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This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of glycosylated zein (glu-zein) as a wall material and improve the antioxidant properties of algal oil during storage. The storage stability of algal oil microencapsulated with glu-zein was analyzed and its shelf life was predicted. The optimal processing conditions that provided maximum anti-lipid peroxidation activity of glu-zein (72.31%) were obtained as 1:12, 30 min and 400 W for mass ratio of glucose to zein, reaction time and ultrasonic power, respectively. The anti-lipid peroxidation capacity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing capacity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, and superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity of glu-zein were significantly increased over those of zein (P < 0.05). During accelerated storage, the peroxide value (POV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value of algal oil microencapsulated with glu-zein were lower than those of free algal oil and algal oil microencapsulated with zein, with a decrease in POV by 3.68 and 39.14 mmol/kg being found after 18 days of storage at 60 ℃, respectively. At room temperature, the shelf life of algal oil microencapsulated with glu-zein was extended by 240 days when compared with that of free algae oil. At the end of the storage period, algal oil encapsulated by glu-zein had the highest retention rate of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (96.95%). The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for expanding the application potential of modified zein as a wall material for the delivery of bioactive substances susceptible to oxygen.

Background: Physical resilience is known to minimize the adverse outcomes of health stressors for older people. However, validated instruments that assess physical resilience in older adults are rare. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to translate the Physical Resilience Scale (PRS) into Chinese and to validate its psychometric properties in a population of community-dwelling older adults following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design and translated the Physical Resilience Scale into Chinese. A total of 426 older adults who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection were chosen for assessment through convenience sampling. The measurement data were analyzed using the Rasch analysis. Results: Rasch analysis indicates that the Physical Resilience Scale demonstrates excellent reliability, validity, and unidimensionality. The Infit MNSQ and Outfit MNSQ of each entry were 0.77 ~ 1.19, and the degree of fit of each entry to the scale was good. Person and item separation reliability support the internal consistency of the studied samples and PRS items. Conclusions: The Physical Resilience Scale has good reliability and is suitable for the assessment of physical resilience tests in older people. However, the overall difficulty of the scale is not suitable for older adults of all ability ranges, and it is possible to add higher and lower difficulty items and adjust the difficulty spacing between items in a later study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research is aimed to elucidate the role of plant hormones in regulating the development of hybrid embryos in Hydrangea macrophylla. Fruits from the intraspecific cross of H. macrophylla 'Otaksa' × 'Coerulea' were selected at the globular, heart, and torpedo stages of embryo development. Transcriptome sequencing and differential gene expression analysis were conducted. The results showed that fruit growth followed a single "S-shaped growth curve, with globular, heart, and torpedo embryos appearing at 30, 40, and 50 d post-pollination, respectively, and the embryo maintaining the torpedo shape from 60 to 90 d. A total of 12,933 genes was quantified across the three developmental stages, with 3359, 3803, and 3106 DEGs in the S1_vs_S2, S1_vs_S3, and S2_vs_S3 comparisons, respectively. Among these, 133 genes related to plant hormone biosynthesis and metabolism were differentially expressed, regulating the synthesis and metabolism of eight types of plant hormones, including cytokinin, auxin, gibberellin, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acid. The pathways with the most differentially expressed genes were cytokinin, auxin, and gibberellin, suggesting these hormones may play crucial roles