Extrinsic compression of the right coronary artery by a huge aortic wall aneurysm of an aortico-left ventricular tunnel: A case report.

Aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital disease characterised by extracardiac channel communication between the ascending aorta and the ventricle. However, there have been no reports of ALVT compressing the coronary arteries. Here, we report the case of a 57-year-old woman who presented with unstable angina due to right coronary artery compression caused by a giant aneurysmal ALVT. Preoperative imaging failed to accurately diagnose this rare anomaly. Finally, we combined surgical exploration and a three-dimensional reconstruction technique to diagnose ALVT. After surgical resection of the aneurysm and repair of the tunnel, the patient's angina resolved. This case illustrates the importance of recognising extrinsic compression of the coronary artery as a potential cause of angina pectoris. It also highlights that ALVT with atypical anatomical features may require multiple imaging techniques and even surgical exploration to confirm the diagnosis.

pH-Responsive MOF Nanoparticles Equipped with Hydrophilic "Armor" Assist Fungicides in Controlling Peanut Southern Blight.

The development of novel, safe, and efficient pest and disease control technologies for agricultural crops remains a pivotal area of research. In this study, by combining ZIF-8 and ZIF-90, a water-stable, pH-responsive bilayer MOF nanoparticle (NP) named Z8@Z90 was created, and tebuconazole (TEB) was added to form T@Z8@Z90, used for controlling peanut southern blight. The loading efficiency of TEB within the T@Z8@Z90 reached 26.15%, enabling rapid release in acidic environments triggered by oxalic acid (OA) secreted by Sclerotium rolfsii. In vitro experiments showed that T@Z8@Z90 can regulate the oxalic acid secretion of S. rolfsii and destroy its cell membrane structure. Additional experiments revealed that T@Z8@Z90 reduced sclerotial formation, decreased the total protein content of sclerotia, and influenced their sensitivity to pesticides, thereby mitigating the risk of reinfection by S. rolfsii. Notably, T@Z8@Z90 exhibited efficient translocation within peanut seedlings, being absorbed through the roots and transported to the leaves. At a concentration of 200 mg/L, T@Z8@Z90 exhibited high safety profiles for peanut seedling growth compared to the TEB suspension. Moreover, T@Z8@Z90 is safer for earthworms than TEB SC. Overall, this study offers valuable insights for the management of soil-borne diseases in agriculture and contributes to the advancement of sustainable agricultural practices.

Mediating role of systemic inflammation in the association between volatile organic compounds exposure and periodontitis: NHANES 2011-2014.

