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Rare earth phosphate (XPO 4 ) is an extremely important rare earth compound. It can exhibit excellent activity and stability in catalytic applications by modifying its inherent properties. Porous single-crystalline (PSC) PrPO 4 and SmPO 4 with a large surface area consist of ordered lattices and disordered interconnected pores, resulting in activity similar to nanocrystals and stability resembling bulk crystals. Herein, we present a study in which centimeter-scale PSC PrPO 4 and SmPO 4 monoliths were developed and oxygen defects in the crystal lattice were stabilized using single-crystal nature to synergistically improve catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODE). The surface structure of the oxygen vacancies with unsaturated coordination is favorable for the adsorption and activation of ethane. The PSC PrPO 4 and SmPO 4 monoliths showed favorable performance with ~51% conversion of C 2 H 6 and ~19% yield of C 2 H 4 at 600 °C, while also exhibiting superior long-term stability during the catalytic process over a period of 115 h. In the presented work, we investigate a practical method for development and application in single-crystalline porous rare earth phosphate materials.

Diamond wire saw silicon slurry (DWSSS) is a waste resource produced during the process of solar-grade silicon wafer preparation with diamond wire sawing. The DWSSS contains 6N grade high-purity silicon and offers a promising resource for high-purity silicon recycling. The current process for silicon extraction recovery from DWSSS presents the disadvantages of lower recovery and secondary pollution. This study focuses on the original DWSSS as the target and proposes flotation for efficiently extracting silicon. The experimental results indicate that the maximal recovery of silicon reached 98.2% under the condition of a dodecylamine (DDA) dosage of 0.6 g·L -1 and natural pH conditions within 24 min, and the flotation conforms to the first-order rate model. Moreover, the mechanism of the interface behavior between DWSSS and DDA revealed that DDA is adsorbed on the surface of silicon though adsorption, and the floatability of silicon is improved. The DFT calculation indicates that DDA can be spontaneously adsorbed with the silicon. The present study demonstrates that flotation is an efficient method for extracting silicon from DWSSS and provides an available option for silicon recovery.

The photovoltaic (PV) industry is developing rapidly to support energy transformation and emission reduction. In the whole PV industry chain, diamond wire saw silicon powder (DWSSP) waste is the most promising secondary resource for recycling high-purity silicon. DWSSP mainly contains metal impurities, and the treatment process based on hydrometallurgy can effectively remove metal impurities. The current DWSSP recovery process was divided into three categories: direct acid leaching, pyrometallurgy followed by acid leaching, and acid leaching followed by pyrometallurgy. This paper gives a comprehensive overview of these three purification processes from the aspects of impurity removal and recovery yield. The results suggest that acid leaching followed by pyrometallurgy is currently the most effective process for removing metal impurities from DWSSP. Moreover, this study underscores the potential for enhancing the purity of reclaimed silicon through the application of external field reinforcement, oxygen-regulated acid leaching, and surfactant-facilitated organic acid leaching and points out the development direction for promoting silicon recovery from DWSSP.

Background: Histone deacetylase 4 ( HDAC4 ) is a member of the class II histone deacetylase family, whose members play a crucial role in various biological processes. An in-depth investigation of the transcriptional characteristics of chicken HDAC4 can provide fundamental insights into its function., Methods: We examined HDAC4 expression in chicken embryonic stem cells (ESC) and spermatogonial stem cells (SSC) and cloned a 444 bp fragment from upstream of the chicken HDAC4 transcription start site. Subsequently, we constructed pEGFP-HDAC4 and a series of 5'-deletion luciferase reporter constructs, which we transfected into DF-1 cells to measure their transcriptional activity. The regulatory mechanisms of chicken HDAC4 expression were investigated by performing trichostatin A (TSA) treatment, deleting putative transcription factor binding sites, and altering transcription factor expression levels., Results: HDAC4 exhibited higher expression in SSC than in ESC. We confirmed that the upstream region from -295 bp to 0 bp is the core transcriptional region of HDAC4 . TSA effectively inhibited HDAC4 transcription, and bioinformatics analysis indicated that the chicken core HDAC4 promoter sequence exhibits high homology with those of other avian species. The myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (MYC) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF1A) transcription factors were predicted to bind to this core region. Treatment with TSA for 24 h resulted in the upregulation of MYC and HIF1A, which repressed HDAC4 transcription., Conclusions: Our results provide a basis for subsequent investigations into the regulation of HDAC4 expression and biological function.

Recently, the emergence of HP-PRRSV (Highly Pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus) and the exacerbation of mixed infections of PRRSV and PCV have resulted in significant economic losses for the Chinese pig industry. This study collected a total of 226 samples suspected of infection with the aforementioned viruses from diverse pig farms in seven urban districts of central and northern Guangdong Province between 2020 and 2022. The positive rates of PRRSV, PCV2, and PCV3 in the samples were 33.2%, 37.6%, and 7.5%, respectively, and there were various mixed-infection scenarios present in the samples. This study successfully isolated multiple strains of PRRSV2 and PCV2 from their positive samples, and obtained the gene sequences of six PCV3 ( ORF1 + ORF2 ) from samples. The associated sequences obtained were subjected to bioinformatic analysis and revealed the following:Predominantly prevalent strains of PRRSV in Guangdong Province include HP-PRRSV and NADC30-like variants, whereas PCV2 is primarily represented by the 2b and 2d subtypes. Specifically, the amino acid variation patterns exhibited by the PRRSV GP5 and NSP2 proteins of the strains sg_2108, qy_2008, and fs_2108 under environmental selective pressure are remarkably similar to the characteristics of Highly Pathogenic PRRSV; thus, it is inferred that they may possess higher virulence. The detected PCV3 strains were predominantly concentrated within the PCV3a-IM branch. All PRRSV strains involved in this study are wild-type-PRRSV (wt-PRRSV), comprising three recombinant strains and seven highly virulent strains. Among these strains, the ORF1a gene exhibited the highest variability in their genomes. Environmental selective pressure may enhance the virulence and immune evasion capabilities of PRRSV and drive mutations in the Cap proteins of PCV2 and PCV3. Conversely, PCV2 and PCV3 strains demonstrated greater stability in genetic evolution. In conclusion, this study enhances the epidemiological data regarding PRRSV, PCV2, and PCV3 in Guangdong Province, China, and is significant for the surveillance, prevention, and active control of these three diseases.

Background: The Jun proto-oncogene ( JUN ), also referred to as C-JUN , is an integral component of the JNK signaling pathway, which is crucial for the formation and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Investigations into the transcriptional regulation of chicken JUN can offer a molecular foundation for elucidating its mechanistic role in SSCs. Methods: In this study, we successfully cloned a 2000 bp upstream sequence of the JUN transcription start site and constructed a series of pGL3 recombinant vectors containing JUN promoters of varying lengths. Results: We verified the promoter activity of the 2000 bp upstream sequence by assessing the fluorescence intensity of DF-1 and identified the promoter activities of different regions via dual-luciferase assays. The transcription of JUN and its promoter region spanning -700 to 0 bp was modulated by an activator of the JNK signaling pathway. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that this -700 to 0 bp region was highly conserved among avian species and predicted the presence of binding sites for Wilms tumor 1 ( WT1 ) and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha ( CEBPA ). The JNK signaling pathway activator was found to upregulate the expression of these transcription factors in DF-1 cells. Through the deletion of binding sites and the overexpression of WT1 and CEBPA , we demonstrated that WT1 inhibited the transcription of JUN , while CEBPA promoted it. Conclusions: In conclusion, the -700 to 0 bp region is the key region of the JUN promoter, with WT1 inhibiting JUN transcription. The results of the study not only provide ideas for exploring the regulatory mechanism of JUN in chicken SSCs, but also lay an important foundation for the study of avian SSCs.

