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Spermatogenesis is critical for insect reproduction and is regulated by many different genes. In this study, we found that Forkhead transcription factor Fd59a functions as a key factor in the spermatogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. Fd59a contains a conversed Forkhead domain, and it is clustered to the FoxD subfamily with other FoxD members from some insect and vertebrate species. Mutations in Fd59a caused swelling in the apical region of the testis. More importantly, fewer mature sperm were present in the seminal vesicle of Fd59a mutant flies compared to the control flies, and the fertility of Fd59a2/2 mutant males was significantly lower than that of the control flies. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the homeostasis of the testis stem cell niche in Fd59a2/2 mutant and Fd59a RNAi flies was disrupted and the apoptosis of sperm bundles was increased. Furthermore, results from RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR suggested that Fd59a can regulate the expression of genes related to reproductive process and cell death. Taken together, our results indicated that Fd59a plays a key role in the spermatogenesis of Drosophila.

In order to precisely reproduce the precise seeding process of the population in the air-suction seed-metering device, it is necessary to execute accurate modeling of seed particles using the bonded-particle model, in combination with the discrete element method (DEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Through the repose angle, slope screening, rotating container, and particle sedimentation experiments, in this paper, the influence of the filling accuracy of the bonded-particle model on the flow behavior and mixing characteristics of the seed population was first explored based on EDEM software. The viability of the suggested modeling approach for pelleted vegetable seeds, as described in this study, was confirmed by comparing experimental and simulation outcomes. The surface roughness values obtained from the studies above were utilized to assess the accuracy of the bonded-particle model in filling. Additionally, a mathematical technique for determining the surface roughness was provided. Furthermore, an analysis of the multiple contacts in the bonded-particle model was also performed. The results indicated that the simulation results closely matched the experimental data when the number of sub-spheres in the bonded-particle model was equal to or more than 70, as measured by the standard deviation. In addition, the most optimal modeling scheme for the pelletized vegetable seed bonded-particles, based on the cost of coupling simulation, was found to be the bonded-particle surface roughness (BS) with a value of 0.1. Ultimately, a practical example was utilized to demonstrate the utilization of the pelleted vegetable seed bonded-particle model and the DEM-CFD coupling approach in analyzing the accuracy of the seeding process in the air-suction seed-metering device. This example will serve as a valuable reference point for future field studies.

As the raw material for tea making, the quality of tea leaves directly affects the quality of finished tea. The quality of fresh tea leaves is mainly assessed by manual judgment or physical and chemical testing of the content of internal components. Physical and chemical methods are more mature, and the test results are more accurate and objective, but traditional chemical methods for measuring the biochemical indexes of tea leaves are time-consuming, labor-costly, complicated, and destructive. With the rapid development of imaging and spectroscopic technology, spectroscopic technology as an emerging technology has been widely used in rapid non-destructive testing of the quality and safety of agricultural products. Due to the existence of spectral information with a low signal-to-noise ratio, high information redundancy, and strong autocorrelation, scholars have conducted a series of studies on spectral data preprocessing. The correlation between spectral data and target data is improved by smoothing noise reduction, correction, extraction of feature bands, and so on, to construct a stable, highly accurate estimation or discrimination model with strong generalization ability. There have been more research papers published on spectroscopic techniques to detect the quality of tea fresh leaves. This study summarizes the principles, analytical methods, and applications of Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in the nondestructive testing of the quality and safety of fresh tea leaves for the purpose of tracking the latest research advances at home and abroad. At the same time, the principles and applications of other spectroscopic techniques including Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), Mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIRS), Raman spectroscopy (RS), and other spectroscopic techniques for non-destructive testing of quality and safety of fresh tea leaves are also briefly introduced. Finally, in terms of technical obstacles and practical applications, the challenges and development trends of spectral analysis technology in the nondestructive assessment of tea leaf quality are examined.

Brucella, a zoonotic facultative intracellular pathogenic bacterium, poses a significant threat both to human health and to the development of the livestock industry. Alanine racemase (Alr), the enzyme responsible for alanine racemization, plays a pivotal role in regulating virulence in this bacterium. Moreover, Brucella mutants with alr gene deletions (Δalr) exhibit potential as vaccine candidates. However, the mechanisms that underlie the detrimental effects of alr knockouts on Brucella pathogenicity remain elusive. Here, initially, we conducted a bioinformatics analysis of Alr, which demonstrated a high degree of conservation of the protein within Brucella spp. Subsequent metabolomics studies unveiled alterations in amino acid pathways following deletion of the alr gene. Furthermore, alr deletion in Brucella suis S2 induced decreased resistance to stress, antibiotics, and other factors. Transmission electron microscopy of simulated macrophage intracellular infection revealed damage to the cell wall in the Δalr strain, whereas propidium iodide staining and alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase assays demonstrated alterations in cell membrane permeability. Changes in cell wall properties were revealed by measurements of cell surface hydrophobicity and zeta potential. Finally, the diminished adhesion capacity of the Δalr strain was shown by immunofluorescence and bacterial enumeration assays. In summary, our findings indicate that the alr gene that regulates amino acid metabolism in Brucella influences the properties of the cell wall, which modulates bacterial adherence capability. This study is the first demonstration that Alr impacts virulence by modulating bacterial metabolism, thereby providing novel insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of Brucella spp.

