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To study the effect of various extractants on the structure of peat humic acid, peat humic acid was extracted using [NH.sub.3]*[H.sub.2]O, [Na.sub.2][CO.sub.3], [NaHCO.sub.3], and [Na.sub.2][SO.sub.3] via alkali-extraction and acid-precipitation methods. The extracted peat humic acid was characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy. The results showed that the extractants had negligible effects on the content of peat humic acids. [Na.sub.2][CO.sub.3] was found to be the most effective extractant for isolating humic acids from peat, with the highest content of 66.20% and a yield of 32.67%. Moreover, among the extractants used, [NH.sub.3]*[H.sub.2]O resulted in humic acids with the highest aromaticity, and [Na.sub.2][SO.sub.3] yielded humic acids with higher number of hydroxyl groups. [NaHCO.sub.3] yielded humic acids with the most aliphatic ether and lowest aromaticity. [Na.sub.2][CO.sub.3] was the best extractant for isolating humic acids from peat, having the highest content, lowest degree of aromatic polymerization, and highest number of carboxylic acids., Plant organisms gradually form peat through the slow de com position of anaerobic microorganisms under excessive water and insufficient air environments (1). Peat originates from mosses and woody and herbaceous [...]

It is crucial to explore the earth-abundant, high-efficient and stable electrocatalysts suitable for accelerating water splitting kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolytes. Herein, FexCo1-xS2 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1) nanoparticles were fabricated via hydrothermal method and sulfidizing. Remarkably, the FeS2 delivers the most outstanding OER activity among prepared catalysts, with the overpotential of 240 mV for 10 mA/cm2, ultra-low Tafel slope of 45 mV/decades and high stability for 16 h. XRD, SEM, HRTEM, Raman and XPS characteristics before and OER process, TOF and electrochemical results indicate that surface reconstruction, strong combination of Fe-S and uniform dispersion of particles endow FeS2 with excellent catalytic property. The strong combination of Fe-S bond and uniform dispersion of FeS2 facilitates electron transfer. And the reconstructed crystalline-amorphous Fe2O3/FeOOH with rough surface may have a low energy barrier for the elementary reaction of O*→OOH*, which is responsible for boosting the generation of O2. In the practical two-electrode overall water splitting system in 1 M KOH, the FeS2/NF//Pt/C/NF system only needs an ultra-low cell voltage of 1.46 and 1.642 V to generate the current densities of 10 and 50 mA/cm2, respectively.

Abstract With a continually evolving society and increasing environmental energy concerns, green biomass materials are attracting considerable attention in the field of energy storage owing to their low cost, environmental friendliness, and excellent storage capacity. Biomass materials prepared by various methods have been used as electrodes in secondary batteries. In this review, we discuss the application scope of different types of biomass and biomass‐derived materials in zinc‐air, lithium‐ion, and lithium‐sulfur batteries. The application of biomass and biomass‐derived materials in batteries is gaining increasing attention and is expected to drive many exciting innovations in the field of sustainable energy storage technologies.

Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens show great potential in many applications. In this study, we have synthesized diblock copolymers poly (ethylene glycol) -b-poly (9-anthrylmethyl-L-lysine) (PEG-b-PLLys-An) and poly (ethylene glycol) -b-poly (9-anthrylmethyl-D-lysine) PEG-b-PDLys-An with opposite handedness by ring-opening polymerization and post-modification. Both diblock copolymers can self-assemble into spherical micelles or planar connected disc-like aggregates at different water fractions. In addition, the copolymers present a typical AIE process concomitant with the self-assembly process. To facilitate the study of chain exchange kinetics, we develope a novel visualizable strategy based on fluorescence variation. This strategy allows us to monitor the real-time chain exchange process by mixing equimolar solutions of PEG44-b-PDLys20-An and PEG44-b-PLLys20-An with varying water volume fractions. We indicate that chain exchange predominantly occurs at low water fractions through a single-molecule extraction and redistribution mechanism rather than micellar fission and fusion. In contrast, the micelles appear to be ''kinetically frozen'' at high water fractions, suggesting suppressed chain exchange under these conditions. Importantly, our approach offers a visually observable method for probing the dynamics of micellar chain exchange in real time.

Anthocyanins (AC) are vulnerable to degradation when affected by external factors. The present study employed ultrasound-assisted glycosylation of ovalbumin (OVA) and dextran (Dex) to generate conjugate carrier for AC to improve its stability. The results showed that sonication significantly improved the progression of Maillard reaction to OVA. Compared to traditional glycosylation, ultrasound treatment showed a higher degree of grafting, a lower number of free-SH, and smaller particle size and uniform distribution. The SDS-PAGE results indicated covalent interaction. Intrinsic fluorescence (INF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Circular dichroism (CD) analysis results suggested that ultrasound-assisted glycosylation altered the OVA structure. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) observed that the ultrasound-assisted complex had a more compact and smoother structure and protein unfolding were better. The protein solubility increased significantly after glycosylation. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the glycosylated conjugates can significantly improve the thermal stability of AC In addition, the AC showed an improved processing and storage stability when conjugated with glycosylated carrier. The glycosylated protein-anthocyanins complex may help provide new ideas and scientific basis for the development of naturally sourced anthocyanins-relevant products in pharmaceutical and food industry applications.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) should further reduce the platinum consumption to lower their manufacturing costs and life-cycle carbon emissions. However, the performance of the catalyst layers with low-Pt loading needs to be improved. Short-side-chain (SSC) ionomers have been proven to enhance the catalytic activity of conventional catalyst layers. In this work, the SSC ionomer was applied to the electrospun catalyst layer, and achieved a remarkable improvement in the performance. With the use of commercially available catalyst, the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) prepared in this work exhibited a low total-Pt-consumption of 0.064 g kW−1 (stoichiometric ratios of 1.5/2.5 for H2/air, 80°C, 100 kPa) and achieved the 2025 target proposed by the US Department of Energy. Separating activation, ohmic, and concentration overpotentials, the performance enhancement of the electrospun catalyst layer mainly came from the decrease of ohmic overpotential and concentration overpotential. The electrospun ionomer membrane without catalyst was used as a research model to explore the proton transport properties inside the electrospun catalyst layer. The results showed that in the range of PEMFC operating temperature, the proton conductivity of the electrospun catalyst layer could be higher, but meanwhile the proton-conduction activation energy was also elevated. Compared with the conventional catalyst layer, the electrospun catalyst layer showed obviously better performance before and after accelerated stress test, thus verifying the practicality of the electrospun catalyst layers. This work provided a reference for the development of low platinum and high performance catalyst layers.

