Search Results (62)

Anthropogenic revegetation allows effective and timely soil development in mine restoration areas. The evaluation of soil quality is one of the most important criteria for measuring reclamation effectiveness, providing scientific reference for the subsequent management of ecological restoration projects. The aim of this research was to further investigate the influence of revegetation on mine-reclaimed soils in a semi-arid region. Thus, a coal-gangue dump within the afforestation chronosequence of 1 and 19 years in Shanxi Province, China, was selected as the study area. We assessed the physicochemical properties and nutrient stock of topsoils under four revegetation species, i.e., Pinus tabuliformis (PT), Medicago sativa (MS), Styphnolobium japonicum (SJ), and Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Idaho’ (RP). A two-way ANOVA revealed that reclamation age significantly affected SOC, TN, EC, moisture, and BD (p < 0.05), while the interaction effects of revegetation type and age were also significant for TN and moisture. In addition, SOC and TN stocks at 0–30 cm topsoil at the RP site performed the best among 19-year reclaimed sites, with an accumulation of 62.09 t ha⁻¹ and 4.23 t ha⁻¹, respectively. After one year of restoration, the MS site showed the highest level of SOC and TN accumulation, which increased by 186.8% and 88.5%, respectively, compared to bare soil in the 0–30 cm interval, but exhibited declining stocks during the 19-year restoration, possibly due to species invasion and water stress. In addition, an integrated soil quality index (ISQI) and the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) were used to estimate comprehensive soil quality along with the interrelationship among influencing factors. The reclaimed sites with an ISQI value > 0 were 19-RP (3.906) and 19-SJ (0.165). In conclusion, the restoration effect of the PR site after 19 years of remediation was the most pronounced, with soil quality approaching that of the undisturbed site, especially in terms of soil carbon and nitrogen accumulation. These findings clearly revealed the soil dynamics after afforestation, further providing a scientific basis for choosing mining reclamation species in the semi-arid regions. Full article

Rice, a vital crop, faces significant threats from the brown planthopper (BPH), which impacts plant growth and yield. Pyramiding the BPH resistance genes BPH14 and BPH15 provides rice crops with reliable and lasting protection against BPH. Nonetheless, current research lacks clarity on the molecular processes responsible for BPH14/BPH15-mediated resistance to BPH. In this study, utilizing high-throughput metabolomics and integrating transcriptomic data, we investigated the metabolic adaptations of the BPH14/BPH15 pyramiding line (B1415) and its recurrent parent (RP) during early and late infestation stages. The analysis identified 1007 metabolites, mainly consisting of lipids and lipid-like molecules, together with phenylpropanoid and polyketide classes. Differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) displayed different patterns in B1415 and RP, particularly in flavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways, which were more pronounced in the resistant B1415. Furthermore, ferulic acid (FA) was found to negatively regulate BPH resistance. These findings elucidate critical metabolic pathways involved in rice defense mechanisms and underscore the potential of B1415’s enhanced metabolic responses in conferring durable resistance against BPH. Full article

Background and Objectives: Gliomas are characterized by high disability rates, frequent recurrence, and low survival rates, posing a significant threat to human health. Accurate grading of gliomas is crucial for treatment plan selection and prognostic assessment. Previous studies have primarily focused on the binary classification (i.e., high grade vs. low grade) of gliomas. In order to perform the four-grade (grades I, II, III, and IV) glioma classification preoperatively, we constructed an artificial neural network (ANN) model using magnetic resonance imaging data. Materials and Methods: We reviewed and included patients with gliomas who underwent preoperative MRI examinations. Radiomics features were derived from contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (CE-T₁WI) using Pyradiomics and were selected based on their Spearman’s rank correlation with glioma grades. We developed an ANN model to classify the four pathological grades of glioma, assigning training and validation sets at a 3:1 ratio. A diagnostic confusion matrix was employed to demonstrate the model’s diagnostic performance intuitively. Results: Among the 362-patient cohort, the ANN model’s diagnostic performance plateaued after incorporating the first 19 of the 530 extracted radiomic features. At this point, the average overall diagnostic accuracy ratings for the training and validation sets were 91.28% and 87.04%, respectively, with corresponding coefficients of variation (CVs) of 0.0190 and 0.0272. The diagnostic accuracies for grades I, II, III, and IV in the training set were 91.9%, 89.9%, 92.1%, and 90.7%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracies for grades I, II, III, and IV in the validation set were 88.7%, 87.1%, 86.5%, and 86.9%, respectively. Conclusions: The MRI radiomics-based ANN model shows promising potential for the four-type classification of glioma grading, offering an objective and noninvasive method for more refined glioma grading. This model could aid in clinical decision making regarding the treatment of patients with various grades of gliomas. Full article

