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ObjectiveTo explore the effects of different test positions on quantitative muscle strength of wrist and finger flexor muscle groups and to establish a standardized muscle strength test protocol for each muscle group.MethodsForty healthy subjects （12 males and 28 females） were recruited. A portable digital quantitative muscle strength tester, Micro FET2TM, was used to measure the flexor muscle strength of each finger and the wrist joint at the 30° extension, 0° neutral, and 30° flexion, respectively. Palmar abduction strength of the thumb was measured at 30° and 60°, respectively. Ten subjects were randomly selected from the 40 subjects, and the quantitative muscle strength of each muscle group was tested again by the same operator after an interval of 10 to 15 days.ResultsExcept for the fact that in males, there was no significant difference in flexor muscle strength of thumb and wrist joint between 30° of wrist extension and neutral 0° position, the muscle strength of the other fingers flexion and wrist palmar flexor showed the following characteristics： 30° of wrist extension > neutral 0° position > 30° of flexion, and the PAST was 30°>60°; The flexor muscle strength of all the subjects was thumb > index finger > middle finger > ring finger > little finger; All muscle strength values of male were greater than those of female, and the difference was statistically significant （P0.05）. The reliability of muscle strength values measured at different times in 10 subjects was good.ConclusionThe quantitative muscle strength of each muscle group of the hand and wrist is affected by the test position, and a standardized and uniformed test position should be adopted in the actual identification. Micro FET2TM has good reliability for hand and wrist quantitative muscle strength testing. The 30° extension of the wrist can be used as the best standardized test position for the flexion muscle strength of each finger and wrist joint. The 30° position can be used as the best standardized test position for PAST.

0.7Bi[Formula: see text]NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 (BNFO–BTO, [Formula: see text], 0.010, 0.020 and 0.050) ceramics were fabricated using the high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that the primary phase in these ceramics was pseudocubic. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs exhibited dense microstructures throughout all BNFO–BTO ceramics. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of dielectric behaviors and ferroelectric hysteresis loop shapes suggested the occurrence of a relaxor ferroelectric-type phase transition in BNFO–BTO ceramics. Additionally, the frequency dispersion characteristics and remnant polarization were enhanced with increasing substitution of Bi[Formula: see text] by Nd[Formula: see text]. Conducted impedance analysis on 0.7Bi[Formula: see text]NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 ceramics and two dielectric responses of the grain at high frequency and grain boundary at low frequency were illustrated, respectively. The combination of imaginary impedance ([Formula: see text] and imaginary modulus ([Formula: see text] versus log[Formula: see text]f plots revealed that the charge carriers’ motion was not entirely long-range, short-range migration also exists. Through calculations based on Curie–Weiss Law, the relaxation activation energy ([Formula: see text] and conductance activation energy ([Formula: see text] were investigated, confirming that doping Nd[Formula: see text] effectively mitigates the concentration of oxygen vacancies (OVs) and prevents the formation of oxygen vacancies clusters, ultimately suppressing conductivity in BNFO–BTO ceramics.

Abstract Background Goji (Lycium barbarum) is an important economic crop that is widely cultivated in Northwest China and is known as superfood. Goji plants are often affected by powdery mildew (Arthrocladiella mougeotii) in the field, resulting in considerable reduction in production and serious economic losses. The long-term reliance on agricultural chemicals to control powdery mildew not only leads to environmental pollution, but also causes excessive residues to accumulate in fruits, endangering human health. The plant epicuticular wax is the first physical barrier between land plants and the atmospheric environment, and plays an important role in the interactions of plants with pathogenic microorganisms. However, the relationship between epicuticular wax and powdery mildew resistance in goji plants is not well understood. Results The leaf epicuticular wax crystals of ‘Ningqi I’ goji were dense and small, and the wax load was 121.74 μg/cm2, which was 3.36 times greater than that of ‘Huangguo’ goji. The ratio of alcohol components in ‘Ningqi I’ goji was 121.18% greater than that in ‘Huangguo’ goji. The incidence rate and disease index of ‘Ningqi I’ goji inoculated with powdery mildew were significantly lower than those inoculated ‘Huangguo’ goji, showing high resistance and moderate susceptibility, respectively. After mechanical wax removal, the disease indices of the two goji varieties increased significantly, indicating extreme susceptibility. Seventeen differential expression genes showing significantly greater expression in ‘Ningqi’ goji leaves than in ‘Huangguo’ goji leaves were enriched in genes involved in fatty acid elongation and the wax biosynthesis pathway. The FAR activity and relative expression levels of LbaFAR and LbaWSD1 in ‘Ningqi I’ goji were significantly greater than those in ‘Huangguo’ goji. The relative expression levels of these genes significantly increased in the overexpression tobacco lines FAR-OE and WSD1-OE, and the wax load were augmented by 46.10% and 22.23%, respectively. Conclusions The increased expression of the LbaFAR and LbaWSD1 genes in ‘Ningqi I’ leaves led to increased FAR and WSD1 activity, increasing the wax load and alcohol content of the epicuticular of leaves, and improving leaf glossiness, resulting in strengthened resistance to powdery mildew. Therefore, the production of leaf epicuticular wax mediated by the LbaFAR and LbaWSD1 genes could be the main reason for the difference in powdery mildew resistance between the two goji varieties, which can provide a theoretical basis for the selection of resistant varieties to control goji powdery mildew. Graphical Abstract

