Transcriptome analysis reveals candidate genes involved in multiple heavy metal tolerance in hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii.

Sedum alfredii Hance is a perennial herb native to China that can particularly be found in regions with abandoned Pb/Zn mines. It is a Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator that is highly tolerant to Pb, Cu, Ni, and Mn, showing potential for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with multiple heavy metals. A better understanding of how this species responds to different heavy metals would advance the phytoremediation efficiency. In this study, transcriptomic regulation of S. alfredii roots after Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu exposure was analyzed to explore the candidate genes involved in multi-heavy metal tolerance. Although Zn and Cd, Pb and Cu had similar distribution patterns in S. alfredii, distinct expression patterns were exhibited among these four metal treatments, especially about half of the differentially expressed genes were upregulated under Cu treatment, suggesting that it utilizes distinctive and flexible strategies to cope with specific metal stress. Most unigenes regulated by Cu were enriched in catalytic activity, whereas the majority of unigenes regulated by Pb had unknown functions, implying that S. alfredii may have a unique strategy coping with Pb stress different from previous cognition. The unigenes that were co-regulated by multiple heavy metals exhibited functions of antioxidant substances, antioxidant enzymes, transporters, transcription factors, and cell wall components. These metal-induced responses at the transcriptional level in S. alfredii were highly consistent with those at the physiological level. Some of these genes have been confirmed to be related to heavy metal absorption and detoxification, and some were found to be related to heavy metal tolerance for the first time in this study, like Metacaspase-1 and EDR6. These results provide a theoretical basis for the use of genetic engineering technology to modify plants by enhancing multi-metal tolerance to promote phytoremediation efficiency.

The diagnostic value of PET/CT for the lymph node metastasis in Asian patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by a method of meta-analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Embase data bases was conducted to collect literature about PET/CT diagnosing lymph node metastasis of NSCLC up to December 1, 2021. Stata 15.0 software was used for the calculation of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). The publication bias was evaluated by Deeks' funnel plot. RESULTS: A total of 25 studies were enrolled, including 2,458 patients with NSCLC. The pooled sensitivity of PET/CT for diagnosing lymph node metastasis in NSCLC was 0.68 (95%CI: 0.61-0.75), the pooled specificity being 0.93 (95%CI: 0.89-0.95). Likelihood ratio syntheses gave an overall PLR of 9.4 (95%CI: 6.3-13.9), and NLR of 0.34 (95%CI: 0.28-0.41). The pooled DOR was 28 (95%CI: 19-40). The summary receiver operating characteristic curve showed the area under the curve of 0.88 (95%CI: 0.84-0.90). CONCLUSION: Positron emission tomography/CT has a good value in the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis of NSCLC, with specificity excellent. Positron emission tomography/CT can be used as one of the main imaging diagnosis methods for lymph node metastasis in patients with NSCLC.

Effect of inoculants and storage temperature on the microbial, chemical and mycotoxin composition of corn silage.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of lactic acid bacteria and storage temperature on the microbial, chemical and mycotoxin composition of corn silage. METHODS: Corn was harvested at 32.8% dry matter, and chopped to 1 to 2 cm. The chopped material was subjected to three treatments: i) control (distilled water); ii) 1×106 colony forming units (cfu)/g of Lactobacillus plantarum; iii) 1×106 cfu/g of Pediococcus pentosaceus. Treatments in triplicate were ensiled for 55 d at 20°C, 28°C, and 37°C in 1-L polythene jars following packing to a density of approximately 800 kg/m3 of fresh matter, respectively. At silo opening, microbial populations, fermentation characteristics, nutritive value and mycotoxins of corn silage were determined. RESULTS: L. plantarum significantly increased yeast number, water soluble carbohydrates, nitrate and deoxynivalenol content, and significantly decreased the ammonia N value in corn silage compared with the control (p<0.05). P. pentosaceus significantly increased lactic acid bacteria and yeast number and content of deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, T-2 toxin and zearalenone, while decreasing mold population and content of nitrate and 3-acetyl-deoxynivalneol in corn silage when stored at 20°C compared to the control (p<0.05). Storage temperature had a significant effect on deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, ochratoxin A, and zearalenone level in corn silage (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus did not decrease the contents of mycotoxins or nitrate in corn silage stored at three temperatures.

Augmented reality-assisted cloud additive manufacturing with digital twin technology for multi-stakeholder value Co-creation in product innovation.

Industry 4.0, boosting the integration of sophisticated computational and manufacturing technologies, has profoundly reshaped the way to deal with market dynamics. It increases the capabilities of multi-stakeholders to engage in value co-creation for product innovation. Nonetheless, it also poses challenges to operation efficiency, i.e., surged requirements meeting expedited delivery times, in account of stakeholders' diverse backgrounds and goals. To respond, by applying the technology of Digital Twin (DT), this study proposes an Augmented Reality-assisted Cloud Additive Manufacturing (AR-CAM) framework, establishing a sophisticated cyber-physical interface to cater to various coordinating interactions. By this means, it attempts to give a consistent understanding to multi-background stakeholders. A case study involving the fabrication of a speed rear derailleur is applied, thereby underscoring the validity of the AR-CAM framework.

Preweaning period is a critical window for rumen microbial regulation of average daily gain in Holstein heifer calves.

