Search Results (134)

(1) Background: Eggplant is a widely grown, high-value vegetable crop whose commercial demand has increased in recent years owing to its unique nutritional features. Variations in its agronomic and nutritional traits are of great importance in the selection of eggplant varieties. (2) Methods: In this study, 30 different eggplant varieties were evaluated concerning the morphological characteristics and nutritional value of their fruits. (3) Results: Among the eight morphological characteristics evaluated, the coefficient of variation was highest for fruit calyx thorns, pericarp brightness, and fruit shape index. The diversity index (H’) for pulp color was the largest, followed by pericarp brightness, but was the smallest for fruit weight. Principal component analysis showed that the morphological characteristics contributed 73.20% for the observed diversity among the 30 eggplant varieties, whereas eggplant fruit quality traits had a minor effect. Of note, significant differences in the soluble protein, vitamin C, nitrate, soluble sugar, organic acid, and mineral contents was observed within the samples, with organic acids, vitamin C, and hardness contributing more to the total variation observed. Multiple sets of correlations among the indices were found, with significant positive correlations between transverse diameter and hardness, fruit weight and fruit shape index, as well as between malic acid, fructose, and sucrose; (4) Conclusions: Altogether, these findings may help create breeding strategies to promote the selection of superior genotypes and help guide future germplasm collection. Full article

Printing techniques have been instrumental in developing flexible and stretchable electronics, including organic light-emitting diode displays, organic thin film transistor arrays, electronic skins, organic electrochemical transistors for biosensors and neuromorphic computing, as well as flexible solar cells with low-cost processes such as inkjet printing, ultrasonic nozzle, roll-to-roll coating. The rise of additive manufacturing provides even more opportunities to print electronics in automated and customizable ways. In this work, we will review the current technologies of printing electronics (including printed batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and sensors), especially with 3D printing. In this age of ongoing AI revolution, the application of AI algorithms is discussed in terms of combining them with 3D printing and electronics printing for a future with automated optimization, sustainable design, and customizable and scalable manufacturing. Full article

The surface water quality issue in arid regions is becoming increasingly severe and has become a significant challenge for global environmental protection and water resource management. By continuously collecting surface water samples (2000~2024) and utilizing hydrochemical and principal component analysis, the changes in the chemical composition of surface water and its water quality pollution characteristics are examined in the Shiyang River Basin. The surface water anion concentrations are characterized by HCO₃⁻ > SO₄²⁻ > Cl⁻, with average concentrations of 214.11 mg/L, 117.31 mg/L, and 21.61 mg/L, respectively. The cation concentrations follow the trend of Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Na⁺ > K⁺, with average concentrations of 56.22 mg/L, 33.75 mg/L, 22.91 mg/L, and 5.33 mg/L, respectively. The dominant water types are Ca-HCO₃ and Ca (Mg)-HCO₃ in the mountainous area and in the plains, respectively. The weathering of carbonates and silicates is the main controlling factor for the evolution process of surface water. Strong evaporation leads to significant differences in ion concentrations, which is manifested as low in mountainous areas and high in plain areas. In addition, the surface water quality in the plains is worse than that of the mountainous areas. The main pollution indicators include DO, CODM_n, COD, BOD₅, NH₄⁺-N, TP, TN, and fecal coliforms. The surface water quality of Hongyashan Reservoir and Caiqi has improved significantly, reflecting the impact of the water diversion project. The results of this study are of great significance for improving water resource management and ensuring the sustainability of the ecological environment in arid regions. Full article

Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.), a crop of significant medicinal, ornamental, and economic value, faces severe industrialization challenges due to weed-induced yield losses (up to 60%). This study aims to identify safe and highly efficient herbicides for marigold, assess their effects on dominant weeds and crop safety, and provide a practical basis for large-scale cultivation. We evaluated 11 pre-emergence herbicides, 13 post-emergence herbicides, and agronomic practices (plastic mulch) through three field trials to optimize weed control, crop safety, and productivity. In Experiment 1, pre-emergence applications of pendimethalin (35% SC) and oxyfluorfen (240 g/L EC) under plastic mulch suppressed 85–99% of grass and broad-leaved weeds, elevating marigold yield to 1655.6 kg/667 m² and increasing lutein content by 10.7% compared to controls, with no phytotoxicity to subsequent wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)or broad beans (Vicia faba L.). Experiment 2 demonstrated that post-cultivation soil treatment with metolachlor · oxyfluorfen · pendimethalin (50% EC) enhanced weed suppression (47.8–53.6%) and yield (3.4% increase) while ensuring crop safety. Experiment 3 revealed that the post-emergence herbicides haloxyfop-P-methyl (108 g/L EC) and fomesafen (250 g/L SL) achieved over 92% reduction in grass weed biomass and over 75% reduction in broadleaf weed density, respectively, alongside a 6.1% yield improvement. Therefore, region-specific strategies are recommended based on local agronomic conditions: high-value production zones should adopt integrated systems combining plastic mulch with pre-emergence herbicides; arid lands with extended crop rotation intervals require pre-emergence herbicides after intertillage and earthing-up; labor-abundant regions can rotate targeted post-emergence herbicides to delay resistance evolution. This study provides data-driven optimization strategies for comprehensive weed management in marigold fields, offering practical solutions to enhance industrial productivity and ecological sustainability. Full article

The initial focus of this study was placed on the conversion of waste into valuable substances. Waste cement was systematically processed to extract silica powder, which was subsequently functionalized with γ-aminopropyl-trimethoxy-silane (KH550) via covalent grafting. The surface-modified silica particles demonstrated optimized amphiphilicity for interfacial stabilization, as confirmed by contact angle measurements. When employed in styrene/water Pickering emulsions, these modified silica particles exhibited exceptional stabilization efficiency, enabling the synthesis of core–shell polystyrene/silica composite microspheres visualized by SEM. It was demonstrated by the results that the Pickering emulsions could be stabilized by SiO₂ when the appropriate polarity and concentration were achieved. XRD revealed successful silica integration without crystalline phase alteration. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated significantly enhanced thermal stability (50.6% residual mass at 800 °C), indicating substantial flame retardancy potential. This waste-to-functional-material strategy not only addresses environmental concerns but also provides an economically viable pathway for advanced polymer composites. Full article

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in new materials such as ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) for power generation and aerospace propulsion applications through hydrogen combustion. This study employed a deep artificial neural network (DANN) model to predict the ablation performance of CMCs in the hydrogen torch test (HTT). The study was conducted in three phases to increase the accuracy of the model’s predictions. Initially, to predict the thermal behavior of ceramic composites, two linear machine learning models were used known as Lasso and Ridge regression. In the second step, four decision tree-based ensemble machine learning models, namely random forest, gradient boosting regression, extreme gradient boosting regression, and extra tree regression, were used to improve the prediction accuracy metrics, including root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), correlation coefficient (R² score), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), relative to the previously introduced linear models. Finally, to forecast the thermal stability of CMCs with time, an optimized DANN model with two hidden layers having rectified linear unit activation function was developed. The data collection procedure involved preparing CMCs with continuous Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) fibers and silicon carbide (SiC) matrix using a polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) technique. The samples were exposed to a hydrogen flame at a high heat flux of 183 W/cm² for a duration of 10 min. A good agreement between the DANN model’s predictions and experimental data with an R² score of 0.9671, RMSE of 16.45, an MAE of 14.07, and an MAPE of 3.92% confirmed the acceptability of the developed neural network model in this study. Full article

