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Chronic diarrhea has a considerable impact on quality of life. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover intervention trial was conducted with 69 participants (36 in Group A, 33 in Group B), aiming to investigate the potential of postbiotics in alleviating diarrhea-associated symptoms. Participants received postbiotic Probio-Eco® and placebo for 21 days each in alternating order, with a 14-day washout period between interventions. The results showed that postbiotic intake resulted in significant improvements in Bristol stool scale score, defecation frequency, urgency, and anxiety. Moreover, the postbiotic intervention increased beneficial intestinal bacteria, including Dysosmobacter welbionis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, while reducing potential pathogens like Megamonas funiformis. The levels of gut Microviridae notably increased. Non-targeted metabolomics analysis revealed postbiotic-driven enrichment of beneficial metabolites, including α-linolenic acid and p-methoxycinnamic acid, and reduction of diarrhea-associated metabolites, including theophylline, piperine, capsaicin, and phenylalanine. Targeted metabolomics confirmed a significant increase in fecal butyric acid after postbiotic intervention. The levels of aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine and tryptophan, and their related metabolites, 5-hydroxytryptophan and kynurenine, decreased after the postbiotic intervention, suggesting diarrhea alleviation was through modulating the tryptophan-5-hydroxytryptamine and tryptophan-kynurenine pathways. Additionally, chenodeoxycholic acid, a diarrhea-linked primary bile acid, decreased substantially. In conclusion, postbiotics have shown promise in relieving chronic diarrhea.

This paper investigates the factors influencing the continuous use intention of AI-powered adaptive learning systems among rural middle school students in China. Employing a mixed-method approach, this study integrates Technology Acceptance Model 3 with empirical data collected from rural middle schools in western China. The main contributions of this study include identifying key determinants of usage intention, such as computer self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, system quality, and the perception of feedback. The findings provide insights into enhancing rural education through AI and suggest strategies for developing more effective and engaging adaptive learning systems. This research not only fills a significant gap in the understanding of AI in education but also offers practical implications for educators and policymakers aiming to improve learning outcomes in rural settings.

ABSTRACTWeaning is a stressful event in the pig life cycle. We hypothesized that probiotics could be potential alternatives to antibiotics for promoting growth and ameliorating stress in weaning piglets via gut microbiota modulation and, thus, investigated the beneficial effects of dietary probiotic supplementation in weaning pigs. Ninety weaning piglets (Landrace × large white, 45 males and 45 females, 25 days of age) were randomized into three dietary treatments (30 piglets/treatment, divided into five replicates/treatment, i.e., six piglets/replicate) in this 28-day trial: control (C group, basal diet); probiotic [lactic acid bacteria (LAB) group, basal diet plus Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P-8]; and antibiotic (A group; basal diet plus chlortetracycline). The piglets’ growth performance [average daily gain, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR)], immune and antioxidant markers, ileal mucosal morphology, and ileal and colonic microbiomes were compared among treatment groups. Compared to the C and A groups, probiotic supplementation significantly decreased the ADFI, FCR, and ileal mucosal crypt depth while increasing the villus height-to-crypt depth ratio, hepatic glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities, and serum levels of interleukin-2. Both probiotic and antibiotic treatments modulated the piglets’ gut microbiomes, with more L. plantarum in the LAB group and more Eubacterium rectale and Limosilactobacillus reuteri in the A group. Probiotic supplementation significantly increased the relative abundance of genes encoding the acetylene, galactose, and stachyose degradation pathways, potentially enhancing nutrient absorption, energy acquisition, and growth performance. Probiotics are effective alternatives to antibiotics for promoting the health of piglets, possibly via gut microbiome modulation.IMPORTANCEWeaning impacts piglet health, performance, and mortality. Antibiotic treatment during weaning can mitigate the negative effects on growth. However, antibiotic use in livestock production contributes to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, which is a threat to global public health. This comprehensive study describes the gut microbial composition and growth performance of weaned piglets after dietary supplementation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P-8 or antibiotics. L. plantarum P-8 ameliorated stress and improved antioxidant capacity and growth performance in weaned piglets, accompanied by gut microbiota improvement. L. plantarum P-8 is an effective substitute for antibiotics to promote the health of weaned piglets while avoiding the global concern of drug resistance.

