Search

Abstract Plants possess the ability to induce programmed cell death (PCD) in response to abiotic and biotic stresses; nevertheless, the evidence on PCD initiation during pear scald development and the involvement of the scald trigger 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (MHO) in this process is rudimentary. Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd. cv. ‘Dangshansuli’ pear was used to validate such hypothesis. The results showed that superficial scald occurred after 120-d chilling exposure, which accompanied by typical PCD-associated morphological alterations, such as plasmolysis, cell shrinkage, cytosolic and nuclear condensation, vacuolar collapse, tonoplast disruption, subcellular organelle swelling, and DNA fragmentation. These symptoms were aggravated after MHO fumigation but alleviated by diphenylamine (DPA) dipping. Through transcriptome assay, 24 out of 146 PCD-related genes, which were transcribed during cold storage, were identified as the key candidate members responsible for these cellular biological alternations upon scald development. Among these, PbrCNGC1, PbrGnai1, PbrACD6, and PbrSOBIR1 were implicated in the MHO signaling pathway. Additionally, PbrWRKY2, 34 and 39 could bind to the W-box element in the promoter of PbrGnai1 or PbrSOBIR1 and activate their transcription, as confirmed by dual-luciferase, yeast one-hybrid, and transient overexpression assays. Hence, our study confirms the PCD initiation during scald development and explores the critical role of MHO in this process.

The façades of photogrammetric building mesh models frequently lack detailed semantics, such as windows, doors, and balconies. To address this, we introduce SemanticMesh, a methodology designed to enrich façades with detailed semantics by integrating discrete components seamlessly. The process begins by transforming a localized area of the building surface into a 2D planar mesh using geodesic vectors, based on the component poses. This is followed by the application of 2D constrained triangulation to map the component boundaries onto the parameterized plane, after which the mesh is reconverted into 3D space. To achieve a smooth and aesthetically pleasing integration, we employ a Laplacian mesh deformation technique along the 3D embedding boundary. Our experiments across three distinct datasets – featuring near-planar, non-planar, and noisy surfaces – demonstrate that SemanticMesh provides superior modeling outcomes compared to conventional approaches.

Abstract Putrescine plays a role in superficial scald development during the cold storage of pear fruit. However, the molecular mechanism behind this phenomenon has not been un-fully clarified until recently. In this study, a conjoint analysis of metabolites and gene expression profiles in the putrescine-metabolic pathway of P. bretschneideri Rehd. fruit followed by experimental validation revealed that PbrADC1, forming a homodimer in the chloroplast, was involved in putrescine biosynthesis and thus fruit chilling resistance. Additionally, the substrate-binding residue Cys546 in PbrADC1, whose activity was modified by H2O2, played a crucial role in arginine decarboxylation into agmatine. Through a combined analysis of the distribution of cis-acting elements in the PbrADC1 promoter as well as the expression profiles of related transcription factors (TFs), several TFs were identified as upstream regulators of PbrADC1 gene. Further investigation revealed that the nuclear PbrWRKY62 could directly bind to the W-box elements in the PbrADC1 promoter, activate its expression, enhance putrescine accumulation, and thus increase fruit chilling tolerance. In conclusion, our results suggest that the PbrWRKY62-PbrADC1 module is involved in the development of superficial scald in P. bretschneideri Rehd. fruit via regulating putrescine biosynthesis. Consequently, these findings could serve as valuable genetic resources for breeding scald-resistant pear fruit. Graphical Abstract

Competence development is essential for bacterial transformation since it enables bacteria to take up free DNA from the surrounding environment. The regulation of teichoic acid biosynthesis is tightly controlled during pneumococcal competence; however, the mechanism governing this regulation and its impact on transformation remains poorly understood. We demonstrated that a defect in lipoteichoic acid ligase (TacL)-mediated lipoteichoic acids (LTAs) biosynthesis was associated with impaired pneumococcal transformation. Using a fragment of tacL regulatory probe as bait in a DNA pulldown assay, we successfully identified several regulatory proteins, including ComE. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that phosphomimetic ComE, but not wild-type ComE, exhibited specific binding to the probe. DNase I footprinting assays revealed the specific binding sequences encompassing around 30 base pairs located 31 base pairs upstream from the start codon of tacL. Expression of tacL was found to be upregulated in the ΔcomE strain, and the addition of exogenous competence-stimulating peptide repressed the tacL transcription in the wild-type strain but not the ΔcomE mutant, indicating that ComE exerted a negative regulatory effect on the transcription of tacL. Mutation in the JH2 region of tacL upstream regulatory sequence led to increased LTAs abundance and displayed higher transformation efficiency. Collectively, our work identified the regulatory mechanisms that control LTAs biosynthesis during competence and thereby unveiled a repression mechanism underlying pneumococcal transformation.

Abstract Introduction This study aimed to investigate the microbial characteristics of yak uteri collected using intrauterine cotton swabs (CS) during different reproductive stages and the correlation of these microbial characteristics with reproductive status. Methods We used a macrogenomic approach to analyze the functional aspects of different microorganisms in samples collected during the pre-estrus, estrus, late estrus, and diestrus stages. Results The results revealed the presence of 1293 microbial genera and 3401 microbial species in the uteri of yaks at different reproductive stages. The dominant bacterial species varied across the different periods, with Micrococcus and Proteus being dominant during pre-estrus; Pseudomonas, Clostridium, Flavobacterium, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus during estrus; Acinetobacter, Bacillus and Proteus during late estrus; and Pseudomonas, Escherichia coli, and Proteus during diestrus. Discussion The primary functions of these bacteria are enriched in various metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, intracellular transport and secretion, post-translational protein modification, and drug resistance. These findings suggest that the microbial diversity in the uterus of yaks plays a crucial role in reproductive regulation and can help prevent reproductive tract-related diseases.

【Objective】The study aims to explore the effects of low-light stress on the main quality characteristics of fruits of different muskmelon varieties.【Method】The content changes of carbohydrates, carotenoids and chlorophyll in different fruit positions (pedicle, areola and pulp) of three varieties (Xizhoumi No. 1, Zaohuanghou and Jiashi) of muskmelon under different light intensities (100%, 42% and 23% transmittance) at different development stages (0, 3, 7, 14, 21, 35, 40, 60 d after blooming) were investigated.【Result】Results showed that contents of fruit starch, sucrose and reducing sugar all increased continuously during fruit development and the highest contents exhibited at mature stage (35 d), and Xizhoumi No. 1 had the highest starch content (10.835%), while Jiashi had the lowest starch content (8.342%). The pulp and areola of the fruits of three varieties showed higher sucrose content than that in pedicle, but no difference in reducing sugar content. The contents of carotenoid and chlorophyll increased during fruit development but decreasedat full ripe stage (60 d after blooming). Low-light stress significantly reduced the carbohydrate content, increased carotenoid and chlorophyll contents, and most significant effect was found under transmittance 23% treatment, under which the contents of starch, sucrose and reducing sugar in Xizhoumi No. 1 muskmelon reduced by 32.3%, 29.87% and 28.02%, while contents of carotene and chlorophyll increased by 19.47% and 13.98%, respectively. The contents of starch, sucrose and reducing sugar in Zaohuanghou muskmelon reduced by 32.63%, 25.09% and 20.24%, and the contents of carotene and chlorophyll increased by 54.74% and 21.06%, respectively. The contents of starch, sucrose and reducing sugar in Jiashi muskmelon reduced by 41.08%, 32.39% and 39.1%, and the contents of carotene chlorophyll increased by 55.20% and 31.79%, respectively. Compared with Xizhoumi No. 1 and Zaohuanghou muskmelons, the Jiashi muskmelon showed the lowest starch and chlorophyll contents and the highest sucrose and reducing sugar contents, and exhibited the most significant decline of starch, sucrose and reducing sugar contents, and increase of carotenoid and chlorophyll contents, indicating that the Jiashi muskmelon was affected most significantly by low-light stress and showed poorest low-light tolerance.【Conclusion】The low-light stress reduces the commercial quality of muskmelon fruits, and the quality is worse when the light transmittance is lower. Jiashi muskmelon is most sensitive to low-light stress.

