Estimation of the rice aboveground biomass based on the first derivative spectrum and Boruta algorithm.

Aboveground biomass (AGB) is regarded as a critical variable in monitoring crop growth and yield. The use of hyperspectral remote sensing has emerged as a viable method for the rapid and precise monitoring of AGB. Due to the extensive dimensionality and volume of hyperspectral data, it is crucial to effectively reduce data dimensionality and select sensitive spectral features to enhance the accuracy of rice AGB estimation models. At present, derivative transform and feature selection algorithms have become important means to solve this problem. However, few studies have systematically evaluated the impact of derivative spectrum combined with feature selection algorithm on rice AGB estimation. To this end, at the Xiaogang Village (Chuzhou City, China) Experimental Base in 2020, this study used an ASD FieldSpec handheld 2 ground spectrometer (Analytical Spectroscopy Devices, Boulder, Colorado, USA) to obtain canopy spectral data at the critical growth stage (tillering, jointing, booting, heading, and maturity stages) of rice, and evaluated the performance of the recursive feature elimination (RFE) and Boruta feature selection algorithm through partial least squares regression (PLSR), principal component regression (PCR), support vector machine (SVM) and ridge regression (RR). Moreover, we analyzed the importance of the optimal derivative spectrum. The findings indicate that (1) as the growth stage progresses, the correlation between rice canopy spectrum and AGB shows a trend from high to low, among which the first derivative spectrum (FD) has the strongest correlation with AGB. (2) The number of feature bands selected by the Boruta algorithm is 19~35, which has a good dimensionality reduction effect. (3) The combination of FD-Boruta-PCR (FB-PCR) demonstrated the best performance in estimating rice AGB, with an increase in R² of approximately 10% ~ 20% and a decrease in RMSE of approximately 0.08% ~ 14%. (4) The best estimation stage is the booting stage, with R2 values between 0.60 and 0.74 and RMSE values between 1288.23 and 1554.82 kg/hm2. This study confirms the accuracy of hyperspectral remote sensing in estimating vegetation biomass and further explores the theoretical foundation and future direction for monitoring rice growth dynamics.

Combining features selection strategy and features fusion strategy for SPAD estimation of winter wheat based on UAV multispectral imagery.

The Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) is a vital index for evaluating crop nutritional status and serves as an essential parameter characterizing the reproductive growth status of winter wheat. Non-destructive and accurate monitorin3g of winter wheat SPAD plays a crucial role in guiding precise management of crop nutrition. In recent years, the spectral saturation problem occurring in the later stage of crop growth has become a major factor restricting the accuracy of SPAD estimation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to use features selection strategy to optimize sensitive remote sensing information, combined with features fusion strategy to integrate multiple characteristic features, in order to improve the accuracy of estimating wheat SPAD. This study conducted field experiments of winter wheat with different varieties and nitrogen treatments, utilized UAV multispectral sensors to obtain canopy images of winter wheat during the heading, flowering, and late filling stages, extracted spectral features and texture features from multispectral images, and employed features selection strategy (Boruta and Recursive Feature Elimination) to prioritize sensitive remote sensing features. The features fusion strategy and the Support Vector Machine Regression algorithm are applied to construct the SPAD estimation model for winter wheat. The results showed that the spectral features of NIR band combined with other bands can fully capture the spectral differences of winter wheat SPAD during the reproductive growth stage, and texture features of the red and NIR band are more sensitive to SPAD. During the heading, flowering, and late filling stages, the stability and estimation accuracy of the SPAD model constructed using both features selection strategy and features fusion strategy are superior to models using only a single feature strategy or no strategy. The enhancement of model accuracy by this method becomes more significant, with the greatest improvement observed during the late filling stage, with R2 increasing by 0.092-0.202, root mean squared error (RMSE) decreasing by 0.076-4.916, and ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) increasing by 0.237-0.960. In conclusion, this method has excellent application potential in estimating SPAD during the later stages of crop growth, providing theoretical basis and technical support for precision nutrient management of field crops.

Ultrasonic bone curette-assisted unilateral approach for bilateral decompression with MIS-TLIF for severe lumbar spinal stenosis.

