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Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that play essential roles in plant development and in response to various environmental stresses. Understanding R. delavayi HSP genes is of great importance since R. delavayi is severely affected by heat stress. In the present study, a total of 76 RdHSP genes were identified in the R. delavayi genome, which were divided into five subfamilies based on molecular weight and domain composition. Analyses of the chromosome distribution, gene structure, and conserved motif of the RdHSP family genes were conducted using bioinformatics analysis methods. Gene duplication analysis showed that 15 and 8 RdHSP genes were obtained and retained from the WGD/segmental duplication and tandem duplication, respectively. Cis-element analysis revealed the importance of RdHSP genes in plant adaptations to the environment. Moreover, the expression patterns of RdHSP family genes were investigated in R. delavayi treated with high temperature based on our RNA-seq data, which were further verified by qRT-PCR. Further analysis revealed that nine candidate genes, including six RdHSP20 subfamily genes (RdHSP20.4, RdHSP20.8, RdHSP20.6, RdHSP20.3, RdHSP20.10, and RdHSP20.15) and three RdHSP70 subfamily genes (RdHSP70.15, RdHSP70.21, and RdHSP70.16), might be involved in enhancing the heat stress tolerance. The subcellular localization of two candidate RdHSP genes (RdHSP20.8 and RdHSP20.6) showed that two candidate RdHSPs were expressed and function in the chloroplast and nucleus, respectively. These results provide a basis for the functional characterization of HSP genes and investigations on the molecular mechanisms of heat stress response in R. delavayi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectral composition of light influences the biosynthesis of flavonoids in many plants. However, the detailed composition of flavonoids and anthocyanins and the molecular basis for their biosynthesis in strawberry fruits under two light-quality treatments, red light supplemented with blue light (RB) and ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, remain unclear. In this study, the content of flavonoids and anthocyanins was significantly increased in strawberry fruits under RB light and UVB, respectively. The content of flavonoids and anthocyanins in strawberry fruits under UVB light was dramatically higher than that in strawberry fruits irradiated with RB light, and a total of 518 metabolites were detected by means of LC-MS/MS analysis. Among them, 18 phenolic acids, 23 flavonoids, and 8 anthocyanins were differentially accumulated in the strawberry fruits irradiated with red/blue (RB) light compared to 30 phenolic acids, 46 flavonoids, and 9 anthocyanins in fruits irradiated with UVB. The major genes associated with the biosynthesis of flavonoids and anthocyanins, including structural genes and transcription factors (TFs), were differentially expressed in the strawberry fruits under RB and UVB irradiation, as determined through RNA-seq data analysis. A correlation test of transcriptome and metabolite profiling showed that the expression patterns of most genes in the biosynthesis pathway of flavonoids and anthocyanins were closely correlated with the differential accumulation of flavonoids and anthocyanins. Two TFs, bZIP (FvH4_2g36400) and AP2 (FvH4_1g21210), induced by RB and UVB irradiation, respectively, exhibited similar expression patterns to most structural genes, which were closely correlated with six and eight flavonoids, respectively. These results indicated that these two TFs regulated the biosynthesis of flavonoids and anthocyanins in strawberry fruit under RB light and UVB, respectively. These results provide a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the accumulation of flavonoids and anthocyanins and the molecular basis for their biosynthesis in strawberry fruits under RB light and UVB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the population structures and dynamics of Rhododendron shrub communities at different stages of succession in northwest Guizhou, China, this study examined the populations of Rhododendron annae and Rhododendron irroratum shrub with two different stages. A space-for-time substitution was employed to establish the diameter class/height structures, static life tables, and survival/mortality rate/disappearance rate curves of both Rhododendron populations with different orders of succession. Their structural and quantitative dynamics were analyzed, and their development trends were predicted. The results showed that, quantitatively, the populations of R. annae and R. irroratum in the two Rhododendron communities with different orders of succession were dominated by age classes one, two, and three as well as height classes i, ii, and iii. The number of Rhododendron plants at the three age classes and the three height classes accounted for 97.61–100% of the total. The quantitative dynamic indices of R. annae and R. irroratum were both greater than 0, with and without considering external interference. In terms of age class and height structures, both Rhododendron populations were expanding populations, presenting "inverted-J-shaped" and irregular pyramid patterns. There was a sufficient number of young individuals, but few or no old individuals. Both survival curves of the populations of R. annae and R. irroratum in the two Rhododendron communities with different orders of succession belonged to the Deevy-II type. In the late stage of succession, the mortality curves and disappearance curves of both Rhododendron populations in these communities presented a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with increasing age class. This result indicates that at each age class, R. annae and R. irroratum showed a trend of gradual increase after two, four, and six years. In brief, the populations of R. annae and R. irroratum have rich reserves of seedlings and saplings, but high mortality and disappearance rates. In this context, it is necessary to reduce human interference and implement targeted conservation measures to promote the natural renewal of Rhododendron populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity in the petal morphology of chrysanthemums makes this species an excellent model for investigating the regulation mechanisms of petal size. However, our understanding of the molecular regulation of petal growth in chrysanthemums remains limited. The GASA (gibberellic acid [GA]-stimulated Arabidopsis) protein plays a significant role in various aspects of plant growth and development. Previous studies have indicated that GEG (a gerbera homolog of the gibberellin-stimulated transcript 1 [GAST1] from tomato) is involved in regulating ray petal growth by inhibiting cell expansion in gerberas. In this study, we successfully cloned the GASA family gene from chrysanthemums, naming it CmGEG, which shares 81.4% homology with GEG. Our spatiotemporal expression analysis revealed that CmGEG is expressed in all tissues, with the highest expression levels observed in the ray florets, particularly during the later stages of development. Through transformation experiments, we demonstrated that CmGEG inhibits petal elongation in chrysanthemums. Further observations indicated that CmGEG restricts cell elongation in the top, middle, and basal regions of the petals. To investigate the relationship between CmGEG and GA in petal growth, we conducted a hormone treatment assay using detached chrysanthemum petals. Our results showed that GA promotes petal elongation while downregulating CmGEG expression. In conclusion, the constrained growth of chrysanthemum petals may be attributed to the inhibition of cell elongation by CmGEG, a process regulated by GA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been growing interest in examining the potential of non-bagging patterns due to the decline of fruit inner quality and the increase in labor force cost and ecological pollution. Spraying a non-bagging film agent is an important method for non-bagging cultivation. This paper aims to study the effects of non-bagging film agents on the contents of mineral elements and flavonoid metabolites in apple fruits and determine the feasibility of this method. Fuji apples were used as the sample material and treated individually with two non-bagging film agents, namely, humic acid film (ABM) and Pirrio calcium film (CAM). Also, two control groups, namely, the clear water spraying without bagging group (CK) and the bagging group (TCK), were set in this study to measure the contents of mineral elements and flavonoid metabolites in these apples. Compared with those two control groups, the spraying treatment groups with two kinds of non-bagging film agents present a significant difference between their total contents of mineral elements, with the total content of mineral elements of apples in the ABM treatment group being 1.36 times the content of apples in the CK group. In terms of the flavonoid metabolites, only Astragalin, Tiliroside, Homoplantaginin, Phlorizin, Apigenin, Hesperidin, Oroxin A, and Kaempferol present significant differences in their proportions in apples, and there are no significant differences among the proportions of other compounds. Individual spraying of two kinds of non-bagging film agents can significantly increase the total contents of mineral elements in apples, with slight effects on the contents of flavonoid metabolites in these