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Background: Biochar is mainly used to enhance soil fertility, microbial activity, improve plant performance and reduce disease incidence. Methods: A greenhouse experiment was designed to investigate the response of biochar on rhizosphere soil chemical properties, enzyme activity, microbial communities, and sugarcane Pokkah boeng disease (PB). Two sugarcane varieties Zhongzhe 9 (Z9) and ROC22, susceptible/resistant to PB, were cultivated and treated with: no biochar, 15 t ha−1 biochar, and 30 t ha−1 biochar. Results: The amendment of 30 t ha−1 of biochar (B2) significantly improve soil pH by 1.50% and 9.61% compared with that of B1 and B0, followed by 0.51% increase by 15 t ha−1 of biochar (B1) compared with that of control (B0). The application of 15 t ha−1 biochar significantly increased available phosphorus (AP) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+–N) by 209.93 mg kg−1 and 12.1 mg kg−1, while the application of 30 t ha−1 of biochar significantly increased 241.04 mg kg−1 of available potassium (AK) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, biochar application increased the activities of soil acid phosphatase (S-ACP), urease (S-UE), and sucrase (S-SC). Alpha diversity analysis showed that the addition of biochar significantly altered the variety and abundance of rhizosphere microorganisms (P < 0.01) and increased the relative abundance of beneficial microorganisms Rhodanobacteraceae, Stachybotryaceae, Agaricacea, Talaromyces, Nectriaceae, Sistotrema, and Bacillus (P < 0.01). There was a significant decrease in the relative abundance of the soil pathogen Fusarium (P < 0.01). Conclusion: These findings suggested that the application of 15 t ha−1 biochar could bring desirable variations in soil functionalities, modulate soil microbial community by increasing soil health and reduce the disease index of PB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of urbanization, the number of urban sewage treatment plants is increasing, wastewater treatment volume is gradually becoming large, and correspondingly, the sludge production capacity has a rapid growth. As a new method of sludge disposal, sludge carbonization is characterized by low energy consumption, simple products, and wide resource utilization prospects, which is of great help to solve problems of current sludge disposal in China. The residual sludge from sewage plant was used as raw material in this study in order to investigate the physical and chemical properties of sludge charcoal after high temperature carbonization and explore the enhancement in the removal of pollutants including CODcr, NH3-N, TN, and TP during sewage treatment with the used sludge charcoal. The results show that the optimal dosing amount of sludge charcoal was 2 g.L−1 when it was added into SBR equipment at one time, while the optimal dosing amount is 0.06 g.L−1 when it was added into SBR equipment with each influent process. The enhanced removal effect of pollutants in sewage treatment process mainly depended on the physical adsorption and intensified bio-degradation of sludge charcoal, and activated sludge and sludge charcoal were synergistic in water treatment. The removal effect of pollutants is strengthened in the physical adsorption—bio-degradation—sludge charcoal reproduction—re-adsorption system. These suggested that sludge charcoal could be promising for the enhancement of pollutant removal in sewage through activated sludge process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Biochar amendments improve soil functionalities, microbial community and reduce Pokkah boeng disease of sugarcane" published in the journal Chemical & Biological Technologies in Agriculture. The correction addresses a typo in the legend of Figure 4 and an update to Figure 1 for clarity. The original article has been updated accordingly. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The authors of the article are Shakeel Ahmad, Xuexin Zhai, Mengrong Wang, Yujie Shi, Yuemeng Chen, Qinming Liang, Bing He, and Ronghui Wen. [Extracted from the article]

