Search Results (397)

Background/Objectives: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins regulate stress responses and contribute significantly to plant stress tolerance. As a model species for stress resistance studies, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) lacks comprehensive characterization of its LEA gene family. This study aimed to comprehensively identify SiLEA genes in foxtail millet and elucidate their functional roles and tissue-specific expression patterns. Methods: Genome-wide identification of SiLEA genes was conducted, followed by phylogenetic reconstruction, cis-acting element analysis of promoters, synteny analysis, and expression profiling. Results: Ninety-four SiLEA genes were identified and classified into nine structurally distinct subfamilies, which are unevenly distributed across all nine chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis showed closer clustering of SiLEA genes with sorghum and rice orthologs than with Arabidopsis thaliana AtLEA genes. Synteny analysis indicated the LEA gene family expansion through tandem and segmental duplication. Promoter cis-element analysis linked SiLEA genes to plant growth regulation, stress responses, and hormone signaling. Transcriptome analysis revealed tissue-specific expression patterns among SiLEA members, while RT-qPCR verified ABA-induced transcriptional regulation of SiLEA genes. Conclusions: This study identified 94 SiLEA genes grouped into nine subfamilies with distinct spatial expression profiles. ABA treatment notably upregulated SiASR-2, SiASR-5, and SiASR-6 in both shoots and roots. Full article

The premature senescence of red raspberry leaves severely affects plant growth. In this study, the double-season red raspberry cultivar ‘Polka’ was used, with N₁₅₀ (0.10 g N·kg⁻¹) selected as the treatment group (T150) and N₀ (0 g N·kg⁻¹) set as the control (CK). This study systematically investigated the mechanism of premature senescence in red raspberry leaves under different nitrogen application levels by measuring physiological parameters and conducting a combined multi-omics analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics. Results showed that T150 plants had 8.34 cm greater height and 1.45 cm greater ground diameter than CK. The chlorophyll, carotenoid, soluble protein, and sugar contents in all leaf parts of T150 were significantly higher than those in CK, whereas soluble starch contents were lower. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide anion (O₂⁻) generation rate in the lower leaves of T150 were significantly lower than those in CK. Superoxide sismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) activities in the middle and lower functional leaves of T150 were higher than in CK, while catalase (CAT) activity was lower. Transcriptomic analysis identified 4350 significantly differentially expressed genes, including 2062 upregulated and 2288 downregulated genes. Metabolomic analysis identified 135 differential metabolites, out of which 60 were upregulated and 75 were downregulated. Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis showed enrichment in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (ko00940) and flavonoid biosynthesis (ko00941) pathways, with the former acting as an upstream pathway of the latter. A premature senescence pathway was established, and two key metabolites were identified: chlorogenic acid content decreased, and naringenin chalcone content increased in early senescent leaves, suggesting their pivotal roles in the early senescence of red raspberry leaves. Modulating chlorogenic acid and naringenin chalcone levels could delay premature senescence. Optimizing fertilization strategies may thus reduce senescence risk and enhance the productivity, profitability, and sustainability of the red raspberry industry. Full article

Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic heavy metal that can greatly affect crops and pose a threat to food security. Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are capable of alleviating the harm of Cd to crops. In this research, a Cd-tolerant PGPR strain was isolated and screened from the root nodules of semi-wild soybeans. The strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp. strain KM25 by 16S rRNA. Strain KM25 has strong Cd tolerance and can produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores, dissolve organic and inorganic phosphorus, and has 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity. Under Cd stress, all growth indicators of soybean seedlings were significantly inhibited. After inoculation with strain KM25, the heavy metal stress of soybeans was effectively alleviated. Compared with the non-inoculated group, its shoot height, shoot and root dry weight, fresh weight, and chlorophyll content were significantly increased. Strain KM25 increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) activities of soybean seedlings, reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, increased the Cd content in the roots of soybeans, and decreased the Cd content in the shoot parts. In addition, inoculation treatment can affect the community structure of endophytic bacteria in the roots of soybeans under Cd stress, increasing the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Sphingomonas, Rhizobium, and Pseudomonas. This study demonstrates that strain KM25 is capable of significantly reducing the adverse effects of Cd on soybean plants while enhancing their growth. Full article