Rural and agricultural communities' adaptation to climate change has gained significant attention owing to many countries' vulnerability to climate change risks. A similar trend has been witnessed in South Asia, a highly climate-vulnerable region, where research has grown dramatically considering the agriculture sector's vulnerability to climate-induced disasters. However, little attention has been paid to the adaptation of the livelihoods of rural households. This research, therefore, takes the case of Pakistan to explore livelihood adaptation strategies of rural households to climate change and investigate the factors that expedite or halt the adoption of livelihood diversification strategies. A multistage sampling design is used in this research, where 480 rural households from the Punjab province of Pakistan were selected and interviewed using stratified and random sampling approaches. A multivariate probit (MVP) regression model is employed to analyze the factors affecting households' adoption of livelihood adaptation strategies. The results show that besides adaptation of agronomic operations (agricultural adaptation strategies), rural households in the study area employed a wide range of strategies to adapt their livelihoods to climate change. These strategies include poultry and livestock farming, value addition of farm produce, trading of animals and farm commodities, small businesses (shops, etc.), daily wage labor, horticultural crop farming, and non-farming jobs. The estimates of the MVP model revealed that respondents' education, household size, income, access to a credit facility, access to farm advisory services, and access to climate forecasts have significantly influenced the choice of livelihood adaptation strategies. Based on these findings, this research recommends that the authorities should make efforts to improve farmers' understanding of the adaptation of climate change risks and educate them to adopt multiple livelihood options to improve the resilience of their livelihoods to climate-induced risks. This research has important policy implications for other countries with similar socio-economic features.

Early stent thrombosis is a rare complication of percutaneous intervention and is associated with significant 30-day mortality. We present a novel case of multiple recurrent early stent thrombosis consistent with spontaneous vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia. We were successfully able to manage this unusual condition through an interdisciplinary collaboration.

【Objective】The research was performed to investigate the effects of planting year (Y) and tillage mode (T) on soil improvement and maize yield in thin-layer black soil in the southern part of the Songliao Plain.【Method】Three tillage modes namely strip-tillage (ST), conventional ridge planting (CT) and no-tillage (NT) were conducted to analyze the changes in soil physical properties and yield traits through field location experiment.【Result】The results showed no significant differences were found in the thickness of soil layers (TSL) and soil water holding capacity (SWHC) of the tillage layer under treatments of ST, NT and CT in 2-year cultivation field, while the results were opposite in 4-year cultivation field, with TSL and SWHC increasing by 15.46% and 30.28% under ST compared with that of CT, whereas no difference was observed between ST and NT. For 0-20 cm depth soil, the soil penetration resistance (PR) under ST treatment increased by 57.57% and 42.86% in the 2-year and 4-year cultivation fields, compared with that under CT treatment, while decreased by 5.22% and 19.22% compared with that under NT treatment. And no significant differences were observed in soil bulk density (BD) and soil porosity (SP) between the 2-year and 4-year cultivation fields under the three treatments. For the 20-40 cm depth soil, only BD under ST treatment in 4-year cultivation field was 11.56% lower than that of CT, whereas no difference was found between ST and NT. The PR under ST in 2-year and 4-year cultivation fields were 5.22% and 19.22% lower than that of CT, respectively, while SP increased by 11.8% and 15.92%, correspondingly. Compared with treatments of CT and NT, maize yield under ST in 2-year cultivation field increased by 3.62% and 3.52%, respectively, and that in 4-year cultivation field increased by 16.08% and 9.29%, respectively. From the results of yield components, the increase in effective ear number per unit area was the main factor for the increase of maize yield under ST treatment. The analysis of the random forest model further demonstrated that the TSL and PR in plough layer were the most important factors affecting maize yield with 2-year and 4-year cultivation.【Conclusion】In conclusion, ST is beneficial for the formation of better plough layer and enhancement of maize yield in thin-layer black soil farmland.

Abstract Understanding the microflora inhabiting the reproductive tract is important for a better understanding of female physiology and reproductive health. The endometrial fluid from mice in three reproductive stages (A: Unproductive mice; B: Postovulatory mice; C: Postpartum mice) was extracted for microbial DNA extraction and sequencing. Phenotypic and functional analyses of endometrial microbial enrichment was undertaken using LefSe. The results showed 95 genera and 134 species of microorganisms in the uteri of mice. There were differentially distributed genera, among which Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Streptococcus were more abundant in the endometrial fluid of mice in the unproductive group. That of mice in the postovulatory group was colonized with Salmonella enterica and Campylobacter and was mainly enriched in metabolic pathways and steroid biosynthesis. The presence of Chlamydia, Enterococcus, Pseudomonadales, Acinetobacter, and Clostridium in the endometrial fluid of postpartum mice, in addition to the enrichment of the endocrine system and the Apelin and FoxO signaling pathways, resulted in a higher number of pathogenic pathways than in the other two groups. The results showed that the microbial diversity characteristics in the endometrium of mice in different reproductive states differed and that they could be involved in the regulation of animal reproduction through metabolic pathways and steroid biosynthesis, suggesting that reproductive diseases induced by microbial diversity alterations in the regulation of animal reproduction cannot be ignored.

In animal assisted reproductive technology, the production of high-quality oocytes is crucial. The yak, having lived in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for an extended period, has reproductive cells that are regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). This study aimed to investigate the impact of HIF-1α on yak oocyte maturation and early embryonic development in vitro through the regulation of autophagy. The in vitro maturation process of yak oocytes involved the addition of the HIF-1α inducer DFOM and the inhibitor LW6 to examine their effects on yak oocyte maturation, early embryonic development, cell autophagy, cytochrome P450s (CYP450s) enzyme expression, and cumulus diffusion factors. The findings revealed that DFOM significantly upregulated the expression of HIF-1α, resulting in increased the cumulus diffusion area, elevated first polar body expulsion rate of oocytes, enhanced mitochondrial and actin levels, decreased ROS production, and reduced early apoptosis levels of oocytes. Moreover, DFOM promoted the expression of autophagy-related proteins, CYP450s enzymes, and cumulus diffusion factors, thereby enhancing oocyte maturation and early embryonic development. Conversely, LW6 exhibited opposite effects. The inhibition of autophagy levels with 3-MA during DFOM treatment yielded similar outcomes. Furthermore, reducing autophagy led to increased apoptosis levels at all stages of early embryonic development, as well as a significant decrease in total cell number and ICM/TE ratio of blastocysts. Studies have shown that during the in vitro maturation of yak oocytes, HIF-1α can affect the cumulus expansion area of oocytes by regulating autophagy, the first polar body excretion rate, mitochondrial level, actin level, ROS and early apoptosis level, the CYP450s enzyme, and the expression of cumulus expansion factors, thereby improving the in vitro maturation and early embryonic development of yak oocytes. These findings offer valuable insights into the reproductive regulation mechanism of yaks in hypoxic environments and suggest potential strategies for the advancement of yak assisted reproductive technology.

