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Ubiquitin‐conjugating enzyme (UBC) is a crucial component of the ubiquitin‐proteasome system, which contributes to plant growth and development. While some UBCs have been identified as potential regulators of abiotic stress responses, the underlying mechanisms of this regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we report a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) UBC gene, GhUBC10‐2, which negatively regulates the salt stress response. We found that the gain of function of GhUBC10‐2 in both Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and cotton leads to reduced salinity tolerance. Additionally, GhUBC10‐2 interacts with glutathione S‐transferase (GST) U17 (GhGSTU17), forming a heterodimeric complex that promotes GhGSTU17 degradation. Intriguingly, GhUBC10‐2 can be self‐polyubiquitinated, suggesting that it possesses E3‐independent activity. Our findings provide new insights into the PTM of plant GST‐mediated salt response pathways. Furthermore, we found that the WRKY transcription factor GhWRKY13 binds to the GhUBC10‐2 promoter and suppresses its expression under salt conditions. Collectively, our study unveils a regulatory module encompassing GhWRKY13–GhUBC10‐2–GhGSTU17, which orchestrates the modulation of reactive oxygen species homeostasis to enhance salt tolerance. Summary statement: GhUBC10‐2 negatively regulates salt tolerance by targeting glutathione S‐transferase U17 (GhGSTU17) for its degradation. GhWRKY13 binds the W‐box of the GhUBC10‐2 promoter to repress GhUBC10‐2 transcription. The GhWRKY13–GhUBC10‐2–GhGSTU17 module offers a guidance for cotton breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphatases are important regulators of protein phosphorylation and various cellular processes, and they serve as counterparts to kinases. In this study, our comprehensive analysis of oomycete complete proteomes unveiled the presence of approximately 3833 phosphatases, with most species estimated to have between 100 and 300 putative phosphatases. Further investigation of these phosphatases revealed a significant increase in protein serine/threonine phosphatases (PSP) within oomycetes. In particular, we extensively studied the metallo‐dependent protein phosphatase (PPM) within the PSP family in the model oomycete Phytophthora sojae. Our results showed notable differences in the expression patterns of PPMs throughout 10 life stages of P. sojae, indicating their vital roles in various stages of oomycete pathogens. Moreover, we identified 29 PPMs in P. sojae, and eight of them possessed accessory domains in addition to phosphate domains. We investigated the biological function of one PPM protein with an extra PH domain (PPM1); this protein exhibited high expression levels in both asexual developmental and infectious stages. Our analysis confirmed that PPM1 is indeed an active protein phosphatase, and its accessory domain does not affect its phosphatase activity. To delve further into its function, we generated knockout mutants of PPM1 and validated its essential roles in mycelial growth, sporangia and oospore production, as well as infectious stages. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first comprehensive inventory of phosphatases in oomycetes and identifies an important phosphatase within the expanded serine/threonine phosphatase group in oomycetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) and canine influenza virus (CIV) are two important pathogens causing infectious respiratory disease in dogs and are frequently codetected in respiratory secretions. However, the clinical significance of viral/bacterial coinfection remains unknown. This study investigated the pathogenic characteristics of infection with CIV and SEZ alone or in combination in mice. Our data indicated that the severity of the disease is related to the challenge order of CIV and SEZ. Coinfection of CIV and SEZ induced higher weight loss in mice than single infection, except for the VB group (viral followed by secondary bacterial infection). Compared with the concurrent or sequential infection groups of CIV and SEZ, mice in the CIV–SEZ preincubation group exhibited more obvious weight loss, higher mortality, and significantly enhanced burden of SEZ and CIV in tissues. Interestingly, viral and bacterial preincubation before coinfection caused typical pulmonary fibrosis in mice. Correspondingly, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β was upregulated, and its canonical small mother against decapentaplegic (Smad) 2/3 signaling was noticeably induced. Further investigation indicated that the activity of the viral neuraminidase (NA) enzyme upon sialic acid was considerably increased due to the direct interaction of CIV with SEZ, which may be related to the activation of the TGF-β signaling pathway. These findings implicate an unexpected contribution of the direct interaction between CIV and SEZ to synergistic pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune rejection and side effects of long‐term administration of immunosuppressants are the two major obstacles to allograft acceptance and tolerance. The immunosuppressive extracellular vesicles (EVs)‐based approach has been proven to be effective in treating autoimmune/inflammatory disorders. Herein, the anti‐rejection advantage of exosomes (Rapa‐Exo) from rapamycin‐conditioned myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) over exosomes (Exo‐Nor) from the untreated MDSCs is shown. The exosomal small RNA sequencing and loss‐of‐function assays reveal that the anti‐rejection effect of Rapa‐Exo functionally relies on miR‐181d‐5p. Through target prediction and double‐luciferase reporter assay, Kruppel‐like factor (KLF) 6 is identified as a direct target of miR‐181d‐5p. Finally, KLF6 knockdown markedly resolves inflammation and prolongs the survival of corneal allografts. Taken together, these findings support that Rapa‐Exo executes an anti‐rejection effect, highlighting the immunosuppressive EVs‐based treatment as a promising approach in organ transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polysulfides are reported to be involved in various important biological processes. N‐acetyl‐l‐cysteine polysulfide with 2 sulfane sulfur atoms (NAC‐S2) regulates diverse toll‐like receptor (TLR) signaling pathways. Here, we aimed to determine the role of NAC‐S2 in periodontitis and explore the potential mechanism. Methods: A periodontitis mouse model was established by ligating the subgingival between the first and second molars in wild‐type, TLR4‐/‐, and Myd88‐/‐ mice. Results: NAC‐S2 did not affect the proportion of macrophages (CD11b+F4/80+) or neutrophils (CD11b+GR‐1+) in the bone marrow. Mechanically, lipopolysaccharides (LPS), Zymosan A, or poly I: C induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)‐6, and IL‐1β expression in bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) could be inhibited by NAC‐S2. On the other hand, NAC‐S2 suppressed the phosphorylation levels of IκB‐α, p65, and IκB kinase (IKK)‐β induced by LPS in BMDMs, while LPS induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, and transforming growth factor β‐activated kinase 1 (TAK1) could not be affected by NAC‐S2. In wild‐type periodontitis mice, NAC‐S2 administration decreased the cemento‐enamel‐junction–alveolar bone crest (CEJ‐ABC) distance and the relative mRNA expression of TNF, IL‐6, and IL‐1β, while such phenomena could not be observed in TLR4 deficiency or Myd88 deficiency mice. Conclusions: All of these results indicate that NAC‐S2 ameliorates TLR4/NF‐κB pathway mediated inflammation in mouse periodontitis model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sinapate esters, which are induced in plants under ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation, have important roles not only in the protection against UV-B irradiation but also in the regulation of stomatal closure. Here, we speculated that sinapate esters would function in the stomatal closure of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to UV-B. We measured the stomatal aperture size of the wild-type (WT) and bright trichomes 1 (brt1) and sinapoylglucose accumulator 1 (sng1) mutants under UV-B irradiation; the latter two mutants are deficient in the conversion of sinapic acid to sinapoylglucose (SG) and SG to sinapoylmalate (SM), respectively. Both the brt1 and sng1 plants showed smaller stomatal apertures than the WT under normal light and UV-B irradiation conditions. The accumulation of SM and malate were induced by UV-B irradiation in WT and brt1 plants but not in sng1 plants. Consistently, exogenous malate application reduced UV-B-induced stomatal closure in WT, brt1 and sng1 plants. Nonetheless, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and cytosolic Ca2+ were higher in guard cells of the sng1 mutant than in those of the WT under normal white light and UV-B irradiation, suggesting that disturbance of sinapate metabolism induced the accumulation of these signaling molecules that promote stomatal closure. Unexpectedly, exogenous sinapic acid application prevented stomatal closure of WT, brt1 and sng1 plants. In summary, we hypothesize that SG or other sinapate esters may promote the UV-B-induced malate accumulation and stomatal closure, whereas sinapic acid inhibits the ROS-NO pathway that regulates UV-B-induced