BACKGROUND: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants which have been suggested to have adverse effects on human health. While the influence of environmental pollutant exposures on periodontitis has attracted elevating attention in recent years, the epidemiological evidence on the association between VOCs exposure and periodontitis was scarce. This study aimed to investigate the potential mediating role of systemic inflammation factors in the complex association between VOCs exposure and periodontitis. METHODS: Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2014, we examined the impacts of VOCs exposure on periodontitis. Concentrations of urinary metabolites of VOCs (mVOCs) were measured using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate internal VOCs exposure. Multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic spline regression (RCS), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and Quantile g-computation (QGC) models were performed to investigate the impacts of VOCs exposure on periodontitis. Mediation models were applied to assess the mediated effects of systemic inflammation on the association between mixed VOCs exposure and periodontitis. Besides, we analyzed the association between mixed VOCs exposure and periodontitis in stratified age, gender, and smoking status subgroups. RESULTS: 1,551 participants were ultimately included for further analyses, of whom 45.20% suffering from periodontitis. Multivariable logistic regression and RCS identified positive associations between single urinary mVOCs and periodontitis (P < 0.05). Notably, BKMR and QGC models suggested that mixed VOCs exposure was significantly associated with periodontitis, with 2-Aminothiazoline-4-carboxylic acid (ATCA) contributing the most (conditional posterior inclusion probability = 0.997). Moreover, systemic inflammation markers (leukocyte and lymphocyte counts) were found to partly mediate the association between VOCs exposure and periodontitis (P < 0.05). No interaction effect was identified between mixed VOCs exposure and periodontitis in age, gender and smoking status subgroups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a positive association between VOCs exposure and periodontitis, which was potentially mediated by systemic inflammation factors. Further longitudinal researches are demanded to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Similarities and differences between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: insights from Mendelian randomization and transcriptome analysis.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are often difficult to distinguish in the early stage of the disease. The purpose of this study was to explore the similarities and differences between the two diseases through Mendelian randomization (MR) and transcriptome analysis. METHODS: We first performed a correlation analysis of phenotypic data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of OA and RA. Then, we performed functional and pathway enrichment of differentially expressed genes in OA, RA, and normal patients. The infiltration of immune cells in arthritis was analyzed according to gene expression. Finally, MR analysis was performed with inflammatory cytokines and immune cells as exposures and arthritis as the outcome. The same and different key cytokines and immune cells were obtained by the two analysis methods. RESULTS: GWAS indicated that there was a genetic correlation between OA and RA. The common function of OA and RA is enriched in their response to cytokines, while the difference is enriched in lymphocyte activation. T cells are the main immune cells that differentiate between OA and RA. MR analysis further revealed that OA is associated with more protective cytokines, and most of the cytokines in RA are pathogenic. In addition, CCR7 on naive CD4 + T cell was positively correlated with OA. SSC-A on CD4 + T cell was negatively correlated with RA, while HLA DR on CD33- HLA DR + was positively correlated with RA. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the similarities and differences of immune inflammation between OA and RA, allowing us to better understand these two diseases.

The complete chloroplast genome of Elaeagnus bambusetorum hand.-mazz. 1933 and its implications for phylogenetic relationships in the Elaeagnus genus.

Elaeagnus bambusetorum Hand.-Mazz. is a rare plant from China in the Elaeagnaceae family. In this study, we sequenced its complete chloroplast genome. The whole chloroplast genome was 152,265 bp in length, containing a pair of inverted repeats of 25,897 bp, separated by large single copy and small single copy regions of 82,291 bp and 18,180 bp, respectively. The complete genome contained 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The overall GC content was 37.1%. Phylogenetic analysis using the whole chloroplast genome revealed that E. bambusetorum is sister to E. loureirii and E. conferta. Our study provides valuable insights into the genetic information of E. bambusetorum, which may have important implications for species conservation.

Resistance of the CRISPR-Cas13a Gene-Editing System to Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid Infection in Tomato and Nicotiana benthamiana.

Gene-editing technology, specifically the CRISPR-Cas13a system, has shown promise in breeding plants resistant to RNA viruses. This system targets RNA and, theoretically, can also combat RNA-based viroids. To test this, the CRISPR-Cas13a system was introduced into tomato plants via transient expression and into Nicotiana benthamiana through transgenic methods, using CRISPR RNAs (crRNAs) targeting the conserved regions of both sense and antisense genomes of potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd). In tomato plants, the expression of CRISPR-Cas13a and crRNAs substantially reduced PSTVd accumulation and alleviated disease symptoms. In transgenic N. benthamiana plants, the PSTVd levels were lower as compared to wild-type plants. Several effective crRNAs targeting the PSTVd genomic RNA were also identified. These results demonstrate that the CRISPR-Cas13a system can effectively target and combat viroid RNAs, despite their compact structures.

Effects of Exposure to Different Types of Metal-Organic Framework Nanoparticles on the Gut Microbiota and Liver Metabolism of Adult Zebrafish.