fruits. Therefore, both film agents can be used for cultivating Fuji apples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between juvenile Acipenser sinensis density and the eDNA content in a controlled laboratory aquarium environment. The results obtained from fluorescent quantitative PCR indicated an overall increasing trend in the eDNA content, which tended to stabilize after three days. Furthermore, a significant positive linear correlation was observed between the density of juvenile A. sinensis and eDNA content at different time points (R2 = 0.768~0.986). When the juvenile A. sinensis were removed at a density of 0.114 ind./L, there was a negative correlation between eDNA content and time. Based on AIC and BIC analyses, a power function model was employed to illustrate the degradation relationship between eDNA content and time. Since the construction of the Gezhouba Dam, Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) numbers have gradually declined, rendering this species critically endangered according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology plays an important role in monitoring the abundance of aquatic organisms. Species density and biomass have been proven to be estimable by researchers, but the level of accuracy depends on the specific species and ecosystem. In this study, juvenile A. sinensis, an endangered fish, were selected as the research target. Under controlled laboratory conditions in an aquarium, one, two, four, six, and eight juvenile A. sinensis were cultured in five fish tanks, respectively. Water samples were filtered at eight different time points for eDNA content analysis. Additionally, eDNA yield was tested at six different time points after a 0.114 ind./L density of A. sinensis was removed, and the employed degradation model was screened using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). The results showed that eDNA content remained stable after 3 days and exhibited a significant positive linear correlation with the density of A. sinensis (R2 = 0.768~0.986). Furthermore, eDNA content was negatively correlated with the 3-day period after the removal of A. sinensis. The power function had the smallest AIC and BIC values, indicating better fitting performance. This study lays a momentous foundation for the application of eDNA for monitoring juvenile A. sinensis in the Yangtze Estuary and reveals the applicability of eDNA as a useful tool for assessing fish density/biomass in natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superhydrophobic surfaces find extensive applications in various fields, including self-cleaning, liquid manipulation, anti-icing, and water harvesting. To achieve superhydrophobicity, the surfaces are designed with hierarchical nano- and/or microscale protrusions. These structures result in a static contact angle above 150° and a sliding/rolling-off angle below 10° when water droplets deposit on the surface. The combination of hierarchical structures and low-surface energy materials contributes to this unique liquid-repellent property. In addition to liquid repellency, the durability of these surfaces is crucial for practical applications, which has prompted the exploration of stretchable superhydrophobic surfaces as a viable solution. The flexibility of these surfaces means that they are effectively safeguarded against mechanical damage and can withstand daily wear and tear. Over the last decade, considerable research has been dedicated to developing stretchable superhydrophobic surfaces to expand their potential applications. This review provides an overview of stretchable superhydrophobic surfaces, specifically emphasizing current processing strategies and their prospective applications. Additionally, we present a forward-looking perspective on future fabrication methods to create robust superhydrophobic surfaces, further enhancing their practicality and versatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a beneficial nutrient and essential trace element, selenium plays a significant role in plant growth functions and human protein biosynthesis. Plant selenium enrichment is mainly obtained from both natural soil and exogenous selenium supplementation, while human beings consume selenium-enriched foods for the purposes of selenium supplementation. In this study, different types of selenium fertilizers were sprayed onto Lycium barbarum in Ningxia, and transcriptomics and metabolomics techniques were used to explore the effects of selenium on the fruit differentials and differential genes in Lycium barbarum. Taking the "Ning Qiyi No.1" wolfberry as the research object, sodium selenite, nano-selenium, and organic selenium were sprayed at a concentration of 100 mg·L−1 three times from the first fruiting period to the harvesting period, with a control treatment comprising the spraying of clear water. We determined the major metabolites and differential genes of the amino acids and derivatives, flavonoids, and alkaloids in ripe wolfberries. We found that spraying selenium significantly enhanced the Lycium barbarum metabolic differentiators; the most effective spray was the organic selenium, with 129 major metabolic differentiators and 10 common metabolic pathways screened after spraying. Nano-selenium was the next best fertilizer we screened, with 111 major metabolic differentiators, the same number as organic selenium in terms of differential genes and common metabolite pathways. Sodium selenite was the least effective of the three, with only 59 of its major metabolic differentials screened, but its differential genes and metabolites were enriched for five common pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability problem of stochastic networks with proportional delays and unsupervised Hebbian-type learning algorithms is studied. Applying the Lyapunov functional method, a stochastic analysis technique and the It o ^ formula, we obtain some sufficient conditions for global asymptotic stability. We also discuss the estimation of the second moment. The correctness of the main results is verified by two numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the vibration performance of the oil-lubricated tilting pad bearing system, an experimental approach using a piezoelectric actuator to control two new flexible tilting pads is proposed. The performance test bench of the bearing–rotor system based on a tilting pad bearing with a flexible support is established. The different circumferential angles of the angle bearing tilting pad and the radial displacement of the displacement bearing are tested by a piezoelectric actuator. At the same time, the trajectory of the rotor center under actual operating conditions is analyzed. The experimental results show that the amplitude of the rotor journal can be significantly reduced by controlling the control variables related to the circumferential angle and radial displacement of the bearing bush. Therefore, this control improvement can improve the vibration performance of two new flexible tilting pad bearing–rotor systems. The technical means are provided for the active control of an oil-lubricated tilting pad bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop a predictive equation for basal metabolic rate (BMR) in normal-weight Chinese adults and provide a reference for establishing the national recommended dietary energy intake. A new equation for BMR was derived from a sample of 516 normal-weight Chinese adults (men = 253, women = 263), and this sample was collected from two previous studies. Furthermore, the accuracy of this new equation and eight other previous predictive equations was reviewed. The agreement and reliability were compared in terms of bias, accuracy, the intraclass correlation coefficient, and Bland–Altman plots between predictive equations. In addition, the newly developed equation was further verified using a small independent sample, which contained 41 healthy Chinese adults (men = 21, women = 20). The measured BMR (mBMR) of all participants, measured using indirect calorimetry, was 1346.2 ± 358.0 kcal/d. Thirty participants were excluded based on Cook's distance criteria (Cook's distance of ≥0.008). Previous equations developed by Henry, Schofield, Harris–Benedict (H-B), Yang, and Hong overestimated the BMR of healthy Chinese adults. The present equation displayed the smallest average bias (0.2 kcal/d) between the mBMR and predicted basal metabolic rate (pBMR). The limits of agreement of the present equation from Bland–Altman plots were −514.3 kcal/d and 513.9 kcal/d, which is the most narrow and balanced limit of agreement. Moreover, in the verification of the testing database, the pBMR of the new equation was not significantly different from the mBMR, and the accuracy was 75.6%. Compared with pre-existing equations, the present equation is more applicable to the prediction of BMR in healthy Chinese adults. However, further studies are required to verify the accuracy of this new equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivations: Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening infectious disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Approximately 390,000 people in China die from HBV-related diseases each year. Around 86 million individuals suffer from infections of the hepatitis B virus, accounting for about 6% of the total population in the region. There are approximately 30 million chronic infections. From 2002 to 2007, China's government took part in "The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI)" initiative, which helped reduce cases of chronic HBV infections among children. However, incidences of hepatitis B remain persistently high in China. Accurately estimating the number of potential HBV infections is crucial for preventing and controlling the transmission of the hepatitis B virus. Up until now, there were no studies of potentially infectious hepatitis B virus infections. Methods: this study was based on data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China from 2003 to 2021; a dynamic model was built, which included a compartment for potentially infectious hepatitis B virus infections. The parameters in the model were fitted using a combination of nonlinear least-squares and genetic algorithm methods. Results: the calculated reproduction number for hepatitis B virus transmission within the population is R c = 1.741. Considering the existing vaccine inefficiency rate of 0.1, the model estimates there are 449,535 (95%CI [415,651, 483,420]) potentially infectious hepatitis B virus infections, constituting 30.49% of total hepatitis B cases. Date fitting using MATLAB reveals that increasing the rate of hepatitis B vaccinations can effectively reduce the number of infections. Conclusions: the results reveal that the number of potential infectious hepatitis B virus infections is so high that the number of hepatitis B patients persistently rises in China. To better control the transmission of the hepatitis B virus, an optional prevention and control strategy is needed to increase the vaccination of different age groups, and it is necessary to help the public correctly understand the transmission of hepatitis B and ensure adequate protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GATA proteins are a class of zinc-finger DNA-binding proteins that participate in diverse regulatory processes in plants, including the development processes and responses to environmental stresses. However, a comprehensive analysis of the GATA gene family has not been performed in a wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.) or other Solanaceae species. There are 156 GATA genes identified in five Solanaceae species (Lycium barbarum L., Solanum lycopersicum L., Capsicum annuum L., Solanum tuberosum L., and Solanum melongena L.) in this study. Based on their phylogeny, they can be categorized into four subfamilies (I-IV). Noticeably, synteny analysis revealed that dispersed- and whole-genome duplication contributed to the expansion of the GATA gene family. Purifying selection was a major force driving the evolution of GATA genes. Moreover, the predicted cis-elements revealed the potential roles of wolfberry GATA genes in phytohormone, development, and stress responses. Furthermore, the RNA-seq analysis identified 31 LbaGATA genes with different transcript profiling under salt stress. Nine candidate genes were then selected for further verification using quantitative real-time PCR. The results revealed that four candidate LbaGATA genes (LbaGATA8, LbaGATA19, LbaGATA20, and LbaGATA24) are potentially involved in salt-stress responses. In conclusion, this study contributes significantly to our understanding of the evolution and function of GATA genes among the Solanaceae species, including wolfberry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing idle space for agricultural planting can generate production profits while greening the urban environment. How can the space available for agricultural planting in cities be inventoried and quantified, and what is the production potential? With the help of GIS, spatial analysis was carried out, and more objective conclusions were drawn through calculation. This paper takes the roof space in Shibei District of Qingdao as an example to study: First, we analyzed the influencing factors and inventory standards of roof agricultural planting; second, we selected inventory standards for idle roof space inventory and conducted statistical analysis of the data obtained from the inventory. Furthermore, combining the annual yield of vegetables per unit area and the annual consumption standards of vegetables by citizens, we calculated the yield and supply and demand; next, we summarized the research results, analyzed their reliability and the advantages and disadvantages of this inventory, and derived formulas for calculating the agricultural production potential of rooftops and urban spaces. Finally, we concluded that the idle roof area in cities and the potential for agricultural production are significant. The research results indicate that the roof area of urban buildings in the Shibei District of Qingdao is 383.3 hectares, with an annual vegetable production potential of 25,800 tons, which can supply the urban population of 184,300. Based on the above research, it is proposed that rooftop agriculture should be given priority in the future development of urban agriculture, and it is recommended that other urban spaces should be inventoried to promote the development of urban agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the changing rule of carbon dioxide emissions in China, this paper systematically focused on their current situation, influencing factors, and future trends. Firstly, the current situations of global carbon dioxide emissions and China's carbon dioxide emissions were presented via a visualization method and their characteristics were analyzed; secondly, the random forest regression model was used to screen the main factors affecting China's carbon emissions. Considering the different aspects of carbon emissions, 29 influencing factors were determined and 6 main influencing factors were determined according to the results of the random forest regression model. Then, a prediction model for carbon emissions in China was established. The BP neural network model, multi-factor LSTM time series model, and CNN-LSTM model were compared on the test set and all of them passed the test. However, the goodness of fit of the CNN-LSTM model was about 0.01~0.02 higher than the other two models and the MAE and RMSE of the CNN-LSTM model were about 0.01~0.03 lower than those of the other two models. Thus, it was selected to predict China's carbon dioxide emissions. The predicted results showed that the peak of China's carbon emissions will be around 2027 and the peak of these emissions will be between 12.9 billion tons and 13.2 billion tons. Overall, the paper puts forward reasonable suggestions for China's low-carbon development and provides a reference for an adjustment plan of energy structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the world's most crucial food crops, as it currently supports more than half of the world's population. However, the presence of sheath blight (SB) caused by Rhizoctonia solani has become a significant issue for rice agriculture. This disease is responsible for causing severe yield losses each year and is a threat to global food security. The breeding of SB-resistant rice varieties requires a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved and the exploration of immune genes in rice. To this end, we conducted a screening of rice cultivars for resistance to SB and compared the transcriptome based on RNA-seq between the most tolerant and susceptible cultivars. Our study revealed significant transcriptomic differences between the tolerant cultivar ZhengDao 22 (ZD) and the most susceptible cultivar XinZhi No.1 (XZ) in response to R. solani invasion. Specifically, the tolerant cultivar showed 7066 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), while the susceptible cultivar showed only 60 DEGs. In further analysis, we observed clear differences in gene category between up- and down-regulated expression of genes (uDEGs and dDEGs) based on Gene Ontology (GO) classes in response to infection in the tolerant cultivar ZD, and then identified uDEGs related to cell surface pattern recognition receptors, the Ca2+ ion signaling pathway, and the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) cascade that play a positive role against R. solani. In addition, DEGs of the jasmonic acid and ethylene signaling pathways were mainly positively regulated, whereas DEGs of the auxin signaling pathway were mainly negatively regulated. Transcription factors were involved in the immune response as either positive or negative regulators of the response to this pathogen. Furthermore, our results showed that chloroplasts play a crucial role and that reduced photosynthetic capacity is a critical feature of this response. The results of this research have important implications for better characterization of the molecular mechanism of SB resistance and for the development of resistant cultivars through molecular breeding methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iterative differential equations provide a new idea to study functional differential equations. The study of iterative equations can provide new methods for the study of differential equations with state-dependent delays. In this paper, we are concerned with proving the existence of infinitely many positive solutions to nonlinear first-order iterative systems of singular BVPs on time scales by using Krasnoselskii's cone fixed point theorem in a Banach space. It is worth pointing out that in this paper, we can use the symmetry of the iterative process and Green's function to transform the considered differential equation into an equivalent integral equation, which plays a key role in the proof of the theorem in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of vacuum electronic devices toward high power, high frequency, and miniaturization, the voltage holdoff capacity of the insulation materials in devices has also been raised to a higher demand. Cr/Mn/Ti-doped Al2O3 ceramics were prepared, and the bulk density, micromorphology, phase composition, resistivity, secondary electron emission coefficient, and surface flashover threshold in the vacuum of the Al2O3 were characterized. The results show that the addition of TiO2 to the Al2O3 ceramic can promote the sintering of the ceramic. The Cr/Mn/Ti-doped Al2O3 ceramic with a homogeneous microstructure can be obtained by an appropriate amount of TiO2 addition. In the process of the heat treatment, the TiO2 in the ceramics was reduced to a certain degree, which had an impact on the microstructure of the Al2O3 ceramic. Adding a small amount of TiO2 can improve the voltage holdoff performance in the vacuum. The value of the surface flashover threshold in the vacuum of the Cr/Mn/Ti-doped Al2O3 ceramic containing 1 wt.