Cats are increasingly favored as companion animals; their health has drawn widespread attention. Given the continuous improvements in the required living standards of both humans and animals, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, diarrhea, constipation, periodontal disease, obesity, diabetes, and other health issues have become recognized as valid pet problems. Antibiotics are commonly used to treat pet diseases, greatly improving animal health. However, antibiotic abuse is common, especially when seeking to treat bacterial infections. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that may be directly ingested in food or as feed additives; they improve the intestinal microflora balance, enhance immunity, and ensure healthy growth. However, cat data are usually inferred from reports on dogs or humans; cat research remains preliminary in nature. Therefore, we here describe the current understanding of how probiotics improve cat health, facilitating the further development and application of probiotics for cats.

BackgroundSome bacteria enter the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state to survive harsh environmental conditions and external stresses. This alters cell physiology and has implications for the food industry as some bacteria, such as lactobacilli, undergo similar changes during food processing.MethodsThis study aimed to investigate the transcriptomic changes of a probiotic strain, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Zhang (L. paracasei Zhang), upon transition to the VBNC state using high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).ResultsBacteria were inoculated into the de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe medium and maintained at low temperature and pH to induce cell transition to the VBNC state. Cells were harvested for analysis at five stages of VBNC induction: 0, 3, 30, and 180 days after induction and 210 days when the cells entered the VBNC state. Our results showed that the expression of 2,617, 2,642, 2,577, 2,829, and 2,840 genes was altered at these five different stages. The function of differentially expressed genes (DEGs, compared to healthy cells collected at day 0) and their encoded pathways were analyzed by the Gene Ontology Consortium and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses. A total of 10 DEGs were identified in cells that entered the VBNC state: five continuously upregulated (LCAZH_0621, LCAZH_1986, LCAZH_2038, LCAZH_2040, and LCAZH_2174) and five continuously downregulated (LCAZH_0024, LCAZH_0210, LCAZH_0339, LCAZH_0621, and LCAZH_0754).ConclusionsThis study proposes a molecular model of the VBNC mechanism in L. paracasei Zhang, highlighting that changes in cell metabolism improve substrate utilization efficiency, thereby enhancing bacterial survival under adverse conditions. These data may be useful for improving the survival of probiotics in industrial food processing.

Probiotics are widely used in the food field because they are beneficial to human health, while they are susceptible to adverse environmental factors such as temperature, oxygen, humidity, pressure, stomach acid and bile salts. In order to maintain high survival rate of probiotics during processing, storage and digestion, different microencapsulation technologies have been used for encapsulation and protection of probiotics. Probiotic microencapsulation technology can improve the resistance of probiotics to adverse environment by creating a physical barrier, and reduce the damage of probiotics in the protective matrix, so that they can reach the target site at full potency. The review article summarizes the source, type and efficacy of probiotics, and mainly summarizes the fundamental principles, advantages and disadvantages of the common probiotic microencapsulation technologies, including extrusion, emulsification, spray drying, freeze drying, spray chilling, complex coacervation, electrospinning, electrospraying and impinging aerosols. Furthermore, an overview of the application advantages and possibilities of probiotic microencapsulation technologies in dairy products, meat products, non-milk beverages and baked products are discussed. Although many studies in vitro digestion, there are still some limitations. As for the existing problems, it is necessary to expand the microencapsulation technologies, carry out in vivo experiments, and establish a systematic database to meet the industrial production needs of probiotic food. It provides theoretical reference for developing new probiotic food.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is a candidate probiotic that has been included in the list of recommended biological agents for certification by the European Food Safety Authority. It has been found to be widely present in acidic-gruel, yogurt, cheese, kefir, kimchi, and so on. In this article, we have reviewed both preclinical and human studies related to the health promoting effects of L. plantarum that have been published for the past decade. We found that L. plantarum could significantly improve intestinal function, oral as well as skin health, promote neuro as well as immune regulation, and be effective against metabolic diseases, etc. L. plantarum primarily enters the body through the oral cavity and acts on the gastrointestinal tract to effectively improve the intestinal flora. It can affect the female reproductive endocrine system through interaction with estrogen, androgen, insulin, and other hormones, as well as improve the body’s allergic reaction and immunity by regulating Th1/Th2 response. Several prior reports also suggest that this Gram-positive bacterium can promote production and secretion of key neurotransmitters and neural activators in the intestinal tract by regulating the intestinal flora by directly or indirectly affecting the gut–brain axis through modulation of vagus nerve, cytokines, and microbial metabolites, thus relieving stress and anxiety symptoms in adults. This review is the first report describing the health promoting effects of L. plantarum, with the aim of providing a theoretical basis for the development of various beneficial applications of L. plantarum.