Porous materials are known for their excellent energy absorption capability and, thus, are widely used in anti-impact applications. However, how the pore shape and size impact the failure mechanism and overall behavior of the porous materials under impact loading is still unclear or limitedly touched. Instead of using homogeneous solids for the porous material model, pores with various shapes and sizes were implanted in a solid to establish the porous materials that have true porous structures, which permits exploration of the local failure mechanism. The results revealed that differently shaped holes have two different dominant deformation modes. And due to their different local stress distributions, they enter the plastic phase earlier and, thus, have higher specific energy absorption. Meanwhile, the model changes from hardening to a quasi-zero stiffness model as the hole size increases. The application of this work can be extended into the field of impact resistance.

Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) can electro-reduce carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide, which not only effectively utilizes greenhouse gases, but also converts excess electrical energy into chemical energy. Perovskite-based oxides with exsolved metal nanoparticles are promising cathode materials for direct electrocatalytic reduction of CO 2 through SOECs, and have thus received increasing attention. In this work, we doped Pr 0.7 Ba 0.3 MnO 3-δ at the B site, and after reduction treatment, metal nanoparticles exsolved and precipitated on the surface of the cathode material, thereby establishing a stable metal-oxide interface structure and significantly improving the electrocatalytic activity of the SOEC cathode materials. Through research, among the Pr 0.7 Ba 0.3 Mn 1-x Ni x O 3-δ (PBMN x = 0-1) cathode materials, it has been found that the Pr 0.7 Ba 0.3 Mn 0.9 Ni 0.1 O 3-δ (PBMN 0.1 ) electrode material exhibits greater catalytic activity, with a CO yield of 5.36 mL min -1 cm -2 and a Faraday current efficiency of ~99%. After 100 h of long-term testing, the current can still remain stable and there is no significant change in performance. Therefore, the design of this interface has increasing potential for development.

Polyamines play a pivotal role in cancer cell proliferation. The excessive polyamine requirement of these malignancies is satisfied through heightened biosynthesis and augmented extracellular uptake via the polyamine transport system (PTS) present on the cell membrane. Meanwhile, photodynamic therapy (PDT) emerges as an effective anti-cancer treatment devoid of drug resistance. Recognizing these intricacies, our study devised a novel polyamine-derived photosensitizer (PS) for targeted photodynamic treatment, focusing predominantly on pancreatic cancer cells. We synthesized and evaluated novel spermine-derived fluorescent probes (N2) and PS (N3), exhibiting selectivity towards pancreatic cancer cells via PTS. N3 showed minimal dark toxicity but significant phototoxicity upon irradiation, effectively causing cell death in vitro. A significant reduction in tumor volume was observed post-treatment with no pronounced dark toxicity using the pancreatic cancer CDX mouse model, affirming the therapeutic potential of N3. Overall, our findings introduce a promising new strategy for cancer treatment, highlighting the potential of polyamine-derived PSs in PDT.

Acute-phase serum amyloid A (SAA) can disrupt vascular homeostasis and is elevated in subjects with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Cyclic nitroxides (e.g., Tempo) are a class of piperidines that inhibit oxidative stress and inflammation. This study examined whether 4-methoxy-Tempo (4-MetT) inhibits SAA-mediated vascular and renal dysfunction. Acetylcholine-mediated vascular relaxation and aortic guanosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels both diminished in the presence of SAA. 4-MetT dose-dependently restored vascular function with corresponding increases in cGMP. Next, male ApoE-deficient mice were administered a vehicle (control, 100 µL PBS) or recombinant SAA (100 µL, 120 µg/mL) ± 4-MetT (at 15 mg/kg body weight via i.p. injection) with the nitroxide administered before (prophylaxis) or after (therapeutic) SAA. Kidney and hearts were harvested at 4 or 16 weeks post SAA administration. Renal inflammation increased 4 weeks after SAA treatment, as judged by the upregulation of IFN- γ and concomitant increases in iNOS, p38MAPK, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activities and increased renal fibrosis (Picrosirius red staining) in the same kidneys. Aortic root lesions assessed at 16 weeks revealed that SAA enhanced lesion size (vs. control; p < 0.05), with plaque presenting with a diffuse fibrous cap (compared to the corresponding aortic root from control and 4-MetT groups). The extent of renal dysfunction and aortic lesion size was largely unchanged in 4-MetT-supplemented mice, although renal fibrosis diminished at 16 weeks, and aortic lesions presented with redistributed collagen networks. These outcomes indicate that SAA stimulates renal dysfunction through promoting the IFN- γ -iNOS-p38MAPK axis, manifesting as renal damage and enhanced atherosclerotic lesions, while supplementation with 4-MetT only affected some of these pathological changes.

Aiming at the problem that traditional wireless sensor networks produce errors in the positioning and tracking of motorised targets due to noise interference, this paper proposes a motorised target tracking method with a convolutional bi-directional long and short-term memory neural network and extended Kalman filtering, which is trained by using the simulated RSSI value and the actual target value of motorised targets collected from the convolutional bi-directional neural network to the sensor anchor node, so as to obtain a more accurate initial value of the manoeuvre target, and at the same time, the extended Kalman filtering method is used to accurately locate and track the real-time target, so as to obtain the accurate positioning and tracking information of the real-time target. Through experimental simulation, it can be seen that the algorithm proposed in this paper has good tracking effect in both linear manoeuvre target tracking scenarios and non-linear manoeuvre target tracking scenarios.

Accelerometers are commonly used to measure vibrations for condition monitoring in mechanical and civil structures; however, their high cost and point-based measurement approach present practical limitations. With rapid advancements in computer vision and deep learning, research into tracking the motion of individual pixels with vision cameras has increased. The recently developed CoTracker, a transformer-based model, has demonstrated excellence in motion tracking, yet its performance in measuring structural vibrations has not been fully explored. This paper investigates the efficacy of the CoTracker model in extracting full-field structural vibrations using cameras. It is initially applied to capture the dense point movements in video sequences of a cantilever beam recorded using a high-speed camera. Subsequently, modal analysis using delay-embedding dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is conducted to extract modal parameters including natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes. The results, benchmarked against those from a reference accelerometer and the Finite Element Method (FEM) result, demonstrate CoTracker's high potential for general applicability in structural vibration measurements., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi symbiosis plays important roles in enhancing plant tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Aquaporins have also been linked to improved drought tolerance in plants and the regulation of water transport. However, the mechanisms that underlie this association remain to be further explored. In this study, we found that arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi symbiosis could induce the gene expression of the aquaporin ZmTIP2;3 in maize roots. Moreover, compared with the wild-type plants, the maize zmtip2;3 mutant also showed a lower total biomass, colonization rate, relative water content, and POD and SOD activities after arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi symbiosis under drought stress. qRT-PCR assays revealed reduced expression levels of stress genes including LEA3 , P5CS4 , and NECD1 in the maize zmtip2;3 mutant. Taken together, these data suggest that ZmTIP2;3 plays an important role in promoting maize tolerance to drought stress during arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi symbiosis.

