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Abstract Background As a long-term chronic disease, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients’ quality of life is affected by both themselves and his/ her close relatives, requiring comprehensive support from family members to ensure that patients are able to manage disease. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between caregivers’ sense of coherence, caregiver competence, and T2DM patients’ quality of life, as well as to explore the factors affecting patients with T2DM patients. Methods This investigation was a cross-sectional study. Between October 2022 and July 2023, 392 participant-caregiver dyads from two hospitals in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, were researched. Participants were investigated by General Characteristics Questionnaire, Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Diabetes Specific Quality of Life Scale (DSQLS), Sense of Coherence scale-13 (SOC-13), and Family Caregiver Task Inventory (FCTI). Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 25. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to identify the independent factors associated with the quality of life of elderly patients with T2DM. Results The average score of T2DM quality of life was 61.14 (SD = 7.37), quality of life was negatively correlated with sense of coherence (r=-0.344, P

Abstract Multi-Agent Systems are characterized by the presence of multiple independent agents and find diverse applications. In the context of smart cities, MAS is employed in traffic management to enhance operational efficiency, optimize resource utilization, and improve the quality of life for residents. This research paper focuses on the design of a multi-agent intelligent scheduling system, where passengers, vehicles, and carpooling platforms serve as intelligent agents. The primary objective of passengers is to identify suitable shared vehicles based on criteria such as waiting time, budget constraints, and willingness to carpool. Vehicles, on the other hand, organize their schedules based on passenger demands and designated routes. The carpooling platform takes into account resource allocation priority and optimization problems to ensure the efficient operation of the system. To address the issue of vehicle ordering, k-regret queries are utilized, while passenger preferences provide insight into determining loss factors. To safeguard privacy, differential privacy techniques and a random response mechanism are employed when dealing with multiple passenger queries. Furthermore, a direction-preserving insertion verification method is implemented to mitigate computational complexity. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach are validated through experimentation.

The post-deposition annealing of AlCrN films was conducted in an atmospheric environment for 2 h, with annealing temperatures ranging from 25 to 1000 °C. The microstructure, mechanical, and tribological properties were systematically investigated as a function of the annealing temperature. The results show that the AlN phase in the film began to oxidize at 600 °C, resulting in deterioration of the film's toughness and resistance to plastic deformation. Subsequently, the wear resistance also deteriorated, with the wear rate being nearly 16 times that of the as-deposited film. At 800 °C, the AlN obviously underwent oxidization to form Al2O3. The high temperature annealing promoted the coalescence of Cr on the film surface and caused a reaction with the Al2O3 to form a replacement solid solution of Cr–O–Al, thereby improving the mechanical properties of the annealed films. At the same time, the tribological properties of the films were not significantly deteriorated by annealing at temperatures other than 600 °C, similar to those of the films without any annealing treatment.

Abstract Hierarchical Text Classification (HTC) is a formidable task which involves classifying textual descriptions into a taxonomic hierarchy. Existing methods, however, have difficulty in adequately modeling the hierarchical label structures, because they tend to focus on employing graph embedding methods to encode the hierarchical structure while disregarding the fact that the HTC labels are rooted in a tree structure. This is significant because, unlike a graph, the tree structure inherently has a directive that ordains information flow from one node to another—a critical factor when applying graph embedding to the HTC task. But in the graph structure, message-passing is undirected, which will lead to the imbalance of message transmission between nodes when applied to HTC. To this end, we propose a unidirectional message-passing multi-label generation model for HTC, referred to as UMP-MG. Instead of viewing HTC as a classification problem as previous methods have done, this novel approach conceptualizes it as a sequence generation task, introducing prior hierarchical information during the decoding process. This further enables the blocking of information flow in one direction to ensure that the graph embedding method is better suited for the HTC task and thus resulted in the enhanced tree structure representation. Results obtained through experimentation on both the public WOS dataset and an E-commerce user intent classification dataset demonstrate that our proposed model can achieve superlative results.

The non-isothermal crystallization behaviors of a detonation sprayed Fe-based amorphous coating (AMC) was systematically investigated through differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The crystallization mechanism of the Fe-based AMC is analyzed and discussed in detail using a combination of the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose and Ozawa-Flynn-Wall approaches, as well as the local Avrami exponent. The results indicate that the crystallization process of the Fe-based AMC is affected by the non-isothermal heating rate with a significantly higher initial crystallization activation energy (917.7 kJ mol−1) and first peak activation energy (479.6 kJ mol−1), indicating excellent thermal stability. After four stages of amorphous crystallization and phase transformation, the crystallization products of the equilibrium state were primarily composed of 78.5%, 11.3%, and 5.8% (Cr, Fe)23(C, B)6, α-Fe phases, and FeMo2B2 phases, respectively.