Cold plasma (CP) is an alternative to traditional thermal sterilization techniques. This study aimed to investigate the preservation effects of CP treatment at 120 kV and 130 Hz for 150 s on fresh-cut Hami melons during storage at 4 °C for 8 d. There was no significant difference in the pH, color, firmness, and soluble solids content of the two groups during 0–4 days of storage. After CP treatment, the enzyme activities, total viable count (TVC), and values of the electronic nose (E-nose) changed. During storage, the increase in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities was inhibited by CP treatment. Initially, CP treatment yielded a 1.06 log reduction in total viable count (TVC). During storage, the TVC of the CP-treated group was significantly lower than that of the untreated group. CP treatment affected the E-nose values related to ketones, terpenes, polar, aromatic, and sulphur compounds. This study indicated that high-voltage and short-time CP treatment can extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut Hami melons by inhibiting oxidation and reducing microbial contamination without negative effects on physical quality.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP)-retrofitted concrete structures are extensively utilized, and they have attracted growing research interest due to their combined performance in marine environments. To investigate the effect of seawater exposure, a total of 20 single-shear GFRP (glass-FRP)-bonded concrete structures were tested. Three corrosion conditions, i.e., exposure to single-salinity and triple-salinity seawater through wet–dry cycles as well as continuous immersion in triple-salinity seawater, were simulated and tested. The minimum shear strength (13,006 N) was tested using specimen B150-T-DW-90, which was cured in triple-salinity seawater with wet–dry cyclic exposure. The results of the shear strengths, load–displacement curves, interfacial shear stresses, and fracture energies indicated that seawater exposure degraded the bonding strength of the GFRP–concrete interface. Notably, the wet–dry cycles in triple-salinity seawater resulted in the most significant interface degradation, which could exacerbate with prolonged exposure. By introducing a parameter, the residual coefficient α, a new strength calculation model for GFRP–concrete exposed to a seawater environment was proposed and discussed.

Antibiotic residues have been found to have potentially harmful effects on ecological and human health. Carbon nitride-based photocatalysts have widely focused on antibiotic photocatalytic degradation. Herein, we prepared Fe-modified g-C3N4 nanorod bunches (FCNBs) using chemical vapor co-deposition. Specifically, through the process of calcination, a blend of urea and chlorophyllin sodium iron salt underwent an intriguing transformation, resulting in the integration of Fe into the framework of the g-C3N4 nanorod cluster. The resulting photocatalyst exhibited remarkable stability and superior dispersibility. The prepared FCNBs had a unique structure, which was beneficial for increasing light absorption. Furthermore, the Fe species formed a chemical coordination with the g-C3N4 matrix, thereby altering the electronic structure of the matrix. This modification facilitated charge transfer, prolonged the carrier lifetime, and enhanced light absorption, all of which significantly increased the photocatalytic activity. The oxytetracycline degradation efficiency of FCNBs was 82.5%, and they demonstrated outstanding stability in cycle trials. This work introduces a promising photocatalyst for the degradation of antibiotics.

To accurately evaluate the role of storage temperature in improving the quality of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, the effects of two storage temperatures (5 °C and 15 °C) on the phenylpropanoid pathway and sucrose metabolism in fresh-cut melon (cv. Yugu) cubes were determined. A higher temperature (15 °C) expedited sucrose decomposition in the melon cubes at the early stage of storage, resulting in higher levels of glucose and fructose. This effect was corroborated by increased activities of acid invertase (AI), neutral invertase (NI), and sucrose synthase cleavage (SS-c), along with higher expressions of CmAI1/2, CmNI1/2, and CmSS1/2 in the melon cubes at 15 °C. Additionally, the higher activity and gene expression of hexokinase in melon cubes at 15 °C led to an increase in the utilization rate of sugars toward downstream metabolic pathways. Moreover, the melon cube storage at 15 °C elevated the activities and gene expressions of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumaric acid: CoA ligase (4CL), thereby increasing the synthesis of phenolics. Sucrose showed a significant negative correlation with PAL, C4H, and 4CL, as well as with CmPAL5/7 and CmC4H1/3. However, hexokinase displayed a significant positive correlation with PAL, C4H, and 4CL, as well as with CmPAL1, CmPAL3-9, CmC4Hs, and Cm4CLs. These findings demonstrate that a higher-temperature storage of melon cubes can accelerate the phenylpropanoid pathway and sucrose metabolism by regulating the activity and gene expression of related enzymes, thereby inducing phenolic accumulation. These results also indicate that lower-temperature storage is not conducive to the conversion of sugars into phenolics in fresh-cut melon. Therefore, the temperature can be appropriately and briefly raised in the production and preservation process of fresh-cut melon to obtain higher levels of phenolics.

This paper experimentally and numerically investigates the effect of pre-tightening forces on bolted connection for double-lap FRP-steel joints, considering varied levels of pre-tightening forces. In the experimental phase of this study, six bolted double-lap pull-pull specimens with varying pre-tightening degrees (preloaded of 0, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9 N·m, respectively) were examined. Test results indicated that all specimens exhibited bearing failure of FRP plates and the load capacity was significantly influenced by the pre-tightening forces applied through bolts. The highest loading capacity (27.1 kN) was recorded for the specimen with a preloaded of 6 N·m. In order to study the stress distribution of FRP plate for the bolted specimens, three-dimensional finite element (FE) models were conducted. Based on the FE analyzing results, the pre-tightening coefficient Pc (the coefficient of the preload increment per pre-tightening torque of bolts) of 750 m−1 was concluded and further proved by the analysis of the stress in contact zones for specimens preloaded by 0, 3, and 6 N·m.

Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (SHC) is a relatively rare subtype of liver cancer reported in 1.8–2.0% of surgically resected cases. Previous studies have found that SHC was more likely to occur in patients who received repeated anticancer therapies, but the underlying mechanism has not been exactly illustrated. We report a case of a 62-year-old man with SHC. With the initial implication of abscess suspected liver mass by radiological exams (enhanced Computed Tomography and liver Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the patient underwent a laparoscopic pus debridement and biopsy. The diagnosis of SHC was considered by pathologists. After a short recovery, a second radical resection of the liver tumor and hepatic hilar lymph node dissection were conducted. Postoperative pathology revealed a tumor-free incisal margin and negative lymph node. The recovery of the patient was uneventful. When confronting an occasional liver mass with previous Hepatitis B virus infection, SHC should be included for a candidate diagnosis. If diagnosis is confirmed, high biological malignancy and poor survival should be expected. Surgery is still a main option to treat SHC.

Straw return is one of the main methods for protecting black soil. Efficient and accurate straw return detection is important for the sustainability of conservation tillage. In this study, a rapid straw return detection method is proposed for large areas. An optimized Sh-DeepLabv3+ model based on the aforementioned detection method and the characteristics of straw return in Jilin Province was then used to classify plots into different straw return cover types. The model used Mobilenetv2 as the backbone network to reduce the number of model parameters, and the channel-wise feature pyramid module based on channel attention (CA-CFP) and a low-level feature fusion module (LLFF) were used to enhance the segmentation of the plot details. In addition, a composite loss function was used to solve the problem of class imbalance in the dataset. The results show that the extraction accuracy is optimal when a 2048 × 2048-pixel scale image is used as the model input. The total parameters of the improved model are 3.79 M, and the mean intersection over union (MIoU) is 96.22%, which is better than other comparative models. After conducting a calculation of the form–grade mapping relationship, the error value of the area prediction was found to be less than 8%. The results show that the proposed rapid straw return detection method based on Sh-DeepLabv3+ can provide greater support for straw return detection.