Nitrogen content is one of the essential elements in citrus leaves (CL), and many studies have been conducted to determine the nutrient content in CL using hyperspectral technology. To address the key problem that the conventional spectral data-denoising algorithms directly discard high-frequency signals, resulting in missing effective signals, this study proposes a denoising preprocessing algorithm, complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise joint sparse representation (CEEMDAN–SR), for CL hyperspectral data. For this purpose, 225 sets of fresh CL were collected at the Institute of Fruit Tree Research of the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, to measure their elemental nitrogen content and the corresponding hyperspectral data. First, the spectral data were preprocessed using CEEMDAN–SR, Stein’s unbiased risk estimate and the linear expansion of thresholds (SURE–LET), sparse representation (SR), Savitzky–Golay (SG), and the first derivative (FD). Second, feature extraction was carried out using principal component analysis (PCA), uninformative variables elimination (UVE), and the competitive adaptive re-weighted sampling (CARS) algorithm. Finally, partial least squares regression (PLSR), support vector regression (SVR), random forest (RF), and Gaussian process regression (GPR) were used to construct a CL nitrogen prediction model. The results showed that most of the prediction models preprocessed using the CEEMDAN–SR algorithm had better accuracy and robustness. The prediction models based on CEEMDAN–SR preprocessing, PCA feature extraction, and GPR modeling had an R2 of 0.944, NRMSE of 0.057, and RPD of 4.219. The study showed that the CEEMDAN–SR algorithm can be effectively used to denoise CL hyperspectral data and reduce the loss of effective information. The prediction model using the CEEMDAN–SR+PCA+GPR algorithm could accurately obtain the nitrogen content of CL and provide a reference for the accurate fertilization of citrus trees.

In recent years, infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria have greatly threatened human health and imposed a burden on global public health. To overcome this crisis, there is an urgent need to seek effective alternatives to single antibiotic therapy to circumvent drug resistance and prevent MDR bacteria. According to previous reports, cinnamaldehyde exerts antibacterial activity against drug-resistant Salmonella spp. This study was conducted to investigate whether cinnamaldehyde has a synergistic effect on antibiotics when used in combination, we found that cinnamaldehyde enhanced the antibacterial activity of ceftriaxone sodium against MDR Salmonella in vitro by significantly reduced the expression of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase, inhibiting the development of drug resistance under ceftriaxone selective pressure in vitro, damaging the cell membrane, and affecting its basic metabolism. In addition, it restored the activity of ceftriaxone sodium against MDR Salmonella in vivo and inhibited peritonitis caused by ceftriaxone resistant strain of Salmonella in mice. Collectively, these results revealed that cinnamaldehyde can be used as a novel ceftriaxone adjuvant to prevent and treat infections caused by MDR Salmonella, mitigating the possibility of producing further mutant strains.

Scutellaria barbata D. Don (SB, Chinese: Ban Zhi Lian), a well-known medicinal plant used in traditional Chinese medicine, is rich in flavonoids. It possesses antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activities. In this study, we evaluated the inhibitory activities of SB extracts and its active components against HIV-1 protease (HIV-1 PR) and SARS-CoV2 viral cathepsin L protease (Cat L PR). UPLC/HRMS was used to identify and quantify the major active flavonoids in different SB extracts, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assays were used to determine HIV-1 PR and Cat L PR inhibitions and identify structure–activity relationships. Molecular docking was also performed, to explore the diversification in bonding patterns of the active flavonoids upon binding to the two PRs. Three SB extracts (SBW, SB30, and SB60) and nine flavonoids inhibited HIV-1 PR with an IC50 range from 0.006 to 0.83 mg/mL. Six of the flavonoids showed 10~37.6% inhibition of Cat L PR at a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL. The results showed that the introduction of the 4′-hydroxyl and 6-hydroxyl/methoxy groups was essential in the 5,6,7-trihydroxyl and 5,7,4′-trihydroxyl flavones, respectively, to enhance their dual anti-PR activities. Hence, the 5,6,7,4′-tetrahydroxyl flavone scutellarein (HIV-1 PR, IC50 = 0.068 mg/mL; Cat L PR, IC50 = 0.43 mg/mL) may serve as a lead compound to develop more effective dual protease inhibitors. The 5,7,3′,4′-tetrahydroxyl flavone luteolin also showed a potent and selective inhibition of HIV-1 PR (IC50 = 0.039 mg/mL).

Detection rapidity and model accuracy are the keys to hyperspectral nondestructive testing technology, especially for Pennisetum sinese Roxb (PsR) due to its extremely high adsorptive heavy metal content. The study of the resolution of PsR is conducive to the analysis of the accumulated heavy metal content in its different parts. In this paper, the contents of Cd, Cu and Zn accumulated in the old leaves, young leaves, upper stem, middle stem and lower stem, as well as the hyperspectral data of the corresponding parts, were measured simultaneously in both fresh and dry states. To begin, the spectral data of PsR were preprocessed by using Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition-Daubechies3 (EEMD-db3), Savitzky–Golay (SG), Symlet3 (sym3), Symlet5 (sym5), and multiplicative scatter correction (MSC). The 40 samples were divided into 32 training sets and 8 validation sets. The preprocessed spectral data were transformed by the first derivative (FD) and reciprocal logarithm (log(1/R)) to highlight the singularities using binary wavelet decomposition. After screening the significant bands from the correlation curve, the competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and successive projection algorithm (SPA) were applied to extract the spectral characteristic variables, which were used to establish the partial least-squares (PLS) regression and multiple stepwise linear regression (MSLR) inversion models of Cd, Cu, and Zn contents. Based on EEMD-db3 pretreatment, the inversion model of Zn in the dry (fresh) state had R2 values of 0.884 (0.880), NRMSE values of 0.179 (0.253) and RPD values of 3.191 (3.221), indicating excellent stability and predictive performance. The findings of this study can not only aid in the rapid nondestructive detection of heavy metal adsorption in various parts of PsR, but can also be applied to guide the development and use of animal feed.

