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Non-specific endonucleases can be used for the digestion of nucleic acids because they hydrolyze DNA/RNA into 3–5 base pairs (bp) length oligonucleotide fragments without strict selectivity. In this work, a novel non-specific endonuclease from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PfNuc) with high activities for both DNA and RNA was successfully cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The production of PfNuc in flask scale could be achieved to 1.73 × 106 U/L and 4.82 × 106 U/L for DNA and RNA by investigation of the culture and induction conditions. The characterization of PfNuc indicated that it was Mg2+-dependent and the catalytic activity was enhanced by 3.74 folds for DNA and 1.06 folds for RNA in the presence of 5 mM Mg2+. The specific activity of PfNuc for DNA was 1.44 × 105 U/mg at pH 8.0 and 40 °C, and 3.93 × 105 U/mg for RNA at pH 8.5 and 45 °C. The Km of the enzyme for both DNA and RNA was close to 43 µM. The Vmax was 6.40 × 105 U/mg and 1.11 × 106 U/mg for DNA and RNA, respectively. There was no observed activity loss when PfNuc was stored at 4 °C and − 20 °C after 28 days or 10 repeated freeze–thaw cycles at − 80 °C. Molecular docking revealed that PfNuc formed 17 and 19 hydrogen bonds with single-stranded RNA and double-stranded DNA, respectively. These results could explain the high activity and stability of PfNuc, suggesting its great potential applications in the industry and clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: Previous studies reported inconsistent results on the prevalence and prognostic implications of frailty among older adults with gastric cancer. This systematic review synthesized available literature pertaining on this topic to establish the prevalence and unfavorable outcomes of frailty in older adults with gastric cancer. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple English databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase, and Web of Science as well as Chinese databases, namely, CNKI, Wan Fang, and CBM, from inception to July 4, 2023, to identify potential studies. Data related to the incidence of frailty and its unfavorable outcomes in older adults with gastric cancer were extracted. RevMan5.3 and R 4.2.2 were used to evaluate pooled prevalence, hazard ratios (HR), and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: This review comprehensively selected 13 studies, comprising 9 cohort studies and 4 cross-sectional studies, on 44,117 older adults diagnosed with gastric cancer. The incidence of frailty among older adults with gastric cancer ranged from 10 to 71%. The pooled prevalence of frailty was 29% (95% CI 0.21–0.39). Frailty was found to be associated with an elevated risk of postoperative complications (HR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.45–2.73), prolonged postoperative hospital stay (HR = 2.68, 95% CI 2.38–3.02), likelihood of readmission (HR = 3.28, 95% CI 1.77–6.08), and an increased mortality risk (HR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.36–1.90). Conclusions: Frailty was associated with a poor prognosis in older adults with gastric cancer. Clinical medical staff should focus on the frailty of older adults with gastric cancer, conduct large-scale, multicenter, and prospective studies and early screening of patients, and provide guidance for the implementation of prevention and treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gejiu ore district (~ 3.2 Mt Sn) is located in eastern Yunnan Province, southwest China, and is one of the largest Sn polymetallic ore districts in the world. Athough it has been widely studied, the petrogenesis of ore-related granites is still unclear. In this paper, we present petrological, geochemical, and geochronological data on the granites associated with the Kafang Cu–Sn deposit in the Gejiu ore district (65 Mt Cu ore at a grade of 1.2% and 32 Mt Sn ore at a grade of 0.6%). We use these data to constrain the source, evolution, oxygen fugacity, and tectonic setting of the granitic magmatism. Zircon U–Pb dating yielded an age of 82.8 ± 0.6 Ma for the Kafang granite. The high zircon δ18O values (7.45–9.74‰; mean = 8.80‰) and narrow range of εNd(t) values (–9.0 to –7.7) of the Kafang granite indicate a highly evolved S-type granite derived by partial melting of metamorphic basement rocks of the Jiangnan orogenic belt. Rayleigh fractional crystallization modeling, along with the increase in Hf and Sn contents and decrease in Eu/Eu* values of zircons, record extensive fractional crystallization, and Sn enrichment during magmatic evolution. The Kafang granite was relatively reduced, as evidenced by low zircon Ce/Ce* (10.0–366; mean = 171), (Ce/Nd)N (0.76–8.32; mean = 4.41), △FMQ (–2.5 to 1.2) values, and Fe3+-depleted biotite compositions (Fe3+/(Fe3+ + Fe2+) = 0–0.10), which were favorable for Sn mineralization but not for Cu mineralization. Copper in the Kafang deposit may not have been derived from the granite. Our results suggest that biotite and zircon geochemical compositions, particularly biotite Mg# and A/CNK values and zircon Hf contents, Eu anomalies, and Ce/Ce* and (Ce/Nd)N ratios, are robust tracers of different types of magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits (i.e., Cu, Mo, W, and Sn). Late Cretaceous magmatism in the Gejiu region and other areas along the southern margin of South China formed an E–W-trending igneous belt that was likely related to northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan plate rather than northwestward subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a two-party quantum private comparison (QPC) protocol using orthogonal product states. This protocol introduces a semi-honest third party who will faithfully execute the protocol and will not conspire with any of the participants. Every participant encodes the hash value of her (his) secret data into a quantum sequence of orthogonal product states. Each of these states comes from a locally indistinguishable set of product states. To ensure information security, each participant splits the quantum sequence of product states that she (he) generates into two single-particle sequences and transmits these two single-particle sequences separately. After the third party calculates and publishes the results, the two participants can know whether their secret information is equal by a simple calculation. Security and efficiency analyses show that our protocol is secure and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To prepare chiral monomer with single chiral center and higher stereospecificity, a pair of amino-functionalized chiral 3,4-propylenedioxythiophene (ProDOT) derivatives, chiral (3,4-dihydro-2H-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepin-3-yl)methyl 2-[(tert-butoxycarbonyl) amino]-3-phenylpropanoate (ProDOT-Boc-Phe), were synthesized. Chiral poly[(3,4-dihydro-2H-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxepin-3-yl)methyl 2-[(tert-butoxycarbonyl)amino]-3-phenylpropanoate] (PProDOT-Boc-Phe) modified electrodes were synthesized via potentiostatic polymerization of chiral ProDOT-Boc-Phe. Chiral PProDOT-Boc-Phe films displayed good reversible redox activities. The enantioselective recognition between chiral PProDOT-Boc-Phe modified glassy carbon electrodes and DOPA enantiomers was achieved by different electrochemical technologies, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). (D)-PProDOT-Boc-Phe and (L)-PProDOT-Boc-Phe showed higher peak current responses toward L-DOPA and D-DOPA, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Cu coordiantion polymer, namely, [Cu3(ovph)(Py)2Cl2] (1) [H4ovph = N,N′-bis(o-vanillidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarbohydrazide]; Py = Pyridine], was synthesized by solvothermal reaction of copper acetate and diacylhydrazone ligand H4ovhp. It was characterized by element analysis, FT-IR, thermogravimetric analysis, PXRD and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural analysis indicated that the N-N bonds of its ovph4− ligands bridge the Cu2+ ions to form quasi-linear [Cu3] cluster-based units, which were further linked together by in situ generated µ-Cl−, giving rise to a rare Cu chain structure containing two kinds of magnetic exchange pathways. Variable temperature magnetic measurements revealed that both N-N and Cl− bridges convey antiferromagnetic couplings, with the best fitting JN-N = − 99.95 cm−1, JCl = − 5.70 cm−1, zj = − 1.17 cm−1 and g = 2.00. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the DNA methylation status of αA-crystallin gene in cataract secondary to pars plana vitrectomy. Methods: Anterior capsular membranes of 40 eyes of 40 patients with cataract secondary to vitrectomy were collected. Another 20 eyes of 20 patients who received pars plana vitrectomy and phacoemulsification in the primary procedure, were recruited as control. Methylation status of the CpG islands of αA-crystallin gene was analyzed by pyrosequencing. Expression of αA-crystallin was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. Results: In the post vitrectomy group, five patients with posterior subcapsular opacity and four patients with cortical opacity were excluded from further analysis. The remaining 31 patients with nuclear cataract were assigned into two groups according to tamponade types: 19 of octafluoropropane (C3F8) and 12 of silicone oil (SiO). The average nuclear color grading was elevated both in C3F8 and SiO groups after vitrectomy. Compared to the control group, hypermethylation of the CpG islands in the αA-crystallin gene promoter was found in both post vitrectomy groups, accompanied by significantly reduced αA-crystallin expression. No statistically significant differences were found between the C3F8 and SiO groups either for DNA methylation status or αA-crystallin expression. Conclusions: CpG islands hypermethylation of αA-crystallin gene may be involved in nuclear cataract formation after pars plana vitrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that the azimuth deviations of the auxiliary sources severely degrade the performance of classical subspace-based calibration methods that assume the direction-of-arrivals of calibration sources are perfectly measured. Therefore, aiming at the effects of source location deviations, the estimation variance of the multiplicative modeling errors for the subspace-based calibration method is first derived by applying matrix eigen-perturbation theory and first-order perturbation analysis approach. The theoretical analysis is undertaken under the assumption that the azimuth deviations are small enough for the first-order perturbation analysis to be valid. In addition, to mitigate the effects of the location errors, a structured total least squares optimization model is established using first-order Taylor series expansion method. Then, the corresponding numerical algorithm is presented to provide a robust estimate for multiplicative modeling errors. The exact Cramér-Rao bound expressions for the unknowns are also deduced in the presence of the azimuth deviations. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis and demonstrate the desirable behavior of the robust calibration algorithm in comparison with the subspace-based calibration methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Succinic acid is a promising chemical which has a wide range of applications and can be biologically produced. The separation of succinic acid from fermentation broth makes more than 50 % of the total costs in their microbial production. This review summarizes the present state of methods studied for the recovery and purification of biologically produced succinate. Previous studies on the separation of succinic acid primarily include direct crystallization, precipitation, membrane separation, extraction, chromatography, and in situ separation. No single method has proved to be simple and efficient, and improvements are especially needed with regard to yield, purity, and energy consumption. It is argued that separation technologies coupled with upstream technology, in situ product removal, and biorefining strategy deserve more attentions in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xylitol production from corncob hemicellulose is a popular process in China. Microbial conversion of xylose to xylitol, as a biological process with many advantages, has drawn increasing attention. As a by-product from the manufacturing of xylitol, corncob cellulosic residues are produced in very large amounts and represent an environmental problem. As a result, considering the large amount of xylitol production in China, the conversion of corncob cellulosic residues has become a widespread issue having to be tackled. After the hemicellulose in corncob has been hydrolyzed for xylitol production, the corncob cellulosic residue is porous and can easily be hydrolyzed by cellulases into glucose and further converted to ethanol, another high-added-value chemical. Based on the latest technology advancements in xylitol, cellulase, and ethanol production, the integrated production of ethanol from corncob cellulosic residues appears as a promising way to improve the profit of the whole xylitol production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because rigidity of either hub or rim of diaphragm coupling is much greater than that of the disk, and asymmetrical bending is under the condition of high speed revolution, an assumption is made that each circle in the middle plane before deformation keeps its radius unchanged after deformation, but the plane on which the circle lies has a varying deflecting angle. Based on this assumption, and according to the principle of energy variation, the corresponding Euler’s equation can be obtained, which has the primary integral. By neglecting some subsidiary factors, an analytic solution is obtained. Applying these formulas to a hyperbolic model of diaphragm, the results show that the octahedral shear stress varies less along either radial or thickness direction, but fluctuates greatly and periodically along circumferential direction. Thus asymmetrical bending significantly affects the material’s fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are crucial for cell proliferation, metabolism, motility, and cancer progression. Since the selective PI3Kδ inhibitor, idelalisib, was firstly approved by the FDA in 2014, large numbers of selective PI3Kδ inhibitors have been reported, but the detailed mechanisms of selective inhibition to PI3Kδ for idelalisib or its derivatives have not been well addressed. In this study, 3D-QSAR with COMFA, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations was used to explore the binding modes between PI3Kδ and idelalisib derivatives. Firstly, a reliable COMFA model (q2 = 0.59, ONC = 8, r2 = 0.966) was built and the contour maps showed that the electrostatic field had more significant contribution to the bioactivities of inhibitors. Secondly, two molecular docking methods including rigid receptor docking (RRD) and induced fit docking (IFD) were employed to predict the docking poses of all the studied inhibitors and revealed the selective binding mechanisms. And then, the results of the MD simulation and the binding free energy decomposition verified that the binding of PI3Kδ/inhibitors was mainly contributed from hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions and some key residues for selective binding were highlighted. Finally, based on the models developed, 14 novel inhibitors were optimized and some showed satisfactory predicted bioactivity. Taken together, the results provided by this study may facilitate the rational design of novel and selective PI3Kδ inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communities are virtually ubiquitous in real-world networks, and the