The selection and breeding of good meat rabbit breeds are fundamental to their industrial development, and genomic selection (GS) can employ genomic information to make up for the shortcomings of traditional phenotype-based breeding methods. For the practical implementation of GS in meat rabbit breeding, it is necessary to assess different marker densities and GS models. Here, we obtained low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (lcWGS) data from 1515 meat rabbits (including parent herd and half-sibling offspring). The specific objectives were (1) to derive a baseline for heritability estimates and genomic predictions based on randomly selected marker densities and (2) to assess the accuracy of genomic predictions for single- and multiple-trait linear mixed models. We found that a marker density of 50 K can be used as a baseline for heritability estimation and genomic prediction. For GS, the multi-trait genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) model results in more accurate predictions for virtually all traits compared to the single-trait model, with improvements greater than 15% for all of them, which may be attributed to the use of information on genetically related traits. In addition, we discovered a positive correlation between the performance of the multi-trait GBLUP and the genetic correlation between the traits. We anticipate that this approach will provide solutions for GS, as well as optimize breeding programs, in meat rabbits.

Domestication has shaped the diverse characteristics of rabbits, including coat color, fur structure, body size, and various physiological traits. Utilizing whole-genome resequencing (DNBSEQ-T7), we analyzed the genetic diversity, population structure, and genomic selection across 180 rabbits from 17 distinct breeds to uncover the genetic basis of these traits. We conducted whole-genome sequencing on 17 rabbit breeds, identifying 17,430,184 high-quality SNPs and analyzing genomic diversity, patterns of genomic variation, population structure, and selection signatures related to coat color, coat structure, long hair, body size, reproductive capacity, and disease resistance. Through PCA and NJ tree analyses, distinct clusters emerged among Chinese indigenous rabbits, suggesting varied origins and domestication histories. Selective sweep testing pinpointed regions and genes linked to domestication and key morphological and economic traits, including those affecting coat color ( TYR , ASIP ), structure ( LIPH ), body size ( INSIG2 , GLI3 ), fertility ( EDNRA , SRD5A2 ), heat stress adaptation ( PLCB1 ), and immune response ( SEC31A , CD86 , LAP3 ). Our study identified key genomic signatures of selection related to traits such as coat color, fur structure, body size, and fertility; these findings highlight the genetic basis underlying phenotypic diversification in rabbits and have implications for breeding programs aiming to improve productive, reproductive, and adaptive traits. The detected genomic signatures of selection also provide insights into rabbit domestication and can aid conservation efforts for indigenous breeds.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) plays a crucial role in the acetylation of non-histone proteins and is notably implicated in angiogenesis, though its underlying mechanisms were previously not fully understood. This study conducted transcriptomic and proteomic analyses on vascular endothelial cells with HDAC6 knockdown, identifying endoglin (ENG) as a key downstream protein regulated by HDAC6. This protein is vital for maintaining vascular integrity and plays a complex role in angiogenesis, particularly in its interaction with bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9). In experiments using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the pro-angiogenic effects of BMP9 were observed, which diminished following the knockdown of HDAC6 and ENG. Western blot analysis revealed that BMP9 treatment increased SMAD1/5/9 phosphorylation, a process hindered by HDAC6 knockdown, correlating with reduced ENG expression. Mechanistically, our study indicates that HDAC6 modulates ENG transcription by influencing promoter activity, leading to increased acetylation of transcription factor SP1 and consequently altering its transcriptional activity. Additionally, the study delves into the structural role of HDAC6, particularly its CD2 domain, in regulating SP1 acetylation and subsequently ENG expression. In conclusion, the present study underscores the critical function of HDAC6 in modulating SP1 acetylation and ENG expression, thereby significantly affecting BMP9-mediated angiogenesis. This finding highlights the potential of HDAC6 as a therapeutic target in angiogenesis-related processes.

In order to investigate the durability of two kinds of fiber-reinforced composite materials, and obtain the degradation mechanism and failure model in a hygrothermal environment, E-glass- fiber-reinforced composite materials, glass fiber-reinforced epoxy vinyl ester and glass fiber-reinforced unsaturated polyester (named GF/VE and GF/UP, respectively) were chosen to suffer rigorous hygrothermal aging. Their mechanical performance was monitored during the aging process to evaluate their durability. The cause of deterioration of the composite was comprehensively analyzed. Based on the analysis results of attenuated total-reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), the change mechanism of chain structure of the resin molecule was proposed. SEM (scanning electron microscopy), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the microstructure and degradation mechanism of the fiber and the interface between fiber and matrix. The degradation mechanism of the composite system, including the resin, the fiber and the interface, was obtained, and it was found that the deterioration of the matrix resin caused by the hygrothermal environment was the main factor leading to the decline in composites performance.

In recent years, the development of image super-resolution (SR) has explored the capabilities of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The current research tends to use deeper CNNs to improve performance. However, blindly increasing the depth of the network does not effectively enhance its performance. Moreover, as the network depth increases, more issues arise during the training process, requiring additional training techniques. In this paper, we propose a lightweight image super-resolution reconstruction algorithm (SISR-RFDM) based on the residual feature distillation mechanism (RFDM). Building upon residual blocks, we introduce spatial attention (SA) modules to provide more informative cues for recovering high-frequency details such as image edges and textures. Additionally, the output of each residual block is utilized as hierarchical features for global feature fusion (GFF), enhancing inter-layer information flow and feature reuse. Finally, all these features are fed into the reconstruction module to restore high-quality images. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms other comparative algorithms in terms of both subjective visual effects and objective evaluation quality. The peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is improved by 0.23 dB, and the structural similarity index (SSIM) reaches 0.9607.

Diabetes patients need to monitor blood glucose all year round. In this article, a novel scheme is proposed for blood glucose detection. The proposed sensor is based on a U-shaped microfiber prepared using hydrogen-oxygen flame-heating technology, and then 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and glucose oxidase (GOD) are successively coated on the surface of the U-shaped microfiber via a coating technique. The glucose reacts with the GOD of the sensor surface to produce gluconic acid, which changes the effective refractive index and then shifts the interference wavelength. The structure and morphology of the sensor were characterized via scanning electron microscope (SEM) and confocal laser microscopy (CLM). The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the sensor is as high as 5.73 nm/(mg/mL). Compared with the glucose sensor composed of the same material, the sensitivity of the sensor increased by 329%. The proposed sensor has a broad application prospect in blood glucose detection of diabetic patients due to the advantages of miniaturization, high sensitivity, and good stability.