The release rate and time are very important for the drug carriers, silica aerogel filled hydroxypropyl cellulose/chitosan (SA/HPC/CS) composites were fabricated for the release of 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu), and the release rate and time were regulated with the content of SA, pH value and external coating material. Firstly, the 5-Fu loaded SA/HPC/CS composites and Eudragit L100 coated composites were prepared with cross-linking followed by freeze-drying, and characterized by SEM, FTIR, XRD, DSC, and TG. Then, the effect of SA content on the encapsulation efficiency of SA/HPC/CS@5-Fu was investigated, and 5-Fu release behavior under different pH values from these aerogel composites was evaluated with four kinetic models. In addition, to further solve the abrupt effect of the obtained composites, Eudragit L100 coated SA/HPC/CS@5-Fu was fabricated, the sustained release behavior revealed that the coating technique can effectively improve the release behavior and extend release time.

The screening and identification of drug metabolites in biological matrices is challenging, and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS) has become a powerful technological tool for drug metabolites analysis due to its high sensitivity. However, the spectral information contained in existing chemical standards and databases is very limited, and the UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS technique alone cannot satisfy the identification of complex and diverse metabolites. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new strategy to achieve comprehensive drug metabolic profile. Based on this, we have innovatively constructed a “recursive tree” analysis strategy and bridged it with network pharmacology for elucidating the pharmacological mechanisms of drugs. In this paper, we investigated the overall metabolic profile of formononetin as an example and utilized the primary branching metabolites of formononetin as effective ingredients for the study of the anti-NAFLD mechanism. The results showed that a total of 131 metabolites (prototype drug included) were detected and identified. Among them, 106 metabolites were found in rats and 31 metabolites were found in liver microsomes. Glucose conjugation, demethylation, sulfation, glucuronidation, and their complex reactions were the major processes of formononetin biotransformation. Network pharmacology results screened 104 potential targets and 20 major signaling pathways. Their mechanisms may be additive and/or synergistic effects. In addition, the therapeutic effects of formononetin against NAFLD were investigated based on palmitic acid / oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells. In summary, the recursive tree analysis strategy provides a convenient method for the identification of metabolites, and its seamless integration with network pharmacology lays the foundation for studying the pharmacological activities of natural products.

Traditional lightweight foam concrete typically introduces a large number of voids into the concrete using surfactants to reduce density. However, in 3D printing, the instability of lightweight foam concrete can affect the workability of the slurry. Additionally, the lower strength of foam with more pores also reduces its mechanical performance. This study found that by replacing sand with expanded perlite in 3D-printed foam concrete, the stability of the foam is improved, enhancing the workability of the mixture and increasing the constructability of printed concrete. Furthermore, analyses of mechanical properties, porosity, and pore size distribution showed that at the same dry density, foam concrete with a higher expanded perlite replacement ratio exhibited higher compressive strength, with a maximum strength increase of up to 39%. Moreover, the introduction of expanded perlite optimized the pore distribution of the foam concrete, resulting in a more uniform material structure. The 3D-printed expanded perlite–foam concrete (3DPFC) prepared in this study provides new insights for the preparation of lightweight 3D-printed concrete, which is of significant importance for the sustainable development of the construction industry.

Isoamyl 4-methoxycinnamate (IMC) is widely used in various fields because of its exceptional UV-filter properties. However, due to its cytotoxicity and anti-microbial degradability, the potential eco-environmental toxicity of IMC has become a focus of attention. In this study, we propose a host–guest supramolecule approach to enhance the functionality of IMC, resulting in a more environmentally friendly and high-performance materials. Sulfobutyl-β-cyclodextrin sodium salt (SBE-β-CD) was used as the host molecule. IMC-SBE-β-CD supramolecular substances were prepared through the “saturated solution method”, and their properties and biosecurity were evaluated. Meanwhile, we conducted the AOS tree evaluation system that surpasses existing evaluation approaches based on apoptosis, oxidative stress system, and signaling pathways to investigate the toxicological mechanisms of IMC-SBE-β-CD within human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells as model organisms. The AOS tree evaluation system aims to offer the comprehensive analysis of the cytotoxic effects of IMC-SBE-β-CD. Our findings showed that IMC-SBE-β-CD had an encapsulation rate of 84.45% and optimal stability at 30 °C. Further, IMC-SBE-β-CD promoted cell growth and reproduction without compromising the integrity of mitochondria and nucleus or disrupting oxidative stress and apoptosis-related pathways. Compared to IMC, IMC-SBE-β-CD is biologically safe and has improved water solubility with the UV absorption property maintained. Our study provides the foundation for the encapsulation of hydrophobic, low-toxicity organic compounds using cyclodextrins and offers valuable insights for future research in this field.

To achieve the optimal alginate-based oral formulation for delivery of hydrophobic drugs, on the basis of previous research, we further optimized the synthesis process parameters of alginate-g-oleylamine derivatives (Ugi-FOlT) and explored the effects of different degrees of substitution (DSs) on the molecular self-assembly properties of Ugi-FOlT, as well as the in vitro cytotoxicity and drug release behavior of Ugi-FOlT. The resultant Ugi-FOlT exhibited good amphiphilic properties with the critical micelle concentration (CMC) ranging from 0.043 mg/mL to 0.091 mg/mL, which decreased with the increase in the DS of Ugi-FOlT. Furthermore, Ugi-FOlT was able to self-assemble into spherical micellar aggregates in aqueous solution, whose sizes and zeta potentials with various DSs measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) were in the range of 653 ± 25~710 ± 40 nm and −58.2 ± 1.92~−48.9 ± 2.86 mV, respectively. In addition, RAW 264.7 macrophages were used for MTT assay to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of Ugi-FOlT in the range of 100~500 μg/mL, and the results indicated good cytocompatibility for Ugi-FOlT. Ugi-FOlT micellar aggregates with favorable stability also showed a certain sustained and pH-responsive release behavior for the hydrophobic drug ibuprofen (IBU). Meanwhile, it is feasible to control the drug release rate by regulating the DS of Ugi-FOlT. The influence of different DSs on the properties of Ugi-FOlT is helpful to fully understand the relationship between the micromolecular structure of Ugi-FOlT and its macroscopic properties.