12-oxo-phytodienoic acid reductases (OPRs) have been substantiated as pivotal in plant growth and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the functional characterization of OPR genes in the peanut genome remains limited. In this study, we identified a total of 20 OPR genes in a tetraploid cultivar and two diploid peanut species, categorizing them into two subfamilies, OPRI and OPRII. The gene structure and conserved protein motifs within each subfamily were elucidated. Additionally, our findings indicate an uneven chromosomal distribution of peanut OPR genes. Gene duplication events were identified as pivotal in the expansion of the OPR gene family. An analysis of cis-acting elements within OPR gene promoters revealed the presence of numerous phytohormone- and stress-related cis-elements. Furthermore, peanut OPR genes exhibited tissue-specific and stress-inducible expression patterns, underscoring their crucial role in peanut growth and stress response. Additionally, plants overexpressing AhOPR6 exhibited significantly enhanced resistance to salt stress, and the AhOPR6-OE lines demonstrated a higher ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). Collectively, these findings offer deeper insights into the roles of peanut OPR genes in stress responses, suggesting that AhOPR6 could serve as a potential candidate gene for improving peanut salt tolerance through genetic transformation. Full article

Soil moisture content has a direct effect on the growth rate and survival rate of trees. However, previous studies on soil moisture have often focused on the topsoil, lacking effective monitoring of long-term dynamic changes in deep soil layers. In this study, 16 time-domain reflectometer (TDR) probes were installed in the Haikou plantation in Kunming to conduct long-term continuous monitoring of soil moisture within a depth range of 0 to 300 cm. The results indicate that the vertical distribution of soil moisture can be classified into three levels: the active layer from 0 to 70 cm ($\theta =0.23\pm 0.08\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^3{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-3})$, where the moisture content fluctuates significantly due to precipitation events; the transitional accumulation layer from 70 to 170 cm $(\theta =0.26\pm 0.06\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^3{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-3})$, where moisture content increases with depth and peaks at 170 cm; and the deep dissipative layer from 170 to 300 cm $(\theta =0.24\pm 0.08\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^3{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{-3})$, where moisture content decreases with depth, forming a noticeable steep drop zone at 290 cm. The Hydrus-1D (Version 4.xx) model demonstrated high simulation capabilities (${\mathrm{R}}^2=0.58$) in shallow (10 to 50 cm) and deep (280 to 300 cm) layers, while its performance decreased (${\mathrm{R}}^2=0.39$) in the middle layer (110 to 200 cm). This study systematically reveals the dynamics of soil moisture from the surface active zone to the deep transition zone and evaluates the simulation ability of the Hydrus-1D model in this specific environment, which is also significant for assessing the groundwater resource conservation function of plantation ecosystems. Full article

The treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) has been a major medical challenge due to the lack of safe and effective drugs. Molecular hybridization is a promising strategy for the development of drugs with pleiotropic activity, which has been demonstrated in a wide range of diseases. Tofacitinib has exhibited significant effects on the remission of UC, but a series of adverse effects have occurred during its clinical application. Herein, we propose to utilize a molecular hybridization strategy to link tofacitinib with a cytoprotective H₂S donor (ADTOH) to obtain a series of hybridized molecules ZX-4C~ZX-6C. Among them, ZX-4C exhibited the best performance in the H₂S release rate and the cytoprotective effects against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced injury. The in vivo studies showed that ZX-4C could effectively alleviate DSS-induced colitis by enhancing oxidative stress defense and reducing the inflammatory response, demonstrating that it is more potent than the parent drugs. The data from the present study support that this molecular hybridization strategy provides a promising avenue for the treatment of UC. Full article

In order to improve the sealing performance of a sealing ring in order to improve the efficiency of the centrifugal pump, based on the bionics principle, a calculation model for the bionic groove surface sealing ring structure of the centrifugal pump is established, based on the Realizable k-ε turbulence model. The external characteristics, internal flow field distribution and leakage characteristics of centrifugal pumps with different bionic groove surface structures and groove diameters are analyzed, and the influence of bionic surface structure on the sealing performance of the centrifugal pump sealing ring is studied. The results show that the bionic groove structure has a certain promoting effect on the external characteristics of the pump; a sealing ring with a circular groove structure can improve the efficiency, greatly reduce the leakage, and has better sealing performance, which are important influences on the performance and stability of the centrifugal pump. Among the three different diameters of the circular groove, the optimal groove diameter of the surface structure is 0.2 mm, where leakage is the least, volume efficiency is the largest, and sealing performance is the best. Full article