statistic of modularity index Q is the classical measurement for community detection algorithms. However, the relationship between the modularity property and network multilever micro-scale structures is still not clear. In this paper, we study community detection results both in artificial and real-life complex networks by constructing different order null networks, and the results uncover that how micro-structures (such as degree distribution, assortativity and clustering coefficient) affect community properties. Meanwhile, we also propose two novel null networks (increasing or decreasing community structures) to verify the robustness of different community detection algorithms. Our results indicate that the modularity index Q is not a suitable statistic to measure the weak community property which is widely available in empirical networks. Our findings can not only be used to test the robustness of different community detection methods, but also be helpful to uncover the correlation of network structures between microcosmic and mesoscopic scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Fe(III) cluster formulated as [ Fe 8 III (schhz)4(Py)6(H2O)2]∙2H2O (1) was synthesized by the hydrothermal reaction of FeCl2 and a symmetrical diacylhydrazine ligand N,N′-bissalicyl-1,3-cyclohexanedicarbohydrazide (H6schhz) in the presence of pyridine (Py) and pyrazine (Pz). It displays a nano-sized [24-MC-8] azametallacrown (azaMC) structure that eight Fe(III) ions are linked together by N–N bridges from four schhz6− ligands. To the best of our knowledge, it is the second case of Fe(III) [24-MC-8] azaMC up to now. The magnetic investigations reveal that the N–N bridges convey antiferromagnetic couplings between the Fe(III) centers in the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of literature has shown that ginseng had a role in diabetes mellitus management. Ginsenosides are the main active components of ginseng. But what ginsenosides can manage in diabetic are not systematic. The targets of these ginsenosides are still incomplete. Our aim was to identify which ginsenosides can manage diabetes mellitus through network pharmacology and molecular docking. To identify the targets of these ginsenosides. In this work, we retrieved and screened ginsenosides and corresponding diabetes mellitus targets across multiple databases. PPI networks of the genes were constructed using STRING, and the core targets were screened out through topological analysis. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were performed by using the R language. Finally, molecular docking was performed after bioinformatics analysis for verification. Our research results showed that 28 ginsenosides in ginseng might be against diabetes mellitus by modulating related proteins such as VEGFA, Caspase 3, and TNF-α. Among the 28 ginsenosides, 20(R)-Protopanaxatriol, 20(R)-Protopanaxadiol, and Ginsenoside Rg1 might play a significant role. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis showed that the management of diabetes mellitus by ginsenosides may be related to the positive regulation of reactive oxygen metabolic processes, associated with the insulin signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway, and AMPK signaling pathway. Molecular docking results and molecular dynamics simulation showed that most ginsenosides could stably bind to the core target, mainly hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic bond. This study suggests the management of ginseng on diabetes mellitus. We believe that our results can contribute to the systematic study of the mechanism of ginsenosides for the management of diabetes mellitus. At the same time, it can provide a theoretical basis for subsequent studies on the management of ginsenosides in diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and is the most prevalent non-infectious cause of infant death. Aggregating evidence demonstrates that genetic defects are involved in the pathogenesis of CHD. However, CHD is genetically heterogeneous and the genetic determinants for CHD in an overwhelming majority of patients remain unknown. In this study, the coding regions and splice junctions of the NKX2.6 gene, which encodes a homeodomain transcription factor crucial for cardiovascular development, were sequenced in 210 unrelated CHD patients. As a result, a novel heterozygous NKX2.6 mutation, p.K152Q, was identified in an index patient with ventricular septal defect (VSD). Genetic analysis of the proband's available family members showed that the mutation cosegregated with VSD transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait with complete penetrance. The missense mutation was absent in 400 control chromosomes and the altered amino acid was completely conserved evolutionarily across species. Due to unknown transcriptional targets of NKX2.6, the functional characteristics of the identified mutation at transcriptional activity were analyzed by using NKX2.5 as a surrogate. Alignment between human NKX2.6 and NKX2.5 proteins displayed that K152Q-mutant NKX2.6 was equivalent to K158Q-mutant NKX2.5, and introduction of K158Q into NKX2.5 significantly reduced its transcriptional activating function when compared with its wild-type counterpart. This study firstly links NKX2.6 loss-of-function