Novel WS2 /Fe0.95 S1.05 Hierarchical Nanosphere as a Highly Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Fe0.95 S1.05 with high reactivity and stability was incorporated into WS2 nanosheets via a one-step solvothermal method for the first time. The resulted hybrid catalyst has much higher catalytic activity than WS2 and Fe0.95 S1.05 alone, and the optimal WS2 /Fe0.95 S1.05 hybrid catalyst was found by adjusting the feed ratio. The addition of Fe0.95 S1.05 was proven to be able to enhance the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity of WS2 , and vice versa. At the same time, it was found that the catalytic effect of the hybrid catalyst was the best when the feed ratio was W : Fe=2 : 1. In other words, we confirmed that there is a synergistic effect between W- and Fe-based sulfide hybrid catalysts, and validated that the reason for the improved HER performance is the strong interaction between the two in the middle sulfur. WS2 /Fe0.95 S1.05 -2 hybrid catalyst leads to enhanced HER activity, which shows a low overpotential of ∼0.172 V at 10 mA cm-2 , low Tafel slope of ∼53.47 mV/decade. This study supplies innovative synthesis of a highly active WS2 /Fe0.95 S1.05 hybrid catalyst for HER.

Efficient Patch-Wise Semantic Segmentation for Large-Scale Remote Sensing Images.

Efficient and accurate semantic segmentation is the key technique for automatic remote sensing image analysis. While there have been many segmentation methods based on traditional hand-craft feature extractors, it is still challenging to process high-resolution and large-scale remote sensing images. In this work, a novel patch-wise semantic segmentation method with a new training strategy based on fully convolutional networks is presented to segment common land resources. First, to handle the high-resolution image, the images are split as local patches and then a patch-wise network is built. Second, training data is preprocessed in several ways to meet the specific characteristics of remote sensing images, i.e., color imbalance, object rotation variations and lens distortion. Third, a multi-scale training strategy is developed to solve the severe scale variation problem. In addition, the impact of conditional random field (CRF) is studied to improve the precision. The proposed method was evaluated on a dataset collected from a capital city in West China with the Gaofen-2 satellite. The dataset contains ten common land resources (Grassland, Road, etc.). The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm achieves 54.96% in terms of mean intersection over union (MIoU) and outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in remote sensing image segmentation.

Comprehensive analysis of the Spartina alterniflora WD40 gene family reveals the regulatory role of SaTTG1 in plant development.

Introduction: The WD40 gene family, prevalent in eukaryotes, assumes diverse roles in cellular processes. Spartina alterniflora, a halophyte with exceptional salt tolerance, flood tolerance, reproduction, and diffusion ability, offers great potential for industrial applications and crop breeding analysis. The exploration of growth and development-related genes in this species offers immense potential for enhancing crop yield and environmental adaptability, particularly in industrialized plantations. However, the understanding of their role in regulating plant growth and development remains limited. Methods: In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of WD40 genes in S. alterniflora at the whole-genome level, delving into their characteristics such as physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, gene architecture, and expression patterns. Additionally, we cloned the TTG1 gene, a gene in plant growth and development across diverse species. Results: We identified a total of 582 WD40 proteins in the S. alterniflora genome, exhibiting an uneven distribution across chromosomes. Through phylogenetic analysis, we categorized the 582 SaWD40 proteins into 12 distinct clades. Examining the duplication patterns of SaWD40 genes, we observed a predominant role of segmental duplication in their expansion. A substantial proportion of SaWD40 gene duplication pairs underwent purifying selection through evolution. To explore the functional aspects, we selected SaTTG1, a homolog of Arabidopsis TTG1, for overexpression in Arabidopsis. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the SaTTG1 protein localized in the nucleus and plasma membrane, exhibiting transcriptional activation in yeast cells. The overexpression of SaTTG1 in Arabidopsis resulted in early flowering and increased seed size. Discussion: These outcomes significantly contribute to our understanding of WD40 gene functions in halophyte species. The findings not only serve as a valuable foundation for further investigations into WD40 genes in halophyte but also offer insights into the molecular mechanisms governing plant development, offering potential avenues in molecular breeding.