To improve the movement naturalness and coordination of computer animation virtual idol characters, a virtual character interaction control method in virtual rehearsal is analyzed and proposed. Then, an artificial neural network motion controller based on motion capture data is proposed. The motion data are used as a priori information to guide the learning of the virtual character motion controller, and the whole learning process uses a progressive return function. Finally, an artificial neural network motion controller based on motion capture data uses the motion capture data as prior information and constrains the original motion capture data as part of the reward function, thereby limiting the motion pose of the virtual character. The virtual character produces a motion effect consistent with the posture of the original motion data, and the original motion data of different postures are used for experimental analysis. The experimental results show that adding spatiotemporal constraints to the return function can effectively prevent the bad motion posture of virtual characters (half cheetah and hopper) and make their motion more natural. The integration of motion data not only ensures the consistency between synthetic motion and original motion but also accelerates the learning process of network parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of computer technology and artificial intelligence today, human–computer interaction based solely on computer software operations is far from being able to meet human requirements for computer use. People are looking forward to a more convenient and fast human–computer interface. This paper studies the expression dynamic capture and 3D animation generation methods based on deep learning. For facial expression dynamic capture, this paper proposes a facial feature extraction algorithm based on deep learning and uses SVM technology for feature classification. For 3D animation, C++ and OpenGL are used for rendering simulation. The experimental results show that the face detection algorithm proposed in this paper has good performance in both accuracy and speed. It can realize real-time detection of face regions in video images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exogenous glutathione (GSH) promotes the proliferation of embryogenic callus (EC) cells in Korean pine in the course of somatic embryogenesis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) may play an important role in regulating the proliferation of EC cells by exogenous GSH. However, the concrete metabolic response of ROS is unclear. In this study, two cell lines of Korean pine with high proliferative potential 001#-001 (F, Fast proliferative potential cell line is abbreviated as F) and low proliferative potential 001#-010 (S, Slow proliferative potential cell line is abbreviated as S) were used as test materials. The responses of ROS-related enzymes and substances to exogenous GSH and L-Buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO) were investigated in EC cells. The results showed that the exogenous addition of GSH increased the number of early somatic embryogenesis (SEs) in EC cells of both F and S cell lines, decreased the amount of cell death in both cell lines. Exogenous addition of GSH promoted cell division in both cell lines, increased intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, inhibited intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) production, and increased NO/ROS ratio. In conclusion, the exogenous GSH promoting the proliferation of Korean pine EC cells, the activity of intracellular antioxidant enzymes was enhanced, the ROS level was reduced, and the resistance of cells to stress was enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adventitious root (AR) formation is essential for the successful propagation of Camellia sinensis. Endogenous phytohormones play an important role in this process, which is strongly dependent on genotype. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this varietal difference is not clearly understood. Here, we combined metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of new shoots and mature leaves among three cultivars with different rooting abilities and then performed WGCNA to mine key regulators during AR formation. Hormone analysis showed that the easy-to-root cultivar BHZ had a higher indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), salicylic acid, abscisic acid, and jasmonic acids content in new shoots than the other cultivars. A crosstalk regulatory network including 14 coexpression modules was successfully constructed. Among them, a key module which had a highly positive correlation with IAA was identified. The KEGG analysis showed that related genes were enriched in "Plant hormone signal transduction". Finally, the auxin influx carrier AUX1/LAX family was considered a hub gene in AR formation. Gene expression analysis showed that the expression of CsLAXs was higher in BHZ than other cultivars, and response to different abiotic stresses. Taken together, the present omics-level WGCNA analysis provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism underlying hormonal regulation in adventitious roots formation, and the identified hub genes provide gene resources for improving AR formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral administration is the most preferred route for drug administration in clinic. However, due to unsatisfactory physicochemical