mutation with increased susceptibility to isolated VSD, providing novel insight into the molecular mechanism underpinning VSD and contributing to the development of new preventive and therapeutic strategies for this common form of CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using historical and 2010 field data, the distribution of nutrients in the northern Beibu Gulf of China is described. There was a decreasing trend in the concentration of nutrients from the north coast to offshore waters of the northern Beibu Gulf, reflecting the influence of inputs from land-based sources. High concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and phosphate (PO-P) occurred mainly at Fangchenggang Bay, Qinzhou Bay, and Lianzhou Bay. Four different methods were used to assess eutrophication. The trophic status of the Beibu Gulf was characterized using the single factor, Eutrophication index (EI), Trophic index (TRIX) and Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) methods. Based on nutrient concentrations, 73.9% of DIN and 26.7% of PO-P samples exceeded the fourth grade Seawater Quality Standard of China. Eutrophication index values varied widely, but higher levels of eutrophication were generally found in bays and estuaries. TRIX values ranged from 2.61 to 7.27, with an average of 4.98, indicating a mesotrophic and moderately productive system. A positive correlation between TRIX and harmful algal species richness and abundance was observed. The ASSETS model evaluates eutrophication status based on a Pressure-State-Response approach, including three main indices: influencing factors, overall eutrophic condition, and future outlook. The Beibu Gulf was graded as moderate using ASSETS. The single factor and Chinese nutrient index methods were considered inadequate for the assessment of trophic status. TRIX can be used as an indicator of trophic state and ASSETS showed good potential to assess eutrophication. The results of TRIX and ASSETS depend on threshold values. To establish these values, further research is required within the northern Beibu Gulf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnolia bark is an edible traditional Chinese medicine that has antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. In the present study, interactions between S. aureus DNA and raw magnolia bark (RMB) and ginger mix-fried magnolia bark (GMB) aqueous extracts were determined via spectroscopic methods. Fluorescence spectroscopy and Stern–Volmer constants showed that S. aureus DNA quenched the fluorescence of the extracts by static quenching. UV–Vis spectroscopy and iodide quenching experiments indicated that the interactions between S. aureus DNA and the fluorescent substances might involve groove binding or electrostatic interactions. In 4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole competitive assays, the fluorescence intensity at decreased as the extract amount was increased. This indicates that groove binding is responsible for the fluorescence quenching. The antibacterial activity of GMB aqueous extract treated under light, cold, heat and cycling hot–cold conditions decreased by 13.99, 9.31, 10.89 and 14.40%, respectively, whereas that of RMB aqueous extract treated under the same conditions decreased by 8.91, 14.99, 14.99 and 13.70%, respectively. The results indicate that S. aureus DNA quenches the fluorescence of GMB and RMB aqueous extracts by grooving interactions. Additionally, the antibacterial activities of GMB and RMB extracts are sensitive to light and temperature, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bark-eating caterpillar, Indarbela obliquifasciata Mell has become a major pest of garden plants in Guangzhou, China. However, little is known about the sex identification of either adults or pupae. In this paper, according to a comparative morphological study of 55 adults and their corresponding pupae or puparia, we concluded a rapid and accurate method for identifying its sexuality. The results showed a distinct sexual dimorphism in both adults and pupae. In male adults, the antennae are broadly bipectinate, and the ctenii are long with plumose sensory setae. While in female adults, the antennae are narrowly bipectinate, and the ctenii are short with rare setae. In male pupae, the spines on 8th abdominal segment are distributed in a circle, and segments 4–7 are mobile. While in female pupae, the spines on 8th abdominal segment are partially absent on ventral side, and with a short slit at middle part, and segments 4–6 are mobile. The results of this study are of great significance for the field investigation of the sex ratio of adults and pupae and for the study of female pheromones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Avicennia marina is a pioneer mangrove species widely distributed along the southeast coast of China. It suffers, especially in the seedling stage, from the tidal flooding and anaerobic surroundings as it closes to the seaward side. The aim of this study is to assess the ability of A. marina seedlings to withstand different tidal inundations by physiological and proteomic approaches. Methods: To accomplish this, the artificial tidal inundations were mimicked as 0, 4, and 8 h per tidal cycle about 1 week. The physiological approaches and