The objective of this study was to investigate alterations in nutrient utilization, standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (SIDAA), and intestinal health in response to heat stress (HS) in Pekin ducks. A total of 240 healthy 28-day-old male Pekin ducks were randomly allocated to three groups: a normal control (NC) group, an HS group, and a pair-fed (PF; provided an amount of feed equal to that consumed by the HS group to eliminate the effects of feed intake) group, each with eight replicate cages of ten birds. The results showed that HS significantly reduced the apparent utilization of dietary energy, ether extract, and crude protein compared to both the NC and PF groups (p < 0.05), but yielded comparable SIDAA to the PF group. The HS group exhibited reduced mRNA levels of EAAT3 and PepT1, along with elevated mRNA levels of CAT1, GLUT5, and FATP6 in the jejunum compared to the NC or PF groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Furthermore, HS resulted in a significant deterioration of jejunal morphology and goblet cell count compared to the NC and PF groups (p < 0.05). Serum fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran levels were significantly higher in HS ducks than in NC ducks (p < 0.05), but did not differ from PF ducks. At order-level classification of ileal mucosal microbiota, HS markedly increased the relative abundance of Bacillales, Deferribacterales, and Actinomycetales versus NC (p < 0.05), while significantly decreasing Bifidobacteriales abundance relative to PF (p < 0.05). Collectively, HS induces a leaky gut and microbiota dysbiosis that compromises gut health, thereby reducing dietary nutrient utilization in Pekin ducks. The observed reduction in feed intake constitutes a primary driver of intestinal health deterioration in heat-stressed Pekin ducks. Full article

Large-sized components with numerous small key local features are essential in advanced manufacturing. Achieving high-precision quality control necessitates accurate and highly efficient three-dimensional (3D) measurement techniques. A flexible measurement system integrating a fringe-projection-based 3D scanner with an industrial robot is developed to enable the rapid measurement of large object surfaces. To enhance overall measurement accuracy, we propose an enhanced calibration method utilizing a multidimensional ball-based calibrator to simultaneously calibrate for hand-eye transformation and robot kinematic parameters. Firstly, a preliminary hand-eye calibration method is introduced to compensate for measurement errors at observation points, leveraging geometric-constraint-based optimization and a virtual single point derived via the barycentric calculation method. Subsequently, a distance-constrained calibration method is proposed to jointly estimate the hand-eye transformation and robot kinematic parameters, wherein a distance error model is constructed to link parameter errors with the measured deviations of a virtual single point. Finally, calibration and validation experiments were carried out, and the results indicate that the maximum and average measurement errors were reduced from 1.053 mm and 0.814 mm to 0.421 mm and 0.373 mm, respectively, thereby confirming the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article

Oxidative stress (OS) is a major concern in young poultry and livestock, prompting extensive research on OS models. This study aimed to systematically investigate the dynamic effects and temporal trends of OS induced with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) over time. Twenty-eight piglets were randomly divided into four groups and equally intraperitoneally injected with LPS at doses of 0 μg/kg (control), 50 μg/kg (L-LPS), 100 μg/kg (M-LPS) and 150 μg/kg (H-LPS) body weight, respectively. The results showed that total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and catalase (CAT) were decreased, while malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactic acid (D-LA) were increased in the M-LPS and H-LPS group on day 1 in comparison with the control group, but no differences were found among treatments on day 7. However, LPS treatments gave rise to varying degrees of pathological injury in the intestines, livers and spleens on day 7. Metabolomics analysis indicated that compared with the control group, glycyl-valine, histamine and lepidine F were decreased in the M-LPS group. Most differentially expressed metabolites were enriched in amino acid-related metabolism pathways on both day 1 and day 7. Microbiome analysis identified that Oscillibacter_sp._CAG:241 was decreased in the M-LPS group compared with the control group on day 1, while Bacteroides_thetaiotaomicron and Lactobacillus_amylovorus were reduced in the M-LPS group on day 7. Collectively, an LPS dose of 100 μg/kg body weight is optimal for inducing acute inflammation in Wuzhishan miniature pigs. These findings highlight the importance of considering both the duration of OS induction and the specific research objectives when establishing OS models. Full article

