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This study aimed to investigate the variations in nutritional composition among different breeds of cattle in Guizhou. Specifically, this study selected Guanling, Weining, Sinan, Wuchuan, and Simmental cattle as experimental subjects. Assessing the nutritional quality of the longissimus dorsi muscle involves evaluating various parameters, including ultimate pH (pHu), meat colour, water-holding capacity, shear force, protein and fat content, levels of organic acids and amino acid composition. The study's findings indicated notable variations among the muscles of different cattle breeds tested. Guanling, Wuchuan, and Simmental cattle exhibited the highest water-holding capacity, while Wuchuan cattle displayed the highest shear forces. Guanling cattle and Simmental cattle had the highest levels of protein and fat. Weining cattle and Simmental cattle demonstrated the highest concentrations of lactic acid and oxalic acid. Guanling cattle exhibited the highest total amino acid and essential amino acid content. Moreover, Guanling cattle and Weining cattle showed the highest lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) values, indicating lighter meat colour, while Weining cattle had the highest redness (a*) value, indicating redder meat colour. No significant differences among the five cattle breeds were observed in pHu and propionic acid content. These results provide a theoretical basis and serve as a data reference for assessing the suitability of different beef varieties for various processing purposes.

BackgroundPosterior incision with 270° spinal canal decompression and reconstruction surgery is a treatment option for thoracolumbar burst fractures (TLBF), but the large diameter titanium mesh placement is difficult. This study evaluated the characteristics and clinical effects of limited posterior decompression and 13-mm titanium mesh implantation to treat TLBF.Hypothesis13-mm titanium meshes could be used to fix thoracolumbar burst fractures.Patients and methodsThis case series included patients who underwent limited posterior decompression and 13-mm titanium mesh implantation at China Medical University Shaoxing Hospital (01/2015–12/2019). The Cobb angle, injury vertebral anterior edge height loss percentage, and spinal canal occupancy rate were analyzed. The degree of spinal cord injury was evaluated according to the ASIA grade.ResultsFifteen patients were included (eight males and seven females). The patients were 32.2 ± 4.6 years of age. The American Association of Spinal Injury improved after surgery (A/B/C/D/E: from 2/6/5/2/0 to 0/0/2/8/5, P

The effect of hold time with 0, 20, and 40 s on in-phase thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) behavior and life of P92 steel is investigated in this study. TMF tests are carried out under mechanical strain control with strain amplitudes of 0.40.4, 0.60.6, and 0.8%0.8\text{\%}, and temperature range of 550–650°C which is closely relevant to the operating condition in power plant. TMF tests are performed in a mechanical strain ratio of R=−1R=-1 and cycle time of 120 s. The fatigue life variation follows the sequence of Nf0s

An as-cast high purity coarse-grained aluminum was deformed by dynamic equal channel angular pressing (D-ECAP) at high strain rate for one pass at room temperature.The twins formed during extrusion were studied with electron backscatter diffraction.The results show that deformation twins and annealing twins can be synthesized simultaneously in the coarse-grained aluminum via D-ECAP, which can be differentiated by their morphology,Kernel average misorientation (KAM) and the misorientation between adjacent grains.Due to the high strain rate and large shear deformation of D-ECAP,deformation twins with size of several hundred microns can be formed in aluminum with high stacking fault energy,and their shapes are lenticular.The twin boundaries deviate from ∑3 60°〈111〉 orientation relationship as a result of subsequent deformation,and the KAM values are mainly between 0.6°-1.8°.The high strain rate shear deformation contributes to the formation of abundant stacking fault,intricate dislocation patterns,and high deformation stored energy,and thus the ensuing temperature rise facilitates the formation of annealing twins.The morphology of annealing twins is irregular,but the orientation relationship of annealing twin boundaries is more close to ∑3 60°〈111〉 and the KAM values of annealing twins are mainly between 0.2°-0.5°.

The emerging gradient nanostructured metals and alloys containing spatially graded structural components with large variations in length scale and/or mechanical properties exhibit unprecedented mechanical performance. This perspective delineates the basic structural features of gradient nanostructures, i.e., structural components and spatial gradients, as well as related synthesis methods, excellent tensile properties, and novel deformation mechanisms. The challenges and prospect for the development of gradient nanostructured materials in the future are also addressed.

