Search Results (20,714)

Soil salinization and selenium (Se) deficiency threaten global food security. This study developed a composite bioinoculant combining ACC deaminase-producing Serratia liquefaciens and biogenically synthesized nano-selenium (SeNPs) to alleviate saline–alkali stress and enhance Se nutrition in rice (Oryza sativa L.). A strain of S. liquefaciens with high ACC deaminase activity was isolated and used to biosynthesize SeNPs with stable physicochemical properties. Pot experiments showed that application of the composite inoculant (S3: S. liquefaciens + 40 mmol/L SeNPs) significantly improved seedling biomass (fresh weight +53.8%, dry weight +60.6%), plant height (+31.6%), and root activity under saline–alkali conditions. S3 treatment also enhanced panicle weight, seed-setting rate, and grain Se content (234.13 μg/kg), meeting national Se-enriched rice standards. Moreover, it increased rhizosphere soil N, P, and K availability and improved microbial α-diversity. This is the first comprehensive demonstration that a synergistic bioformulation of ACC deaminase PGPR and biogenic SeNPs effectively mitigates saline–alkali stress, enhances soil fertility, and enables safe Se biofortification in rice. Full article

In this paper, a joint Matching Field Processing (MFP) Algorithm based on horizontal uniform circular array (UCA) is proposed for three-dimensional position of underwater wrecked targets. Firstly, a Marine search and rescue position model based on Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) and matching field quadratic joint Algorithm was proposed. Secondly, an MVDR beamforming method based on pre-Kalman filtering is designed to refine the real-time DOA estimation of the desired signal and the interference source, and the sound source azimuth is determined for prepositioning. The antenna array weights are dynamically adjusted according to the filtered DOA information. Finally, the Adaptive Matching Field Algorithm (AMFP) used the DOA information to calculate the range and depth of the lost target, and obtained the range and depth estimates. Thus, the 3D position of the lost underwater target is jointly estimated. This method alleviates the angle ambiguity problem and does not require a computationally intensive 2D spectral search. The simulation results show that the proposed method can better realise underwater three-dimensional positioning under certain signal-to-noise ratio conditions. When there is no error in the sensor coordinates, the positioning error is smaller than that of the baseline method as the SNR increases. When the SNR is 0 dB, with the increase in the sensor coordinate error, the target location error increases but is smaller than the error amplitude of the benchmark Algorithm. The experimental results verify the robustness of the proposed framework in the hierarchical ocean environment, which provides a practical basis for the deployment of rapid response underwater positioning systems in maritime search and rescue scenarios. Full article

This paper investigates the tracking consensus of nonlinear multi-agent systems under undirected topology, considering asynchronous switching caused by delays between communication topology switching and controller switching. First, by using the properties of undirected topology graphs, the controller design process is simplified. Then, to address asynchronous delays during topology switching, the system operation is divided into synchronized and delayed modes based on the status of the controller and topology. Every operating mode has a corresponding control strategy. To alleviate the burden of communication and computation, an event-triggered mechanism (ETM) is introduced to reduce the number of controller updates. By constructing an augmented Lyapunov function that incorporates both matching and mismatching periods, sufficient conditions ensuring system stability are established. The required controller based on the dynamic ETM is obtained by solving Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). Finally, a simulation example is conducted to verify its effectiveness. Full article

Salinization of olive orchards constitutes a front-line agronomic challenge for farmers, consumers, and the scientific community as food security, olive logistics, and land use become more unsustainable and problematic. Plantlets of two olive varieties (var. Kalamon and var. Koroneiki) were tested for their performance under soil saline conditions, in which L-methionine, choline-Cl, and L-proline betaine were applied foliarly to alleviate adverse effects. The ‘Kalamon’ variety ameliorated its photosynthetic rates when L-proline betaine and L-methionine were administered at low saline exposure. The stressed varieties achieved higher leaf transpiration rates in the following treatment order: choline-Cl > L-methionine > L-proline betaine. Choline chloride supported stomatal conductance in stressed var. Kalamon olives without this pattern, which was also followed by var. Koroneiki. Supplementation regimes created a mosaic of responses on varietal water use efficiency under stress. The total phenolic content in leaves increased in both varieties after exogenous application only at the highest levels of saline stress. None of the substances applied to olive trees could stand alone as a tool to mitigate salinity stress in order to be recommended as a solid agronomic practice. The residual exploitation of amino acids by the olive orchard microbiome must also be considered as part of an environmentally friendly, integrated strategy to mitigate salinity stress. Full article