Heat shock factors ( HSF s) are the key regulators of heat stress responses and play pivotal roles in tissue development and the temperature-induced regulation of secondary metabolites. In order to elucidate the roles of HSF s in Cymbidium ensifolium , we conducted a genome-wide identification of CeHSF genes and predicted their functions based on their structural features and splicing patterns. Our results revealed 22 HSF family members, with each gene containing more than one intron. According to phylogenetic analysis, 59.1% of HSFs were grouped into the A subfamily, while subfamily HSFC contained only two HSFs. And the HSF gene families were differentiated evolutionarily between plant species. Two tandem repeats were found on Chr02, and two segmental duplication pairs were observed on Chr12, Chr17, and Chr19; this provided evidence for whole-genome duplication (WGD) events in C. ensifolium . The core region of the promoter in most CeHSF genes contained cis-acting elements such as AP2/ERF and bHLH, which were associated with plant growth, development, and stress responses. Except for CeHSF11 , 14 , and 19 , each of the remaining CeHSF s contained at least one miRNA binding site. This included binding sites for miR156, miR393, and miR319, which were responsive to temperature and other stresses. The HSF gene family exhibited significant tissue specificity in both vegetative and floral organs of C. ensifolium . CeHSF13 and CeHSF15 showed relatively significant expression in flowers compared to other genes. During flower development, CeHSF15 exhibited markedly elevated expression in the early stages of flower opening, implicating critical regulatory functions in organ development and floral scent-related regulations. During the poikilothermic treatment, CeHSF14 was upregulated over 200-fold after 6 h of heat treatment. CeHSF13 and CeHSF14 showed the highest expression at 6 h of low temperature, while the expression of CeHSF15 and CeHSF21 continuously decreased at a low temperature. The expression patterns of CeHSFs further confirmed their role in responding to temperature stress. Our study may help reveal the important roles of HSFs in plant development and metabolic regulation and show insight for the further molecular design breeding of C. ensifolium .

Dynamic visual vending machines are rapidly growing in popularity, offering convenience and speed to customers. However, there is a prevalent issue with consumers damaging goods and then returning them to the machine, severely affecting business interests. This paper addresses the issue from the standpoint of defect detection. Although existing industrial defect detection algorithms, such as PatchCore, perform well, they face challenges, including handling goods in various orientations, detection speeds that do not meet real-time monitoring requirements, and complex backgrounds that hinder detection accuracy. These challenges hinder their application in dynamic vending environments. It is crucial to note that efficient visual features play a vital role in memory banks, yet current memory repositories for industrial inspection algorithms do not adequately address the problem of location-specific feature redundancy. To tackle these issues, this paper introduces a novel defect detection algorithm for goods using adaptive subsampling and partitioned memory banks. Firstly, Grad-CAM is utilized to extract deep features, which, in combination with shallow features, mitigate the impact of complex backgrounds on detection accuracy. Next, graph convolutional networks extract rotationally invariant features. The adaptive subsampling partitioned memory bank is then employed to store features of non-defective goods, which reduces memory consumption and enhances training speed. Experimental results on the MVTec AD dataset demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves a marked improvement in detection speed while maintaining accuracy that is comparable to state-of-the-art models.

Existing vision-based fatigue detection methods commonly utilize RGB cameras to extract facial and physiological features for monitoring driver fatigue. These features often include single indicators such as eyelid movement, yawning frequency, and heart rate. However, the accuracy of RGB cameras can be affected by factors like varying lighting conditions and motion. To address these challenges, we propose a non-invasive method for multi-modal fusion fatigue detection called RPPMT-CNN-BiLSTM. This method incorporates a feature extraction enhancement module based on the improved Pan-Tompkins algorithm and 1D-MTCNN. This enhances the accuracy of heart rate signal extraction and eyelid features. Furthermore, we use one-dimensional neural networks to construct two models based on heart rate and PERCLOS values, forming a fatigue detection model. To enhance the robustness and accuracy of fatigue detection, the trained model data results are input into the BiLSTM network. This generates a time-fitting relationship between the data extracted from the CNN, allowing for effective dynamic modeling and achieving multi-modal fusion fatigue detection. Numerous experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, achieving an accuracy of 98.2% on the self-made MDAD (Multi-Modal Driver Alertness Dataset). This underscores the feasibility of the algorithm. In comparison with traditional methods, our approach demonstrates higher accuracy and positively contributes to maintaining traffic safety, thereby advancing the field of smart transportation.

Auxin Response Factors (ARFs) mediate auxin signaling and govern diverse biological processes. However, a comprehensive analysis of the ARF gene family and identification of their key regulatory functions have not been conducted in Melastoma dodecandrum , leading to a weak understanding of further use and development for this functional shrub. In this study, we successfully identified a total of 27 members of the ARF gene family in M. dodecandrum and classified them into Class I-III. Class II-III showed more significant gene duplication than Class I, especially for MedARF16s. According to the prediction of cis-regulatory elements, the AP2/ERF, BHLH, and bZIP transcription factor families may serve as regulatory factors controlling the transcriptional pre-initiation expression of MedARF . Analysis of miRNA editing sites reveals that miR160 may play a regulatory role in the post-transcriptional expression of MeARF . Expression profiles revealed that more than half of the MedARFs exhibited high expression levels in the stem compared to other organs. While there are some specific genes expressed only in flowers, it is noteworthy that MedARF16s , MedARF7A , and MedARF9B , which are highly expressed in stems, also demonstrate high expressions in other organs of M. dodecandrum . Further hormone treatment experiments revealed that these MedARFs were sensitive to auxin changes, with MedARF6C and MedARF7A showing significant and rapid changes in expression upon increasing exogenous auxin. In brief, our findings suggest a crucial role in regulating plant growth and development in M. dodecandrum by responding to changes in auxin. These results can provide a theoretical basis for future molecular breeding in Myrtaceae.

A method utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) has been developed and refined for the simultaneous detection of florfenicol (FF) and its metabolite florfenicol amine (FFA) along with three fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin (CIP), enrofloxacin (ENR), and sarafloxacin (SAR)) residues in different parts of eggs (whole egg, egg yolk, and egg albumen). The QuEChERS ("Quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe") procedure utilized 0.1 M disodium EDTA solution, water, and acetonitrile as extractants; sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, and trisodium citrate as dehydrating salts; and N-propylethylenediamine and C18 as adsorbents. A dual-channel FLD method was utilized to analyze the target compounds using an XBridge BEH C18 chromatographic column (4.6 mm × 150 mm, 5 μm). The mobile phase was employed isocratically using a solution of 0.01 M sodium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.005 M sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 0.1% triethylamine (pH 4.8) in combination with acetonitrile at a ratio of 65:35 ( V / V ). The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of the analytes ranged from 0.03 to 1.5 µg/kg and from 0.1 to 5.0 µg/kg, respectively. The recoveries of the analytes in the blank egg samples ranged from 71.9% to 94.8% when reference standard concentrations of the LOQ, half of the maximum residual limit (MRL), MRL, and twice the MRL were added. The parameters of the presented protocol were validated and subsequently applied to the analysis of real samples, demonstrating the applicability and reliability of the method.

Though conserved in higher plants, the WOX transcription factors play crucial roles in plant growth and development of Melastoma dodecandrum Lour., which shows pioneer position in land ecosystem formation and produces nutritional fruits. Identifying the WOX family genes in M. dodecandrum is imperative for elucidating its growth and development mechanisms. However, the WOX genes in M. dodecandrum have not yet been characterized. In this study, by identification 22 WOX genes in M. dodecandrum based on current genome data, we classified family genes into three clades and nine types with homeodomains. We highlighted gene duplications of MedWOX4 , which offered evidences of whole-genome duplication events. Promoter analysis illustrated that cis-regulatory elements related to light and stress responses and plant growth were enriched. Expression pattern and RT-qPCR results demonstrated that the majority of WOX genes exhibited expression in the stem. MedWOX13s displayed highest expression across various tissues. MedWOX4s displayed a specific expression in the stem. Collectively, our study provided foundations for elucidating WOX gene functions and further molecular design breeding in M. dodecandrum .

