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[Display omitted] • Neoagarotetraose extended the lifespan by up to 33.3 % of natural aging mice. • Neoagarotetraose improved the cerebral neuronal injuries of natural aging mice. • Neoagarotetraose increased abundance of short-chain fatty acids-producing bacteria. • Neoagarotetraose regulated the glucolipid and bile acid metabolism-related metabolic pathways. • Neoagarotetraose ameliorated cognitive impairment of Alzheimer's disease mice. Dietary oligosaccharides can impact the gut microbiota and confer tremendous health benefits. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a novel functional oligosaccharide, neoagarotetraose (NAT), on aging in mice. 8-month-old C57BL/6J mice as the natural aging mice model were orally administered with NAT for 12 months. The preventive effect of NAT in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice was further evaluated. Aging related indicators, neuropathology, gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in cecal contents were analyzed. NAT treatment extended the lifespan of these mice by up to 33.3 %. Furthermore, these mice showed the improved aging characteristics and decreased injuries in cerebral neurons. Dietary NAT significantly delayed DNA damage in the brain, and inhibited reduction of tight junction protein in the colon. A significant increase at gut bacterial genus level (such as Lactobacillus , Butyricimonas , and Akkermansia) accompanied by increasing concentrations of SCFAs in cecal contents was observed after NAT treatment. Functional profiling of gut microbiota composition indicated that NAT treatment regulated the glucolipid and bile acid-related metabolic pathways. Interestingly, NAT treatment ameliorated cognitive impairment, attenuated amyloid-β (Aβ) and Tau pathology, and regulated the gut microbiota composition and SCFAs receptor-related pathway of Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice. NAT mitigated age-associated cerebral injury in mice through gut-brain axis. The findings provide novel evidence for the effect of NAT on anti-aging, and highlight the potential application of NAT as an effective intervention against age-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Co-treatment of NMN and NAOS mitigated cognitive impairment. • Co-treatment of NMN and NAOS ameliorated mitochondrial dysfunction. • Co-treatment of NMN and NAOS inhibited the cell apoptosis by P53/P21/P16 pathway. • Co-treatment of NMN and NAOS attenuated the inflammatory by TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway. The synergistic effects of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) and neoagarooligosaccharides (NAOS) on mitochondrial dysfunction, downstream apoptosis, and inflammation were evaluated in both senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice and H 2 O 2 -induced human lung fibroblast (MRC-5) cells. Co-treatment of NMN and NAOS effectively ameliorated the learning and memory impairment in the passive avoidance and the Morris water maze tests. MNN and NAOS supplementation increased the expression levels of mitochondrial fusion proteins in the brain of SAMP8 mice, including OPA1 (by 37.4%) and Mitofusin 2 (by 99.7%). Moreover, co-treatment of NMN and NAOS significantly inhibited cell apoptosis as shown by the reduced protein expression levels of Bax and Caspase-3, down-regulated P53/P21/P16 pathway in both SAMP8 mice and H 2 O 2 -induced MRC-5 cells. At the same time, dietary intervention of NMN combined with NAOS attenuated the inflammatory response via down-regulating TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway. Conclusively, the synergistic efficacy of the combination of NMN and NAOS can improve cognitive impairment by modulating mitochondrial dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spodoptera frugiperda , a major invasive pest, causes severe damage to various economically important crops. Previous comparative genomics studies have revealed a close association between the invasiveness of S. frugiperda and its genome. In recent years, a vast amount of genome from lepidopteran species has become available, offering an opportunity for a more detailed and comprehensive understanding of the biological characteristics of S. frugiperda. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive comparative genomics analysis of S. frugiperda using genome from 46 lepidopteran species. We found the highest number of gene family expansion events in S. frugiperda , indicating that gene family expansion is a crucial mechanism in its adaptive evolution. The expanded gene families are enriched in various biological processes, including nutrient metabolism, development, stress response, reproduction, and immune processes, suggesting that the expansion of these gene families likely contributes to the strong environmental adaptability of S. frugiperda. Furthermore, we identified the expansion of histone gene families in S. frugiperda which resulted from chromosome segmental duplications after the divergence from closely related species. Expression analysis of histone genes indicated that certain members might exert an influence on the growth and reproduction processes of S. frugiperda. Overall, our study deepens our understanding of the biological characteristics of S. frugiperda , providing a theoretical basis for the comprehensive management and sustained control of S. frugiperda and other lepidopteran pests in the future. [Display omitted] • Up to 3066 gene family expansion events occurred in Spodoptera frugiperda. • Histone, cuticula and CYP450 superfamily expand significantly in S. frugiperda. • Expansion of histone superfamily was resulted from chromosome segmental in S. frugiperda. • Some histone members may play roles in the growth and reproduction processes of S. frugiperda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• KMOS promoted bowel movement and defecation to alleviate constipation. • KMOS regulated the enteric nervous system parameters in serum. • KMOS improved the concentration of short chain fatty acids in feces and protected intestinal morphology. • KMOS ameliorated the availability of 5-hydroxytryptamine and the expression of serotonin transporter. The effects of Konjac mannan oligosaccharides (KMOS) on diphenoxylate-induced constipation in mice were investigated in the present study. After administration with KMOS at 1800 mg/kg·bw, the weight and number of black feces within 24 h, and the gastrointestinal transit ratio were distinctly increased by 96.8%, 156.5% and 45.3%, respectively. Furthermore, KMOS regulated the levels of enteric nervous system parameters, including motilin, somatostatin, substance P, acetyl cholinesterase, endothelin and vasoactive intestinal peptide. Additionally, KMOS could recover the characteristics of small intestine villi and inhibit the reduction of mucosal thickness. KMOS administration produced more short chain fatty acids and lactic acid compared with the control group. The availability of 5-hydroxytryptamine and the expression of serotonin transporter were ameliorated in the KMOS treatment groups. Collectively, these findings suggested that KMOS could be considered as a functional food material for regulating intestinal function and alleviating constipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern civil aircrafts use air ventilation pressurized cabins subject to the limited space. In order to monitor multiple contaminants and overcome the hypersensitivity of the single sensor, the paper constructs an output correction integrated sensor configuration using sensors with different measurement theories after comparing to other two different configurations. This proposed configuration works as a node in the contaminant distributed wireless sensor monitoring network. The corresponding measurement error models of integrated sensors are also proposed by using the Kalman consensus filter to estimate states and conduct data fusion in order to regulate the single sensor measurement results. The paper develops the sufficient proof of the Kalman consensus filter stability when considering the system and the observation noises and compares the mean estimation and the mean consensus errors between Kalman consensus filter and local Kalman filter. The numerical example analyses show the effectiveness of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spodoptera litura is a highly destructive omnivorous pest, and they caused serious damage to various crops. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate dozens of physiological processes including reproduction, development, life span and behaviors, but the information of these receptors has been lacking in S. litura. Here, we methodically identified 122 GPCRs in S. litura and made an assay of their expression patterns in different tissues. Comparing the identified GPCRs with homologous genes of other insects, it is obvious that the subfamily A2 (biogenic amine receptors) and the subfamily A3 (neuropeptide and protein hormone receptors) of S. litura have expanded to a certain extent, which may be related to the omnivorous nature and drought environment resistance of S. litura. Besides, the large Methuselah (Mth)/Methuselah-like (Mthl) subfamily of S. litura may be involved in many physiological functions such as longevity and stress response. Apart from duplicate receptors, the loss of parathyroid hormone receptor (PTHR) and the bride of sevenless (Boss) receptor in the lepidopteran insects may imply a new pattern of wing formation and energy metabolism in lepidopteran insects. In addition, the high expression level of GPCRs in different tissues reflects the functional diversity of GPCRs regulating. Systemic identification and initial characterization of GPCRs in S. litura provide a basis for further studies to reveal the functions of these receptors in regulating physiology and