cytosolic Ca2+ accumulation and stomatal closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical explosives such as TNT are widely used in special scenarios, such as civil explosives, due to their simple preparation and high energy density. However, the temperature of the fireball produced by the explosion of these explosives is extremely high. Moreover, this approach may cause many casualties and economic losses if not prevented. To accurately measure the temperature of a transient explosion field and study its space-time distribution, a two-dimensional high-speed temperature measurement system was built based on blackbody radiation theory, high-speed photography, image Bayer array and improved interpolation algorithm. The explosive fireball produced in a static explosion test of 10 kg of TNT was measured within the shooting range. TNT was added with an auxiliary blackbody (tungsten). Compared to traditional explosion temperature measurement methods, the experimental results showed that the colorimetric temperature measurement method based on the improved interpolation algorithm and the addition of tungsten powder could more accurately measure the temporal and spatial distributions of the temperature field. This work can aid in the prevention in the accidents during the transportation, storage, and manufacturing of chemicals relevant to process industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotic fermented milk is more and more popular due to their positive health associated properties. However, fermentation temperature and other process conditions may affect the growth and metabolism of probiotic strains, thereby affecting quality of the final products. In this study, the growth behaviors and metabolomic profiles of yogurts induced by Lactobacillus casei Zhang at fermentation termination (FT) and d 10 of storage (S10d) under different fermentation temperatures at 37°C (low) and 42°C (high) were analyzed and compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)- and gas chromatography-MS-based metabolomics approaches. At 37°C, the growth of L. casei Zhang at FT and S10d was significantly increased, and the potential relationship between riboflavin, starch, and sucrose metabolism and growth of L. casei Zhang may be mutually promoting. Fermentation temperature (37°C and 42°C) affected volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles and pathways. The levels of acetaldehyde, 2,3-butanedione, acetoin, butyric acid, decanoic acid, hexanoic acid, and octanoic acid were significantly higher at 37°C than at 42°C at FT and S10d. This indicates that the low temperature (37°C) most likely contributes more to the formation of important flavor compounds during the fermentation process and production of short-chain fatty acids during storage. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel well-dispersed Fe 3 O 4 with multifunction was successfully prepared via self-assembly technology. • Modified Fe 3 O 4 can endow PUA simultaneously with excellent quasi-static and dynamic mechanical properties. • The abnormal EMW absorbing behaviors of PUA composites with poorly-/well-dispersed Fe 3 O 4 were found. • Mechanism and modes for this abnormal phenomenon were proposed. In this work, novel core–shell Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were prepared by self- assembly technology using phytate-melamine aggregates (PM) or phytate-melamine-Fe3+ aggregates (PM-Fe) as building block. A polyurea (PUA) matrix was filled with magnetic nanoparticle. The influence of Fe 3 O 4 , Fe 3 O 4 @PM or Fe 3 O 4 @PM-Fe content and dispersion on the mechanical and electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption properties of PUA composite were investigated. Good dispersion of modified Fe 3 O 4 in PUA matrix was obtained. Loading well-dispersed Fe 3 O 4 significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of their PUA nanocomposite under quasi-static tensile, nanoindentation, and dynamic compression tests. Excellent EMW absorption performance of PUA/Fe 3 O 4 @PM nanocomposite was desired. Although well-dispersed Fe 3 O 4 @PM could effectively enhance the mechanical properties, nonetheless it surprisingly plays a negative role in the EMW absorption performance. The Fe 3 O 4 @PM with high dispersion and interfacial compatibility in the PUA matrix was detrimental to EMW absorption performance, which contradicts the well accepted EMW absorption mechanisms. A novel mechanism and model were suggested, along with a fresh understanding of the role of Fe 3 O 4 in the EMW absorption of PUA composite. Furthermore, the Fe 3 O 4 @PM-Fe, obtained by constructing a conductive network on the surface of Fe 3 O 4 @PM, was used to investigate this assumption. The radar cross section simulation also demonstrated the superior EMW attenuation capability of PUA nanocomposites in the service condition. This work is beneficial to the development of EMW absorber, not limited to Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cotton is an important cash crop. The fiber length has always been a hot spot, but multi-factor control of fiber quality makes it complex to understand its genetic basis. Previous reports suggested that OsGASR9 promotes germination, width, and thickness by GAs in rice, while the overexpression of AtGASA10 leads to reduced silique length, which is likely to reduce cell wall expansion. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the function of GhGASA10 in cotton fibers development. Results: To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying fiber elongation regulation concerning GhGASA10–1, we revealed an evolutionary basis, gene structure, and expression. Our results emphasized the conservative nature of GASA family with its origin in lower fern plants S. moellendorffii. GhGASA10–1 was localized in the cell membrane, which may synthesize and transport secreted proteins to the cell wall. Besides, GhGASA10–1 promoted seedling germination and root extension in transgenic Arabidopsis, indicating that GhGASA10–1 promotes cell elongation. Interestingly, GhGASA10–1 was upregulated by IAA at fiber elongation stages. Conclusion: We propose that GhGASA10–1 may promote fiber elongation by regulating the synthesis of cellulose induced by IAA, to lay the foundation for future research on the regulation networks of GASA10–1 in cotton fiber development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better learn the dependency relationship between nodes, we address the relationship extraction task by capturing rich contextual dependencies based on the attention mechanism, and using distributional reinforcement learning to generate optimal relation information representation. This method is called Dual Attention Graph Convolutional Network (DAGCN), to adaptively integrate local features with their global dependencies. Specifically, we append two types of attention modules on top of GCN, which model the semantic interdependencies in spatial and relational dimensions, respectively. The position attention module selectively aggregates the feature at each position by a weighted sum of the features at all positions of nodes internal features. Meanwhile, the relation attention module selectively emphasizes interdependent node relations by integrating associated features among all nodes. We sum the outputs of the two attention modules and use reinforcement learning to predict the classification of nodes relationship to further improve feature representation which contributes to more precise extraction results. The results on the TACRED and SemEval datasets show that the model can obtain more useful information for relational extraction tasks, and achieve better performances on various evaluation indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acetohydroxamic acid (AHA) is a hydrophilic organic complexing agent with excellent masking or stripping effects on the tetravalent actinides in the extraction operations. Therefore, AHA is a promising reagent for the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. In the reprosessing of spent uranium-aluminum fuel with a high U-235 enrichment which is used in research reactor, the dissolver solution contains a high concentration of Al(NO3)3, several orders of magnitude higher than that of minor actinides such as plutonium, and dilute tri-n-butyl phosphate(TBP)/n-dodecane is adopted as the extractant. In this research, complexation of Pu(IV) with AHA under the condition of U-Al fuel reprocessing is investigated. Results show that Al(NO3)3 insignificantly affects the mentioned complexation reaction. Further, the possibility of uranium purification against Pu(VI) is also investigated by using AHA in the presence of a high concentration of Al(NO3)3 by simulating some experiments on the separation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest has been growing in the co-fermentation of starter cultures with probiotic bacteria in milk. However, the representative metabolites and metabolic changes at different key time points during milk fermentation and storage in starter cultures and probiotic bacteria are still unclear. In this study, we used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry–based metabolomics to identify volatile metabolites and discriminate between 6 different time points [fermentation initiation (FI), fermentation curd (FC), fermentation termination (FT), storage 1 d (S1d), storage 7 d (S7d), and storage 14 d (S14d)] during the fermentation and storage of starter cultures and Lactobacillus casei Zhang milk. Of the 52 volatile metabolites identified, 15 contributed to discrimination of the 6 time points. Then, using the profile from the different time points, we analyzed pairwise comparisons (FI vs. FC; FC vs. FT; FT vs. S1d; S1d vs. S7d; S7d vs. S14d); these time-lapse comparisons showed metabolic progressions from one fermentation stage to the next. We found representative and exclusive metabolites at specific fermentation and storage time points. The greatest difference in metabolites occurred between FC and FT, and the metabolic profiles between S7d and S14d were most similar. Interestingly, decanoic acid, octanoic acid, and hexanoic acid reached their highest level at storage 14 d, indicating that the post-fermentation storage of fermented milk with L. casei Zhang may add more probiotic functions. This work provides detailed insight into the time-specific profiles of volatile metabolites and their dynamic changes; these data may be used for understanding and eventually predicting metabolic changes in milk fermentation and storage, where probiotic strains may be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In plants, brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of steroidal hormones that are involved in numerous physiological responses. However, the function of BRs in cold tolerance in cotton has not been explored. In this study, cotton seedlings were treated with five concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/L) of 24-Epibrassinolide (EBR) at 4°C. We measured the electrolyte leakage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, proline content, and net photosynthesis rate (Pn) of the seedlings, which showed that EBR treatment increased cold tolerance in cotton in a dose-dependent manner, and that 0.2 mg/L is an optimum concentration for enhancing cold tolerance. The function of EBR in cotton cotyledons was investigated in the control 0 mg/L (Cold+water) and 0.2 mg/L (Cold+EBR) treatments using RNA-Seq. A total of 4,001 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 2,591 up-regulated genes and 1,409 down-regulated genes were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and biochemical pathway enrichment analyses showed that EBR is involved in the genetic information process, secondary metabolism, and also inhibits abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene (ETH) signal transduction. In this study, physiological experiments showed that EBR can increase cold tolerance in cotton seedlings, and the comprehensive RNA-seq data shed light on the mechanisms through which EBR increases cold tolerance in cotton seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • High viable counts of PC-01 and B8589 over storage of fermented milk beverages. • Co-fermentation improves post-storage stability of fermented milk beverages. • Co-fermentation increases γ-aminobutyric acid and malate in stored products. Few studies investigated the effects of co-fermentation with bifidobacteria on post-storage changes of probiotic fermented beverages (PFBs). Thus, this study compared the post-storage changes in physicochemical index and metabolomes of PFBs produced singly by Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 (PC-01) or in combination with Bifidobacterium adolescentis B8589 (B8589). No significant differences were observed in the pH, titratable acidity, and viable cell counts between the two PFBs over 30-day storage. However, adding B8589 not only increased the stability of PFB (based on evaluating differences in PFBs metabolomics), but also the contents of beneficial amino acid metabolites, including 4-hydroxystyrene, gamma-aminobutyric acid, N -acetyl- l -aspartic acid, d -alanyl- d -alanine, and l -malic acid, after storage. Our study showed that B8589 is preferred to single-strain fermentation by PC-01. This study supports the concept of using bifidobacteria as starter culture in PFB production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTo realize the safe disposal of solid waste containing heavy metals, sewage sludge jointly with slag and metakaolin was used to prepare alkali-activated materials (AAMs), and the effect mechanism of polycarboxylate acid superplasticizer (PCE), naphthalene superplasticizer (NS) and aliphatic superplasticizer (AS) in AAMs were studied. The results showed that both the fluidity and strength of AAMs decreased with the addition of sludge. For the NaOH + Na2SiO3 activated mortar specimen, the incorporation of sludge can reduce their fluidity and strength from 206 mm and 80.25 MPa to 193 mm and 42.43 MPa, respectively. However, the addition of superplasticizers into sludge-containing AAMs leads to a reduction of 3–9% of the fluidity. Interestingly, it can enhance the strength of the AAMs, especially the NS and AS, which increase the strength by approximately 25%. This is attributed to the increase of particle dispersion by superplasticizers. However, the free water released in the process is reabsorbed by the sludge, which increases the local alkali concentration and promotes the activation of the activity. The dispersed sludge particles can play the role of physical filling, making the structure denser. HIGHLIGHTSSludge is adverse effects on both the fluidity and strength of alkali-activated materials (AAMs).The addition of superplasticizers (SPs) increases the strength of AAM with sludge.SPs do not affect improving the fluidity of AAMs with sludge, even slightly bad.The dispersion effect of SPs on the sludge is beneficial to promote its activity in AAMs.Sludge is adverse effects on both the fluidity and strength of alkali-activated materials (AAMs).The addition of superplasticizers (SPs) increases the strength of AAM with sludge.SPs do not affect improving the fluidity of AAMs with sludge, even slightly bad.The dispersion effect of SPs on the sludge is beneficial to promote its activity in AAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: to determine the metabolomics profiles in the plasma samples of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. Methods: The plasma samples from 20 POAG patients under intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medication treatment and 20 control subjects were subjected to the untargeted metabolomics analysis, among which 10 POAG patients and 10 control subjects were further subjected to the oxylipin-targeted metabolomics analysis by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. The prediction accuracy of the differentially abundant metabolites was assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curves. Pathway analysis and correlation analysis on the differentially abundant metabolites and clinical and biochemical parameters were also conducted. Results: Untargeted metabolomics profiling identified 33 differentially abundant metabolites in the POAG patients, in which the metabolism of linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, phenylalanine, and tricarboxylic acid cycle were enriched. The correlation analysis indicated that the differentially abundant metabolites were associated with central corneal thickness, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, visual field defects, and lymphocytes. The oxylipin-targeted metabolomics analysis identified 15-keto-Prostaglandin F2 alpha, 13,14-Dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin D2, 11-Dehydro-thromboxane B2, 8,9-Epoxyeicosatrienoic acid, and arachidonic acid to be significantly decreased in the POAG patients and enriched in the arachidonic acid (AA) pathway. Conclusions: This study revealed that the metabolites in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway are differentially abundant, suggesting high IOP may not be the only detrimental factor for optic nerve cell damage in this group of POAG patients. Lipid metabolism instability-mediated alterations in oxylipins and AA pathways may be important in POAG, suggesting that oxidative stress and immune-related inflammation could be valuable directions for future therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Canine parvovirus (CPV) and feline parvovirus (FPV) are causative agents of diarrhea in dogs and cats, which manifests as depression, vomiting, fever, loss of appetite, leucopenia, and diarrhea in young animals. CPV and FPV can single or mixed infect cats and cause disease. To diagnose sick animals effectively, an effective virus diagnostic and genome typing method with high sensitivity and specificity is required. Results: In this study, a conserved segment containing one SNP A4408C of parvovirus was used for real-time PCR amplification. Subsequently, data were auto-analyzed and plotted using Applied Biosystems® High Resolution Melt Software v3.1. Results showed that CPV and FPV can be detected simultaneously in a single PCR reaction. No cross-reactions were observed with canine adenovirus, canine coronavirus, and canine distemper virus. The assay had a detection limit of 4.2 genome copies of CPV and FPV. A total of 80 clinical samples were subjected to this assay, as well as to conventional PCR-sequence assay and virus isolation. Results showed that the percentage of agreement of the assay and other methods are high. Conclusions: In short, we have developed a diagnostic