To investigate the flavor characteristics of peanuts grown in Jiangsu, China, ten local varieties were selected. The amino acids, 5′-nucleotides and volatile substances were detected, and the flavor and odor characteristics of these varieties were estimated using an electronic tongue and nose. The results showed that the fat and protein contents of ten peanut varieties changed significantly (p < 0.05), and may have been negatively correlated with those of the Taihua 6 variety—in particular, having the highest protein content and the lowest fat content. The amino acid contents of the peanuts were 20.08 g/100 g (Taihua 4)–27.18 g/100 g (Taihua 6). Taihua 6 also contained the highest bitter (10.41 g/100 g) and sweet (6.06 g/100 g) amino acids, and Taihua 10 had the highest monosodium glutamate-like amino acids (7.61 g/100 g). The content of 5′-nucleotides ranged from 0.08 mg/g (Taihua 9725) to 0.14 mg/g (Taihua 0122–601). Additionally, 5′-cytidylate monophosphate (5′-CMP) and 5′-adenosine monophosphate (5′-AMP) were the major 5′-nucleotides detected in the peanuts. A total of 42 kinds of volatile flavor compounds were detected, with both Taihua 4 and 6 showing the most (18 kinds) and the highest content being in Taihua 4 (7.46%). Both Taihua 9725 and 9922 exhibited the fewest kinds (nine kinds) of volatile components, and the lowest content was in Taihua 9725 (3.15%). Formic acid hexyl ester was the most abundant volatile substance in peanuts, and the highest level (3.63%) was detected in Taihua 7506. The electronic tongue and nose indicated that the greatest taste difference among the ten varieties of peanuts was mainly related to sourness, and Taihua 4 and Taihua 9922 had special taste characteristics. On the other hand, the greatest smell difference among the ten varieties of peanuts was mostly for methane and sulfur organic substances, and Taihua 0605-2 had a special and strong smell characteristic. In conclusion, the content and composition differences of the flavor substances of ten peanut varieties were responsible for their divergences in taste and smell. These results will provide guidelines for the further use (freshly consumed or processed) of these ten peanut varieties.

To investigate the retarding effect of bonding the shape memory alloy (SMA) patches on crack propagation in steel plates, both numerical and experimental analyses were conducted in the present study. A compact tension (CT) model was developed to clarify the feasibility of bonding the SMA patch to the reinforcement of the mode Ⅰ, mode Ⅱ, and mode Ⅲ cracks. On this basis, parametric analysis was conducted to investigate the strengthening parameters, i.e., the bonding area, the thickness, and the strengthening angle of the SMA patch. Subsequently, fatigue tests on the unreinforced steel plate and cracked steel plate strengthened by the SMA patches were conducted. The monitored stress variation, crack propagation behavior, and fatigue fracture surfaces were analyzed. Findings are meaningful to the application of the SMA reinforcement method in practical engineering.

Abstract The domains and domain boundaries in 2D materials are known to play essential roles in investigating intriguing physical properties and have potential applications in nanoscale devices. Understanding the influence of individual domains on the superconducting properties of ultrathin 2D superconductors is of crucial importance for fundamental studies on mesoscopic superconductivity as well as applications in superconducting nanoelectronics. Here, low‐temperature electronic transport measurements of high quality ultrathin Mo2C crystals are presented that show clear evidence for the presence of multiple superconducting phase induced by the nanoscale domain structures. In particular, the observation of an anomalous resistance peak in the vicinity of the onset of the superconducting transition is reported. This resistive anomaly is interpreted as a consequence of nonequilibrium charge imbalance near the domain boundaries, which could induce effective normal‐superconducting interfaces in 2D Mo2C crystals. Moreover, the magnetic field‐tuned superconductor‐metal transition for ultrathin Mo2C crystals is examined. The observed scaling behavior is consistent with the appearance of quantum Griffiths singularity in 2D superconducting systems. This study sheds light on the understanding of the domain boundaries and their role on the transport properties of highly crystalline 2D superconductors, which may open potential application of domain structure in functional superconducting nanodevices.

Abstract Background Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) has been confirmed to infect pigs, posing a health risk and making pigs more susceptible to other pathogens. After the first report of PCV3 infection in the United States, its prevalence was determined in pigs suffering from clinical digestive or respiratory diseases in several other regions, including the Sichuan and Gansu provinces of China. In this study, we describe the frequency of PCV3 detection in Tibetan pigs inhabiting three different provinces surrounding the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. Methods A total of 316 samples from diarrheic animals and 182 samples from healthy animals were collected in a randomized manner. Conventional PCR was applied for PCV3 DNA detection. The conserved regions of the PCV3 gene were analyzed with MEGA 7.1 software to design specific primers to sequence entire Cap genes in PCV3 strains, and the sequences were then used to confirm the subtypes of PCV3 in the positive samples. Prediction of the amino acid sequences by nucleotide sequence translation was also performed to compare the point mutations in the entire Cap protein. Twenty PCV3 whole-genomic sequences were used for genome phylogenetic analyses of PCV3 and sequence alignments with 22 other reference strains. Results We found that the prevalence of the virus was significantly higher in samples from pigs with diarrhoea than that in samples from healthy pigs. Phylogenetic analysis of Cap proteins demonstrated that the 20 PCV3 strains formed three clades, including PCV3a (8/20, 40.00%), PCV3b (5/20, 25%) and PCV3c (7/20, 35.00%). The complete genome sequence revealed that these strains formed one branch in the phylogenetic tree. Sequence analysis showed that the Cap proteins of the 20 different viral strains shared between 95.84 and 99.18% nucleotide identity. Cap protein sequence analyses showed that the positivity rate of PCV3a was highest in the samples from pigs with diarrhoea. In comparison, PCV3c was the most elevated subtype in the healthy samples. There was no mutation at a specific site in the amino acid sequences of the entire Cap protein from different PCV3 subtype strains from heathy samples. There was a mutation at site 113 in PCV3a, site 129 in PCV3b, and site 116 in PCV3c. Conclusion Our present data provide evidence that PCV3 is prevalent in Tibetan pigs at high altitudes in China, and the higher prevalence rates of the PCV3a and PCV3b subtypes in samples from pigs with diarrhoea further indicate that the genotypes should not be neglected during surveys of the pathogenicity of PCV3. Phylogenetic and genetic diversity analyses suggested that the continuous evolution, adaptation and mechanisms of pathogenicity of PCV3 in Tibetan pigs living in this special environment should be further studied.

To reveal the stable bearing capacity of a new semi-rigid dome structure, the tensile–beam cable dome (TBCD), a detailed numerical simulation and analysis of a 60 m model TBCD is conducted. Then, the effects of factors such as the prestress level, original imperfection size, original imperfection distribution, and addition of hoop tension rods on the stability of the TBCD model are investigated. The results show that the unstable loads of the TBCD are arranged from small to large in the following order: doubly nonlinearity with an original imperfection, geometry nonlinearity with an original imperfection, geometry nonlinearity without an original imperfection, and eigen buckling. In this case, the effects of geometry nonlinearity, material nonlinearity, and original imperfections must be comprehensively analyzed. The unstable mode of the TBCD depends on the loading form. Torsional buckling of the overall structure occurs under the symmetric load of ‘Full live + full dead’, while local out-of-plane buckling appears with the asymmetric load of ‘Half live + full dead’. With 2–3 times the loading integrations, the innermost tension beams change from stretch bending to pressurized bending, which causes the overall TBCD to become unstable. A small prestress level clearly decreases the stability of the TBCD, while a relatively large prestress level has little effect. When the original imperfection is greater than 1/400 of the span, the stability of the TBCD is problematic. Comprehensively considering the impact of multiple defects is needed when analyzing the buckling of the TBCD. Adding hoop tension beams between the top ends of rods can effectively improve the integrity and stability of the TBCD.

