Search Results (224)

Background: Ligusticum L. plants exhibit significant morphological variation in leaves, flowers, bracteoles and mericarps, thus the classifications of members for the genus have always been controversial. Among them, the taxonomic problem of Ligusticum multivittatum Franch. is the most prominent, which has not been sufficiently resolved so far. Methods: to clarify the taxonomic position of Ligusticum multivittatum, we performed phylogenetic analyses based on plastome data and ITS sequences. Meanwhile, we conducted comprehensively comparative plastome analyses between Ligusticum multivittatum and fifteen Ligusticopsis species. Results: Both analyses robustly supported that Ligusticum multivittatum nested in genus Ligusticopsis Leute and formed a clade with fifteen Ligusticopsis species, belonged to the Selineae tribe, which was distant from the type species of Ligusticum (Ligusticum scoticum), located in the Acronema clade.The comparative results showed that sixteen plastomes were highly similar and conservative in genome structure, size, gene content and arrangement, codon bias, SSRs and SC/IR. These findings imply that Ligusticum multivittatum is a member of Ligusticopsis, which was further verified by their shared morphological characters: stem base clothed in fibrous remnant sheaths, white petals, pinnate bracteoles, dorsally compressed mericarps with slightly prominent dorsal ribs, winged lateral ribs and numerous vittae in the commissure and in each furrow. Therefore, combining with the evidences of phylogenetic analyses, plastome comparison and morphological features, we affirmed that Ligusticum multivittatum indeed belonged to Ligusticopsis and transformed it into Ligusticopsis conducted by Pimenov was reasonable. Conclusions: Our study not only confirms the classification of Ligusticum multivittatum by integrating evidences, but also provides a reference for resolving taxonomy of contentious taxa. Full article

Mycorrhizal symbiosis in rice enhances drought adaptation but there are limited studies regarding the frequency and amplitude of mycorrhizae colonization in traditional landraces. This study investigates mycorrhizal colonization frequency (FMS) and intensity (IRS) in 12 rice landraces across three agroecological zones (Tarai, Inner-Tarai, Mid-hill) of Far-West Nepal under drought stress. Field experiments exposed landraces to control, intermittent, and complete drought treatments, with soil properties and root colonization analyzed. Results revealed FMS and IRS variations driven by soil composition and genotype. Mid-hill soils (acidic, high organic matter) showed lower FMS but elevated IRS under drought, while neutral pH in Tarai and silt/clay-rich soils supported higher FMS. Sandy soil in Inner-Tarai also promoted FMS. Drought significantly increased IRS, particularly in Anjana and Sauthiyari (Tarai), Chiudi and Shanti (Inner-Tarai), and Chamade and Jhumke (Mid-hill), which exhibited IRS surges of 171–388%. These landraces demonstrated symbiotic resilience, linking mycorrhizal networks to enhanced nutrient/water uptake. Soil organic matter and nutrient levels amplified IRS responses, underscoring fertility’s role in adaptation. FMS ranged from 50 to 100%, and IRS 1.20–19.74%, with intensity being a stronger drought-tolerance indicator than frequency. The study highlights the conservation urgency for these landraces, as traditional varieties decline due to hybrid adoption. Their drought-inducible mycorrhizal symbiosis offers a sustainable strategy for climate-resilient rice production, emphasizing soil–genotype interactions in agroecological adaptation. Full article

Determining the genetic variations of candidate genes in affected subjects will help identify early pathological biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and develop effective treatments. It has recently been found that some genes that are linked share an increase in intron retention (IR). In this review, we discuss a few instances of mRNA-IR in various genes linked to AD, including APOE, MAPT-Tau, Psen2, Farp1, Gpx4, Clu, HDAC4, Slc16a3, and App genes. These genes are vulnerable to IR, encompassing additional crucial proteins for brain functionality, but they are frequently involved in pathways linked to the control of mRNA and protein homeostasis. Despite the advancements in human in vivo RNA therapy, as far as we know, there are no reports of data generated regarding artificial in vivo splicing in either animal models or humans. To prevent genetic variations and improve or repair errors in expression of desired genes, humans have adopted new gene editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 and RNAi modalities. Ultimately, IR could be utilized as a therapeutic potential biomarker for disorders related to intronic expansion. Full article