Ensuring food security for the global population is a ceaseless and critical issue. However, high-salinity and high-alkalinity levels can harm agricultural yields throughout large areas, even in largely agricultural countries, such as China. Various physical and chemical treatments have been employed in different locations to mitigate high salinity and alkalinity but their effects have been minimal. Numerous researchers have recently focused on developing effective and environmentally friendly biological treatments. Endophytes, which are naturally occurring and abundant in plants, retain many of the same characteristics of plants owing to their simultaneous evolution. Therefore, extraction of endophytes from salt-tolerant plants for managing plant growth in saline-alkali soils has become an important research topic. This extraction indicates that the soil environment can be fundamentally improved, and the signaling pathways of plants can be altered to increase their defense capacity, and can even be inherited to ensure lasting efficacy. This study discusses the direct and indirect means by which plant endophytes mitigate the effects of plant salinity stress that have been observed in recent years.

Anther culture (AC) is a valuable technique in rice breeding. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying anther culturability remain elusive, which has hindered its widespread adoption in rice breeding programs. During AC, microspores carrying favorable alleles for AC are selectively regenerated, leading to segregation distortion (SD) of chromosomal regions linked to these alleles in the doubled haploid (DH) population. Using the AC method, a DH population was generated from the japonica hybrid rice Shenyou 26. A genetic map consisting of 470 SNPs was constructed using this DH population, and SD analysis was performed at both the single- and two-locus levels to dissect the genetic basis underlying anther culturability. Five segregation distortion loci (SDLs) potentially linked to anther culturability were identified. Among these, SDL5 exhibited an overrepresentation of alleles from the female parent, while SDL1.1 , SDL1.2 , SDL2 , and SDL7 displayed an overrepresentation of alleles from the male parent. Furthermore, six pairs of epistatic interactions (EPIs) that influenced two-locus SDs in the DH population were discovered. A cluster of genetic loci, associated with EPI-1, EPI-3, EPI-4, and EPI-5, overlapped with SDL1.1 , indicating that the SDL1.1 locus may play a role in regulating anther culturability via both additive and epistatic mechanisms. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic control of anther culturability in rice and lay the foundation for future research focused on identifying the causal genes associated with anther culturability.

AP2/ERF transcription factors play crucial roles in various biological activities, including plant growth, development, and responses to biotic and abiotic stressors. However, limited research has been conducted on the AP2/ERF genes of Melastoma dodecandrum for breeding of this potential fruit crop. Leveraging the recently published whole genome sequence, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of this superfamily and explored the expression patterns of AP2/ERF genes at a genome-wide level. A significant number of genes, totaling 218, were discovered to possess the AP2 domain sequence and displayed notable structural variations among five subfamilies. An uneven distribution of these genes was observed on 12 pseudochromosomes as the result of gene expansion facilitated by segmental duplications. Analysis of cis-acting elements within promoter sites and 87.6% miRNA splicing genes predicted their involvement in multiple hormone responses and abiotic stresses through transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations. Transcriptome analysis combined with qRT-PCR results indicated that certain candidate genes are involved in tissue formation and the response to developmental changes induced by IAA hormones. Overall, our study provides valuable insights into the evolution of ERF genes in angiosperms and lays a solid foundation for future breeding investigations aimed at improving fruit quality and enhancing adaptation to barren land environments.

There have been some studies conducted about the single factor viscoelasticity of polymer solution or wettability effect on the micro-flow mechanism of polymer flooding. In this paper, the flow mechanism of polymer solution in dual heterogeneous reservoir considering the wettability and gravity was studied. The influences of wettability and rock particle shape on flow characteristics were studied based on the characteristics of saturation and pressure distribution. Compared with the simulation results of polymer flooding in three different rock particle shapes porous media, the oil displacement efficiency of the circular particle model is the highest at 91.57%, which is 3.34% and 11.48% higher than that in the hexagonal and diamond models, respectively. The influence of wettability was studied by the circular particle model. The oil displacement efficiency under water-wet conditions was higher than that under oil-wet conditions. The displacement process considering gravity was affected by the crossflow caused by gravity and viscous force, and the micro-oil displacement efficiency was 9.87% lower than that of non-gravity. Considering the wettability, vertical crossflow will be formed. The oil displacement efficiency under water-wet conditions was 3.9% higher than in oil-wet conditions. The research results can not only expand and enrich the micro-flow mechanism of viscoelastic polymer solution, but also provide reference and guidance for polymer flooding scheme design.

In order to improve the accuracy and universality of the nonlinear viscoelastic-plastic mechanical behavior characterization method of asphalt mixture, a new criterion for the division of the creep process of materials was established based on the strain yield characteristics, and the coexistence mechanism of Viscoelastic-Viscoplastic strain was proposed in the subsequent yield phase; then, a viscoelastic element was constructed in the form of a parallel connection of two fractional viscoelastic elements based on fractional calculus theory, and its mathematical equations were derived; with novel viscoelastic elements, a constitutive model characterizing the whole creep process of asphalt mixtures was developed and its analytical expression was derived. The laboratory short-term creep test of Cement and Asphalt Mortar (CA mortar) and the simulation test data of asphalt mixtures from the references were used to verify the constitutive model. The results show that the creep constitutive model of asphalt mixture established in this paper has excellent fitting accuracy for different phases of the creep process of asphalt mixture under different stress levels, where the minimum fitting correlation values R 2 for CA mortar, asphalt mixture (applied to pavement engineering), and asphalt sand are 0.9976, 0.981, and 0.979, respectively. Therefore, this model can be used to provide a theoretical reference for the study of the characterization of the mechanical behavior of asphalt materials.

The role of gga-miR-31 in chicken germ cell differentiation and spermatogenesis is of significant importance. The transcriptional properties of gga-miR-31 are crucial in establishing the foundation for the formation of chicken spermatogonia stem cells and spermatogenesis. In this study, a series of recombinant vectors including varying lengths of the gga-miR-31 promoter were predicted and constructed. Through the utilization of the dual luciferase reporting system, the upstream -2180~0 bp region of gga-miR-31 was identified as its promoter region. Furthermore, it was predicted and confirmed that the activity of the gga-miR-31 promoter is increased by retinoic acid (RA). The binding of RA to the gga-miR-31 and Stra8 promoter regions was found to be competitive. Through the deletion of C-jun binding sites and the manipulation of C-jun expression levels, it was determined that C-jun inhibits the activity of the gga-miR-31 promoter. Furthermore, the combined treatment of C-jun and RA demonstrated that the positive regulatory effect of RA on the gga-miR-31 promoter is attenuated in the presence of high levels of C-jun. Overall, this study establishes a foundation for further investigation into the regulatory mechanisms of gga-miR-31 action, and provides a new avenue for inducing chicken embryonic stem cells (ESC) to differentiate into spermatogonial stem cells (SSC), and sperm formation.