Background/Objectives: The effect of metformin on the secretory function of thyrotropic cells is sex-dependent. The current study aimed to investigate whether the impact of this drug on activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid axis in women is impacted by the androgen status of patients. Methods: The study population included 48 levothyroxine-naïve reproductive-aged women with subclinical hypothyroidism and prediabetes receiving 3.0 g of metformin daily. Women with (n = 24) and without (n = 24) polycystic ovary syndrome were matched for age, insulin sensitivity, TSH, and reasons for thyroid hypofunction. Circulating levels of glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, TSH, thyroid hormones, gonadotropins, androgens, estradiol, SHBG, prolactin, ACTH, and IGF-1 were measured before metformin treatment and six months later. Results: At entry, women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome differed in LH, LH/FSH ratio, androgens, and estradiol. The decrease in TSH, fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin, and the improvement in insulin sensitivity were less pronounced in women with than in women without polycystic ovary syndrome. In each group, there were no differences in the impact on TSH and thyroid hormones between patients with subclinical hypothyroidism of autoimmune and non-autoimmune origin. The changes in TSH inversely correlated with total testosterone and free androgen index. Only in women with coexisting polycystic ovary syndrome, did metformin slightly reduce LH, LH/FSH ratio, testosterone, and free androgen index. Conclusions: The results suggest that concurrent polycystic ovary syndrome attenuates metformin action on TSH secretion, which can be explained by increased androgen production. Moreover, the drug seems to alleviate PCOS-associated changes in the activity of the reproductive axis. Full article

Sprouted grains are gaining attention as a natural and sustainable source of bioactive compounds with potential benefits in managing insulin resistance (IR), a hallmark of obesity-related metabolic disorders. This review aims to synthesize current findings on the biochemical changes induced during grain germination and their relevance to metabolic health. We examined recent in vitro, animal, and human studies focusing on how germination enhances the nutritional and functional properties of grains, particularly through the synthesis of compounds such as γ-aminobutyric acid, polyphenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants, while reducing anti-nutritional factors. These bioactive compounds have been shown to modulate metabolic and inflammatory pathways by inhibiting carbohydrate-digesting enzymes, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, improving redox balance, and influencing gut microbiota composition. Collectively, these effects contribute to improved insulin sensitivity and glycemic control. The findings suggest that sprouted grains serve not only as functional food ingredients but also as accessible dietary tools for preventing or alleviating IR. Their role in delivering multiple bioactive molecules through a simple, environmentally friendly process highlights their promise in developing future nutrition-based strategies for metabolic disease prevention. Full article

With the support of the dual-carbon strategy and related policies, China’s offshore wind power has experienced rapid development. However, constrained by the inherent intermittency and volatility of wind power, large-scale expansion poses significant challenges to grid integration and exacerbates government fiscal burdens. To address these critical issues, this paper proposes a multi-market coupling trading model integrating energy storage-equipped offshore wind power into electricity–carbon–green certificate markets for large-scale grid networks. Firstly, a day-ahead electricity market optimization model that incorporates energy storage is established to maximize power revenue by coordinating offshore wind power generation, thermal power dispatch, and energy storage charging/discharging strategies. Subsequently, carbon market and green certificate market optimization models are developed to quantify Chinese Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) volume, carbon quotas, carbon emissions, market revenues, green certificate quantities, pricing mechanisms, and associated economic benefits. To validate the model’s effectiveness, a gradient ascent-optimized game-theoretic model and a double auction mechanism are introduced as benchmark comparisons. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model increases market revenues by 17.13% and 36.18%, respectively, compared to the two benchmark models. It not only improves wind power penetration and comprehensive profitability but also effectively alleviates government subsidy pressures through coordinated carbon–green certificate trading mechanisms. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid touted for a variety of medical benefits, including alleviation of anxiety. While legalization of hemp-derived products in the United States (containing ≤0.3% delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol [d9-THC] by weight) has led to a rapid increase in the commercialization of hemp-derived CBD products, most therapeutic claims have not been substantiated using clinical trials. This trial aimed to assess the impact of 6 weeks of treatment with a proprietary hemp-derived, full-spectrum, high-CBD sublingual solution similar to those available in the marketplace in patients with anxiety. Methods: An open-label pilot clinical trial (NCT04286594) was conducted in 12 patients with at least moderate levels of anxiety. Patients self-administered a hemp-derived, high-CBD sublingual solution twice daily during the 6-week trial (target daily dose: 30 mg/day CBD). Clinical change over time relative to baseline was assessed for anxiety, mood, sleep, and quality of life, as well as changes in cognitive performance on measures of executive function and memory. Safety and tolerability of the study product were also evaluated. Results: Patients reported significant reductions in anxiety symptoms over time. Concurrent improvements in mood, sleep, and relevant quality of life domains were also observed, along with stable or improved performance on all neurocognitive measures. Few side effects were reported, and no serious adverse events occurred. Conclusions: These pilot findings provide initial support for the efficacy and tolerability of the hemp-derived, high-CBD product in patients with moderate-to-severe levels of anxiety. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are indicated to obtain robust data regarding efficacy and tolerability of these types of products for anxiety. Full article