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of bilateral decompression with minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) assisted by an ultrasonic bone curette (UBC) for treating severe degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) and traditional tool laminectomy decompression MIS-TLIF for treating severe DLSS. METHODS: The clinical data of 128 patients with single-segment severe DLSS who were admitted between January 2017 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 67 patients were treated with unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF using an ultrasonic bone curette (UBC group), whereas 61 patients were treated with unilateral fenestration and bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF using traditional tools (traditional group, control). A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to evaluate back and lower limb pain before the operation,immediate postoperative, and one week, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after the operation. Oswestry disability index (ODI) and Zurich claudication score (ZCQ) were employed to evaluate the improvement in low back and lower limb function. At the last follow-up, the Bridwell bone graft fusion standard was utilized to evaluate bone graft fusion. RESULTS: The decompression time of laminectomy was significantly shorter in the UBC group than in the traditional group (control group), and the intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage volume were significantly less in those in the control group (P < 0.05). The VAS, ODI, and ZCQ scores of the two groups after the operation were significantly improved compared to those before the operation (P < 0.05). The UBC group had better VAS back scores than the control group immediate postoperative and one week after the operation(P < 0.05). The UBC group had better VAS lower limb scores than the control group immediate postoperative (P < 0.05).The incidence of perioperative complications, hospitalization time, dural sac cross-sectional area (CSA), and dural sac CSA improvement rate did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05). VAS and ODI scores did not differ significantly between the two groups before,three, six months, one year, and two years after surgery (P > 0.05). The ZCQ scores did not differ significantly between the two groups before the operation at one week, six months, one year, and two years after the operation (P > 0.05). According to the Bridwell bone graft fusion standard, bone graft fusion did not occur significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05) at the last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: UBC unilateral fenestration bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF in treating severe DLSS can achieve clinical efficacy as traditional tool unilateral fenestration bilateral decompression MIS-TLIF and reduce intraoperative blood loss and postoperative drainage. It can also shorten the operation time, effectively reduce the work intensity of the operator, and reduce the degree of low back pain during short-term follow-ups. Therefore, this is a safe and effective surgical method.

PHPB ameliorates memory deficits and reduces oxidative injury in Alzheimer's disease mouse model by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the most common cause of dementia in elderly people and substantially affects patient quality of life. Oxidative stress is considered a key factor in the development of AD. Nrf2 plays a vital role in maintaining redox homeostasis and regulating neuroinflammatory responses in AD. Previous studies show that potassium 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-benzoate (PHPB) exerts neuroprotective effects against cognitive impairment in a variety of dementia animal models such as APP/PS1 transgenic mice. In this study we investigated whether PHPB ameriorated the progression of AD by reducing oxidative stress (OS) damage. Both 5- and 13-month-old APP/PS1 mice were administered PHPB (100 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for 10 weeks. After the cognition assessment, the mice were euthanized, and the left hemisphere of the brain was harvested for analyses. We showed that 5-month-old APP/PS1 mice already exhibited impaired performance in the step-down test, and knockdown of Nrf2 gene only slightly increased the impairment, while knockdown of Nrf2 gene in 13-month-old APP/PS1 mice resulted in greatly worse performance. PHPB administration significantly ameliorated the cognition impairments and enhanced antioxidative capacity in APP/PS1 mice. In addition, PHPB administration significantly increased the p-AKT/AKT and p-GSK3ß/GSK3ß ratios and the expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO-1 in APP/PS1 mice, but these changes were abolished by knockdown of Nrf2 gene. In SK-N-SH APPwt cells and primary mouse neurons, PHPB (10 µM) significantly increased the p-AKT/AKT and p-GSK3ß/GSK3ß ratios and the level of Nrf2, which were blocked by knockdown of Nrf2 gene. In summary, this study demonstrates that PHPB exerts a protective effect via the Akt/GSK3ß/Nrf2 pathway and it might be a promising neuroprotective agent for the treatment of AD.

Caffeic acid alleviates cerebral ischemic injury in rats by resisting ferroptosis via Nrf2 signaling pathway.

