Search Results (62)

Leaf color mutants are valuable resources for studying photosynthesis, pigment metabolism, and gene regulatory networks in plants. In this study, a naturally occurring sweetpotato albino mutant exhibiting a stable white-leaf phenotype across developmental stages was identified and compared with its green-leaf wild type to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying albinism. The mutant showed a dramatic 98.8% reduction in total chlorophyll content and a markedly decreased Fv/Fm value (0.59), indicating severe impairment of PSII efficiency. Integrated transcriptomic analysis identified 3520 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), while metabolomic profiling revealed 270 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Genes involved in chlorophyll and carotenoid biosynthesis, chloroplast development, and photosynthetic electron transport were strongly repressed, including key regulators such as GLK1, PORA, and PORB. Metabolomic alterations were mainly enriched in flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and amino acid-derived pathways, reflecting broad reprogramming of both primary and secondary metabolism. These changes were accompanied by severely disrupted chloroplast ultrastructure, suggesting a primary defect in plastid development. Collectively, the integrated multi-omics evidence provides a comprehensive understanding of the coordinated transcriptional and metabolic alterations driving the albino phenotype in sweetpotato and establishes this mutant as a potential model for studying the interplay between chloroplast biogenesis, photosynthesis, and secondary metabolism. Full article

Conventional balance assessments often miss subtle deficits in sarcopenia patients due to compensatory strategies. This study develops a computational framework using multidimensional temporal analysis of center-of-pressure (COP) signals to quantify variations in compensatory reserve—the capacity to mask balance impairments—within these patients. COP data were collected from 82 older adults (sarcopenia vs. controls) during static standing on a standard clinical force platform (routine for geriatric balance testing). The framework integrates Dynamic Time Warping distances from a healthy template, fixed-weight LSTM embeddings, and statistical metrics, with feature selection and 5-fold cross-validation (SMOTE) to mitigate overfitting. Semi-tandem stance was most discriminative, achieving 0.84 ± 0.04 accuracy and 0.86 ± 0.05 ROC-AUC—outperforming conventional kinematic features. SHAP analysis identified DTW-based features as primary drivers, correlating with clinical severity indicators, while intra-group variability in prediction probabilities indicated a compensatory reserve gradient. This study introduces a feasible bioengineering methodology based on clinical COP platform analysis, laying the groundwork for future validation and translation into routine clinical assessment tools. Full article

To explore the influence of double-electrode regulation technology on the solidification microstructure and properties of GCr15 bearing steel, the double-electrode insertion process was employed in this study, combined with metallographic analysis, mechanical property testing, and electron probe composition characterization. We analyzed the mechanisms of solidification microstructure evolution and mechanical property improvement, as well as the composition segregation control effect, of GCr15 steel under double-electrode regulation. The results show that the double-electrode technology significantly refines the microstructure and improves the internal quality of the ingot by optimizing the temperature field and electromagnetic field distribution in the molten pool and enhancing the internal flow of the melt. The tensile strengths in the upper and middle parts were increased by 84.6% and 29.6%, respectively, which can be attributed to the uniform distribution of carbides at the grain boundaries and the reduction of segregation. Composition analysis indicates that the macroscopic segregation index of C element was decreased under the dual-electrode process. This research provides a theoretical basis and process optimization direction for the high-quality preparation of high-carbon chromium bearing steel. Full article

Phaeozem, which is recognized as one of the world’s most fertile soils, derives much of its productivity from soil organic matter (SOM). Because SOM strongly influences fertility, soil structure, and ecological functions, it is the SOM content that must be rapidly and accurately determined to ensure sustainable soil management. Traditional chemical methods are reliable but time-consuming and labor-intensive, which makes them inadequate for large-scale applications. Hyperspectral reflectance, which is highly sensitive to SOM variations, provides a non-destructive alternative for rapid SOM grading. This study proposes an ensemble learning strategy model based on phaeozem hyperspectral reference data for the rapid grading and detection of SOM content. First, the SOM content of the collected phaeozem samples was determined using the potassium dichromate volumetric method. Next, hyperspectral reflectance data of the phaeozem were collected using a hyperspectral imaging sensor, with a wavelength range of 400–1000 nm. Furthermore, stacking models were constructed by modifying the internal structure, with five classifiers (MLP, SVC, DTree, XGBoost, kNN) as the L1 layer. Then, global optimization was performed using the simulated annealing algorithm. Through comparative analysis, the LSVM-stacking model demonstrated the highest accuracy and generalization capabilities. The results demonstrated that the LSVM-stacking model not only achieved the highest overall accuracy (0.9488 on the independent test set) but also improved the classification accuracy of “Category 1” samples to 1.0. Compared with other models, this framework significantly improved generalization ability and robustness. It is therefore evident that combining hyperspectral reflectance with improved stacking strategies provides a novel and effective approach for the rapid grading and detection of SOM in phaeozem. Full article

The sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam) is a globally significant crop, valued for its nutritional and economic importance. The tuberous roots of the sweetpotato are rich in carotenoids, which contribute to their vibrant colors and health benefits. This study focuses on three elite fresh-consumption sweetpotato cultivars: “Kokei No. 14,” “Xinxiang,” and “Zheshu81” with distinct flesh colors. To elucidate the metabolic pathways and genetic mechanisms underlying carotenoid biosynthesis in the sweetpotato, 20 types of carotenoids were quantified using targeted metabolomic analyses, and the key genes involved in carotenoid synthesis were identified with transcriptomic analyses. The results revealed significant differences in carotenoid content and composition among the cultivars, with “Zheshu81” exhibiting the highest carotenoid levels. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis further highlighted key regulatory genes and transcription factors influencing carotenoid accumulation. This study identifies key transcriptional regulators associated with carotenoid accumulation, sheds light on sweetpotato carotenoid biosynthesis mechanisms, and lays a foundation for breeding to improve its nutritional quality and flesh color. Full article

Aiming at the problems of complex control processes, strong model dependence, and difficult engineering application when the existing active suspension control strategy is applied to multi-axle vehicles, an active suspension control strategy based on the inverse position solution of a parallel mechanism is proposed. First, the active suspension of the three-axle emergency rescue vehicle is grouped and interconnected within the group, and it is equivalently constructed into a 3-DOF parallel mechanism. Then, the displacement of each equivalent suspension actuating hydraulic cylinder is calculated by using the method of the inverse position solution of a parallel mechanism, and then the equivalent actuating hydraulic cylinder is reversely driven according to the displacement, thereby realizing the effective control of the attitude of the vehicle body. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, a three-axis vehicle experimental platform integrating active suspension and hydro-pneumatic suspension was built, and a pulse road experiment and gravel pavement experiment were carried out and compared with hydro-pneumatic suspension. Both types of road experimental results show that compared to hydro-pneumatic suspension, the active suspension control strategy based on the inverse position solution of a parallel mechanism proposed in this paper exhibits different degrees of advantages in reducing the peak values of the vehicle vertical displacement, pitch angle, and roll angle changes, as well as suppressing various vibration accelerations, significantly improving the vehicle’s driving smoothness and handling stability. Full article

Accurate quantification of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019, a clinically validated probiotic strain conferring immune modulation, gastrointestinal health, and gut barrier integrity benefits, is essential for diverse applications. To address the critical need for strain-specific detection, we developed a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay targeting a unique single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the galK gene, identified through comparative whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of 31 B. animalis subsp. lactis strains. The assay exhibited exceptional specificity, distinguishing HN019 from 19 other Bifidobacterium strains. Sensitivity tests indicated a detection limit of 0.5 pg of DNA and 10³ CFU/mL of bacterial cells, making it suitable for industrial-scale applications. Additionally, the method exhibited strong repeatability, reproducibility across different qPCR platforms, and resistance to interference from high cell density of B. animalis subsp. lactis DSMZ 10140. Successful quantification of HN019 in complex multi-strain probiotic powders confirmed its practical reliability. This work establishes a rapid, robust, and scalable tool for precise probiotic strain tracking, addressing critical quality control and regulatory compliance needs within the rapidly expanding probiotic industry. Full article

Salmonella infection poses a serious threat to the poultry industry, causing significant economic losses. Under global warming conditions, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which heat stress affects bacterial infections in poultry remain unclear. This study conducted a Salmonella Typhimurium infection under heat stress in Guang Ming broilers. A total of 100 chickens were randomly divided into three groups: control group (CTL), Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) infection group, and heat stress and Salmonella Typhimurium (HS + ST) co-stimulation group. By integrating inflammatory phenotypes, liver transcriptome profiles, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we systematically investigated the key regulatory factors through which heat stress affects host susceptibility to Salmonella. The results demonstrated that heat stress reduced body weight gain, exacerbated Salmonella Typhimurium-induced inflammatory responses, and increased mortality. Transcriptome results revealed that heat stress led to excessive inflammatory responses and antioxidant defense imbalances. Combined differential expression analysis and WGCNA identified three hub regulatory genes: PTGDS and WISP2 showed significant correlations with the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, while SLC6A9 was significantly correlated with serum IL-8 levels. Validation in HD11 cell infection models confirmed the differential expression of these genes under heat stress and Salmonella Typhimurium co-stimulation, indicating their critical roles in host immune regulation. This study elucidates the intrinsic regulatory relationships through which heat stress promotes Salmonella pathogenicity and inflammatory responses, providing important insights for disease-resistant poultry breeding and prevention strategies. Full article