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), as an active microwave imaging system, has the capability of all-weather and all-time observation. In response to the challenges of aircraft detection in SAR images due to the complex background interference caused by the continuous scattering of airport buildings and the demand for real-time processing, this paper proposes a YOLOv7-MTI recognition model that combines the attention mechanism and involution. By integrating the MTCN module and involution, performance is enhanced. The Multi-TASP-Conv network (MTCN) module aims to effectively extract low-level semantic and spatial information using a shared lightweight attention gate structure to achieve cross-dimensional interaction between “channels and space” with very few parameters, capturing the dependencies among multiple dimensions and improving feature representation ability. Involution helps the model adaptively adjust the weights of spatial positions through dynamic parameterized convolution kernels, strengthening the discrete strong scattering points specific to aircraft and suppressing the continuous scattering of the background, thereby alleviating the interference of complex backgrounds. Experiments on the SAR-AIRcraft-1.0 dataset, which includes seven categories such as A220, A320/321, A330, ARJ21, Boeing737, Boeing787, and others, show that the mAP and mRecall of YOLOv7-MTI reach 93.51% and 96.45%, respectively, outperforming Faster R-CNN, SSD, YOLOv5, YOLOv7, and YOLOv8. Compared with the basic YOLOv7, mAP is improved by 1.47%, mRecall by 1.64%, and FPS by 8.27%, achieving an effective balance between accuracy and speed, providing research ideas for SAR aircraft recognition. Full article

Context: Many patients at the end of life receive antibiotics to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life; however, clear guidelines supporting decision making about the use of antibiotics are still lacking. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits and harms of antibiotic use among patients under a palliative care community support team in Portugal. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted on 249 patients who died over a two-year period, having been followed for at least 30 days prior to their death. Data included patient demographics, clinical diagnoses, antibiotic prescriptions, and symptomatic outcomes. The effects of commonly prescribed antibiotics—amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, cefixime, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin—were compared using statistical analyses to assess survival, symptom intensity, and functional scales. Results: Adverse events, primarily infections and secretions, occurred in 57.8% of cases, with 33.7% receiving antibiotics. No significant difference in survival was observed across the antibiotic groups (p = 0.990). Symptom intensity significantly reduced after 72 h of treatment (p < 0.05), with ciprofloxacin demonstrating the greatest symptom control. The Palliative Outcome Scale decreased uniformly, with higher scores associated with amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (p = 0.004). The Palliative Performance Scale declined post-treatment, with significant changes noted for cefixime and ciprofloxacin (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Antibiotics may improve symptom control and quality of life in the end-of-life stage. While second-line antibiotics may offer additional benefits, the heterogeneity of the sample and limited adverse effect data underscore the need for further research to guide appropriate prescription practices in palliative care. Full article

Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) has shown neuroprotective effects in acute brain injury, but its role in chronic radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI) remains unclear. This study investigated the long-term efficacy of HRW in mitigating cognitive impairment and neuronal damage caused by chronic RIBI. Fifty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: control, irradiation (IR), IR with memantine, IR with HRW, and IR with combined treatment. All but the control group received 20 Gy whole-brain X-ray irradiation, followed by daily interventions for 60 days. Behavioral assessments, histopathological analyses, oxidative stress measurements, ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT imaging, transcriptomic sequencing, RT-qPCR, Western blot, and serum ELISA were performed. HRW significantly improved anxiety-like behavior, memory, and learning performance compared to the IR group. Histological results revealed that HRW reduced neuronal swelling, degeneration, and loss and enhanced dendritic spine density and neurogenesis. PET/CT imaging showed increased hippocampal glucose uptake in the IR group, which was alleviated by HRW treatment. Transcriptomic and molecular analyses indicated that HRW modulated key genes and proteins, including CD44, CD74, SPP1, and Wnt1, potentially through the MIF, Wnt, and SPP1 signaling pathways. Serum CD44 levels were also lower in treated rats, suggesting its potential as a biomarker for chronic RIBI. These findings demonstrate that HRW can alleviate chronic RIBI by preserving neuronal structure, reducing inflammation, and enhancing neuroplasticity, supporting its potential as a therapeutic strategy for radiation-induced cognitive impairment. Full article