Crop productivity and yield are adversely affected by the deficiency of P in agricultural soil. Phosphate fertilizers are used at a large scale to improve crop yields globally. With the rapid increase in human population, food demands are also increasing. To see that crop yields meet demands, farmers have continuously added phosphate fertilizers to their arable fields. As the primary source of inorganic phosphorous, rock phosphate is finite and the risk of its being jeopardized in the foreseeable future is high. Therefore, there is a dire need to improve plant-available P in soil, using feasible, environmentally friendly technologies developed on the basis of further understanding of P dynamics between soil and plants. This study systemically reviews the mechanism of P uptake and P-use efficiency by plants under starvation conditions. The recent advances in various strategies, especially imaging techniques, over the period 2012–2021 for the measurement of plant-available P are identified. The study then examines how plants fulfill P requirements from tissue-stored P during P starvation. Following this understanding, various strategies for increasing plant-available P in agricultural soil are evaluated. Finally, an update on novel carriers used to improve the P content of agricultural soil is provided.

Rational surface engineering of noble metal-doped photocatalysts is essential for the efficient conversion of solar energy into chemical energy, but it is still challenging to perform. Herein, we reported an effective strategy for structuring alloyed CuPd (CP) nanoclusters on the ordered mesoporous TiO2 (CPT) by a pore confinement effect. The resultant CPT exhibited an extraordinary photocatalytic activity during Stille reaction under visible light. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra, the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images, and the aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) images demonstrated that CP nanoclusters were anchored in the mesoporous pore wall of TiO2, and the atomic ratio as well as densities of CP could be precisely modulated via the coordination configuration. As the atomic ratio of CP to TiO2 increased to a certain extent, their photocatalytic activity during Stille reaction increased. A mechanistic investigation suggested that the CP alloy could absorb visible light and its conduction electrons gained energy, which were available at the surface Pd sites. This allowed the Pd sites to become electron-rich and to accelerate the rate-determining step of the Stille reaction. As a result, the efficiency of the photocatalytic Stille coupling reaction was extraordinary enhanced.

Influenza A virus (IAV) is widespread in wild bird reservoirs. Sixteen hemagglutinin subtypes are associated with wild waterfowl hosts; some subtypes are isolated infrequently, one of which is H12 IAV. In this study, we detected three H12 IAVs from Anascrecca and Anas formosa in Poyang Lake, China, in 2018, one of which was isolated. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genome sequences of the three H12 viruses belonged to the Eurasian lineage, except for PA genes and one NP gene, which belonged to the North American lineage. The growth kinetics showed that the H12 isolate grew better in A549 than MDCK cells. Moreover, although the H12 isolate cannot efficiently replicate in BALB/c mice, it can bind to both α-2,6 sialic acid (SA) and α-2,SA-linked receptors. In addition, we examined the phylodynamics of H12 viruses by Bayesian phylogeographic analysis. The results show that two major transmission routes of H12 IAVs were from Asia to Oceania and from Europe to South America, and Anas and Arenaria genera were the major hosts of the viral transmission. Our findings help us better understand the evolution of H12 IAV and highlight the need for the continued surveillance of IAVs circulating in wild birds.

The prevention of falls in older people requires the identification of the most important risk factors. Frailty is associated with risk of falls, but not all falls are of the same nature. In this work, we utilised data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing to implement Random Forests and Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) techniques for the prediction of different types of falls and analysed their contributory factors using 46 input features that included those of a previously investigated frailty index. Data of participants aged 65 years and older were fed into four random forest models (all falls or syncope, simple fall, complex fall, and syncope). Feature importance rankings were based on mean decrease in impurity, and Shapley additive explanations values were calculated and visualised. Female sex and a previous fall were found to be of high importance in all of the models, and polypharmacy (being on five or more regular medications) was ranked high in the syncope model. The more ‘accidental’ (extrinsic) nature of simple falls was demonstrated in its model, where the presence of many frailty features had negative model contributions. Our results highlight that falls in older people are heterogenous and XAI can provide new insights to help their prevention.