Apigenin and sodium butyrate have been reported to help alleviate oxidative stress. This study evaluated the jejunal transcriptomic responses in ducks receiving apigenin and sodium butyrate supplementation under oxidative stress. In total, 200 healthy 300-day-old female Jinyun Ma ducks (1.53 kg ± 0.15) were randomly divided into four groups, with five replicates per group. The groups were as follows: a control group (CON): ducks were fed a basal diet with sterile saline injection; a diquat-injection (DIQ) group: ducks were fed a basal diet with diquat injection; an apigenin plus diquat group (API): ducks were fed a basal diet containing apigenin (500 mg/kg) with diquat injection; and a sodium butyrate plus diquat group (SB): ducks were fed a basal diet containing sodium butyrate (500 mg/kg) with diquat injection. The injection dose of diquat is 8 mg/kg body weight. Analysis revealed that the dietary supplementation of apigenin and sodium butyrate reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and increased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (p < 0.05). Compared to the DIQ group, sodium butyrate supplementation during oxidative stress elevated jejunal villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio in ducks (p < 0.05). The study identified that some candidate genes, including solute carrier family 4 member 3 (SLC4A3), ADAM metallopeptidase domain 12 (ADAM12), and B-cell lymphoma 2-associated-athanogene 3 (BAG3), were significantly upregulated, whereas claudin 23 (CLDN23) and glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit 1 (G6PC1) were markedly downregulated in the API group in comparison with that in the DIQ group (p < 0.05). Collectively, our findings provide molecular evidence for the beneficial effects of apigenin and sodium butyrate against oxidative stress in the jejunum of ducks. Full article

This experiment aimed to investigate the appropriate level of degossypolized cottonseed protein (DGCP) in the diet of laying hens. A total of 600 49-week-old Lohmann pink laying hens were allocated to five treatments, with six replicates per treatment and 20 birds per replicate. The control group was fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet. Four experimental diets were formulated by replacing 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the soybean meal protein-equivalent capacity with DGCP, where 100% replacement corresponded to the maximum safe inclusion of DGCP. The study period lasted for 8 weeks. The results showed that the feed intake, average egg weight, egg mass, laying rate, and the albumen percentage were significantly reduced in the 100% DGCP group (p < 0.05). Plasma uric acid (UA), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and potassium (K) levels were significantly lower (p < 0.05), and depth of crypt (CD) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the 100% DGCP group. The DGCP diet linearly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota and Bacteroide and significantly increased the relative abundance of Desulfobacterotas in the cecum contents compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The ACE and Chao1 indices in both the control group and the 100% DGCP group were significantly decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the dietary addition of DGCP can reach up to 114.6 g/kg. Full article

Background: Many new mRNA-based vaccine candidates in liquid mRNA-LNP formulations are under development; however, their stability limitations necessitate frozen storage, posing a significant challenge for long-term storage and transportation. Methods: In this study, an mRNA-LNP rabies vaccine, ABO1005, was prepared, freeze-dried and stored at 2–8 °C for 12-month storage stability evaluation. The immunogenicity, vaccine potency (the NIH method), and protective efficacy of ABO1005 were assessed in mice or dogs and compared to a commercialized inactivated vaccine. Results: Research conducted in mice indicated that the lyophilized vaccine exhibited comparable immunogenicity to its liquid form counterpart. Furthermore, the vaccine candidate elicited a robust humoral response lasting at least 175 days, and the specific antibody titers were not affected by the pre-administration of hyperimmune serum. In comparison to the commercialized inactivated vaccine (HDCV or PVRV), ABO1005 elicited significantly higher levels of humoral and cellular immunity. Vaccine potency testing (NIH) revealed that the potency of ABO1005 at 15 μg/dose was 8.85 IU/dose, which is substantially higher than the standard required for the lot release of rabies vaccines for current human use. In a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) study in Beagle dogs, the lyophilized vaccine provided 100% protection for dogs following a two-dose regimen (D0-D7), whereas commercially approved inactivated vaccine offered 83% protection. After storage at 2–8 °C for 12 months, no notable changes were observed in the particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and integrity of mRNA or in the immunogenicity of the lyophilized vaccine. Conclusions: This study successfully developed a formulation and process of freeze-drying for a rabies mRNA vaccine, paving the way for future lyophilized mRNA vaccine development. Full article