properties of drugs and various physiological barriers, the oral bioavailability of most poorly water-soluble and macromolecules drugs is low and the therapeutic effect is unsatisfactory. Ionic liquids (ILs), molten salts with unique properties, show amazing potential for oral delivery. In addition to being able to form active pharmaceutical ingredients based ILs (API-ILs) to overcome drug solubility and polymorphism issues, ILs have also been used to enhance the solubility of poorly soluble drugs, enhance drug stability in the gastrointestinal environment, improve drug permeability in intestinal mucus, and facilitate drug penetration across the intestinal epithelial barrier. Furthermore, ILs were attempted as formulation components to develop novel oral drug delivery systems. This review focus on the application progress of ILs in oral drug delivery and the mechanisms. The challenges and perspectives of the development of ILs-based oral delivery systems are also discussed. This article reviews the latest advances of ionic liquids for oral drug delivery, focusing on the application and related mechanisms of ionic liquids in improving the drug physicochemical properties and enhancing drug delivery across physiological barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Changes in both rainfall patterns and nitrogen (N) deposition affect plant productivity. However, the knowledge of the interactions between reduced rainfall amount, reduced rainfall frequency, and increased atmospheric N deposition in grasslands is limited. Methods: A three-factorial mesocosm experiment was conducted with monocultures of Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel. Treatments of rainfall amount (control, −30%), rainfall frequency (control, −50%) and N (0, 10 g N m−2 yr−1) were included. Results: In the Songnen grassland, the aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) of L. chinensis increased by 137% with N addition, decreased by 22% with reduced rainfall amount and increased by 74% with reduced rainfall frequency. Rainfall amount, but not frequency, had significant interaction with N treatment. The combined treatment of N addition and reduced rainfall amount increased ANPP by 46%. The shoot density was decreased by 35% with reduced rainfall amount, but increased by 45% with reduced rainfall frequency and by 67% with N addition. Nitrogen addition increased net carbon assimilation rate and water use efficiency (WUE), but they showed no significant response to main factors of altered rainfall changes except the increased WUE under reduced rainfall amount. Conclusions: Shoot density rather than shoot biomass of L. Chinensis, is the key factor affecting ANPP in response to changes in rainfall pattern and N deposition, and ANPP was co-limited by water and N. The Songnen grassland will be resilient in ANPP in future climate change scenarios, because deeper water infiltration following reduced rainfall frequency can offset the reduced ANPP caused by reduced rainfall. This offset will be further enhanced by the higher WUE caused by increased atmospheric N deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A lymph node biopsy of the neck suggested "reactive hyperplasia" and a transbronchial lung biopsy suggested "lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia." 1 A Lung CT presentations before and after treatment. a Before BCD treatment. b After 3 months of BCD treatment. c After BD maintenance treatment. d Before Dara treatment. e After Dara treatment. Dear Editor, A 56-year-old woman with an 8-year history of lymph node enlargement was admitted to our hospital in September 2021. [Extracted from the article]

Genomic amplification of the distal portion of chromosome 3q, which encodes a number of oncogenic proteins, is one of the most frequent chromosomal abnormalities in malignancy. Here we functionally characterise a non-protein product of the 3q region, the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) PLANE, which is upregulated in diverse cancer types through copy number gain as well as E2F1-mediated transcriptional activation. PLANE forms an RNA-RNA duplex with the nuclear receptor co-repressor 2 (NCOR2) pre-mRNA at intron 45, binds to heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein M (hnRNPM) and facilitates the association of hnRNPM with the intron, thus leading to repression of the alternative splicing (AS) event generating NCOR2-202, a major protein-coding NCOR2 AS variant. This is, at least in part, responsible for PLANE-mediated promotion of cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenicity. These results uncover the function and regulation of PLANE and suggest that PLANE may constitute a therapeutic target in the pan-cancer context. Genomic amplification of chromosome 3q