Irrigated agriculture has undergone rapid developments in China, which has greatly increased food production but overexploited water resources as well. Spatial information on irrigated cropland is critical to balance irrigation yield gains against the negative impact on water resources. However, remote-sensing-based maps on irrigated areas with short temporal coverage often suffer from undermined accuracy in humid areas and inconsistency with statistics, which limit their applications in food policy and water management. The following study integrates existing irrigation maps, observed data on irrigated cropping system, and statistics by a synergy approach to map irrigated areas in China from 2000 to 2019. We also incorporate past information on actual irrigation to avoid divergence between observations and statistics from its fluctuation. Afterwards, 614 reference samples across mainland China have been used to validate resultant maps, which show that outperformance was above overall accuracy and Kappa coefficients. Moreover, our maps share a similar spatial pattern with Irrimap-Syn maps rather than remote-sensing-based maps (CCI-LC). Irrigated areas have grown rapidly from 55.42 Mha in 2000 to 71.33 Mha in 2019 but with different growth trends in different regions. Simultaneous large-scale expansion and abandonment occur in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain and Yangtze River Basin, while the Northwest Inland Region and the Northeast Plain are the two largest net area gains. Rainfed croplands are dominant sources of expansion, followed by pastures, respectively, with over 70% and 20% contributions in total gains. This not only is a shift from rainfed to irrigated systems but also indicates an intensification of agriculture, which might contribute to agricultural drought reductions in the north and wide soil suitability. Other efforts on agricultural sustainability also have been detected, such as geographical shifts from vulnerable to relatively suitable areas, grain for green, cropland protection, and cropland protection in the competition of urbanization.

In this study, the protein bioaccessibility of soymilk gels produced by the addition of glu-cono-δ-lactone (GDL) and fermentation with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was examined using an in vitro gastrointestinal simulated digestion model. The in vitro protein digestibility, soluble protein content, free amino acids contents, degree of hydrolysis, electrophoretic patterns, and peptide content were measured. The results suggested that acid-induced soymilk gel generated by GDL (SG) showed considerably reduced in vitro protein digestibility of 75.33 ± 1.00% compared to the soymilk gel induced by LAB (SL) of 80.57 ± 1.53% (p < 0.05). During the gastric digestion stage, dramatically higher (p < 0.05) soluble protein contents were observed in the SG (4.79–5.05 mg/mL) than that of SL (4.31–4.35 mg/mL). However, during the later intestinal digestion phase, the results were the opposite. At the end of the gastrointestinal digestion phase, the content of small peptides was not significantly different (p > 0.05) between the SL (2.15 ± 0.03 mg/mL) and SG (2.17 ± 0.01 mg/mL), but SL showed higher content of free amino acids (20.637 g/L) than that of SG (19.851 g/L). In general, soymilk gel induced by LAB had a higher protein bioaccessibility than the soymilk gel coagulated by GDL.

RNase H1s are associated with growth and development in both plants and animals, while the roles of RNase H1s in bryophytes have been rarely reported. Our previous data found that PpRNH1A, a member of the RNase H1 family, could regulate the development of Physcomitrium (Physcomitrella) patens by regulating the auxin. In this study, we further investigated the biological functions of PpRNH1A and found PpRNH1A may participate in response to heat stress by affecting the numbers and the mobilization of lipid droplets and regulating the expression of heat-related genes. The expression level of PpRNH1A was induced by heat stress (HS), and we found that the PpRNH1A overexpression plants (A-OE) were more sensitive to HS. At the same time, A-OE plants have a higher number of lipid droplets but with less mobility in cells. Consistent with the HS sensitivity phenotype in A-OE plants, transcriptomic analysis results indicated that PpRNH1A is involved in the regulation of expression of heat-related genes such as DNAJ and DNAJC. Taken together, these results provide novel insight into the functions of RNase H1s.

Oxypeucedanin, a furanocoumarin extracted from many traditional Chinese herbal medicines, has a variety of pharmacological effects. However, the independent pharmacokinetic characteristics and bioavailability of this compound remains elusive. In this study, a rapid, sensitive, and selective method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS/MS) was developed for evaluating the intravenous and oral pharmacokinetics of oxypeucedanin. After intravenous administration of oxypeucedanin (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg), and intragastric administration of oxypeucedanin (20 mg/kg), blood samples were collected periodically from the tail vein. The plasma concentration-time curves were plotted, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using a non-compartmental model analysis. After intravenous administration of oxypeucedanin (single dosing at 2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) to rats, the pharmacokinetics fit the linear kinetics characteristics, which showed that some parameters including average elimination half-life (T1/2Z of 0.61~0.66 h), mean residence time (MRT of 0.62~0.80 h), apparent volume of distribution (VZ of 4.98~7.50 L/kg), and systemic clearance (CLZ of 5.64~8.55 L/kg/h) are dose-independent and the area under concentration-time curve (AUC) increased in a dose-proportional manner. Single oral administration of oxypeucedanin (20 mg/kg) showed poor and slow absorption with the mean time to reach the peak concentration (Tmax) of 3.38 h, MRT of 5.86 h, T1/2Z of 2.94 h, and a mean absolute bioavailability of 10.26% in rats. These results provide critical information for a better understanding of the pharmacological effect of oxypeucedanin, which will facilitate its research and development.

This article proposes a method for compiling the load spectra of reducers for hybrid electric vehicles. Selecting typical working conditions for real vehicle data collection, the load data under each typical working condition were divided into five categories according to the state of the power source and the data were preprocessed. The optimal sample loads for compiling load spectra were obtained based on a multi-criteria decision-making method, rainflow counting for optimal sample loads was performed according to different power source output patterns, non-parametric extrapolation was performed to obtain the full-life two-dimensional load spectrum after dimensionality reduction, and a full-life eight-level programmed load spectrum that could be used for bench tests was obtained. Using the programmed load spectrum and the extracted sample load as the load input, a fatigue life prediction simulation of the reducer gear of a hybrid electric vehicle was carried out. The reducer gear fatigue life from the programmed load spectrum was compared to the gear fatigue life under actual load. The fatigue life of the reducer gear when the programmed load spectrum was used as the input was 1.412 × 103. When the actual load was used as the input load, the fatigue life of the reducer gear was 1.933 × 103. The relative error between the two is only 26%, which is in the normal range. The results show that the programmed load spectrum is effective and reliable and that the load spectrum compilation method provides a basis for accurately evaluating the reliability of the hybrid electric vehicle reducer.