The exploration of cost-effective and sustainable biomass-derived carbon materials as electrodes for energy conversion and storage has gained extensive attention in recent research studies. However, the selection of the biomass and the electrochemical performance regulation of the derived biochar, as well as their interrelationship still remain challenging for practical application. Herein, corn wastes with high carbon content (>40%), corn cob and corn silk, were selected as precursors for the preparation of high value-added and high yield carbon materials via a modified synthetic process. Uniquely, this work put emphasis on the theoretical and experimental investigations of how the biomass properties influence the composition and nanostructure regulation, the electrolyte ion adsorption free energy, and the electrical conductivity of the derived carbon materials as well as their electrochemical performance optimization. Owing to the favorable specific surface area, the hierarchical porous structure, and the diverse elemental distribution, corn cob and corn silk derived carbon materials (CBC and SBC) present great potential as promising electrodes for alkaline aqueous zinc batteries and supercapacitors. The assembled CBC//Zn and SBC//Zn zinc batteries deliver high energy densities of 63.0 Wh kg -1 and 39.1 Wh kg -1 at a power density of 575 W kg -1 , with excellent cycling performance of 91.1% and 84.3% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles. As for the assembled symmetric supercapacitors, high energy densities of 14.9 Wh kg -1 and 13.6 Wh kg -1 , and superior long-term cycling stability of 99.3% and 96.6% capacitance retention after 20,000 cycles could be achieved. This study highlights the advantages of utilizing corn cob and corn silk as carbon sources on the designed synthesis of carbon electrodes, and presents a meaningful perspective in the investigation of biomass-derived carbon materials and their potential applications in rechargeable devices.

Target biomarkers for H 2 at both the protein and genome levels are still unclear. In this study, quantitative proteomics acquired from a mouse model were first analyzed. At the same time, functional pathway analysis helped identify functional pathways at the protein level. Then, bioinformatics on mRNA sequencing data were conducted between sepsis and normal mouse models. Differential expressional genes with the closest relationship to disease status and development were identified through module correlation analysis. Then, common biomarkers in proteomics and transcriptomics were extracted as target biomarkers. Through analyzing expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), colocalization analysis on Apoa2 and sepsis phenotype was conducted by summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR). Then, two-sample and drug-target, syndrome Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were all conducted using the Twosample R package. For protein level, protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) of the target biomarker were also included in MR. Animal experiments helped validate these results. As a result, Apoa2 protein or mRNA was identified as a target biomarker for H 2 with a protective, causal relationship with sepsis. HDL and type 2 diabetes were proven to possess causal relationships with sepsis. The agitation and inhibition of Apoa2 were indicated to influence sepsis and related syndromes. In conclusion, we first proposed Apoa2 as a target for H 2 treatment.

Male infertility is a global issue that seriously affects reproductive health. This study aimed to understand the underlying causes of idiopathic non-obstructive azoospermia (iNOA), which is a type of male infertility with unknown origins that accounts for 10-15% of cases. By using single-cell analysis techniques, we aimed to uncover the mechanisms of iNOA and gain insight into the cellular and molecular changes in the testicular environment. In this study, we performed bioinformatics analysis using scRNA-seq and microarray data obtained from the GEO database. The analysis included techniques such as pseudotime analysis, cell-cell communication, and hdWGCNA. Our study showed a significant difference between the iNOA and the normal groups, indicating a disorder in the spermatogenic microenvironment in iNOA. We observed a reduction in the proportion of Sertoli cells and blocked germ cell differentiation. Additionally, we found evidence of testicular inflammation related to macrophages and identified ODF2 and CABYR as potential biomarkers for iNOA.

The Clostridium perfringens ( C. perfringen ) beta2 (CPB2) toxin produced by C. perfringens type C ( CpC ) can cause necrotizing enteritis in piglets. Immune system activation in response to inflammation and pathogen infection is aided by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). In our previous work, we revealed the differential expression of the novel lncRNA LNC&#95;001186 in CpC -infected ileum versus healthy piglets. This implied that LNC&#95;001186 may be a regulatory factor essential for CpC infection in piglets. Herein, we analyzed the coding ability, chromosomal location and subcellular localization of LNC&#95;001186 and explored its regulatory role in CPB2 toxin-induced apoptosis of porcine small intestinal epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells. RT-qPCR results indicated that LNC&#95;001186 expression was highly enriched in the intestines of healthy piglets and significantly increased in CpC -infected piglets' ileum tissue and CPB2 toxin-treated IPEC-J2 cells. The total sequence length of LNC&#95;001186 was 1323 bp through RACE assay. CPC and CPAT, two online databases, both confirmed that LNC&#95;001186 had a low coding ability. It was present on pig chromosome 3. Cytoplasmic and nuclear RNA isolation and RNA-FISH assays showed that LNC&#95;001186 was present in the nucleus and cytoplasm of IPEC-J2 cells. Furthermore, six target genes of LNC&#95;001186 were predicted using cis and trans approaches. Meanwhile, we constructed ceRNA regulatory networks with LNC&#95;001186 as the center. Finally, LNC&#95;001186 overexpression inhibited IPEC-J2 cells' apoptosis caused by CPB2 toxin and promoted cell viability. In summary, we determined the role of LNC&#95;001186 in IPEC-J2 cells' apoptosis caused by CPB2 toxin, which assisted us in exploring the molecular mechanism of LNC&#95;001186 in CpC -induced diarrhea in piglets.

A novel precolumn derivatization-GC-MS/MS method was developed for the determination of decoquinate residues in chicken tissues (muscle, liver, and kidney). The samples were extracted and purified by liquid-liquid extraction combined with solid-phase extraction and derivatized with acetic anhydride and pyridine. The recovery rates for decoquinate were 77.38~89.65%, and the intra-day and inter-day RSDs were 1.63~5.74% and 2.27~8.06%, respectively. The technique parameters meet the necessities for veterinary drug residue detection in China, the US, and the EU. Finally, the method was applied to analyze tissues of 60 chickens bought from a neighborhood supermarket, and solely one sample of chicken muscle contained 15.6 μg/kg decoquinate residue.

Innate and adaptive immune responses comprise a complex network of protein-protein and protein-cell interactions that regulates commensal flora and protects organisms from foreign pathogens and transformed (proliferating) host cells under physiological conditions such as pregnancy, growth and development as well as formulating a response pathological challenge [...].

Solar sailing enables efficient propellant-free attitude adjustment and orbital maneuvers of solar sail spacecraft with high area-to-mass ratios. However, the heavy supporting mass for large solar sails inevitably leads to low area-to-mass ratios. Inspired by chip-scale satellites, a chip-scale solar sail system named ChipSail, consisting of microrobotic solar sails and a chip-scale satellite, was proposed in this work. The structural design and reconfigurable mechanisms of an electrothermally driven microrobotic solar sail made of Al\Ni 50 Ti 50 bilayer beams were introduced, and the theoretical model of its electro-thermo-mechanical behaviors was established. The analytical solutions to the out-of-plane deformation of the solar sail structure appeared to be in good agreement with the finite element analysis (FEA) results. A representative prototype of such solar sail structures was fabricated on silicon wafers using surface and bulk microfabrication, followed by an in-situ experiment of its reconfigurable property under controlled electrothermal actuation. The experimental results demonstrated significant electro-thermo-mechanical deformation of such microrobotic bilayer solar sails, showing great potential in the development of the ChipSail system. Analytical solutions to the electro-thermo-mechanical model, as well as the fabrication process and characterization techniques, provided a rapid performance evaluation and optimization of such microrobotic bilayer solar sails for the ChipSail.