often encodes proteins that contribute to cancer development. Here the authors identify a non-coding product of the 3q region, the lncRNA PLANE that promotes tumorigenesis through the deregulation of transcriptional corepressor NCOR2 pre-mRNA splicing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategy was proposed to modify cotton fabrics (CFs) by dipping-padding procedure using graphene oxide (GO) and aminofullerene (C60), and then the flexible reduced GO/fullerene fabric-based ion sensors (RGO/C60@CF) were prepared by chemical reduction method. Large amounts of zero-dimension of fullerene spheres were embedded in RGO sheets, and could exhibit different dipole–dipole interactions on various cations or anions with different sizes by virtue of their electron deficiency characteristics, which made RGO/C60@CF show different resistivity to different ions, thus endowing the modified fabrics with responsiveness to different ions. When the relative content of fullerene to graphene was 5%, the resistivity of the modified fabric (RGO/CF60@CF-5) was significantly different to different ions, i.e., the larger the ion radius, the greater the resistivity of the modified fabrics, and even if the ion concentration was only 1 mmol/L, RGO/C60@CF-5 exhibited good sensitivity. In addition, the fabric-based ion sensors also showed different sensing properties for different type of sweat, and their sensitivity only changed slightly after 1000 times of 180° bending. This work provides a basis for the design of the next generation of intelligent ion sensors with high sensitivity and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe a rapid enzyme-free colorimetric assay for food- and water-borne pathogens by using the multi-functional MnO2-doped magnetic ferrite nanoparticles (MCDs-MnO2 NPs). These nanoparticles not only can recognize, absorb, and separate the analyte from the matrix efficiently but also can directly catalyze the oxidation of TMB into a blue colored product without H2O2. In the presence of target, the nanoparticles preferentially bind to the target surface and the interaction between nanoparticles and TMB can be blocked, providing turn-off sensing of bacteria. By combining the superior capture efficiency of magnetic beads with the high catalytic activity of the enzyme mimic, the turn-off colorimetric assay can detect the gram-positive bacterium and the gram-negative bacterium by the naked eye at a low detection limit (102 cfu mL−1) with a wide line arrange from 10 to 106 cfu mL−1. With the advantage of simplicity, sensitivity, and specificity, this proposed approach showed promise in rapid instrumental and on-site visual detection of bacteria for determination of water contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 15N labeling and lysimeter experiment was conducted with mesocosms of a semi-arid Leymus chinensis grassland. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of N fertilization timing (fertilization in fall or spring) and rate (0, 56, and 112 kg-N ha−1 year−1) on ecosystem services (seed yield and forage yield), ecosystem disservices (N leaching surveyed during 1 year and emissions of NH3 and N2O integrated over 76 days after fertilization), and recovery of added fertilizer N in plants and soil. Seed and forage yields increased more under fall than spring N fertilization. Further, N fertilization was linked to higher soil NH3 and N2O emissions, particularly under high N rate for both NH3 (2.0 and 1.6 kg-N ha−1 under fall and spring N fertilization, respectively) and N2O (0.24 and 0.21 kg-N ha−1, respectively). N leaching was never observed. A significant N fertilization timing × rate interaction effect was observed on plant recovery efficiency of added fertilizer N (Plant-NRE). Plant-NRE was higher for high than moderate N rate, with + 13.2% (from 22.8 to 36%) and + 16.4% (from 28.2 to 44.7%) for fall and spring fertilization, respectively. Fertilizer N recovered in soil was highest for moderate N rate in fall (68% of total N fertilizer) and lowest for high N rate in spring (46%). Our results show synergies among the ecosystem services (seed and forage yields) and among the disservices (NH3 and N2O emissions), and trade-offs between the services and disservices, some of these synergies and trade-offs being modulated by N fertilization timing and rate. Our study is the first one analyzing the possibly interactive effects of the N fertilization timing and rate on this range of ecosystem services and disservices in semi-arid perennial grasslands, which can be useful for N risk: benefit analysis when evaluating N fertilization strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: MiR-499 has been reported to be expressed only in cardiomyocytes, and its expression would increase