Metal-organic framework nanoparticles (MOF NPs) have received much attention for their potential use in nanopesticides. However, little is known about the potential health and environmental risks associated with these materials. In this study, the toxicological responses of zebrafish exposed to five MOF NPs for short and long periods of time were evaluated. The acute toxicity results showed that the toxicity of the five MOF NPs to zebrafish embryos and adult zebrafish was in the order of Cu-MOF > ZIF-90 > ZIF-8 > Fe-MOF > Zr-MOF. Histopathological analysis revealed that ZIF-8, ZIF-90, and Cu-MOF NPs caused liver swelling and vacuolization in zebrafish. The cellular ultrastructure showed that ZIF-8, ZIF-90, and Cu-MOF NPs severely damaged the mitochondrial structure in intestinal epithelial cells and liver cells. The 16S rDNA sequencing data showed that all five MOF NPs significantly altered the dominant microorganisms in the zebrafish intestine. The microbial markers of intestinal inflammation, Proteobacteria (Aeromonas, Plesiomonas, and Legionella), were significantly increased in the Fe-MOF, ZIF-8, Zr-MOF, and Cu-MOF treatment groups. Metabolomics results indicated that the levels of inflammatory promoting factors (Leukotriene E4, 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid) in arachidonic acid metabolism were decreased, and the levels of inflammatory suppressing factors (8,9-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid) were increased. Metabolites related to oxidative stress, such as glutamine, pyridoxamine, and l-glutamic acid in vitamin B6 metabolism and other signaling pathways, were significantly reduced. Overall, these results suggest that the different MOF NPs had widely varying toxicity to zebrafish, and further attention should be paid to the toxicity of MOF NPs in the real environment.

Molecule Empowerment and Crystal Desensitization: A Multilevel Structure-Property Analysis toward Designing High-Energy Low-Sensitivity Layered Energetic Materials.

Layered energetic materials (LEMs) can effectively balance energy and mechanical sensitivity, making them a current research focus in the field of energetic materials. However, the influence of the layered stacking pattern on impact sensitivity is still unclear, leading to the lack of advanced design strategies for high-energy low-sensitivity LEMs. Herein, we first utilize novel indicators such as maximum plane separation and hydrogen bond dimension to perform high-throughput screening on over 106 candidate structures, resulting in 17 target crystals. A systematic analysis was then conducted on the relationships between the bond dissociation energy (BDE) of the weakest energy-storing bond at the molecular level, the intralayer hydrogen bond energy (HBE), and the sliding energy barrier (SEB) at the crystal level with impact sensitivity. The findings suggest that a material can have low sensitivity only if at least two of the three properties perform well, and the interlayer sliding resistance can be reduced by enhancing the intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions, which reasonably explains the experimental phenomena. More importantly, we developed a prediction model for the impact sensitivity of LEMs with a coefficient of determination of 0.88. Additionally, factors affecting HBE and SEB were identified, and a linear model was established based on molecular-level feature variables. Finally, a new strategy for designing high-energy low-sensitivity LEMs was proposed, namely, empowerment at the molecular scale and desensitization at the crystal scale. This study integrates high-throughput screening, multilevel structure-property relationship analysis, and mathematical model construction, offering new perspectives for the development of novel high-energy and low-sensitivity energetic materials.

Ecological risk assessment of castor oil based waterborne polyurethane: Mechanism of anionic/cationic state selective toxicity to Eisenia fetida.

Cationic and anionic castor oil-based waterborne polyurethanes (C-WPU/A and C-WPU/C) have great potential for development in agriculture. However, it is still unclear whether these polyurethanes are harmful or toxic to soil fauna. Based on multilevel toxicity endpoints and transcriptomics, we investigated the effects of C-WPU/A and C-WPU/C on earthworms (Eisenia fetida). The acute toxicity results showed that C-WPU/A was highly toxic to the earthworms, whereas C-WPU/C was nearly nontoxic. C-WPU/A significantly affected the body weight, burrowing ability and cocoon production rate of earthworms compared to C-WPU/C. After exposure to C-WPU/A, the results showed accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), abnormal peroxidase activity, and increased malondialdehyde levels. Additionally, more serious histopathological damage was observed in earthworms, such as epidermal damage, vacuolization, longitudinal muscle disorganization, and shedding of intestinal epidermal cells. At the cellular level, C-WPU/A induced more severe lysosomal damage, DNA damage and apoptosis than C-WPU/A. C-WPU/A made more differentially expressed genes and considerably more enriched pathways at the transcriptional level than C-WPU/C. These pathways are largely involved in cell membrane signaling, detoxification, and apoptosis. These results provide an important reference for elucidating the selective toxicity mechanisms of C-WPU/A and C-WPU/C in earthworms.