Inhibitory effects and mechanisms of cinnamaldehyde against Fusarium oxysporum, a serious pathogen in potatoes.

BACKGROUND: Potatoes, a major economic crop, are significantly impacted by Fusarium dry rot, a prevalent postharvest disease. Despite the broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties of cinnamaldehyde, a naturally-derived plant substance, its efficacy against the causal pathogen of potato dry rot (Fusarium oxysporum) and the underlying mechanisms have not been extensively studied. RESULTS: Our study demonstrates that cinnamaldehyde effectively inhibits the growth of Fusarium oxysporum, the pathogen responsible for potato dry rot, and increases its sensitivity to environmental stress factors such as extreme temperatures and high salt stress. Treatment with cinnamaldehyde results in altered fungal mycelium morphology, compromised cell wall stability, and disrupted cell membrane integrity, thereby reducing spore viability. Specifically, it interferes with the cell membrane and cell wall structures of the fungus, potentially disrupting fungal growth by modulating signaling pathways involved in cell wall maintenance, chitin metabolism, and GPI-anchored protein function. Notably, we show that cinnamaldehyde induces a form of regulated cell death in F. oxysporum, which is characterized not as typical apoptosis, as evidenced by Annexin V negative staining. However, the specific cell death type and underlying mechanism still needed to be further explored. CONCLUSION: Cinnamaldehyde, an environmentally friendly plant-based active compound, exhibits strong inhibitory effects on F. oxysporum, indicating its potential use in the prevention and control strategies for potato dry rot. This research contributes to the understanding of novel antifungal mechanisms and offers promising insights into eco-friendly alternatives for managing this economically significant postharvest disease. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparative Analysis of Six Chloroplast Genomes in Chenopodium and Its Related Genera (Amaranthaceae): New Insights into Phylogenetic Relationships and the Development of Species-Specific Molecular Markers.

Species within the genus Chenopodium hold significant research interest due to their nutritional richness and salt tolerance. However, the morphological similarities among closely related species and a dearth of genomic resources have impeded their comprehensive study and utilization. In the present research, we conduct the sequencing and assembly of chloroplast (cp) genomes from six Chenopodium and related species, five of which were sequenced for the first time. These genomes ranged in length from 151,850 to 152,215 base pairs, showcased typical quadripartite structures, and encoded 85 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 1 pseudogene, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Compared with the previously published sequences of related species, these cp genomes are relatively conservative, but there are also some interspecific differences, such as inversion and IR region contraction. We discerned 929 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and a series of highly variable regions across 16 related species, predominantly situated in the intergenic spacer (IGS) region and introns. The phylogenetic evaluations revealed that Chenopodium is more closely related to genera such as Atriplex, Beta, Dysphania, and Oxybase than to other members of the Amaranthaceae family. These lineages shared a common ancestor approximately 60.80 million years ago, after which they diverged into distinct genera. Based on InDels and SNPs between species, we designed 12 pairs of primers for species identification, and experiments confirmed that they could completely distinguish 10 related species.

Development and validation of a deep learning model for breast lesion segmentation and characterization in multiparametric MRI.

