Search Results (18)

The high costs of mycoinsecticides restrain their extensive application in green agriculture. Two six-week field trials were performed in spring to test synergistic effects of fungal–chemical interactions against faba bean aphid (Aphis fabae) populations in Zhejiang, China. The treatments (three 50-m² plots each) in each trial included Beauveria bassiana ZJU435 (Bb) and imidacloprid (ImD) applied biweekly at recommended rates (1.5 × 10¹³ conidia and 45 a.i. g ha⁻¹) and co-applied at reduced rates of 2/3Bb, 1/2Bb, and 1/3Bb plus 1/5ImD, which reduced the cost of the mycoinsecticide by 32–65%. During the first three weeks at 1.3–12.5 °C (daily means), the aphid population steadily increased to a peak in the blank control, and it was much more effectively suppressed by ImD than by Bb and Bb + ImD treatments. As the weather subsequently warmed to 8.7–21.0 °C, the aphid population was increasingly suppressed by the Bb and Bb + ImD treatments, which showed suppressive effects superior or close to those of ImD on days 35 and 42. Percent efficacy values (n = 36) of ImD, 2/3Bb + 1/5ImD, 1/2Bb + 1/5ImD, Bb, and 1/3Bb + 1/5ImD in two six-week trials averaged respectively 86%, 66%, 62.2%, 59.4%, and 58.4%, which significantly differed from one another (p < 0.01). Conclusively, low-rate co-applications of fungal/chemical insecticides offer a ‘low-cost–high-efficacy’ strategy to promote extensive mycoinsecticide application for sustainable aphid control. Full article

Background/Objectives: An inappropriate intake of dietary fats can disrupt the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota, affect the host’s metabolic status, and increase the risk of chronic diseases. The impact of dietary fat types on the composition and metabolic functionality of the intestinal microbiota has become a research focus over recent years. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of regular peanut oil (PO) and high-oleic-acid peanut oil (HOPO) on the composition and metabolic function of the intestinal microbiota. Methods: A dietary intervention test was conducted on SD rats fed a high-fat/high-fructose (HFF) diet. The composition and metabolic functionality of the intestinal microbiota of the experimental rats were investigated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and fecal metabolomics. Results: Compared with saturated fat, PO and HOPO enhanced the diversity of intestinal microbiota in HFF diet-fed rats. Compared with PO, HOPO significantly increased the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Harryflintia (p < 0.05), which are able to generate butyrate and acetate. Compared with saturated fat, 318 and 271 fecal biomarkers were identified in PO and HOPO groups, respectively. In contrast, 68 fecal biomarkers were identified between the PO and HOPO groups. The inhibition of harmful proteolytic fermentation in the colon may represent the main regulatory mechanism. With regard to metabolic status, HOPO provided better control of body weight and insulin sensitivity than PO. Conclusions: Compared with saturated fat, peanut oils better regulated the composition and metabolic function of the intestinal microbiota. In addition, HOPO exhibited better regulatory effects than PO. Full article

Widespread adoption of mpMRI has led to a decrease in the number of patients requiring prostate biopsies. ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT has demonstrated added benefits in identifying csPCa. Integrating the use of these imaging techniques may hold promise for predicting the presence of csPCa without invasive biopsy. A retrospective analysis of 42 consecutive patients who underwent mpMRI, ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, prostatic biopsy, and radical prostatectomy (RP) was carried out. A lesion-based model (n = 122) using prostatectomy histopathology as reference standard was used to analyze the accuracy of ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, mpMRI alone, and both in combination to identify ISUP-grade group ≥ 2 lesions. ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT demonstrated greater specificity and positive predictive value (PPV), with values of 73.3% (vs. 40.0%) and 90.1% (vs. 82.2%), while the mpMRI Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) 4–5 had better sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV): 90.2% (vs. 78.5%) and 57.1% (vs. 52.4%), respectively. When used in combination, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 74.2%, 83.3%, 93.2%, and 51.0%, respectively. Subgroup analysis of PI-RADS 3, 4, and 5 lesions was carried out. For PI-RADS 3 lesions, ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT demonstrated a NPV of 77.8%. For PI-RADS 4–5 lesions, ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT achieved PPV values of 82.1% and 100%, respectively, with an NPV of 100% in PI-RADS 5 lesions. A combination of ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and mpMRI improved the radiological diagnosis of csPCa. This suggests that avoidance of prostate biopsy prior to RP may represent a valid option in a selected subgroup of high-risk patients with a high suspicion of csPCa on mpMRI and ⁶⁸Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT. Full article