in embryo development. In the cytokinin pathway, CKX (Hma1.2p1_0579F.1_g182670.gene, Hma1.2p1_1194F.1_g265700.gene, and NewGene_12164) genes were highly expressed during the globular embryo stage, promoting rapid cell division in the embryo. In the auxin pathway, YUC (Hma1.2p1_0271F.1_g109005.gene and Hma1.2p1_0271F.1_g109020.gene) genes were progressively up-regulated during embryo growth; the early response factor AUX/IAA (Hma1.2p1_0760F.1_g214260.gene) was down-regulated, while the later transcriptional activator ARF (NewGene_21460, NewGene_21461, and Hma1.2p1_0209F.1_g089090.gene) was up-regulated, sustaining auxin synthesis and possibly preventing the embryo from transitioning to maturity. In the gibberellin pathway, GA3ox (Hma1.2p1_0129F.1_g060100.gene) expression peaked during the heart embryo stage and then declined, while the negative regulator GA2ox (Hma1.2p1_0020F.1_g013915.gene) showed the opposite trend; and the gibberellin signaling repressor DELLA (Hma1.2p1_1054F.1_g252590.gene) increased over time, potentially inhibiting embryo development and maintaining the torpedo shape until fruit maturity. These findings preliminarily uncover the factors affecting the development of hybrid H. macrophylla embryos, laying a foundation for further research into the regulatory mechanisms of H. macrophylla hybrid embryo development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrangea macrophylla is an ornamental plant with varied calyx colors. Interestingly, from red, to purple, to blue, the colors of all Hydrangea macrophylla are formed by unique delphinidin-3-O-glucoside and aluminum ions (Al3+) and 5-O-p-coumaroylquinic acid. The sepals of 'Blue Mama' changed from pink to blue, and the contents of delphinidin-3-O-glucoside and aluminum ions increased under 3 g/L aluminum sulfate treatment. However, the mechanism of the effect of aluminum ions on the synthesis and metabolism of anthocyanins in Hydrangea macrophylla is still unclear. In this project, transcriptome sequencing and anthocyanin metabolome analysis were performed on the sepals of 'Blue Mama' during flower development at the bud stage (S1), discoloration stage (S2) and full-bloom stage (S3) under aluminum treatment. It was found that delphinidin, delphinidin-3-O-glucoside and delphinidin-3-O-galactoside were the main differential metabolites. The structural genes CHS, F3H, ANS, DFR and BZI in the anthocyanin synthesis pathway were up-regulated with the deepening in sepal color. There was no significant difference between the aluminum treatment and the non-aluminum treatment groups. However, seven transcription factors were up-regulated and expressed to regulate anthocyanin synthesis genes CHS, F3H, BZI and 4CL, promoting the sepals to turn blue. The KEGG enrichment pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes showed that the glutathione metabolism and the ABC transporter pathway were closely related to anthocyanin synthesis and aluminum-ion transport. GST (Hma1.2p1_0158F.1_g069560.gene) may be involved in the vacuolar transport of anthocyanins. The expression of anthocyanin transporter genes ABCC1 (Hma1.2p1_0021F.1_g014400.gene), ABCC2 (Hma1.2p1_0491F.1_g164450.gene) and aluminum transporter gene ALS3 (Hma1.2p1_0111F.1_g053440.gene) were significantly up-regulated in the aluminum treatment group, which may be an important reason for promoting the transport of anthocyanin and aluminum ions to vacuoles and making the sepals blue. These results preliminarily clarified the mechanism of aluminum ion in the synthesis and transport of anthocyanin in Hydrangea macrophylla, laying a foundation for the further study of the formation mechanism of 'blue complex' in Hydrangea macrophylla. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nianzi granite unit, which includes the Nianzi, Xiaolianghou and Xiawopu granitic intrusions, is a significant component of the northern part of the North China Craton (NCC) and is situated in the Yanshan fold and thrust belt (YFTB). However, there is still debate regarding the tectonic evolutionary history of the YFTB during the late Permian to Triassic period, specifically regarding the timing of subduction and collision between the NCC and the Paleo‐Asian Ocean. The Nianzi granite unit exhibits unique petrological, geochronological and geochemical signatures that shed light on the tectonic evolutionary history of the YFTB. This study presents detailed petrology, whole‐rock geochemistry, together with