In this study, the fatty acid composition in the muscles of Hechuan white goats was correlated with the metabolome and metagenome of their rumen contents, and potential effects of the metabolites and microorganisms in the rumen on host muscle fatty acid deposition were analyzed. The results of the correlation analysis between the rumen content’s metabolome and muscle fatty acid content showed that vitamin-B-related metabolites were significantly correlated with fatty acid content (p < 0.05). Most of these metabolites were positively correlated with stearic acid and negatively correlated with palmitic acid. In accordance with the level of fatty acid content, significant differences were found in the microbial species and abundance among groups at the species level. An abundance of Bacteroides, Ruminococcaceae P7, Eubacterium ruminant, and Prevotella in the rumen was significantly correlated with fatty acid content. These results provide data support for the development of targeted feeding management strategies to improve the quality of goat meat. Full article

Sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids (SPAs), as a main class of components in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f., possess a variety of bioactivities, such as immunosuppressive, insecticidal, and anti-tumor activities. SPAs can be structurally classed into four subtypes: wilfordate-, evoninate-, iso-wilfordate-, and iso-evoninate types. Our previous study unveiled ten new wilfordate-type SPAs, named wilfordatine A–J, isolated from the roots of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f., several of which exhibited significant immunosuppressive activities. As an extension and augmentation of the previous findings, we have now isolated one new iso-wilfordate-type SPA, wilfordatine K (1), alongside three new iso-evoninate-type SPAs, wilfordatines L–N (3–5), and six known analogs. Their structures were characterized by the extensive use of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis, as well as HRMS data. Interestingly, compounds 4 and 6 were found to exhibit potent inhibitory effects on the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced HEK293/NF-κB-Luc cells, with IC₅₀ values of 1.64 μM and 9.05 μM, respectively. Notably, these two compounds had no influence on the cell viability at a concentration of 100 μM. Consequently, they hold significant promise as potential anti-inflammatory candidates for further exploration and development. Full article

Caffeic acid (CA) is a polyphenolic acid compound widely distributed in plant seeds. As natural compounds with high research interest, caffeic acid and its derivatives show good activity in the treatment of tumors and inflammation and have antibacterial properties. In recent years, caffeic acid derivatives have been studied extensively, and these derivatives fall roughly into three categories: (1) caffeic acid ester derivatives, (2) caffeic acid amide derivatives, (3) caffeic acid hybrids. These caffeic acid analogues exert mainly antibacterial and antioxidant activities. Among the caffeic acid analogues summarized in this paper, compounds 1g and CAP10 have good activity against Candida albicans, and their MIC₅₀ is 32 µg/mL and 13 μM, respectively. In a DPPH assay, compounds 3k, 5a, CS2, Phellinsin A and 8j showed strong antioxidant activity, and their IC₅₀ values are 18.6 μM, 67.85 μM, 40.29 μM, 0.29 ± 0.004 mM, 4774.37 ± 137.20 μM, respectively. Overall, compound CAP10 had the best antibacterial activity and compound 3k had the best antioxidant activity. This paper mainly summarizes and discusses some representative caffeic acid analogs, hoping to provide better drug design strategies for the subsequent development of caffeic acid analogs. Full article

Cyanogenic glycosides are naturally occurring compounds found in numerous plant species, which can release toxic hydrogen cyanide upon hydrolysis. The quantification of cyanogenic glycosides is essential for assessing their potential toxicity and health risks associated with their consumption. Liquid chromatographic techniques coupled with various detectors have been widely used for the quantification of cyanogenic glycosides. In this review, we discuss recent advances in chromatographic quantification methods for cyanogenic glycosides, including the development of new stationary phases, innovative sample preparation methods, and the use of mass spectrometry. We also highlight the combination of chromatographic separation with mass spectrometric detection for the identification and quantification of specific cyanogenic glycosides and their metabolites in complex sample matrices. Lastly, we discuss the current challenges and future perspectives in the development of reliable reference standards, optimization of sample preparation methods, and establishment of robust quality control procedures. This review aims to provide an overview of recent advances in chromatographic quantification methods for cyanogenic glycosides and their applications in various matrices, including food products, biological fluids, and environmental samples. Full article