China’s population is showing the characteristics of “fewer children” and “aging”, which will have a long-term and far-reaching impact on the food and nutritional needs of China and the world. In this paper, adult equivalent scale (AES) variables representing the household population structure were introduced into the energy intake model to quantify the impact of population structure changes on energy intake and reveal the characteristics of energy intake changes in the life cycle of Chinese residents. It is found that the change in the population structure has a significant impact on the energy intake of urban households in China, and the elasticity is 0.446. The energy intake of Chinese elderly over the age of 60 shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing, especially after the age of 65, which indicates that the aging will promote a decline in food consumption in China. The energy intake of 1–10-year-old children, 22–30 year old, and 40–45 year old women all showed a change of first a decrease and then an increase, which may be related to parents’ care for young children and women with children’s management of body size. The average household size expressed by the adult equivalent scales of energy consumption is 2.341, which is smaller than the 3.052 calculated by the population number. The conclusion indicates that the prediction of the food and nutritional demand should be adjusted according to the changes and differences in accordance with the intensification of “fewer children” and “aging”, as well as the life cycle changes in residents’ energy intake, which is conducive to the formulation of food and nutrition security policies.

ABSTRACT: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a liver disease caused by long-term heavy drinking, which is characterized by increased inflammation and oxidative stress in the liver and gut dysbiosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of administering ordinary and probiotic- (containing the Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 strain; M8) fermented milk to rats. Several biochemical parameters and the fecal metagenomes were monitored before (d 0) and after (d 42) the intervention. Our results confirmed that alcohol could cause significant changes in the liver levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, antioxidation indicators, and liver function-related indicators; meanwhile, the gut bacterial and viral microbiota were disrupted with significant reduction in microbial diversity and richness. Feeding the rats with Probio-M8-fermented milk effectively maintained the gut microbiota stability, reduced liver inflammation and oxidative stress, and mitigated liver damages in ALD. Moreover, the Probio-M8-fermented milk reversed alcohol-induced dysbiosis by restoring the gut microbiota diversity, richness, and composition. Four predicted fecal metabolites (inositol, tryptophan, cortisol, and vitamin K2) increased after the intervention, which might help regulate liver metabolism and alleviate ALD-related symptoms. In short, our data supported that consuming Probio-M8-fermented milk effectively mitigated ALD. The protective effect against ALD could be related to changes in the gut microbiome after probiotic-fermented milk consumption. However, such observation and the causal relationship among probiotic milk consumption, changes in gut microbiome, and disease alleviation would still need to be further confirmed. Nevertheless, this study has shown in a rat model that consuming probiotic-fermented milk could protect against ALD.

Ginsenoside 24-hydroxy-ginsengdiol (24-OH-PD), extracted from red ginseng, is a novel diol-type ginsenoside, strongly inhibits the growth of human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) CCRF-CEM cells. Our research aimed at investigating the mechanism underlying this inhibition. Cell viability was determined using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, and NOD/SCID mice bearing CCRF-CEM cells were used to verify the therapeutic effect of 24-OH-PD on T-ALL in vivo. We equally analysed pathways related to 24-OH-PD in CCRF-CEM cells using RNA-Seq analysis. Cell apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) levels were detected by flow cytometry. The activity of caspase3 and caspase9 was detected by enzyme activity detection kits. The expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and mRNA were determined through western blotting and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR assays (qRT-PCR). CCK-8 assay and animal xenograft experiments confirmed that 24-OH-PD significantly inhibited T-ALL in a dose-dependent manner, both in vivo and in vitro. RNA-Seq results suggest that mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway plays an important role in this process. Furthermore, intracellular ROS levels increased, mPTP opened, and ΔΨm decreased following 24-OH-PD treatment. Pretreatment with the antioxidant, NAC, reversed the effects of 24-OH-PD on apoptosis and ROS generation. Moreover, 24-OH-PD treatment increased the expression of Bax and caspase family members, thereby releasing cytochrome c (Cytc) and inducing apoptosis. Our findings showed that, 24-OH-PD induces apoptosis in CCRF-CEM cells by activating the mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis pathway through ROS accumulation. This inhibitory effect implies that 24-OH-PD could be further developed as treatment of T-ALL.