Discovery of delayed gas production after implantation of a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device and a preliminary exploration of the mechanisms of its occurrence.

Objective: To characterize the gas production phenomenon in the animal model of left ventricular assist device (LVAD), and study its mechanism. Methods: An in vitro bubble precipitation experiment was conducted, and the blood samples of Parma spp. animals were divided into ordinary group and oxygen-enriched group according to whether they were oxygenated or not at the time of blood collection, and a static control group was set up respectively. Blood gases were drawn and analyzed before and after the experiment. Activate the pump, and the number of air bubbles in the loop was measured by ultrasound at different rotational speeds; CFD was applied to simulate the flow field in the blood pump, and pressure, fluid velocity vector and shear force diagrams were plotted, and a thrombus model was constructed and the flow field was simulated and plotted as a cloud diagram. Results: There was a statistical difference in the number of bubbles in the inflow and outflow tubes of the blood pump (P values of 0.04 and 0.023, respectively), and the number of bubbles in the outflow tubes of both groups was significantly higher than the number of bubbles in the inflow tubes. The number of bubbles in the tubes of both the oxygen-enriched and normal groups was significantly higher than that in the inflow group. In both the normal and oxygen-enriched groups, more gas was produced at higher speeds than at lower speeds. Blood gas analysis showed that the reduced gas composition in the blood was mainly oxygen. Flow field simulation results: the high rotation speed group had lower central pressure and greater scalar shear. The thrombus simulation group was more prone to turbulence, sudden pressure changes, and greater shear than the normal group. Conclusion: Blood gas production is associated with higher partial pressures of blood oxygen, higher rotation speed, and intrapump thrombosis, and the mechanism of pump gas production is degassing of dissolved gases rather than cavitation of water, and the gas released is most likely to have oxygen. The degassing phenomenon is an warning factor for pump thrombosis.

Insights into the ameliorative effect of ZnONPs on arsenic toxicity in soybean mediated by hormonal regulation, transporter modulation, and stress responsive genes.

Arsenic (As) contamination of agricultural soils poses a serious threat to crop productivity and food safety. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) have emerged as a potential amendment for mitigating the adverse effects of As stress in plants. Soybean crop is mostly grown on marginalized land and is known for high accumulation of As in roots than others tissue. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ZnONPs in ameliorating arsenic toxicity in soybean. Our results demonstrated that ZnOB significantly improved the growth performance of soybean plants exposed to arsenic. This improvement was accompanied by a decrease (55%) in As accumulation and an increase in photosynthetic efficiency. ZnOB also modulated hormonal balance, with a significant increase in auxin (149%), abscisic acid (118%), gibberellin (160%) and jasmonic acid content (92%) under As(V) stress assuring that ZnONPs may enhance root growth and development by regulating hormonal signaling. We then conducted a transcriptomic analysis to understand further the molecular mechanisms underlying the NPs-induced As(V) tolerance. This analysis identified genes differentially expressed in response to ZnONPs supplementation, including those involved in auxin, abscisic acid, gibberellin, and jasmonic acid biosynthesis and signaling pathways. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified 37 potential hub genes encoding stress responders, transporters, and signal transducers across six modules potentially facilitated the efflux of arsenic from cells, reducing its toxicity. Our study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms associated with metalloid tolerance in soybean and offers new avenues for improving As tolerance in contaminated soils.

Key innovations and niche variation promoted rapid diversification of the widespread Juniperus (Cupressaceae).

