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To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the lyotropic liquid crystals on mice skin wounds with 5 Gy γ irradiation, including alleviation of pain, promotion of wound healing and inhibition of bacterial growth. Crystals were prepared with aloe extract to promote wound healing, tea tree oil to inhibit bacterial growth, and lidocaine hydrochloride to relieve pain. Glyceryl monooleate (GMO) and poloxamer 407 were used as matrice. The therapeutic effect of the crystals on radiation-induced skin wounds were evaluated based on wound healing rate and staining with hematoxylin and eosin stain and Masson's trichrome stain. Crystals prepared with 0.2 g/mL poloxamer 407 and 0.4 g/mL GMO displayed pronounced viscosity with long residence time on skin when applied topically. The formulation enabled consistent drug release and promoted the rate of wound healing which exceeded 90% within 14 days. The novel multifunctional lyotropic liquid crystal could be efficient in treating skin wounds caused by γ irradiation.

The physiological interactions between the peripheral and central auditory systems are crucial for auditory information transmission and perception, while reliable models for auditory neural circuits are currently lacking. To address this issue, mouse and human neural pathways are generated by utilizing a carbon nanotube nanofiber system. The super‐aligned pattern of the scaffold renders the axons of the bipolar and multipolar neurons extending in a parallel direction. In addition, the electrical conductivity of the scaffold maintains the electrophysiological activity of the primary mouse auditory neurons. The mouse and human primary neurons from peripheral and central auditory units in the system are then co‐cultured and showed that the two kinds of neurons form synaptic connections. Moreover, neural progenitor cells of the cochlea and auditory cortex are derived from human embryos to generate region‐specific organoids and these organoids are assembled in the nanofiber‐combined 3D system. Using optogenetic stimulation, calcium imaging, and electrophysiological recording, it is revealed that functional synaptic connections are formed between peripheral neurons and central neurons, as evidenced by calcium spiking and postsynaptic currents. The auditory circuit model will enable the study of the auditory neural pathway and advance the search for treatment strategies for disorders of neuronal connectivity in sensorineural hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both seed germination and subsequent seedling establishment are key checkpoints during the life cycle of seed plants, yet flooding stress markedly inhibits both processes, leading to economic losses from agricultural production. Here, we report that melatonin (MT) seed priming treatment enhances the performance of seeds from several crops, including soybean, wheat, maize, and alfalfa, under flooding stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed that MT priming promotes seed germination and seedling establishment associated with changes in abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellin (GA), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) biosynthesis and signaling pathways. Real‐time quantitative RT‐PCR (qRT‐PCR) analysis confirmed that MT priming increases the expression levels of GA biosynthesis genes, ABA catabolism genes, and ROS biosynthesis genes while decreasing the expression of positive ABA regulatory genes. Further, measurements of ABA and GA concentrations are consistent with these trends. Following MT priming, quantification of ROS metabolism‐related enzyme activities and the concentrations of H2O2 and superoxide anions (O2−) after MT priming were consistent with the results of transcriptome analysis and qRT‐PCR. Finally, exogenous application of GA, fluridone (an ABA biosynthesis inhibitor), or H2O2 partially rescued the poor germination of non‐primed seeds under flooding stress. Collectively, this study uncovers the application and molecular mechanisms underlying MT priming in modulating crop seed vigor under flooding stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean frogeye leaf spot (FLS) disease is a global disease affecting soybean yield, especially in the soybean growing area of Heilongjiang Province. In order to realize genomic selection breeding for FLS resistance of soybean, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and stepwise regression were combined, and a genomic selection model was established for 40 002 SNP markers covering soybean genome and relative lesion area of soybean FLS. As a result, 68 molecular markers controlling soybean FLS were detected accurately, and the phenotypic contribution rate of these markers reached 82.45%. In this study, a model was established, which could be used directly to evaluate the resistance of soybean FLS and to select excellent offspring. This research method could also provide ideas and methods for other plants to breeding in disease resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the interactions between Bingham fluids and flexible structures under an immersed boundary lattice-Boltzmann framework. The objective of this paper is to understand the rheology effects of Bingham fluids on the structure responses and the flow characteristics within Bingham fluids–structure interactions. To this end, a numerical algorithm that integrates the lattice Boltzmann method and the smoothed point interpolation method is proposed. Alongside this, a hybrid multiple relaxation time scheme in the framework of the immersed boundary-lattice Boltzmann method is used to improve the numerical accuracy and stability. Then, the numerical algorithm is applied to three typical fluid–structure interactions cases in both Newtonian and Bingham fluids regarding an elastic beam, a self-induced elastic beam attached to a circular cylinder and a self-propelled fishlike body. Numerical results highlight that the yield stress of Bingham fluids influences predominantly on the structure responses, such as the solid deformation, the oscillation amplitude, the oscillation period, and the swimming velocity. In addition, the yielded/unyielded zones' evolution process of the Bingham fluids–structure interaction is also identified in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]