The sprT Gene of Bacillus velezensis FZB42 Is Involved in Biofilm Formation and Bacilysin Production.

Bacillus velezensis FZB42, a representative strain of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), can form robust biofilm and produce multiple antibiotics against a wild range of phytopathogens. In this study, we observed different biofilm morphology of the mutant Y4, derived from a TnYLB-1 transposon insertion library of B. velezensis FZB42. We identified that the transposon was inserted into the sprT gene in Y4. Our bioinformatics analysis revealed that the SprT protein is an unstable hydrophilic protein located in the cytoplasm. It is highly conserved in Bacillus species and predicted to function as a metalloprotease by binding zinc ions. We also demonstrated that ΔsprT significantly reduced the swarming ability of FZB42 by ~5-fold and sporulation capacity by ~25-fold. In addition, the antagonistic experiments showed that, compared to the wild type, the ΔsprT strain exhibited significantly reduced inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC-9144 and Phytophthora sojae, indicating that the inactivation of sprT led to decreased production of the antibiotic bacilysin. The HPLC-MS analysis confirmed that bacilysin was indeed decreased in the ΔsprT strain, and qPCR analysis revealed that ΔsprT down-regulated the expression of the genes for bacilysin biosynthesis. Our results suggest that the sprT gene plays a regulatory role in multiple characteristics of B. velezensis FZB42, including biofilm formation, swarming, sporulation, and antibiotic production.

Transcriptional Profiling and Transposon Mutagenesis Study of the Endophyte Pantoea eucalypti FBS135 Adapting to Nitrogen Starvation.

The research on plant endophytes has been drawing a lot of attention in recent years. Pantoea belongs to a group of endophytes with plant growth-promoting activity and has been widely used in agricultural fields. In our earlier studies, Pantoea eucalypti FBS135 was isolated from healthy-growing Pinus massoniana and was able to promote pine growth. P. eucalypti FBS135 can grow under extremely low nitrogen conditions. To understand the mechanism of the low-nitrogen tolerance of this bacterium, the transcriptome of FBS135 in the absence of nitrogen was examined in this study. We found that FBS135 actively regulates its gene expression in response to nitrogen deficiency. Nearly half of the number (4475) of genes in FBS135 were differentially expressed under this condition, mostly downregulated, while it significantly upregulated many transportation-associated genes and some nitrogen metabolism-related genes. In the downregulated genes, the ribosome pathway-related ones were significantly enriched. Meanwhile, we constructed a Tn5 transposon library of FBS135, from which four genes involved in low-nitrogen tolerance were screened out, including the gene for the host-specific protein J, RNA polymerase σ factor RpoS, phosphoribosamine-glycine ligase, and serine acetyltransferase. Functional analysis of the genes revealed their potential roles in the adaptation to nitrogen limitation. The results obtained in this work shed light on the mechanism of endophytes represented by P. eucalypti FBS135, at the overall transcriptional level, to an environmentally limited nitrogen supply and provided a basis for further investigation on this topic.

Resistant and Susceptible Pinus thunbergii ParL. Show Highly Divergent Patterns of Differentially Expressed Genes during the Process of Infection by Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a devastating disease that threatens pine forests worldwide, and breeding resistant pines is an important management strategy used to reduce its impact. A batch of resistant seeds of P. thunbergii was introduced from Japan. Based on the resistant materials, we obtained somatic plants through somatic embryogenesis. In this study, we performed transcriptome analysis to further understand the defense response of resistant somatic plants of P. thunbergii to PWD. The results showed that, after pine wood nematode (PWN) infection, resistant P. thunbergii stimulated more differential expression genes (DEGs) and involved more regulatory pathways than did susceptible P. thunbergii. For the first time, the alpha-linolenic acid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism were intensively observed in pines resisting PWN infection. The related genes disease resistance protein RPS2 (SUMM2) and pathogenesis-related genes (PR1), as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes were significantly up-expressed in order to contribute to protection against PWN inoculation in P. thunbergii. In addition, the diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly enriched only in resistant P. thunbergii. These findings provided valuable genetic information for future breeding of resistant conifers, and could contribute to the development of new diagnostic tools for early screening of resistant pine seedlings based on specific PWN-tolerance-related markers.

Study on the mathematical modelling of COVID-19 with Caputo-Fabrizio operator.

