamellar structures on the oil droplet surface. The LPI/XG‐stabilized emulsions with ϕ values of 0.6–0.8 showed the highest stability during a 14‐day storage period. CONCLUSION: This study developed a promising plant‐based protein resource, LPI, and demonstrates potential application of LPI/XG as an emulsifying stabilizer in foods. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the effects of planting density (PD) and potassium (K) application on the lignin synthesis of oil flax stalks and their relationship with lodging resistance, a two-year field experiment was conducted in the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons. The planting densities were 600 grains·m−2 (D1), 750 grains·m−2 (D2), and 900 grains·m−2 (D3); the potassium application levels were 0 kg K·hm−2 (K0), 60 kg K·hm−2 (K1,) and 90 kg K·hm−2 (K2). Then, the effects of PD and K on the stalk agronomic traits, lignin synthesis, lodging resistance, and grain yield (GY) of oil flax were studied. The results show that D3 increased the oil flax plant height and stem fresh weight, and K1 raised the height of the center of gravity. The enzyme activities of phenylalanine aminolyase (PAL), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), and peroxidase (POD) increased with an increase in planting density, whereby K1 promoted and K2 inhibited the lignin metabolic enzymes, respectively. The lignin and cellulose were significantly positively correlated with PAL. The combination of K with the D2 treatment increased the lignin and cellulose content in stems of oil flax at the kernel and maturity stages, and the effect of K1 on lignin metabolism and lodging resistance was better than that of K2. The increased GY was significantly correlated with the number of effective oil flax capsules per plant and the lodging resistance index, which were directly affected by K application. In conclusion, under the same ecological conditions as the experiment, the field management strategy of medium PD (750 grains·m−2) and low K (60 kg K·hm−2) was the best for improving the lodging resistance and GY formation of oil flax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutrients can significantly affect nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) of crops. This field experiment was conducted to reveal how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) regulated NSC accumulation, translocation as well as the seed yield formation of oilseed flax. The treatments were as follows: (1) application of 0 kg N ha −1 and 0 kg P ha −1 (N (0) P (0) ), (2) application of 75 kg N ha −1 and 0 kg P ha −1 (N (75) P (0) ), (3) application of 150 kg N ha −1 and 0 kg P ha −1 (N (150) P (0) ), (4) application of 0 kg N ha −1 and 75 kg P ha −1 (N (0) P (75) ), (5) application of 75 kg N ha −1 and 75 kg P ha −1 (N (75) P (75) ), and (6) application of 150 kg N ha −1 and 75 kg P ha −1 (N (150) P (75) ). Results showed that application of N decreased the concentration and content of leaves soluble sugar (SS), and increased stems SS and starch (ST) concentration and content at pre-anthesis of oilseed flax, compared to no application of N. Application of P increased the SS concentration in leaves, stems, and seeds at all growth stages, and decreased ST concentration in leaves, seeds and stems at post-anthesis, compared to no P application. Mixed application of N and P significantly improved leaves and stems SS concentration at post-anthesis, promoted more leaves and stems NSC translocation to seeds, thus seed numbers (SN) of per capsule and effective capsules (EC) significantly increased and no-effective capsules (NEC) obviously decreased, compared to only application of N or P. Meanwhile, the average seed yields were improved 14.3%–42.6% than that of only application of N or P. We also found that the SN of per capsule had significantly positive correlation with the leaves SS concentration at post-anthesis, and it had highly positive correlation with the buds and flowers SS concentration at budding and anthesis stages, respectively. The NEC had largely positive correlation with the stems ST concentration at post-anthesis. Our results suggested that N with P mixed application is an effective way for oilseed flax production in semiarid areas by increasing the SN, EC and decreasing the NEC by regulating the leaves and stems NSC at budding, anthesis and post-anthesis, and improving oilseed flax production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petcoke, as a byproduct of petroleum refinery process, can be used as feedstock of gasifiers due to its high carbon content and high calorific value. However, its low gasification reactivity and low ash content restrict its application to some gasifiers. In this work, experimental study on co-gasification reactivity of petcoke with coal under CO 2 atmosphere