Periodically poled lithium niobate on insulator (PPLNOI) offers an admirably promising platform for the advancement of nonlinear photonic integrated circuits (PICs). In this context, domain inversion engineering emerges as a key process to achieve efficient nonlinear conversion. However, periodic poling processing of thin-film lithium niobate has only been realized on the chip level, which significantly limits its applications in large-scale nonlinear photonic systems that necessitate the integration of multiple nonlinear components on a single chip with uniform performances. Here, we demonstrate a wafer-scale periodic poling technique on a 4-inch LNOI wafer with high fidelity. The reversal lengths span from 0.5 to 10.17 mm, encompassing an area of ~1 cm² with periods ranging from 4.38 to 5.51 μm. Efficient poling was achieved with a single manipulation, benefiting from the targeted grouped electrode pads and adaptable comb line widths in our experiment. As a result, domain inversion is ultimately implemented across the entire wafer with a 100% success rate and 98% high-quality rate on average, showcasing high throughput and stability, which is fundamentally scalable and highly cost-effective in contrast to traditional size-restricted chiplet-level poling. Our study holds significant promise to dramatically promote ultra-high performance to a broad spectrum of applications, including optical communications, photonic neural networks, and quantum photonics. Full article

The Ashele ore concentration area is an important area for polymetallic ore concentration in Xinjiang, China. Scholars have made progress in understanding the ore-controlling structures, ore-bearing horizons, and metallogenic age of this area. However, there are still uncertainties about the 3D distributions of plutons, fault structures, and ore-bearing strata, which restrict the development of deep and peripheral ore prospecting and the discovery of new ore bodies in the area. This study proposes a geological–geophysical modeling method based on irregular sections and uses this method to establish a 3D geological–geophysical model based on physical property data, boreholes, surface geological maps, and geophysical data. The model shows that the study area has many hidden rock masses with various depths and shapes and fracture structures with complex shapes. The fault structure in the area is complex, and the ore bodies are controlled by the faults. The ore-bearing geological units (Ashele Formation) exhibit an obvious east–west-trending W-shaped fold structure. The deep part of the northern Ashele Formation extends northward slightly, and the southern Ashele Formation has thick strata, with depths generally greater than 2 km. Based on the information on deep structures provided by the model, three metallogenic prospective areas are predicted, which points out the direction for further prospecting work in the ore concentration area and shows that the adopted modeling method and process have good applicability for constructing 3D models of ore concentration areas with sparse data, large area, and complex geological structures. The proposed modeling method provides technical support for ore prospecting, particularly in the overburden area or ore concentration area with sparse data. Full article

To investigate the effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance, diarrhea rate, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal health of weaned piglets, and to provide the theoretical basis for applying fermented Chinese herbal medicines to weaned piglet production, a total of 162 weaned and castrated piglets at 25 days of age (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, half male and half female) with an initial body weight of 7.77 ± 0.03 kg were randomly divided into the following three groups according to the principle of similar body weight: basal diet (CON) group, basal diet + 3 kg/t fermented Chinese herbal medicine (LFHM) group, and basal diet + 5 g/kg fermented Chinese herbal medicine (HFHM) group. Each group underwent six replicates and there were nine piglets in each replicate. The experiment lasted 24 days, i.e., 3 days for preliminary feeding, and 21 days for the experiment. From Day 1 of the experiment, the piglets were observed and recorded for diarrhea each day. As compared with the CON group, the results indicated: Following the addition of fermented Chinese herbal medicine, the piglets in the LFHM and HFHM groups increased final weight (FW); average daily feed intake (ADFI); average daily gain (ADG) (p < 0.01); apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP) (p < 0.05); as well as chymotrypsin, α-amylase, and lipase activities (p < 0.01). In addition, α-amylase activity in the LFHM group was higher than that in the HFHM group (p < 0.05); chymotrypsin activity in the LFHM group was lower than that in the HFHM group (p < 0.05); as compared with the CON group, the LFHM and the HFHM increased villus height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) in piglet jejunum; isovaleric acid concentration with the HFHM was higher than those with the CON and the LFHM (p < 0.05), but butyrate concentration with the HFFM was lower than those with the CON and the LFHM (p < 0.05). The high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing of intestinal microbiota results showed that the LFHM and the HFHM affected the microbial α diversity index in weaned piglet colon (p < 0.01). In conclusion, fermented Chinese herbs can improve the growth performance of weaned piglets by promoting the secretion of intestinal digestive enzymes, changing intestinal microbial diversity, regulating the contents of intestinal short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), promoting intestinal health, and improving nutrients digestibility. Full article