Pesticide resistance inflicts significant economic losses on a global scale each year. To address this pressing issue, substantial efforts have been dedicated to unraveling the resistance mechanisms, particularly the newly discovered microbiota-derived pesticide resistance in recent decades. Previous research has predominantly focused on investigating microbiota-derived pesticide resistance from the perspective of the pest host, associated microbes, and their interactions. However, a gap remains in the quantification of the contribution by the pest host and associated microbes to this resistance. In this study, we investigated the toxicity of phoxim by examining one resistant and one sensitive Delia antiqua strain. We also explored the critical role of associated microbiota and host in conferring phoxim resistance. In addition, we used metaproteomics to compare the proteomic profile of the two D. antiqua strains. Lastly, we investigated the activity of detoxification enzymes in D. antiqua larvae and phoxim-degrading gut microbes, and assessed their respective contributions to phoxim resistance in D. antiqua. The results revealed contributions by D. antiqua and its gut bacteria to phoxim resistance. Metaproteomics showed that the two D. antiqua strains expressed different protein profiles. Detoxifying enzymes including Glutathione S-transferases, carboxylesterases, Superoxide Dismutase, Glutathione Peroxidase, and esterase B1 were overexpressed in the resistant strain and dominated in differentially expressed insect proteins. In addition, organophosphorus hydrolases combined with a group of ABC type transporters were overexpressed in the gut microbiota of resistant D. antiqua compared to the sensitive strain. 85.2% variation of the larval mortality resulting from phoxim treatment could be attributed to the combined effects of proteins from both from gut bacteria and D. antiqua, while the individual contribution of proteins from gut bacteria or D. antiqua alone accounted for less than 10% of the variation in larval mortality caused by phoxim. The activity of the overexpressed insect enzymes and the phoxim-degrading activity of gut bacteria in resistant D. antiqua larvae were further confirmed. This work enhances our understanding of microbiota-derived pesticide resistance and illuminates new strategies for controlling pesticide resistance in the context of insect-microbe mutualism.

[Objective] The effects of different planting and overturning of winter green fertilizer on soil nitrogen supply capacity were studied in order to provide theoretical basis for improving planting technology of winter green fertilizer, increasing crop yield and maintaining soil productivity in North China. [Methods] A field experiment with a winter green manure-maize rotation was conducted at Wuqing District, Tianjin City from 2012 to 2019. The study also included indoor incubation experiments. The treatments included winter fallow, february orchid, vetch, rye, ryegrass, mixed vetch and february orchid, and mixed vetch and rye. Soil organic nitrogen content and its composition, soil organic nitrogen mineralization potential (N0), and mineralization amount were measured. The effects of winter green manure planting and incorporation on soil organic nitrogen composition and mineralization were analyzed with winter fallow used as the control. [Results] Compared with winter fallow, winter green manure significantly increased total organic nitrogen and acid hydrolysable organic nitrogen by 3.05%—12.36%. However, winter green manure significantly decreased the content of non-acid-decomposed organic nitrogen by 18.87—55.87 mg/kg. N0 was 189.15—245.90 mg/kg in the treatments with winter green manure (14.16%—48.41% greater than the control), and, half-life was increased by 22.57%—73.11%. After 24 weeks of indoor culture, soil organic nitrogen for all treatments was mainly composed of acid hydrolysable organic nitrogen. The mineralization amount of acid hydrolyzed total nitrogen was 3.41—20.54 mg/kg greater in the winter green manure treatments than that in the control, and the mineralization rate was 7.96%—47.31% higher than that in the control, with significant differences. [Conclusion] Winter green manure planting and incorporation significantly increased soil organic nitrogen storage and mineralizable nitrogen content, and prolonged the mineralization cycle, thereby promoting the renewal of the soil nitrogen pool, and improving soil nitrogen availability.

Tomato, as a typical greenhouse crop, is commonly first planted as seedlings in a variety of substrates before being transplanted into soil. However, there is rare research on the characteristics of the bacterial community in tomato roots under this planting mode. In this study, tomatoes were planted in pots containing three different cultivation media, including soil and two types of substrates in a greenhouse, followed by a transplanting treatment. After collecting tomato root samples, high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were used to compare the differences in bacterial diversity and functions between tomato roots before and after transplanting in different cultivation media. In total, 702776 sequences were obtained, and the OTUs were belonging to 109 genera, 58 families, 41 orders, 14 classes, and 12 phyla. Among the three cultivation media, the β-diversity was significant, and there was a slight difference in bacterial species diversity along with a large difference in their abundance at the genus level. Soil and both substrates had 79 bacterial genera in common, these genera accounted for 68.70%, 76.70%, and 71.17% of the total genera found in the soil, substrate 1, and substrate 2, respectively. After being transplanted from the two substrates to the soil, the bacterial community structure and abundance exhibited similarities with those found in the soil. Furthermore, based on microbial function prediction, the microbial communities in the two-substrate environment demonstrated a greater potential for promoting growth, while the microbial communities in the soil exhibited a greater tendency to exert their antibacterial potential. Our findings offer theoretical support for the creation of artificially reconstructed microbial communities in greenhouse cultivation.

In this study, the spreading morphologies and deposition behaviors of molten droplet in a single detonation sprayed shot under different oxygen-fuel ratio conditions are characterized in detail to reveal the formation mechanism of Fe-based amorphous coatings. Additionally, the porosities, micro-hardness, amorphous phase content and wear behavior of the coatings were also carefully evaluated to correlate the relationship between preparation process parameters, particle deposition behavior, spreading morphology, and mechanical properties. The results indicate that the spraying oxygen-fuel ratio (OF) parameter can determine the microstructure change of the coating, which is considered to be a reflection of the molten state of the sprayed particles. The low OF reduces the combustion efficiency, making the coating particles deposited in a form similar to cold spraying, resulting in uneven coating structure. In the case of medium OF (2.00), amorphous particles can form completely melted droplets and spread well on the substrate, and produce a good metallurgical bond with the substrate. Thanks to the good spread of the amorphous droplets, the OF-2.00 coating displays a very uniform and dense structure and uniformly distributed microhardness, which also makes its wear resistance (0.63 × 10−6 mm3 N−1 m−1) increased by about 8 times compared with OF-1.43 coating.