% TiO2 reached a value of 33 kV, which is 32% higher than that of the basic Al2O3 ceramic. The preparation of Al2O3 ceramics with a high voltage holdoff capacity in a vacuum provides fundamental technical support for the development of vacuum electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavonoids represent the main class of plant secondary metabolites and occur in the tissues and organs of various plant species. In plants, flavonoids are involved in many biological processes and in response to various environmental stresses. The consumption of flavonoids has been known to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases due to their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. In the present review, we summarize the classification, distribution, biosynthesis pathways, and regulatory mechanisms of flavonoids. Moreover, we investigated their biological activities and discuss their applications in food processing and cosmetics, as well as their pharmaceutical and medical uses. Current trends in flavonoid research are also briefly described, including the mining of new functional genes and metabolites through omics research and the engineering of flavonoids using nanotechnology. This review provides a reference for basic and applied research on flavonoid compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory muscle paralysis is known as a very common complication of Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS). However, most research has focused on its later stages rather than its earlier stages, including the prognosis of patients with this condition, or factors that act as early predictors of risk. Therefore, our study aimed to identify early predictors of respiratory muscle paralysis in patients with GBS and determine the short-term prognosis of such patients. We recruited 455 GBS patients (age ≥ 18) who had been hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University between 2016 and 2021, retrospectively. We recorded clinical and laboratory data and used linear and logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between early clinical, examination results, and subsequent respiratory muscle paralysis. Among the 455 patients, 129 were assigned to a respiratory muscle paralysis group and 326 were assigned to a non-respiratory muscle paralysis group. Compared with the non-affected group, the time from onset to admission was shorter (p = 0.0003), and the Medical Research Council (MRC) score at admission and discharge was smaller in the affected group (p < 0.0001). Compared with the non-affected group, the affected group had higher Hughes and Erasmus GBS Respiratory Insufficiency Score (EGRIS) scores at admission and longer hospital stays (p < 0.0001). Patients in the affected group were more likely to have bulbar palsy and lung infections (p < 0.0001). To conclude, bulbar palsy, a higher EGRIS score and Hughes score at admission, a lower MRC score, and a shorter time between onset and admission, are all predictive risk factors for respiratory muscle paralysis in patients with GBS. An increase in any of these factors increases the risk of muscle paralysis. Patients with respiratory muscle paralysis have a poorer short-term prognosis than those without respiratory muscle paralysis. Therefore, we should attempt to identify patients with one or more of these characteristics in the early stages of admission, provide ventilation management, and administer IMV treatment if necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to investigating a class of neutral-type integral differential equations arising in an epidemic model. By using Mawhin's continuation theorem and the properties of neutral-type operators, we obtain the existence conditions for positive periodic solutions of the considered neutral-type integral differential equation. Compared with previous results, the existence conditions in this paper are less restricted, thus extending the results of the existing literature. Finally, two examples are given to show the effectiveness and merits of the main results of this paper. Our results can be used to obtain the existence of a positive periodic solution to the corresponding non-neutral-type integral differential equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we study a periodic boundary value problem related to valveless pumping. The valveless pumping is described by the unidirectional flow of liquid in a system. We establish some conditions for globally asymptotic stability and the existence of a positive periodic solution to the considered equation. Finally, a numerical example shows that the theoretical results in this paper are feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resmetirom, a liver-directed, orally active agonist of THR-β, could play a favorable role in treating NASH, but little is known about the underlying mechanism. A NASH cell model was established to test the preventive effect of resmetirom on this disease in vitro. RNA-seq was used for screening, and rescue experiments were performed to validate the target gene of the drug. A NASH mouse model was used to further elucidate the role and the underlying mechanism of resmetirom. Resmetirom effectively eliminated lipid accumulation and decreased triglyceride (TG) levels. In addition, repressed RGS5 in the NASH model could be recovered by resmetirom treatment. The silencing of RGS5 effectively impaired the role of resmetirom. In the NASH mouse model, obvious gray hepatization, liver fibrosis and inflammation, and increased macrophage infiltration were observed in liver tissues, while resmetirom almost returned them to normal conditions as observed in the control group. Pathological experimental data also confirmed that resmetirom has great potential in NASH treatment. Finally, RGS5 expression was suppressed in the NASH mouse model, but it was upregulated by resmetirom treatment, while the STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways were activated in NASH but inhibited by the agent. Resmetirom could improve NASH by recovering RGS5 expression and subsequently inactivating the STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the realization of the "dual carbon" goal, urban public transport with an increasing proportion of new energy vehicles will become the key subject to achieve the carbon emission reduction goal. Under the new background of deep coupling between transport networks and power grids, it is of great significance to study the carbon-trading mode of urban public transport participation in promoting the development of new energy vehicles and improving the operating efficiency and low-carbon level of the "energy-transport" system. In this paper, based on blockchain technology, a framework for urban public transportation networks to participate in carbon trading is established to solve the current problems of urban public transportation's insufficient motivation to reduce emissions, lax operation strategy and lack of carbon-trading matching mechanisms. Finally, Hyperledger Fabric was selected as the simulation platform, and we simulated the model through the calculation example. The results show that the proposed scheme can effectively improve the operating efficiency of urban public transport and reduce its operating costs and carbon emissions. In addition, policy recommendations on carbon price, carbon quota and penalties are proposed to improve the institutional system of the carbon-trading market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2-oxoglutarate and Fe (II)-dependent dioxygenase (2ODD-C) family of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases potentially participates in the biosynthesis of various metabolites under various abiotic stresses. However, there is scarce information on the expression profiles and roles of 2ODD-C genes in Camellia sinensis. We identified 153 Cs2ODD-C genes from C. sinensis, and they were distributed unevenly on 15 chromosomes. According to the phylogenetic tree topology, these genes were divided into 21 groups distinguished by conserved motifs and an intron/exon structure. Gene-duplication analyses revealed that 75 Cs2ODD-C genes were expanded and retained after WGD/segmental and tandem duplications. The expression profiles of Cs2ODD-C genes were explored under methyl jasmonate (MeJA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and salt (NaCl) stress