Rubisco small subunit (RbcS), a core component with crucial effects on the structure and kinetic properties of the Rubisco enzyme, plays an important role in response to plant growth, development, and various stresses. Although Rbcs genes have been characterized in many plants, their muti-functions in soybeans remain elusive. In this study, a total of 11 GmRbcS genes were identified and subsequently divided into three subgroups based on a phylogenetic relationship. The evolutionary analysis revealed that whole-genome duplication has a profound effect on GmRbcSs. The cis-acting elements responsive to plant hormones, development, and stress-related were widely found in the promoter region. Expression patterns based on the RT-qPCR assay exhibited that GmRbcS genes are expressed in multiple tissues, and notably Glyma.19G046600 (GmRbcS8) exhibited the highest expression level compared to other members, especially in leaves. Moreover, differential expressions of GmRbcS genes were found to be significantly regulated by exogenous plant hormones, demonstrating their potential functions in diverse biology processes. Finally, the function of GmRbcS8 in enhancing soybean resistance to soybean mosaic virus (SMV) was further determined through the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assay. All these findings establish a strong basis for further elucidating the biological functions of RbcS genes in soybeans. Full article

Bitter melon vine (an agricultural waste product with high fiber content) is difficult to treat and has caused problems in the environment. This research aims to produce biochar through low-temperature pyrolysis assisted by non-polluting steam explosion. The physical and chemical properties of the biochar were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, specific surface area measurements (BET), X-ray diffraction patters (XRD), elemental analysis (EA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Next, the adsorption mechanism of methylene blue (MB) on the steam-exploded bitter melon vine biochar pyrolyzed at 200 °C (qBC₂₀₀) and the effects of adsorption time, pH, initial concentration, adsorption temperature, and adsorbent dosage on the adsorption effect were investigated. Steam explosion destroyed the dense structure of the plant, increased the number of oxygen-containing surface functional groups, and improved the adsorption performance of the material. Therefore, qBC₂₀₀ more effectively adsorbed MB than untreated biochar, reaching a saturated adsorption capacity of 267.72 mg/g. The MB adsorption kinetics and isothermal adsorption process of qBC₂₀₀ align with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isothermal equation (monolayer adsorption), respectively. The thermodynamic results show that MB adsorbs via a spontaneous, entropy-increasing exothermic reaction. The adsorption mechanism involves electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and π–π interactions. The prepared biomass with high fiber content is a promising new material for wastewater treatment. Full article

Under shear and non-uniform loads, the deformation of the section shape of a casing results in an irregular section, and the spatial continuity is poor. The change in the distance between the wall of the casing before and after stress is recorded to analyze the deformation of the casing, and the distance value is taken as the key characteristic of the casing. A large number of the key characteristic values of shale gas casing deformation can be obtained by using the circular traversal detection method. At the same time, this article focuses on the center deviation between the laser sensor axis and the pipe string axis, as well as on the disturbance problem during measurement. An eccentricity error correction algorithm is derived to correct the eccentricity error that occurs during the detection process, and then we use interpolation algorithms to draw cubic spline curves to improve detection accuracy. The test results show that the algorithm can effectively eliminate eccentricity errors in measurement and achieve the accurate measurement of deformation casing characteristic values, which can provide basic data for the study of a shale gas casing deformation mechanism. Full article

Most of the lightning appears below the cloud or inside the cloud. Unlike conventional lightning, blue jets and gigantic jets (GJ) produce upward discharge since electric discharge occurs as a form of cloud-to-air leader. We analyzed a gigantic jet recorded in the 2022 Taiwan campaign. For our color photograph recorded in the observation, high spatial resolution (150 m) at a close distance (140 km) resolves the important spatial features of the GJ phenomena. First, the GJ propagated upwardly as the fully developed jet with a maximum height of ~80 km above the cloud top ~17 km. After the fully developed stage, the subsequent leader reached its top height of ~30 km with a width of 0.5–1.0 km. The subsequent leader attempted but failed to develop from leader to fully developed jet. The subsequent leader may be interpreted as a negative stepped leader associated with cloud rebrightening, similar to the subsequent stroke in the multi-stroke lightning. Besides, the relatively higher IC flash rates associated with the rise of cloud tops benefit the required meteorological conditions for developing gigantic jets. Full article