The ladybirds Coccinella septempunctata and Harmonia axyridis are important biocontrol agents for the small walnut aphid Chromaphis juglandicola, a key walnut pest. C. juglandicola outbreaks occur in walnut orchards, and walnut yields have declined. Intraguild predation (IGP) is prevalent among natural enemies that coexist in shared habitats and prey upon the same extraguild prey. We designed laboratory experiments to evaluate the potential for IGP between these two ladybirds at different temperatures and extraguild (EG) prey densities, and the ability of IGP to control EG prey under different conditions. We measured IGP rates in first instar larvae, female adults, and male adults (both starved for 24 h) in the vulnerable immature life stages of two ladybird eggs. Intraguild (IG) prey (H. axyridis eggs or C. septempunctata eggs) and EG prey (C. juglandicola) consumption were tallied after 24 h. Temperature and EG prey density influenced IGP rates, with temperature contributing the most to the variance. IGP increased with increasing temperature (15–35 °C), with both factors interactively influencing the EG prey consumption rate and exhibiting highly significant effects. EG prey consumption increased with temperature and density. This research provides theoretical support for the rational use of H. axyridis and C. septempunctata in the joint biological control of C. juglandicola

Abstract Multiferroic materials offer a promising avenue for manipulating digital information by leveraging the cross-coupling between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic orders. Despite the ferroelectricity has been uncovered by ion displacement or interlayer-sliding, one-unit-cell of multiferroic materials design and wafer-scale synthesis have yet to be realized. Here we develope an interface modulated strategy to grow 1-inch one-unit-cell of non-layered chromium sulfide with unidirectional orientation on industry-compatible c-plane sapphire. The interfacial interaction between chromium sulfide and substrate induces the intralayer-sliding of self-intercalated chromium atoms and breaks the space reversal symmetry. As a result, robust room-temperature ferroelectricity (retaining more than one month) emerges in one-unit-cell of chromium sulfide with ultrahigh remanent polarization. Besides, long-range ferromagnetic order is discovered with the Curie temperature approaching 200 K, almost two times higher than that of bulk counterpart. In parallel, the magnetoelectric coupling is certified and which makes 1-inch one-unit-cell of chromium sulfide the largest and thinnest multiferroics.

Abstract Our previous study data suggested that the synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97) rs3915512 polymorphism is significantly related to clinical performance in schizophrenia. The cerebellum exhibits abundant expression of SAP97, which is involved with negative symptoms, cognition and emotion in schizophrenia. As functional dysconnectivity with the cortical-subcortical-cerebellar circuitry has been widely shown in patients with schizophrenia, cortical-subcortical-cerebellar dysconnectivity can therefore be considered a possible intermediate phenotype that connects risk genes with schizophrenia. In this study, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was applied to evaluate whether the SAP97 rs3915512 polymorphism changes cortical/subcortical-cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in 104 Han Chinese subjects (52 first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and 52 matched healthy controls (HCs)). To examine RSFC between cortical/subcortical regions and the cerebellum, a ROI (region of interest)-wise functional connectivity analysis was conducted. The association between abnormal cortical/subcortical-cerebellar connectivity and clinical manifestation was further assessed in FES patients with different genotypes. The interactive effect of disease and genotype on RSFC was found between the frontal gyrus (rectus) and cerebellum. A positive correlation was suggested between RSFC in the cerebellum and the hostility scores in FES patients with the A allele, and no correlation was found in FES patients with the TT genotype. The current findings identified that SAP97 may be involved in the process of mental symptoms in FES patients via cerebellar connectivity depending on the rs3915512 polymorphism genotype.