after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). miR-499 plays a role in the process of cardiomyocytes injury induced by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R), however, it still remains unclear. Results: Hypoxia inhibited miR-499-5p expression and H/R induced apoptosis. SOX6 was a target gene of miR-499-5p, and high expression of miR-499-5p inhibited the expression of SOX6. MiR-499-5p reduced H9c2 cells injury by inhibiting the expression of SOX6, overexpression of which could reverse the effect of miR-499-5p on H9c2 cells. MiR-499-5p inhibited the levels of LDH and MDA, while overexpression of miR-499-5p inhibited H/R-induced cell apoptosis. MiR-499-5p could up-regulate the level of Bcl-2 and down-regulate the expression levels of Bax and caspase-3. However, SOX6 partially reversed these effects of miR-499-5p. Conclusion: We proved that miR-499-5p inhibited H/R-induced cardiomyocytes injury by targeting SOX6. Our results suggested that miR-499-5p/SOX6 pathway may present a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy metal allocation in clonal organs, stems, leaves, and roots has not been systematically studied for rhizomatous perennial plants. Here, pot experiments have been designed to investigate lead (Pb) distribution in different organs of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. Common reed subjected to 0-4500 mg Pb kg−1 under both flood and drought conditions. In either water treatment, Pb concentrations in offspring shoots were lower than in parent shoots; however, the opposite response was observed for biomass allocation for which parent shoots protected offspring shoots. Lower allocation of Pb to leaves rather than stems in offspring shoots could be a protective strategy of leaves under flood conditions. Lower Pb allocation to rhizomes is better for rhizome growth. This further provides energy for the growth of buds and offspring shoots, because the rhizome biomass and the number of buds and offspring shoots were not significantly inhibited by Pb levels of ≤ 3000 mg kg−1 in the flooded environment. These Pb allocation strategies could enhance the resistance capacity of reeds to Pb contamination by stabilizing population propagation and productivity, especially at Pb levels of ≤ 3000 mg kg−1 under flood conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve cartoon art style rendering systems, increase their adaptability to different front-end rendering requirements, and shorten the waiting time of simultaneous multiuser online renderings, the author proposes an improved algorithm based on deep learning. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the existing neural network rendering model of deep learning machines are comprehensively analyzed, and the design of the rendering algorithm is improved on this basis. The algorithm training link adopts the TensorFlow framework. In the generation link, the algorithm first reads the cartoon picture and carries out the corresponding convolution operation through a convolutional neural network in forward transmission mode. This effect can be achieved by setting the stripe displacement distance to 1 and the convolution kernel size to 3 × 3 and filling 1 layer of 0 at the edge. The analysis results show that the background of the whole website follows the operation law of the asynchronous process pool, which can better improve the rendering response speed. After performing runs and tests, it is found that the website can basically achieve high-efficiency interactions, the application of the new algorithm greatly shortens the development cycle, and the coupling degree between the modules of the rendering webpages is low, which can guarantee the smooth operation and maintenance of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactoferrin (Lf) is a sialic acid (Sia)-rich, iron-binding milk glycoprotein that has multifunctional health benefits. Its potential role in neurodevelopment and cognition remains unknown. To test the hypothesis that Lf may function to improve neurodevelopment and cognition, the diet of postnatal piglets was supplemented with Lf from days 3 to 38. Expression levels of selected genes and their cognate protein profiles were quantitatively determined. The importance of our new findings is that Lf (1) upregulated several canonical signaling pathways associated with neurodevelopment and cognition; (2) influenced ~10 genes involved in the brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF) signaling pathway in the hippocampus and upregulated the expression of polysialic acid, a marker of neuroplasticity, cell migration and differentiation of progenitor cells, and the growth and targeting of axons; (3) upregulated transcriptional and translational levels of BDNF and increased