Tungsten carbide reinforced amorphous carbon (WC/a-C) films exhibit significantly lower coefficient of friction (COF) than typical a-C films in the atmospheric environment; thus, they are promising candidates for use as solid lubricants. However, the low friction mechanism of WC/a-C films remains poorly understood. Here, we revealed that the friction-induced formation of WO3-rich transfer film changed the real sliding interface between the initial friction pair materials into an interface between a WO3-rich transfer film and carbon-rich worn film surface (WO3/C interface). First-principles calculations indicated that the WO3/C interface showed weaker interactions than the C/C interface of the a-C film under the same conditions, particularly when the dangling carbon bonds at the sliding interface were not completely passivated. This resulted in a reduced COF of the WO3/C interface. Thus, friction-induced reconstruction of the sliding interface to an intrinsically weak-interacting interface is proposed as a new path to further improve the tribological performance of a-C-based films.

With the increasing demand for diesel in various countries, the ecological pollution caused by the improper use, storage, and accidental leakage of diesel needs to be addressed urgently. As an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method, bioremediation generally uses various microorganisms to remove pollutants from the environment. Here, the strain KJ-1, obtained through an enrichment culture using n-dodecane from oil-contaminated soil near a gas station as the substrate, was identified as Acinetobacter vivianii according to its morphology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. The isolate KJ-1 was able to use diesel as a sole carbon source and more than 40% of diesel was degraded after 12 days of incubation with strain KJ-1 in mineral salts medium. The most suitable diesel concentration and nitrogen source concentrations were 4,140 mg/L and 350–700 mg/L, respectively, for diesel degradation and bacterial growth. The optimal initial pH and temperature for strain KJ-1 growth and diesel degradation were 6.5–8.0 and 20–37°C, respectively. To investigate the diesel-degrading mechanisms of this strain, the complete genome was sequenced and annotated. The complete genome consists of one chromosome with a total length of 3,927,757 base pairs and a G + C content of 41.5%. The genes related to the two-component regulatory system and alkane degradation were analyzed. In addition, two putative alkane monooxygenases were analyzed, and the protein sequences were characterized and compared with other AlkBs in Acinetobacter spp. using sequences downloaded from NCBI. The results demonstrated that A. vivianii KJ-1 may be particularly useful for future bioremediation of diesel-polluted soil.

Abstract Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce (Asparagaceae, Asparagales) is a widely cultivated medicinal herb in China. However, this useful herb is understudied despite being known as a medicinal resource with top grade medical and edible properties since long. In this study, P. odoratum and four cultivars were investigated. The variations in morphological characteristics and vegetative phases of each cultivar were observed. For genetic aspect, the plastid genome of P. odoratum varies in length from 154,569 bp to 155,491 bp, containing a large single‐copy region of 83,486–84,459 bp, a small single‐copy region of 18,292–18,471 bp, and two inverted repeats of 26,302–26,370 bp. A total of 131 genes were predicted, including 85 protein‐coding, 38 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes. Genome comparisons revealed a slight variation in the sequence across the five accessions, but two highly variable regions (trnC‐petN and rpl32‐trnL) were detected when comparing the four different cultivars. For the RAD‐seq markers, a total of 33.64 Gb of clean data, with an average value of 1.08 Gb per sample, were analyzed for the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Well‐resolved phylogenies of the P. odoratum cultivars are constructed; the nonmonophyletic relationship in the plastome‐based phylogenetic trees, yet monophyletic form in the RAD‐based linkage map suggested possibility of hybrid cultivar for P. odoratum “Dazhu” (GDDZ), which was further supported by morphological observations. Quality assessment based on the standards of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia on Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma (POR) on the four cultivars used in this study recorded that PORs from P. odoratum “Zhongzhu” (GDZZ) met the minimum criteria for the acceptance as raw material for medicinal drug production. This study has provided insights on the morphological variations, genetic background, and medicinal qualities of P. odoratum cultivars that could be explored for future genetic improvement as well as breeding programs of P. odoratum for POR production.

A plate-type Al/Fe–Cr alloy/Al-clad substrate was used to prepare a sandwich-structured plate-type anodic alumina catalyst by anodization, post-modification treatment, and metal loading. The as-prepared plate-type catalyst was utilized in the design of a catalytic plate reactor for a methane steam reforming reaction, and a 3D model was developed to simulate the performance of tube-type and box-type reformers. The experimental results of the preparation of the clad materials showed that the hydrothermal treatment and subsequent high-temperature calcination transformed the amorphous skeletal alumina in the conventional anodic alumina layer into γ-alumina, and significantly increased its specific surface area. Simulation results showed that the temperature difference between the channel wall and the center of the gas phase of the thin-walled catalyst was only 30% of that of the particulate catalyst, indicating the potential advantages of the catalytic plate reactor in terms of heat transfer and energy saving. When the length-to-diameter ratio (or length-to-width ratio) of the reaction channel is small and the channel height is large, insufficient transverse mass transfer and backmixing are two major factors affecting reformer performance. For the tube-type channels, a length-to-diameter ratio of 10~35, and a diameter of 5~20 represent favorable choices. In contrast, for the box-type channel, the length-to-width ratio and the height should be set to 2~4 and 2~5 mm, respectively. Additionally, for box-type channels, the number of gas inlet ports has a significant effect on the reformer performance, and the distribution state provided by two inlet ports is close to the ideal distribution state.