Aim: To investigate the effect of Codonopsis pilosula polysaccharide (CPP) on precancerous lesions of gastric cancer (PLGC) and its mechanism. Methods: The CPP with more than 90 % sugar content was prepared by water extraction and alcohol precipitation combined with column chromatography. MTT assay was used to analyze the effect of CPP on the survival rate of human normal gastric epithelial cells (GES-1) and the proliferation of human gastric adenocarcinoma cells (AGS). The PLGC animal model was induced by chemical combined with irregular diet. The alleviate effect and related mechanism of CPP at high and low doses (110 mg/kg and 440 mg/kg) on PLGC were further analyzed. Results: CPP can significantly promote the proliferation of hypoxia-induced GES-1 cells and after 48 h of CPP treatment, the expressions of Wnt-1, β-catenin and TCF-4 in GES-1 cells were significantly increased (P < 0.05). CPP can significantly inhibited the growth of AGS cells and after 48 h of CPP treatment, the expression of Wnt-1, β-catenin and TCF-4 in AGS cells was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the PLGC animal model, CPP could alleviate the damage degree of PLGC, inhibit the weight loss of rats, and significantly improve the levels of serum markers. Further, Western blot results showed that in the gastric tissue of rats, CPP could significantly increase the expression of Wnt-1β-catenin and TCF-4, and significantly decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, and significantly increased the expression level of caspase-3. The results of serum metabolomics analysis of rats showed that CPP may improve PLGC by affecting glycine metabolism, serine metabolism, threonine metabolism and other pathways. Conclusions: This study confirms that CPP can alleviate PLGC. At the cellular level, CPP can play a protective role in gastric mucosa by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway under inflammatory or oxidative stress conditions, and can promote the apoptosis of abnormal cells of gastric glands by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. At the animal level, CPP can not only inhibit PLGC by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, but also alleviate PLGC by promoting abnormal apoptosis in gastric tissue.

Food security is a crucial issue that has caused extensive concern, and the use of food flavors has become prevalent over time. we used the molecular biological techniques, preservative susceptibility testing, viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state induction testing, and a transcriptome analysis to examine the bacterial contamination of favored syrup and identify the causes and develop effective control measures. The results showed that Asaia lannensis WLS1-1 is a microorganism that can spoil food and is a member of the acetic acid bacteria families. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) tests showed that WLS1-1 was susceptible to potassium sorbate (PS), sodium benzoate (SB), and sodium sulffte (SS) at pH 4.0. It revealed a progressive increase in resistance to these preservatives at increasing pH values. WLS1-1 was resistant to PS, SB and SS with an MIC of 4.0, 2.0 and 0.5 g/L at pH 5.0, respectively. The MIC values exceed the maximum permissible concentrations that can be added. The induction test of the VBNC state demonstrated that WLS1-1 lost its ability to grow after 321 days of PS induction, 229 days of SB induction and 52 days of SS induction combined with low temperature at 4°C. Additionally, laser confocal microscopy and a propidium monoazide-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PMA-qPCR) assay showed that WLS1-1 was still alive after VBNC formation. There were 7.192 ± 0.081 (PS), 5.416 ± 0.149 (SB) and 2.837 ± 0.134 (SS) log10(CFU/mL) of viable bacteria. An analysis of the transcriptome data suggests that Asaia lannensis can enter the VBNC state by regulating oxidative stress and decreasing protein synthesis and metabolic activity in response to low temperature and preservatives. The relative resistance of Asaia lannensis to preservatives and the induction of the VBNC state by preservatives are the primary factors that contribute to the contamination of favored syrup by this bacterium. To our knowledge, this study represents the first evidence of the ability of Asaia lannensis to enter the VBNC state and provides a theoretical foundation for the control of organisms with similar types of activity.