Many drugs have been shown to be metabolized by the human gut microbiome, but probiotic-driven drug-metabolizing capacity is rarely explored. Here, we developed an integrated metabolomics, culturomics, and bionics framework for systematically studying probiotics-driven drug metabolism. We discovered that 75% (27/36 of the assayed drugs) were metabolized by five selected probiotics, and drugs containing nitro or azo groups were more readily metabolized. As proof-of-principle experiments, we showed that Lacticaseibacillus casei Zhang (LCZ) could metabolize racecadotril to its active products, S-acetylthiorphan and thiorphan, in monoculture, in a near-real simulated human digestion system, and in an ex vivo fecal co-culture system. However, a personalized effect was observed in the racecadotril-metabolizing activity of L. casei Zhang, depending on the individual’s host gut microbiome composition. Based on data generated by our workflow, we proposed a possible mechanism of interactions among L. casei Zhang, racecadotril, and host gut microbiome, providing practical guidance for probiotic-drug co-treatment and novel insights into precision probiotics.

Abstract Exploring vegetation distribution spatial patterns facilitates understanding how biodiversity addresses the potential threat of future climate variability, especially for highly diverse and threatened tropical plant communities, but few empirical studies have been performed. Dacrydium pectinatum is a constructive and endangered species in the tropical mountain forests of Hainan Island, China. In this study, sixty‐eight 30 m × 30 m permanent plots of D. pectinatum were investigated, and species‐based and phylogenetic‐based methods were used to analyze the α‐ and β‐diversity pattern variation and its key drivers. Our study showed that species and phylogenetic α‐diversity patterns are different on a local scale. However, on a regional scale, the variations in the two α‐diversity patterns tend to converge, and they decrease with increasing elevation. The phylogenetic structure changes from overdispersion to convergence with increasing elevation. Soil (SOM, TP, AP), topography (EL, SL), and stand (CD) factors and α‐diversity showed close correlations. Species and phylogenetic β‐diversity have significant positive correlations with changing environmental distance and geographical distance; however, as a representative form of habitat heterogeneity, elevation distance has a greater impact on β‐diversity changes than geographical distance. In conclusion, the α‐ and β‐diversity patterns of the D. pectinatum community are mainly related to habitat filtering, especially in high‐elevation areas, and the colonization history of various regions also affects the formation of diversity patterns. Species‐based and phylogenetic‐based methods robustly demonstrated the key role of the habitat filtering hypothesis in community assembly. We believe that more plant diversity patterns need to be explored to understand the biodiversity formation mechanisms in tropical forests. We also recommend strengthening the construction and management of nature reserves to help address the biodiversity loss crisis in endangered tropical plant communities.

Summary: Multiple pesticide residue accumulations increase the probability of chronic metabolic diseases in humans. Thus, we applied multi-omics techniques to reveal how the gut microbiome responded to pesticide exposure. Then, we explored how probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum P9 (P9) consumption impacted the gut microbiota and immune factors after high pesticide exposure. Multi-omics results indicated frequent exposure to pesticides did not alter the composition of the intestinal microbiota, but it did increase the abundance of Lipopolysaccharide in the gut, which might contribute to chronic inflammation. Supplementation with P9 maintained the homeostasis of the gut microbiota and reduced the abundance of pathogens in the high pesticide-exposed subjects. By detecting metabolites, we observed uridine and 5-oxoproline concentrations increased significantly after P9 consumption. Furthermore, P9 alleviated immune factors disorder and promoted pesticide residue excretion. Our findings provide new insights into the application of probiotics for pesticide detoxification, and suggest probiotics as daily supplements for pesticide exposure prevention.