The rapid growth of the wind energy sector has led to a rising number of retired wind turbine blades (RWTBs) globally, posing significant environmental and logistical challenges for sustainable waste management. Handling enormous RWTBs at their end of life (EoL) has a significant negative impact on resource conservation and the environment. Conventional disposal methods, such as landfilling and incineration, raise environmental concerns due to the non-recyclable composite material used in blade manufacturing. This study explores the upcycling potential of RWTBs as innovative construction materials, addressing both waste reduction and resource efficiency in the construction industry. By exploring recent advancements in recycling techniques, this research highlights applications such as structural components, lightweight aggregates for concrete, and reinforcement elements in asphalt pavements. The key findings demonstrate that repurposing blade-derived materials not only reduces landfill dependency but also lowers carbon emissions associated with conventional construction practices. However, challenges including material compatibility, economic feasibility, and standardization require further investigation. This study concludes that upcycling wind turbine blades into construction materials offers a promising pathway toward circular economy goals. To improve technical methods and policy support for large-scale implementation, it recommends collaboration among different fields, such as those related to cementitious and asphalt materials. Full article

Soil organic carbon (OC) storage in crop rotation systems benefits soil productivity and global climate change. However, the regulatory mechanisms and pathways by which soil OC storage is affected under medium-term crop rotation at the aggregate level are not fully understood. Herein, fifteen soil samples from five cropping systems (abandoned farmland, continuous cropping of tobacco, tobacco–pea rotation, continuous cropping of dasheen, and dasheen–ryegrass rotation for over 10 years) were collected from soil at 0 to 20 cm depths in Miyi County, Sichuan Province, China. The soil aggregates and aggregate-associated OC, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass were evaluated. The effects of medium-term crop rotation on soil aggregate-associated OC content and biochemical properties varied between crop types. Specifically, tobacco–pea rotation significantly decreased the proportion of macro-aggregates (0.25–2 mm); the contents of OC, Ca-OC, aliphatic C, alcohols, and phenols; enzyme activities; and fungal biomass in the aggregate fractions, compared with those associated with the continuous cropping of tobacco. In contrast, dasheen–ryegrass rotation significantly increased the recalcitrant OC content, β-glucosidase and polyphenol oxidase activities, microbial biomass in mega-aggregates (>2 mm) and macro-aggregates, and the recalcitrant OC content and enzyme activity in microaggregates (0.053–0.25 mm) and slit clay (<0.053 mm), relative to those in the continuous cropping of dasheen. Moreover, for the continuous-cropping soils, the OC contents were positively correlated with POD activity but negatively correlated with other enzymes. For the rotational soils, the OC content was positively related to the Fe/Al-OC, aromatic-C, aliphatic-C, and microbial biomass contents but negatively related to the carbohydrate content. The increased OC content was driven by the microbial biomass in the aggregate fractions, and medium-term crop rotation changed the negative effect of microorganisms on the OC content into a positive effect at the aggregate level. Overall, medium-term crop rotation enhances OC storage by improving soil structural stability and microbial community dynamics. Full article

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a fatal malignant tumor. Several studies have demonstrated that immune checkpoint inhibitors can provide clinical benefits to patients with ESCC. However, the single-agent efficacy of these agents remains limited. Although combination therapies (e.g., radiotherapy, chemotherapy) can help to overcome immunotherapy resistance in ESCC, their severe side effects limit clinical application. This study aimed to explore new resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy in ESCC and identify novel molecular targets to overcome immunotherapy resistance. Methods: We employed immunohistochemistry staining to examine the p-FGFR1^Y654 in tumor samples obtained from 103 patients with ESCC, in addition to evaluating CD8+ T cell infiltration. In vitro expression, western blotting, CCK-8, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation assays, and migration assays were used to confirm the impact of AZD4547 on p-FGFR1^Y654 expression and the proliferation and migration in ESCC cell lines. Through RNA sequencing analysis, databases such as the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA), and the reconstruction of transgenic mice using the humanized immune system, we validated the correlation between the expression of p-FGFR1^Y654 and CD8+ T cell infiltration. We also explored how p-FGFR1^Y654 recruits myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) through the CXCL8–CXCR2 axis to suppress the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy in ESCC. Finally, the tumor-suppressive effects of AZD4547 combined with immunotherapy were confirmed in vivo in tumor-bearing mice with a humanized immune system. Results: We found that the inhibition of p-FGFR1^Y654 expression in ESCC can enhance CD8+ T cell infiltration by suppressing the CXCL8-–XCR2 recruitment of MDSCs. AZD4547, combined with immunotherapy, further promotes immunotherapeutic efficacy in ESCC. Conclusions: In conclusion, our study presents a promising model for combination therapy in ESCC immunotherapy. Full article