The SPICAV IR spectrometer aboard the Venus Express orbiter measured spectra of the 1.1 and 1.18 μm atmospheric transparency windows at the Venus night side in 2006–2014. The long-term measurements encompassed the major part of the Venus globe, including polar latitudes. For the first time, the H₂O volume mixing ratio in the deep Venus atmosphere at about 10–16 km has been retrieved for the entire SPICAV IR dataset using a radiative transfer model with multiple scattering. The retrieved H₂O volume mixing ratio is found to be sensitive to different approximations of the H₂O and CO₂ absorption lines’ far wings and assumed surface emissivity. The global average of the H₂O abundance retrieved for different parameters ranges from 23.6 ± 1.0 ppmv to 27.7 ± 1.2 ppmv. The obtained values are consistent with recent studies of water vapor below the cloud layer, showing the H₂O mixing ratio below 30 ppmv. Within the considered dataset, the zonal mean of the H₂O mixing ratio does not vary significantly from 60° S to 75° N, except for a 2 ppmv decrease noted at high latitudes. The H₂O local time distribution is also uniform. The 8-year observation period revealed no significant long-term trends or periodicities. Full article

When a star is born, a protoplanetary disk made of gas and dust surrounds the star. The disk can show gaps opened by different astrophysical mechanisms. The gap has a wall emitting radiation, which contributes to the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the whole system (star, disk and planet) in the IR band. As these newborn stars are far away from us, it is difficult to know whether the gap is opened by a forming planet. I have developed RHADaMAnTe, a computational astro code based on the geometry of the wall of a gap coming from hydrodynamics 3D simulations of protoplanetary disks. With this code, it is possible to make models of disks to estimate the synthetic SEDs of the wall and prove whether the gap was opened by a forming planet. An implementation of this code was used to study the stellar system LkCa 15. It was found that a planet of 10 Jupiter masses is capable of opening a gap with a curved wall with a height of 12.9 AU. However, the synthetic SED does not fit to Spitzer IRS SED (${\chi }^2$∼4.5) from $5\mathsf{\mu }$m to $35\mathsf{\mu }$m. This implies that there is an optically thin region inside the gap. Full article

The reflectance (R) of linear and circular micro-gratings on c-plane sapphire Al₂O₃ ablated by a femtosecond (fs) laser were spectrally characterised for thermal emission $\propto (1-R)$ in the mid-to-far infrared (IR) spectral range. An IR camera was used to determine the blackbody radiation temperature from laser-patterned regions, which showed (3–6)% larger emissivity dependent on the grating pattern. The azimuthal emission curve closely followed the Lambertian angular profile $\propto cos{\theta }_a$ at the 7.5–13 μm emission band. The back-side ablation method on transparent substrates was employed to prevent debris formation during energy deposition as it applies a forward pressure of >0.3 GPa to the debris and molten skin layer. The back-side ablation maximises energy deposition at the exit interface where the transition occurs from the high-to-low refractive index. Phononic absorption in the Reststrahlen region 20–30 μm can be tailored with the fs laser inscription of sensor structures/gratings. Full article

Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) offer a sustainable approach for biological wastewater treatment while simultaneously producing valuable by-products such as polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). This study investigates the effects of continuous light wavelengths over a two-stage nutrient reduction setup on PHA accumulation in a mixed PPB culture grown on fuel synthesis wastewater (FSW). The first stage promoted biomass production under nutrient availability, while the second stage targeted the enhancement of PHA accumulation through nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) reduction. Biomass growth remained stable under P reduction but significantly increased under N reduction. The results showed that organics removal efficiency decreased under nutrient reduction, particularly under P reduction, while N reduction conditions enhanced P uptake from the media. Maximum PHA accumulation reached 12.6% CDW under N reduction and 10.0% CDW under P reduction. Light type played a dominant role, with a full-spectrum light that included ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) promoting the highest PHA accumulation, whereas white light with far-red wavelengths (700–770 nm) enhanced biomass growth. These findings highlight the potential of optimizing light conditions and nutrient availability to enhance PHA biosynthesis, paving the way for improved bioplastic production from wastewater streams. Full article

Electrocatalytic water splitting is a critical approach for achieving carbon neutrality, playing an essential role in clean energy conversion. However, the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) remains a major bottleneck hindering energy conversion efficiency. Although noble metal catalysts (e.g., IrO₂ and RuO₂) show excellent catalytic activity, their high cost and scarcity limit their applicability in large-scale industrial processes. In this study, we introduce a novel electrocatalyst based on selenized NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDHs), synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. Its key innovation lies in the selenization process, during which Ni atoms lose electrons to form selenides, while selenium (Se) gains electrons. This leads to a significant increase in the concentration of high-valent metal ions, enhances electronic mobility, and improves the structural stability of the catalyst through the formation of Ni-Se bonds. Experimental results show that selenized NiFe-LDHs exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance in 1 M KOH alkaline solution. In the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), the catalyst achieved an ultra-low overpotential of 286 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², with a Tafel slope of 63.6 mV dec⁻¹. After 60 h of continuous testing, the catalyst showed almost no degradation, far outperforming conventional catalysts. These results highlight the potential of NiFe-LDH@selenized catalysts in large-scale industrial water electrolysis applications, providing an effective solution for efficient and sustainable clean energy production. Full article