test for the accurate detection and differentiation of CPV and FPV in fecal samples, which is also cost effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteogenic differentiation is a complicated process that depends on various regulatory factors and signal pathways. In our research, the osteogenic differentiation capacity was analyzed by alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase activity, and protein levels of osteogenic differentiation markers including runt‐related transcription factor 2, bone morphogenetic protein 2, and osteocalcin (OCN). We observed a notable decrease of miR‐24‐3p level in osteogenic‐differentiated human periodontal ligament stem cells (hPDLSCs) by microarray analysis. In our gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments, we discovered that miR‐24‐3p has a suppression effect on hPDLSCs osteogenic differentiation. Moreover, SMAD family member 5 (Smad5), the critical osteogenic differentiation transcription factors, was predicted to be targets of miR‐24‐3p. In addition, luciferase reporter assay further proved that miR‐24‐3p directly targeted the 3′‐untranslated region of Smad5. Similarly, we found that the overexpression of miR‐24‐3p significantly decreased the Smad5 messenger RNA level in hPDLSCs, which was detected by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Then hPDLSCs were transfected with miR‐24‐3p mimics to inhibit Smad5 expression; meanwhile, Smad5 RNA interference could significantly reverse the osteogenic differentiation inhibition effect of miR‐24‐3p. In brief, a series of data showed that miR‐24‐3p is a regulator of Smad5, playing an important role in osteogenic differentiation. Osteogenic differentiation is a complicated process that depends on various regulatory factors and signal pathways. In brief, a series of data showed that miR‐24‐3p is a regulator of SMAD family member 5 (Smad5), playing an important role in osteogenic differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A novel multi-component powder inhibitor was prepared by mixing conventional suppressants (ammonium polyphosphate and aluminium hydroxide) with porous kaolinite. The inhibition performance of this developed inhibitor was investigated using a 20-L spherical experimental explosion system. The explosion parameters, such as the maximum explosion pressure, maximum pressure rising rate, and time to peak explosion pressure, were obtained to evaluate the suppression effects. The results show that the multi-component inhibitor exhibits higher suppression performance than the single components. The thermal stability, decomposition behavior, and gaseous products were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric-mass spectrometry. The inhibition mechanisms are illustrated using physical and chemical explanations. The current work introduces a new gas explosion inhibitor with high performance resulting from the synergistic effect between its ingredients. Graphical abstract Inhibition mechanisms of the multi-component powder are investigated by explosion experiments and thermal decomposition analysis. Unlabelled Image Highlights • Inhibitor is prepared by mixing porous mineral with conventional suppressants. • Excellent explosion inhibition efficiency is achieved for this powder inhibitor. • Inhibition mechanisms of the multi-component inhibitor are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine parvovirus (CPV) is an important pathogen in domestic dogs, and the original antigenic types CPV-2 and its variants, CPV-2a, 2b and 2c, are prevalent worldwide. A multiplex TaqMan real-time PCR method was developed for the detection and differentiation of four antigenic types of CPV. A set of primers and probes, CPV-305F/CPV-305R and CPV-2-305P (for CPV-2)/CPV-2a-305P (for CPV-2a, 2b and 2c), was able to differentiate CPV-2 and its variants (CPV-2a, 2b and 2c). Another set of primers and probes, CPV-426F/CPV-426R and CPV-2-426P (for CPV-2 and 2a)/CPV-2b-426P (for CPV-2b)/CPV-2c-426P (for CPV-2c), was able to differentiate CPV-2a (2), CPV-2b, and CPV-2c. With these primers and probes, the multiplex TaqMan real-time PCR assay detected effectively and differentiated CPV-2, 2a, 2b and 2c by two separate real-time PCRs. No cross reactivity was observed with canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus, and canine coronavirus. The detection limit of the assay is 10 1 genome copies/μL for CPV-2, CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and 10 2 copies/μL for CPV-2c. The multiplex real-time PCR has 100% agreement with DNA sequencing. We provide a sensitive assay that simultaneously detects and differentiate four antigenic types of CPV and the method was also used for quantification of CPVs viral genome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Probiotics are increasingly used in the fermentation industry owing to their probiotic properties. However, most previous studies of milk fermentation are based on single-strain fermentation or focused on interactions between the starter strains without considering the role of probiotics in the microbial ecosystem. Thus, in this study, we compared the differences in the fermented milk metabolomes of single-strain fermentation with Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PC-01 (PC-01) versus dual-strain fermentation with both PC-01 and a probiotic, Bifidobacterium adolescentis B8589 (B8589), with the aim of revealing the metabolic effect of adding B8589 in the milk fermentation process. Although co-fermenting with B8589 did not influence the growth of PC-01, non-targeted metabolomics revealed significant changes in the dual-strain fermented milk metabolomes, characterized by increased levels of amino acid metabolites. Targeted metabolomics analysis confirmed that, by adding B8589 as the co-fermentation culture, the level of γ-aminobutyric acid increased by seven times; and the contents of acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, and citrate were also significantly enriched. Our results suggested that B8589 metabolically interacts with PC-01, which increases the amounts of functional metabolites in the co-fermented milk. This study provides interesting insights into the metabolic interaction between probiotic and starter culture in an industrial fermentation process. • Dual-strain is better than single-strain in cow milk fermentation. • Co-fermenting with B8589 changes the fermented milk metabolome. • Co-fermenting with B8589 increases γ-aminobutyric acid amounts. • Co-fermenting with B8589 increases short-chain fatty acid amounts. • Milk co-fermentation increases the functional potential of products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present and numerically demonstrate a novel, electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in planar metamaterials (MMs) based on guided mode resonance (GMR). The unit cell of the MM consists of two metallic ring resonators. The GMR with high quality factor (Q) is achieved by changing the distance between the two rings of the MM. Narrow EIT-like spectral response is realized by coupling between a high Q GMR and a low Q dipolar resonance of the MM. Our work could provide another efficient way towards the realization of EIT with large group index using very simple structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a stochastic two-species Monod competition chemostat model which is subject to environment noises. Such noises are described by independent standard Brownian motions. It proves that the initial value problem of the model has a unique positive global solution. However, unlike the corresponding deterministic model, the stochastic model no longer has positive equilibrium points. The asymptotic behaviors and the steady state distributions are established by using Itô’s formula, Lyaponov method and Gronwall inequality. In addition, numerical simulations are given to illustrate the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MnO x /sewage sludge-derived activated carbon (MnO x /SAC) was prepared as catalysts to improve the performance of aqueous oxalic acid degradation by ozonation. The results indicated that MnO x /SAC had excellent catalytic activity in mineralization of oxalic acid during heterogeneous catalytic ozonation process. MnO x /SAC with a manganese load of 30% exhibited the strongest catalytic activity under the condition of solution pH 3.5, which enhanced the oxalic acid removal from 10.3% to 92.2% in 60 min compared with that treated by ozone alone. Increase of catalyst dosage and aqueous ozone concentration was advantageous for oxalic acid removal from water. On the basis of catalyst characterization analysis and the observation of inhibitory effect induced by higher pH, less catalyst dosage as well as the presence of hydroxyl radical scavenger, it was deduced that the reaction mechanism involved both hydroxyl radicals attack and surface reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Biobased nanoflakes were grown on the surface and within interlayer of metakaolinite via a facile strategy. • The interface interaction between Mul-K 0 and PUA chains was improved by the nanoflake structure. • Flame retardancy, smoke suppression and mechanical reinforcement mechanism were revealed. In this work, meta-kaolinite has been successfully multidimensionally modified by growing melamine-phytate nanoflakes within the