was investigated in a drop-in-fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range of 1200–1400 °C. Produced CO was monitored continually using an online mass spectrometry to calculate the carbon conversion and gasification rate. The experimental results reveal that the gasification reactivity of petcoke can be improved greatly by co-gasifying with coals or by loading their ashes, even at temperatures higher than the ash fusion temperature. Both the coal and its ash can improve the gasification reactivity of petcoke. The synergistic effect is closely related to the composition of minerals in coal but not coal rank. The high content of active components such as Ca- and Fe- in coal or ash is beneficial for co-gasification. Some coals, however, are lack of these active components and with high Si- and Al-components content which may retard the gasification reaction. During co-gasification, the oldhamite (CaS), anhydrite (CaSO 4 ) and magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) have positive catalytic effect, while mulite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 ) has negative effect on gasification reaction at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early intervention of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) may be the most promising way for delaying or even preventing the progression to Alzheimer's disease. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been recognized as a promising approach for the treatment of aMCI.Objective: In this paper, we aimed to investigate the modulating mechanism of tDCS on the core neurocognitive networks of brain.Methods: We used repeated anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and assessed the effect on cognition and dynamic functional brain network in aMCI patients. We used a novel method called temporal variability to depict the characteristics of the dynamic brain functional networks.Results: We found that true anodal stimulation significantly improved cognitive performance as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment after simulation. Meanwhile, the Mini-Mental State Examination scores showed a clear upward trend. More importantly, we found significantly altered temporal variability of dynamic functional connectivity of regions belonging to the default mode network, central executive network, and the salience network after true anodal stimulation, indicating anodal HD-tDCS may enhance brain function by modulating the temporal variability of the brain regions.Conclusion: These results imply that ten days of anodal repeated HD-tDCS over the LDLPFC exerts beneficial effects on the temporal variability of the functional architecture of the brain, which may be a potential neural mechanism by which HD-tDCS enhances brain functions. Repeated HD-tDCS may have clinical uses for the intervention of brain function decline in aMCI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the toxicity of olaquindox on earthworms by measuring the mortality, morphological changes, weight gain rate of earthworms as well as catalase (CAT) activity in different tissue regions. The results showed that the 48-h median lethal concentration (LC50) was 1.02mgcm−2 on filter paper and above 4000mgL−1 in solution, and the morphological changes, especially in the anterior region, showed a progression of damage with increasing olaquindox concentrations. The rate of weight gain of earthworms had no significant differences after 7 days and 14 days exposure to 500mgkg−1 and 1000mgkg−1, and decreased significantly after exposure to 3000mgkg−1 and 5000mgkg−1. CAT activity in different tissue regions decreased with increasing olaquindox concentrations after 14 days, CAT activity in the anterior was still reduced to 83% of the control value at 500mgkg−1 and 82% of the control at 1000mgkg−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of albendazole (ABZ) on acid phosphatase (AP), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (Ca2+-ATPase) activities in different tissue regions of earthworms and the whole earthworm after 2, 7 and 14 days exposure. The results were as follows: AP activities in the anterior and the mid-part were sensitive to ABZ. Particularly, AP activity in the anterior decreased significantly at concentrations between 100mgkg−1 and 600mgkg−1 after 14 days. GST and Ca2+-ATPase activities in the mid-part were sensitive to ABZ, GST activity being inhibited significantly by ABZ concentrations between 400mgkg−1 and 600mgkg−1 after 7 days and at concentrations between 200mgkg−1 and 600mgkg−1 after 14 days. GST activity was negatively correlated with ABZ concentrations. Ca2+-ATPase activity in the mid-part was inhibited significantly at concentrations between 200mgkg−1 and 600mgkg−1 after 7 days; after 14 days, Ca2+-ATPase activity recovered to