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Abstract Background Larix gmelinii is an excellent stress resistant coniferous tree species with a wide distribution and important economic and ecological value. However, at seedling stage, L. gmelinii is extremely susceptible to abiotic stresses, and systematic research on the adaptation mechanisms of L. gmelinii seedlings to abiotic stress is still lacking. Results Phenotypic observation and physiological index detection showed that L. gmelinii seedlings wilted with needles withered and yellowish at later stages of drought and salt stress; Under low temperature, the seedlings grew slowly and turned red at later stage. Under all 3 abiotic stresses, the chlorophyll content in seedlings significantly decreased, while the MDA content significantly increased; The activity of SOD and CAT showed a trend of increasing first and then decreasing. Transcriptome analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and flavonoid synthesis metabolism. Metabolomic analysis found unique DAMs under 3 stress treatments. The combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome showed that the changing patterns of DEGs and DAMs in primary and secondary metabolism were consistent: carbohydrate were significantly accumulated under low temperature stress; amino acids showed the most significant changes under salt stress. The variation pattern of secondary metabolism was similar under both drought and salt stress, while anthocyanin accumulation was the most obvious only under low temperature stress. Conclusion Our study provides insightful information about the different mechanisms that L. gmelinii seedlings employ in response to drought, low temperature or salt stress.

Simultaneously manipulating multiple physical fields plays an important role in the increasingly complex integrated systems, aerospace equipment, biochemical productions, etc. For on-chip systems with high integration level, the precise and efficient control of the propagation of electromagnetic waves and heat fluxes simultaneously is particularly important. In this study, we propose a graphical designing method (i.e., thermal-electromagnetic surface transformation) based on thermal-electromagnetic null medium to simultaneously control the propagation of electromagnetic waves and thermal fields according to the pre-designed paths. A thermal-electromagnetic cloak, which can create a cloaking effect on both electromagnetic waves and thermal fields simultaneously, is designed by thermal-electromagnetic surface transformation and verified by both numerical simulations and experimental measurements. The thermal-electromagnetic surface transformation proposed in this study provides a new methodology for simultaneous controlling on electromagnetic and temperature fields, and may have significant applications in improving thermal-electromagnetic compatibility problem, protecting of thermal-electromagnetic sensitive components, and improving efficiency of energy usage for complex on-chip systems.

In this study, a novel electric field compressor is proposed by doping a metal-air-metal pillar in epsilon-near-zero medium within a metallic waveguide, which effectively enhances the background electric fields in a sub-wavelength air pillar with high uniformity. The field enhancement factor can be analytically determined through theoretical derivations from Maxwell’s equations, reaching its maximum value by appropriately selecting the size of the air pillar. Furthermore, the proposed compressor can achieve a tunable electric field enhancement effect within the deep sub-wavelength air pillar by adjusting the height of the air pillar through movement of two metal pillars inserted into the waveguide. Both theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are employed to validate the performance of the electric field compressor, which exhibits a wide range of tunable field enhancement effect (i.e., continuously adjustable enhancement factor between 20 and 800) with uniformity below 1.5 within the deep sub-wavelength air pillar (wherein the air volume is smaller than λ0/10 × λ0/10 × λ0/16). Finally, a practical model is proposed for the realization of the electric field compressor in the microwave range, where specially placed metal pillars and wires are incorporated into a rectangular metallic waveguide structure. The field enhancement and tunable effects of this practical model have been verified through simulations.