Alternaria gaisen is one of the main fungi that cause fruit postharvest diseases due to its wide contamination and toxin production. The application of lactic acid bacteria shows great industrial application as a natural food preserver due to the advantages of being safe and non-toxic. In order to obtain a natural preservative against this fungus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cell- free supernatants (CFS) produced by Lactobacillus pentosus 86 as antimicrobials in vitro against A. gaisen. Results indicated that CFS displayed excellent thermostability and enzymatic stabilities with an antifungal activity over 85%. Under thermal (40–100 °C) treatments, different protease solution and acidic conditions (pH 2–4), the antifungal activity of CFS maintained up 80%. However, when the pH reached 6, its antifungal ability completely disappeared. CFS inhibited mycelial growth of A. gaisen by destroying the hyphae membrane, leading to the leakage of nucleic acids and proteins, and hyphae collapsed and shriveled. CFS also changed the spore’s morphology, resulting in cell membrane damage, intracellular leakage, and organelles aggregation. The increase of cell membrane permeability of spores caused a 30% mortality rate. Therefore, the CFS of L. pentosus 86 has the potential for controlling fruit diseases caused by A. gaisen.

Stability calculation is the main objective during the analysis of domes. To investigate the effects of the initial defect, geometric nonlinearity, and material nonlinearity on the stability performance of different dome structures, 60 m numerical models were built and optimized by an iterative force-finding APDL program. Then, linear buckling analysis, geometric nonlinear stability analysis, geometric nonlinear stability analysis with initial defects, and dual nonlinear analysis with initial defects were discussed to compare the stability performance of ridge-beam cable domes (RCDs), suspen-domes, and conventional cable domes via finite element analysis. The results show that the buckling loads all follow the order of initial defect + dual nonlinear analysis < initial defect + geometric nonlinear analysis < geometric nonlinear analysis < linear buckling. The addition of ridge beams improves the overall stability and transforms the instability modes from local concave instability to overall torsional buckling. The ultimate load amplification coefficients of the RCD are close to those of the suspen-dome, while the vertical displacements of the RCD are more than those of the conventional cable dome, so the RCD has sufficient stiffness to reduce local displacement. Under 2–3 load combinations, internal ridge beams change from a tensile-bending state to a compressive-bending state, causing the entire instability of the RCD afterwards.

Beijing, the capital of China, with a population of more than 21 million, is a mega city that is located on the migration route between East Asia and Australia. Owing to the process of urbanization, more urban spaces have been occupied by artificial buildings and facilities in the past. Since the implementation of the Measures of the National Voluntary Tree Planting Movement by the State Council in Beijing in 1982, urban green spaces (especially urban parks) have been greatly increased, promoting the restoration of ecosystem in Beijing. Interestingly, bird biodiversity greatly increased with the expanding of urban green spaces, and more new records of birds were found by the booming development of bird watching activities in Beijing. A total of 503 bird species have been found in Beijing to date, including 27 Class I species (Aythya baeri, Grus japonensis, Emberiza jankowskii, etc.) and 89 Class II species (Grus grus, Paradoxornis heudei, etc.) in the List of Key Protected Wildlife in China, most of which are the flagship species of the wetland ecosystem and forest ecosystem. This suggests that Beijing has become one of the richest mega cities in the world in terms of bird biodiversity. Therefore, the long-term conservation of urban biodiversity should be considered during the process of urbanization construction.

Residual doses may cause overestimation of electron spin resonance (ESR) ages for fluvial sediments. However, ESR residual doses in outburst megaflood sediments have rarely been evaluated. The Jinsha River, situated in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, is characterized by active faults, narrowed canyons, and dammed lakes. Consequently, the river is a rare opportunity for a reconstruction study of outburst flood events from a paleo-dammed lake. After the destruction of the Baige dammed lake in the upper Jinsha River in 2018, outburst megafloods formed a thick diluvium that was deposited in broad valley land along the lower Jinsha River. Based on detailed field investigation and laboratory studies, preliminary hydraulics estimates and residual quartz ESR signals indicate the following. 1) Among the multiple quartz ESR centers, the Al, E1ʹ, Ti-H, and Ti-Li centers could be measured. The Ti-H center had the lowest residual dose and would provide relatively accurate ages for outburst megaflood sediment. 2) The Ti-Li and Al centers commonly used for ESR dating provide overestimates of 283 ± 42 ka ∼ 462 ± 63 ka and 1,010 ± 88 ka ∼ 1,400 ± 219 ka, respectively, for present outburst megaflood sediment. 3) The diverse ages given by the same ESR signal may be caused by various precursors of megaflood sediments, which are mainly sourced from landslide dams and from various terraces and slope sediments along the river. Results demonstrated that the apparent ESR ages observed for the outburst megaflood sediment in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau may be counterfeit, providing an age much older than its real age. This could be interpreted to mean that the narrowed lower channel makes the upper reaches of the broad valley appear lake-like, with diluvium deposits having large non-negligible residual ESR signals without enough exposure to adequate sunlight, despite having good stratification and sorting characteristics similar to those of fluvio-lacustrine sediments. Thus, abrupt reversal in quartz ESR ages in multiple centers observed in the geochronological framework of the fluvial sedimentary profile may indicate a diluvial or flood layer in the absence of other inducements.

IntroductionAutophagy and endocytosis are crucial biological activities in mammalian follicle development and oocyte maturation, which are easily affected by external environmental factors. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), as an important component of follicular fluid, regulates the growth and apoptosis of follicular cells. However, its regulatory mechanism of autophagy and endocytosis in mammals, especially in large domestic animals such as plateau yak, remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of EGF on autophagy and endocytosis in yak cumulus cells.MethodsYak cumulus cells were treated with different concentrations of EGF and appropriate concentrations of EGFR inhibitor gefitinib (10 μM). The dynamic expression levels of Atg5, Beclin1, LC3, Cav1 and Cav2 were detected by immunofluorescence staining, qRT-PCR and Western-blot.ResultsEGF inhibited autophagy in yak cumulus cells by down-regulating the expression of Atg5, Beclin1, and LC3. The level of autophagy varied with the concentration of ligands, and the inhibition was most significant at 100 ng/mL. Noteworthy, EGF can promote endocytosis by regulating the expression of Cav1 and Cav2, but the EGFR-mediated signaling pathway is not the main way to regulate the expression of these proteins.DiscussionThese results provide a reference for further exploring the effects of growth factors on livestock germ cells and the regulatory role of autophagy-endocytosis crosstalk mechanism in follicle development and oocyte maturation, to improve the fecundity of yaks.

Tomato is one of the most widely cultivated horticultural plants in the world, while the key volatile compounds of tomato fruits generally derive from fatty acid, carotenoid, phenylalanine, and branched-chain amino acid pathways. As an important endogenous signal molecule, methyl salicylate (MeSA) plays a crucial role in the fruit ripening process of plant. Recently, it has been demonstrated that MeSA can maintain the flavor quality of full ripe tomatoes after cold-storage preservation. However, few research teams attempted to investigate the effects of MeSA plus low temperature treatment on the different volatile biosynthetic pathways of tomatoes previously. Therefore, in this study, the effects of methyl salicylate pre-treatment (0.05 mM MeSA, 24 h) on the volatile profile and flavor-related key gene expressions of tomato fruits stored at 10°C were evaluated for the first time. Our results showed that the loss of volatile compounds in low temperature-treated tomato fruits could be effectively alleviated by MeSA pre-treatment. Although MeSA had no remarkable effect on the formation of carotenoid pathway- and branched-chain amino acid pathway-related volatiles in tomatoes subjected to low temperature, the content of fatty acid pathway-related volatiles (including cis-3-hexenal, hexanal, and trans-2-hexenal) in full red fruits of 10°C MeSA group was remarkably higher than that of 10°C control group. Furthermore, MeSA pre-treatment significantly up-regulated the expression of LOXC or LOXD gene in low temperature-treated fruits at breaker or full red stage, respectively. In conclusion, pre-treatment with MeSA might avoid the loss of aromatic compounds in tomato fruits stored at low temperature by activating the fatty acid pathway.