The processes of forming lineages undergoing widespread radiations remain a knowledge gap that is fundamental to our understanding of the geographic distributions of species. Although early studies emphasized the importance of dispersal ability and historical migration events, key innovations that promote rapid diversification and/or adaptation to new habitats may also strongly influence distribution ranges. Juniperus is the second largest genus of conifers and is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we used phylogenetic, phenotypic, and climatic data to investigate the contributions of these processes to the wide distribution and rapid diversification of Juniperus. Combining a time-scaled phylogeny and macroevolutionary theory, we show that the key innovations of berry-like seed cones and dioecy promoted the rapid diversification of Juniperus and that increased dispersal ability promoted allopatric speciation. Ecological niches had significant divergence among different clades of Juniperus. Biogeographic results supported multiple long-distance dispersal events and niche variation that contributed to the modern range of Juniperus, while both phenotypic adaptation and ecological opportunity probably drove its distribution range. Our findings suggest that the current widespread distribution is likely the result of significant divergence driven by niche variation in which ecological opportunities from key innovation and phenotypic divergence.

O-Carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles: A novel approach to enhance water stress tolerance in maize seedlings.

Water stress, a significant abiotic stressor, significantly hampers crop growth and yield, posing threat to food security. Despite the promising potential of nanoparticles (NPs) in enhancing plant stress tolerance, the precise mechanisms underlying the alleviation of water stress using O-Carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles (O-CMC-NPs) in maize remain elusive. In this study, we synthesized O-CMC-NPs and delved into their capacity to mitigate water stress (waterlogging and drought) in maize seedlings. Structural characterization revealed spherical O-CMC-NPs with a size of approximately 200 nm. These NPs accumulated near the seed embryo and root tip, resulting in a substantial increase in fresh and dry weights. The application of O-CMC-NPs to water-stressed maize seedlings remarkedly elevated the chlorophyll content and activity of various antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). The malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly reduced compared to the untreated control. Additionally, the expression of stress-responsive genes, such as ZmSOD, ZmCAT, ZmPOD, ZmTIFY, ZmACO, ZmPYL2, ZmNF-YC12, and ZmEREB180, were significantly upregulated in the O-CMC-NPs treated seedlings. These findings unveil the novel role of O-CMC-NPs in enhancing plant stress tolerance, suggesting their potential application in safeguarding maize seedlings under water stress conditions and facilitating the recovery from oxidative damage.

HSPB1 alleviates acute-on-chronic liver failure via the P53/Bax pathway.

The mortality rate of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) remains significantly elevated; hence, this study aimed to investigate the impact of heat shock protein family B (small) member 1 (HSPB1) on ACLF in vivo and in vitro and the underlying mechanism. This study used the ACLF mouse model, and liver damage extent was studied employing Masson trichrome, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Sirius red staining, and serum biochemical indices. Similarly, hepatocyte injury in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced L02 cells was evaluated using cell counting kit-8 assay, enzymatic activity, flow cytometry, and TUNEL assay, while the underlying mechanism was investigated using western blot. Results showed that the morphology of liver tissue in ACLF mice was changed and was characterized by cirrhosis, fibrosis, collagen fiber deposition, inflammatory cell infiltration, and elevated liver injury indices. Moreover, HSPB1 was upregulated in both ACLF patients and mice, where overexpressing HSPB1 was found to inhibit ACLF-induced liver damage. Similarly, the HSPB1 expression in LPS-treated L02 cell lines was also increased, where overexpressing HSPB1 was found to promote cell viability, inhibit liver injury-related enzyme activity, and suppress apoptosis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that HSPB1 was responsible for inhibiting p-P53 and Bax protein levels, where activated P53 counteracted HSPB1's effects on cellular behaviors. In conclusion, HSPB1 attenuated ACLF-induced liver injury in vivo and inhibited LPS-induced hepatocyte damage in vitro, suggesting that HSPB1 may be a novel target for ACLF therapy.

LCGNet: Local Sequential Feature Coupling Global Representation Learning for Functional Connectivity Network Analysis with fMRI.