behavior. [Display omitted] • Biogenic amine receptors and neuropeptide receptors of Spodoptera litura have expanded to a certain extent, which may be related to the omnivorous nature and drought resistance of S. litura. • The large Mth/Mthl subfamily in S. litura may be involved in longevity and stress response. • Loss of PTHR and Boss in Lepidopteran insects may imply a new pattern of wing formation and energy metabolism existed in Lepidopteran insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to obtain the piston ring tribological characteristics of a free-piston engine. Mathematical models of piston ring seal and lubrication were established based on thermodynamic equation and hydrodynamic lubrication equation. The lubrication performances of the piston ring were simulated; the effects of the piston motion to piston ring lubrication process were analyzed compared with a corresponding conventional engine. Results show that seal working time of free-piston ring is longer than conventional engine's during a cycle time, but the leakage loss is lower. Besides, the oil film thickness of piston ring in free-piston engine is thinner than that of crankshaft engine just around TDC, but other position is thicker. Moreover friction forces and friction work of piston ring in two engines are almost equivalent, but the peak friction power of free-piston engine is larger than crankshaft engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel glutamate-dependent poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA)-producing strain Bacillus velezensis CAU263 isolated from Chinese traditional Douchi was evaluated. An efficient method of γ-PGA production was performed by this strain via solid-state fermentation (SSF) using guar meal. The maximal yield of γ-PGA reached 158.5 g/kg dry weight (DW) in 250 mL flasks and 155.1 g/kg DW in shallow tray, respectively. The molecular weight of γ-PGA was 3.8 × 106 Da, the ratio of L/D-glutamic acid was 26.1% and 73.9%. Additionally, γ-PGA significantly improved the operating characteristics of wheat dough, the specific volume of bread was increased by 15.8% and the bread hardness was reduced by 44.2% owing to the addition of 0.3 g/kg γ-PGA. Thus, γ-PGA could be produced by Bacillus velezensis CAU263 at high level using guar meal and might have potential application prospect in food industry. • γ-PGA was effectively produced by a novel strain Bacillus velezensis utilizing Guar meal. • A green and economical strategy was provided for scale-up production of γ-PGA. • γ-PGA significantly improved the bread quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An expanded colorimetric array detector that was capable of the highly sensitive and highly selective discrimination of vinegars was developed. The system of olfaction visualization and operational approach were discussed. Thirty dyes were selected from natural dyes, chemoresponsive dyes and pH dyes. A 5×6 colorimetric sensor array was created by printing the dyes on reverse phase silica gel plates. Four traditional vinegars were measured by the colorimetric sensor array. With cluster analysis, all samples were assembled ‘Zhenjiang Vinegar’, ‘Shanxi Vinegar’, ‘Sichuan Vinegar’, ‘Jiangzhe Vinegar’ when the similarity was 12. This work showed the potential applications of the olfaction visualization technology for visual analyzing and fingerprint identifying the aroma of food. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Cassia seed galactomannan oligosaccharides (CMOS) were stable during gastrointestinal digestion. • CMOS remarkably influenced human colonic microbiota composition. • CMOS fermentation majorly produced acetic acid and propionic acid, thus decreased intestinal pH. • CMOS with DP = 3 and 4 were prior utilized due to the activities of β-mannosidase and α-galactosidase. The digestibility and prebiotic potential of galactomannan oligosaccharides prepared from Cassia seed gum (CMOS) was studied. CMOS were tolerant against simulated gastrointestinal digestion. During in vitro human fecal fermentation with CMOS, the microbiota composition was significantly changed with promoted growth of potential beneficial genera (i.e. Bifidobacterium , Lactobacillus , Bacteroides , Veillonella) while that of potential harmful genera (i.e. Fusobacterium , Lachnospiraceae , and Sutterella) was inhibited. Short chain fatty acids were produced with decreased medium pH, while acetic acid (20.85 mM) and propionic acid (19.77 mM) were the predominant metabolites. For CMOS utilization, α-galactosidase and β-mannosidase were involved with the enzyme activity reached the maximum after 3 h fermentation. The HPAEC chromatograms showed that CMOS with DP = 3 and 4 were prior utilized through enzymatic hydrolysis within 36 h fermentation. Findings gained here will introduce the utilization and targeted production of CMOS (DP = 3 and 4) as prebiotics with defined structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]