interlayer and on the surface of metakaolinite via facile and green supramolecular self-assembly technology. Then, multidimensionally modified metakaolinite (Mul-K 0) along with intumescent flame retardant (IFR) has been incorporated into polyurea (PUA)The incorporation of Mul-K 0 together with IFR into PUA has simultaneously enhanced both the fire safety and mechanical property. Flame retardancy and smoke suppression of Mul-K 0 based PUA/IFR composite have been evaluated by oxyacetylene ablation test, limiting oxygen index, UL-94 vertical burning and conventional or modified cone calorimeter tests. The underlying mechanism of Mul-K 0 responsible for enhancing the fire safety and mechanical properties were explored. This work offers a new strategy for improving the flame-retardancy efficiency utilizing the synergistic effect of IFR and modified meta-kaolinite and provides a promising opportunity for fabricating long-life flame retardant PUA composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) could deplete ER-associated Ca2+ and cause ER stress, and thereby precise and in situ detection of ONOO- at ER is highly important for the study of its biological roles. Herein, we present a ratiometric two-photon ER-targeting fluorescent probe (NAB) for the detection of ONOO- in living cells and brain tissues. NAB utilized 4-bromomethylphenyl borate as a recognition site for ONOO-, and utilized p -toluenesulfonamide as ER-targeting group. After the response of NAB to ONOO-, the 4-bromomethylphenyl borate converted to hydroxyl, resulting in the change of the fluorescence color from blue to yellow. The probe NAB could show highly sensitive response to ONOO- within 6 s, and exhibited excellent selectivity to ONOO-. The probe NAB mainly located at ER and showed excellent ER-targeting property. Ratiometric two-photon imaging demonstrated that the probe NAB could selectively detect exogenous ONOO- at ER, and also could be applied to image metformin-induced ONOO- in living HepG2 cells. Furthermore, NAB can effectively detect the changes of ONOO- level in brain tissues, and revealed that the endogenous ONOO- level at ER showed increase in hippocampus of the depressive mouse. [Display omitted] • A ratiometric two-photon and ER-targeting probe for ONOO- was developed. • The fluctuation of endogenous ONOO- at ER was imaged in a ratiometric two-photon manner. • ONOO- level at ER showed an increase in hippocampus of the depressive mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CoO nanobundles composited with 3D graphene foams (CoO NB@GF) in which CoO NB consisted of porous nanoflakes are uniformly and closely bonded with GF were prepared by the combination of chemical vapor deposition, hydrothermal method and thermal treatment. The CoO NB@GF composites showing lightweight and high conductivity can serve directly as supercapacitors electrodes (including current collectors) without any other conductive agents and binders. The cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements on CoO NB@GF electrodes demonstrated a high specific capacitance of 352.75 F/g (221.75 F/g scaled to total mass of electrodes) at 1 A/g current density, good rate performance and nearly no decay of the specific capacitance after 1000 charge/discharge cycles at 10 A/g current. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) plays crucial roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes in living systems, and therefore, real-time and in situ imaging of ONOO- is of great significance to in-depth study its biological roles. Herein, we have developed PET-ESIPT-based fluorescent probes (BCN and BCN-A) for the detection of ONOO- in living cells, zebrafishes and brain tissues. BCN was a highly sensitive ONOO- probe in which the fluorescence property of the fluorophore was simultaneously controlled by PET and ESIPT mechanisms, and transformed to BCN-A via acetylation. Especially, BCN showed large Stokes shift in response to ONOO-, and displayed high selectivity to ONOO-. BCN-A employed the acetate group to switch off ESIPT process of the fluorophore and improve the membrane permeability. In living cells, BCN-A released an ONOO--responsive probe (BCN) by the hydrolysis of esterase, and then detected ONOO-. Biological imaging demonstrated that although both metformin and rotenone are mitochondrial complex I inhibitors, metformin can increase the generation of ONOO- while rotenone had no significant influence on the generation of ONOO- in living cells and zebrafishes. Moreover, the amygdala and perirhinal/entorhinal cortex in the brain of depressive mouse both showed increasing fluorescence intensity relative to those of normal mouse, which suggested that the LPS-induced depressive disorder could result in the generation of ONOO- in the two brain areas of mouse. We expect that the probes (BCN and BCN-A) could extensively serve as the powerful molecular tools to investigate the biological roles of ONOO- for the in-depth study of drug mechanism and depressive disorder. [Display omitted] • Using cyanobenzene dicarbonyl unit as response site for ONOO-. • PET-ESIPT-based response mechanism to ONOO-. • Imaging of metformin-induced ONOO- in living cells and zebrafishes. • Detection of ONOO- level changes in brain depressive mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxynitrite (ONOO-) plays crucial roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes in living systems, and therefore, real-time and in situ imaging of ONOO- is of great significance to in-depth study its biological roles. Herein, we have developed PET-ESIPT-based fluorescent probes (BCN and BCN-A) for the detection of ONOO- in living cells, zebrafishes and brain tissues. BCN was a highly sensitive ONOO- probe in which the fluorescence property of the fluorophore was simultaneously controlled by PET and ESIPT mechanisms, and transformed to BCN-A via acetylation. Especially, BCN showed large Stokes shift in response to ONOO-, and displayed high selectivity to ONOO-. BCN-A employed the acetate group to switch off ESIPT process of the fluorophore and improve the membrane permeability. In living cells, BCN-A released an ONOO--responsive probe (BCN) by the hydrolysis of esterase, and then detected ONOO-. Biological imaging demonstrated that although both metformin and rotenone are mitochondrial complex I inhibitors, metformin can increase the generation of ONOO- while rotenone had no significant influence on the generation of ONOO- in living cells and zebrafishes. Moreover, the amygdala and perirhinal/entorhinal cortex in the brain of depressive mouse both showed increasing fluorescence intensity relative to those of normal mouse, which suggested that the LPS-induced depressive disorder could result in the generation of ONOO- in the two brain areas of mouse. We expect that the probes (BCN and BCN-A) could extensively serve as the powerful molecular tools to investigate the biological roles of ONOO- for the in-depth study of drug mechanism and depressive disorder. [Display omitted] • Using cyanobenzene dicarbonyl unit as response site for ONOO-. • PET-ESIPT-based response mechanism to ONOO-. • Imaging of metformin-induced ONOO- in living cells and zebrafishes. • Detection of ONOO- level changes in brain depressive mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, gastric cancer patients account for a large proportion of all tumor patients. Gastric tumor image segmentation can provide a reliable additional basis for the clinical analysis and diagnosis of gastric cancer. However, the existing gastric cancer image datasets have disadvantages such as small data sizes and difficulty in labeling. Moreover, most existing CNN-based methods are unable to generate satisfactory segmentation masks without accurate labels, which are due to the limited context information and insufficient discriminative feature maps obtained after the consecutive pooling and convolution operations. This paper presents a gastric cancer lesion dataset for gastric tumor image segmentation research. A multiscale boundary neural network (MBNet) is proposed to automatically segment the real tumor area in gastric cancer images. MBNet adopts encoder–decoder architecture. In each stage of the encoder, a boundary extraction refinement module is proposed for obtaining multi granular edge information and refinement firstly. Then, we build a selective fusion module to selectively fuse features from the different stages. By cascading the two modules, the richer context and fine-grained features of each stage are encoded. Finally, the astrous spatial pyramid pooling is improved to obtain the remote dependency relationship of the overall context and the fine spatial structure information. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the model reaches 92.3%, the similarity coefficient (DICE) reaches 86.9%, and the performance of the proposed method on the CVC-ClinicDB and Kvasir-SEG datasets also outperforms existing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Using benzopyridine-naphthalimide as a fluorescent platform. • FRET-based response mechanism to pH. • Ratiometric imaging of SO 2 in living cells. • in situ Detection of Cys-induced SO 2 dynamic changes in living cells. Sulfur dioxide (SO 2) is an important signal molecule in living systems, and plays a wide range of physiological functions. Real-time and in situ detection of the dynamic balance of SO 2 in mitochondria is of great significance to in-depth study its biological roles. Herein, we have developed a mitochondria-targeted fluorescent probe Nap-L based on the FRET mechanism to detect SO 2 in living cells. The probe Nap-L employed naphthalimide and positively charged benzopyridine as the donor and acceptor in the FRET system, and emitted green and red fluorescence under excitation. In respond to SO 2 , the nucleophilic addition of bisulfite to benzopyridine and then interrupted the FRET process from naphthalimide to benzopyridine fluorophore, thereby triggering an obvious change in the fluorescence ratio. The probe Nap-L showed high selectivity to SO 2 over the biothiols (Hcy, GSH, Cys) and other biologically related species. Biological experiments suggested that the probe Nap-L mainly distributed in mitochondria, and can be successfully used to detect mitochondrial endogenous SO 2 in living cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The BRAF V600E and TERT promoter mutations are well known to be associated with poor clinical outcomes of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Radioactive iodide (RAI)-refractory can be evaluated in advance of treatment, for which predictive biomarkers may be helpful. The present study is to analyze the correlation of both mutations with the curative effect of radioiodine therapy. Methods: A total of 126 patients who underwent RAI therapy from October 2016 to August 2019 were recruited. Treatment and follow-up were defined according to criteria used in the 2015 ATA guidelines. The RAI response of patients was assessed as excellent response (ER) and RAI-refractory at the end of follow-up. Results: When dividing the 126 patients into 4 groups, the no mutation, only BRAF V600E mutation, only TERT promoter mutation, and coexistence of two mutation groups were found in 15.8%, 68.3%, 2.4%, and 13.5% patients. RAI-refractory was found in 52.9% (9/17) patients with the coexisting BRAF and TERT mutations. In logistic regression analysis, M1, BRAF, and TERT mutation were confirmed to be independent factors predicting the RAI-refractory. Moreover, 35.3%, 41.2%, and 23.5% of patients in the BRAF and TERT mutation group were assessed as ER, SIR, and BIR respectively. Kaplan–Meier analyses revealed that the genetic duet of BRAF V600E and TERT promoter mutations was associated with a lower ER reached time. Conclusions: We found that BRAF V600E and TERT promoter mutation is significantly correlated with the poor curative effect of RAI therapy in PTC. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: ChiCTR1800018760. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deforestation causes diverse and profound consequences for the environment and species. Direct or indirect effects can be related to climate change, biodiversity loss, soil erosion, floods, landslides, etc. As such a significant process, timely and continuous monitoring of forest dynamics is important, to constantly follow existing policies and develop new mitigation measures. The present work had the aim of mapping and monitoring the forest change from 2000 to 2019 and of simulating the future forest development of a rainforest region located in the Pará state, Brazil. The land cover dynamics were mapped at five-year intervals based on a supervised classification model deployed on the cloud processing platform Google Earth Engine. Besides the benefits of reduced computational time, the service is coupled with a vast data catalogue providing useful access to global products, such as multispectral images of the missions Landsat five, seven, eight and Sentinel-2. The validation procedures were done through photointerpretation of high-resolution panchromatic images obtained from CBERS (China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite). The more than satisfactory results allowed an estimation of peak deforestation rates for the period 2000–2006; for the period 2006–2015, a significant decrease and stabilization, followed by a slight increase till 2019. Based on the derived trends a forest dynamics was simulated for the period 2019–2028, estimating a decrease in the deforestation rate. These results demonstrate that such a fusion of satellite observations, machine learning, and cloud processing, benefits the analysis of the forest dynamics and can provide useful information for the development of forest policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organically modified ammonium polyphosphate (APP) flame retardant is prepared by supramolecular assembly method using melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin and phytic acid (PA) as building blocks. Surface characteristics of APP are modified, resulting in the enhancements in water resistance, dispersion in the polymer matrix and their compatibility. This supramolecular assembly modified APP (APP@MF-PA) matches well with charring-foaming agent (CFA) to achieve excellent fire safety for polypropylene (PP), and the superiority over conventional APP is observed. Heat, CO and CO 2 releases of PP are greatly decreased by the intumescent flame retardant (IFR) formulation containing APP@MF-PA and CFA. The modification of APP with MF-PA supramolecules are beneficial to improve the yield, insulation properties, graphitization degree and compactness of char. Flame-retardant mechanisms are demonstrated according to the investigations on gaseous and condensed phase products. This novel and facile modification method provides a new strategy for improving the flame-retardant efficiency of IFR. Image 1 • The surface characteristics of APP were modified by supramolecular assembly. • Fire hazards of PP were greatly reduced by this modified APP and CFA. • Flame retardant mechanisms were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest musk deer, Moschus berezovskii, is a nationally protected species of economic importance in China. However, in captive breeding programmes, they usually die as a result of diarrhoea. In this study, six M. berezovskii were randomly selected and divided into two groups: probiotics group (n = 3) and placebo (control) group (n = 3). The two groups were fed a basal diet that included 2 g probiotics (probiotic group) or 2 g whey powder (placebo group) for 30 days. Faecal samples were collected at day 0, 15 and 30 and evaluated for microbial diversity, species richness and metabolic function. Probiotic intervention significantly improved gut health in M. berezovskii by changing the overall community structure of the gut microbiota. Intake of probiotics reduced the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Citrobacter freundii in the intestinal flora and increased the relative abundance of beneficial Bifidobacterium species and other lactic acid bacteria. At the same time, gut microbiota in the probiotics group were involved in regulating degradation of phenylacetic acid and in dTDP-l-rhamnose synthesis; these processes have the potential to enhance immunity in M. berezovskii. This preliminary study revealed the beneficial effects of probiotics on the gut microbiota of M. berezovskii, which the potential to significantly improve the health, wellbeing and economic value of M. berezovskii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the ecosystem of spontaneously fermented cow milk, the characteristics and relationship of bacterial communities and nonvolatile components at different scales of geographical distances (provincial, county, and village levels) are unclear. Here, 25 sampling sites from Xin Jiang and Tibet, 2 provinces of China, were selected based on the distribution of spontaneously fermented cow milk and used for metagenomic and metabolomic analysis. At the provincial geographical distance, the same predominant species, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus , were detected in Xin Jiang and Tibet. Further, the richness of the bacterial composition of samples from Tibet was higher than those from Xin Jiang; specifically, at the species level, 28 species were identified in Tibet samples but only 7 species in Xin Jiang samples. At the provincial geographical level, we detected significant differences in bacterial structure, shown in principal coordinate analysis plots, and significant differences (Simpson index) in bacterial diversity were also detected. However, at the county and village levels, no significant differences were detected in bacterial communities and diversity, but a difference in bacterial compositions was detectable. This indicates that bacterial communities and diversity of spontaneously fermented milk dissimilarity significantly increased with geographic distance. For the nonvolatile component profiles, the partial least squares discriminant analysis plot (R2Y > 0.5 and Q2 > 0.5 for the goodness-of-fit and predictive ability parameter, respectively) showed that samples from different geographical distances (provincial, county, and village) were all separated, which indicated that all the discriminations in nonvolatile components profiles were from different geographical distances. Investigating relationships between lactic acid bacteria and discriminatory nonvolatile components at the county level showed that 9 species were positively correlated with 16 discriminatory nonvolatile components, all species with low abundance rather than the predominant species L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Strep. thermophilus , which indicates the importance of the selection of autochthonous nonpredominant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants are frequently subjected to a range of environmental stresses, including drought, salinity, cold, pathogens, and herbivore attacks. To survive in such conditions, plants have evolved a novel adaptive mechanism known as 'stress memory'. The formation of stress memories necessitates coordinated responses at the cellular, genetic/genomic, and epigenetic levels, involving altered physiological responses, gene activation, hyper-induction and chromatin modification. Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is an important economic crop with numerous applications and high economic value. In this study, we establish G. hirsutum drought memory following cycles of mild drought and re-watering treatments and analyzed memory gene expression patterns. Our findings reveal the physiological, biochemical, and molecular mechanisms underlying drought stress memory formation in G. hirsutum. Specifically, H3K4me3, a histone modification, plays a crucial role in regulating [+ /+ ] transcriptional memory. Moreover, we investigated the intergenerational inheritance of drought stress memory in G. hirsutum. Collectively, our data provides theoretical guidance for cotton breeding. • We ensured that cotton drought memory was established after cycles of mild drought and re-watering treatment. In the process of repeated drought, the antioxidant capacity of seedlings was significantly enhanced. • H3K4me3 modification was involved in the formation of [+ /+ ] transcriptional memory, which only maintained 4 days. • The drought environment of the parents enhanced the ability of the progenies to resist adversity. However, the prolonged drought-induced H3K4me3 was not transmitted to the progenies, suggesting that different molecular mechanisms are involved in short- and long-term memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodynamic therapy is known for its non-invasiveness to significantly reduce undesired side effects on patients. However, the infiltration and invasiveness of tumor growth are still beyond the specificity of traditional light-controlled photodynamic therapy (PDT), which lacks cellular-level accuracy to tumor cells, possibly leading to "off-target" damage to healthy tissues such as the skin or immune cells infiltrated. Here, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were co-encapsulated with manganese dioxide (MnO2) by amphiphilic polymers poly(styrene-co-methyl acrylate) (PSMA) and further coated with photosensitizer (riboflavin)-loaded mesoporous silica (C@S/V). The C@S/V nanoprobes exhibited shielded upconversion luminescence in normal conditions (pH 7.4, no hydroperoxide (H2O2)) under 980-nm irradiation and thus minimal reactive oxygen production from riboflavin. However, the excess H2O2 (1 mM) and acidic environment (pH 5.5) could decompose the MnO2 within the C@S/V, resulting in remarkable enhancement of upconversion luminescence and a favorable hypoxia-relieving condition for PDT, providing a spatiotemporal signal for therapy initiation. The C@S/V nanoprobes were applied to the co-culture of normal cells (HEK293) and pancreatic cancer cells (Panc02) and performed a selective killing on Panc02 under the 980-nm irradiation. By using the "double-safety" strategy, a responsive C@S/V nanoprobe was designed by the selective activation of acidic and H2O2-rich conditions and 980-nm irradiation for spatiotemporally selective photodynamic therapy with cellular-level accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melamine-phytate (MEL-PA) nanoflakes are formed by supramolecular self-assembly technology using melamine (MEL) and bio-based phytic acid (PA) as the building blocks. This work explores the possibility of this two-dimensional nanomaterial as flame retardant. The layered MEL-PA with the loading of 1, 2 and 3 wt% are incorporated into polypropylene (PP) matrix. MEL-PA is dispersed well in the PP matrix. Thermal stability and flame retardant performance of PP/MEL-PA composites are investigated. Compared with neat PP, the addition of 2 wt% MEL-PA decreases the peak heat release rate from 756 to 608 kW/m2. Char yield of PP is improved by MEL-PA, and the chemical structure and graphitization degree of residual char are studied to reveal flame retardant mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a high energy efficiency onboard hydraulic system for quadruped robot. Firstly, based on the rhythmic motion and mechanical characteristics of leg joints, the energy supply mode that supplies low-pressure oil and high-pressure oil separately for the swing phase and supporting phase is used, and the switch between different oil circuits for each legs is implemented by two digital on-off valves. What's more, to obtain the pressure dynamics characteristics and energy consumption model, the mathematical models is deduced, and the analysis results illustrates that a better rate response can be achieved by adjusting time offset reasonable properly. Finally, the simulations and experiments are conducted to prove that the proposed system shows better energy efficiency compared with that of single pump supply pressure system, meanwhile, the fast dynamic response and the high tracking accuracy are also maintained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oomycetes are filamentous microorganisms easily mistaken as fungi but vastly differ in physiology, biochemistry, and genetics. This commonly-held misconception lead to a reduced effectiveness by using conventional fungicides to control oomycetes, thus it demands the identification of novel functional genes as target for precisely design oomycetes-specific microbicide. The present study initially analyzed the available transcriptome data of the model oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, and constructed an expression matrix of 10,953 genes across the stages of asexual development and host infection. Hierarchical clustering, specificity, and diversity analyses revealed a more pronounced transcriptional plasticity during the stages of asexual development than that in host infection, which drew our attention by particularly focusing on transcripts in asexual development stage to eventually clustered them into 6 phase-specific expression modules. Three of which respectively possessing a serine/threonine phosphatase (PP2C) expressed during the mycelial and sporangium stages, a histidine kinase (HK) expressed during the zoospore and cyst stages, and a bZIP transcription factor (bZIP32) exclusive to the cyst germination stage were selected for down-stream functional validation. In this way, we demonstrated that PP2C, HK, and bZIP32 play significant roles in P. sojae asexual development and virulence. Thus, these findings provide a foundation for further gene functional annotation in oomycetes and crop disease management. Author summary: Oomycetes are fungi-like microorganisms with differences in biology and genetics. Using fungicides to control the pathogenic oomycetes has limited effectiveness. Therefore, a detailed understanding of the oomycetes is necessary for identifying potential candidates as fungicide targets. The present study investigated the transcriptional changes in a model oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, during asexual development and plant infection. The analysis identified various types of genes with differences in expression patterns during development and infection. Further analysis focused on the transcriptome dynamics during asexual stages which exhibited more remarkable plasticity. Detailed analysis of the genes revealed stage-specific responses of a few genes and specifically identified three genes with functional relevance in different developmental stages of P. sojae, including a serine/threonine phosphatase in mycelial and sporangium stages, a histidine kinase in zoospore and cyst stages, and a bZIP transcription factor in cyst germination. Also these three genes function in different participate in multiple layers of the pathogenicity process. Thus, the study provides a reference for further research on the candidate genes, which may be used to defeat the pathogenic oomycetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superoxide anion (O2•−) is an important reactive oxygen species (ROS), and plays critical roles in biological systems. ER stress has close relation with many metabolic diseases, and could lead to the abnormal production of ROS including O2•−. Herein, we present an ER-targeting probe (ER-Tf) for the detection of O2•− in living cells. The probe ER-Tf used triflate as the response site for O2•−, and employed p-methylbenzenesulfonamide as ER-targeting moiety. In response to O2•−, the triflate of the probe ER-Tf converted to hydroxyl group, providing strong blue emission under the excitation of ultraviolet light. The probe ER-Tf exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to O2•−. Bioimaging experiments showed that the probe ER-Tf can be applied to detect O2•− at ER, and also demonstrated that rotenone could increase the generation of O2•− in living cells, while the O2•− level at ER showed no remarkable change during ferroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there are many studies on the Jurassic source rocks