There are few effective and safe neuroprotective agents for the treatment of ischemic stroke currently. Caffeic acid is a phenolic acid that widely exists in a number of plant species. Previous studies show that caffeic acid ameliorates brain injury in rats after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. In this study we explored the protective mechanisms of caffeic acid against oxidative stress and ferroptosis in permanent cerebral ischemia. Ischemia stroke was induced on rats by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Caffeic acid (0.4, 2, 10 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) was administered to the rats for 3 consecutive days before or after the surgery. We showed that either pre-pMCAO or post-pMCAO administration of caffeic acid (2 mg·kg-1·d-1) effectively reduced the infarct volume and improved neurological outcome. The therapeutic time window could last to 2 h after pMCAO. We found that caffeic acid administration significantly reduced oxidative damage as well as neuroinflammation, and enhanced antioxidant capacity in pMCAO rat brain. We further demonstrated that caffeic acid down-regulated TFR1 and ACSL4, and up-regulated glutathione production through Nrf2 signaling pathway to resist ferroptosis in pMCAO rat brain and in oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-treated SK-N-SH cells in vitro. Application of ML385, an Nrf2 inhibitor, blocked the neuroprotective effects of caffeic acid in both in vivo and in vitro models, evidenced by excessive accumulation of iron ions and inactivation of the ferroptosis defense system. In conclusion, caffeic acid inhibits oxidative stress-mediated neuronal death in pMCAO rat brain by regulating ferroptosis via Nrf2 signaling pathway. Caffeic acid might serve as a potential treatment to relieve brain injury after cerebral ischemia. Caffeic acid significantly attenuated cerebral ischemic injury and resisted ferroptosis both in vivo and in vitro. The regulation of Nrf2 by caffeic acid initiated the transcription of downstream target genes, which were shown to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antiferroptotic. The effects of caffeic acid on neuroinflammation and ferroptosis in cerebral ischemia were explored in a primary microglia-neuron coculture system. Caffeic acid played a role in reducing neuroinflammation and resisting ferroptosis through the Nrf2 signaling pathway, which further suggested that caffeic acid might be a potential therapeutic method for alleviating brain injury after cerebral ischemia.

Circ_PWWP2A promotes lung fibroblast proliferation and fibrosis via the miR-27b-3p/GATA3 axis, thereby aggravating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: This paper was to investigate the effect of circ_PWWP2A-mediated miR-27b-3p/GATA3 axis on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). METHODS: circ_PWWP2A expression in lung fibroblasts MLg2908 induced by different concentrations of TGF-ß was detected. The relationship between circ_PWWP2A or GATA3 and miR-27b-3p was analyzed by RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferin reporter assay. The proliferation of MLg2908 cells was determined by MTT. GATA3, α-SMA, Collagen-I, and Collagen-III in cells were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The rat model of IPF induced by bleomycin (BLM) was constructed and treated with circ_PWWP2A siRNA injection. HE and Masson staining were of utility to evaluate the pathological conditions of rat lung tissue, and circ_PWWP2A, miR-27b-3p, and GATA3 levels in lung tissues were detected by RT-qPCR. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the staining of α-SMA, collagen I, and collagen III in the lung tissues of rats. RESULTS: circ_PWWP2A in MLg2908 cells induced by TGF-ß decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. MLg2908 cells transfected with circ_PWWP2A siRNA were induced by 5 ng/ml TGF-ß, decreasing circ_PWWP2A and GATA3 levels, increasing miR-27b-3p expression, and suppressing cell proliferation. The targeting relationship between circ_PWWP2A and miR-27b-3p, as well as miR-27b-3p and GATA3, was confirmed. Depleting miR-27b-3p reduced the inhibitory effect of circ_PWWP2A down-regulation on the proliferation of TGF-ß-treated MLg2908 cells, accompanied by increased expression of α-SMA, Collagen 1, and Collagen 3, and increased expression of GATA3. The in vivo results showed that BLM-induced fibrosis in rat lung tissue was obvious, accompanied by increased expression of circ_PWWP2A and GATA3, decreased expression of miR-27b-3p, and deepened staining of α-SMA, collagen I, and collagen III, but circ_PWWP2A siRNA could improve these phenomena. CONCLUSION: Silencing circ_PWWP2A can inhibit the proliferation of lung fibroblasts induced by TGF-ß through the miR-27b-3p/GATA3 axis, and reduce BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats, which may be a potential therapeutic target for IPF.

pH-responsive dual-enzyme mimics based on hollow metal organic framework-derivatives ß-Co(OH)2 for multiple colorimetric assays.

A hollow metal organic framework derivative ß-Co(OH)2 has been prepared, which possesses oxidase and peroxidase-like activities. Oxidase-like activity is derived from the generation of free radicals, and peroxidase-like activity is related to the electron transfer process. Unlike other nanozymes with dual enzyme-like activities, ß-Co(OH)2 possesses pH-responsive enzyme-like activities, among which the ß-Co(OH)2 exhibits superior oxidase and peroxidase-like activities under pH of 4 and 6, respectively, which could avoid mutual interference between multiple enzymes. Based on the phenomenon that enzyme-like activities of ß-Co(OH)2 can catalyze colorless TMB to generate blue oxidized TMB (oxTMB) with absorption peak at 652 nm, the sensors integrating total antioxidant capacity and H2O2 quantification were developed. The oxidase-like activity-based colorimetric system has a sensitive response to ascorbic acid, Trolox, and gallic acid, in which the limit of detection for those antioxidant substances was 0.54 µM, 1.26 µM, and 14.34 µM, respectively. The sensors based on peroxidase-like activity had low limit of detection of 1.42 µM for H2O2 and a linear range of 5-1000 µM. The proposed method can be well applied to the detection of the total antioxidant capacity of kiwi, Vc tables, orange and tea extract with high accuracy, and H2O2 determination in milk and glucose detection in beverages with satisfactory recovery (within 97-106%).