The air-suction precision seed-metering device is prone to the instability of the seed adsorption state, which arises from blockage of the suction hole and leads to uneven seeding. This paper analyzed and determined key structural parameters of the seed-metering plate, then established an adsorption mechanics model of the seed during the migration process and designed the key structure of the air-suction seed-metering device with the aim of improving the uniformity of high-speed direct seeding of vegetables. Furthermore, we used the DEM-CFD coupling method to analyze the influence of the law of seeds on the change of the flow field with different hole types. Results showed that the turbulent kinetic energy (202.65 m2∙s−2) and the coupling force to the seeds (0.029 N) of the B-type hole are the largest, which is the best fluid domain structure for the suction hole of the seed-metering plate. Moreover, we used Adams to analyze the meshing process between the knock-out wheel and the seed-metering plate, affirming the rationality of the knock-out wheel design. Finally, in order to improve the working efficiency of the seed-metering device, we performed one-factor and response surface experiments of seeding performance using the air-suction seed-metering device designed with the optimized structure as the experimental object. Analysis of the influence of weights across each factor on the experimental performance evaluation indicators revealed an optimal combination of seeding performance parameters in the air-suction seed-metering device, namely a seed-throwing angle of 13°, a working speed of 14.5 km/h, and negative pressure of 3.1 kPa. Results from verification experiments revealed the corresponding experimental indicators, namely qualified, multiple, and missing indexes of 95.9, 1.2%, and 2.9%, respectively.

The urban heat island (UHI) effect can contribute to extreme heat exposure. This can be detrimental to human health. In this paper, we propose a method to estimate air temperature to evaluate the spatial distribution and to monitor the intensity of the air urban heat island (AUHI) from existing GPS infrastructure. The proposed algorithm is based on the relationship between the refractivity of the troposphere and environmental variables, as well as the relationships between the zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD), a by-product of the precise point positioning technique, and the refractivity of the troposphere. The advantage of GPS data is its high temporal resolution and the availability of embedded GPS receivers. In this paper, GPS-derived ZTD data from stations in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China and Tokyo in Japan are processed to estimate the hourly AUHI intensity. The results derived from this technique are validated using meteorological data in the same cities. Mean absolute error values of 0.79 °C in Hong Kong and 0.22 °C in Tokyo are found from data from the summer. Moreover, an overall accuracy of 0.51 °C is found.

Background: The recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 lineage and its sublineages (Omicron variant) pose a new challenge to healthcare systems worldwide due to its ability to efficiently spread in immunized populations and its resistance to currently available monoclonal antibody therapies. RT-PCR-based variant tests can be used to screen large sample-sets rapidly and accurately for relevant variants of concern (VOC). The aim of this study was to establish and validate a multiplex assay on the cobas 6800/8800 systems to allow discrimination between the two currently circulating VOCs, Omicron and Delta, in clinical samples. Methods: Primers and probes were evaluated for multiplex compatibility. Analytic performance was assessed using cell culture supernatant of an Omicron variant isolate and a clinical Delta variant sample, normalized to WHO-Standard. Clinical performance of the multiplex assay was benchmarked against NGS results. Results: In silico testing of all oligos showed no interactions with a high risk of primer-dimer formation or amplification of human DNA/RNA. Over 99.9% of all currently available Omicron variant sequences are a perfect match for at least one of the three Omicron targets included in the multiplex. Analytic sensitivity was determined as 19.0 IU/mL (CI95%: 12.9–132.2 IU/mL) for the A67V + del-HV69-70 target, 193.9 IU/mL (CI95%: 144.7–334.7 IU/mL) for the E484A target, 35.5 IU/mL (CI95%: 23.3–158.0 IU/mL) for the N679K + P681H target and 105.0 IU/mL (CI95%: 80.7–129.3 IU/mL) for the P681R target. All sequence variances were correctly detected in the clinical sample set (225/225 Targets). Conclusion: RT-PCR-based variant screening compared to whole genome sequencing is both rapid and reliable in detecting relevant sequence variations in SARS-CoV-2 positive samples to exclude or verify relevant VOCs. This allows short-term decision-making, e.g., for patient treatment or public health measures.