two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS technology were used to reveal the adaptive alterations of A. marina seedlings to tidal inundation. Results: There were profound changes in photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of A. marina seedling leaves under inundation treatment. Particularly, photosynthetic rate increased at 4 h inundation, while decreasing at 8 h inundation treatment compared with control (0 h). The results highlighted that A. marina seedlings could greatly upregulate the abundances of photosynthesis-related proteins, activate antioxidant and defense systems to efficiently suppress the reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and cell damages, mobilize carbohydrate metabolism associated proteins, and then maintain cellular homeostasis, resulting in well adaptation to short-term tidal inundation. Conclusion: Overall, our results demonstrated that short-term inundation is beneficial, while long-term inundation is detrimental to A. marina. The results allow us to recognize the roles of specific proteins in molecular tolerance to tidal inundation in mangrove plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress is usually considered an important factor resulting in plant injury. In this study, we identified a novel transcription factor gene, CanTF (Capsicum annuum transcription factor IIB), and characterized its role in the response to biotic and abiotic stresses. The full-length CanTF cDNA consists of 1488 bp, with a 1281-nucleotide open reading frame (ORF), and encodes a protein containing 426 amino acids with a theoretical molecular weight of 46.84 kDa. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that CanTF is a stress-induced gene, with increased expression levels under both biotic and abiotic stresses. The expression of CanTF in pepper organs, especially roots, was highly induced by inoculation with an avirulent strain of Phytophthora capsici. Additionally, the differential expression of CanTF was observed under abiotic stresses, i.e., earlier expression was detected after cold, drought, and SA treatments than after salt and H2O2 treatment, suggesting its role in responses to various abiotic stresses. Furthermore, the silencing of CanTF by virus-induced gene silencing reduced the expression of defense-related genes (CaPR1, CaDEF1, and CaSAR82) under P. capsici inoculation. POD and root activity levels were lower after gene silencing than in controls, demonstrating the positive regulatory effect of CanTF against P. capsici. These results suggested that CanTF is a stress-induced gene involved in strengthening the pepper defense against biotic and abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female-released chemical signals are crucial clues for mate-searching males to locate and gain sexual receptivity of conspecific females. Abundant behavioral evidence indicates that female spiders release sex pheromones to guide mate-searching behavior of conspecific mature males. However, the chemical nature of spider pheromones is poorly understood. Females of the funnel-web spider, Allagelena difficilis, employ sit-and-wait tactics for mating. Field observations indicate that males leave their retreats to search for potential mates during the breeding season. Therefore, we investigated whether virgin females release a sex attractant to conspecific males and then explored the chemical nature of the female pheromone. Four fatty acids extracted from the female bodies (palmitic acid, linoleic acid, cis-vaccenic acid and stearic acid) constitute a multiple-component sex attractant to conspecific males in A. difficilis. Unexpectedly, mated females also produce the same fatty acids, but at trace levels. Two-choice experiments showed that males were significantly attracted by the blend of the four fatty acids in appropriate concentrations while avoiding the blend consisting of the same acids at very low concentrations, suggesting that mate-searching males are able to discriminate virgin females from mated females by the quantities of female-specific fatty acids in the funnel-web spider A. difficilis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to the article "Nutrients distribution and trophic status assessment in the northern Beibu Gulf, China" that was published in a previous issue is presented.

The effect of glucose and elemental sulfur on the growth and PHB accumulation of Acidiphilium cryptum DX1-1 was investigated. Meanwhile, the differential expressions of 19 genes related with PHB accumulation, sulfur metabolism and carbon fixed in heterotrophy, phytotrophy and mixotrophy were studied by RT-qPCR. The results showed that strain DX1-1 could accumulate PHB with sulfur as the energy substance and atmospheric CO as carbon resource. Glucose could improve the growth of strain DX1-1 cultured in medium with sulfur as the energy substance, and almost all the key enzyme-encoding genes related with PHB, sulfur metabolism and carbon fixed were basically up-regulated. PHB polymerase ( Arcy_3030), ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase ( Acry_0825), ribulose-phosphate-epimerase ( Acry_0022), and cysteine synthase A ( Acry_2560) played important role in PHB accumulation, the modified expression of which could influence the PHB yield. With CO as