Abstract This study introduces a novel diagnostic modality for the detection of feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) antibodies in feline serum by using fluorescent microsphere immunochromatographic test strips (FM-ICTS). Leveraging the inherent specificity of antigen-antibody interactions, the FM-ICTS approach demonstrates considerable potential for efficient and accurate FPV antibody detection within a short timeframe. The FM-ICTS method demonstrates strong diagnostic performance, with consistent accuracy and stability over time. PBS buffer dilution enables detection across the range of FPV antibody haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titres in both healthy and immunized or infected cats. A high correlation (R² = 0.9733) between the T/C ratio and FPV antibody titres confirms the method’s effectiveness in quantifying these titres. Clinical validation with 84 samples supports its reliability by matching results with HI assays. Additionally, stability tests show that the test strips maintain performance during storage, with a coefficient of variation (CV) below 12% over three months at 25℃. This innovative FM-ICTS framework emerges as a promising avenue for expedient and dependable disease diagnosis within the realm of veterinary science, offering implications for timely disease management and surveillance.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a highly contagious and potentially lethal virus that affects dogs and other members of the Canidae family, including wolves, foxes, and coyotes. Here, we present a fluorescent lateral flow immunoassay (FLFA) platform for the detection of CDV, which utilizes fluorescent microspheres - fusion protein monoclonal antibody (mAb)-labeled monoclonal antibody. The assay detected CDV within 5 min, with a detection limit threshold of 3 × 102 TCID50/mL. Notably, the assay demonstrated no cross-reactivity with canine parvovirus, canine coronavirus, canine adenovirus, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus, or feline parvovirus. Field and clinical applicability of the assay was evaluated using 63 field samples, including 30 canine fecal samples, 18 swab samples, and 15 blood samples. The coincidence rate between the detection results of clinical samples obtained through FLFA and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was 96.83%. Thus, this assay offers a significant advancement for the rapid diagnosis of CDV at the point of care.

Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis Virus (IBRV) are the two most prevalent infectious diseases in cattle. They both can cause persistent infection and immunosuppression, resulting in significant economic losses in the livestock industry. Therefore, rapid detection of early BVDV and IBRV infections is crucial. In this study, a method for the rapid detection of BVDV and IBRV was established by using recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with lateral flow device (LFD). By optimizing the temperature and time conditions of the RPA reaction, the sensitivity, specificity, and clinical performance were evaluated. The results indicated that the RPA reaction could be completed at 40°C within 25 min. The LOD for BVDV and IBRV by RPA-LFD were 5.1 × 101 copies/μL and 6.65 × 101 copies/μL, respectively, with no cross-reactivity observed with other viruses such as CSFV, BRSV, BPIV3, BRV, and BCoV. Testing of 32 clinical samples showed consistent results between RPA-LFD and qPCR. The RPA-LFD method established in this study can be used for the rapid clinical detection of BVDV and IBRV, which providing a rapid and convenient molecular biology approach for on-site rapid detection and epidemiological investigations. Simultaneously, it offers technical support for the prevention and control of these viruses.

Feline calicivirus (FCV) and Feline herpesvirus type I (FHV-I) are the main pathogens causing upper respiratory tract infections in cats, and some wild animals. These two viruses always coinfection and cause serious harm to pet industry and wild animals protection. Established a rapid and accurate differential diagnosis method is crucial for prevention and control of disease, however, the current main detection method for these two viruses, either is low sensitivity (immunochromatographic strip), or is time-consuming and cannot differential diagnosis (conventional single PCR). Nanoparticle-assisted polymerase chain reaction (Nano-PCR) is a recently developed technique for rapid detection method of virus and bacteria. In this study, we described a dual Nano-PCR assay through combining the nanotechnology and PCR technology, which for the clinical simultaneous detection of FCV and FHV-I and differential diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infections in cats or other animals. Under optimized conditions, the optimal annealing temperature for dual Nano-PCR was 51.5°C, and specificity test results showed it had no cross reactivity to related virus, such as feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), feline Infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) and rabies virus (RABV). Furthermore, the detection limit of dual Nano-PCR for FCV and FHV-I both were 1 × 10−8 ng/μL, convert to number of copies of virus DNA was 6.22 × 103copies/μL (FCV) and 2.81 × 103copies/μL (FHV-I), respectively. The dual Nano-PCR detected result of 52 cat clinical samples, including ocular, nasal and faecal swabs, and (3 FCV-positive samples), was consistent with ordinary PCR and the clinical detection results. The dual Nano-PCR method established in this study with strong specificity and high sensitivity can be used for virus nucleic acid (FCV and FHV-I) detection of clinical samples of feline upper respiratory tract infections feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus while providing support for the early diagnosis of cats that infected by FCV and FHV-I.