the control level. In conclusion, the different tissue regions of Eisenia fetida show different responses in enzymatic activities to ABZ and, therefore, provide early warning signals of soil contamination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The relationship was studied between the relative mobility of a group of 19 chlorophenols in different buffers modified by eight kinds of different organic additives in capillary zone electrophoresis and a set of 10 molecular descriptors calculated by semi-empirical quantum chemical method PM3 implemented in HyperChem. Using multiple linear regression (MLR), we obtained an empirical function which included five descriptors. The performance of radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) was evaluated and proved better than MLR. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Explores the changes of three-tone paradigm P300 on aging dementia in China. Detection of abnormality in P300; Improvements in the diagnostic sensitivity of P300; Decrease in active attention ability.

The knowledge of the nature of silver occurrence and sites in argentiferous manganese oxides is significant for developing better process to extract silver from manganese-silver ores. Synchrotron radiation has been used to collect Ag K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy of three natural and five synthetic samples of silver-containing manganese oxide, basically in the phases of tunnel-type cryptomelane or todorokite and layer-type birnessite or chalcophanite. Data were also gathered on five standards including Ag foil, Ag2O, Ag2SO4, Ag2CO3, and AgNO3 to compare the local environments of Ag atoms with the samples. Ag K-edge XANES studies show that Ag is present in most of the samples in Ag+ oxidation state, except in the Ag-Tod sample through annealing step in the form of Ag0 nanoparticles which are also identified by TEM. The natural samples from Xiangguang manganese-silver ores exhibit similar coordination distances as the corresponding tunnel or layer structured synthetic samples. In the argentiferous cryptomelanes, silver cations do not occupy the tunnel centers like K+, but rather place on the common face sites of the cubic cage formed by MnO6 octahedra, coordinated with about four oxygen anions at ~ 2.4 Å bond distances proved by the EXAFS results. In the silver-exchanged birnessites or natural argentiferous chalcophanite, silver cations probably occupy a tetrahedral coordination to interlayer O atoms and a position located above or below the vacant cavities in the Mn octahedra layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of fermented Chinese herbal preparation (CHP) on the milking performance, nutrient digestibility, blood biochemistry, and antioxidant capacity in cows under heat stress (HS). A total of 40 late-lactation Holstein cows (Average body weight: 560 ± 51.0 kg, milk per day: 16 ± 3.0 kg) were randomly assigned to 4 groups (10 cows per group). The cows in treatment groups were supplied with 25, 50, or 100 g CHP in diet per cow per day, and the control group was no supplied with CHP. All cows were raised at a natural HS environment (Average THI: 74.5) during 42-d experimental period. Milk, fecal samples, and blood samples were collected on 14, 28, and 42 d for measuring milk production, nutrient apparent digestibility, and serum biochemical parameters, heat shock protein involving HSP70, HSP90, and HSF. The antioxidant enzymes (T-AOC, SOD, CAT, GPx, and PRDX 2) activities in blood and its genes expression level were also measured on 14, 28, and 42 d of experiment. The results showed that the dietary supplementation of CHP demonstrated an increased tendency in DMI (P = 0.08), and 50 or 100 g/d CHP increased milk yield, milk composition (fat and protein) content (all P < 0.05) for the entire 42-d period, compared with the control group. However, there was no difference (P > 0.05) on nutrient digestibility among all groups. From blood biochemistry, the HSP90 or HSP70 level in serum exhibited a decrease (P < 0.05) with CHP supplements. Also, the serum triiodothyronine and glucose content were increased (P ≤ 0.02) by CHP, while the prolactin content demonstrated an increasing trend (P = 0.08). For antioxidant capacity, the doses of CHP increased serum T-AOC (P < 0.05), SOD (P = 0.02), and CAT (P < 0.01) concentration, and the mRNA levels of both SOD and CAT genes were also up-regulated (P ≤ 0.05) for groups with CHP. Besides, there was a positively correlated between milking yield or milk quality (milk protein and milk fat) with DMI (P < 0.01), various of antioxidant enzymes concentrations in serum, or mRNA levels of SOD and CAT (P < 0.05). However, the negative correlation between milking performance and HSP70 or HSP90 was also exhibited (P < 0.05). Therefore, the CHP supplements