carbon resource, the main initial substance of PHB accumulation for strain DX1-1 was acetyl-CoA, instead of acetate with the glucose as the carbon resource. Because of accumulating PHB by fixed atmospheric CO while independent of light, A. cryptum DX1-1 may have specifically potential in production of PHB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of chitinase from bacteria has distinct advantages over fungi, due to the formation of mycelia of fungi in the later phase of fermentation. A novel chitinase-producing bacterial strain XJ-01 was isolated from the Yulu fishing field of Changsha, Hunan province, China, by enrichment and spread-plate technique, sequentially. Physicochemical characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that strain XJ-01 belongs to Serratia marcescens. By optimizing the fermentation condition based on L(3) orthogonal experimental design, a maximal chitinase activity up to 15.36 U/ml was attained by that stain under the condition: 0.5% (NH)SO as the nitrogen source, 0.75% colloidal chitin as the carbon source, temperature of 32°C, time of 32 h and pH 8.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain thermoplastic starch plastics with improved properties, a novel method of starch modification was developed in this study. Starch derivatives were prepared using the following procedures: pea starch was first oxidized to make dialdehyde starch (DAS) by sodium periodate under mild conditions, and this was then acetalized with glycol to give Gly-ADS. The modified starch was characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, TG, DSC, and XRD. The TG curves indicated that the thermal stability of Gly-ADS was better than that of DAS. The glass transition temperature of Gly-ADS with 95% carbonyl content (Gly-ADS95) was 97 °C by DSC. Although the intrinsic viscosity of DAS was less than that of pea starch, thermoplastic Gly-ADS (TPGly-ADS) exhibited good mechanical properties. The influence of moisture absorption on the mechanical properties of TPGly-ADS was also investigated. The results showed that TPGly-ADS possesses improved water resistance: the highest moisture absorption of TPGly-ADS95 was about 11%, and the tensile strength and the elongation at break were 18.1–14.6 MPa and 5.3–18%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Poly(lactic acid-b-p-dioxanone) block copolymers (P(LA-b-PDO)) were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of p-dioxanone using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with different molecular weights as macroinitiators in N2 atmosphere. The copolymers were characterized by 1H-NMR spectra. The thermal and crystalline behaviors and thermal stability of these copolymers were investigated by DSC, TGA and WAXD. The results indicated that the contents of each segment and the intrinsic viscosities affected the properties of copolymers obviously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation of chemicals from lignocellulose hydrolysate is an effective way to alleviate environmental and energy problems. However, fermentation inhibitors in hydrolysate and weak inhibitor tolerance of microorganisms limit its development. In this study, atmospheric and room temperature plasma mutation technology was utilized to generate mutant strains of Enterobacter cloacae and screen for mutants with high inhibitor tolerance to acid hydrolysate of corncobs. A highly inhibitor-tolerant strain, Enterobacter cloacae M22, was obtained after fermentation with non-detoxified hydrolysate, and this strain produced 24.32 g/L 2,3-butanediol and 14.93 g/L organic acids. Compared with that of the wild-type strain, inhibitor tolerance was enhanced twofold with M22, resulting in improvement of 2,3-butanediol and organic acid production by 114% and 90%, respectively. This work presents an efficient method to screen for highly inhibitor-tolerant strains and evidence of a novel strain that can produce 2,3-butanediol and organic acids using non-detoxified acid hydrolysate of corncobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is a promising cathode material in next generation of lithium ion batteries. In this study, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with various particle microstructures are prepared by controlling the microstructures of precursors. LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinel samples with solid, hollow and hierarchical microstructures are prepared with solid MnCO3, hollow MnO2 and hierarchical Mn2O3 as precursor, respectively. The homemade spinel materials are investigated and the results show that the content of Mn3+ and impurity phase differ much in these three spinel samples obtained under the same calcining and annealing conditions. It is revealed for the first time that an inhomogeneous migration of atoms may introduce Mn3+ and impurity phase in the spinel. The hierarchical microstructure with the primary particles interconnected is optimal for electrode materials because this microstructure has a higher conductivity between the interconnected primary particles and appropriate specific surface area. LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 in this microstructure has the best rate capability and also the best long-term cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]