Sub-optimal light environments in controlled agricultural settings often limit the productivity of plants. While LED supplementary lighting has been widely adopted to mitigate light deficiencies, the spatial arrangement of LED light sources remains a critical but under-explored factor affecting plant physiological responses. In this study, we used the affiliation function method to comprehensively analyze the effects of four spatial LED supplementary lighting configurations—top-down lighting (T1), mid-canopy upward lighting (T2), mid-canopy downward lighting (T3), and bottom-up lighting (T4)—on the growth and photosynthetic performance of tomato plants. Our findings reveal that the T1 treatment significantly increased light absorption in the upper and middle leaves, enhanced photosynthetic efficiency, promoted the CO₂ assimilation rate, and elevated the activities of key Calvin cycle enzymes, including ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase), transketolase (TK), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), and fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA). These changes led to improved carbohydrate metabolism and biomass accumulation. Additionally, the T4 treatment markedly enhanced photosynthetic activity in the lower leaves, increasing sugar metabolism-related enzyme activities, such as sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), acid invertase (AI), and neutral invertase (NI). Consequently, compared with the CK treatment, the T4 treatment significantly increased the accumulation of glucose, fructose, and sucrose, with increases of 47.36%, 27.61%, and 87.21%, respectively. Furthermore, LED supplementation regulated endogenous hormone levels, thereby promoting overall plant growth. This study highlights the importance of the spatial arrangement of LEDs in optimizing light distribution and enhancing plant productivity, providing valuable theoretical and practical insights for improving agricultural practices in controlled environments. Full article

Pink-flowered Oriental lily cultivars exhibit significant color fading under high temperatures, but the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. We subjected ‘Souvenir’ Oriental lily plants to temperature treatments (20 °C and 35 °C) and performed transcriptome sequencing and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The high temperature (35 °C) significantly reduced the anthocyanin content in tepals. The transcriptome analysis identified 8354 differentially expressed genes, with the GO and KEGG analyses revealing a dynamic transition from early stress responses to metabolic adaptation. The WGCNA revealed a module strongly correlated with the anthocyanin content, from which we constructed a gene co-expression network using known anthocyanin-related genes, including the key transcription factor LhMYB12 and structural genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (LhANS, LhDFR, LhUGT78, and LhF3′H). Through this comprehensive network analysis, we successfully identified and screened LhERF109 as a promising regulatory candidate. The transient overexpression of LhERF109 was found to enhance anthocyanin accumulation and upregulate biosynthetic genes including LhMYB12, while silencing LhERF109 expression produced the opposite effects. These findings identify LhERF109 as a positive regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis under high temperatures, providing new targets for breeding heat-tolerant lilies with stable flower coloration. Full article

Passive-wireless surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) micro-pressure sensors are suitable for extreme scenarios where wired sensors are not applicable. However, as the measured pressure decreases, conventional SAW micro-pressure sensors struggle to meet expected performance due to insufficient sensitivity. This article proposes a a method of using an ${\mathrm{A}}_2$-mode Lamb SAW sensor and introduces an inertial structure in the form of a cantilever beam to enhance sensitivity. An MEMS-compatible manufacturing process was employed to create a multi-layer structure of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_2$, $\mathrm{AlN}$, and $\mathrm{SOI}$ for the SAW micro-pressure sensor. To investigate the operational performance of the SAW micro-pressure sensor, a micro-pressure testing system was established. The experimental results demonstrate that the sensor exhibits high sensitivity to micro-pressure, validating the effectiveness of the proposed design. Full article

Brain metastases (BMs) are a relatively common and severe complication in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), significantly affecting patient prognosis. Metastatic tumor cells can alter the brain tumor microenvironment (TME) to promote an immunosuppressive state, characterized by reduced infiltration of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), diminished expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and changes in other proinflammatory factors and immune cell populations. Microglia, the resident macrophages of the brain, play a pivotal role in modulating the central nervous system (CNS) microenvironment through interactions with metastatic cancer cells, astrocytes, and infiltrating T cells. The M2 phenotype of microglia contributes to immunosuppression in BM via the activation of signaling pathways such as STAT3 and PI3K-AKT-mTOR. Recent advances have enhanced our understanding of the immune landscape of BMs in NSCLC, particularly regarding immune evasion within the CNS. Current immunotherapeutic strategies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, have shown promise for NSCLC patients with BM, demonstrating intracranial activity and manageable safety profiles. Future research is warranted to further explore the molecular and immune mechanisms underlying BM, aiming to develop more effective treatments. Full article

Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) is a vascular tumor originating from endothelial cells and is associated with human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV) infection. It disproportionately affects populations facing health disparities. Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) has improved KS control in people with HIV (PWH), treatment options for advanced KS remain limited. This study investigates the tumor microenvironment (TME) of KS through whole-transcriptomic profiling, analyzing changes over time and differences based on HIV status. The TME was categorized into four subtypes: immune-enriched (IE), non-fibrotic, immune-enriched/fibrotic (IE/F), fibrotic (F) and immune-depleted (D). Nine KS patients (four HIV-negative and five HIV-positive) were enrolled in the study. Longitudinally collected KS samples from three patients (one HIV-negative and two HIV-positive) allowed for the investigation of dynamic TME changes within individual patients. The immune cellular composition was determined using deconvolution and compared to a cohort of non-KS patients. Our findings revealed that all KS samples, regardless of HIV status, were enriched in endothelial cells. Compared to non-KS tissues, the KS samples contained a higher percentage of NK and CD8+ T cells. HIV-negative KS samples displayed the IE and IE/F TME subtypes, while HIV-positive samples exhibited IE, IE/F, and F subtypes. Over the course of the disease, a decrease in angiogenic signatures was observed in two HIV-positive KS patients. Notably, HIV-negative KS samples showed alterations in NK cell-mediated immunity and cytotoxic response pathways, whereas HIV-positive samples exhibited changes in growth regulation and protein kinase activity pathways at the time of initial diagnosis. The gene expression of immune checkpoints, including CD274 (PD-L1) and PDCD1LC2 (PD-L2), was comparable between HIV-positive and HIV-negative KS samples at diagnosis. Furthermore, sequencing identified a shared TCRβ chain in all patients analyzed, indicating a T-cell immune response to a common antigen. This study demonstrates unique transcriptomic features and TME subtypes in KS that differ based on HIV status. Additionally, it illustrates longitudinal dynamic changes in the gene signatures and TME subtypes in individual patients. The identification of a shared TCRβ chain suggests that immune T cells in KS patients may target a common antigen. Future studies should further explore the immune microenvironment and unique T cell clonotypes, which could pave the way for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for KS patients. Full article

In order to fully utilize the resources of agricultural waste in Gansu Province’s semi-arid area. Local commercial organic fertilizer (ST1) was selected as the control, and four kinds of planting and breeding waste composts (PBCs) were designed with sheep manure (SM), cow manure (CM), tail vegetable (TV), mushroom residue (MR), and corn straw (CS) to study the effects of the different PBC formulations on the yield and quality of mini Chinese cabbage. In contrast to local commercial organic fertilizer, the STS (SM:TV:CS = 6:3:1) treatment increased the economic yield by 5.56%. Additionally, STS also significantly increased the VC content of mini Chinese cabbage, increased the organic acid by 14.66%, increased the free amino acid by 38.98%, and the nitrate concentration was significantly reduced by 41.05%. Meanwhile, the STS formula also increased the concentrations of polyphenols and essential amino acids of mini Chinese cabbage and also had excellent performance in volatile compounds. As a result, the STS formula can make full use of local planting and breeding waste resources and produce high yield and high quality of local mini Chinese cabbage. The study provided a theoretical foundation and technical guidance for screening suitable local compost formulas, as well as for the achievement of high-yield and high-quality mini Chinese cabbage production in the semi-arid areas of central Gansu province. Full article