In this article we study a fractional-order mathematical model describing the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) under the Caputo-Fabrizio sense. Exploiting the approach of fixed point theory, we compute existence as well as uniqueness of the related solution. To investigate the exact solution of our model, we use the Laplace Adomian decomposition method (LADM) and obtain results in terms of infinite series. We then present numerical results to illuminate the efficacy of the new derivative. Compared to the classical order derivatives, our obtained results under the new notion show better results concerning the novel coronavirus model.

Investigating a nonlinear dynamical model of COVID-19 disease under fuzzy caputo, random and ABC fractional order derivative.

This paper is devoted to investigation of the fractional order fuzzy dynamical system, in our case, modeling the recent pandemic due to corona virus (COVID-19). The considered model is analyzed for exactness and uniqueness of solution by using fixed point theory approach. We have also provided the numerical solution of the nonlinear dynamical system with the help of some iterative method applying Caputo as well as Attangana-Baleanu and Caputo fractional type derivative. Also, random COVID-19 model described by a system of random differential equations was presented. At the end we have given some numerical approximation to illustrate the proposed method by applying different fractional values corresponding to uncertainty.

Genomic Organization of the B3-Domain Transcription Factor Family in Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) and Expression during Seed Development in Seedless and Seeded Cultivars.

Members of the plant-specific B3-domain transcription factor family have important and varied functions, especially with respect to vegetative and reproductive growth. Although B3 genes have been studied in many other plants, there is limited information on the genomic organization and expression of B3 genes in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). In this study, we identified 50 B3 genes in the grapevine genome and analyzed these genes in terms of chromosomal location and syntenic relationships, intron-exon organization, and promoter cis-element content. We also analyzed the presumed proteins in terms of domain structure and phylogenetic relationships. Based on the results, we classified these genes into five subfamilies. The syntenic relationships suggest that approximately half of the genes resulted from genome duplication, contributing to the expansion of the B3 family in grapevine. The analysis of cis-element composition suggested that most of these genes may function in response to hormones, light, and stress. We also analyzed expression of members of the B3 family in various structures of grapevine plants, including the seed during seed development. Many B3 genes were expressed preferentially in one or more structures of the developed plant, suggesting specific roles in growth and development. Furthermore, several of the genes were expressed differentially in early developing seeds from representative seeded and seedless cultivars, suggesting a role in seed development or abortion. The results of this study provide a foundation for functional analysis of B3 genes and new resources for future molecular breeding of grapevine.

Conjugated Electron Donor⁻Acceptor Hybrid Polymeric Carbon Nitride as a Photocatalyst for CO2 Reduction.

This work incorporates a variety of conjugated donor-acceptor (DA) co-monomers such as 2,6-diaminopurine (DP) into the structure of a polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) backbone using a unique nanostructure co-polymerization strategy and examines its photocatalytic activity performance in the field of photocatalytic CO2 reduction to CO and H2 under visible light irradiation. The as-synthesized samples were successfully analyzed using different characterization methods to explain their electronic and optical properties, crystal phase, microstructure, and their morphology that influenced the performance due to the interactions between the PCN and the DPco-monomer. Based on the density functional theory (DFT) calculation result, pure PCN and CNU-DP15.0 trimers (interpreted as incorporation of the co-monomer at two different positions) were extensively evaluated and exhibited remarkable structural optimization without the inclusion of any symmetry constraints (the non-modified sample derived from urea, named as CNU), and their optical and electronic properties were also manipulated to control occupation of their respective highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). Also, co-polymerization of the donor-acceptor 2,6-diamino-purine co-monomer with PCN influenced the chemical affinities, polarities, and acid-base functions of the PCN, remarkably enhancing the photocatalytic activity for the production of CO and H2 from CO2 by 15.02-fold compared than that of the parental CNU, while also improving the selectivity.

Heterologous Expression of the Grapevine JAZ7 Gene in Arabidopsis Confers Enhanced Resistance to Powdery Mildew but Not to Botrytis cinerea.

Jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) family proteins comprise a class of transcriptional repressors that silence jasmonate-inducible genes. Although a considerable amount of research has been carried out on this gene family, there is still very little information available on the role of specific JAZ gene members in multiple pathogen resistance, especially in non-model species. In this study, we investigated the potential resistance function of the VqJAZ7 gene from a disease-resistant wild grapevine, Vitis quinquangularis cv. "Shang-24", through heterologous expression in Arabidopsis thaliana. VqJAZ7-expressing transgenic Arabidopsis were challenged with three pathogens: the biotrophic fungus Golovinomyces cichoracearum, necrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea, and semi-biotrophic bacteria Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. We found that plants expressing VqJAZ7 showed greatly reduced disease symptoms for G. cichoracearum, but not for B. cinerea or P. syringae. In response to G cichoracearum infection, VqJAZ7-expressing transgenic lines exhibited markedly higher levels of cell death, superoxide anions (O2¯, and H2O2 accumulation, relative to nontransgenic control plants. Moreover, we also tested the relative expression of defense-related genes to comprehend the possible induced pathways. Taken together, our results suggest that VqJAZ7 in grapevine participates in molecular pathways of resistance to G. cichoracearum, but not to B. cinerea or P. syringae.

Screening Vitis Genotypes for Responses to Botrytis cinerea and Evaluation of Antioxidant Enzymes, Reactive Oxygen Species and Jasmonic Acid in Resistant and Susceptible Hosts.

Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungal phytopathogen with devastating effects on many Vitis genotypes. Here, a screening of 81 Vitis genotypes for leaf resistance to B. cinerea revealed two highly resistant (HR), twelve resistant (R), twenty-five susceptible (S) and forty-two highly susceptible (HS) genotypes. We focused on the HR genotype, 'Zi Qiu' (Vitis davidii), and the HS genotype 'Riesling' (V. vinifera), to elucidate mechanisms of host resistance and susceptibility against B. cinerea, using detached leaf assays. These involved a comparison of fungal growth, reactive oxygen species (ROS) responses, jasmonic acid (JA) levels, and changes in the anti-oxidative system between the two genotypes after inoculation with B. cinerea. Our results indicated that the high-level resistance of 'Zi Qiu' can be attributed to insignificant fungal development, low ROS production, timely elevation of anti-oxidative functions, and high JA levels. Moreover, severe fungal infection of 'Riesling' and sustained ROS production coincided with relatively unchanged anti-oxidative activity, as well as low JA levels. This study provides insights into B. cinerea infection in grape, which can be valuable for breeders by providing information for selecting suitable germplasm with enhanced disease resistance.

Modeling the epidemic trend of middle eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus with optimal control.

Since the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 in the Middle East, we have proposed a deterministic theoretical model to understand its transmission between individuals and MERS-CoV reservoirs such as camels. We aim to calculate the basic reproduction number ($ \mathcal{R}_{0} $) of the model to examine its airborne transmission. By applying stability theory, we can analyze and visualize the local and global features of the model to determine its stability. We also study the sensitivity of $ \mathcal{R}_{0} $ to determine the impact of each parameter on the transmission of the disease. Our model is designed with optimal control in mind to minimize the number of infected individuals while keeping intervention costs low. The model includes time-dependent control variables such as supportive care, the use of surgical masks, government campaigns promoting the importance of masks, and treatment. To support our analytical work, we present numerical simulation results for the proposed model.

On the analysis of the fractional model of COVID-19 under the piecewise global operators.

An expanding field of study that offers fresh and intriguing approaches to both mathematicians and biologists is the symbolic representation of mathematics. In relation to COVID-19, such a method might provide information to humanity for halting the spread of this epidemic, which has severely impacted people's quality of life. In this study, we examine a crucial COVID-19 model under a globalized piecewise fractional derivative in the context of Caputo and Atangana Baleanu fractional operators. The said model has been constructed in the format of two fractional operators, having a non-linear time-varying spreading rate, and composed of ten compartmental individuals: Susceptible, Infectious, Diagnosed, Ailing, Recognized, Infectious Real, Threatened, Recovered Diagnosed, Healed and Extinct populations. The qualitative analysis is developed for the proposed model along with the discussion of their dynamical behaviors. The stability of the approximate solution is tested by using the Ulam-Hyers stability approach. For the implementation of the given model in the sense of an approximate piecewise solution, the Newton Polynomial approximate solution technique is applied. The graphing results are with different additional fractional orders connected to COVID-19 disease, and the graphical representation is established for other piecewise fractional orders. By using comparisons of this nature between the graphed and analytical data, we are able to calculate the best-fit parameters for any arbitrary orders with a very low error rate. Additionally, many parameters' effects on the transmission of viral infections are examined and analyzed. Such a discussion will be more informative as it demonstrates the dynamics on various piecewise intervals.