Abstract Background Bamboo, a lignocellulosic feedstock, is considered as a potentially excellent raw material and evaluated for lignocellulose degradation and bioethanol production, with a focus on using physical and chemical pre-treatment. However, studies reporting the biodegradation of bamboo lignocellulose using microbes such as bacteria and fungi are scarce. Results In the present study, Bacillus velezensis LC1 was isolated from Cyrtotrachelus buqueti, in which the symbiotic bacteria exhibited lignocellulose degradation ability and cellulase activities. We performed genome sequencing of B. velezensis LC1, which has a 3929,782-bp ring chromosome and 46.5% GC content. The total gene length was 3,502,596 bp using gene prediction, and the GC contents were 47.29% and 40.04% in the gene and intergene regions, respectively. The genome contains 4018 coding DNA sequences, and all have been assigned predicted functions. Carbohydrate-active enzyme annotation identified 136 genes annotated to CAZy families, including GH, GTs, CEs, PLs, AAs and CBMs. Genes involved in lignocellulose degradation were identified. After a 6-day treatment, the bamboo shoot cellulose degradation efficiency reached 39.32%, and the hydrolysate was subjected to ethanol fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli KO11, yielding 7.2 g/L of ethanol at 96 h. Conclusions These findings provide an insight for B. velezensis strains in converting lignocellulose into ethanol. B. velezensis LC1, a symbiotic bacteria, can potentially degrade bamboo lignocellulose components and further transformation to ethanol, and expand the bamboo lignocellulosic bioethanol production.

The de novo design of small molecule-binding proteins has seen exciting recent progress; however, high-affinity binding and tunable specificity typically require laborious screening and optimization after computational design. We developed a computational procedure to design a protein that recognizes a common pharmacophore in a series of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 inhibitors. One of three designed proteins bound different inhibitors with affinities ranging from

The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterization of irradiated Al-B shows that there is a high concentration defect region around the borides. Nanoscale speckle particles were successfully prepared on the surface of Al-B before and after irradiation, and then the mesoscale strain during in-situ deformation was obtained by digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The results shows that slip band bypass such an area through cross slips with slip band deflection. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates that abundant helium bubbles exist in the deflected slip band area pinning the dislocations.

Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol in lots of foods and traditional Chinese medicines, which has shown promising treatment for neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). However, the molecular mechanisms of its action have not been systematically studied yet. In order to elucidate the network pharmacological prospective effects of resveratrol on NDs, we assessed of pharmacokinetics (PK) properties of resveratrol, studied target prediction and network analysis, and discussed interacting pathways using a network pharmacology method. Main PK properties of resveratrol were acquired. A total of 13,612 genes related to NDs, and 138 overlapping genes were determined through matching the 175 potential targets of resveratrol with disease-associated genes. Gene Ontology (GO) function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were performed to obtain more in-depth understanding of resveratrol on NDs. Accordingly, nodes with high degrees were obtained according using a PPI network, and AKT1, TP53, IL6, CASP3, VEGFA, TNF, MYC, MAPK3, MAPK8, and ALB were identified as hub target genes, which showed better affinity with resveratrol in silico studies. In addition, our experimental results demonstrated that resveratrol markedly enhanced the decreased levels of Bcl-2 and significantly reduced the increased expression of Bax and Caspase-3 in hippocampal neurons induced by glutamate exposure. Western blot results confirmed that resveratrol inhibited glutamate-induced apoptosis of hippocampal neurons partly by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, we found that resveratrol could target multiple pathways forming a systematic network with pharmacological effects.

Erzhi pill (EZP), a classical traditional Chinese medicine prescription, exerts a potent hepatoprotective effect against metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), previously known as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the mechanism and bioactive compounds underlying the hepatoprotective effect of EZP have not been fully elucidated. In this study, a systematic analytical platform was built to explore the mechanism and bioactive compounds of EZP against MAFLD. This was carried out through target prediction, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction, gene ontology, KEGG pathway enrichment, and molecular docking. According to the topological parameters of the PPI network, compound-target-pathway network, 9 targets, and 11 bioactive compounds were identified as core targets and bioactive compounds for molecular docking. The results showed that EZP exerts anti-MAFLD effects through a multicomponent, multitarget, multipathway manner, and luteolin and linarin may be the bioactive compounds of EZP. This study provides further research insights and helps explore the hepatoprotective mechanism of EZP.