Application of plant artificial cultivation substrates lead to alteration of rhizosphere environment. Whether this alteration could lead to root microbiome variation was limitedly investigated. This work aims to determine the diversity shifts in the root microbiome of cucumber under different plant cultivation substrates and predict corresponding function of these different root bacterial microbiota. Cucumber root samples cultivated with two artificial cultivation substrates and greenhouse soils were prepared. Subsequently, high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were applicated to compare the root bacterial diversity of cucumber cultivated in different substrates and their corresponding function. In total, 311,039 sequences were obtained, and they were annotated to 42 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), belonging to 28 genera, 18 families, 12 orders, four classes, and three phyla. The α and β diversity of samples from the two cultivation substrates and greenhouse soils were significantly different. Only 2–3 bacterial species were found to be discrepancy between cucumber root samples from artificial cultivation substrates and from greenhouse soils. The relative abundance of genus Asticcacaulis, Methylophilus, Massilia, Dyella, and Devosia in samples of artificial cultivation substrates was significantly higher than that of soils, while the relative abundance of genus Phenylobacterium, Noviherbaspirillum, and Arenimonas was significantly lower than that of soils. Besides, compared to cucumber root bacterial community cultivated in soils, the abundance of synthetic pathways for flavonoids and flavonols, bile acids, indole alkaloids, lactose, and neolactose increased by 41.6-, 28.7-, 5.9-, and 5.5-fold, respectively, in the bacterial community of the substrate 1-cultivated roots, and the abundance of clavulanic acid, receptor interaction, sesquiterpenoid, bile acid, flavonoid and flavonol, indole alkaloid, lactose, and neolactose synthetic pathways increased by 42.3-, 32.4-, 32.4-, 13.9-, 10.3-, 6.3-, and 5.2-fold, respectively, in the bacterial community of the substrate two-cultivated roots. This paper verified the diversity shifts in the root microbiome of cucumber under different plant cultivation substrates. Besides, the corresponding function difference of these different root bacterial microbiota was predicted. This work would provide theoretical support for discovering microbial resources and building artificial microbial flora.

Phosphorus (P) is one of the most limiting nutrients in global agricultural ecosystems, and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can convert insoluble P into soluble P, thereby improving the absorption and use of soil P by plants. Increasing leaching loss of soil P due to PSB that could lead to water eutrophication is a major concern, although no direct experimental evidence is available to evaluate these effects. In this study, a highly efficient PSB strain, Pseudomonas sp. JP233, was isolated from soil and its P-solubilizing agent was identified by metabolomics and HPLC analyses. The effects of JP233 on P contents in soil leachates were also analyzed by microcosm leaching experiments in the absence and presence of maize. JP233 could solubilize insoluble P into soluble forms, and the molybdate reactive phosphorus (MRP) content reached 258.07 mg/L in NBRIP medium containing 5 g/L Ca3(PO4)2 within 48 h. Metabolomics analysis demonstrated that the organic acid involved in JP233 P solubilization was primarily 2-keto gluconic acid (2KGA). Further, HPLC analysis revealed that 2KGA contents rapidly accumulated to 19.33 mg/mL within 48 h. Microcosm leaching experiments showed that MRP and total phosphorus (TP) contents in soil leaching solutions were not significantly higher after JP233 inoculation. However, inoculation with JP233 into maize plant soils significantly decreased MRP and TP contents in the soil leaching solutions on days 14 (P < 0.01), 21 (P < 0.01), and 28 (P < 0.05). Inoculation with strain JP233 also significantly increased the biomass of maize aerial components and that of whole plants (P < 0.05). Thus, strain JP233 exhibited a significant plant-growth-promoting effect on maize development. In conclusion, the application of PSB into soils does not significantly increase P leachate loss. Rather, the application of PSB can help reduce P leachate loss, while significantly promoting plant absorption and use of soil P.

The full life cycle data management is the foundation of the full life cycle integrity management of oil and gas pipelines. The research and development status of the full life cycle data management technology for oil and gas pipelines were systematically expounded from the aspects of data model building, digital handover standard, digital handover interface development, data integration maintenance and analysis application. According to the data management requirements of China- Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline, the PIDM data model was optimized and upgraded from two aspects of data content expansion and data organization structure optimization, and the association rules of data in all stages of the full life cycle of the pipeline were added to the PIDM data model. A series of standards and specifications were developed and revised, including Oil and gas pipeline equipment and facilities operation data specification (CDP-G-OGP-IT-148—2019-1), Specification for pipeline integrity management - Part 6 : Data collection (Q/SY 05180.6—2019), therein implied the specific service requirements and corresponding data rules of China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline. The PIS function of the pipeline integrity management system was optimized: advanced GIS service functions such as vector slicing, WFS, and Web Scene were expanded at the back-end server, while rich data display, analysis, and maintenance functions such as customized drawing, multilingual support, local data display, shared view, roller shutter, timeline, and event editor were developed at the front-end. The above achievements performed well in the practical application of the north section of China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline. Finally, the bottleneck problems to be solved urgently in the future life cycle data management of the oil and gas pipeline was put forward.

A nomenclatural and taxonomic treatment of the name Melastoma candidum f. albiflorum (Melastomataceae) is presented. A lectotype is designated for this name, with an updated morphological description based on fresh material. The name Melastoma candidum f. albiflorum is proposed as a heterotypic synonym of Melastoma candidum.