The senescence of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) leads to the impairment of stemness and osteogenic differentiation capacity. In a previous study, we screened out stearoyl-CoA desaturase 2 (SCD2), the most evidently changed differential gene in lipid metabolism, using combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, and verified that SCD2 could mitigate MSC senescence. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by which the rate-limiting enzyme of lipogenesis SCD2 manipulates MSC senescence has not been completely understood. In this study, we demonstrate that SCD2 over-expression alleviates MSC replicative senescence and ameliorates their osteogenic differentiation through the regulation of lipogenesis. Furthermore, SCD2 expression is reduced, whereas miR-200c-3p expression is elevated in replicative senescent MSCs. SCD2 is the direct target gene of miR-200c-3p, which can bind to the 3′-UTR of SCD2. MiR-200c-3p replenishment in young MSCs is able to diminish SCD2 expression levels due to epigenetic modulation. In addition, SCD2-rescued MSC senescence and enhanced osteogenic differentiation can be attenuated by miR-200c-3p repletion via suppressing lipogenesis. Taken together, we reveal the potential mechanism of SCD2 influencing MSC senescence from the perspective of lipid metabolism and epigenetics, which provides both an experimental basis for elucidating the mechanism of stem cell senescence and a novel target for delaying stem cell senescence.

The main purpose of this research is to develop a solid waste-based cementitious material (SWC) instead of cement for solidifying a large amount of marine soft soil with high water content and low bearing capacity in coastal areas. This aims to solve the problems encountered in the practical application of cement soil, such as slow strength growth and poor durability. The SWC includes ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), dust ash (DA), and activated cinder powder (ACP), with admixtures of naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensate (NS) and compound salt early strength agent (SA). Both the 7 d and 28 d compressive strength values of the SWC formulations G4 and G7 are about twice as strong as those of cement soil (GC), even when mixed with seawater. Immersion tests revealed that stabilized soil had superior resistance to seawater corrosion compared to cement soil. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis explained that the main hydration products in cement soil are C-S-H and CH, while in stabilized soil, SWC generates a large amount of C-A-S-H with gelling properties and AFt with filling properties. These hydration products have better effects on strength and seawater erosion resistance.

Salinity is a common abiotic stress that limits crop productivity. Although there is a wealth of evidence suggesting that miRNA and lncRNA play important roles in the response to salinity in rice seedlings and reproductive stages, the mechanism by which competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) influence salt tolerance and yield in rice has been rarely reported. In this study, we conducted full whole-transcriptome sequencing of rice panicles during the reproductive period to clarify the role of ceRNAs in the salt stress response and yield. A total of 214 lncRNAs, 79 miRNAs, and 584 mRNAs were identified as differentially expressed RNAs under salt stress. Functional analysis indicates that they play important roles in GO terms such as response to stress, biosynthesis processes, abiotic stimuli, endogenous stimulus, and response to stimulus, as well as in KEGG pathways such as secondary metabolite biosynthesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, metabolic pathways, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. A ceRNA network comprising 95 lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA triplets was constructed. Two lncRNAs, MSTRG.51634.2 and MSTRG.48576.1, were predicted to bind to osa-miR172d-5p to regulate the expression of OsMYB2 and OsMADS63, which have been reported to affect salt tolerance and yield, respectively. Three lncRNAs, MSTRG.30876.1, MSTRG.44567.1, and MSTRG.49308.1, may bind to osa-miR5487 to further regulate the expression of a stress protein (LOC_Os07g48460) and an aquaporin protein (LOC_Os02g51110) to regulate the salt stress response. This study is helpful for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of ceRNA that drive the response of rice to salt stress and provide new genetic resources for salt-resistant rice breeding.

With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and big data technology, intelligent education systems have become a key research focus in the field of modern educational technology. This study aims to enhance the intelligence level of educational systems by accurately detecting student behavior in the classroom using deep learning techniques. We propose a method for detecting student classroom behavior based on an improved RT DETR (Real-Time Detection Transformer) object detection algorithm. By combining actual classroom observation data with AI-generated data, we create a comprehensive and diverse student behavior dataset (FSCB-dataset). This dataset not only more realistically simulates the classroom environment but also effectively addresses the scarcity of datasets and reduces the cost of dataset construction. The study introduces MobileNetV3 as a lightweight backbone network, reducing the model parameters to one-tenth of the original while maintaining nearly the same accuracy. Additionally, by incorporating learnable position encoding and dynamic upsampling techniques, the model significantly improves its ability to recognize small objects and complex scenes. Test results on the FSCB-dataset show that the improved model achieves significant improvements in real-time performance and computational efficiency. The lightweight network is also easy to deploy on mobile devices, demonstrating its practicality in resource-constrained environments.

In the realm of plant biology, small RNAs (sRNAs) are imperative in the orchestration of gene expression, playing pivotal roles across a spectrum of developmental sequences and responses to environmental stressors. The biosynthetic cascade of sRNAs is characterized by an elaborate network of enzymatic pathways that meticulously process double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) precursors into sRNA molecules, typically 20 to 30 nucleotides in length. These sRNAs, chiefly microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are integral in guiding the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) to selectively target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for post-transcriptional modulation. This regulation is achieved either through the targeted cleavage or the suppression of translational efficiency of the mRNAs. In plant development, sRNAs are integral to the modulation of key pathways that govern growth patterns, organ differentiation, and developmental timing. The biogenesis of sRNA itself is a fine-tuned process, beginning with transcription and proceeding through a series of processing steps involving Dicer-like enzymes and RNA-binding proteins. Recent advances in the field have illuminated the complex processes underlying the generation and function of small RNAs (sRNAs), including the identification of new sRNA categories and the clarification of their involvement in the intercommunication among diverse regulatory pathways. This review endeavors to evaluate the contemporary comprehension of sRNA biosynthesis and to underscore the pivotal role these molecules play in directing the intricate performance of plant developmental processes.

Nowadays, as a result of the frequent occurrence of accidental injuries and traumas such as bone damage, the number of people causing bone injuries or fractures is increasing around the world. The design and fabrication of ideal bone tissue engineering (BTE) materials have become a research hotspot in the scientific community, and thus provide a novel path for the treatment of bone diseases. Among the materials used to construct scaffolds in BTE, including metals, bioceramics, bioglasses, biomacromolecules, synthetic organic polymers, etc., natural biopolymers have more advantages against them because they can interact with cells well, causing natural polymers to be widely studied and applied in the field of BTE. In particular, alginate has the advantages of excellent biocompatibility, good biodegradability, non-immunogenicity, non-toxicity, wide sources, low price, and easy gelation, enabling itself to be widely used as a biomaterial. However, pure alginate hydrogel as a BTE scaffold material still has many shortcomings, such as insufficient mechanical properties, easy disintegration of materials in physiological environments, and lack of cell-specific recognition sites, which severely limits its clinical application in BTE. In order to overcome the defects of single alginate hydrogels, researchers prepared alginate composite hydrogels by adding one or more materials to the alginate matrix in a certain proportion to improve their bioapplicability. For this reason, this review will introduce in detail the methods for constructing alginate composite hydrogels, including alginate/polymer composite hydrogels, alginate/bioprotein or polypeptide composite hydrogels, alginate/bioceramic composite hydrogels, alginate/bioceramic composite hydrogels, and alginate/nanoclay composite hydrogels, as well as their biological application trends in BTE scaffold materials, and look forward to their future research direction. These alginate composite hydrogel scaffolds exhibit both unexceptionable mechanical and biochemical properties, which exhibit their high application value in bone tissue repair and regeneration, thus providing a theoretical basis for the development and sustainable application of alginate-based functional biomedical materials.