Structural engineering is an effective methodology for the tailoring of the quantities of active sites in nanostructured materials for fuel cell applications. In the present study, Co nanoparticles were incorporated into the network of 3D nitrogen-doped carbon tubes (Co@NCNTs) that were obtained via the molten-salt synthetic approach at 800 °C. Morphological representation reveals that the Co@NCNTs are encompassed with Co nanoparticles on the surface of the mesoporous walls of the carbon nanotubes, which offers a significant active surface area for electrochemical reactions. The CoNPs/NCNTs-1 (treated with CaCl2) nanomaterial was used as a potential candidate for the electro-oxidation of hydrazine, which improved the response of hydrazine (~8.5 mA) in 1.0 M NaOH, as compared with CoNPs/NCNTs-2 (treated without CaCl2), NCNTs, and the unmodified GCE. Furthermore, the integration of Co helps to improve the conductivity and promote the lower onset electro-oxidation potential (−0.58 V) toward the hydrazine electro-oxidation reaction. In particular, the CoNPs/NCNTs-1 catalysts showed significant catalytic activity and stability performances i.e., the i-t curves showed notable stability when compared with their initial current responses, even after 10 days, which indicates the significant durability of the catalyst materials. This work could present a new approach for the design of efficient electrode materials, which can be used as a favorable candidate for the electro-oxidation of liquid fuels in fuel cell applications.

Wheat is a major staple food crop worldwide, due to its total yield and unique processing quality. Its grain yield and quality are threatened by Fusarium head blight (FHB), which is mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum. Salicylic acid (SA) has a strong and toxic effect on F. graminearum and is a hopeful target for sustainable control of FHB. F. graminearum is capable of efficientdealing with SA stress. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we characterized FgMFS1 (FGSG_03725), a major facilitator superfamily (MFS) transporter gene in F. graminearum. FgMFS1 was highly expressed during infection and was upregulated by SA. The predicted three-dimensional structure of the FgMFS1 protein was consistent with the schematic for the antiporter. The subcellular localization experiment indicated that FgMFS1 was usually expressed in the vacuole of hyphae, but was alternatively distributed in the cell membrane under SA treatment, indicating an element of F. graminearum in response to SA. ΔFgMFS1 (loss of function mutant of FgMFS1) showed enhanced sensitivity to SA, less pathogenicity towards wheat, and reduced DON production under SA stress. Re-introduction of a functional FgMFS1 gene into ∆FgMFS1 recovered the mutant phenotypes. Wheat spikes inoculated with ΔFgMFS1 accumulated more SA when compared to those inoculated with the wild-type strain. Ecotopic expression of FgMFS1 in yeast enhanced its tolerance to SA as expected, further demonstrating that FgMFS1 functions as an SA exporter. In conclusion, FgMFS1 encodes an SA exporter in F. graminearum, which is critical for its response to wheat endogenous SA and pathogenicity towards wheat.

Abstract Background Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is a novel adipokine that reduces insulin resistance, protecting against type 2 diabetes. However, past studies have been contradictory. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the association of circulating ZAG with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Methods Four hundred eighty nine individuals (234 healthy controls and 255 MetS patients) were examined. All individuals were screened for MetS according to the diagnostic guidelines of the United States National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III criteria. Circulating ZAG and ADI levels were measured by ELISA. Blood fat, glucose and insulin were measured with a commercial kit. Circulating ZAG levels were compared with various parameters in study subjects. Results Plasma ZAG levels were lower in MetS patients compared to those of the healthy controls (35.0 ± 11.7 vs. 46.1 ± 18.6 mg/L, P