Understanding the alterations to the shoot and root traits of rapeseed (Brassica napus) in response to salt stress is vital for improving its ability to thrive in saline-prone regions. This research aims to evaluate the responses of shoot and root traits of rapeseed at the vegetative stage under salt- and salicylic acid-induced stress in hydroponic culture. Five parents and ten F₃ segregants of rapeseed were subjected to three treatments: T1: control, T2: 8 dSm⁻¹ salt, and T3: 8 dSm⁻¹ salt + 0.1 mM salicylic acid at 21 days of age. Salinity stress significantly reduced the estimated root surface area by 54% compared to control, highlighting the plasticity of roots under stress. The simultaneous application of salt and SA did not alleviate the salinity stress, but rather reinforced the degree of stress and decreased the number of leaves, diameter of the main axis, chlorophyll content, and estimated root surface area by 18.5%, 15.4%, 38.8%, and 23%, respectively, compared to T2. The parental genotype M-245 followed by F₃ genotype M-232×M-223 accounted for the higher overall estimated root surface area. These results provide novel insights into the responses of root traits in rapeseed breeding lines under dual treatment, which hold promising implications for future rapeseed breeding efforts focused on sustainable rapeseed production. Full article

Recent theoretical and empirical studies highlight that information asymmetry and owner–manager conflict of interest can distort corporate investment decisions. Building on this premise, we hypothesize that superior environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance mitigates these frictions by (H1) alleviating financing constraints and (H2) intensifying external analyst scrutiny. To test these hypotheses, we examine all Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share non-financial firms from 2009 to 2023. Using panel fixed-effects and two-stage least squares with an industry–province–year instrument, we find that higher ESG performance significantly reduces investment inefficiency; the effect operates through both lower financing constraints and greater analyst coverage. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the improvement is pronounced in small non-state-owned, non-high-carbon firms but absent in large state-owned high-carbon emitters. These findings enrich the literature on ESG and corporate performance and offer actionable insights for regulators and investors seeking high-quality development. Full article

Although Hylocereus polyrhizus pulp residues polysaccharides (HPPP) have shown potential in improving metabolic disorders and intestinal barrier function, the mechanism by which they exert their effects through regulating O-glycosylation modifications in the mucus layer remains unclear. Therefore, this study established a HFD-induced obese colitis mouse model (n = 5 per group) and combined nano-capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) technology to quantitatively analyze the dynamic changes in O-glycosylation. Additionally, through quantitative O-glycosylation proteomics and whole-proteome analysis, we identified 155 specifically altered O-glycosylation sites in colon tissue, with the glycosylation modification level of the MUC2 core protein increased by approximately 2.1-fold. The results indicate that HPPP alleviates colonic mucosal damage by regulating interactions between mucus O-glycosylation. Overall, we demonstrated that HPPP increases HFD-induced O-glycosylation sites, improves intestinal mucosal structure in obese mice, and provides protective effects against obesity-induced intestinal mucosal damage. Full article

The red plant phenotype of R1 cotton is a genetic marker produced by light-induced anthocyanin accumulation. GhPAP1D controls this trait. There are two 228 bp tandem repeats upstream of GhPAP1D in R1 cotton. In this study, GUS staining assays in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. demonstrated that tandem repeats in the GhPAP1D promoter-enhanced transcriptional activity. GhPAP1D is a homolog of A. thaliana AtPAP1. AtPAP1’s expression is regulated by photomorphogenesis-related transcription factors such as AtHY5 and AtBBXs. We identified the homologs of A. thaliana AtHY5, AtBBX21, and AtBBX24 in R1 cotton, designated as GhHY5, GhBBX21, and GhBBX24, respectively. Y1H assays confirmed that GhHY5, GhBBX21, and GhBBX24 each bound to the GhPAP1D promoter. Dual-luciferase reporter assays revealed that GhHY5 weakly activated the promoter activity of GhPAP1D. Heterologous expression assays in A. thaliana indicated that GhBBX21 promoted anthocyanin accumulation, whereas GhBBX24 had the opposite effect. Dual-luciferase assays showed GhBBX21 activated GhPAP1D transcription, while GhBBX24 repressed it. Further study indicated that GhHY5 did not enhance GhBBX21-mediated transcriptional activation of GhPAP1D but alleviates GhBBX24-induced repression. Together, our results demonstrate that GhBBX21 and GhBBX24 antagonistically regulate anthocyanin accumulation in R1 cotton under GhHY5 mediation, providing insights into light-responsive anthocyanin biosynthesis in cotton. Full article