A new method, namely DNA strand displacement (DSD), has recently emerged in the field of biocomputing. DSD uses the toehold domain as a starting point to cover the strand in the migration domain. In this study, a molecular full adder composed of a molecular basic logic gate, including AND and XOR logic gates, is constructed based on strand displacement and Visual DSD. We used Visual DSD to simulate the molecular full adder. The experimental results show that the molecular full adder can be used for addition logic calculation. In addition, it can realize multi-bit addition logic calculation through a multi-stage cascade reaction. The simulation results verified the efficiency and reliability of our multi-bit molecular full adder, and our method can be used to design complex DNA integrated circuits. This research will lay the foundation for the formation of more complex molecular logic circuit structures and functions, as well as provide new coding ideas for various biocomputing related fields.

Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ultrasound-guided anterior quadratus lumborum block (QLB) at the L2 level in patients undergoing laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. Methods. Patients who were 18–70 years old with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of 1-2 and were scheduled for elective laparoscopic partial nephrectomy were recruited into the cluster randomized controlled trial. Sixty-three patients were randomly allocated to receive QLB (group Q, n = 32) or no block (group C, n = 31). The patients were not masked to the group allocations. The postoperative follower was blinded to the group allocations. All patients received total intravenous anesthesia, the same multimodal analgesic regimen, and rescue analgesia when needed. The primary outcome was perioperative cumulative sufentanil consumption. Results. 30 patients in group Q and 29 patients in group C were included in the statistical analysis. Block-related complications were not found in this study. Sufentanil consumption during the perioperative period (155.41 [19.58] vs 119.37 [12.41] μg, p

Introduction Aspirin is a common antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory drug, which has been reported to extend life in animal models and application in the treatment of aging-related diseases. However, it remains unclear about the effects of aspirin on bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs). Here, we aimed to analyze the influence of aspirin on senescence and young BM-MSCs. Methods BM-MSCs were serially passaged to construct a replicative senescence model. SA-β-gal staining, PCR, western blot, and RNA-sequencing were performed on BM-MSCs with or without aspirin treatment, to examine aspirin’s impact on bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Results SA-β-gal staining, PCR, and western blot revealed that aspirin could alleviate the cellular expression of senescence-related indicators of BM-MSCs, including a decrease of SA-β-gal-positive cells and staining intensity, and downregulation of p16, p21, and p53 expression after aspirin treatment. RNA-sequencing results shown in the biological processes related to aging, aspirin could influence cellular immune response and lipid metabolism. Conclusion The efficacy of aspirin for retarding senescence of BM-MSCs was demonstrated. Our study indicated that the mechanisms of this delay might involve influencing immune response and lipid metabolism.

Planting a deep-rooted green manure (GM) (more than 1.0 m depth) greatly improves soil fertility and reduces the loss of nutrients. However, few studies have examined the response of soil nitrogen (N) distribution in the soil profile and subsoil N recovery to the long-term planting and incorporation of deep-rooted GM. Based on a 12-year (2009–2021) experiment of spring maize-winter GMs rotation in the North China Plain (NCP), this study investigated the effects of different GMs that were planted over the winter, including ryegrass (RrG, Lolium L.) (>1.0 m), Orychophragmus violaceus (OrV, Orychophragmus violaceus L.) (>0.8 m), and hairy vetch (VvR, Vicia villosa Roth.) (>1.0 m), on the spring maize yield, N distribution in the deep soil profile, N use efficiencies, functional gene abundances involving soil nitrification–denitrification processes and N2O production. Compared with the winter fallow, the maize yield significantly increased by 11.6% after 10 years of green manuring, and water storage in 0–200 cm soil profile significantly increased by 5.0–17.1% at maize seedling stage. The total N content in the soil layer at 0–90 cm increased by 15.8–19.7%, while the nitrate content in the deep soil layer (80–120 cm) decreased by 17.8–39.6%. Planting GM significantly increased the N recovery rate (10.4–32.7%) and fertilizer N partial productivity (4.6–13.3%). Additionally, the topsoil N functional genes (ammonia-oxidizing archaea amoA, ammonia-oxidizing bacterial amoA, nirS, nirK) significantly decreased without increasing N2O production potential. These results indicated that long-term planting of the deep-rooted GM effectively reduce the accumulation of nitrates in the deep soil and improve the crop yield and N use efficiencies, demonstrating a great value in green manuring to improve the fertility of the soil, increase the crop yield, and reduce the risk of N loss in NCP.

Tea brewed from leaves of Camellia sinensis (L.) is one of the most popular worldwide non-alcoholic beverages, and nitrogen is an essential nutrient that affects the growth and development of the tea plant. Inorganic nitrogen and organic nitrogen are major forms of nitrogen that are absorbed by the tea plant and also play an important role as a vital signaling molecule, which also affects the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of C. sinensis in its growth and development period. In addition, improving the NUE of C. sinensis is therefore important for the economic and environmental sustainability of the tea plantation industry. In this review, we discuss recently identified tea plant genes that have an essential role in the responses of different nitrogen forms in the short-term period and in the long-term nitrogen effect. We also focus in particular on how nitrogen regulates the growth and development of the tea plant, mainly on the aspects of root system architecture and leaf metabolism that are important parts of root development and leaf quality. Finally, this review concentrates recent research that has expanded the outline of the mechanisms underlying nitrogen responses and regulation in plants, focusing in particular on tea plants.