Piglet diarrhea caused by Clostridium perfringens ( C. perfringens ) type C ( CpC ) seriously endangers the development of the pig production industry. C. perfringens beta2 (CPB2) toxin is a virulent toxin produced by CpC . Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators in the immune inflammatory response to bacterial infection. Nevertheless, the functional mechanism of lncRNAs in bacterial piglet diarrhea is unclear. Herein, a novel lncRNA lnc001776 expression was confirmed to be substantially elevated in the ileum tissue of CpC -infected diarrhea piglets and in CPB2 toxin-treated porcine small intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2). lnc001776 knockdown restrained CPB2 toxin-induced apoptosis, inflammatory injury, barrier dysfunction and activation of JNK/NF-kB pathway in IPEC-J2 cells. Additionally, ssc-let-7i-5p was identified as sponge for lnc001776. Overexpression of ssc-let-7i-5p repressed CPB2-induced injury in IPEC-J2 cells. Interleukin 6 ( IL-6 ), a target gene of ssc-let-7i-5p, was enhanced in CPB2 toxin-treated IPEC-J2 cells. Rescue experiments demonstrated that a ssc-let-7i-5p mimic reversed the effect of lnc001776 overexpression on CPB2 toxin-induced IPEC-J2 cell injury and JNK/NF-kB pathway, whereas IL-6 overexpression partially restored the impact of lnc001776. Overall, lnc001776 overexpression exacerbated CPB2 toxin-induced IPEC-J2 cell damage by sponging ssc-let-7i-5p to regulate IL-6 to activate JNK/NF-kB pathway, indicating that lnc001776 could be a key target for piglet resistance to CpC -induced diarrhea.

Aiming at the recognition of intelligent retail dynamic visual container goods, two problems that lead to low recognition accuracy must be addressed; one is the lack of goods features caused by the occlusion of the hand, and the other is the high similarity of goods. Therefore, this study proposes an approach for occluding goods recognition based on a generative adversarial network combined with prior inference to address the two abovementioned problems. With DarkNet53 as the backbone network, semantic segmentation is used to locate the occluded part in the feature extraction network, and simultaneously, the YOLOX decoupling head is used to obtain the detection frame. Subsequently, a generative adversarial network under prior inference is used to restore and expand the features of the occluded parts, and a multi-scale spatial attention and effective channel attention weighted attention mechanism module is proposed to select fine-grained features of goods. Finally, a metric learning method based on von Mises-Fisher distribution is proposed to increase the class spacing of features to achieve the effect of feature distinction, whilst the distinguished features are utilized to recognize goods at a fine-grained level. The experimental data used in this study were all obtained from the self-made smart retail container dataset, which contains a total of 12 types of goods used for recognition and includes four couples of similar goods. Experimental results reveal that the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity under improved prior inference are 0.7743 and 0.0183 higher than those of the other models, respectively. Compared with other optimal models, mAP improves the recognition accuracy by 1.2% and the recognition accuracy by 2.82%. This study solves two problems: one is the occlusion caused by hands, and the other is the high similarity of goods, thus meeting the requirements of commodity recognition accuracy in the field of intelligent retail and exhibiting good application prospects., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) has been widely used in structural and functional ceramics because of its excellent physicochemical properties. In this paper, the density, average gain size, phase structure, and mechanical and electrical properties of conventionally sintered (CS) and two-step sintered (TSS) 5YSZ and 8YSZ are investigated in detail. As the grain size of YSZ ceramics became smaller, dense YSZ materials with a submicron grain size and low sintering temperature were optimized in terms of their mechanical and electrical properties. 5YSZ and 8YSZ in the TSS process significantly improved the plasticity, toughness, and electrical conductivity of the samples and significantly suppressed the rapid grain growth. The experimental results showed that the hardness of the samples was mainly affected by the volume density, that the maximum fracture toughness of 5YSZ increased from 3.514 MPa·m 1/2 to 4.034 MPa·m 1/2 in the TSS process, an increase of 14.8%, and that the maximum fracture toughness of 8YSZ increased from 1.491 MPa·m 1/2 to 2.126 MPa·m 1/2 , an increase of 42.58%. The maximum total conductivity of the 5YSZ and 8YSZ samples under 680 °C increased from 3.52 × 10 -3 S/cm and 6.09 × 10 -3 S/cm to 4.52 × 10 -3 S/cm and 7.87 × 10 -3 S/cm, an increase of 28.41% and 29.22%, respectively.

As small commodity features are often few in number and easily occluded by hands, the overall detection accuracy is low, and small commodity detection is still a great challenge. Therefore, in this study, a new algorithm for occlusion detection is proposed. Firstly, a super-resolution algorithm with an outline feature extraction module is used to process the input video frames to restore high-frequency details, such as the contours and textures of the commodities. Next, residual dense networks are used for feature extraction, and the network is guided to extract commodity feature information under the effects of an attention mechanism. As small commodity features are easily ignored by the network, a new local adaptive feature enhancement module is designed to enhance the regional commodity features in the shallow feature map to enhance the expression of the small commodity feature information. Finally, a small commodity detection box is generated through the regional regression network to complete the small commodity detection task. Compared to RetinaNet, the F1-score improved by 2.6%, and the mean average precision improved by 2.45%. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method can effectively enhance the expressions of the salient features of small commodities and further improve the detection accuracy for small commodities.

It is essential to estimate the indoor pesticides/insecticides exposure risk since reports show that 80% of human exposure to pesticides occurs indoors. As one of the three major contamination sources, surface collected pesticides contributed significantly to this risk. Here, a highly sensitive liquid freestanding membrane (FSM) SERS method based on iodide modified silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was developed for quantitative detection of insecticide deltamethrin (DM) residues in solution phase samples and on surfaces with good accuracy and high sensitivity. The DM SERS spectrum from 500 to 2500 cm -1 resembled the normal Raman counterpart of solid DM. Similar bands at 563, 1000, 1165, 1207, 1735, and 2253 cm -1 were observed as in the literature. For the quantitative analysis, the strongest peak at 1000 cm -1 that was assigned to the stretching mode of the benzene ring and the deformation mode of C-C was selected. The peak intensity at 1000 cm -1 and the concentration of DM showed excellent linearity from 39 to 5000 ppb with a regression equation I = 649.428 + 1.327 C (correlation coefficient R 2 = 0.991). The limit of detection (LOD) of the DM was found to be as low as 11 ppb. Statistical comparison between the proposed and the HPLC methods for the analysis of insecticide deltamethrin (DM) residues in solution phase samples showed no significant difference. DM residue analysis on the surface was mimicked by dropping DM pesticide on the glass surface. It is found that DM exhibited high residue levels up to one week after exposure. This proposed SERS method could find application in the household pesticide residues analysis.

Paenibacillus mucilaginosus has widely been reported as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). However, the important genomic insights into plant growth promotion in this species remain undescribed. In this study, the genome of P. mucilaginosus G78 was sequenced using Illumina NovaSeq PE150. It contains 8,576,872 bp with a GC content of 58.5%, and was taxonomically characterized. Additionally, a total of 7337 genes with 143 tRNAs, 41 rRNAs, and 5 ncRNAs were identified. This strain can prohibit the growth of the plant pathogen, but also has the capability to form biofilm, solubilize phosphate, and produce IAA. Twenty-six gene clusters encoding secondary metabolites were identified, and the genotypic characterization indirectly proved its resistant ability to ampicillin, bacitracin, polymyxin and chloramphenicol. The putative exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and biofilm formation gene clusters were explored. According to the genetic features, the potential monosaccharides of its exopolysaccharides for P. mucilaginosus G78 may include glucose, mannose, galactose, fucose, that can probably be acetylated and pyruvated. Conservation of the pelADEFG compared with other 40 Paenibacillus species suggests that Pel may be specific biofilm matrix component in P. mucilaginosus . Several genes relevant to plant growth-promoting traits, i.e., IAA production and phosphate solubilization are well conserved compared with other 40 other Paenibacillus strains. The current study can benefit for understanding the plant growth-promoting traits of P. mucilaginosus as well as its potential application in agriculture as PGPR.