The application of agricultural robots can liberate labor. The improvement of robot sensing systems is the premise of making it work. At present, more research is being conducted on weeding and harvesting systems of field robot, but less research is being conducted on crop disease and insect pest perception, nutritional element diagnosis and precision fertilizer spraying systems. In this study, the effects of the nitrogen application rate on the absorption and accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in sweet maize were determined. Firstly, linear, parabolic, exponential and logarithmic diagnostic models of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents were constructed by spectral characteristic variables. Secondly, the partial least squares regression and neural network nonlinear diagnosis model of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents were constructed by the high-frequency wavelet sensitivity coefficient of binary wavelet decomposition. The results show that the neural network nonlinear diagnosis model of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content based on the high-frequency wavelet sensitivity coefficient of binary wavelet decomposition is better. The R2, MRE and NRMSE of nn of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were 0.974, 1.65% and 0.0198; 0.969, 9.02% and 0.1041; and 0.821, 2.16% and 0.0301, respectively. The model can provide growth monitoring for sweet corn and a perception model for the nutrient element perception system of an agricultural robot, while making preliminary preparations for the realization of intelligent and accurate field fertilization.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of fogging on the effectiveness of a lead glass shield in protecting an operator from radiation exposure during conventional coronary angiography (CAG). Optically stimulated luminescence dosimeters (OSLDs) were used to measure the effects of fogged lead glass shields (FLSs) and clear lead glass shields (CLSs) on the radiation doses of a cardiac catheterization surgeon. We simulated the scatter radiation incident on the operator with five angiographic projections with 10-s exposures. Experiments were conducted with a field of view of 25 cm, maximum of 100 cm between the X-ray tube and image intensifier, and 80 cm between the image intensifier and operator. Lead glass fogging had no significant effect at any angiographic projection. The average dose at the lens of the eye, thyroid glands, and gonads did not differ significantly between FLS and CLS. Although most surgeons view ceiling-suspended shields as hindrances during surgical procedures, the radiation dose at the operator’s eyes and thyroid glands increased by 13 and 10 times without the shield. The fogging of the shield is probably caused by post-surgery UV decontamination or detergents. An operator has no cause for concern regarding the radiation protection afforded by an FLS during CAG procedures.

Background: The recent emergence of distinct and highly successful SARS-CoV-2 lineages has substantial implications for individual patients and public health measures. While next-generation-sequencing is routinely performed for surveillance purposes, RT-qPCR can be used to rapidly rule-in or rule-out relevant variants, e.g., in outbreak scenarios. The objective of this study was to create an adaptable and comprehensive toolset for multiplexed Spike-gene SNP detection, which was applied to screen for SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 lineage variants. Methods: We created a broad set of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-assays including del-Y144/145, E484K, E484Q, P681H, P681R, L452R, and V1176F based on a highly specific multi-LNA (locked nucleic acid)-probe design to maximize mismatch discrimination. As proof-of-concept, a multiplex-test was compiled and validated (SCOV2-617VOC-UCT) including SNP-detection for L452R, P681R, E484K, and E484Q to provide rapid screening capabilities for the novel B.1.617 lineages. Results: For the multiplex-test (SCOV2-617VOC-UCT), the analytic lower limit of detection was determined as 182 IU/mL for L452R, 144 IU/mL for P681R, and 79 IU/mL for E484Q. A total of 233 clinical samples were tested with the assay, including various on-target and off-target sequences. All SNPs (179/179 positive) were correctly identified as determined by SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing. Conclusion: The recurrence of SNP locations and flexibility of methodology presented in this study allows for rapid adaptation to current and future variants. Furthermore, the ability to multiplex various SNP-assays into screening panels improves speed and efficiency for variant testing. We show 100% concordance with whole genome sequencing for a B.1.617.2 screening assay on the cobas6800 high-throughput system.

Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has been widely used in flexible sensors due to its excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity. In this paper, a flexible pressure sensor prepared by bionic micro/nanostructure design and LIG mass fraction regulation is reported. First, prepared LIG and conductive carbon paste (CCP) solutions were mixed to obtain a conductive polymer. After the taro leaf structure was etched on the surface of the aluminum alloy plate by Nd:YAG laser processing, the conductive polymer was evenly coated on the template. Pressure sensors were packaged with a stencil transfer printing combined with an Ecoflex flexible substrate. Finally, the effects of different laser flux and the proportion of LIG in the composite on the sensitivity of the sensor are discussed. The results show that when the laser flux is 71.66 J·cm−2 and the mass fraction of LIG is 5%, the sensor has the best response characteristics, with a response time and a recovery time of 86 ms and 101 ms, respectively, with a sensitivity of 1.2 kPa−1 over a pressure range of 0–6 kPa, and stability of 650 cycle tests. The LIG/CCP sensor with a bionic structure demonstrates its potential in wearable devices.

Eucommia ulmoides Oliver is a woody plant with great economic and medicinal value. Its dried bark has a long history of use as a traditional medicinal material in East Asia, which led to many glycosides, such as aucubin, geniposide, hyperoside, astragalin, and pinoresinol diglucoside, being recognized as pharmacologically active ingredients. Uridine diphosphate glycosyltransferases (UGTs) catalyze a glycosyl-transferring reaction from the donor molecule uridine-5′-diphosphate-glucose (UDPG) to the substrate, which plays an important role in many biological processes, such as plant growth and development, secondary metabolism, and environmental adaptation. In order to explore the biosynthetic pathways of glycosides in E. ulmoides, 91 putative EuUGT genes were identified throughout the complete genome of E. ulmoides through function annotation and an UDPGT domain search. Phylogenetic analysis categorized them into 14 groups. We also performed GO annotations on all the EuUGTs to gain insights into their functions in E. ulmoides. In addition, transcriptomic analysis indicated that most EuUGTs showed different expression patterns across diverse organs and various growing seasons. By protein–protein interaction predication, a biosynthetic routine of flavonoids and their glycosides was also proposed. Undoubtedly, these results will help in future research into the biosynthetic pathways of glycoside compounds in E. ulmoides.