treatments. The expression analysis showed that 14, 13, and 49 Cs2ODD-C genes displayed the same expression pattern under MeJA and PEG treatments, MeJA and NaCl treatments, and PEG and NaCl treatments, respectively. A further analysis showed that two genes, Cs2ODD-C36 and Cs2ODD-C21, were significantly upregulated and downregulated after MeJA, PEG, and NaCl treatments, indicating that these two genes played positive and negative roles in enhancing the multi-stress tolerance. These results provide candidate genes for the use of genetic engineering technology to modify plants by enhancing multi-stress tolerance to promote phytoremediation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet the accuracy requirements and tracking performance of continuous rotary electro-hydraulic servo motor system under nonlinear uncertainty and strong disturbance factors, the sliding mode variable structure composite control strategy based on an improved power reaching law is proposed. Based on the principle of valve-controlled hydraulic motor, the state space model of the motor system is established, and a continuous friction model is adopted. Then, the genetic algorithm is used for parameter identification to determine the friction feedforward compensation scheme. In addition, an improved power reaching law is designed, which can adaptively adjust the system chattering according to the system state. The simulation results show that the sliding mode variable structure composite controller with the friction feedforward compensation can achieve a system frequency of 15 Hz, and tracking accuracy and response speed meet the double-decade index requirements, which improve the performance of continuous rotary electro-hydraulic servo motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea (Camellia sinensis) is the second most consumed drink in the world. Rapid industrialization has caused various impacts on nature and increased pollution by heavy metals. However, the molecular mechanisms of cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) tolerance and accumulation in tea plants are poorly understood. The present study focused on the effects of heavy metals Cd and As on tea plants. Transcriptomic regulation of tea roots after Cd and As exposure was analyzed to explore the candidate genes involved in Cd and As tolerance and accumulation. In total, 2087, 1029, 1707, and 366 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained in Cd1 (with Cd treatment for 10 days) vs. CK (without Cd treatment), Cd2 (with Cd treatment for 15 days) vs. CK, As1 (with As treatment for 10 days) vs. CK (without Cd treatment), and As2 (with As treatment for 15 days) vs. CK, respectively. Analysis of DEGs showed that a total of 45 DEGs with the same expression patterns were identified in four pairwise comparison groups. One ERF transcription factor (CSS0000647) and six structural genes (CSS0033791, CSS0050491, CSS0001107, CSS0019367, CSS0006162, and CSS0035212) were only increased at 15 d of Cd and As treatments. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed that the transcription factor (CSS0000647) was positively correlated with five structural genes (CSS0001107, CSS0019367, CSS0006162, CSS0033791, and CSS0035212). Moreover, one gene (CSS0004428) was significantly upregulated in both Cd and As treatments, suggesting that these genes might play important roles in enhancing the tolerance to Cd and As stresses. These results provide candidate genes to enhance multi-metal tolerance through the genetic engineering technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household battery energy storage (HBES) is expected to play an important role in the transition to decarbonized energy systems by enabling the further penetration of renewable energy technologies while assuring power grid stability. However, the hitherto high installation cost is a key barrier for further deployment of HBES. Therefore, in order to improve its economic feasibility, we will study how HBES participates in the electricity peak regulation ancillary service market (PRASM) in China, which can add new sources of income for HBES. When participating in PRASM, the market mechanism first needs to be understood, and the framework for participating in PRASM needs to be established. In this framework, HBES needs to be aggregated into a cluster by the aggregator to participate in PRASM. In this participation process, the aggregator first needs to determine the controllable capacity of HBES and analyze its uncertainty. After the upper limit of the controllable capacity is determined, the aggregator will be able to more accurately formulate the bidding strategy considering the reserve capacity and charging power allocation strategy to maximize the net income. In this paper, particle swarm optimization and chaos optimization are combined to solve this problem, and finally different scenarios are analyzed through example analysis. The results of the case analysis show that the bidding strategy considering the reserve capacity proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the output deviation value and has a relatively higher economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, new energy power generation has been widely used. As household energy storage will be widely promoted in the future, many households' energy storage will soon need to be replaced. It is of great significance to study the recycling of household energy storage to reduce environmental pollution and promote the sustainable development of the household energy storage market. However, the lack of research on the design of household energy storage and recovery network from the perspective of manufacturing enterprises hinders the sustainable development of household energy storage. Based on the above, a household energy storage recycling model considering carbon emissions was established in this paper. This model evaluated the recovery status of household energy storage online through a big data platform and proposed three different recovery schemes based on the evaluation results. Through a case study of Sichuan and Chongqing, the overall profit of the household energy storage and recycling system could be increased by about CNY 1.61 million, while reducing about 1.04 hundred tons of carbon emissions, thus verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of the model. In addition, the results of scenario analysis showed that the processing cost and demand are the main factors affecting the optimal design of the recycling network, and they can change the configuration of the network. Appropriate processing methods, locations, and transportation schemes would decrease the cost of production and carbon emissions. Household energy storage is possible for recycling residual values that decrease carbon emissions during storage. At the same time, further improving more efficient recycling technology is an important idea to increase the profits of household energy storage manufacturers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid malignancy in children. This study was undertaken to determine the long-term survival of neuroblastoma patients receiving conventional therapeutics (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy). The neuroblastoma patients examined were registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database (1975–2016). Using propensity score matching analysis, the patients were paired by record depending on whether they received surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the disease-specific survival of the paired patients were performed by the log-rank test and Cox regression assay. A total of 4568 neuroblastoma patients were included in this study. During 1975–2016, the proportion of histopathological grade III/IV cases receiving surgery gradually increased, while the number of patients with tumors of grade I to IV undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy was stable or even decreased. After propensity score analysis, for Grade I + II and Grade III tumors, surgery obviously improved the disease-specific survival of patients, while chemotherapy was unfavorable for patient prognosis, and radiotherapy exerted no obvious effect on the patients. However, no matter what treatment was chosen, the patients with advanced-histopathological-grade tumors had a poor prognosis. Meanwhile, for all histopathological grades, the patients receiving surgery and subsequent chemotherapy or radiotherapy suffered from worsen disease-specific survival than those simply undergoing surgery. Fortunately, the negative effects of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy improved gradually over time. Surgery improved the long-term survival of the neuroblastoma patients, while chemotherapy and radiotherapy exerted an unfavorable impact on patient outcome. These results provide an important reference for the clinical treatment of neuroblastoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visible light communication (VLC) has the advantages of rich spectrum resources, endogenous safety and anti-electromagnetic interference, so the application of VLC to the Industrial Internet of Things is one of its current development directions. Due to the limited coverage of light emitting diodes (LEDs), dense placement is often required in industrial manufacturing scenarios. However, mobile users will face frequent handover between these LEDs, and reliable reception of signals on mobile terminals requires receivers