Seed potatoes without sprouts usually need to be manually selected in mechanized production, which has been the bottleneck of efficiency. A fast and efficient object recognition algorithm is required for the additional removal process to identify unqualified seed potatoes. In this paper, a lightweight deep learning algorithm, YOLOv8_EBG, is proposed to both improve the detection performance and reduce the model parameters. The ECA attention mechanism was introduced in the backbone and neck of the model to more accurately extract and fuse sprouting features. To further reduce the model parameters, Ghost convolution and C3ghost were introduced to replace the normal convolution and C2f blocks in vanilla YOLOv8n. In addition, a bi-directional feature pyramid network is integrated in the neck part for multi-scale feature fusion to enhance the detection accuracy. The experimental results from an isolated test dataset show that the proposed algorithm performs better in detecting sprouts under natural light conditions, achieving an mAP_0.5 of 95.7% and 91.9% AP for bud recognition. Compared to the YOLOv8n model, the improved model showed a 6.5% increase in mAP_0.5, a 12.9% increase in AP_0.5 for bud recognition, and a 5.6% decrease in the number of parameters. Additionally, the improved algorithm was applied and tested on mechanized sorting equipment, and the accuracy of seed potato detection was as high as 92.5%, which was sufficient to identify and select sprouted potatoes, an indispensable step since only sprouted potatoes can be used as seed potatoes. The results of the study can provide technical support for subsequent potato planting intelligence. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is affecting a growing global population. Unlike UC, which is characterized by inflammation confined to the intestinal mucosa and submucosa, CD involves transmural inflammation of the intestine. Although the lymphatic system is believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of CD, its exact contribution remains poorly understood. Mesenteric lymphatics (MLs), which drain interstitial fluid and immune cells into mesenteric lymph nodes, have been implicated in this process. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of ML immune cells in TNBS-induced colitis in rats. Flow cytometry analysis revealed an increased ratio of B cells and altered B cell function in the MLs of colitis rats compared to controls. The adoptive transfer of mesenteric lymphatic B (MLB) cells isolated from colitis rats to recipient rats exacerbated colitis and was associated with the enhanced migration of MLB cells to the gut. RNA sequencing analysis demonstrated a significant upregulation of genes associated with inflammation and immune responses in MLB cells from colitis rats, particularly key molecules involved in T cell activation, such as cluster of differentiation 27 (Cd27) and cluster of differentiation 40 (Cd40), and the chemotactic receptor C-C motif chemokine receptor 8 (Ccr8), which mediates B cell migration in response to T cells. Mechanistically, MLB cells from colitis rats were recruited to the colon by intra-intestinal T cells through the Ccr8-C-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (Ccl1) axis, where they subsequently exacerbated inflammatory responses via enhanced differentiation. These observations indicate that the migration of MLB cells to the gut exacerbates TNBS-induced colitis in rats by modulating intestinal T cells. Full article

Slopes suffer damage from waves in coastal environments. Precast blocks with well-designed geometrical characteristics can benefit the construction of revetments by mitigating the issue of wave overtopping and dissipating wave energy. In this study, we numerically studied the effect of the geometrical characteristics of precast blocks on wave overtopping by carrying out a numerical simulation of wave overtopping on a slope covered with precast blocks. A total of three different types of blocks were considered in this study to determine the optimal geometric shape using a validated numerical model. Our numerical investigation demonstrated that the roughness of the precast block plays an important role in lessening the height of the wave run-up. Concave and embedded regular hexagons could reduce the wave run-up height by 44.6% compared with smooth slopes within a 2 s wave period. Herein, we evaluate and discuss the influence of the geometrical characteristics of a given precast block, such as thickness, aperture, and wave dissipation notch, on wave run-up. We also present an empirical formula for predicting wave run-up on a slope covered by a concave and embedded regular hexagon-type prefabricated block. This study provides valuable insights into the design of prefabricated revetment blocks. Full article

The benzofuran core inhibitors HCV-796, BMS-929075, MK-8876, compound 2, and compound 9B exhibit good pan-genotypic activity against various genotypes of NS5B polymerase. To elucidate their mechanism of action, multiple molecular simulation methods were used to investigate the complex systems of these inhibitors binding to GT1a, 1b, 2a, and 2b NS5B polymerases. The calculation results indicated that these five inhibitors can not only interact with the residues in the palm II subdomain of NS5B polymerase, but also with the residues in the palm I subdomain or the palm I/III overlap region. Interestingly, the binding of inhibitors with longer substituents at the C5 position (BMS-929075, MK-8876, compound 2, and compound 9B) to the GT1a and 2b NS5B polymerases exhibits different binding patterns compared to the binding to the GT1b and 2a NS5B polymerases. The interactions between the para-fluorophenyl groups at the C2 positions of the inhibitors and the residues at the binding pockets, together with the interactions between the substituents at the C5 positions and the residues at the reverse β-fold (residues 441–456), play a key role in recognition and the induction of the binding. The relevant studies could provide valuable information for further research and development of novel anti-HCV benzofuran core pan-genotypic inhibitors. Full article