Neonicotinoids are among the most widely used insecticides worldwide, and as such, have garnered increasing attention from the scientific community in regards to their potentially negative environmental impacts. Recently, the degradability of neonicotinoid in soil has gained more attentions. However, what role soil microbes play in this degradation remains vastly underexplored. In this study, we compared the capacity of soil microbes sampled from different geographic regions and fields to degrade the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid. Additionally, the composition of microbiota having low, middle, and high degradation activity was analyzed via high throughput sequencing. Correlations between microbiota composition and degradation activities were analyzed and reconfirmed. The results showed that the composition of soil microbiota and their degradation activity (ranged from zero to 96.25%) varied significantly between soil samples from different geographic locations. Correlation analysis showed that Paracoccus and Achromobacter bacteria were positively correlated with high degradation activity. Imidacloprid degradation experiments using these bacteria showed that Achromobacter sp. alone exhibited degradation activity reaching and sustaining 100% by day 20 while Paracoccus sp. did not. However, combining these bacteria resulted in increased degradation activity which reached 100% at day 15 relative to that achieved by Achromobacter sp. alone. This study demonstrated the capacity of soil microbes to degrade imidacloprid, and identified two promising bacterial candidates that could be potentially used in future to reduce imidacloprid accumulation in soils.

The finishing accuracy and efficiency of magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) are mainly depending on magnetic abrasive powders (MAPs). A new kind of core–shell structured carbonyl iron powders (CI-MAPs) with a hard Fe/Al intermetallic shell for magnetic abrasive finishing is successfully synthesized by in-situ alloy-hardening the surface of spherical carbonyl iron powders in this study. The feasibility of such an in-situ alloy-hardening strategy is theoretically designed according to the Fe/Al intermetallic compound formation chemical reaction using the Gibbs free energy principle and the TG-DSC testing, and thus the experimental thermodynamics temperature and time ranges of such chemical reactions are proposed. Experimental results shown that a densely zigzag-like uniform alloy-hardening layer with a thickness of about 11 μm, which are composed of Fe3Al, FeAl, and Fe2Al5 intermetallic compounds, was in-situ chemically synthesized on the surface of the spherical carbonyl Fe powders. The achieved core–shell structured powder is performed to finishing a Zirconium tube experimentally, and the roughness (Ra) of the Zirconium tube is greatly improved from 0.361 μm to 0.085 μm by 3 MAF passes.

Given the multiple roles of associated microbiota in improving animal host fitness in a microbial environment, increasing numbers of researchers have focused on how the associated microbiota keeps stable under complex environmental factors, especially some biological ones. Recent studies show that associated microbiota interacts with pathogenic microbes. However, whether and how the interaction would influence microbiota stability is limitedly investigated. Based on the interaction among Delia antiqua, its associated microbiota, and one pathogen Beauveria bassiana, the associated microbiota's response to the pathogen was determined in this study. Besides, the underlying mechanism for the response was also preliminarily investigated. Results showed that B. bassiana neither infect D. antiqua larvae nor did it colonize inside the associated microbiota, and both the bacterial and fungal microbiota kept stable during the interaction. Further experiments showed that bacterial microbiota almost completely inhibited conidial germination and mycelial growth of B. bassiana during its invasion, while fungal microbiota did not inhibit conidial germination and mycelial growth of B. bassiana. According to the above results, individual dominant bacterial species were isolated, and their inhibition on conidial germination and mycelial growth of B. bassiana was reconfirmed. Thus, these results indicated that bacterial instead of fungal microbiota blocked B. bassiana conidia and stabilized the associated microbiota of D. antiqua larvae during B. bassiana invasion. The findings deepened the understanding of the role of associated microbiota–pathogen microbe interaction in maintaining microbiota stability. They may also contribute to the development of novel biological control agents and pest management strategies.

The deformation behavior in the U-Nb shape memory alloys (SMAs) is significantly sensitive to the aging effect, where the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the present work, in-situ neutron diffraction is used to investigate simultaneously the macroscopic and microscopic stress-strain behaviors as well as the microstructure evolution in α″-martensitic U-Nb SMAs. The aging-effect-modulated mechanical properties are achieved through the modified twinning-detwinning process. The initial yielding strength is significantly increased from about 330 to 650 MPa at room temperature, while from approximately 440 to 700 MPa at 100 °C. The in-situ observations show that the strength enhancement arises from the aging-induced resistance during the twinning-detwinning process. High resolution neutron diffraction patterns indicate that the α″ phase structure is unchanged after aging. The aging effect is therefore understood by employing the defect migration mechanism, which explains well the enhanced yielding strength and twinning-detwinning resistance. It also suggests that the controllable properties could be realized by engineering the defect migration process and thus tuning the aging effect. These findings might shed some light on materials design and properties controlling for α″-martensitic U-Nb and other SMAs (e.g., Ni-Ti). Keywords: Shape memory alloys, Aging effect, Micromechanism, Twinning-detwinning, Properties tailoring

Stem cells from fetal tissue protect against aging and possess greater proliferative capacity than their adult counterparts. These cells can more readily expand in vitro and senesce later in culture. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for these differences are still not fully understood. In this study, we used a robust rank aggregation (RRA) method to discover robust differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between fetal bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (fMSCs) and aged adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (aMSCs). Multiple methods, including gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed for functional annotation of the robust DEGs, and the results were visualized using the R software. The hub genes and other genes with which they interacted directly were detected by protein–protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Correlation of gene expression was measured by Pearson correlation coefficient. A total of 388 up-regulated and 289 down-regulated DEGs were identified between aMSCs and fMSCs. We found that the down-regulated genes were mainly involved in the cell cycle, telomerase activity, and stem cell proliferation. The up-regulated DEGs were associated with cell adhesion molecules, extracellular matrix (ECM)–receptor interactions, and the immune response. We screened out four hub genes, MYC, KIF20A, HLA-DRA, and HLA-DPA1, through PPI-network analysis. The MYC gene was negatively correlated with TXNIP, an age-related gene, and KIF20A was extensively involved in the cell cycle. The results suggested that MSCs derived from the bone marrow of an elderly donor present a pro-inflammatory phenotype compared with that of fMSCs, and the HLA-DRA and HLA-DPA1 genes are related to the immune response. These findings provide new insights into the differences between aMSCs and fMSCs and may suggest novel strategies for ex vivo expansion and application of adult MSCs.