Sr‐Nd isotopic, zircon U‐Pb dating and Lu‐Hf isotopic data of the granites within the Nianzi granite unit. Our findings demonstrate that the granites primarily consist of subhedral K‐feldspar, plagioclase, quartz, minor biotite and hornblende, with accessory titanite, apatite, magnetite and zircon. Zircon U‐Pb dating indicates that the Xiaolianghou granite was emplaced at 247.5 ± 0.62 Ma. Additionally, the adakitic characteristics of the Nianzi, Xiawopu and Xiaolianghou granitic intrusions, such as high Sr and Ba contents and high ratios of Sr/Y and (La/Yb)N, combined with negative Sr‐Nd and Lu‐Hf isotopes (87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.705681–0.7057433, εNd(t) = –21.98 to –20.97, zircon εHf(t) = –20.26 to –9.92), as well as the I‐type granite features of high SiO2, Na2O and K2O/Na2O ratios, enriched Rb, K, Sr and Ba, along with depleted Th, U, Nb, Ta, P and Ti, suggest that the Nianzi granitic unit was mainly derived from the partial melting of a thickened lower crust containing hydrous, calc‐alkaline to high‐K calc‐alkaline, mafic to intermediate metamorphic rocks. In light of these parameters, we further integrate our data with previous studies and conclude that the Nianzi granitic unit was generated in a post‐collisional extensional environment during the Early Triassic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ventilation significantly impacts energy consumption in ultra-low-energy buildings (ULEBs). However, in Chinese residential kitchens, the influence of mechanical ventilation formed by range hoods and make-up air systems on energy consumption has received limited attention. This study assesses the heating and cooling demands in ULEBs resulting from kitchen make-up air across different climate zones in China. The results reveal that in natural make-up air mode, there is a substantial rise in annual heating demand in cold and severe cold zones and a notable increase in annual cooling demand in hot summer and warm winter as well as hot summer and cold winter zones. Additionally, the natural make-up air mode often poses challenges in maintaining a satisfactory thermal environment in kitchens during both heating and cooling seasons. Conversely, the mechanical make-up air mode, especially with pretreatment of outdoor air to ensure thermal comfort in kitchens, significantly elevates both annual heating and cooling demands, making it hard for the building to meet the ULEB specifications, particularly in cold and severe cold zones. Furthermore, despite a generally small increase in annual cooling demand, the percentage rise in heating demand often exceeds the ULEB limits, ranging from 12.0% to 36.0%, depending on the climate zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

JOURNAL/nrgr/04.03/01300535-202410000-00030/figure1/v/2024-02-06T055622Z/r/image-tiff Photoreceptor cell degeneration leads to blindness, for which there is currently no effective treatment. Our previous studies have shown that Lycium barbarum (L. barbarum) polysaccharide (LBP) protects degenerated photoreceptors in rd1, a transgenic mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa. L. barbarum glycopeptide (LbGP) is an immunoreactive glycoprotein extracted from LBP. In this study, we investigated the potential protective effect of LbGP on a chemically induced photoreceptor-degenerative mouse model. Wild-type mice received the following: oral administration of LbGP as a protective pre-treatment on days 1-7; intraperitoneal administration of 40 mg/kg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea to induce photoreceptor injury on day 7; and continuation of orally administered LbGP on days 8-14. Treatment with LbGP increased photoreceptor survival and improved the structure of photoreceptors, retinal photoresponse, and visual behaviors of mice with photoreceptor degeneration. LbGP was also found to partially inhibit the activation of microglia in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-injured retinas and significantly decreased the expression of two pro-inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, LbGP effectively slowed the rate of photoreceptor degeneration in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-injured mice, possibly through an anti-inflammatory mechanism, and has potential as a candidate drug for the clinical treatment of photoreceptor degeneration., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Neural Regeneration Research.)