The ventilation resistance of air flow through rice grain layers is one of the key parameters affecting drying uniformity as well as the energy consumption of the drying process. In order to reveal the variation of characteristics of the ventilation resistance with paddy grain moisture content, the air velocity and the bed layer depth are needed. A second order model was fitted to pressure drop using the response surface methodology and the results are compared with those of the Ergun model. The results showed that the pressure drop increases with the increase of paddy grain moisture content, air velocity and the bed layer depth, and the interactions between the air velocity and the bed layer depth have the most significant influence on the pressure drop. Moreover, a second-order polynomial pressure drop model based on RSM was established and compared with the Ergun model. The results showed that the pressure drop model established by RSM is similar to that of the Ergun model.

Transmission compliance and hysteresis behaviors are associated with harmonic drives. The experimental observation of a harmonic drive showed that these behaviors are significantly degraded with increasing service time, and their accurate modeling is expected to improve the performance of the control system of harmonic drive-based devices such as robot manipulators. In this paper, a new model is proposed to capture transmission compliance and hysteresis and their degradation. The phenomenon is represented through a combination of the nonlinear stiffness component and the micro-sliding friction in the tooth engagement area. The proposed model considered the multi-tooth meshing and the interference effects of the reducer. The parameters of the model were identified using optimization techniques. Numerical simulations and experimental data using a specialized harmonic drive test device were compared to demonstrate the proposed model.

The novelty of the present study is that it investigates the effect of propeller shaft deflection, caused by the propeller self-weight and interfacial mixed forces, on the fluid–solid–heat (FSH) coupling performance of water lubricated rubber stern bearing (WLRSB). In the FSH coupling model, the generalized average Reynolds equation and the Kogut–Etsion asperity contact model are used to determine the hydrodynamic and the elastic–plastic contact behaviors of WLRSB. In the thermal analysis, the journal, water film, and rubber bushing are considered as an integrated system (JWR system) using the Euler method. To prove the correctness of the developed model, the predicted results are verified by comparisons with the experimental results given in the literature. In addition, to assess the effect of the force-driven deflection during FSH simulation, comparisons of the FSH predictions between the aligned journal case and the deflected journal case are carried out. The results indicate that, especially under a heavy load condition, the deflection of the stern shaft should be incorporated into the lubrication gap between the journal–rubber interface during the analysis of FSH performance of the JWR system.

This work develops an underfrequency preventive control strategy for an islanded power system with a high penetration of wind power generation. First, the preventive control strategy uses the frequency nadir forecasting module to analyze the frequency stability under largest diesel generator tripping (N-1) contingency events. If predicted frequency nadir is too low, four frequency support methods are then analyzed and used for preventing potential frequency stability problem. They include generator rescheduling (GR), the use of battery energy storage system (BESS), direct load control (DLC) and emergency demand response program (EDRP). In terms of the GR method, the optimal diesel generator dispatch is obtained, with sufficient frequency stability and minimal fuel cost and start-up cost. In the BESS method, the optimal instantaneous power output from BESS is obtained based on its frequency support capability. With the DLC or EDRP method, the optimal contract-based load-shedding or the load-reduction to provide frequency support is obtained, respectively. Then, the operating costs of each method to support frequency are analyzed. The research methods and simulation results are very useful to the low-frequency protection of actual power systems with high renewable power generation. This work proposed a complete defense strategy in a microgrid system. It combines GR, BESS, DLC and EDRP. Therefore, the system operators have many options to implement their defense strategies, based on the operating costs of various methods. In other words, the proposed defense strategy provides a more flexible solution for the protection of micro grids with a high renewable power penetration. Therefore, the solution considers the system safety and economical aspects.

Recent rapid development in homogeneous gold catalysis affords an alternative and particularly thriving strategy for the generation of gold carbenes through gold-catalyzed oxidation/amination/cycloaddition of alkynes, while it avoids the employment of hazardous and potentially explosive diazo compounds as starting materials for carbene generation. In addition to facile and secure operation, gold carbenes generated in this strategy display good chemoselectivity distinct from other metal carbenes produced from the related diazo approach. N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) gold is a special metal complex that can be used as ancillary ligands, which provides enhanced stability and can also act as an efficient chiral directing group. In this review, we will present an overview of these recent advances in alkyne oxidation/amination/cycloaddition by highlighting their specificity and applicability, aiming to facilitate progress in this very exciting area of research.

In this paper, we present a new method to calculate the height of the second lapse-rate tropopause (LRT2) using GNSS high-precision data. The use of GNSS data for monitoring the atmosphere is possible because as the radio signals propagate through the troposphere, they are delayed according to the refractive index of the path of the signal. We show that by integrating the vertical profile of the refractive index in the troposphere, we are able to determine the altitude of LTR2. Furthermore, as GNSS data is available from many stations around all latitudes of the globe and make up a network with high spatial and temporal resolution, we can monitor the diurnal cycle of the variables related to the refractive index of the path of the signal. A comparison between the heights of the LRT2 obtained with radiosonde data and with this novel method is presented in the paper, and it shows good agreement. The average difference found is ≤1 km for stations between the latitudes of 30°S and 30°N.