Analysis of functional connectivity networks (FCNs) derived from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) has greatly advanced our understanding of brain diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Advanced machine learning techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have been used to learn high-level feature representations of FCNs for automated brain disease classification. Even though convolution operations in CNNs are good at extracting local properties of FCNs, they generally cannot well capture global temporal representations of FCNs. Recently, the transformer technique has demonstrated remarkable performance in various tasks, which is attributed to its effective self-attention mechanism in capturing the global temporal feature representations. However, it cannot effectively model the local network characteristics of FCNs. To this end, in this paper, we propose a novel network structure for Local sequential feature Coupling Global representation learning (LCGNet) to take advantage of convolutional operations and self-attention mechanisms for enhanced FCN representation learning. Specifically, we first build a dynamic FCN for each subject using an overlapped sliding window approach. We then construct three sequential components (i.e., edge-to-vertex layer, vertex-to-network layer, and network-to-temporality layer) with a dual backbone branch of CNN and transformer to extract and couple from local to global topological information of brain networks. Experimental results on two real datasets (i.e., ADNI and ADHD-200) with rs-fMRI data show the superiority of our LCGNet.

Inhibition mechanism of Rhizoctonia solani by pectin-coated iron metal-organic framework nanoparticles and evidence of an induced defense response in rice.

Nanocrop protectants have attracted much attention as sustainable platforms for controlling pests and diseases and improving crop nutrition. Here, we reported the fungicidal activity and disease inhibition potential of pectin-coated metal-iron organic framework nanoparticles (Fe-MOF-PT NPs) against rice stripe blight (RSB). An in vitro bacterial inhibition assay showed that Fe-MOF-PT NPs (80 mg/L) significantly inhibited mycelial growth and nucleus formation. The Fe-MOF-PT NPs adsorbed to the surface of mycelia and induced toxicity by disrupting cell membranes, mitochondria, and DNA. The results of a nontargeted metabolomics analysis showed that the metabolites of amino acids and their metabolites, heterocyclic compounds, fatty acids, and nucleotides and their metabolites were significantly downregulated after treatment with 80 mg/L NPs. The difference in metabolite abundance between the CK and Fe-MOF-PT NPs (80 mg/L) treatment groups was mainly related to nucleotide metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, purine metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. The results of the greenhouse experiment showed that Fe-MOF-PT NPs improved rice resistance to R. solani by inhibiting mycelial invasion, enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities, activating the jasmonic acid signaling pathway, and enhancing photosynthesis. These findings indicate the great potential of Fe-MOF-PT NPs as a new RSB disease management strategy and provide new insights into plant fungal disease management.

Green synthesized lignin nanoparticles for the sustainable delivery of pyraclostrobin to control strawberry diseases caused by Botrytis cinerea.

Lignin, renowned for its renewable, biocompatible, and environmentally benign characteristics, holds immense potential as a sustainable feedstock for agrochemical formulations. In this study, raw dealkaline lignin (DAL) underwent a purification process involving two sequential solvent extractions. Subsequently, an enzyme-responsive nanodelivery system (Pyr@DAL-NPs), was fabricated through the solvent self-assembly method, with pyraclostrobin (Pyr) loaded into lignin nanoparticles. The Pyr@DAL-NPs shown an average particle size of 250.4 nm, demonstrating a remarkable loading capacity of up to 54.70 % and an encapsulation efficiency of 86.15 %. Notably, in the presence of cellulase and pectinase at a concentration of 2 mg/mL, the release of Pyr from the Pyr@DAL-NPs reached 92.66 % within 120 h. Furthermore, the photostability of Pyr@DAL-NPs was significantly improved, revealing a 2.92-fold enhancement compared to the commercially available fungicide suspension (Pyr SC). Bioassay results exhibited that the Pyr@DAL-NPs revealed superior fungicidal activity against Botrytis cinerea over Pyr SC, with an EC50 value of 0.951 mg/L. Additionally, biosafety assessments indicated that the Pyr@DAL-NPs effectively declined the acute toxicity of Pyr towards zebrafish and posed no negative effects on the healthy growth of strawberry plants. In conclusion, this study presents a viable and promising strategy for developing environmentally friendly controlled-release systems for pesticides, offering the unique properties of lignin.