Particle damping technology is applied in vibration and noise reduction because of its good broadband vibration reduction effect. The energy transfer and loss between particles are keys to the role of damping. This paper investigates the relationship between the thermal energy dissipation caused by the collision of particles and the input energy. The temperature rise characteristics under different vibration states are studied. The results show significant differences in the thermal dissipation characteristics of granular assemblies for different vibration states. Under equivalent excitation amplitudes, the frequency increases, and the thermal loss of the particles increases. At the same frequency, the excitation amplitudes increase, and the thermal loss of the particles decreases. Granular assemblies in strong vibrational states, such as a gas-like state, have intense vibrations and apparent temperature-increasing effects. However, in this vibration state, the input energy to the particles is considerable, and the thermal loss accounts for a small proportion of the total energy. In states such as solid-like states, micro-vibrational states, and intermediate vibrational states, the particles interact closely, and the input energy for the particles is small. Additionally, the movement of the particles is not intense, and the thermal loss accounts for a large proportion of the total energy. The thermal loss of the particles also shows a frequency variation characteristic. According to the different temperature rise characteristics of the particles, the proportion of thermal energy consumption is analyzed. The research shows that the proportion of thermal energy consumption is not more than 70%, so there are other forms of energy consumption in the vibration reduction and energy consumption of the particles.

The primary significance of this work is that the commercial yeast proteins particles were successfully used to characterize the high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs). The different sonication time (0,3,7,11,15 min) was used to modulate the structure and interface characteristics of yeast proteins (YPs) that as Pickering particles. Immediately afterward, the influence of YPs particles prepared at different sonication time on the rheological behavior and coalescence mechanism of HIPPEs was investigated. The results indicate that the YPs sonicated for 7 min exhibited a more relaxed molecular structures and conformation, the smallest particle size, the highest H0 and optimal amphiphilicity (the three-phase contact (θ) was 88.91°). The transition from extended to compact conformations of YPs occurred when the sonication time exceeded 7 min, resulting in an augmentation of size of YPs particles, a reduction in surface hydrophobicity (H0), and an elevation in hydrophilicity. The HIPPEs stabilized by YPs particles sonicated for 7 min exhibited the highest adsorption interface protein percentage and a more homogeneous three-dimensional (3D) protein network, resulting in the smallest droplet size and the highest storage (G′). The HIPPEs sample that stabilized by YPs particles sonicated for 15 min showed the lowest adsorption protein percentage. This caused a reduction in the thickness of its interface protein layer and an enlargement in the droplet diameter (D [3,2]). It was prone to droplet coalescence according to the equation used to evaluate the coalescence probability of droplets (Eq (2)). And the non-adsorbed YPs particles form larger aggregation structures in the continuous phase and act as “structural agents” in 3D protein network. Therefore, mechanistically, the interface protein layer formed by YPs particles sonicated 7 min contributed more to HIPPEs stability. Whereas the “structural agents” contributed more to HIPPEs stability when the sonication time exceeded 7 min. The present results shed important new light on the application of commercial YPs in the functional food fields, acting as an available and effective alternative protein.

It is of great significance to prepare liners with excellent inhibition of energetic plasticizer migration and gas barrier properties. Here, we have successfully prepared magnetic iron oxide decorated reduced-graphene-oxide nanosheets (MRGO) by using ultrasound-assisted method. The obtained MRGO nanosheet-fillers were filled into hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) which was exposed to a magnetic field (200 mT) to achieve ordered orientation of MRGO in the HTPB matrix (Ordered MRGO/HTPB). The laser confocal microscopy demonstrates that MRGO exhibit ordered orientation structure in HTPB matrix with good dispersion, which renders the HTPB composite liners exhibiting high gas and plasticizer barrier capability, with a reduction of 18.9 % in water vapor permeability and a decrease of 14.1 % in dibutyl phthalate (DBP) migration equilibrium concentration as compared with those of random MRGO embedded HTPB composite liners (Random MRGO/HTPB). Moreover, a theoretical model accounting for such enhanced gas/plasticizer barrier performance of HTPB due to the implantation of order aligned MRGO was established, which shows that the effective diffusion pathways of plasticizer/gas for liner penetration would be significantly enhanced when the MRGO nanosheets are oriented within the HTPB matrix. This work provides an effective and facile strategy toward the design and development of composite liners with high plasticizer/gas barrier performance for industrial applications.

Heteroatom doping has emerged as a prevailing strategy to enhance the storage of sodium ions in carbon materials. However, the underlying mechanism governing the performance enhancement remains undisclosed. Herein, we fabricated N/S co-doped carbon beaded fibers (S-N-CBFs), which exhibited glorious rate performance and durableness in Na+ storage, showcasing no obvious capacity decay even after 3500 cycles. Furthermore, when used as anodes in sodium-ion capacitors, the S-N-CBFs delivered exceptional results, boasting a high energy density of 225 Wh·kg–1, superior power output of 22500 W·kg–1, and outstanding cycling stability with a capacity attenuation of merely 0.014% per cycle after 4000 cycles at 2 A·g–1. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the incorporation of both pyridinic N and pyrrolic N into the carbon matrix of S-N-CBFs induced internal electric fields (IEFs), with the former IEF being stronger than the latter, in conjunction with the doped S atom. Density functional theory calculations further unveiled that the intensity of the IEF directly influenced the adsorption of Na+, thereby resulting in the exceptional performances of S-N-CBFs as sodium-ion storage materials. This work uncovers the pivotal role of IEF in regulating the electronic structure of carbon materials and enhancing their Na+ storage capabilities, providing valuable insights for the development of more advanced electrode materials.

Five degraded products of limonoid, including two previously undescribed compounds (1, 3) and one pair of new natural products (4i, 4ii), were isolated from the root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz. Their structures were elucidated by extensively spectroscopic methods (NMR, MS, ECD, etc), as well as quantum chemical calculations. The broadening NMR lines, along with the relaxation time and DOSY experiment revealed the self-aggregation of 1 in chloroform through H-bond between –COOH and –OH, which provided additional evidence to distinguish acid and ester/lactone in structure elucidation. Compounds 1–3 attenuated oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells significantly, with inhibition rates of 19.8%, 23.6%, and 13.5% at 10 μM, much stronger than fenofibrate, affording a novel scaffold for drug discovery against fatty liver disease.