T8 steel was carried out surface modification treatment by pulse detonation-plasma(PDP) technology with the capacity of 600, 800, 1000μF respectively. The microstructure and phase structure of T8 steel before and after PDP treatment were analyzed by using XRD and SEM. The microhardness and wear resistance before and after treatment were investigated by microhardness tester and wear tester. The results show that the surface smoothing occur first, and then the craters are formed. The craters are caused by the inhomogeneity of PDT energy and the material itself. PDP treatment makes the surface layer of T8 steel changed from martensite α'-Fe to austenite γ-Fe, and the Fe3N is formed due to nitriding phenomenon. The thickness of modified layer is increased with the increasing of the capacity. When the capacity is 1000μF,the average thickness of modified layer is 68.27μm and it composes of columnar and fine grain structure. The thickness of columnar structure is decreased with the decreasing of the capacity. The microhardness is improved by a factor of about 2, and the wear resistance is also obviously increased. The maximum wear resistance is 2.6 times of the matrix.

CoNiCrAlY coatings were prepared by cold spray process. After deposition, the pre-oxidation treatment of the coating was performed by vacuum heat-treatment. The microstructure and phase constituent of coating were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. The hot corrosion behavior of as-sprayed and pre-oxidized CoNiCrAlY coatings in molten Na2SO4 at 900℃ was also studied. The results show that the as-sprayed coating presents a dense structure with low porosity (less than 0.28%, volume fraction) and low oxygen content (0.12%, mass fraction). Vacuum pre-oxidation treatment forms a continuous and dense α-Al2O3 layer on the coating surface, with an average thickness of about 0.26μm. As-sprayed and pre-oxidized coatings can protect the substrate from hot corrosion due to the formation of a continuous and dense α-Al2O3 layer. Moreover, the vacuum pre-oxidation treatment can alleviate the diffusion of S and O into coating, and thus the hot corrosion resistance of coating is improved. The damage of hot corrosion plays a more important role than high temperature oxidation. When corrosion in single Na2SO4 molten salt with the same temperature, the consumption speed of Al is two times of that in high temperate oxidation

The study of the combustion characteristics of single slime fuels is the basis for achieving clean combustion of solid fuels. This paper uses a combination of experimental and theoretical analysis, combined with the Coats-Redfen integration method, to study the influence of ash content and heating rate on the kinetic parameters of coal slime, and solve the combustion kinetic parameters. The results show that under the same heating rate, the activation energy gradually increases. As the ash content of coal slime increases, the activity of the coal slime sample decreases, and the reaction activation energy gradually increases.

For the severe vibration and scream noise of a mini car main reducer in high- speed neutral coasting condition,the pressure angle of the main reducer hypoid gears is taken as the study object. A torsional vibration dynamics model of gears system is established,after changing the pressure angle on both sides of gear tooth in the UG model and importing into the ADMAS,the dynamics characteristics of the gear system with different pressure angle under the same coasting condition are studied and compared. It is concluded that the meshing vibration performance of main reducer gears system could be improved when the convex surface pressure angle of the passive gear tooth decreased 1° at the same time the concave surface pressure angle of the passive gear tooth increased 1°. The correctness of the simulation analysis is verified by experiments at last,and the research result could be applied to the design and manufacture of the main reducer gear.

Fusarium graminearum causes Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease of wheat. Salicylic acid (SA) is involved in the resistance of wheat to F. graminearum. Cell wall mannoprotein (CWM) is known to trigger defense responses in plants, but its role in the pathogenicity of F. graminearum remains unclear. Here, we characterized FgCWM1 (FG05_11315), encoding a CWM in F. graminearum. FgCWM1 was highly expressed in wheat spikes by 24 h after initial inoculation and was upregulated by SA. Disruption of FgCWM1 (ΔFgCWM1) reduced mannose and protein accumulation in the fungal cell wall, especially under SA treatment, and resulted in defective fungal cell walls, leading to increased fungal sensitivity to SA. The positive role of FgCWM1 in mannose and protein accumulation was confirmed by its expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Compared with wild type (WT), ΔFgCWM1 exhibited reduced pathogenicity toward wheat, but it produced the same amount of deoxynivalenol both in culture and in spikes. Complementation of ΔFgCWM1 with FgCWM1 restored the WT phenotype. Localization analyses revealed that FgCWM1 was distributed on the cell wall, consistent with its structural role. Thus, FgCWM1 encodes a CWM protein that plays an important role in the cell wall integrity and pathogenicity of F. graminearum.