In railway tunnels located in cold regions, frost damage is constantly emerging, which seriously affects the safety of railway tunnel operations. While having general thermal insulation effects, thermal insulation measures developed in previous studies have not solved the problem of frost damage in operational railway tunnels. To fill this gap, this paper puts forward a new composite thermal insulation lining. Firstly, through numerical simulation, this new composite thermal insulation lining was verified to have better mechanical properties and insulation effects than general steel plate thermal insulation lining. The fast construction method of thermal insulation lining is proposed to have excellent construction efficiency and great economic and social benefits. According to field monitoring data, the outer surface temperature of the lining reached about 5 °C in winter after the new composite thermal insulation lining was added, which fundamentally inhibited the formation of ice and effectively avoided frost damage. At the coldest moment in time, the temperature of the secondary lining was about 9 °C higher than without thermal insulation lining. In summary, compared with existing anti-freeze technology, the new composite thermal insulation lining has better thermal insulation capacity, can be constructed faster, and offers clear economic benefits.

The aim of this study was to investigate protein regulation at different time points during the in vitro maturation of yak oocytes. Yak oocytes at GV, MI, and MII stages were collected during in vitro maturation, and differential proteomics sequencing was performed using iTRAQ technology. GO functional classification indicated that the differential proteins were closely associated with biological processes such as “metabolic processes”, and molecular events such as “binding” molecular-function-related categories were active. KOG analysis showed that energy-metabolism-related activities were vigorous during oocyte development from the GV phase to MI phase, and genetic material preparation activities were more active when oocytes developed from the MI stage to MII stage. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the PPAR metabolic pathway, Hippo signaling pathway, and ECM–receptor interaction and metabolic pathway were enriched from the GV to the MI stages. The PI3K-Akt, TGF-β, and phagosome pathways were enriched from the MI stage to the MII stage. These results indicate that transient dynamic changes occurred in the proteome during the maturation of yak oocytes, and the physiological functions mediated by these were also different. The accurate identification of the differential proteins in the three stages of GV, MI, and MII was helpful in further analyzing the molecular regulatory mechanism of yak oocyte maturation.

Abstract Edible fungi are rich in nutrition, but they are susceptible to spoilage, and often prolonged by drying. RF and microwave energy drying have the advantages of short drying time, high energy efficiency and good process control. However, to develop an effective dielectric drying method, it is important to understand dielectric properties, the major factor characterizing the interaction between the electromagnetic energy and the food. At present, there is a lack of research on dielectric properties of edible fungi. In this study, a vector network analyzer and an open-ended coaxial-line probe were employed to measure the dielectric parameters. The dielectric parameters were observed at different temperatures (25–85 °C) for edible fungi powder with moisture content ranging from 5 to 30% wet basis over a frequency range of 1–3000 MHz. The relationship between the dielectric properties and frequency, temperature, and moisture content were obtained via regression analysis. Further, the dielectric penetration depth was calculated, and the effects of frequency, moisture content, and temperature on the penetration depth were also analyzed. The results showed that the dielectric properties of edible fungi powder increased with an increase in moisture content and temperature, while they decreased with increasing frequency. At high moisture content and temperature, the increase in dielectric properties was slightly larger than that at low moisture content and temperature. The dielectric properties changed more evidently at lower radio frequencies than at higher radio frequencies. The penetration depth decreased with an increase in temperature, moisture content, and frequency. It can be concluded that a large penetration depth at radio frequencies below 100 MHz could be used to dry edible fungi on a large scale, whereas microwave energy could be employed for drying edible fungi on a small scale.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is often confounded by the non-specific amplification arising from primer dimers, off-target priming, and other artifacts. Precipitation of the DNA produced during LAMP with the use of specific fluorescently labeled probe has proved the effectiveness in specific detection. Herein, two fluorophores (ROX and FAM) were attached to the primers S-LB-6 and R-FIP for Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout, respectively, which are self-quenched in unbound state and become de-quenched after binding to the dumbbell-shaped DNA specifically. The DNA precipitation and appearance of small sediment took 10 s of centrifugation at 1000 g, by adding polyethylenimine (PEI) 600. Each target species was specifically amplified with the predicted color of PEI-DNA sediment, namely red for Atlantic salmon, green for rainbow trout, and pale yellow for mixed species. The optimized duplex LAMP system has proved its specificity and can detect as little as 1 ng DNA in visual detection.

In this paper, the bending properties of a 3-ply cross-laminated bamboo and timber (CLBT), prefabricated with the bamboo mat-curtain panel and hem-fir lumber, were examined in the major and minor strength directions, and a 3-ply hem-fir cross-laminated timber (CLT) was taken as a control group. The analytical model for the sum of the orthogonal apparent bending moduli with the two types of layer classifications were proposed, and the two kinds of contribution models were developed to analyze the apparent bending modulus variation behavior of the CLBT and CLT panels in the major and minor strength directions. The experimental results showed that since the CLBT group had more internal orthogonal structures, its difference in the bending properties between the major and minor strength directions was lower than that of the CLT group. Furthermore, the proposed contribution models quantitatively analyzed the relationship between the apparent bending moduli of the CLBT and CLT panels and the corresponding composition layer characteristics. The contribution model to characterize the apparent bending modulus in major and minor strength directions demonstrated good agreement with the test results. Based on this model interpreted by three-dimensional figures, the contribution variation characteristics in the major and minor strength directions were revealed.

Objectives: To identify previously unrecognized genetic variants and clinical variables associated with the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases 10)-based diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the UK Biobank cohort.Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common genetic cardiovascular disorder with more than 2000 known mutations in one of eight genes encoding sarcomeric proteins. However, there is considerable variation in disease manifestation, suggesting the role of additional unrecognized contributors, genetic and otherwise. There is substantial interest in the use of real-world data, such as electronic health records to better understand disease mechanisms and discover new treatment strategies, but whether ICD-10-based diagnosis can be used to study HCM genetics is unknown.Methods: In a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the UK Biobank, we analyzed the genomes of 363 individuals diagnosed with HCM based on ICD-10 coding compared to 7,260 age, ancestry, and sex-matched controls in a 1:20 case:control design. Genetic variants were analyzed by Plink’s firth logistic regression and assessed for association with HCM. We also examined 61 biomarkers and other diagnoses in the 363 HCM cases and matched controls.Results: The prevalence of ICD-10-based diagnosis of HCM in the UK Biobank cohort was 1 in 1,342, suggesting disease assignment based on the two ICD-10 codes underestimates HCM prevalence. In addition, common cardiovascular comorbidities were more prevalent in ICD-10-based HCM cases in comparison to controls. We identified two novel, non-sarcomeric genetic variants in KMT2C rs78630626, and PARD3B rs188937806 that were associated with ICD-10 codes for HCM with genome-wide significance (p < 5 x 10−8). These are associated with an increased odds ratio (OR) of ∼3.8 for being diagnosed with HCM. Minor allele frequency (MAF) of each variant was >1%.Discussion: Disease assignment based strictly on ICD-10 codes may underestimate HCM prevalence. Individuals with HCM were more frequently diagnosed with several comorbid conditions, such as hypertension, atherosclerotic heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure, suggesting they may contribute to disease manifestation. This UK Biobank database-based GWAS identified common variants in KMT2C and PARD3B that are associated with HCM diagnosis, which may represent novel modifier genes. Our study demonstrates the feasibility and limitations of conducting phenotypic and genotypic characterization of HCM based on ICD-10 diagnosis in a large population-based cohort.