with a large detection area. In this paper, we used a cubic receiver to increase the detection area, which is more conducive to signal reception than a single photo-detector plane receiver. Then we studied the handover scheme for a cubic receiver to ensure the performance of the communication link. We also rotated the receiver to further improve signal quality and obtain the optimal rotation angles using a genetic algorithm with low complexity. The results show that a cubic receiver has a better received signal quality than a plane receiver, and rotation can enhance the signal quality more. In addition, it can be seen that the handover for the cubic receiver depends not only on the distance, but also on its structure, angle and position. Considering these factors jointly when performing a handover, users can connect to LEDs, which provide the best quality of service, and system communication performance can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a chronic liver disease which may progress into liver fibrosis and cancer. Since NASH patients have a high prevalence of atherosclerosis and ensuing cardiovascular diseases, simultaneous management of NASH and atherosclerosis is required. Currently, rodents are the most common animal models for NASH and accompanying liver fibrosis, but there are great differences in lipoprotein profiles between rodents and humans, which makes it difficult to reproduce the pathology of NASH patients with atherosclerosis. Rabbits can be a promising candidate for assessing NASH and atherosclerosis because lipoprotein metabolism is more similar to humans compared with rodents. To develop the NASH model using rabbits, we treated the Japanese White rabbit with a newly developed high-fat high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD) containing palm oil 7.5%, cholesterol 0.5%, and ferrous citrate 0.5% for 16 weeks. HFHCD-fed rabbits exhibited NASH at 8 weeks after commencing the treatment and developed advanced fibrosis by the 14th week of treatment. In addition to hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerotic lesion developed in the aorta after 8 weeks. Therefore, this rabbit NASH model might contribute to exploring the concurrent treatment options for human NASH and atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between physical activity (PA) and dyslipidemia is well known, but the relationship between a temporal pattern of PA and dyslipidemia remain unknown. Here, we aimed to identify the intensity and temporal patterns of PA clustered by the trajectory model and their relationship with dyslipidemia. The participants were 701 adults (305 males) aged 18–60 years undergoing continuous measurement of PA with Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers for at least 3 days. A trajectory analysis was applied based on moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) accumulated values over every period per day. The association between PA and dyslipidemia was estimated using a logistic regression model. Four distinct PA trajectory groups in the population were identified (continued low, stable and moderate, late increasing, and early increasing). Specifically, the "moderate and stable group" was associated with a decreased rate of high TG (p < 0.05) and the "moderate and stable group" and "late increasing group" were associated with decreased rates of low HDL-C (p < 0.05). In conclusion, there were four activity trajectory groups in this population and the continued low PA trajectory was associated with a high prevalent rate of an abnormal lipid profile, and continued and moderate activity or late afternoon increasing activity might have lower HDL-C distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of renewable energy in China has made remarkable achievements, but the problem of renewable energy consumption has become increasingly prominent. This paper establishes a power market trading system for renewable energy, with the aim of promoting large-scale renewable energy consumption and increasing the enthusiasm of renewable energy producers and users to participate in market transactions. First, according to the power generation cost, the backup cost of renewable energy power plants and the possible quotation strategies of other renewable energy producers, a quotation model of renewable energy producers is established. In the clearing of the spot market by renewable energy producers, the independent market operator conducts the first-stage clearing of the electricity market with the goal of maximizing social welfare. After the announcement of the clearing results, the renewable energy producers that did not win the bid will revise their quotations and carry out the second stage clearing to realize the consumption of renewable energy. In this paper, the particle swarm algorithm combined with the CPLEX solver is used to solve the problem, and finally, different scenarios are analyzed through example analysis. The results show that, compared with the conventional power market trading mechanism, the energy abandonment rate of the power market trading mechanism for renewable energy proposed in this paper drops from 8.2% to 2.1%, and the profit margin of renewable energy producers increase by 6.6%. It is demonstrated that the proposed electricity market mechanism can effectively promote the consumption of renewable energy and increase the income of renewable energy producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thidiazuron (TDZ) is the main defoliant used in production to promote leaf abscission for machine-picked cotton. Under low temperatures, the defoliation rate of cotton treated with TDZ decreases and the time of defoliation is delayed, but there is little information about this mechanism. In this study, RNA-seq and physiological analysis are performed to reveal the transcriptome profiling and change in endogenous phytohormones upon TDZ treatment in abscission zones (AZs) under different temperatures (daily mean temperatures: 25 °C and 15 °C). Genes differentially expressed in AZs between TDZ treatment and control under different temperatures were subjected to gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses to compare the enriched GO terms and KEGG pathways between the two temperature conditions. The results show that, compared with the corresponding control group, TDZ induces many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in AZs, and the results of the GO and KEGG analyses show that the plant hormone signaling transduction pathway is significantly regulated by TDZ. However, under low temperature, TDZ induced less DEGs, and the enriched GO terms and KEGG pathways were different with those under normal temperature condition. Many genes in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway could not be induced by TDZ under low temperature conditions. In particular, the upregulated ethylene-signaling genes and downregulated auxin-signaling genes in AZs treated with TDZ were significantly affected by low temperatures. Furthermore, the expression of ethylene and auxin synthesis genes and their content in AZs treated with TDZ were also regulated by low temperature conditions. The upregulated cell wall hydrolase genes induced by TDZ were inhibited by low temperatures. However, the inhibition of low temperature on genes in AZs treated with TDZ was relieved with the extension of the treatment time. Together, these results indicate that the responses of ethylene and auxin synthesis and the signaling pathway to TDZ are inhibited by low temperatures, which could not induce the expression of cell wall hydrolase genes, and then inhibit the separation of AZ cells and the abscission of cotton leaves. This result provides new insights into the mechanism of defoliation induced by TDZ under low temperature conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanisms of silicosis, caused by the inhalation of silica are still unclear, and the effect of sex on silicosis has rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether sex affects the silicotic lesions and the progressive fibrotic responses in silicosis. Our study showed that sex had no significant effect on the area of silicon nodules and the collagen deposition after a one-time bronchial perfusion of silica. Immunohistochemical staining showed that CD68 and the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were positive in male and female silicotic mice. In addition, the western blot results showed that the fibrosis-related factors type I collagen (COL I), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin, TGF-β1, p-SMAD2/3, inflammatory-related factors interleukin 6 (IL 6), interleukin 1β (IL 1β), and senescence-related factors p16 and p21 were up-regulated in silicotic mice and there was no difference between female or male mice exposed to silica. The expression of TGF-β1, p-SMAD2/3, p16, and p21 were downregulated in the early stage of female silicotic mice, compared to the males. Thus, despite differences in the expression of certain factors, there was no overall difference in the progressive fibrosis between female and male mice in silicosis. These results thus provide a new perspective for studying the pathological development of silicosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" goal and energy marketization, the City Regional Integrated Energy System (CRIES), as an important participant in the energy market, pursues low-carbon development as its most important goal. Without