Objectives: The Death Anxiety Beliefs and Behaviour Scale (DABBS) is a unique tool designed to assess the detrimental beliefs and avoidant behaviors linked to death anxiety. This study aimed to adapt the DABBS into Chinese and verify its psychometric characteristics within a community-dwelling older adult population., Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design and translated the DABBS into Chinese. The psychometric properties of 437 community-dwelling older persons were assessed using the Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT)., Results: The DABBS consisted of affect, beliefs, and behaviours, with 18 entries in 3 dimensions. The I-CVI of the DABBS ranged from 0.857 to 1.000, and the S-CVI was 0.968; Cronbach's alpha of 0.905. Rasch analysis results showed that the 3 dimensions of the scale possessed good unidimensionality, and the entries were well-fitted to the dimensions in which they were located; each entry Infit MNSQ and Outfit MNSQ were in the range of 0.50 to 1.50; the analysis of the functional differences of items in different characteristic subgroups (gender) showed that the absolute value of DIF Contrast was <0.50. The results of the Wright map showed that the ability of the participants was normally distributed, and the difficulty of the scale's entries was adapted to the average ability level of older adults., Conclusions: The present data indicate that the revised DABBS is a valid and reliable tool for assessing affect, beliefs, and behaviors associated with death anxiety in community-dwelling older individuals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) is an economically important horticultural crop. Spotted rind at maturity is an important appearance quality trait in melons. However, the gene controlling this trait remains unknown. In this study, the inheritance pattern of this trait was explored, and the candidate gene underlying this trait was also successfully identified. Genetic analysis showed that a single dominant gene, Cucumis melo Spotted Rind (CmSR), regulates the spotted rind trait. A preliminary genetic mapping analysis was conducted based on a BSA-seq approach. The CmAPRR2 gene was identified to be linked with the spotted rind trait and was located on the short arm of chromosome 4. It harbored two single-nucleotide mutations (chr4: 687014 G/A and chr4: 687244 C/A) in the non-spotted line 'Yellow 2', which may result in the alternative splicing of the transcript and an amino acid change in the respective protein, from proline to glutamine, respectively. Moreover, marker SNP687014-G/A was developed and co-segregated with the spotted rind trait. Therefore, it is speculated that the CmAPRR2 gene may be involved in the regulation of the spotted rind trait in melon. This study provides a theoretical foundation for further research on the gene regulatory mechanism of the rind color in melon.

Metal coordination polymers are organometallic frameworks in which a metal and an organic ligand are linked via a dative bond. The material in question exhibits ultra-high porosity, large specific surface area, and abundant active sites, which can be customised in terms of morphology, size, and electronic structure through rational design. Graphdiyne, a novel two-dimensional carbon allotrope, boasts structural stability and enhanced electrical conductivity due to its hybridization of sp 2 and sp carbons. A metal-organic framework of Co (MOF-67) was synthesized via hydrothermal synthesis. The introduction of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) served as a structural regulator and surfactant to obtain a more active metal coordination polymer (Co-MCPS). PVP, in its dual role, significantly amplified the catalytic performance of metal coordinate polymers, as demonstrated in a number of experiments. The incorporation of GDY onto the surfaces of MOF-67 and Co-MCPS induced an electron-rich isolation layer, which could effectively sequester oxidation sites, thereby enhancing the rate of charge carrier separation and hydrogen precipitation evolution efficiency.

Histone deacetylates family proteins have been studied for their function in regulating viral replication by deacetylating non-histone proteins. RIG-I (Retinoic acid-inducible gene I) is a critical protein in RNA virus-induced innate antiviral signaling pathways. Our previous research showed that HDAC8 (histone deacetylase 8) involved in innate antiviral immune response, but the underlying mechanism during virus infection is still unclear. In this study, we showed that HDAC8 was involved in the regulation of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) replication. Over-expression of HDAC8 inhibited while knockdown promoted VSV replication. Further exploration demonstrated that HDAC8 interacted with and deacetylated RIG-I, which eventually lead to enhance innate antiviral immune response. Collectively, our data clearly demonstrated that HDAC8 inhibited VSV replication by promoting RIG-I mediated interferon production and downstream signaling pathway., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang, Liu, Liu, You, Yang, Zhang, Huang and Liang.)

Background: Hypertension is a common chronic disease that can trigger symptoms such as anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is essential to predict their risk of depression. The aim of this study is to find the best prediction model and provide effective intervention strategies for health professionals., Methods: The study subjects were 2733 middle-aged and older adults who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) between 2018 and 2020. R software was used for Lasso regression analysis to screen the best predictor variables, and logistic regression, random forest and XGBoost models were constructed. Finally, the prediction efficiency of the three models was compared., Results: In this study, 18 variables were included, and LASSO regression screened out 10 variables that were important for the establishment of the model. Among the three models, Logistic Regression model showed the best performance in various evaluation indicators., Conclusion: The prediction model based on machine learning can accurately assess the likelihood of depression in middle-aged and elderly patients with hypertension in the next three years. And by combining Logistic regression and nomograms, we were able to provide a clear interpretation of personalized risk predictions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ai, Li, Ji and Zhang.)