Analysis of age wise fractional order problems for the Covid-19 under non-singular kernel of Mittag-Leffler law.

The developed article considers SIR problems for the recent COVID-19 pandemic, in which each component is divided into two subgroups: young and adults. These subgroups are distributed among two classes in each compartment, and the effect of COVID-19 is observed in each class. The fractional problem is investigated using the non-singular operator of Atangana Baleanu in the Caputo sense (ABC). The existence and uniqueness of the solution are calculated using the fundamental theorems of fixed point theory. The stability development is also determined using the Ulam-Hyers stability technique. The approximate solution is evaluated using the fractional Adams-Bashforth technique, providing a wide range of choices for selecting fractional order parameters. The simulation is plotted against available data to verify the obtained scheme. Different fractional-order approximations are compared to integer-order curves of various orders. Therefore, this analysis represents the recent COVID-19 pandemic, differentiated by age at different fractional orders. The analysis reveals the impact of COVID-19 on young and adult populations. Adults, who typically have weaker immune systems, are more susceptible to infection compared to young people. Similarly, recovery from infection is higher among young infected individuals compared to infected cases in adults.

Energy transfer through third-grade fluid flow across an inclined stretching sheet subject to thermal radiation and Lorentz force.

The heat and mass transfer through the third grade fluid (TGF) flow over an inclined elongating sheet with the consequences of magnetic field and chemical reaction is reported. The impact of activation energy, heat source/sink, and thermal radiation is considered on the TGF flow. Fluid that demonstrate non-Newtonian (NN) properties such as shear thickening, shear thinning, and normal stresses despite the fact that the boundary is inflexible is known as TGF. It also has viscous elastic fluid properties. In the proposed model, the TGF model is designed in form of nonlinear coupled partial differential equations (PDEs). Before employing the numerical package bvp4c, the system of coupled equations are reduced into non-dimensional form. The finite-difference code bvp4c, in particular, executes the Lobatto three-stage IIIa formula. The impacts of flow constraints on velocity field, energy profile, Nusselt number and skin friction are displayed through Tables and Figures. For validity of the results, the numerical comparison with the published study is performed through Table. From graphical results, it can be perceived that the fluid velocity enriches with the variation of TGF factor and Richardson number. The heat source parameter operational as a heating mediator for the flow system, its influence enhances the fluid temperature.

Energy transmission through radiative ternary nanofluid flow with exponential heat source/sink across an inclined permeable cylinder/plate: numerical computing.

The steady two-dimension (2D) ternary nanofluid (TNF) flow across an inclined permeable cylinder/plate is analyzed in the present study. The TNF flow has been examined under the consequences of heat source/sink, permeable medium and mixed convection. For the preparation of TNF, the magnesium oxide (MgO), cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are dispersed in water. The rising need for highly efficient cooling mechanisms in several sectors and energy-related processes ultimately inspired the current work. The fluid flow and energy propagation is mathematically described in the form of coupled PDEs. The system of PDEs is reduced into non-dimensional forms of ODEs, which are further numerically handled through the Matlab package (bvp4c). It has been observed that the results display that the porosity factor advances the thermal curve, whereas drops the fluid velocity. The effect of heat source/sink raises the energy field. Furthermore, the plate surface illustrates a leading behavior of energy transport over cylinder geometry versus the variation of ternary nanoparticles (NPs). The energy dissemination rate in the cylinder enhances from 4.73 to 11.421%, whereas for the plate, the energy distribution rate boosts from 6.37 to 13.91% as the porosity factor varies from 0.3 to 0.9.

Stagnation point flow of hybrid nanofluid flow passing over a rotating sphere subjected to thermophoretic diffusion and thermal radiation.

The effects of thermal radiation and thermophoretic particles deposition (TPD) on the hybrid nanofluid (HNF) flow across a circling sphere have momentous roles in research and engineering. Such as electrical devices, projectiles, thermal conveyance, sheet production, renewable energy, and nuclear-powered plants. Therefore, the current study presents the stagnation point flow of HNF flows about an orbiting sphere. The HNF is organized with the accumulation of aluminum alloys (AA70772 and AA7075) nanoparticles in the water. The HNF flow model equations are changed into the non-dimensional form of ODEs through the similarity variables and then numerically solved through the parametric simulation. It has been perceived that the significance of the rotation factor boosts the velocity curve, while the flow motion drops with the increasing numbers of AA7072 and AA7075 nanoparticles. Furthermore, the addition of AA7072 and AA70775 nano particulates in water lessens with the temperature profile. The energy distribution rate in case of hybrid nanoliquid enhances from 3.87 to 13.79%, whereas the mass dissemination rate enhances from 4.35 to 11.24% as the nanoparticles concentration varies from 0.01 to 0.03.