Abstract Background The accurate estimation of soil nutrient content is particularly important in view of its impact on plant growth and forest regeneration. In order to investigate soil nutrient content and quality for the natural regeneration of Dacrydium pectinatum communities in China, designing advanced and accurate estimation methods is necessary. Methods This study uses machine learning techniques created a series of comprehensive and novel models from which to evaluate soil nutrient content. Soil nutrient evaluation methods were built by using six support vector machines and four artificial neural networks. Results The generalized regression neural network model was the best artificial neural network evaluation model with the smallest root mean square error (5.1), mean error (− 0.85), and mean square prediction error (29). The accuracy rate of the combined k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) local support vector machines model (i.e. k-nearest neighbors -support vector machine (KNNSVM)) for soil nutrient evaluation was high, comparing to the other five partial support vector machines models investigated. The area under curve value of generalized regression neural network (0.6572) was the highest, and the cross-validation result showed that the generalized regression neural network reached 92.5%. Conclusions Both the KNNSVM and generalized regression neural network models can be effectively used to evaluate soil nutrient content and quality grades in conjunction with appropriate model variables. Developing a new feasible evaluation method to assess soil nutrient quality for Dacrydium pectinatum, results from this study can be used as a reference for the adaptive management of rare and endangered tree species. This study, however, found some uncertainties in data acquisition and model simulations, which will be investigated in upcoming studies.

Objectives. We aimed to compare coronary risk factors, burden of coronary artery disease (CAD), and 1-year prognosis of people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-negative controls who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute coronary syndromes (ACSs). Background. Cardiovascular disease is drawing more and more attention in PLWH since effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been available. Clinical characteristics and outcomes of PLWH undergoing PCI for ACS in China remain unknown. Methods. We compared demographic characteristics, angiographic features, and 1-year outcomes of 48 PLWH versus 48 HIV-negative controls matched for age (±2 years), sex, diabetes mellitus, and year of PCI (±2 years) in Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2008 to November 2020. Results. In PLWH (mean age: 53.6 ± 10.6 years, 95.8% male, and 79.2% on ART), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower than in HIV-negative controls; however, the statin use was more common, the incidence of hypertension was lower, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the body mass index were significantly lower than in controls. Two groups had a similar extent of coronary atherosclerosis as measured by the presence of multivessel diseases and the median Gensini score; however, lesions of PLWH were longer and were more likely to locate at the proximal segment of the coronary artery. In addition, the risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events at 1 year was similar in both groups. Conclusion. PLWH undergoing PCI displayed similar CAD burden and 1-year prognosis compared with HIV-negative patients. Early detection of cardiovascular risk factors and appropriate secondary prevention of CAD in PLWH might alleviate the risk of severe adverse cardiovascular events.

Culinary circles have experienced a recent trend towards low-salt hotpot sauces. Here, changes in the physicochemical quality, flavour, and bacterial diversity of hotpot sauces with different salt concentrations were studied during storage. The results indicated that the peroxide and acid values of hotpot sauce increased gradually and that the quality began to deteriorate with storage. A storage temperature of 4 °C and salt concentration above 4.4% significantly reduced spoilage. The salt concentration had no significant effect on the flavour but extended storage resulted in significant differences in flavour reflected in the changes of sweet, sour, bitter, umami, aftertaste-A, abundance, organic sulphide, and alkanes. Significant differences were found in the bacterial composition between samples stored at different temperatures. Norank-f-o-Chloroplast was the main bacterium in the samples stored at low temperatures, which was beneficial for preservation. Bacillus was detected in 4.1% NaCl samples stored at 25 °C, directly promoting sauce spoilage and an unpleasant flavour. This bacterium signalled the spoilage of low-salt hotpot sauce stored at room temperature.

Sea buckthorn wine (SW) and distilled liquor (DL) are fruit wines with beneficial health effects. However, their unpleasant flavour limits their development and widespread acceptance. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse their flavour composition and changes. In this study, differential metabolites of sea buckthorn DL during processing were analysed, and the relationships between E–nose sensor values and key volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were established. The results show that 133 VOCs were identified, with 22 aroma–contributing components. Fermentation significantly increased the content of VOCs, especially esters. A total of seven and 51 VOCs were significantly upregulated after fermentation and distillation, respectively. Meanwhile, seven sensors were positively correlated with the increased level of alcohols and esters, and reflected the increasing trends of 10 key VOCs.