This paper presents the concept of a hybrid positioning scheme using results from a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-based system and additional infrared (IR) devices: proximity sensors and far-infrared thermal sensor arrays. In the proposed solution, the IR sensors operate independently from the BLE subsystem. Their output (the distance to the localized person and the angle between the sensor axis and the person’s location) is periodically used to improve the positioning accuracy. The results from both parts of the system are fused using a particle-filter-based algorithm. The proposed concept was tested experimentally. The initial tests established that both the proximity (VL53L5CX) and array (MLX90640) sensors allowed for angle estimations with a mean accuracy of about a few degrees. Using them in the proposed hybrid localization scheme resulted in a mean positioning error decrease of several centimeters. Full article

α-Synuclein (α-Syn) is implicated in the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and plays a significant role in neuronal degeneration. Iron response proteins (IRPs) bind to iron response elements (IREs) found in the 5′-untranslated regions (5′-UTRs) of the messenger RNA that encode the α-Syn gene. This study used multi-spectroscopic approach techniques to investigate the impact of iron on α-Syn IRE RNA binding to IRP1. The formation of a stable complex between α-Syn RNA and IRP1 was suggested by fluorescence quenching results. Fluorescence measurements showed that α-Syn RNA and IRP1 had a strong interaction, with a binding constant (K_a) of 21.0 × 10⁶ M⁻¹ and 1:1 binding stoichiometry. About one binding site per IRP1 molecule was suggested by the α-Syn RNA binding. The K_a for α-Syn RNA•IRP1 with added Fe²⁺ (50 μM) was 6.4 μM⁻¹. When Fe²⁺ was added, the K_a of α-Syn RNA•IRP1 was reduced by 3.3 times. These acquired K_a values were used to further understand the thermodynamic characteristics of α-Syn RNA•IRP1 interactions. The thermodynamic properties clearly suggested that α-Syn RNA binding to IRP1 was an entropy-favored and enthalpy-driven event, with significant negative ΔH and small positive ΔS. For α-Syn RNA•IRP1, the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) was −43.7 ± 2.7 kJ/mol, but in the presence of Fe²⁺, it was −36.3 ± 2.1 kJ/mol. These thermodynamic calculations indicated that hydrogen bonding as well as van der Waals interactions might help to stabilize the complex formation. Additionally, far-UV CD spectra verified α-Syn RNA•IRP1 complex formation, and α-Syn RNA and Fe²⁺ induce secondary structural alteration of IRP1. According to our findings, iron alters the hydrogen bonding in α-Syn RNA•IRP1 complexes and induces a structural change in IRP1. This suggests that iron selectively affects the thermodynamics of these RNA–protein interactions. Full article

Traditional deep learning-based prediction methods predominantly rely on weather radar data to quantify precipitation, often neglecting the integration of the thermal processes involved in the formation and dissipation of precipitation, which leads to reduced prediction accuracy. To address this limitation, we introduce the Dual-Attention Recurrent Neural Network (DA-RNN), a model that combines satellite infrared (IR) data with radar-derived vertically integrated liquid (VIL) content. This model leverages the fundamental physical relationship between temperature and precipitation in a predictive framework that captures thermal and water vapor dynamics, thereby enhancing prediction accuracy. The results of experimental evaluations on the SEVIR dataset demonstrate that the DA-RNN model surpasses traditional methods on the test set. Notably, the DA-TrajGRU model achieves reductions in mean squared error (MSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) of 30 ($9.3\%$) and 89 ($6.4\%$), respectively, compared with those of the conventional TrajGRU model. Furthermore, our DA-RNN exhibits robust false alarm rates (FAR) for various thresholds, with only slight decreases in the critical success index (CSI) and Heidke skill score (HSS) when increasing the threshold. Additionally, we present a visualization of precipitation nowcasting, illustrating that the integration of multiple data sources effectively avoids overestimation of VIL values, further increasing the precision of precipitation forecasts. Full article