Large waves pose a significant threat to the safety of low-laying coastal bridges. In 2004 and 2005, many coastal bridges were destroyed by the large waves generated by Hurricane Ivan and Katrina. A series of studies have been conducted to investigate the wave action on bridge decks. However, the effect of seabed topography on wave forces is seldom considered. In this study, a numerical model of wave impact on bridge decks located close to a sloping seabed was set up based on OpenFOAM-v1912. The reliability of the present numerical model was checked against published experimental results. The wave forces acting on the bridge decks located before and after the sloping seabed were compared with a bridge deck located above a flat bottom. With the validated numerical model, the effect of the wave properties, coefficient of submergence, and the inclination on wave forces were investigated. The results show that the wave forces on the bridge are affected by the interaction among the incident and reflected waves, the position of the bridge relative to the sloping seabed, and the inclination. These findings emphasize the complex dynamic effects of wave forces on bridges and the importance of considering seabed topography in bridge design and strengthening strategies. This research contributes to an improvement in the safety of coastal bridges, especially in the face of increasing threats from climate change and sea level rise, as well as promotes the development of more resilient infrastructures. Full article

The pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is still unknown. Mesenteric lymphatics (MLs), which are closely related to the intestine in both anatomy and physiology, have been suggested to be involved in IBD. In the present study, we aim to investigate the effects of ML immune cells on IBD and explore the potential associated mechanisms. Acute colitis was induced in rats using dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS). Mesenteric lymphangiogenesis, ML stenosis, and dilation were observed, with an increased proportion of MLB cells in DSS-induced colitis rats. The adoptive transfer of B cells isolated from ML (MLB) was employed to investigate their effects on colitis. MLB cells derived from DSS-induced colitis rats exhibited a higher propensity to migrate to the intestine. The proportion of colonic T cells was altered, along with the aggravated colitis induced by the adoptive transfer of MLB cells derived from DSS-induced colitis rats. RNA sequencing revealed increased Cxcr5 expression in MLB cells from colitis rats, while real-time PCR indicated an upregulation of its ligand Cxcl13 in the colon of colitis rats. These findings suggest that MLB cells may migrate to the intestine and aggravate colitis. In summary, colonic T cells respond to MLB cells from colitis rats, and MLB cells aggravate DSS-induced colitis via the CXCR5–CXCL13 axis. Full article

Forest roads are a common land use feature with a significant impact on sediment yield and the water sediment transport processes within a watershed, seriously disrupting the safety and stability of the watershed. Previous studies have focused on the sediment production processes within the road prism. However, there has been limited attention given to the transport processes of road-eroded sediment at various scales, which is crucial for understanding the off-site effects of road erosion. This paper reviews research conducted on forest road erosion over the past two decades. It summarizes the mechanisms of sediment production from road erosion and provides a detailed analysis of the transport mechanisms of eroded sediments from roads to streams at the watershed scale. The paper also examines the ecological and hydrological effects, research methods, and control measures related to sediment transport caused by forest road erosion. It identifies current research limitations and outlines future research directions. The findings of this review highlight several key points: (1) Most research on forest road erosion tends to be specific and unilateral, often neglecting the broader interaction between roads and the watershed in terms of water–sediment dynamics. (2) Various research methods are employed in the study of forest road erosion, including field monitoring, artificial simulation experiments, and road erosion prediction models. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, but the integration of emerging technologies like laser scanning and fingerprint recognition remains underutilized, hindering the simultaneous achievement of convenience and accuracy. (3) The transport processes of forest road-eroded sediment, particularly on road–stream slopes, are influenced by numerous factors, including terrain, soil, and vegetation. These processes exhibit significant spatial and temporal variability, and the precise quantification of sediment transport efficiency to the stream remains challenging due to a lack of long-term and stable investigation and monitoring methods. The establishment and operation of runoff plots and sedimentation basins may help offer a solution to this challenge. (4) Both biological and engineering measures have proven effective in reducing and limiting sediment erosion and transport. However, the costs and economic benefits associated with these regulation measures require further investigation. This review provides a comprehensive summary of relevant research on sediment erosion and transport processes on unpaved forest roads, enhancing our understanding of sediment yield in watersheds and offering valuable insights for reducing sediment production and transport to streams. Full article