in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin, the characteristics of biomarkers and products with the same source rock in different evolutionary stages are still not well understood. Such an understanding is essential for accurately estimating oil and gas resources. In order to explore the hydrocarbon-generation potential of high-quality source rocks of the Middle Jurassic and the evolution of liquid hydrocarbons and biomarkers, we carried out simulation research (under hydrous conditions) at various temperatures (250, 300, 350, 400 and 450 °C) with the mudstone of the Yu 33 well in the Yuka Sag. The results revealed that the "oil window" of the Middle Jurassic source rocks in the Yuka area was 300 °C (simulation temperature, Ro = 0.84%), but this was not the peak of hydrocarbon expulsion, which was gradually reached and stabilized above 350 °C. Overall, the concentration of alkanes and aromatics increased with temperature; although the concentration of alkanes was complex in the low evolutionary stages, temperature (simulated maturity) was still the main factor controlling the change in alkanes and aromatics. Among the maturity parameters of biomarkers, the ratio of ∑tricyclic terpanes/∑hopanes was the most effective parameter for indicating the maturity evolution of the Yuka area, but others were complicated by the increasing temperature. Therefore, when evaluating maturity, the applicability of other parameters needed to be fully considered. The results obtained offer new insights in the research on liquid-hydrocarbon and biomarker evolution of the Middle Jurassic source rocks in the Yuka Sag of the Qaidam Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Effects of single and binary probiotics on growth and metabolism were compared. • Growth of B. lactis V9 was improved by co-cultivation with L. casei Zhang. • Valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis may contribute to growth of B. lactis V9. • Binary probiotics had additive effect on production of short-chain fatty acids. In the present study, comparative effects of the single and binary probiotics of Lacticaseibacillus casei Zhang (L. casei Zhang) and Bifidobacterium lactis V9 (B. lactis V9) on the growth and metabolomic profiles during milk fermentation and storage has been analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). The growth of B. lactis V9 can be significantly increased (p < 0.001) by co-cultivation with L. casei Zhang at the end of fermentation and storage 10 days, and valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis may be a major contributor to the growth promotion of B. lactis V9. However, the growth of L. casei Zhang was not affected by co-cultivation with B. lactis V9. There were notable distinctions in volatile and non-volatile metabolomic profiles and pathways between the single and binary probiotics cultures; binary probiotics L. casei Zhang and B. lactis V9 significantly affected the volatile, non-volatile metabolic profiles compared to the single probiotics. The levels of acetic acid, hexanoic acid, butanoic acid and pentanoic acid were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in binary probiotics cultures compared to the single probiotic cultures at the storage 10 days, which indicates that binary probiotics had additive effects on the production of short-chain fatty acids during storage. This work provides a detailed insight into metabolomic profiles and growth that differ between the single and binary probiotics cultures, and it can be helpful to develop probiotic yogurt with high probiotic viability and distinct metabolomic profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The 3D graphene foams (GFs) were prepared by chemical vapor deposition. [•] The porous CoO nanowalls were synthesized on GF by simple hydrothermal method. [•] The electrode fulfills a high specific capacitance and excellent rate capabilities. [•] The electrode has good cycle stability of >98% capacitances remain over 1000 cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Accurate cellular-recognition based disease therapy is of significance for precision medicine. However, except of specific antibody-coupling strategy, very few probes have been reported to efficiently discriminate normal cells and lesion cells through cellular microenvironment. Herein, we proposed a glucose selectively-lightened upconversion nanoprobe to recognize cancer cells from a pile of normal cells based on Warburg effect, that indicated a heightened demand for glucose intake for cancer cells. The nanoprobes were constructed by mesoporous silica-coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP@mSiO 2) with the crucial incorporation of a glucose-responsive modality, benzoboric acid (BA)-modified fluorescein molecules (FITC-BA). In cancer cells, the presence of elevated glucose concentrations triggered the transformation of FITC-BA to FITC-Glucose to recover nanoprobes' luminescence, however, the nanoprobes exhibited a shielded luminescent effect in healthy cells. To validate the hypothesis of accurate cellular-discrimination, a photodynamic therapy modality, riboflavin, with a specific ratio were also loaded into above UCNP@mSiO 2 nanoprobes for effective production of reactive oxygen species to kill cells. It was found that 97.8% of cancer cells were cleaned up, but normal cells retained a nearly 100% viability after 10 min laser illumination. By leveraging the metabolic disparity from Warburg effect, the nanoprobes offer a highly accurate cellular discrimination, and significantly mitigate "off-target" damage commonly associated with conventional therapies. A glucose selectively-lightened upconversion nanoprobe was designed to discriminate cancer cells from a pile of normal cells based on Warburg effect. [Display omitted] • The nanoprobes were constructed by mesoporous silica-coated upconversion nanoparticles with incorporation of a glucose-responsive modality, FITC-BA. • In cancer cells, the elevated glucose concentrations triggered the recovery of nanoprobes' luminescence, however, it exhibited a shielded luminescence in healthy cells. • After discrimination, 97.8% of cancer cells were cleaned up, but normal cells retained a nearly 100% viability by 10 min laser illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth behaviors and metabolomic profiles in yogurts induced by multistrain probiotics of Lactobacillus casei Zhang (LCZ) and Bifidobacterium lactis V9 (V9) at the fermentation termination and 10 d of storage at 4°C under different fermentation temperatures (37°C and 42°C) were compared using metabolomics based on liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The growths of LCZ and V9 were affected by fermentation temperatures; the viable cell density of LCZ was higher at 37°C than that at 42°C; however, V9 was higher at 42°C. Multistrain probiotics had higher contribution to the changes in volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles at 42°C than those at 37°C. At fermentation termination, there were 2 common enriched pathways increased by multistrain probiotics at 37°C and 42°C, which were biosynthesis of peptides and amino- and nucleotide-sugar metabolism. At 10 d of storage, 4 common increased enriched pathways were alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism; tyrosine metabolism; valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation; and valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis. This work provided a detailed insight into different effects of different multistrain probiotics of LCZ and V9 fermentation temperatures on the growth behaviors and volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles of yogurts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing interest in cofermentation of starter cultures with probiotics in milk. In this study, we analyzed the effects of adding the single probiotics Lactobacillus casei Zhang (Zhang) or Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 (M8) or a combination of Zhang and M8 to starter cultures on volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles after 14 d of storage at 4°C and compared using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and GC-MS-based metabolomics approach. Principal component analysis, heatmap plots, and Spearman correlation results showed that Zhang alone had a greater effect on volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles than M8 alone. The combination of Zhang and M8 had additive effects on the production of metabolites. For volatile metabolites, the levels of acetaldehyde, diacetyl, acetoin, and acetic acid were higher for the combination of Zhang and M8 compared with either single probiotic culture. Significantly increased nonvolatile components induced by adding Zhang were identified were enriched in the galactose, amino- and nucleotide sugar, fructose and mannose, purine, phenylalanine metabolism, and arginine biosynthesis pathways. The metabolism and biosynthesis of starch, sucrose, tyrosine, galactose metabolism, and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were significantly upregulated by adding the combination of Zhang and M8. This work provides a detailed insight into different effects of Zhang and M8 used alone or in combination on the volatile and nonvolatile metabolomic profiles of yogurts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]