Fractal fractional based transmission dynamics of COVID-19 epidemic model.

We investigate the dynamical behavior of Coronavirus (COVID-19) for different infections phases and multiple routes of transmission. In this regard, we study a COVID-19 model in the context of fractal-fractional order operator. First, we study the COVID-19 dynamics with a fractal fractional-order operator in the framework of Atangana-Baleanu fractal-fractional operator. We estimated the basic reduction number and the stability results of the proposed model. We show the data fitting to the proposed model. The system has been investigated for qualitative analysis. Novel numerical methods are introduced for the derivation of an iterative scheme of the fractal-fractional Atangana-Baleanu order. Finally, numerical simulations are performed for various orders of fractal-fractional dimension.

Modeling and analysis of a fractional anthroponotic cutaneous leishmania model with Atangana-Baleanu derivative.

Very recently, Atangana and Baleanu defined a novel arbitrary order derivative having a kernel of non-locality and non-singularity, known as AB derivative. We analyze a non-integer order Anthroponotic Leshmania Cutaneous (ACL) problem exploiting this novel AB derivative. We derive equilibria of the model and compute its threshold quantity, i.e. the so-called reproduction number. Conditions for the local stability of the no-disease as well as the disease endemic states are derived in terms of the threshold quantity. The qualitative analysis for solution of the proposed problem have derived with the aid of the theory of fixed point. We use the predictor corrector numerical approach to solve the proposed fractional order model for approximate solution. We also provide, the numerical simulations for each of the compartment of considered model at different fractional orders along with comparison with integer order to elaborate the importance of modern derivative. The fractional investigation shows that the non-integer order derivative is more realistic about the inner dynamics of the Leishmania model lying between integer order.

Chemical mismanagement and skin burns among hospitalized and outpatient department patients.

Purpose. This article attempts to elucidate the nature of chemicals causing major and minor skin burns, and their associated characterization across different industries, using Fujian provincial hospitals' admission and outpatient department records. Materials and methods. Data were collected from the provincial hospitals of Fujian through a questionnaire, sent via email, from June 1, 2017 to November 30, 2017. The collected responses were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 19 through the interquartile range, median, Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's exact test with two-tailed significance. Results and conclusions. The results of 306 collected responses reveal that the majority of skin burn cases are due to a lack of technical education and professional training among workers handling chemicals. This study suggests that management's effective supervision and governmental regulations may help to prevent chemical skin burns at work, and can further be controlled by hiring professional workers alongside providing training to them in chemical handling as well as using protective equipment and developing appropriate management policies to improve victims' well-being and quality of life. Findings will help workers, doctors, hospitals, industries, government and other stakeholders to understand and control chemical hazards on site to minimize the risks of chemical skin burn incidents.

Characterization of structural, functional and antioxidant properties and amino acid composition of pepsin-derived glutelin-1 hydrolysate from walnut processing by-products.

Glutelin-1 of defatted walnut meal protein (DWPG-1) was modified by pepsin enzymatic hydrolysis to improve its functional properties and antioxidant activities. The amino acid composition, structural characteristics, physicochemical and functional properties as well as antioxidant activities of the hydrolysate were compared with those of unmodified DWPG-1. The analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns, surface microstructure and particle size distribution indicated that enzymatic hydrolysis changed the structures of DWPG-1. Compared with the natural unhydrolyzed protein, the hydrolysate showed better physicochemical properties, such as surface hydrophobicity, solubility, emulsifying properties, foaming properties and water absorption capacity. In addition, the hydrolysate also exhibited significantly stronger antioxidant activities than DWPG-1. In conclusion, the results of this study prove that pepsin-mediated hydrolysis of walnut glutelin-1 can effectively modify the structure, function and antioxidant activity of DWPG-1, and could be used as an effective technology to produce bioactive multifunctional hydrolysates.