a reasonable market participation structure and a comprehensive low-carbon evaluation system, it will be difficult to meet the needs of CRIES for low-carbon development in the energy market. Therefore, this paper first proposes a framework suitable for CRIES to participate in the energy market, and under the influence of the operating characteristics of the energy market, proposes an evaluation index system suitable for CRIES' low-carbon capabilities in the energy market. The analytic network process–criteria importance through intercriteria correlation (ANP-CRITIC) method is used to determine the subjective and objective weights of each indicator, and the comprehensive weight of each indicator is calculated by the principle of moment estimation to achieve a quantitative evaluation of the low-carbon capability of CRIES in the energy market. Finally, taking a CRIES as an example, the analysis verifies that the proposed evaluation model and method can scientifically and comprehensively evaluate the low-carbon capability of CRIES in the energy market. The results show that the CRIES low-carbon capability evaluation results of different market schemes can be improved by up to 24.9%, and a fairer market transaction mechanism can promote the low-carbon development of CRIES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Betulinic acid (BA) has anti-inflammatory, antioxidative stress, and antitumor activities, but BA bioavailability is low due to its poor water solubility and short half-life. This study aimed to construct a BA delivery system to improve its utilization in vitro. Glycosylated zein (G-zein) was prepared using the wet heating method, and BA-loaded zein composite nanoparticles were prepared using the antisolvent method. Compared to zein, G-zein had the advantages of higher solubility and lower surface hydrophobicity. The encapsulation efficiency of G-zein@BA reached over 80% when the BA concentration was 1 mg/mL. Compared to zein@BA nanoparticles, G-zein@BA was characterized by smaller droplets, higher encapsulation efficiency, and a more stable morphology. The sustained release and solubility of G-zein@BA nanoparticles were also superior to those of zein@BA. Compared with free BA, the dispersions of zein@BA and G-zein@BA nanoparticles in water increased 2.27- and 2.91-fold, respectively. In addition, zein@BA and G-zein@BA nanoparticles markedly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. This study provides new insights into the structural properties and antitumor activity of BA composite nanoparticles to aid in the development of zein particles as functional materials to deliver bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought affects crop developmentnand growth. To explore the physiological effects of drought stress on soybean, HeiNong44 (HN44) and HeiNong65 (HN65) varieties were used as experimental materials and PEG-6000 was used as the osmotic medium. The antioxidant enzyme activity, osmotic adjustment substance content, antioxidant capacity, and endogenous hormone content of the two soybean varieties were studied under different drought degrees and different treatment durations. Drought stress caused significant physiological changes in soybean. The antioxidant enzyme activities, osmoregulation substance content, and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) of HN65 and HN44 showed an increasing trend under mild and moderate drought, however, they first increased and then decreased under severe drought conditions. Following the extension of treatment time, malondialdehyde (MDA) showed an increasing trend. As drought increased, gibberellin (GA) content showed a decreasing trend, while abscisic acid (ABA), salicylic acid (SA), and zeatin nucleoside (ZA) content showed an increasing trend. The auxin (IAA) content of the two varieties showed opposite change trends. In short, drought had a significant impact on the physiology of these two soybean varieties; however, overall, the drought resistance of HN65 was lower than that of HN44. This study provides a research theoretical basis for addressing the drought resistance mechanism and the breeding of drought resistant soybean varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the gradual liberalization of China's energy market, the distributed characteristics of each entity in the community integrated energy system are more and more obvious, and the traditional centralized optimization is difficult to reveal the interaction between the entities. This paper aims to improve the profit of the community operator and the users' value-added benefit of energy use, and proposes a multi-energy transaction decision of a community integrated energy system considering user interaction. First, a refined model of user interaction, including energy conversion, is established, and then the optimization model of multi-energy transaction decision between the community operator and the users is constructed based on the master–slave game. The upper layer aims to maximize the profit of the community operator according to the energy use strategies' feedback from the users, decides the retail energy prices of the community operator to the users, and optimization variables include equipment output and energy purchased from the power grid and natural gas grid. The lower layer aims to maximize the value-added benefit of energy use for users. The users optimize their energy use strategies based on the retail energy prices published by the community operator. The model is solved by the differential evolution algorithm combined with the CPLEX solver. Finally, different scenarios are analyzed in a numerical example, and the results show that the strategy proposed in this paper to set community prices increases the community operator's profit and profit margin by 5.9% and 7.5%, respectively, compared to using market energy prices directly. At the same time, the value-added benefit to users also increases by 15.2%. The community operator and users can achieve a win–win situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in regulating many aspects of plant growth and development at the post-transcriptional level. Gerbera (Gerbera hybrida) is an important ornamental crop. However, the role of miRNAs in the growth and development of gerbera is still unclear. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to analyze the expression profiles of miRNAs in ray floret during inflorescence opening. A total of 164 miRNAs were obtained, comprising 24 conserved miRNAs and 140 novel miRNAs. Ten conserved and 15 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed during ray floret growth, and 607 differentially expressed target genes of these differentially expressed miRNAs were identified using psRNATarget. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression profiles of the miRNAs and their targets. The changes in expression of five miRNAs (ghy-miR156, ghy-miR164, ghy-miRn24, ghy-miRn75 and ghy-miRn133) were inversely correlated with the changes in expression of their eight target genes. The miRNA cleavage sites in candidate target gene mRNAs were determined using 5′-RLM-RACE. Several miRNA-mRNA pairs were predicted to regulate ray floret growth and anthocyanin biosynthesis. In conclusion, the results of small RNA sequencing provide valuable information to reveal the mechanisms of miRNA-mediated ray floret growth and anthocyanin accumulation in gerbera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea (Camelliasinensis) is the world's most widely consumed non-alcoholic beverage with essential economic and health benefits since it is an excellent source of polyphenols, catechins, amino acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, and polysaccharides. The aim of this review is to summarize the main secondary metabolites in tea plants, and the content and distribution of these compounds in six different types of tea and different organs of tea plant were further investigated. The application of these secondary metabolites on food processing, cosmetics industry, and pharmaceutical industry was reviewed in this study. With the rapid advancements in biotechnology and sequencing technology, omics analyses, including genome, transcriptome, and metabolome, were widely used to detect the main secondary metabolites and their molecular regulatory mechanisms in tea plants. Numerous functional genes and regulatory factors have been discovered, studied, and applied to improve tea plants. Research advances, including secondary metabolites, applications, omics research, and functional gene mining, are comprehensively reviewed here. Further exploration and application trends are briefly described. This review provides a reference for basic and applied research on tea plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As carbon-based nanomaterials, water-soluble C60 derivatives have potential applications in various fields of biomedicine. In this study, a water-soluble fullerene C60 derivative bearing alanine residues (Ala-C60) was synthesized. The effects of Ala-C60 on neural stem cells (NSCs) as seed cells were explored. Ala-C60 can promote the proliferation of NSCs, induce NSCs to differentiate into neurons, and inhibit the migration of NSCs. Most importantly, the Ala-C60 can significantly increase the cell viability of NSCs treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The glutathioneperoxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and glutathione (GSH) content increased