A 30-year-old woman presented with angina pectoris. Coronary angiography revealed severe stenosis in the left main and right coronary arteries that did not improve with intracoronary nitroglycerin. Coronary computed tomography angiography and positron emission tomography revealed coronary ostia inflammation and aortic root fat stranding. She was diagnosed with vasculitis and valvulitis and received immunotherapy and coronary bypass. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.)

Due to the rapid development of urban rail transit and the development and use of underground space, foundation pit construction near existing subway tunnels is becoming increasingly common. When adjacent foundation pit projects are being constructed, it is difficult to avoid the influence on existing subway tunnels, which threatens the safe operation of subway tunnels. Thus, this study focused on the stability of the adjacent construction of foundation pits and twin shield tunnels. The finite element limit analysis (FELA) method was used to analyze the influences of construction scheme and relative position of the twin shield tunnels and adjacent foundation pit on the global stability of adjacent construction. Based on the research results, the guidance and design for the construction scheme and relative position are provided. The stability analysis on the foundation pit during the construction process is performed. The criteria of adjacent influential partition are proposed, and the influence of various input parameters (c/γD, φ, L/D and C/D) on the global stability of adjacent construction is discussed, respectively. A new design equation of safety factor of global stability of adjacent construction is obtained by curve fitting.

The all-sky meteor radar is an important means to detect 70–110 km wind fields. Previous studies have shown that the wind field retrieved by all-sky meteor radars is closely related to the meteor count detected by the radar. However, the precision of the wind field is still unclear. In this paper, the influence of the meteor counts detected by two all-sky meteor radars operating simultaneously at Kunming station on wind fields is analyzed based on the observations of the two radars from 1 November 2013 to 31 December 2014. First, the meteor counts detected by the two meteor radars are approximately 100–3000 per hour, and the meteor count detected by the 37.5 MHz meteor radar is more than that according to the 53.1 MHz meteor radar. The meteor counts detected by the two radars vary with the local time and altitude. The meteor counts detected from 20 UTC to 02 UTC are the largest in the altitude range of 84–92 km, while the meteor counts detected from 09 UTC to 15 UTC are the lowest at other altitudes. Second, the more meteors detected by the two radars, the smaller the wind field differences retrieved by the two radars, and the closer the wind fields are to the real average wind field. Third, because the performance of the two radars is basically identical, except that the meteor counts detected by the two radars are different due to their different operating frequencies, the meteor count is the main system error of the wind fields retrieved, and the errors can be determined by the correlation coefficients of the wind fields retrieved by the two radars. Finally, in the altitude range of 76–100 km, the mean wind field differences of the two radars are less than 5 m/s.

The effect of cutting on the molecular changes underlying sucrose metabolism and the phenylpropanoid pathway in melon fruit (cv. Yugu) during storage at 15 °C was investigated. Furthermore, the key metabolites, enzymes, and genes involved in sucrose and phenylpropanoid metabolism were determined. Results showed that the cutting of melon increased the activities of acid invertase (AI), neutral invertase (NI), and sucrose synthase-cleavage (SS-c) and the expressions of CmAI1/2, CmNI1/2, and CmSS1, while sucrose synthase-synthesis (SS-s) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) activities and the CmSS2/3 and CmSPS1/2/4 gene expressions were suppressed. These led to sucrose decomposition and fructose and glucose accumulation in fresh-cut melon at the early stage of storage. Moreover, cutting increased the activity and gene expression of hexokinase, which accelerated the transformation of hexose in fresh-cut melon. In addition, cutting enhanced the activities of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL) and up-regulated the expressions of CmPAL1-9, CmC4H1-4, and Cm4CL1/2/3, which activated phenylpropanoid metabolism and resulted in phenolic accumulation in fresh-cut melon. These findings demonstrate that cutting of melon can enhance sucrose metabolism and phenylpropanoid pathway by regulating the activities and gene expressions of related enzymes. Therefore, cut-wounding promoted the conversion of sugars to supply the necessary substrates for phenolic accumulation in fresh-cut melon.

Headed shear studs are an essential interfacial connection for precast steel–concrete structures to ensure composite action; hence, the accurate prediction of the shear capacity of headed studs is of pivotal significance. This study first established a worldwide dataset with 428 push-out tests of headed shear studs embedded in concrete with varied strengths from 26 MPa to 200 MPa. Five advanced machine learning (ML) models and three widely used equations from design codes were comparatively employed to predict the shear resistance of the headed studs. Considering the inevitable data variation caused by material properties and load testing, the isolated forest algorithm was first used to detect the anomaly of data in the dataset. Then, the five ML models were established and trained, which exhibited higher prediction accuracy than three existing design codes that were widely used in the world. Compared with the equations from AASHTO (the one that has the best prediction accuracy among design specifications), the gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) model showed an 80% lower root mean square error, 308% higher coefficient of determination, and 86% lower mean absolute percent error. Lastly, individual conditional expectation plots and partial dependence plots showed the relationship between the individual parameters and the predicted target based on the GBDT model. The results showed that the elastic modulus of concrete, the tensile strength of the studs, and the length–diameter ratio of the studs influenced most of the shear capacity of shear studs. Additionally, the effect of the length–diameter ratio has an upper limit which depends on the strength of the studs and concrete.

With the significant advantages of 5G technique such as higher transmission rate and lower transmission delay, it is more in line with the requirements of the connected vehicle scenario. In addition, the serial interference cancellation (SIC) technology in 5G technology can further improve the communication quality compared to a single one-to-one multiplexing method. Taking the dynamic communication characteristics of Internet of Vehicles into consideration, the robust optimization problem is formulated, which attempts to maximization the total throughput of vehicle users under the changing channel gains. The channel uncertainty is formulated as probability constraints, and they are transformed to the deterministic form to achieve a convex optimization problem. And the Hungarian algorithm is introduced to allocate the available channels to the V2V pairs. With the proposed joint resource allocation algorithm, the maximum throughput can be obtained with the lower algorithm complexity. Also, the robustness against the changing channel gains is guaranteed and the outage probability of users is kept below the pre-given outage threshold.

The roles of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and prohydrojasmon (PDJ) in postharvest color development and anthocyanins biosynthesis in the skin of peach fruit remain unclear. In this study, peach fruit were infiltrated with MeJA (200 μM) or PDJ (40 μM) and stored at 22°C for 7 days. The results showed that treatment with MeJA or PDJ had a positive effect on red color formation in peach fruits due to anthocyanins accumulation (∼120% increase). This was attributed to increased enzyme activities, and enhanced transcript abundance of the genes associated with anthocyanins biosynthesis, induced by MeJA or PDJ. Both MeJA and PDJ promoted sucrose biosynthesis, and the subsequently elevated levels of the sucrose during storage were positively correlated with anthocyanins accumulation (0.49) and the activities of key biosynthesis enzymes (0.42–0.79). Based on these findings, we proposed that MeJA or PDJ treatments promote anthocyanins biosynthesis by regulating sucrose metabolism during the postharvest storage of peach fruit.