Although salinity stress is one of the principal abiotic stresses affecting crop yield, a suitable concentration of NaCl has proven to be useful for increasing crop quality. This study used low salinity (34 mmol/L NaCl) and high salinity (85 mmol/L) to cultivate purple sweetpotato. Using transcriptomics and metabolomics to profile the pathway indicated that glycometabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and the starch catabolic process were the significant pathways under the salinity stress. Further research showed that purple sweetpotato could regulate genes related to the regulation of the cellular Na⁺, K⁺, and other ions concentration in response to the low salinity tolerance, but loses this ability under high salinity. Meanwhile, under low salinity, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and their related gene expression are maintained at a high level. The low salinity influences the monosaccharide composition as well as the content and regulation of genes related to starch synthesis. Quality analysis showed that the low salinity could increase the starch content and influence the amylopectin biosynthesis. It suggested that low salinity promotes substance accumulation. High salinity could increase the anthocyanins biosynthesis and low salinity had a significant impact on phenolic acid and flavonol. Finally, the gene expression levels also prove the low salinity could change the composition and content level of the purple sweetpotato. This study showed that an appropriate concentration of NaCl can be used as an elicitor for application in purple sweetpotato planting. Full article

Cytochalasans from the endophytic fungi featured structure diversity. Our previous study has disclosed that cytochalasans from the endophytic fungus Phomopsis sp. shj2 exhibited an antimigratory effect. Further chemical investigation on Phomopsis sp. shj2 has led to the discovery of seven new cytochalasans (1–7), together with four known ones. Their structures were elucidated through extensive spectroscopic data interpretation and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1–3 and 8–11 exhibited antimigratory effects against MDA-MB-231 in vitro with IC₅₀ values in the range of 1.01−10.42 μM. Full article

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are three essential macro-elements for plant growth and development. Used to improve yield in agricultural production, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers often leads to increased production costs and ecological environmental pollution. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that play an important role in alleviating abiotic stress. However, there are few studies on alleviating oxidative stress caused by macro-element deficiency. Here, we used Arabidopsis vitamin E synthesis-deficient mutant vte4 and vitamin C synthesis-deficient mutant vtc1 on which exogenous vitamin E and vitamin C, respectively, were applied at the bolting stage. In the deficiency of macro-elements, the Arabidopsis chlorophyll content decreased, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and relative electric conductivity increased, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulated. The mutants vtc1 and vte4 are more severely stressed than the wild-type plants. Adding exogenous vitamin E was found to better alleviate stress than adding vitamin C. Vitamin C barely affected and vitamin E significantly inhibited the synthesis of ethylene (ETH) and jasmonic acid (JA) genes, thereby reducing the accumulation of ETH and JA that alleviated the senescence caused by macro-element deficiency at the later stage of bolting in Arabidopsis. A deficiency of macro-elements also reduced the yield and germination rate of the seeds, which were more apparent in vtc1 and vte4, and adding exogenous vitamin C and vitamin E, respectively, could restore them. This study reported, for the first time, that vitamin E is better than vitamin C in delaying seedling senescence caused by macro-element deficiency in Arabidopsis. Full article

Grafted plant is a chimeric organism formed by the connection of scion and rootstock through stems, so stem growth and development become one of the important factors to affect grafted plant state. However, information regarding the molecular responses of stems secondary growth after grafting is limited. A grafted Rosa plant, with R. rugosa ‘Rosea’ as the scion (Rr_scion) grafted onto R. multiflora ‘Innermis’ as the stock (Rm_stock), has been shown to significantly improve stem thickness. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of stem secondary growth in grafted plant, a genome-wide transcription analysis was performed using an RNA sequence (RNA-seq) method between the scion and rootstock. Comparing ungrafted R. rugosa ‘Rosea’ (Rr) and R. multiflora ‘Innermis’ (Rm) plants, there were much more differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified in Rr_scion (6887) than Rm_stock (229). Functional annotations revealed that DEGs in Rr_scion are involved in two Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways: the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction, whereas DEGs in Rm_stock were associated with starch and sucrose metabolism pathway. Moreover, different kinds of signal transduction-related DEGs, e.g., receptor-like serine/threonine protein kinases (RLKs), transcription factor (TF), and transporters, were identified and could affect the stem secondary growth of both the scion and rootstock. This work provided new information regarding the underlying molecular mechanism between scion and rootstock after grafting. Full article

The improvement of food-grade emulsifiers in the properties and stability of complex emulsion has attracted much interest. In this study, the effects of six food-grade emulsifiers with a hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) range of 3.4–8.0 on a casein-maltodextrin-soybean oil compound emulsion were investigated by centrifugal precipitation rate (CPR), emulsifying activity index (EAI), microrheological properties, zeta potential, average particle size, and Turbiscan stability index (TSI). The optimal amounts of added succinylated monoglyceride (SMG) and polyglycerol fatty acid ester were 0.0025% and 0.1% (w/w), respectively, while that of the other four emulsifiers was 0.2% (w/w), according to the CPR. Thereinto, the SMG-stabilized emulsion exhibited the highest emulsifying activity and the lowest viscosity value and possessed the highest stability over 14 days of storage, which was indicated by the lowest TSI value and the smallest change in delta backscattering signal, relative to those of the other groups. Moreover, the emulsion stabilized by SMG displayed better emulsion stability than the control under a range of pH (6.0–8.0) and calcium ion concentrations (0–10 mM), which was attributed to the increased zeta potential value and the decreased average particle size of droplets with the addition of SMG. The present study provides a basic understanding for SMG improving the properties and stability of the complex emulsion. Full article

