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Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. (VBT) is widely distributed in the mountainous areas in eastern and southern China. VBT leaves have great medical value and can be used to stain rice to produce "Wumifan". Its fruits also contain rich nutrients. However, there has been limited attention to exploring the molecular content of VBT. Previously, we performed RNA-seq on three typical VBT fruits that were at various stages of ripening, although a reliable reference gene was lost in validation.In this study, we selected ten candidate reference genes based on previous studies and transcriptomics analyses. Subsequently, these genes were evaluated using a combination of methods, including geNorm, NormFinder, and Bestkeeper, with a comprehensive ranking assessment. As a result, we found that the actin2, NADH, and ADK genes have high reliability for analysing the expression levels of genes involved in fruit development. Furthermore, the transcript levels of 15 DEGs from transcriptomic analysis were assessed using NADH as a reference gene, and RT-qPCR data were highly consistent with the transcriptomic data. These results provide reliable reference genes for further studying gene expression, which will be beneficial for comprehensively exploring VBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a protein-rich resource, rice bran protein has not been developed and utilized effectively. In this study, the optimal condition to prepare hydrolysate from rice bran protein was determined by screening protease and conducting single factor experiments along with response surface methodology. Optimal hydrolysate was prepared to further investigate its chemical (DPPH, ABTS, Fe2+) and cellular antioxidative activity. Finally, its amino acid composition was explored. In the results, alcalase was selected and other parameters were: pH 8.5, enzyme-to-substrate ratio 0.38%, and substrate concentration 6%. It was proved that the hydrolysate was an excellent DPPH (EC50 = 5.647) and ABTS (EC50 = 0.195) scavenger as well as good Fe2+ (EC50 = 1.765) chelator, showing directly proportional relationships with dose. In cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay, the CAA value reached 31.76% at the concentration of 1 mg/mL and the increasing use of rice bran protein hydrolysate significantly improved CAA. Amino acid composition analysis showed that the hydrolysate was rich in glutamic acid (13.02%), aspartic acid (6.68%), arginine (3.34%) and many kinds of hydrophobic amino acids which contribute to the antioxidant property. This research revealed the potential application of rice bran protein hydrolysate in natural antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting the electrical corrosion potential (ECP) of type 304 stainless steel, the structural material of recirculation pipes in fusion power plants, is important because the growth rate of intergranular stress corrosion crack (IGSCC) of 304 stainless steel is closely related to ECP. In this work, a new model has been developed, by modifying existing models, to calculate the ECP of recirculation pipes in future fusion power plant. The calculation results indicate that merely injecting hydrogen cannot reduce ECP below EIGSCC if the dose rate exceeds a threshold, other assisted water chemistry controlling method is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the leading cause of dry eye and proposed treatments are based on disease severity. Our purpose was to establish reliable morphologic measurements of meibomian glands for evaluating MGD severity. This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 100 MGD patients and 20 controls. The patients were classified into dry eye severity level (DESL) 1–4 based on symptoms and clinical parameters including tear-film breakup time, ocular staining and Schirmer I. The gland loss, length, thickness, density and distortion were analyzed. We compared the morphology between patients and controls; examined their correlations to meibum expressibility, quality, and DESL. Relative to controls, the gland thickness, density and distortion were elevated in patients (p < 0.001 for all tests). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.98 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96–1.0) for gland loss, and 0.96 (CI 0.91–1.0) for gland distortion, with a cutoff value of six distorted glands yielding a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 97% for MGD diagnosis. The gland distortion was negatively correlated to the meibum expressibility (r = −0.53; p < 0.001) and DESL (r = −0.22, p = 0.018). In conclusion, evaluation of meibomian gland loss and distortion are valuable complementary clinical parameters to assess MGD status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]