The antioxidant effect of salidroside has been proven, but its role in liver injury is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the protective effects and mechanism of salidroside on liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in vivo. Mice were pretreated with salidroside (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneally injected, i.p.) once per day for 14 consecutive days and then administered with CCl4 (15.95 g/kg, i.p.) for 24 h to produce a liver injury model. Salidroside attenuated hepatic transaminase elevation in serum and ameliorated liver steatosis and necrosis, thereby suggesting its protective effect on the liver. Salidroside antagonized CCl4-induced toxicity by equilibrating antioxidation system, thereby inhibiting reactive oxygen species accumulation, and restoring mitochondrial structure and function. Salidroside exerts antioxidant and liver-protective effects by selectively inhibiting the activation of genes, including growth arrest and DNA -damage-inducible 45 α (Gadd45a), mitogen-activated protein kinase 7 (Mapk7), and related RAS viral oncogene homolog 2 (Rras2), which induce oxidative stress in the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These results revealed that salidroside can protect the liver from CCl4-induced injury by resisting oxidative stress and protecting mitochondrial function.

With the increased use of high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, line commutated converters (LCC-HVDC) and voltage source converters (VSC-HVDC) tend to feed into AC systems over short electrical distances. The flexible power control of VSC-HVDC systems provides an effective approach to suppress the commutation failure of LCC-HVDC systems. A suppression method, based on a controllable operation region, is proposed in this study to reduce the probability of commutation failure in a hybrid dual-infeed HVDC system. First, the quantitative transient reactive power control requirement of VSC-HVDC inverter that could fulfill the suppression control boundary condition of commutation failure was analyzed. Given the maximum current constraint of the VSC-HVDC inverter and the primary frequency modulation constraint of the sending-end grid, a controllable operation region of the hybrid dual-infeed HVDC system was proposed. Furthermore, a commutation failure suppression control method, based on the controllable operation region, was proposed to mitigate continuous commutation failure. Finally, the validity and accuracy of the proposed method was verified by the simulation of PSCAD/EMTDC. The proposed control method can realize reasonable use of the reactive power control capability of the VSC-HVDC system, which effectively improves immunity to commutation failure of the LCC-HVDC system under grid fault.

As Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals travel through the troposphere, a tropospheric delay occurs due to a change in the refractive index of the medium. The Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique can achieve centimeter/millimeter positioning accuracy with only one GNSS receiver. The Zenith Tropospheric Delay (ZTD) is estimated alongside with the position unknowns in PPP. Estimated ZTD can be very useful for meteorological applications, an example is the estimation of water vapor content in the atmosphere from the estimated ZTD. PPP is implemented with different algorithms and models in online services and software packages. In this study, a performance assessment with analysis of ZTD estimates from three PPP online services and three software packages is presented. The main contribution of this paper is to show the accuracy of ZTD estimation achievable in PPP. The analysis also provides the GNSS users and researchers the insight of the processing algorithm dependence and impact on PPP ZTD estimation. Observation data of eight whole days from a total of nine International GNSS Service (IGS) tracking stations spread in the northern hemisphere, the equatorial region and the southern hemisphere is used in this analysis. The PPP ZTD estimates are compared with the ZTD obtained from the IGS tropospheric product of the same days. The estimates of two of the three online PPP services show good agreement (

With the aim of discovering new anticancer agents, we have designed and synthesized novel α-aminophosphonate derivatives containing a 2-oxoquinoline structure using a convenient one-pot three-component method. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for antitumor activities against the A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma cell), HeLa (human cervical carcinoma cell), MCF-7 (human breast cancer cell), and U2OS (human osteosarcoma cell) cancer cell lines in vitro, employing a standard 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results of pharmacological screening indicated that many compounds exhibited moderate to high levels of antitumor activities against the tested cancer cell lines and that most compounds showed more potent inhibitory activities comparable to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) which was used as a positive control. The mechanism of representative compound 4u (diethyl((2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinolin-3-yl)(phenyl-amino)methyl)phosphonate) indicated that the compound mainly arrested HeLa cells in S and G2 stages and was accompanied by apoptosis in HeLa cells. This action was confirmed by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, Hoechst 33342 staining, and flow cytometry.

Titania nanotube-based local drug delivery is an attractive strategy for combating implant-associated infection. In our previous study, we demonstrated that the gentamicin-loaded nanotubes could dramatically inhibit bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on implant surfaces. Considering the overuse of antibiotics may lead to the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, we synthesized a new quaternized chitosan derivative (hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan, HACC) with a 27% degree of substitution (DS; referred to as 27% HACC) that had a strong antibacterial activity and simultaneously good biocompatibility with osteogenic cells. Titania nanotubes with various diameters (80, 120, 160, and 200 nm) and 200 nm length were loaded with 2 mg of HACC using a lyophilization method and vacuum drying. Two standard strain, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (American Type Culture Collection 43300) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (American Type Culture Collection 35984), and two clinical isolates, S. aureus 376 and S. epidermidis 389, were selected to investigate the bacterial adhesion at 6 h and biofilm formation at 24, 48, and 72 h on the HACC-loaded nanotubes (NT-H) using the spread plate method, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Smooth titanium (Smooth Ti) was also investigated and compared. We found that NT-H could significantly inhibit bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on its surface compared with Smooth Ti, and the NT-H with 160 nm and 200 nm diameters had stronger antibacterial activity because of the extended HACC release time of NT-H with larger diameters. Therefore, NT-H can significantly improve the antibacterial ability of orthopedic implants and provide a promising strategy to prevent implant-associated infections.