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignancies and is an increasing cause of cancer-related deaths. In our previous study, a series of ferulic acid (FA) derivatives were designed and synthesized; they exhibited positive anti-cancer activities, especially for a compound labelled FXS-3. In this study, a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was performed, wherein it revealed the inhibitory effect of FXS-3 on the proliferation and metastasis of human lung cancer A549 cells. The further flow cytometry assay showed that FXS-3 induced apoptosis of A549 cells induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. The trans-well migration and Matrigel invasion assays revealed that FXS-3 inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 cells. By the western blotting analysis, FXS-3 increased the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) associated X protein (Bax)/Bcl-2 ratio, inhibited matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, and regulated the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), protein kinase B (AKT)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), as well as mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/ERK signaling pathways. The subsequent A549 xenograft-bearing mouse model and tail vein injection of A549 cells induced pulmonary tumor metastasis model showed that FXS-3 significantly restrained the tumor growth and metastasis. In conclusion, FXS-3 might inhibit proliferation and metastasis of human lung cancer A549 cells by positively regulating JNK signaling pathway and negativly regulating ERK/p38, AKT/mTOR, and MEK/ERK signaling pathways, which provides important scientific basis for the development of anti-cancer drugs about FA derivatives. Full article

Water infiltration in soil is a complex process that still requires appreciation of interactions among three phases (soil particles, water and air) to enable accurate estimation of water transport rates. To simulate this process, the Green–Ampt (GA) model and the Modified Green-Ampt (MGA) model introduced in the paper “A new method to estimate soil water infiltration based on a modified Green–Ampt model” have been widely used. The GA model is based on the hypothesis that the advance of the wetting front in soil under matric suction can be treated as a rectangular piston flow that is instantaneously transformed after passage of the infiltration front, and the MGA model does not contain the influence of pore size change. This cannot accurately reflect the soil moisture change process from unsaturation to saturation. Due to soil stratification and other inhomogeneity, predictions produced with these models often differ widely from observations. To quickly obtain the soil moisture distribution after passage of the wetting front for horizontal infiltration, an improved modified Green–Ampt (IMGA) model is presented, which estimates the soil moisture profile along a horizontal column in a piecewise manner with three functions. A logarithmic function is used to describe the gradual soil saturation process in the transmission zone, and two linear functions are used to represent the wetting zone. The algorithm of the IMGA model for estimating the water infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration is configured. To verify the effectiveness of IMGA model, a lab model test was performed, and a numerical model was built to solve the horizontal one-dimensional Richards equation using the finite–element method. The results show that the IMGA model is more accurate than the GA and MGA models. The horizontal soil moisture profiles obtained by the IMGA model are closer to the measured data than the numerical simulation results. The relative errors of the MGA and IMGA models decrease with an increase in infiltration time, whereas that of the GA model first decreases and then increases with infiltration time. The primary novelty of this study is nonlinear description of soil moisture content distribution, and derivation of unit transfer coefficient. Full article

Sr(Ti_1−xFe_x)O_3−δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2) thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates with LaNiO₃ buffer-layer by a sol-gel process. Influence of Fe substitution concentration on the structural, ferroelectric, and magnetic properties, as well as the leakage current behaviors of the Sr(Ti_1−xFe_x)O_3−δ thin films, were investigated by using the X-ray diffractometer (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), the ferroelectric test system, and the vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). After substituting a small amount of Ti ion with Fe, highly enhanced ferroelectric properties were obtained successfully in SrTi_0.9Ti_0.1O_3−δ thin films, with a double remanent polarization (2P_r) of 1.56, 1.95, and 9.14 μC·cm⁻², respectively, for the samples were annealed in air, oxygen, and nitrogen atmospheres. The leakage current densities of the Fe-doped SrTiO₃ thin films are about 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁵ A·cm⁻² at an applied electric field of 100 kV·cm⁻¹, and the conduction mechanism of the thin film capacitors with various Fe concentrations has been analyzed. The ferromagnetic properties of the Sr(Ti_1−xFe_x)O_3−δ thin films have been investigated, which can be correlated to the mixed valence ions and the effects of the grain boundary. The present results revealed the multiferroic nature of the Sr(Ti_1−xFe_x)O_3−δ thin films. The effect of the annealing environment on the room temperature magnetic and ferroelectric properties of Sr(Ti_0.9Fe_0.1)O_3−δ thin films were also discussed in detail. Full article