The aim of this study was to investigate the combination effects of α-glycerol monolaurate (GML) and glyceryl tributyrate (TB) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, gut microbiota, and immune function in weaned piglets. A total of 120 weaned piglets with an average body weight (BW) of 6.88 kg were randomly allocated to one of the three dietary treatments: (1) CON: a basal diet; (2) 0.1%: a basal diet with 0.1% MSCFA (GML/TB = 1:1); (3) 0.2%: a basal diet with 0.2% MSCFA (GML/TB = 1:1). The experiment lasted 28 days. There were no differences on average daily growth (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Supplementation with 0.1% MSCFA increased apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein (CP) and gross energy (GE, p < 0.05) on d 14 and increased GE (p < 0.05) on d 28 compared with the CON group. The ATTD of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) of piglets supplemented with 0.1% MSCFA was higher (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON group, supplementation with 0.1% MSCFA increased immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentration, decreased interleukin-6 (IL-6) content (p < 0.05) on d 14 and decreased malonaldehyde (MDA), interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), IL-6 concentrations (p < 0.05) on d 28. Supplementation with 0.1% MSCFA increased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) concentration (p < 0.05), decreased GSH-Px, MDA content (p < 0.05) in jejunum compared with the CON group. Moreover, supplementation with MSCFA increased the activity of duodenal lipase (p < 0.05) and the abundance of firmicutes and decreased the abundance of proteobacteria compared with the CON group. Overall, supplementation with MSCFA can improve nutrient digestibility, enhance immunity and antioxidant capacity, and improve the intestinal health of piglets. The combined use of MSCFA is a nutrition regulation strategy worthy of further exploration in modern animal husbandry. Full article

Free amino acids, polyphenols, and anthocyanins were quantified in 30 Chinese eggplant varieties. Moreover, antioxidant capacity characterizations including 2, 2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were performed. The total amino acid content of the 30 eggplant varieties ranged from 15,267.19 to 26,827.4 mg kg⁻¹ DW. The most abundant amino acids were glutamic acid, arginine, and aspartic acid. The coefficients of variation (CV) for the 20 amino acids ranged from 5.85 to 106.14%, of which 18 free amino acids had CVs > 20%. Total polyphenol and anthocyanin contents ranged from 17,097.41 to 39,474.98 µg g⁻¹ DW and 5.28 to 978.32 µg g⁻¹ DW, respectively. The variability of both polyphenol and anthocyanin components was >20%, with a range of 21.25–102.89%. Chlorogenic acid was the most abundant polyphenol. The total anthocyanin content of purple eggplant varieties was significantly higher than green varieties. Of the purple eggplant varieties, V28 (‘E150725’), V30 (‘1952’), and V16 (‘Weichangqie101’) had significantly higher total anthocyanins than the other eggplant varieties. DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays showed peaks at V3 (‘Zhengqie924’). Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that polyphenols and anthocyanins were the main contributors to the antioxidant capacity of eggplants. A classification model with principal component analysis classified 30 Chinese eggplant varieties into two categories: high and low antioxidant capacities. The top five Chinese eggplant varieties ranked for amino acids, antioxidants, and antioxidant capacity were V29 (‘Zhengqie903’), V24 (‘Zhengqie78’), V1 (‘1871’), V3 (‘Zhengqie924’), and V28 (‘E150725’). These findings provide theoretical basis for high-quality breeding and producer/consumer selection of eggplants. Full article

Anoectochilus roxburghii is a rare and precious medicinal and ornamental plant of Orchidaceae. Abundant morphological characteristics have been observed among cultivated accessions. Our understanding of the genetic basis of morphological diversity is limited due to a lack of sequence data and candidate genes. In this study, a high-quality de novo transcriptome assembly of A.roxburghii was generated. A total of 138,385 unigenes were obtained, and a BUSCO (Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs) analysis showed an assembly completeness of 98.8%. Multiple databases were used to obtain a comprehensive annotation, and the unigenes were functionally categorized using the GO (Gene Ontology), KOG (Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups), KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes), and Nr databases. After comparing the phenotypic characteristics of five representative cultivars, a set of cultivar-specific, highly expressed unigenes was identified based on a comparative transcriptome analysis. Then, a WGCNA (Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis) was performed to generate gene regulatory modules related to chlorophyll content (red) and sucrose synthase activity (black). In addition, the expression of six and four GO enrichment genes in the red and black modules, respectively, was analyzed using qRT-PCR to determine their putative functional roles in the leaves of the five cultivars. Finally, in silico SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) mining of the assembled transcriptome identified 44,045 SSRs. Mononucleotide was the most dominant class of SSRs, followed by complex SSRs. In summary, this study reports on the phenomic and genomic resources of A. roxburghii, combining SSR marker development and validation. This report aids in morphological diversity assessments of Anoectochilus roxburghii. Full article