phosphorylation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element-binding protein, CREB, a downstream target of the BDNF signaling pathway, and a protein of crucial importance in neurodevelopment and cognition; and (4) enhanced the cognitive function and learning of piglets when tested in an eight-arm radial maze. The finding that Lf can improve neural development and cognition in postnatal piglets has not been previously described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel colorimetric immunoassay for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) based on a combination of immunomagnetic separation and signal amplification via etching-enhanced peroxidase-like catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was developed. Nanoconjugates composed of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and further modified with antiS. aureus immunoglobulin Y (IgY), which was used for the selective enrichment and rapid separation of target bacteria in complex matrices. AuNPs functionalized with antiS. aureus aptamer were used as an artificial enzyme which has peroxidase-like catalysis activity. Catalytic activity of AuNPs is inhibited by modifying aptamer. However, catalysis of modified AuNPs remarkably enhanced by hydrogen peroxide etching. Based on collecting unbound modified AuNPs in the supernatant and 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine-hydrogen peroxide reporting system, the yellow color of solution decreases linearly with increasing the concentration of S. aureus ranging from 10 to 106 cfu/mL. The limit of detection is 10 cfu/mL, and total detection time is 65 min. The recoveries of the S. aureus spiked in food samples are 88.2–119.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unnatural monosaccharides such as azidosugars that can be metabolically incorporated into cellular glycans are currently used as a major tool for glycan imaging and glycoproteomic profiling. As a common practice to enhance membrane permeability and cellular uptake, the unnatural sugars are per-O-acetylated, which, however, can induce a long-overlooked side reaction, non-enzymatic S-glycosylation. Herein, we develop 1,3-di-esterified N-azidoacetylgalactosamine (GalNAz) as next-generation chemical reporters for metabolic glycan labeling. Both 1,3-di-O-acetylated GalNAz (1,3-Ac2GalNAz) and 1,3-di-O-propionylated GalNAz (1,3-Pr2GalNAz) exhibit high efficiency for labeling protein O-GlcNAcylation with no artificial S-glycosylation. Applying 1,3-Pr2GalNAz in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), we identify ESRRB, a critical transcription factor for pluripotency, as an O-GlcNAcylated protein. We show that ESRRB O-GlcNAcylation is important for mESC self-renewal and pluripotency. Mechanistically, ESRRB is O-GlcNAcylated by O-GlcNAc transferase at serine 25, which stabilizes ESRRB, promotes its transcription activity and facilitates its interactions with two master pluripotency regulators, OCT4 and NANOG. Per-O-acetylated unnatural monosaccharides are popular tools for glycan labeling in live cells but can undergo unwanted side reactions with cysteines. Here, the authors develop unnatural sugars in a partially esterified form that are inert towards cysteines, and use them to probe O-GlcNAcylation in mESCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoenzymatic modification of cell-surface glycan structures has emerged as a complementary approach to metabolic oligosaccharide engineering. Here, we identify Pasteurella multocida α2-3-sialyltransferase M144D mutant, Photobacterium damsela α2-6-sialyltransferase, and Helicobacter mustelae α1-2-fucosyltransferase, as efficient tools for live-cell glycan modification. Combining these enzymes with Helicobacter pylori α1-3-fucosyltransferase, we develop a host-cell-based assay to probe glycan-mediated influenza A virus (IAV) infection including wild-type and mutant strains of H1N1 and H3N2 subtypes. At high NeuAcα2-6-Gal levels, the IAV-induced host-cell death is positively correlated with haemagglutinin (HA) binding affinity to NeuAcα2-6-Gal. Remarkably, an increment of host-cell-surface sialyl Lewis X (sLeX) exacerbates the killing by several wild-type IAV strains and a previously engineered mutant HK68-MTA. Structural alignment of HAs from HK68 and HK68-MTA suggests formation of a putative hydrogen bond between Trp222 of HA-HK68-MTA and the C-4 hydroxyl group of the α1-3-linked fucose of sLeX, which may account for the enhanced host cell killing of that mutant. Glycan molecules can be modified directly on the cell surface via chemoenzymatic approaches. Here, the authors employ a set of four bacterial glycosyltransferases to develop a live cell-based killing assay to probe host cell glycan-mediated influenza A virus infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]