(1) Background: The declined function of peripheral circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in aging individuals resulted in decreased endothelial cell regeneration and vascular endothelial function. Improving EPCs function in aging individuals plays an important role in preventing cardiovascular diseases. (2) Methods: Thirty aged (18-month-old) male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control and exercise groups. An aerobic exercise intervention was performed 5 days/week for 8 weeks. EPCs functions, miR-21-5p, and TSP-1 expressions were detected after the intervention. The senescence rate, proliferation, and migration of EPCs were examined after overexpression of miR-21-5p and inhibition of TSP-1 expression. (3) Results: The senescence rate, proliferation, and migration of EPCs in exercise groups were significantly improved after exercise intervention. The miR-21-5p expression was increased and the TSP-1 mRNA expression was decreased in the EPCs after the intervention. miR-21-5p overexpression can improve EPCs function and inhibit TSP-1 expression but has no effect on senescence rate. Inhibition of TSP-1 expression could improve the function and reduce the senescence rate. (4) Conclusions: Our results indicate that long-term aerobic exercise can improve the functions of EPCs in aging individuals by downregulating TSP-1 expression via miR-21-5p, which reveals the mechanism of exercise in improving cardiovascular function.

Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent type of regulated cell death, is triggered by the accumulation of lethal lipid peroxides. Due to its potential in exploring disease progression and highly targeted therapies, it is still a widely discussed topic nowadays. In recent studies, it was found that ferroptosis was induced when testicular tissue was exposed to some high-risk factors, such as cadmium (Cd), busulfan, and smoking accompanied by a variety of reproductive damage characteristics, including changes in the specific morphology and ferroptosis-related features. In this literature-based review, we summarize the related mechanisms of ferroptosis and elaborate upon its relationship network in the male reproductive system in terms of three significant events: the abnormal iron metabolism, dysregulation of the Cyst(e)ine/GSH/GPX4 axis, and lipid peroxidation. It is meaningful to deeply explore the relationship between ferroptosis and the male reproductive system, which may provide suggestions regarding pristine therapeutic targets and novel drugs.

Clostridium perfringens beta2 (CPB2) toxin is one of the main pathogenic toxins produced by Clostridium perfringens , which causes intestinal diseases in animals and humans. The N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most common reversible modification in eukaryotic disease processes. Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) regulates immunity and inflammatory responses induced by the bacterial infections in animals. However, METTL3's involvement in CPB2-treated intestinal porcine epithelial cell line-J2 (IPEC-J2) remains unclear. In the current study, we used methylated RNA immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay to determine the role of METTL3 in CPB2-exposed IPEC-J2 cells. The findings revealed that m6A and METTL3 levels were increased in CPB2 treated IPEC-J2 cells. Functionally, METTL3 overexpression promoted the release of inflammatory factors, increased cytotoxicity, decreased cell viability and disrupted tight junctions between cells, while the knockdown of METTL3 reversed these results. Furthermore, METTL3 was involved in the inflammatory response of IPEC-J2 cells by activating the TLR2/NF-κB signaling pathway through regulating TLR2 m6A levels. In conclusion, METTL3 overexpression triggered the TLR2/NF-κB signaling pathway and promoted CPB2-induced inflammatory responses in IPEC-J2 cells. These findings may provide a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea caused by Clostridium perfringens .

Ecological agricultural technology is the key method for making the transition from traditional agriculture to ecological agriculture, and is also the basic measure for promoting the transformation and upgrading of the tea industry and sustainable development. This study explores the influencing factors and mechanisms of tea farmers' adoption of ecological agricultural technology by using the extended model of the unified theory of technology adoption and use (UTAUT) based on perceived value. The analysis results, using the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM), show that: the positive impact of perceived value on willingness to use not only makes the explanatory power of the extended model greater than that of the original model but also expands the UTAUT model into a full mediating model, in which performance expectation has the greatest impact on behavioral intention through the implemented value. Effect expectation, social influence and factoring factors following, then the four intermediary paths have significant positive effects on behavioral intention. This study improves on the limitations of the UTAUT theoretical model through the theory of perceived value, and provides a reference for research on the same topic. At the same time, the government should provide tea farmers with enhanced subsidies, skills training and communication platforms.

In this study, Irisensata Thunb grass (ITG) was used as a biomass carbon resource to prepare biochars for the first time. After microbial treatment, the obtained microbial-treated ITG (MITG) was activated by using a mixed base as an activator for preparation of biochar (MITGB). The specific surface area and total pore volume of MITGB were 3036.4 m 2 /g and 1.5252 cm 3 /g, which were higher than those of biochar prepared without microbial treatment (ITGB, 2930.0 m 2 /g and 1.5062 cm 3 /g). Besides, the physicochemical properties of MITGB and ITGB were also quite different including micro morphology, surface chemistry, functional groups, etc. In the experiment of removing organic pollutants with synthetic dye RhB and antibiotic TH as the models, MITGB showed excellent treatment ability. The maximum adsorption capacities of MITGB for RhB and TH were 1354.2 and 1462.6 mg/g, which were higher than most of the biochars. In addition, after five cycles of recycling, the adsorption capacities of the organic pollutant models can still be maintained at more than 80%, which showed high stability. This work verified the feasibility of microbial treatment to further improve the performance of biochar and provided a new idea and direction for exploring other biochars.

In recent years, the information crosstalk between the central nervous system and the periphery has been a hot topic, such as the brain-gut axis, brain-lung axis, etc. Among them, some studies have shown that brainstem nuclei activity can significantly affect the progression of peripheral tumor; however, regarding lung cancer, our understanding of the basic characteristics of the lung-innervating brain nuclei responsive to lung cancer progression remains deficient. Therefore, we used the pseudorabies virus for retrograde labeling of nerves to study the neural circuits between the lung and brain. We then established a mouse orthotopic lung cancer model and used the expression of the c-Fos gene in brain regions to characterize activated brain circuits and compared these results with those of the control group. We focused on c-Fos activity in nuclei associated with retrograde tracing regions of the brainstem. We found over 16 nuclei in the whole brain with direct or indirect lung innervation through neural retrograde labeling with the pseudorabies virus. We further revealed that the neuronal activity of the rostral ventrolateral reticular nucleus (RVL), caudal nucleus of Raphe (raphe obscurus nucleus, ROb), Raphe pallidus nucleus (RPa), and ventral gigantocellular reticular nucleus (GiV) in the rostral ventromedial and lateral medulla were significantly changed in an orthotopic lung cancer mouse model by the immunostaining of c-Fos early responsive protein. Thus, the distinctive rostroventral medulla area, functionally closely related to the vagus nerve, likely plays a role in central neural interaction with peripheral lung tumors and deserves future investigation.