Fracture characteristics at bedrock reservoirs in the Kunbei fault terrace belt in the southwest of Qaidam Basin, China, are investigated based on cores, thin sections, formation microscanner imaging, and production data. Results show that the weathered unit at the top of bedrocks is not an effective reservoir because of extremely low porosity. A semi-weathered unit is a potential reservoir, where formation water migrating along early effective fractures could form dissolution fractures and pores as primary storage space, and fractures can also act as seepage channels. Four fracture types can be identified from bedrock reservoirs, e.g., structural ones, diagenetic ones, weathering ones, and dissolution ones, while shear fractures related to faults are the most important ones. Fracture types and characteristics are different in granite and slate, e.g., high fracture density results in intensive dissolution in granite. Fracture density is closely related to tectonic stress. The bedrock reservoirs near fault zones and semi-weathered units are potential oil and gas exploration targets in the Kunbei fault terrace belt. Effective fractures govern dissolution behaviors as well as dominant seepage directions, which play a significant role in the development of bedrock reservoirs.

Abstract Background Lycium barbarum and L. ruthenicum have been used as traditional medicinal plants in China and other Asian counties for centuries. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fruit development and ripening, as well as the associated production of medicinal and nutritional components, have been little explored in these two species. Results A competitive transcriptome analysis was performed to identify the regulators and pathways involved in the fruit ripening of red wolfberry (L. barbarum) and black wolfberry (L. ruthenicum) using an Illumina sequencing platform. In total, 155,606 genes and 194,385 genes were detected in red wolfberry (RF) and black wolfberry (BF), respectively. Of them, 20,335, 24,469, and 21,056 genes were differentially expressed at three different developmental stages in BF and RF. Functional categorization of the differentially expressed genes revealed that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, anthocyanin biosynthesis, and sugar metabolism were the most differentially regulated processes during fruit development and ripening in the RF and BF. Furthermore, we also identified 38 MYB transcription factor-encoding genes that were differentially expressed during black wolfberry fruit development. Overexpression of LrMYB1 resulted in the activation of structural genes for flavonoid biosynthesis and led to an increase in flavonoid content, suggesting that the candidate genes identified in this RNA-seq analysis are credible and might offer important utility. Conclusion This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of Lycium fruit development and ripening and will be of value to novel gene discovery and functional genomic studies.

Abstract Background Polygalacturonase (PG), as an important hydrolase participating in the degradation of pectin, plays an important role in softening process of fruit. However, information on PG gene family in pear genome and the specific member involved in fruit softening is still rudimentary. Results In this study, a total of 61 PG genes, which could be divided into six subclasses, were identified from the pear genome with diverse chromosome locations, gene structures, motifs and cis-acting elements. Most PbrPGs were derived from WGD/segmental duplication blocks, and purifying selection was the main driving force for their expansion. The expression profiles of PbrPGs in pear were tissue/development-stage/cultivar-dependent. During ‘Housui’ pear storage, associated with the reduction of firmness was the accumulation of PG activity. Totally, 28 PbrPGs were expressed during fruit storage, which could be classified into five categories based on different expression patterns; most demonstrated an increased trend. Of these, PbrPG6 were proposed to account for pear softening in combination of the phylogenetic and correlation analysis among firmness, PG activity and PbrPGs. By constructing the silencing vector, a higher firmness was observed in PbrPG6-silenced fruit when compared with that of the control (empty vector). In a further study, we found that the expression of PbrPG6 was regulated by postharvest 1-MCP/ethrel treatment, and several PbrERFs might function in this process. Conclusions We identified 61 PbrPG genes from pear genome; of these, PbrPG6 was involved in fruit softening process; furthermore, the expression of PbrPG6 might be under the control of PbrERF. This study provides a foundation for future work aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying pear softening.

To investigate soybean responses to drought stress and growth through metabolism compensation after rehydration, and for the establishment of an optimal water-saving irrigation model, we used the soybean variety Suinong 14 as experimental material and adopted a weighing method for water control in potted plants. We exposed soybean plants to stress treatments at different growth stages using different stress levels and durations. We then studied the effects of drought stress and rehydration on soybean growth and development, osmoregulation, and endogenous hormonal regulations, as well as antioxidant systems. The results showed that drought stress inhibited increases in the soybean plant height and leaf area. This inhibition became more significant as the level, duration, and frequency of the drought stress increased. After rehydration, the soybean plant heights and leaf areas exhibited rapid increases and partial compensation for their decreased sizes. As the level, duration, and frequency of drought stress increased, the compensation effect decreased, but it did not return to the control level. Drought stress reduced the chlorophyll content and relative water content in the soybean leaves and increased the osmolyte contents, antioxidant potential, and peroxidation of the membrane lipids. In addition, the changes mentioned above became more dramatic as the drought stress level, duration, and frequency increased. Upon rehydration, various levels of growth compensation were observed in each physio-biochemical parameter. As the drought stress level, duration, and frequency increased, the compensation effect also increased. Overall, the compensation effect for drought stress that occurred at the early growth stages was higher than that at the later growth stages. Drought stress led to decreases in the ZR/IAA and ZR/ABA ratios in soybean leaves and an increase in the ABA/(IAA + GA + ZR) ratio; thus, the plant growth was inhibited. These hormone ratios exhibited more dramatic changes when the drought stress level became more severe and the stress duration was prolonged. After rehydration, these hormone ratios produced equal compensation effects. Therefore, the compensatory effect of rewatering after drought stress is conditional. Severe stress, especially long-term severe stress, will reduce the compensatory effect. At the same time, drought resistance treatment at seedling stage can improve the adaptability and compensatory effect of re-drought at grain filling stage. Keywords: Soybean, Drought, Re-watering, Compensation effect

Abstract Blastocyst complementation by pluripotent stem cell (PSC) injection is believed to be the most promising method to generate xenogeneic organs. However, ethical issues prevent the study of human chimeras in the late embryonic stage of development. Primate embryonic stem cells (ESCs), which have similar pluripotency to human ESCs, are a good model for studying interspecies chimerism and organ generation. However, whether primate ESCs can be used in xenogenous grafts remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the chimeric ability of cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis) ESCs (cmESCs) in pigs, which are excellent hosts because of their many similarities to humans. We report an optimized culture medium that enhanced the anti-apoptotic ability of cmESCs and improved the development of chimeric embryos, in which domesticated cmESCs (D-ESCs) injected into pig blastocysts differentiated into cells of all three germ layers. In addition, we obtained two neonatal interspecies chimeras, in which we observed tissue-specific D-ESC differentiation. Taken together, the results demonstrate the capability of D-ESCs to integrate and differentiate into functional cells in a porcine model, with a chimeric ratio of 0.001–0.0001 in different neonate tissues. We believe this work will facilitate future developments in xenogeneic organogenesis, bringing us one step closer to producing tissue-specific functional cells and organs in a large animal model through interspecies blastocyst complementation.

This paper has designed a novel off-wall insulation liner, aiming to prevent severe frost damages for the high-speed railway tunnel in cold regions. In terms of composition, the double-layer steel corrugated plates of the liner not only prevent the block falling and water intrusion of cold-region tunnels but prolong the durability and effectiveness of thermal insulation materials. Besides, the quick-construction technology for the off-wall insulation liner was derived in the present study, and it exhibits excellent construction efficiency, great economic and social benefits in the high-speed railway tunnel. Concerning the insulation capacity, the double insulation layers (polyurethane foam and air) perform the dramatical coldness-blocking effect, the freezing line moves forward from 0.48m-deep surrounding rock to the lining surface. The four-year field test has proved the effectiveness and insulation capacity of the off-wall tunnel, the severe frost damages in the Wufengshan tunnel were successfully eliminated. Compared with existing coldproof measures, the off-wall insulation liner in this paper exhibits excellent insulation capacity, high construction efficiency, and excellent economic benefits, it could be applied in the high-speed railway tunnels with high-altitude or extremely low temperatures.