ABSTRACT Colonization resistance, i.e., the protective effects of associated microbiota for the animal host against pathogen infection, has been studied widely over the last 100 years. However, few molecules mediating colonization resistance have been identified. In the symbiosis formed by Delia antiqua and its associated microbes, six bacteria protect larvae from infection with the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana, providing an ideal model to investigate the chemical mechanism for colonization resistance. Subsequently using this symbiotic system, we first compared effects of the six bacterial species, and one control bacterium (Klebsiella oxytoca) that showed no antifungal effects, on B. bassiana and its infection of D. antiqua. Second, metabolomic profiles of the six bacteria and K. oxytoca were compared to identify candidate metabolites that may prevent infection. Third, the concentrations of candidate metabolites in situ from axenic and nonaxenic larvae were determined. Finally, effects of artificial metabolite cocktails on B. bassiana and its infection of D. antiqua larvae were determined. Results showed that compared to K. oxytoca, the six bacteria produced a metabolite cocktail showing inhibitory effects on conidial germination, mycelial growth of B. bassiana, and fungal infection. Our work revealed novel molecules that mediate colonization resistance, which could help in developing chemical mechanisms of colonization resistance. Moreover, this work may aid in discovery and expansion of new bioactive antibiotics, promoting development of prophylactic and therapeutic approaches for treating infectious diseases. IMPORTANCE The protection of associated microbiota for their animal hosts against pathogen infection has been studied widely over the last 100 years. However, how those microbes protect the animal host remains unclear. In former studies, body surface microbes of one insect, Delia antiqua, protected the insect larvae from infection with the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana. By comparing the metabolites produced by microbes that protect the insect and microbes that cannot protect the insect, the question of how the microbes protect the insect is answered. It turns out that body surface bacteria produce a metabolite cocktail that inhibits colonization of B. bassiana and consequently protects the insect. This work reveals novel molecules with antifungal activity, which may aid in discovery and expansion of new prophylactic and therapeutic natural chemicals for treating infectious diseases.

Plant-associated microbes are critical for plant growth and survival under natural environmental conditions. To date, most plant microbiome studies involving high-throughput amplicon sequencing have focused on the relative abundance of microbial taxa. However, this technique does not assess the total microbial load and the abundance of individual microbes relative to the amount of host plant tissues. Here, we report the development of a host-associated quantitative abundance profiling (HA-QAP) method that can accurately examine total microbial load and colonization of individual root microbiome members relative to host plants by the copy-number ratio of microbial marker gene to plant genome. We validate the HA-QAP method using mock experiments, perturbation experiments, and metagenomic sequencing. The HA-QAP method eliminates the generation of spurious outputs in the classical method based on microbial relative abundance, and reveals the load of root microbiome to host plants. Using the HA-QAP method, we found that the copy-number ratios of microbial marker genes to plant genome range from 1.07 to 6.61 for bacterial 16S rRNA genes and from 0.40 to 2.26 for fungal internal transcribed spacers in the root microbiome samples from healthy rice and wheat. Furthermore, using HA-QAP we found that an increase in total microbial load represents a key feature of changes in root microbiome of rice plants exposed to drought stress and of wheat plants with root rot disease, which significantly influences patterns of differential taxa and species interaction networks. Given its accuracy and technical feasibility, HA-QAP would facilitate our understanding of genuine interactions between root microbiome and plants.

The molecular pathways regulating the cardioprotective activity of deacetylase sirtuin-1 are unknown. Here, Yanget al. show that histone H3K9 methyltransferase SUV39H and HP1gamma cooperatively methylate H3K9 on the sirtuin-1 promoter and inhibit sirtuin-1 transcription, and show that inhibition of SUV39H in mice is cardioprotective.

Heterotis and Heterocentron are two shrub genera in the tribe Melastomateae (Melastomataceae). Heterotis rotundifolia (Hr) and Heterocentron elegans (He) are both widely used as ornamental plants in the tropical regions. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of Hr and He were sequenced, assembled, and annotated. The cp genome sizes of Hr and He are 156,336 bp and 156,514 bp, respectively. The cp genome of Hr contains a total of 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding, 37 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes, while that of He has 131 genes, including 87 protein-coding, 36 tRNA, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that Hr is sister to Osbeckia stellata, while He is sister to Tibouchina longifolia.