significantly in NSCs treated even by 20 μM Ala-C60. These findings strongly indicate that Ala-C60 has high potential to be applied as a scaffold with NSCs for regeneration in nerve tissue engineering for diseases related to the nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicosis is the most prevalent occupational disease in China. It is a form of pulmonary fibrosis caused by the inhalation of silicon particles. As there is no cure for the potentially lethal and progressive condition, the treatment of silicotic fibrosis is an important and difficult problem to address. Thalidomide, a drug with anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties, has been reported to have lung-protective effects. The purpose of this study was to observe the therapeutic effect of thalidomide on silicotic mice and to determine the protective mechanism. By using silicotic mice models and MH-S cells, we found the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) pathway as well as inflammation-related factors were upregulated in the macrophages of silicotic mice. The same indexes were detected in silica-stimulated MH-S cells, and the results were consistent with those in vivo. That is, silica activated ER stress and the TLR4-NF-κB pathway as well as the inflammatory response in vitro. Treating both silicotic mice and silica-stimulated MH-S cells with thalidomide inhibited ER stress and the TLR4-NF-κB pathway as well as the inflammatory response. The present study demonstrates thalidomide as a potential therapeutic agent against silicosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paphiopedilum armeniacum S. C. Chen et F. Y. Liu is an endangered lady's slipper orchid species with high horticultural value. As observed for other orchids, mycorrhizal fungi and endophytic bacteria play important roles in the growth and development of P. armeniacum. In the present study, the community structure dynamics across three growth and development stages of cultivated P. armeniacum were investigated. The potential interactions between Tulasnellaceae fungi and core bacterial genera on one hand and the stability of the presumed mycorrhizal fungi communities on the other were analyzed in three growth stages of P. armeniacum to enhance our understanding of endophytic microbial community structure dynamics in the roots at different development stages. Based on sequencing, 3 and 16 phyla and 59 and 269 genera were identified in the fungal and bacterial communities, respectively. The predominant fungi and bacteria were Basidiomycota (62.90%) and Proteobacteria (43.98%), which exhibited changes in abundance and diversity depending on the growth stage of P. armeniacum. Assessment of the entire microbial communities from different growth stages showed that the seedling stage had the highest richness and diversity. The microbial communities recruited by P. armeniacum at the seedling stage were different from those recruited at the vegetative and reproductive growth stages, and the microbial communities recruited in the latter two stages overlapped. Tulasnellaceae were the only dominant fungal symbionts during P. armeniacum growth. Brevibacillus, Mycobacterium, and Sphingomonas, the three core genera, showed significant interactions with the main OTUs of Tulasnellaceae. Putative mycorrhizal fungi in P. armeniacum were relatively stable across different growth environments, and the core mycorrhizal fungi were uncultured Tulasnellaceae (OTU1). This could facilitate the ex situ conservation and commercial development of the endangered orchid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw returning is an important method of improving soil fertility and reducing environmental pollution. Controlled-release nitrogen fertilizer (CRN) is regarded as an effective way to reduce nitrogen (N) loss and increase N-use efficiency and crop yield. In order to determine the combined effects of straw management (straw removal and straw returning) and N-fertilization strategy (CK (no N), urea, CRN, and a mixture of urea and CRN (UC)) on lint yield, N utilization, and soil properties at harvest of field-seeded cotton, field experiments were conducted from 2018 to 2019. The results demonstrated that the lint yield was the highest with a combination of straw returning and UC, increasing by 4.2–46.9% over other combinations. Straw returning combined with UC facilitated biomass-accumulation and N-uptake from squaring to the boll-opening growth stage, contributing to higher N-agronomic-use efficiency and apparent recovery-use efficiency. Moreover, regardless of the straw management, CRN or UC treatment increased the soil microbial N content and sucrase activity at harvest compared to urea or CK treatment. In summary, straw returning combined with UC was beneficial to the lint yield, N utilization, and soil N availability, which might be an optimizing strategy for field-seeded cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is an important technique for studying gene expression analysis, but accurate and reliable results depend on the use of a stable reference gene. This study proposes to test the expression stability of candidate reference genes in the callus of Saussurea laniceps, a unique Tibetan medicinal plant. Based on the S. laniceps callus transcriptome, eleven candidate reference genes, including TUA2, TUB3, TUB8, TIF3B1, TIF3H1, ELF5A, PP2AA2, UEV1D, UBL5, UBC36, and SKIP1), were validated for RT-qPCR normalization in the callus under abiotic stress (salt, cold, and UV) and hormone treatments (abscisic acid, MeJA, and salicylic acid). The stability of the candidate genes was evaluated in all the samples of S. laniceps. Comprehensive analysis of all samples showed that the best reference genes were UBC36 and UBL5. ELF5A and TIF3B1 were ranked as the most stable genes in the sample sets under abiotic stress. For hormone stimulation, UBC36 and TIF3H1 genes had the best stability. This study provides useful guidelines and a starting point for reference gene selection for expression analysis using RT-qPCR techniques in S. laniceps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides cause a considerable amount of damage around the world every year. Landslide susceptibility assessments are useful for the mitigation of the associated potential risks to local economic development, land use planning, and decision makers. The main aim of this study was to present a novel hybrid approach of bagging (B)-based kernel logistic regression (KLR), named the BKLR model, for spatial prediction of landslides in the Shangnan County, China. We first selected 15 conditioning factors for landslide susceptibility modeling. Then, the prediction capability of all conditioning factors was evaluated using the least square support vector machine method. Model validation and comparison were performed based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and several statistical-based indexes, including positive predictive rate, negative predictive rate, sensitivity, specificity, kappa index, and root mean square error. Results indicated that the BKLR ensemble model outperformed and outclassed the KLR and the benchmark support vector machine model. Our findings overall confirmed that a combination of the meta model with a decision tree classifier based on a functional algorithm can decrease the over-fitting and variance problems of data, which could enhance the prediction power of the landslide model. The resultant susceptibility maps could be useful for hazard mitigation in the study area and other similar landslide-prone areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the biosensor research community has made rapid progress in the development of nanostructured materials capable of amplifying the interaction between light and biological matter. A common objective is to concentrate the electromagnetic energy associated with light into nanometer-scale volumes that, in many cases, can extend below the conventional Abbé diffraction limit. Dating back to the first application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for label-free detection of biomolecular interactions, resonant optical structures, including waveguides, ring resonators, and photonic crystals, have proven to be effective conduits for a wide range of optical enhancement effects that include enhanced excitation of photon emitters (such as quantum dots, organic dyes, and fluorescent proteins), enhanced extraction from photon emitters, enhanced optical absorption, and enhanced optical scattering (such as from Raman-scatterers and nanoparticles). The application of photonic metamaterials as a means for enhancing contrast in microscopy is a recent technological development. Through their ability to generate surface-localized and resonantly enhanced electromagnetic fields, photonic metamaterials are an effective surface for magnifying absorption, photon emission, and scattering associated with biological materials while an imaging system records spatial and temporal patterns. By replacing the conventional glass microscope slide with a photonic metamaterial, new forms of contrast and enhanced signal-to-noise are obtained for applications that include cancer diagnostics, infectious disease diagnostics, cell membrane imaging, biomolecular interaction analysis, and drug discovery. This paper will review the current state of the art in which photonic metamaterial surfaces are utilized in the context of microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]