Stabilizing Li-Rich Layered Cathode Materials Using a LiCoMnO4 Spinel Nanolayer for Li-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-rich cathodes have excess lithium in the transition metal layer and exhibit an extremely high specific capacity and good energy density. However, they still have some disadvantages. Here, we propose LiCoMnO4, a new nanolayer coating material with a spinel structure, to modify the surface of lithium cathode oxide (Li7/6Mn1/2Ni1/6Co1/6O2) with a layered structure. The designed cathode with nanolayer spinel coating delivers an excellent reversible capacity, outstanding rate capability, and superior cycling ability whilst exhibiting discharge capacities of 300, 275, 220, and 166 mAh g-1 at rates of 0.1 C at 2.0-4.8 V formation and 0.1, 1, and 5 C, respectively, between 2.0 and 4.6 V. The cycling ability and voltage fading at a high operational voltage of 4.9 V were also investigated, with results showing that the nanolayer spinel coating can depress the surface of the lithium cathode oxide layer, leading to phase transformation that enhances the electrochemical performance.

A portable dual-mode colorimetric platform for sensitive detection of Hg2+ based on NiSe2 with Hg2+-Activated oxidase-like activity.

The nanozyme-based colorimetric strategy for heavy metal detection has broad application prospects nowadays. However, the inefficient recognition capabilities of nanozyme sensors for targets hinder its further application. Herein, the authors synthesize bare nickel selenide (NiSe2) via a one-step hydrothermal reaction, in which the Se element possesses a strong binding ability with mercury (Hg). As expected, NiSe2 exhibits oxidase-like activity in the presence of Hg2+, that is, Hg2+ can enhance the oxidase-like activity of NiSe2. The enhanced mechanism is the accelerated electron transfer between NiSe2-Hg2+ and substrate caused by the formation of Hg-Se bonds. Besides, the oxidase-like activity of NiSe2 exhibits excellent selectivity, sensitivity and stability in response to Hg2+, which enables NiSe2-Hg2+ to efficiently oxidize colorless TMB to blue TMB even in harsh environments. Based on this, a dual-mode colorimetric sensor integrating solution reaction and test paper is developed for the detection of Hg2+. In the Hg2+ concentration range of 10-700 nM, the colorimetric platform presents a liner response to Hg2+, which can reach a low LOD of 5.18 nM in solution reaction and 8.42 nM in the test paper. The proposed strategy can also be applied to real water samples with good recovery and excellent self-calibration capability.

[Molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology and experimental test].

This study aims to explore the molecular mechanism of Ganoderma against gastric cancer based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cell experiment. The active components and targets of Ganoderma were retrieved from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP), and gastric cancer-related targets from GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM). The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the common targets was constructed with STRING, followed by Gene Ontology(GO) term enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis of the common genes based on Bioconductor and R language. The medicinal-disease-component-target network and medicinal-disease-component-target-pathway network were established by Cytoscape. Molecular docking was performed between ß-sitosterol(the key component in Ganoderma) and the top 15 targets in the PPI network. Cell experiment was performed to verify the findings. A total of 14 active components and 28 targets of Ganoderma were retrieved, and the medicinal and the disease shared 25 targets, including caspase-3(CASP3), caspase-8(CASP8), caspase-9(CASP9), and B-cell lymphoma-2(BCL2). The common targets involved 72 signaling pathways and apoptosis and p53 signaling pathway may play a crucial role in the effect of Ganoderma against gastric cancer. ß-sitosterol had strong binding activity to the top 15 targets in the PPI network. The in vitro cell experiment demonstrated that ß-sitosterol inhibited gastric cancer AGS cell proliferation by inducing cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the S phase, which might be related to the regulation of the p53 pathway. This study shows the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of Ganoderma against gastric cancer, which lays a scientific basis for further research on the molecular mechanism.

Rational construction of a robust metal-organic framework nanozyme with dual-metal active sites for colorimetric detection of organophosphorus pesticides.