Importance: The utilization of artificial intelligence for the differentiation of benign and malignant breast lesions in multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) assists radiologists to improve diagnostic performance. Objectives: To develop an automated deep learning model for breast lesion segmentation and characterization and to evaluate the characterization performance of AI models and radiologists. Materials and methods: For lesion segmentation, 2,823 patients were used for the training, validation, and testing of the VNet-based segmentation models, and the average Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) between the manual segmentation by radiologists and the mask generated by VNet was calculated. For lesion characterization, 3,303 female patients with 3,607 pathologically confirmed lesions (2,213 malignant and 1,394 benign lesions) were used for the three ResNet-based characterization models (two single-input and one multi-input models). Histopathology was used as the diagnostic criterion standard to assess the characterization performance of the AI models and the BI-RADS categorized by the radiologists, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). An additional 123 patients with 136 lesions (81 malignant and 55 benign lesions) from another institution were available for external testing. Results: Of the 5,811 patients included in the study, the mean age was 46.14 (range 11-89) years. In the segmentation task, a DSC of 0.860 was obtained between the VNet-generated mask and manual segmentation by radiologists. In the characterization task, the AUCs of the multi-input and the other two single-input models were 0.927, 0.821, and 0.795, respectively. Compared to the single-input DWI or DCE model, the multi-input DCE and DWI model obtained a significant increase in sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy (0.831 vs. 0.772/0.776, 0.874 vs. 0.630/0.709, 0.846 vs. 0.721/0.752). Furthermore, the specificity of the multi-input model was higher than that of the radiologists, whether using BI-RADS category 3 or 4 as a cutoff point (0.874 vs. 0.404/0.841), and the accuracy was intermediate between the two assessment methods (0.846 vs. 0.773/0.882). For the external testing, the performance of the three models remained robust with AUCs of 0.812, 0.831, and 0.885, respectively. Conclusions: Combining DCE with DWI was superior to applying a single sequence for breast lesion characterization. The deep learning computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) model we developed significantly improved specificity and achieved comparable accuracy to the radiologists with promise for clinical application to provide preliminary diagnoses.

A Novel Hybrid of Telmisartan and Borneol Ameliorates Neuroinflammation and White Matter Injury in Ischemic Stroke Through ATF3/CH25H Axis.

Cerebral ischemic stroke causes substantial white matter injury, which is further aggravated by neuroinflammation mediated by microglia/astrocytes. Given the anti-neuroinflammatory action of telmisartan and the enhancing blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability potential of resuscitation-inducing aromatic herbs, 13 hybrids (3a-m) of telmisartan (or its simplified analogues) with resuscitation-inducing aromatic agents were designed, synthesized, and biologically evaluated. Among them, the optimal compound 3a (the ester hybrid of telmisartan and (+)-borneol) potently inhibited neuroinflammation mediated by microglia/astrocytes and ameliorated ischemic stroke. Particularly, 3a significantly conferred protection for white matter integrity after cerebral ischemic stroke via decreasing abnormally dephosphorylated neurofilament protein, upregulating myelin basic protein, and attenuating oligodendrocyte damage. Further RNA-sequencing data revealed that 3a upregulated expression of transcriptional regulator ATF3 to reduce the expression of CH25H, prevented proinflammatory state of lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia/astrocytes to limit excessive inflammation, and eventually protected neighboring oligodendrocytes to prevent white matter injury. Taken with the desirable pharmacokinetics behavior and improved brain distribution, 3a may be a feasible therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke and other neurological disorders with white matter injury.

Physiological responses of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to microplastic pollution.

Concerns about the pollution of farmlands by microplastics and the associated toxicology have increased in recent times; however, studies on this topic are scarce. In this study, two kinds of PVC microplastics with different particle sizes (PVC-a with particle sizes from 100 nm to 18 µm, and PVC-b with particle sizes from 18 to 150 µm) and different content levels (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) were used to analyze the effects of PVC microplastics on the physiological characteristics of the lettuce root system and leaves. The results showed that PVC-a and PVC-b had no significant effect on the lettuce root activity. However, 0.5%a and 1%a significantly increased the total length, surface area, volume, and diameter of roots. In terms of leaves, PVC-a and PVC-b had no significant effect on the malondialdehyde content, but 1%a significantly increased the superoxide dismutase activity. Carotenoid synthesis was promoted by PVC-a but inhibited by PVC-b. Furthermore, 1%a could reduce the ability of light energy absorption, dissipation, capture, and electron transfer. The gray correlation analysis indicated that PVC-a correlated to a considerable degree with the indices related to photosynthesis, while PVC-b was significantly correlated with the indices related to root morphology. This study provides insights into the ecotoxicological effect of microplastics on farmland crops and associated ecological risk assessment.