Extracting vanadium (V) from vanadium slag (VS) by the traditional roasting-leaching process has disadvantages of high energy consumption and high poisonous gases emission. In this work, a green and efficient route was developed to extract V from VS without roasting by electro-oxidation combined with ultrasound cavitation (EOUC) intensification in sulfuric acid solution. The leaching parameters (e.g., leaching temperature, sulfuric acid concentration, anodic current density, ultrasound power, liquid to solid ratio, leaching time and particle size) were optimized. The leaching mechanism was explored by comparing the leaching behavior and mineralogical evolution of the direct sulfuric acidic leaching (DSL), electro-oxidation-assisted sulfuric acidic leaching (EOSL), ultrasound cavitation-assisted sulfuric acidic leaching (UCSL) and EOUC methods. The results show that introducing electric field strengthens the ultrasound cavitation effect on slag particles in sulfuric acid solution. Under the optimum parameter of EOUC method, the leaching rate of V from VS is as high as 94.64 %. Using EOUC method can open the silicate-wrapped structure of the spinel, increase pore volume of VS from 0.00127 cm3 g−1 to 0.01124 cm3 g−1, decrease slag particle size from 26.8 μm to 16.4 μm and improve specific surface area from 0.508 m2 g−1 to 10.855 m2 g−1, which significantly accelerate V leaching process. The exposed spinel was oxidized by both electrochemical route and chemical route, forming a mixture of V3+ ion and VO2+ ion after leaching.

A rapid mechanical ball milling method at room temperature has been proposed for Mn2+ doping. The mechanical force generated by the ball milling process was able to hammer Mn atom into the Bi3O4Br lattice in an efficient and stable manner. Doping with Mn2+ produces a doping level in the forbidden band. Also, Mn2+ promptly scavenged the photogenerated holes, reducing the recombination of photogenerated carriers and promoting the production of numerous active species. As a result, Mn2+ doped Bi3O4Br exhibited enhanced photodegradation performance towards antibiotic tetracycline, in which the optimal efficiency arrives 81.74%, 1.22 times higher than Bi3O4Br.

A possible approach to addressing the challenges of energy scarcity and the effects of global warming through the decrease of greenhouse gases is the manufacture of hydrocarbons, particularly fuel from the photoreduction of CO2. Here, the determination of activity/selectivity of produced hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and oxygen in the gas phase was demonstrated in the absence and presence of O2 in an aqueous slurry on TiO2. The conversion increases with reaction time up to the first hour but then begins to become unchanged in the presence of oxygen, suggesting catalyst deactivation. In contrast, the reaction rate and CO2 conversion increased over 4 h when there was no oxygen, demonstrating that oxygen can be the cause of TiO2 deactivation. Intriguingly, light-induced O2 uptake rather than evolution was seen during optical oxygen detection investigations in photoreactions with a peak region of O2/CO2. H2 production is suppressed by the presence of oxygen. Additionally, the sudden increase in hydrogen generation when oxygen is absent demonstrated that oxygen consumption and hydrogen production are taking place at the reduction site. The availability of oxygen reduced hydrocarbon productivity and H2 production.

In nature, plants have developed a series of resistance mechanisms to face various external stresses. As understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant resistance continues to deepen, exploring endogenous resistance in plants has become a hot topic in this field. Despite the multitude of studies on plant-induced resistance, how plants respond to stress under natural conditions remains relatively unclear. To address this gap, we investigated Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis) using pine caterpillar (Dendrolimus tabulaeformis) under natural conditions. Healthy Chinese pine trees, approximately 10 years old, were selected for studying induced resistance in Huangtuliangzi Forestry, Pingquan City, Chengde City, Hebei Province, China. Pine needles were collected at 2 h and 8 h after feeding stimulation (FS) via 10 pine caterpillars and leaf clipping control (LCC), to simulate mechanical damage caused by insect chewing for the quantification of plant hormones and transcriptome and metabolome assays. The results show that the different modes of treatments significantly influence the contents of JA and SA in time following treatment. Three types of differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were found to be involved in the initial response, namely phenolic acids, lipids, and flavonoids. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis indicated that 722 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are positively related to feeding stimulation and the specific enriched pathways are plant hormone signal transduction and flavonoid biosynthesis, among others. Two TIFY transcription factors (PtTIFY54 and PtTIFY22) and a MYB transcription factor (PtMYB26) were found to be involved in the interaction between plant hormones, mainly in the context of JA signal transduction and flavonoid biosynthesis. The results of this study provide an insight into how JA activates, serving as a reference for understanding the molecular mechanisms of resistance formation in conifers responding to mandibulate insects.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination is a serious threat to nutritional safety and public health. The CotA-laccase from Bacillus licheniformis ANSB821 previously reported by our laboratory showed great potential to degrade AFB1 without redox mediators. However, the use of this CotA-laccase to remove AFB1 in animal feed is limited because of its low catalytic efficiency and low expression level. In order to make better use of this excellent enzyme to effectively degrade AFB1, twelve mutants of CotA-laccase were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. Among these mutants, E186A and E186R showed the best degradation ability of AFB1, with degradation ratios of 82.2% and 91.8% within 12 h, which were 1.6- and 1.8-times higher than those of the wild-type CotA-laccase, respectively. The catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) of E186A and E186R were found to be 1.8- and 3.2-times higher, respectively, than those of the wild-type CotA-laccase. Then the expression vectors pPICZαA-N-E186A and pPICZαA-N-E186R with an optimized signal peptide were constructed and transformed into Pichia pastoris GS115. The optimized signal peptide improved the secretory expressions of E186A and E186R in P. pastoris GS115. Collectively, the current study provided ideal candidate CotA-laccase mutants for AFB1 detoxification in food and animal feed and a feasible protocol, which was desperately needed for the industrial production of CotA-laccases.

Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2), a key component of the IFI20X/IFI16 (PYHIN) protein family, is characterized as a DNA sensor to detect cytosolic bacteria and DNA viruses. However, little is known about its immunological role during pathogenic Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) infection, an extracellular bacterial pathogen. In a pathogenic C. perfringens gas gangrene model, Aim2−/− mice are more susceptible to pathogenic C. perfringens soft tissue infection, revealing the importance of AIM2 in host protection. Notably, Aim2 deficiency leads to a defect in bacterial killing and clearance. Our in vivo and in vitro findings further establish that inflammasome signaling is impaired in the absence of Aim2 in response to pathogenic C. perfringens. Mechanistically, inflammasome signaling downstream of active AIM2 promotes pathogen control. Importantly, pathogenic C. perfringens-derived genomic DNA triggers inflammasome signaling activation in an AIM2-dependent manner. Thus, these observations uncover a central role for AIM2 in host defense and triggering innate immunity to combat pathogenic C. perfringens infections.