While nanomaterials with enzyme-mimicking activities are emerging as promising candidates in the colorimetric detection of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), the catalytic activities and recognition ability to analyte of most nanozymes are inherently deficient. In this work, we introduced manganese ions into a typical iron based MOF (Fe-MIL(53)) via a one-pot hydrothermal reaction strategy, which brought out a catalytically favorable bimetallic Mn/Fe-MIL(53) MOF nanozyme. The catalytic performance of Mn/Fe-MIL(53) is superior to that of pure Fe-MIL (53) and the mechanism for superior catalytic activity of material is revealed by active species scavenging experiments and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Besides, the introduction of manganese endows the material with the characteristic of being specially destroyed by choline, which motivates the establishment of a simple, selective and sensitive colorimetric strategy for OPs detection. The proposed colorimetric strategy could quantify the methyl parathion and chlorpyrifos in the concentration range of 10-120 nM and 5-50 nM, respectively. The low detection limit of 2.8 nM for methyl parathion and 0.95 nM (3 S/N) for chlorpyrifos were achieved. Good recoveries were obtained when applied in the real sample detection. Our work paves the way to boost catalytic performance of MOF nanozymes, which will be useful in biosensing.

Clinical features and relative factors of constipation in a cohort of Chinese patients with Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Constipation as a most common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), has a higher prevalence compared to the general population. The etiologies of constipation in PD are diverse. In addition to physical weakness and other factors of disease, the lifestyles and eating habits are also important factors. Therefore, the prevalence and influencing factors of constipation may vary among different populations. AIM: To determine the prevalence of constipation and analyze relative factors in a cohort of Chinese patients with PD. METHODS: All the patients diagnosed with PD according to the movement disorders society criteria were consecutively collected by a self-developed questionnaire. Rome III diagnostic criteria were used to assess functional constipation and Wexner score was used to estimate the severity of constipation. Non-motor symptoms (NMS) were assessed with the non-motor symptoms assessment scale (NMSS). Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS III) was used to evaluate the severity of motor symptoms. The modified Hoehn-Yahr stage was used to evaluate the severity of PD. Cognitive function was assessed using Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA). Depression and anxiety were rated with the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and the Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA). Quality of life was assessed using the Parkinson's disease Questionnaire-39 items (PDQ-39). RESULTS: Of 166 patients enrolled, 87 (52.41%) were accompanied with constipation, and 30 (34.48%) experienced constipation for 6.30 ± 5.06 years before motor symptoms occurred. Age, Hoehn-Yahr stage, disease duration, levodopa medication times, incidence of motor complications, the scores of UPDRS total, UPDRS III, NMSS, HAMD, HAMA, and PDQ-39 in the constipation group were higher than those in the non-constipation group (P < 0.05), but there was no difference in the scores of MoCA, clinical types, or medications between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was a higher incidence of depression in patients with constipation (P < 0.05), but there were no difference in the incidence of anxiety and cognitive impairment between the two groups (P > 0.05). As Hoehn-Yahr stages increased, the severity of constipation increased (P < 0.05), but not the incidence of constipation (P > 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that constipation was moderately positively correlated with age, Hoehn-Yahr stage, and scores of NMSS, UPDRS III, UPDRS total, PDQ-39, HAMD, and HAMA (r = 0.255, 0.172, 0.361, 0.194, 0.221, 0.237, 0.238, and 0.207, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that only NMSS score was an independent risk factor for constipation (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that constipation has a relatively high frequency in patients with PD. PD patients with constipation have a higher incidence of depression, which leads to worse quality of life.

Mixed-Valence Ce-BPyDC Metal-Organic Framework with Dual Enzyme-like Activities for Colorimetric Biosensing.

Enzyme-like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are currently one type of starring material in the fields of artificial enzymes and analytical sensing. However, there has been little progress in making use of the MOF structures based on the catalytically active metal center with multiple valences. Herein, we report a mixed-valence Ce-MOF (Ce-BPyDC) that can exhibit both oxidase-like and peroxidase-like activities. Ce-BPyDC was synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method, which preserves the rare coexistence of Ce(III) and Ce(IV) in the MOF structure. The enzymatic studies demonstrated the enzyme-like activities of Ce-BPyDC follow the Michaelis-Menten kinetics and are strongly dependent on temperature, pH, and reaction time. Ce-BPyDC was also revealed to exert high catalytic activity that could transcend horseradish peroxidase and other MOF nanozymes, due to the redox-active Ce(III)/Ce(IV) cycles inside. Furthermore, the simple synthesis, high nanozyme activity, and great stability of Ce-BPyDC motivated us to establish a colorimetric biosensing platform using 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine as a color reagent. Adopting this strategy, we established a visual, sensitive, and selective colorimetric method for ascorbic acid (AA) detection, for which the linear interval and limit of detection were 1-20 and 0.28 µM, respectively. The successful AA detection in real juice samples implies the promising use of such mixed-valence MOF nanozymes in food and biomedical samples.