BACKGROUND: Rumen bacterial groups can affect growth performance, such as average daily gain (ADG), feed intake, and efficiency. The study aimed to investigate the inter-relationship of rumen bacterial composition, rumen fermentation indicators, serum indicators, and growth performance of Holstein heifer calves with different ADG. Twelve calves were chosen from a trail with 60 calves and divided into higher ADG (HADG, high pre- and post-weaning ADG, n = 6) and lower ADG (LADG, low pre- and post-weaning ADG, n = 6) groups to investigate differences in bacterial composition and functions and host phenotype. RESULTS: During the preweaning period, the relative abundances of propionate producers, including g_norank_f_Butyricicoccaceae, g_Pyramidobacter, and g_norank_f_norank_o_Clostridia_vadinBB60_group, were higher in HADG calves (LDA > 2, P < 0.05). Enrichment of these bacteria resulted in increased levels of propionate, a gluconeogenic precursor, in preweaning HADG calves (adjusted P < 0.05), which consequently raised serum glucose concentrations (adjusted P < 0.05). In contrast, the relative abundances of rumen bacteria in post-weaning HADG calves did not exert this effect. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in rumen fermentation parameters and serum indices between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study revealed that the preweaning period is the window of opportunity for rumen bacteria to regulate the ADG of calves.

Fermentation Quality, In Vitro Digestibility, and Aerobic Stability of Total Mixed Ration Silage in Response to Varying Proportion Alfalfa Silage.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different proportions of alfalfa silage on the fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, and aerobic stability of total mixed ration (TMR) silage. Three TMRs were prepared with different silage contents on a fresh matter basis: (1) 60% alfalfa silage (AS60), (2) 40% alfalfa silage (AS40), and (3) 20% alfalfa silage (AS20). The lactic acid in AS60 did not increase after 30 days of ensiling (p > 0.05). Butyric acid was detected in the AS20 group after 14 days of ensiling. The AS60 group showed significantly higher in vitro dry matter digestibility than the AS20 group (p < 0.05). The aerobic stability of TMR silage gradually increased with a decreasing percentage of alfalfa silage (p < 0.05). Unlike AS60, which directly gained an acidic environment from the alfalfa silage, AS40 developed a stable acidic environment during ensiling and further improved aerobic stability. However, when the percentage of alfalfa silage was reduced to 20%, a risk of clostridial spoilage occurred in the TMR silage. Therefore, the addition of 40% alfalfa silage to TMR is optimal and could achieve both good fermentation quality and considerable resistance to aerobic deterioration in TMR silage.

Effects of Replacing Ensiled-Alfalfa with Fresh-Alfalfa on Dynamic Fermentation Characteristics, Chemical Compositions, and Protein Fractions in Fermented Total Mixed Ration with Different Additives.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is one of the high protein ingredients of fermented total mixed ration (FTMR). Additionally, FTMR is widely used to satisfy the nutrition requirements of animals. This study was conducted to confirm the fermentation characteristics, chemical compositions and protein fractions changes when replacing ensiled-alfalfa with fresh-alfalfa in FTMR with additives. Three additives were separately applied to fresh-alfalfa total mixed ration (TMR) and ensiled-alfalfa TMR, including molasses (MOL), Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) and MOL plus LP (MOL+LP). The same volume of distilled water was sprayed onto the prepared TMR as performed for the control (CK). Each treatment included 18 repetitions and opened 3 repetitions at each fermenting day (1, 3, 7, 15, 30 and 60 d). The results showed that fresh-alfalfa FTMR (F-FTMR) exhibited slight changes in the fermentation characteristics during the first 7 d and showed similar trends in terms of the pH and organic acids content to ensiled-alfalfa FTMR (E-FTMR). The lactic acid contents of F-FTMR were significantly lower than those of E-FTMR at 60 d fermentation and the ammonia nitrogen contents were lower than E-FTMR during the entire fermenting period. The crude protein of the F-FTMR was enhanced after 60 d of fermenting. F-FTMR supplemented with MOL+LP exhibited a lower nonprotein nitrogen content, variable to slow protein and indigestible protein contents, and higher fast degradable protein and true protein degraded intermediately contents at 60 d fermenting, indicating that it effectively inhibited protein degradation.

Effects of the Application of Lactobacillus plantarum Inoculant and Potassium Sorbate on the Fermentation Quality, In Vitro Digestibility and Aerobic Stability of Total Mixed Ration Silage Based on Alfalfa Silage.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the application of an inoculant and a preservative on the fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, and aerobic stability of alfalfa silage-based fermented total mixed ration (TMR). The TMR was ensiled with (1) no additives (control), (2) Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), or (3) potassium sorbate (PS). The V-scores of all silages were higher than 80 points during the 30 days of ensiling. The addition of LP and PS had no effects on the in vitro parameters, such as in vitro digestibility and in vitro gas production (p > 0.05). LP-treated silage showed similar fermentation quality and comparable aerobic stability to the control (110 h). The LP only decreased the ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) content (p < 0.05) during ensiling. The PS significantly increased the pH of TMR silages (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the addition of PS improved the aerobic stability (>162 h) of TMR silage, indicated by the higher water-soluble carbohydrate content and lower NH3-N content in comparison with those in the control after aerobic exposure (p < 0.05). The improvement in fermentation quality is extremely small in terms of applying LP in TMR silage based on a large percentage of other silage ingredients. The PS is effective in conserving unpacked TMR silage and showed the potential to reduce the risk of ruminal acidosis in livestock.