Trueperella pyogenes is an important opportunistic pathogenic bacterium widely distributed in the environment. Pyolysin (PLO) is a primary virulence factor of T. pyogenes and capable of lysing many different cells. PLO is a member of the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin (CDC) family of which the primary structure only presents a low level of homology with other members from 31% to 45%. By deeply studying PLO, we can understand the overall pathogenic mechanism of CDC family proteins. This study established a mouse muscle tissue model infected with recombinant PLO (rPLO) and its single-point mutations, rPLO N139K and rPLO F240A, and explored its mechanism of causing inflammatory damage. The inflammatory injury abilities of rPLO N139K and rPLO F240A are significantly reduced compared to rPLO. This study elaborated on the inflammatory mechanism of PLO by examining its unit point mutations in detail. Our data also provide a theoretical basis and practical significance for future research on toxins and bacteria.

Cardiac arrhythmias remain a significant concern with Ibrutinib (IBR), a first-generation Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi). Acalabrutinib (ABR), a next-generation BTKi, is associated with reduced atrial arrhythmia events. However, the role of ABR in ventricular arrhythmia (VA) has not been adequately evaluated. Our study aimed to investigate VA vulnerability and ventricular electrophysiology following chronic ABR therapy in male Sprague–Dawley rats utilizing epicardial optical mapping for ventricular voltage and Ca2+ dynamics and VA induction by electrical stimulation in ex-vivo perfused hearts. Ventricular tissues were snap-frozen for protein analysis for sarcoplasmic Ca2+ and metabolic regulatory proteins. The results show that both ABR and IBR treatments increased VA vulnerability, with ABR showing higher VA regularity index (RI). IBR, but not ABR, is associated with the abbreviation of action potential duration (APD) and APD alternans. Both IBR and ABR increased diastolic Ca2+ leak and Ca2+ alternans, reduced conduction velocity (CV), and increased CV dispersion. Decreased SERCA2a expression and AMPK phosphorylation were observed with both treatments. Our results suggest that ABR treatment also increases the risk of VA by inducing proarrhythmic changes in Ca2+ signaling and membrane electrophysiology, as seen with IBR. However, the different impacts of these two BTKi on ventricular electrophysiology may contribute to differences in VA vulnerability and distinct VA characteristics.

Semi-hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene over metal oxide-supported Au nanoparticles is an interesting topic. Here, a hydrotalcite-based MMgAlOx (M=Cu, Ni, and Co) composite oxide was exploited by introducing different Cu, Ni, and Co dopants with unique properties, and then used as support to obtain Au/MMgAlOx catalysts via a modified deposition–precipitation method. XRD, BET, ICP-OES, TEM, Raman, XPS, and TPD were employed to investigate their physic-chemical properties and catalytic performances for the semi-hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene. Generally, the catalytic activity of the Cu-modified Au/CuMgAlOx catalyst was higher than that of the other modified catalysts. The TOR for Au/CuMgAlOx was 0.0598 h−1, which was 30 times higher than that of Au/MgAl2O4. The SEM and XRD results showed no significant difference in structure or morphology after introducing the dopants. These dopants had an unfavorable effect on the Au particle size, as confirmed by the TEM studies. Accordingly, the effects on catalytic performance of the M dopant of the obtained Au/MMgAlOx catalyst were improved. Results of Raman, NH3-TPD, and CO2-TPD confirmed that the Au/CuMgAlOx catalyst had more basic sites, which is beneficial for less coking on the catalyst surface after the reaction. XPS analysis showed that gold nanoparticles exhibited a partially oxidized state at the edges and surfaces of CuMgAlOx. Besides an increased proportion of basic sites on Au/CuMgAlOx catalysts, the charge transfer from nanogold to the Cu-doped matrix support probably played a positive role in the selective hydrogenation of acetylene. The stability and deactivation of Au/CuMgAlOx catalysts were also discussed and a possible reaction mechanism was proposed.

Large-sized step shafts are important devices for supporting and transferring heavy parts, and online inspection equipment for runout errors is affected by the environment and is subject to coaxiality errors and center-position errors, leading to problems such as reduced measurement accuracy in imaging systems. In view of the above problems, this paper proposes an improved optical imaging system design for runout error detection based on the plane-mirror-group correction method. Zemax was used to optimize the structure and simulate the optical path of the optical imaging system. The total length of the structure was 50 mm, and the MTF function for each field of view was greater than 0.3 at the spatial level up to a frequency of 42 lp/mm. The system was applied to a test platform for runout error detection, achieving the detection of runout errors of a large size in the radial direction and at the end face with a diameter range of 500–700 mm. The measurement repeatability was less than 30 μm, and the system corrected the coaxiality error of the stepped-shaft online inspection equipment considered in this paper.

The catalytic oxidation of alcohols is an important transformation in the chemical industry. Carbon materials with a large surface area and N doping show great promise as metal-free catalysts for the reaction. In this study, a rich N-containing covalent triazine framework polymerized by cyanuric chloride and p-phenylenediamine was used to synthesize N-doped porous carbon with the assistance of a pore-forming agent—NaCl. First, the mass ratio of the polymer/NaCl was optimized to 1:9. Then, the influence of the pyrolysis temperatures (700–1000 °C) on the materials was studied in detail. It was found that the carbon materials were gradually exfoliated by molten salt at high temperatures. XRD and Raman characterizations showed them with a certain graphitization. The optimal doped carbon CNN-1-9-900 achieved the highest surface area of 199.03 m2g−1 with the largest pore volume of 0.29 cm3g−1. Furthermore, it had a high N content of 9.9 at% with the highest relative proportion of pyridinic/graphitic N. Due to the synergistic effect between the surface area and pyridinic/graphitic N, CNN-1-9-900 showed the best performance for benzyl alcohol oxidation with TBHP at moderate conditions, and the process also worked for its derivatives.

Addressing the prevalent issues of low accuracy, low efficiency, and poor image quality in online diameter measurement of large-sized stepped shafts, this study introduces a novel method based on a symmetrical dual-telecentric optical path utilizing dual CCDs, specifically designed for step shafts with diameters ranging from 600 mm to 800 mm. By developing and optimizing an imaging system grounded in the object-image dual-telecentric optical path principle and employing Zemax software for comprehensive analysis and optimization, this research achieves significant findings. The system’s Airy disk radius is calculated at 3.204 μm; the modulation transfer function (MTF) remains above 0.6 across various fields of view at a spatial cutoff frequency of 71.4 lp/mm, with smooth MTF curves; the field curvature is confined within 0.1 μm; and the distortion is maintained below 0.1%, fulfilling high-quality imaging requirements. Additionally, a tolerance analysis is conducted to ensure the system’s stability and reliability. Applied to an experimental setup for measuring the diameter of large-sized step shafts, the system demonstrates an improved measurement precision of 0.02 mm. This research offers a robust technical solution for the high-precision online measurement of large stepped shaft diameters, presenting significant practical implications for enhancing productivity and product quality.