China is undergoing a rapid dietary transition as well as a changing income distribution. In this paper, we examine the impacts of income heterogeneity on the prediction of food consumption using a dataset that covered 22,210 urban households in China’s 6 provinces. The two-stage Exact Affine Stone Index Implicit Marshallian Demand System (EASI demand system) model, which deals with the problem of censoring and endogeneity, is applied to estimate demand elasticity across income strata. Additionally, a dynamic simulation method considering income heterogeneity is conducted to predict future food consumption trends. The results reveal that income elasticity follows a decreasing trend with income growth. Furthermore, the results show that the consumption of major food items in the 15th period will increase by 7.9% to 42.0% over the base period. The growth potential of low-income groups is significantly higher than that of middle- and high-income groups. However, the prediction results may be overestimated if the differences in consumer behavior across income groups and the dynamic simulation procedure are not taken into account. Our study indicates that the consumption features of different income groups need to be included in food consumption forecasts. Moreover, the government should formulate food policies for different income groups to promote a sustainable food system transformation.

Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has become a significant public health problem. In this study, PacBio single-molecule real-time sequencing technology combined with a metabolomics study of koumiss revealed a series of changes in serum lipids, gut microbiota and viscera indices in hyperlipidemia patients 0, 30 and 60 days following daily koumiss treatment. High density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations significantly increased, while levels of immunoglobulin G and albumin significantly decreased after koumiss treatment. Moreover, the abundance of some Bacteroides, Dorea and Catenibacterium species increased, whereas the abundance of Clostridium and Citrobacter species decreased. Our results indicate that koumiss consumption alleviates the symptoms of hyperlipidemia. This is associated with both the bacterial composition of the koumiss, particularly Lactobacillus and Streptococcus species, and the metabolites present in koumiss, such as s-adenosyl-l-methionine, carnosine, lysophosphatidylinositol and dipeptides. This study provides insight into the mechanisms underpinning the effects of koumiss on hypolipidemic symptoms.

Our previous study found that consuming koumiss daily could beneficially reduce the levels of blood lipids, but the exact mechanism is not clear. Thus, this work aimed to investigate the biochemical mechanism of lipid-lowering effect using untargeted metabolomics by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The fecal metabolomes of hyperlipidemia patients who consumed koumiss daily were analyzed before and after koumiss treatment. A total of ten significant differential metabolites (ursolic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, α-tocotrienol, γ-tocotrienol, alanine, tyrosine, sphingosine, acetate, and butyrate) were detected, and they all showed significant increased relative concentrations at days 30 and 60. Many of these metabolites were involved in lipid metabolism and transport. These results suggested that the ten identified metabolites were likely associated with the observed lipid-lowering effect. Finally, by using the Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH), metabolic networks connecting these metabolites were constructed to elucidate the biochemical mechanism of the hypolipidemic effect.

Exploring natural regeneration facilitates a better understanding of the mechanisms of community assembly and biodiversity formation. However, convincing data on tree regeneration in threatened tropical plant communities are lacking. Dacrydium pectinatum is a constructive and endangered species in tropical montane forests of Hainan Island. This study aims to identify the seedling regeneration patterns of D. pectinatum formation and their key drivers. A total of 204 seedling plots were investigated in the northwest (Bawangling, 90 plots), southwest (Jianfengling, 90 plots) and southeast (Diaoluoshan, 24 plots) of Hainan Island. We examined the variations in the seedling/adult composition, density and richness along local scales and elevation gradients and analyzed the relationships between biotic/abiotic variables and seedling regeneration. The seedling distribution pattern changed with environmental gradients, and the seedling density and richness decreased from low to high latitudes and from low to high elevations. Additionally, the adult density and total base area also showed consistent trends. At the community and species levels, the biotic neighborhood variables had a primary impact on the seedling density and richness. Multiple environmental factors (such as the canopy density, elevation, slope, soil organic matter, and soil total nitrogen) also showed significant correlations with the seedling density and richness. Our study supports conspecific negative density dependence and niche filtering as the general mechanisms of natural regeneration of D. pectinatum formations. Both biotic and abiotic factors might affect the survival and growth of seedlings, and their relative importance varies with environmental gradients and species. We conclude that enclosing forests with moderate stand densities in low-elevation areas to reduce human interference will help optimize the community structure. However, for high-elevation areas and high-density forests, appropriate thinning, manual regeneration and open gaps are needed to improve the light environment and soil nutrients, thereby promoting the natural regeneration of D. pectinatum formations.