Hydrogen peroxide is inevitably produced at the hydrogen electrode in both the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) when platinum-based catalysts are used. This peroxide attacks and degrades the membrane, seriously limiting its lifetime. Here we review some of our previous efforts to suppress peroxide production using PtFe as a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst and PtCo as a hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalyst. The mechanisms, which involve the chemical reaction of adsorbed hydrogen with oxygen, are examined using density functional theory. The onset of excess peroxide production at 0.1 V above the reversible potential has not been adequately explained thus far, and therefore a new mechanism is proposed here. This involves a unique reaction site including hydrogen adsorbed at (110) step edges adjacent to (111) terraces on the Pt surface, as well as on Pt alloys and other metals such as Rh and Ir. This mechanism helps explain the recent finding of the Wadayama group that Ir single crystal surfaces such as Ir(111) and Ir(110) produce little peroxide during the HOR. It also points the way toward the design of new catalysts for the hydrogen electrode that suppress peroxide production while retaining high HOR and HER activity. Full article

In the past decades, satellite hyperspectral remote sensing instruments have been providing key measurements for environmental monitoring, such as the analysis of water and air quality, soil usage, weather forecasting, or climate change. The success of this technology, however, relies on an accurate knowledge of the instrument’s spectral response functions (SRFs). Usually, the SRFs are assessed on-ground and then monitored on-flight using tedious analysis of the acquired radiances coupled with instrumental models; nonetheless, the complete retrieval of the SRFs is generally out of reach. In this context, EUMETSAT has developed a novel SRF retrieval methodology, with the intention of applying it routinely to the current Metop IASI instruments and soon to Metop-SG IASI-NG, and MTG-S IRS. By making use of spatiotemporal colocations of different detectors within a single instrument or between different platforms, relative SRFs may be retrieved on-flight without any a priori knowledge. The presented methodology is suited for instruments acquiring radiances with contiguous sampling over large spectral bands as the SRFs are retrieved by analyzing the neighboring channels’ correlations. This article focuses on Fourier transform spectrometers (FTS) in the far infrared as they possess these characteristics per design, but it is believed that the method could be extended to other technology and spectral bands. The SRFs are further processed to evaluate the relative self-apodization functions (SAFs), as they represent the discrepancies between the detectors at the interferograms level, the primary measurements of FTS. The following article presents both simulations and applications of the SRF retrieval for the three IASI instruments aboard the Metop platforms of the EPS program. We analyze both IASI sensors aboard Metop-B and C as well as the evolution of Metop-A IASI over 13 years of operation. Full article

A Raman and IR study of AlCl₃-based ethereal solutions is here presented and aims at identifying the [AlCl₂]⁺ cation, which has been so far unambiguously characterized by ²⁷Al NMR spectrometry. To do that, experimental–theoretical vibrational spectroscopy was so employed, and the data are interpreted successfully. As a known amount of water is added to the tetrahydrofuran (THF)-containing electrolyte, a Raman band at 271 cm⁻¹ has its intensity increased along with the most intense band of [AlCl₄]⁻, and such behavior is also seen for a band at 405 cm⁻¹ in the IR spectra. New bands at around 420 and 400 cm⁻¹ are observed in both Raman and IR spectra for the tetraglyme (G4)-based systems. The [AlCl₂(THF)₄]⁺ complex, in the cis and trans forms, is present in the cyclic ether, while the cis-[AlCl₂(G4)]⁺ isomer is identified in the acyclic one. Full article

Background: Physical inactivity induces insulin resistance (IR) and metabolic imbalances before any significant changes in adiposity. Recent studies suggest that the beneficial effects of exercise can be potentiated if performed while fasting. This work aimed to compare the subacute effects of fed- and fasted-state single-bout exercise on biochemical parameters and cellular signaling in the metabolism. Methods: The animals were allocated into fed rest (FER), fasting rest (FAR), fed exercise (FEE), and fasting exercise (FAE) groups. The exercise protocol was a 30 min treadmill session at 60% of $\dot{\mathrm{V}}$O_2max. The fasting groups fasted for 8 h before exercise and were killed after 12 h post-exercise. Results: Soleus glycogen concentration increased only in the fasting groups, whereas the triglyceride (TGL) content increased in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and liver in the FAE. The FAE showed decreased plasma total cholesterol concentration compared withthe FAR group. Immunocontent of HSP70, SIRT1, UCP-1, and PGC1-α did not change in any tissue investigated. Conclusions: Our results indicate that physical exercise while fasting can have beneficial metabolic effects on sedentary animals. Remarkably, in the FAE group, there was a reduction in total plasma cholesterol and an increase in the capacity of BAT to metabolize and store nutrients in the form of TGLs. Full article