With the continuous rise of the sea cucumber aquaculture industry in China, the tropical sea cucumber aquaculture industry is also improving. However, research on the gut microorganisms of tropical sea cucumbers in captivity is scarce. In this study, high-throughput sequencing methods were used to analyze the gut microbial composition of Stichopus monotuberculatus and Holothuria scabra in the dry season and wet season of artificial environments. The results showed that 66 phyla were obtained in all samples, of which 59 phyla were obtained in the dry season, and 45 phyla were obtained in the wet season. The Tax4Fun analysis showed that certain gut bacterial communities affect the daily metabolism of two sea cucumber species and are involved in maintaining gut microecological balance in the gut of two sea cucumber species. In addition, compared with differences between species, PCoA and UPGMA clustering analysis showed the gut prokaryotes of the same sea cucumber species varied more in different seasons, indicating that the influence of environment was higher than the feeding choices of sea cucumbers under relatively closed conditions. These results revealed the gut bacterial community composition of S. monotuberculatus and H. scabra and the differences in gut bacterial structure between two sea cucumber species in different seasons were compared, which would provide the foundation for tropical sea cucumber aquaculture in the future.

Trueperella pyogenes can cause various infections in the organs and tissues of different livestock (including pigs, cows, goats, and sheep), including mastitis, endometritis, pneumonia, or abscesses. Moreover, diseases induced by T. pyogenes cause significant economic losses in animal husbandry. In recent large-scale investigations, T. pyogenes has been identified as one of the main pathogens causing endometritis in lactating cows. However, the main treatment for the above-mentioned diseases is still currently antibiotic therapy. Understanding the impact of endometritis associated with T. pyogenes on the fertility of cows can help optimize antibiotic treatment for uterine diseases, thereby strategically concentrating the use of antimicrobials on the most severe cases. Therefore, it is particularly important to continuously monitor the prevalence of T. pyogenes and test its drug resistance. This study compared the uterine microbiota of healthy cows and endometritis cows in different cattle farms, investigated the prevalence of T. pyogenes, evaluated the genetic characteristics and population structure of isolated strains, and determined the virulence genes and drug resistance characteristics of T. pyogenes. An amount of 186 dairy cows were involved in this study and 23 T. pyogenes strains were isolated and identified from the uterine lavage fluid of dairy cows with or without endometritis.

Salinity is an environmental stress that severely impacts rice grain yield and quality. However, limited information is available on the molecular mechanism by which salinity reduces grain quality. In this study, we investigated the milling, appearance, eating and cooking, and nutritional quality among three japonica rice cultivars grown either under moderate salinity with an electrical conductivity of 4 dS/m or under non-saline conditions in a paddy field in Dongying, Shandong, China. Moderate salinity affected rice appearance quality predominantly by increasing chalkiness rate and chalkiness degree and affected rice eating and cooking and nutritional quality predominantly by decreasing amylose content and increasing protein content. We compared the expression levels of genes determining grain chalkiness, amylose content, and protein content in developing seeds (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 days after flowering) of plants grown under saline or non-saline conditions. The chalkiness-related gene Chalk5 was up-regulated and WHITE-CORE RATE 1 was repressed. The genes Nuclear factor Y and Wx, which determine amylose content, were downregulated, while protein-content-associated genes OsAAP6 and OsGluA2 were upregulated by salinity in the developing seeds. These findings suggest some target genes that may be utilized to improve the grain quality under salinity stress conditions via gene-pyramiding breeding approaches.

Abstract Organic solar cells (OSCs) have attracted extensive attention from both academia and industry in recent years due to their remarkable improvement in power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, the Golden Triangle (the balance of efficiency‐stability‐cost) required for large‐scale industrialization of OSCs still remains a great challenge. Here, a new nonfused‐ring electron acceptor (NFREA) BF and its polymerized counterpart PBF were designed and synthesized, and their photovoltaic performance, storage stability and material cost were systematically investigated. When blended with a widely‐used polymer donor PBDB‐T, the PBF‐based all‐polymer solar cell (all‐PSC) displayed a record high PCE of 12.61% for polymerized NFREAs (PNFREAs) with an excellent stability (95.2% of initial PCE after 800 h storage), superior to the BF counterpart. Impressively, PBF‐based all‐PSC possesses the highest industrial figure‐of‐merit (i‐FOM) value of 0.309 based on an efficiency‐stability‐cost evaluation, in comparison to several representative OSC systems (such as PM6:Y6 and PBDB‐T:PZ1). This work provides an insight into the balance of efficiency, stability, and cost, and also indicates that the PNFREAs are promising materials toward the commercial application of OSCs.

Since it may be employed to guide the production of high-quality plant protein as a partial substitute for animal protein using sono-physico-chemical effects, it is important to investigate the mixing of animal and plant protein in ultrasound (UID)-assisted processing systems. A study group of sono-physico-chemical processing with five distinct soy protein isolate (SPI)/ sarcoplasmic protein (SPN) ratios was developed in this work. The results showed that adding additional SPN to the mixed protein can increase its sono-physico-chemical impact, and this effect is greatest when the ratio of SPI to SPN is 1:3. The high SPN group's grafting rate rose from 39.13% to 55.26% in comparison to the high SPI content group. Quercetin (Que) may more readily modify SPN than SPI in the “dual protein” system used in this work, highlighting the critical function of plant protein in controlling the effects of UID-assisted processing in the “dual protein” system. Changes in apparent viscosity and microstructure are the primary parameters that affect the severity of sono-physico-chemical effects in SPI/SPN mixed protein systems, in addition to structural variables.