Climate changes and human-mediated modifications to ecosystems have threatened the biodiversity and habitats of various species. Dacrydium pectinatum is a constructive and endangered species in the tropical mountain forests of Hainan Island, China. In this study, we established sixty-eight 30 m × 30 m permanent plots of D. pectinatum along an environmental axis of temperature and precipitation in the west (Bawangling, 30 plots), southwest (Jianfengling, 30 plots) and east (Diaoluoshan, 8 plots) of Hainan Island. Our objectives are to explore the change mechanisms of plant composition/diversity in the D. pectinatum community at distinct environmental scales and analyze the association between environmental factors (topography, soil and stand conditions) and vegetation distribution. The results showed that the diversity of D. pectinatum communities was lower than that in tropical forests at other sites around the world and much higher than that in subtropical forests at similar latitudes. At the regional scale, plant diversity showed a pattern that decreases with increasing latitude; at the local scale, diversity decreases with increasing elevation. Eight environmental factors, namely, elevation, slope, canopy density, soil organic matter, soil pH, soil total nitrogen, soil available phosphorus and soil available potassium, showed a significant correlation to species distribution. Elevation factors were identified as the determinants of the overall diversity patterns. In conclusion, our study clarified that abiotic environmental factors strongly influence the vegetation structure and diversity pattern of the D. pectinatum communities in various environmental scales. Low temperatures, high humidity, low soil nutrients, and high stand density may be the limiting factors that cause their diversity to decline. We recommend various actions to ameliorate the impact of environmental changes on the D. pectinatum community, such as protecting existing habitats, strengthening monitoring of restrictive environmental factors, appropriate thinning of higher density stands, and conducting research on genetic diversity to improve the community survivability.

Scan registration is a fundamental step for the simultaneous localization and mapping of mobile robot. The accuracy of scan registration is critical for the quality of mapping and the accuracy of robot navigation. During all of the scan registration methods, normal distribution transform is an efficient and wild-using one. But normal distribution transform will lead to the unreasonable interruption when splitting the grid and can’t express the points’ local geometric feature by prefixed grid. In this article, we propose a novel method, composite clustering normal distribution transform, which comprises the density-based clustering and k -means clustering to aggregate the points with similar local distributing feature. It takes singular value decomposition to judge the suitable degree of one cluster for further division. Meanwhile, to avoid the radiating phenomenon of LIDAR in measuring the points’ distance, we propose a method based on trigonometric to measure the internal distance. The clustering method in composite clustering normal distribution transform could ensure the expression of LIDAR’s local distribution and matching accuracy. The experimental result demonstrates that our method is more accurate and more stable than the normal distribution transform and iterative closest point methods.

Our previous research showed that koumiss intervention could alleviate symptoms of chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) via the modulation of gut microbiota. The present work aimed to further decipher the mechanism of the observed functional effect by analyzing changes in the fecal metabolomes of these patients. Significant modulation was observed in the levels of metabolites relating to several pathways, namely biosynthesis of primary and secondary bile acid, as well as metabolism of unsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid and arachidonic acid, phenylalanine, and retinol. Koumiss treatment also decreased the level of some fecal proinflammatory markers, as evidenced by significant decrease in the fecal interleukin 38 (P

Tomatoes: a protein control for flavonoids Insights into the production of important nutrients called flavonoids are revealed by a molecular and genetic study of tomatoes. Flavonoids are a diverse group of chemicals with a variety of metabolic functions, and which contribute to the characteristic colors of many fruits and vegetables. They have been linked with health benefits due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-regulating activities. Researchers in China, led by Yinan Yao at Southwest University of Science and Technology, explored the activity of a protein known as SlAN11. They found that the protein interacts with other proteins to regulate the activity of specific genes, increasing the production of flavonoids called anthocyanins. SlAN11 also regulates the dormancy process in tomato seeds. Geneticists may use the results to generate new breeds of tomato plants enriched in flavonoids to promote good health.