In this ecological study, we attempt to quantify the extent to which differences in homicide and suicide death rates between three countries, and among states/provinces within those countries, may be explained by differences in their social, economic, and structural characteristics. We examine the relationship between state/province level measures of societal risk factors and state/province level rates of violent death (homicide and suicide) across Australia, Canada, and the United States. Census and mortality data from each of these three countries were used. Rates of societal level characteristics were assessed and included residential instability, self-employment, income inequality, gender economic inequity, economic stress, alcohol outlet density, and employment opportunities). Residential instability, self-employment, and income inequality were associated with rates of both homicide and suicide and gender economic inequity was associated with rates of suicide only. This study opens lines of inquiry around what contributes to the overall burden of violence-related injuries in societies and provides preliminary findings on potential societal characteristics that are associated with differences in injury and violence rates across populations. Keywords: Violence, Homicide, Suicide, Self-employment, Economic stress, Income inequality, Alcohol outlet density

A new Mg–Al–Sn–RE alloy with high ductility at room temperature has been developed. Homogenized Mg–4Al–2Sn–0.5Y–0.4Nd plates 25 mm in thickness were hot-rolled to 1 mm at 673K. The microstructures were characterized as fully recrystallized grains with a lot of fragmented fine particles along the rolling direction. The sheet specimen possesses basal texture of (0002) with the basal pole tilting by about 15° from the normal direction toward the rolling direction. Meanwhile, the texture strength was weakened, which is resulted from the non-basal slip and recrystallization texture. For the as-rolled alloy, the yield strength and tensile strength in transverse direction are both higher than those of rolling direction. The average Lankford value is 1.83, which is lower than conventional AZ31 rolled magnesium alloy sheets. The relatively high elongation and low planar anisotropy implies good formability at room temperature.

Background/Aims: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant primary brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Combination treatment of autophagy inducer and autophagy inhibitor may be a feasible solution to improve the therapeutic effects. However, the correlation between them is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of autophagy inhibition at different stages on cytotoxicity of autophagy inducers in glioblastoma cells. Methods: Autophagy inhibition at early stage was achieved by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) or Beclin 1 shRNA. Autophagy inhibition at late stage was achieved by chloroquine (CQ) or Rab7 shRNA. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Autophagy was measured using transmission electron microscopy and western blot. Apoptosis was measured using western blot and flow-cytometry. Results: Inhibition of early steps of autophagy by 3-MA or Beclin 1 knockdown decreased the toxic effect of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in GBM cell lines. In contrast, blockade of autophagy flux at late stage by CQ or Rab7 knockdown enhanced the cytotoxicity of ATO, and caused accumulation of degradative autophagic vacuoles and robust apoptosis. Moreover, depletion of Beclin 1 abolished the synergistic effect of ATO and CQ by reducing autophagy and apoptosis. Combination of CQ with other autophagy inducers also induced synergistic apoptotic cell death. Conclusion: These results suggest that inhibition of late process of autophagy, not initial step, increases the cytotoxic effect of autophagy inducers via autophagy and apoptosis, which may contribute to GBM chemotherapy.

The structural properties of LM-g splines are investigated by optimization and optimal control theory. The continuity and structure of LM-g splines are derived by using a class of necessary conditions with state constraints of optimal control and the relationship between LM-g interpolating splines and the corresponding L-g interpolating splines. This work provides a new method for further exploration of LM-g interpolating splines and its applications in the optimal control.

BACKGROUND: Gliomas account for almost 80% of primary malignant brain tumors. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is an interesting research candidate in which to look for genetic polymorphisms because of its role in mitogenesis and proliferation. Extensive studies have found that a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) +61 G/A (rs4444903) in the EGF gene is associated with the susceptibility of glioma, however, the results have been controversial. Furthermore, the association between EGF +61 G/A polymorphism with the development and grade progress of glioma has not been established. METHODS: We examined the association of EGF +61 G/A polymorphism and glioma by performing a meta-analysis. Nine studies testing the associations between EGF +61 G/A polymorphism and risk of glioma with 1758 cases and 2823 controls were retrieved. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. The pooled ORs were performed for the allele model, codominant model, dominant model, and recessive model, respectively. RESULTS: Overall, this meta-analysis showed significant associations between the EGF +61 G/A polymorphism and glioma susceptibility in all four genetic models. However, in the stratified analysis by the grade of glioma, we only found this association existed in patients with Grade IV glioblastoma, but not in patients with Grade I-III glioma. We further compared EGF +61 G/A polymorphism in patients with glioblastoma and Grade I-III glioma accordingly, the stronger association between the EGF +61 G/A polymorphism and the malignancy of glioma was found. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis suggested that the EGF +61 G/A polymorphism is associated with both the susceptibility of glioma and the malignance of glioma.

Carbendazim (methyl 1H-benzimidazol-2-yl carbamate) is one of the most widely used fungicides in agriculture worldwide, but has been reported to have adverse effects on animal health and ecosystem function. A highly efficient carbendazim-degrading bacterium (strain dj1-11) was isolated from carbendazim-contaminated soil samples via enrichment culture. Strain dj1-11 was identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis based on morphological, physiological and biochemical characters, including sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. In vitro degradation of carbendazim (1000 mg·L(-1)) by dj1-11 in minimal salts medium (MSM) was highly efficient, and with an average degradation rate of 333.33 mg·L(-1)·d(-1) at 28°C. The optimal temperature range for carbendazim degradation by dj1-11 in MSM was 25-30°C. Whilst strain dj1-11 was capable of metabolizing cabendazim as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen, degradation was significantly (P

We provide a new definition for reproducing kernel space with weighted integral and present a method to construct and calculate the reproducing kernel for the space. The new reproducing kernel space is an enlarged reproducing kernel space, which contains the traditional reproducing kernel space. The proposed method of this paper is a universal method and is suitable for the case of that the weight is variable. Obviously, this new method will generalize a number of applications of reproducing kernel theory to many areas.