Association of Apple Scar Skin Viroid (ASSVd) Infection with an Emerging Disease in 'Saiwaihong' Apples.

A novel disease affecting small immature fruits has surfaced in 'Saiwaihong' apples (Malus pumila), a recently developed variety extensively cultivated across more than 20,000 ha in China. In an effort to pinpoint the causal agent(s) responsible for this ailment, RNA sequencing analysis was conducted on four symptomatic and four asymptomatic apple samples. The results revealed a diverse range of viruses and viroids, indicating mixed viral infection in diseased samples. However, a more focused examination involving 152 symptomatic and 122 asymptomatic fruit samples, using RT-PCR and dot-blotting hybridization techniques, highlighted a close association between the disease and the presence of apple scar skin viroid (ASSVd). Among the ASSVd variants obtained from diseased 'Saiwaihong' apples, 20 were identified, and they were either identical or closely related to isolates from various apple varieties cultivated in different regions and countries. This suggests that ASSVd isolates in 'Saiwaihong' might have been introduced from other apple varieties. Furthermore, the analysis indicates the possibility of two separate introductions, as the ASSVd 'Saiwaihong' isolates exhibited two distinct phylogenetic groups. These insights provide valuable guidance for disease control strategies and emphasize the significance of ongoing monitoring for ASSVd, both in its familiar forms and potential new variants.

Coating of maize seeds with acephate for precision agriculture: Safety assessment in earthworms, bees, and soil microorganisms.

Acephate is commonly used as a seed treatment (ST) in precision agriculture, but its impact on pollinators, earthworms, and soil microorganisms remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the fate of acephate seed dressing (SD) and seed coating (SC) treatments and assess potential risks to bees, earthworms, and soil microorganisms. Additionally, a follow-up study on maize seeds treated with acephate in a greenhouse was conducted to evaluate the maize growth process and the dissipation dynamics of the insecticide. The results indicated that acephate SC led to greater uptake and translocation in maize plants, resulting in lower residue levels in the soil. However, high concentrations of acephate metabolites in the soil had a negative impact on the body weight of earthworms, whereas acephate itself did not. The potential risk to bees from exposure to acephate ST was determined to be low, but dose-dependent effects were observed. Furthermore, acephate ST had no significant effect on soil bacterial community diversity and abundance compared to a control. This study provides valuable insights into the uptake and translocation of acephate SD and SC, and indicates that SC is safer than SD in terms of adverse effects on bees and nontarget soil organisms.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Three-Dimensional Fluorescence Spectra by Improved Parallel Factor Analysis with Internal Standard Sample Embedding.

The strategy of parallel factor analysis, combined with the internal standard method, has been increasingly applied to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of three-dimensional fluorescence spectra of unknown mixed fluorophores. Nevertheless, the disparity in the number of fluorophores included in the internal standard sample set and the number included in test samples may impact the qualitative and quantitative outcomes of parallel factor analysis. In this work, we systematically established the framework of the parallel factor analysis with internal standard sample embedding (ISSE-PARAFAC) strategy. We applied this framework to six datasets representing two scenarios and a real dataset and conducted a detailed discussion on the effects of the disparity between the number of fluorophores in the internal standard sample set and the number in the test set on both qualitative and quantitative results. Additionally, we introduced an enhancement to PARAFAC by aggregating fluorophores with similar emission wavelengths, corresponding to the peaks of emission loadings (spectra) obtained from PARAFAC, as a single fluorophore. This aggregation aimed to mitigate the strong correlation between similar fluorophores. The results imply that the presence of irrelevant fluorophores in the internal standard sample set, whether increased or decreased, does not significantly affect the qualitative and quantitative analysis of target fluorophores in the test set. Moreover, we demonstrated that the improved parallel factor analysis with internal standard sample embedding not only fully decomposes the uncorrelated mixed fluorophores for qualitative analysis but also allows the established linear concentration model for fluorescent components to predict the corresponding fluorophore concentration of test samples, enabling quantitative analysis at the ppm level (mg/L).