Driven by recent advances in DNA nanotechnology, analytical methods have been greatly improved for designing simple and homogeneous assays for proteins. The translation from target proteins to DNA outputs dramatically enhances the sensitivity of protein assays. More importantly the protein-responsive DNA nanotechnology has offered diverse assay mechanisms, allowing flexible assay designs and high sensitivity without the need for sophisticated operational procedures. This review will focus on the design principles and mechanistic insight of analytical assays mediated by protein-responsive DNA nanotechnology, which will serve a general guide for assay design and applications. Key words: homogeneous protein assay DNA nanotechnology, DNA nanomachine, protein detection, DNA strand displacement Grace aux recents progres des nanotechnologies ADN, les methodes analytiques ont ete grandement ameliorees pour permettre la conception d'essais simples de dosage homogene des proteines. La traduction de proteines cibles en codes d'ADN ameliore considerablement la sensibilite des dosages des proteines. Fait plus important encore, les nanotechnologies ADN sensibles aux proteines offrent divers mecanismes de dosage, permettant de concevoir des essais flexibles et d'une grande sensibilite sans avoir recours a des manipulations sophistiquees. Le present article de synthese porte sur les principes de conception d'essais analytiques reposant sur les nanotechnologies ADN sensibles aux proteines et les connaissances mecanistiques de leur fonctionnement, qui serviront de guide general pour la conception d'essais et leurs applications. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : dosage homogene des proteines, nanotechnologie ADN, nanomachine a base d'ADN, detection des proteines, deplacement de brin d'ADN, Introduction Proteins are an essential class of biomolecules that are involved in numerous bioreactions, biological signaling, and cellular structures. They are also important biomarkers for understanding biological processes and diagnosing [...]

To address the current problems of poor seed-filling performance and seed leakage of the pneumatic seed filler for cabbage, we designed a pneumatic disturbing precision seed filler for cabbage based on the auxiliary disturbing seed-filling method. This seeder can completely perturb the seed population entering the bottom of the seed box casing during the seed-filling process, thereby increasing the initial velocity of the cabbage seeds, and facilitating the smooth progress of the seed-filling process. Firstly, we carried out a theoretical analysis based on the particle dynamics of the seed-filling process of the seeder and obtained the influencing factors affecting the seed-filling performance of the seeder. Secondly, through EDEM discrete element simulation, the average speed of the seed population, the disturbance frequency, and the degree of disturbance were used as the indicators to select the seed discharge disk structure with the best seed-filling performance. In the experimental aspect, a four-factor three-level orthogonal standardized test was conducted to evaluate the seed filling performance of the planter, using the seed suction qualification rate and the seed leakage rate as the evaluation indexes. The optimal structure of the seed discharge tray was selected through polarity analysis and ANOVA. The optimal combination of parameters for the seed-filling process of the planter was obtained; linear serrated disk, 40 rpm disk rotation speed, −2500 Pa negative fan pressure, and 1.2 mm aperture diameter. After comparative validation tests, the seed suction qualification rate of the seed absorber was 95.32%, and the leakage rate was 3.11%, which was in line with the agronomic planting of Chinese cabbage seeds.

Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI, EC 5.3.4.1) is a thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase that plays a crucial role in catalyzing the oxidation and rearrangement of disulfides in substrate proteins. In plants, PDI is primarily involved in regulating seed germination and development, facilitating the oxidative folding of storage proteins in the endosperm, and also contributing to the formation of pollen. However, the role of PDI in root growth has not been previously studied. This research investigated the impact of PDI gene deficiency in plants by using 16F16 [2-(2-Chloroacetyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1-methyl-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1-carboxylic acid methyl ester], a small-molecule inhibitor of PDI, to remove functional redundancy. The results showed that the growth of Arabidopsis roots was significantly inhibited when treated with 16F16. To further investigate the effects of 16F16 treatment, we conducted expression profiling of treated roots using RNA sequencing and a Tandem Mass Tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics approach at both the transcriptomic and proteomic levels. Our analysis revealed 994 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the transcript level, which were predominantly enriched in pathways associated with “phenylpropane biosynthesis”, “plant hormone signal transduction”, “plant−pathogen interaction” and “starch and sucrose metabolism” pathways. Additionally, we identified 120 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) at the protein level. These proteins were mainly enriched in pathways such as “phenylpropanoid biosynthesis”, “photosynthesis”, “biosynthesis of various plant secondary metabolites”, and “biosynthesis of secondary metabolites” pathways. The comprehensive transcriptome and proteome analyses revealed a regulatory network for root shortening in Arabidopsis seedlings under 16F16 treatment, mainly involving phenylpropane biosynthesis and plant hormone signal transduction pathways. This study enhances our understanding of the significant role of PDIs in Arabidopsis root growth and provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms of root shortening following 16F16 treatment.

Litopenaeus vannamei is a common species in aquaculture and has a high economic value. However, Litopenaeus vannamei are often invaded by pathogenic bacteria and die during the breeding process, so it is of great significance to study the identification of shrimp pathogenic bacteria. The wide application of Raman spectroscopy in identifying directions of inquiry provides a new means for this. However, the traditional Raman spectroscopy classification task requires a large amount of data to ensure the accuracy of its classification. Therefore, the question of how to obtain higher classification accuracy through the means of a small amount of Raman spectrum data is a difficult point in the research. This paper proposes a distributed deep learning network based on data enhancement for few-shot Raman spectral classification of Litopenaeus vannamei pathogens. The network consists of RSEM, RSDM, and DLCM modules. The RSEM module uses an improved generative adversarial network combined with transfer learning to generate a large amount of spectral data. The RSDM module uses improved U-NET to denoise the generated data. In addition, we designed a distributed learning classification model (DLCM) which significantly speeds up model training, improves the efficiency of the algorithm, and solves the network degradation problem that often occurs during deep learning model training. The average classification accuracy of our proposed network on four shrimp pathogenic bacteria reaches 98.9%, which is higher than several models commonly used in Raman spectroscopy classification tasks. The method proposed in this article only needs the Raman spectra of a small number of microorganisms to complete the efficient and rapid identification of shrimp pathogenic bacteria, and this method certainly has the potential to solve the problem of the spectral classification of other microorganisms.

Lung aging triggers the onset of various chronic lung diseases, with alveolar repair being a key focus for alleviating pulmonary conditions. The regeneration of epithelial structures, particularly the differentiation from type II alveolar epithelial (AT2) cells to type I alveolar epithelial (AT1) cells, serves as a prominent indicator of alveolar repair. Nonetheless, the precise role of aging in impeding alveolar regeneration and its underlying mechanism remain to be fully elucidated. Our study employed histological methods to examine lung aging effects on structural integrity and pathology. Lung aging led to alveolar collapse, disrupted epithelial structures, and inflammation. Additionally, a relative quantification analysis revealed age-related decline in AT1 and AT2 cells, along with reduced proliferation and differentiation capacities of AT2 cells. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying AT2 cell functional decline, we employed transcriptomic techniques and revealed a correlation between inflammatory factors and genes regulating proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, a D-galactose-induced senescence model in A549 cells corroborated our omics experiments and confirmed inflammation-induced cell cycle arrest and a >30% reduction in proliferation/differentiation. Physiological aging-induced chronic inflammation impairs AT2 cell functions, hindering tissue repair and promoting lung disease progression. This study offers novel insights into chronic inflammation’s impact on stem cell-mediated alveolar regeneration.