Tropical forest degradation is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Tree height can be used as an important predictor of forest growth, and yield models can provide basic data for forest degradation assessments. As an important parameter of unmanned aerial vehicle-light detection and ranging (UAV-LiDAR), it is not clear how the point cloud density affects the extraction accuracy of tree height in degraded tropical rain forests. To solve this problem, we collected UAV-LiDAR data at a flight altitude of 150 m, and then resampled the UAV-LiDAR data obtained according to the point cloud density percentage resampling method and obtained UAV-LiDAR data for five different point cloud densities, namely, 12, 17, 28, 64, and 108 points/m2. On the basis of the resampled LiDAR data, we generated a canopy height model (CHM) to extract the height of Dacrydium pierrei (D. pierrei). The results show that (1) With the increase in the point cloud density, the accuracy of tree height extraction gradually increased, with a maximum accuracy at 108 points/m2 (root mean squared error (RMSE)% = 22.78%, bias% = 14.86%). The accuracy (RMSE%) increased by 6.92% as the point cloud density increased from 12 points/m2 to 17 points/m2, but only increased by 0.99% as the point cloud density increased from 17 points/m2 to 108 points/m2, indicating that 17 points/m2 is a critical point for tree height extraction of D. pierrei. (2) Compared with the results from broad-leaved forests, the accuracy of D. pierrei height extraction from coniferous forest was higher. With the increase in point cloud density, the difference in the accuracy of D. pierrei height between two stands gradually increased. When the point cloud density was 108 points/m2, the differences in RMSE% and bas% were 3.55% and 6.22%, respectively. When the point cloud density was 12 points/m2, the differences in RMSE% and bias% were 2.71% and 4.69%, respectively. Our research identified the lowest LiDAR data point cloud density required to ensure a certain accuracy in tree height extraction, which will help scholars formulate UAV-LiDAR forest resource survey plans.

Knowledge of forest structure is vital for sustainable forest management decisions. Terrestrial laser scanning cannot describe the canopy trees in a large area, and it is unclear whether unmanned aerial vehicle-light detection and ranging (UAV-LiDAR) data have the ability to capture the forest canopy structural parameters in tropical forests. In this study, we estimated five forest canopy structures (stand density (N), basic area (G), above-ground biomass (AGB), Lorey’s mean height (HL), and under-crown height (hT)) with four modeling algorithms (linear regression (LR), bagged tree (BT), support vector regression (SVR), and random forest (RF)) based on UAV-LiDAR data and 60 sample plot data from tropical forests in Hainan and determined the optimal algorithms for the five canopy structures by comparing the performance of the four algorithms. First, we defined the canopy tree as a tree with a height ≥70% HL. Then, UAV-LiDAR metrics were calculated, and the LiDAR metrics were screened by recursive feature elimination (RFE). Finally, a prediction model of the five forest canopy structural parameters was established by the four algorithms, and the results were compared. The metrics’ screening results show that the most important LiDAR indexes for estimating HL, AGB, and hT are the leaf area index and some height metrics, while the most important indexes for estimating N and G are the kurtosis of heights and the coefficient of variation of height. The relative root mean squared error (rRMSE) of five structure parameters showed the following: when modeling HL, the rRMSEs (10.60%–12.05%) obtained by the four algorithms showed little difference; when N was modeled, BT, RF, and SVR had lower rRMSEs (26.76%–27.44%); when G was modeled, the rRMSEs of RF and SVR (15.37%–15.87%) were lower; when hT was modeled, BT, RF, and SVR had lower rRMSEs (10.24%–11.07%); when AGB was modeled, RF had the lowest rRMSE (26.75%). Our results will help facilitate choosing LiDAR indexes and modeling algorithms for tropical forest resource inventories.

This work performed a large scale assessment for organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) degradation activity of 121 Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum strains. Six L. plantarum strains (P9, IMAU80110, IMAU40100, IMAU10585, IMAU10209, and IMAU80070) were found to possess high capacity of degrading three commonly used OPPs, namely dimethoate, phorate, and omethoate; and they were selected for more detailed characterization. Moreover, the three OPPs were mainly detected in the culture supernatants but not in the cell extracts, further confirming that the OPPs were degraded rather than absorbed by the cells. Among the six selected strains, P9 was most tolerant to gastrointestinal juices and bile. We thus used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography electron spray ionization coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC/ESI-Q-TOF/MS) to generate the metabolomic profiles of the strain P9 growing in MRS medium with and without containing phorate. By using orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, we identified some potential phorate-derived degradative products. This work has identified novel lactic acid bacteria resources for application in pesticide degradation. Our results also shed light on the phorate degradation mechanism by L. plantarum P9.