Dragonfly classification is crucial for biodiversity conservation. Traditional taxonomic approaches require extensive training and experience, limiting their efficiency. Computer vision offers promising solutions for dragonfly taxonomy. In this study, we adapt the face recognition algorithms for the classification of dragonfly species, achieving efficient recognition of categories with extremely small differences between classes. Meanwhile, this method can also reclassify data that were incorrectly labeled. The model is mainly built based on the classic face recognition algorithm (ResNet50+ArcFace), and ResNet50 is used as the comparison algorithm for model performance. Three datasets with different inter-class data distributions were constructed based on two dragonfly image data sources: Data1, Data2 and Data3. Ultimately, our model achieved Top1 accuracy rates of 94.3%, 85.7%, and 90.2% on the three datasets, surpassing ResNet50 by 0.6, 1.5, and 1.6 percentage points, respectively. Under the confidence thresholds of 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, and 0.95, the Top1 accuracy rates on the three datasets were 96.0%, 97.4%, 98.7%, and 99.2%, respectively. In conclusion, our research provides a novel approach for species classification. Furthermore, it can calculate the similarity between classes while predicting categories, thereby offering the potential to provide technical support for biological research on the similarity between species. Full article

The accurate forecasting of photovoltaic (PV) power is vital for grid stability. This paper presents a hybrid forecasting model that combines Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The model uses VMD to decompose the PV power into modal components and residuals. These components are combined with meteorological variables and their first-order differences, and feature extraction techniques are used to generate multiple sets of feature vectors. These vectors are utilized as inputs for LSTM sub-models, which predict the modal components and residuals. Finally, the aggregation of prediction results is used to achieve the PV power prediction. Validated on Australia’s 1.8 MW Yulara PV plant, the model surpasses 13 benchmark models, achieving an MAE of 63.480 kW, RMSE of 81.520 kW, and R² of 92.3%. Additionally, the results of a paired t-test showed that the mean differences in the MAE and RMSE were negative, and the 95% confidence intervals for the difference did not include zero, indicating statistical significance. To further evaluate the model’s robustness, white noise with varying levels of signal-to-noise ratios was introduced to the photovoltaic power and global radiation signals. The results showed that the model exhibited higher prediction accuracy and better noise tolerance compared to other models. Full article

Whole mulberry juice (WMBJ) was prepared using a novel high-energy fluidic microfluidizer (HEFM). The effects of varying treatment pressures (0–120 MPa) on the physical stability and nutritional quality of the juice were investigated. As the pressure increased, the average particle size (D[4,3]) decreased from 232.46 μm to 38.27 μm. This indicated that the pulp particles became smaller and more evenly dispersed, resulting in an increase in the apparent viscosity. At 90 MPa, the precipitation weight ratio increases, the turbidity value is the lowest, and the physical stability is significantly improved. Furthermore, the HEFM treatment exhibited a favorable impact on the soluble solids, pH value, total acid content, color, and antioxidant activity of the WMBJ. The contents of anthocyanins, ascorbic acid, and total polyphenols in the WMBJ reached their zenith with the 90 MPa treatment. The results demonstrated that WMBJ, characterized by its excellent physical stability and high nutritional value, can be effectively prepared through the utilization of HEFM technology. This technological approach represents a novel method for industrial WMBJ production that is both efficient and environmentally friendly while ensuring the preservation of the product’s quality. Full article