may improve blood biochemistry and antioxidant capacity under HS to increase milking performance in dairy cows. • Fermented Chinese herbal preparation increased milk production under heat stress of late-lactation cows. • Fermented Chinese herbal preparation improved blood biochemistry under heat stress of late-lactation cows. • Fermented Chinese herbal preparation decreased the concentration of heat shock protein 70 and heat shock protein 90 under heat stress of late-lactation cows. • Antioxidant capacity was improved both in blood and gene under heat stress of late-lactation cows. • Therefore, fermented Chinese herbal preparation can relieve the heat stress of late-lactation cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the potential of silver nanoparticles (AgNano) as an antimicrobial growth-promoting supplement for broiler chickens. One hundred forty-four seven-day-old broiler chicks were distributed randomly to AgNano treatments at 0, 10 and 20 mg/kg (Control, Group AgNano10, and Group AgNano20, respectively) provided via the drinking water from day 7 to 36 post-hatching. Body weight and feed consumption were measured weekly. In addition, balance and respiration experiments were carried out to determine nitrogen (N) utilisation and energy retention. At days 22 and 36, blood samples and intestinal content were collected to evaluate the effects of AgNano on plasma concentration of immunoglobulins and the intestinal microflora, repectively. The provision of water solutions containing different concentrations of AgNano had no effect on postnatal growth performance and the energy metabolism of broiler chickens. However, in Group AgNano10 N intake (p = 0.05) and retention (p = 0.03) was increased, but N excretion and efficiency of utilisation was not affected. The populations of bacteria in the intestinal samples were not affected by AgNano supplementation. The concentration of immunoglobulin (IgG) in the blood plasma of broilers supplemented with AgNano decreased at day 36 (p = 0.012). The results demonstrated that AgNano affects N utilisation and plasma IgG concentration; however, it does not influence the microbial populations in the digestive tract, the energy metabolism and growth performance of chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of the relationships between the extrapolated capacity factor (log kw) of a group of 54 disubstituted benzene derivatives and a set of eight molecular descriptors was made. By using multiple linear regression (MLR), we obtained an empirical function, which included five descriptors. The performance of a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) was evaluated. The network used thin plate spline and multi-quadratic functions, which showed better than MLR. Semi-empirical quantum chemical method PM3 implemented in HyperChem 4.0 was employed to calculate the molecular descriptors of the compounds. The results gave a relative minor root mean squared (rms) error (0.070 and 0.084) and indicated that the quantitative structure–retention relationships (QSRR) models proposed were very satisfactory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The tremendous growing ownership of electric bikes (e-bikes) brings serious traffic safety problems. Existing models aim to describe the conflict between pairwise traffic participants, which may not be appropriate for analyzing traffic conflicts among multiple e-bikes. This study aimed to model the trajectory changes for e-bikes in conflict scenarios, and simulate the e-bike movements during conflicts. First, the conflict zone of e-bike is represented as an isosceles triangle, within which the e-bikes would either adapt a lateral (right or left) shift in its trajectory or slow down to avoid potential collisions. Second, the kinematic principles of the classical optimal velocity model were employed to solve the overlapping problem of the cyclist reactions to the multiple conflictive e-bikes. Finally, the model was calibrated with trajectory data collected from video surveillance, and two types of numerical simulations were carried out. The experiment results verified the model performance of simulating the conflictive e-bike trajectories with multiple e-bike involved conflicts. It is also found that the unique typical phenomena of e-bikes such as the diagonal spatial distributions can be reproduced. It is hoped that the findings of this study may be helpful in modeling and simulation study of e-bike flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes human transcripts from normal and diseased tissue types. Use of serial analysis of gene expression in providing absolute rather than relative expression levels; Elevated expression of genes in many tumor types; Usefulness of this cancer genes as a diagnostic marker or target for therapeutic intervention.