Effects of steam explosion pretreatment on the digestive properties and gut microbiota of Laminaria japonica polysaccharide.

BACKGROUND: Laminaria japonica polysaccharide, which is an important bioactive substance of Laminaria japonica with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In this study, the molecular weight, functional groups and surface morphology were investigated to evaluate the digestive properties of Laminaria japonica polysaccharide before and after steam explosion. RESULTS: The results indicated that the Laminaria japonica polysaccharide entered the large intestine to be utilized by the gut microbiota after passing through the oral, gastric and small intestinal. Meanwhile, Laminaria japonica polysaccharide of steam explosion promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria Phascolarctobacterium and Intestinimonas, and increased the content of acetic, propionic and butyric acids, which was 2.29-folds, 2.60-folds and 1.63-folds higher than the control group after 48 h of fermentation. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the effect of steam explosion pretreatment on the digestion in vitro and gut microbiota of Laminaria japonica polysaccharide will provide a basic theoretical basis for the potential application of Laminaria japonica polysaccharide as a prebiotic in the food industry. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Machine Learning-based Framework Develops a Tumor Thrombus Coagulation Signature in Multicenter Cohorts for Renal Cancer.

Background: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is frequently accompanied by tumor thrombus in the venous system with an extremely dismal prognosis. The current Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage and Mayo clinical classification do not appropriately identify preference-sensitive treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a better ideal model for precision medicine. Methods: In this study, we developed a coagulation tumor thrombus signature for RCC with 10 machine-learning algorithms (101 combinations) based on a novel computational framework using multiple independent cohorts. Results: The established tumor thrombus coagulation-related risk stratification (TTCRRS) signature comprises 10 prognostic coagulation-related genes (CRGs). This signature could predict survival outcomes in public and in-house protein cohorts and showed high performance compared to 129 published signatures. Additionally, the TTCRRS signature was significantly related to some immune landscapes, immunotherapy response, and chemotherapy. Furthermore, we also screened out hub genes, transcription factors, and small compounds based on the TTCRRS signature. Meanwhile, CYP51A1 can regulate the proliferation and migration properties of RCC. Conclusions: The TTCRRS signature can complement the traditional anatomic TNM staging system and Mayo clinical stratification and provide clinicians with more therapeutic options.

Study on the reduction of residual stress in laser cladding layers through groove texture.

In order to develop a method for the production of crack-free cladding layers, we combined surface texturing technology with laser cladding, establishing a multi-field coupled numerical simulation model. A separate investigation was conducted into the temperature, stress, and fluid fields in laser cladding processes with and without texturing, seeking optimal cladding parameters, and conducted experiments. The results of the numerical simulations indicate that pre-set texturing effectively reduces the temperature gradient during the cladding process, thereby making the thermal cycle curve smoother. The residual stresses in the X, Y, and Z directions are reduced by 34.84%, 3.94%, and 50.22%, respectively. The introduction of texturing reduces the internal flow velocity of the melt pool, preventing the occurrence of a double vortex effect. Experimental results show that the residual stresses in the X, Y, and Z directions of the predefined textured cladding layer are reduced by approximately 41%, 8%, and 47%, respectively, compared to the non-textured cladding layer. This effectively improves the surface roughness and internal grain size of the cladding layer, with no significant defects at the metallurgical bonding positions, providing a reference for future improvements in cladding layer quality.

Regulatory Effects of 198-bp Structural Variants in the GSTA2 Promoter Region on Adipogenesis in Chickens.

Molecular breeding accelerates animal breeding and improves efficiency by utilizing genetic mutations. Structural variations (SVs), a significant source of genetic mutations, have a greater impact on phenotypic variation than SNPs. Understanding SV functional mechanisms and obtaining precise information are crucial for molecular breeding. In this study, association analysis revealed significant correlations between 198-bp SVs in the GSTA2 promoter region and abdominal fat weight, intramuscular fat content, and subcutaneous fat thickness in chickens. High expression of GSTA2 in adipose tissue was positively correlated with the abdominal fat percentage, and different genotypes of GSTA2 exhibited varied expression patterns in the liver. The 198-bp SVs regulate GSTA2 expression by binding to different transcription factors. Overexpression of GSTA2 promoted preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation, while interference had the opposite effect. Mechanistically, the 198-bp fragment contains binding sites for transcription factors such as C/EBPα that regulate GSTA2 expression and fat synthesis. These SVs are significantly associated with chicken fat traits, positively influencing preadipocyte development by regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Our work provides compelling evidence for the use of 198-bp SVs in the GSTA2 promoter region as molecular markers for poultry breeding and offers new insights into the pivotal role of the GSTA2 gene in fat generation.

Association of triglyceride glucose-body mass index with Alzheimer's disease pathology, cognition and brain structure in non-demented people.

The relationship between the triglyceride glucose-body mass index (TyG-BMI) index and Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, cognition, and brain structure remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate these associations, focusing on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, cognitive measures, and brain imaging data. Eight hundred and fifty-five non-demented participants were included. Linear regression was used to explore associations between the TyG-BMI index and AD pathology, cognition, and brain structure. The association between the TyG-BMI index and AD risk was assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models. Longitudinal relationships were assessed using linear mixed-effects models. Mediation analyses were conducted to examine AD pathology's potential mediating role between the TyG-BMI index and cognition as well as brain structure. In the linear regression analyses, higher TyG-BMI levels were associated with increased Aß42 and decreased Tau, pTau, Tau/Aß42, pTau/Aß42, and pTau/Tau. Positive correlations were observed with mini-mental state examination (MMSE), memory (MEM), executive function (EF), and the volumes of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and middle temporal regions, while negative correlations were found with Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS). Longitudinally, the TyG-BMI index was inversely associated with ADAS, and positively with MMSE, MEM, EF, hippocampus, entorhinal, and middle temporal. High TyG-BMI levels were correlated with lower AD risk (HR 0.996 [0.994, 0.999]). Mediation analyses revealed AD pathology mediated the association between TyG-BMI index and cognition as well as brain structure. Additionally, the TyG-BMI index could mediate cognitive changes by influencing brain structure. The TyG-BMI index is associated with AD pathology, cognition, and brain structure.

Light-Triggered Anti-ambipolar Transistor Based on an In-Plane Lateral Homojunction.

Currently, the construction of anti-ambipolar transistors (AATs) is primarily based on asymmetric heterostructures, which are challenging to fabricate. AATs used for photodetection are accompanied by dark currents that prove difficult to suppress, resulting in reduced sensitivity. This work presents light-triggered AATs based on an in-plane lateral WSe2 homojunction without van der Waals heterostructures. In this device, the WSe2 channel is partially electrically controlled by the back gate due to the screening effect of the bottom electrode, resulting in a homojunction that is dynamically modulated with gate voltage, exhibiting electrostatically reconfigurable and light-triggered anti-ambipolar behaviors. It exhibits high responsivity (188 A/W) and detectivity (8.94 × 1014 Jones) under 635 nm illumination with a low power density of 0.23 µW/cm2, promising a new approach to low-power, high-performance photodetectors. Moreover, the device demonstrates efficient self-driven photodetection. Furthermore, ternary inverters are realized using monolithic WSe2, simplifying the manufacturing of multivalued logic devices.

Predicting Outcome of Patients With Cerebral Hemorrhage Using a Computed Tomography-Based Interpretable Radiomics Model: A Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and validate an interpretable and highly generalizable multimodal radiomics model for predicting the prognosis of patients with cerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 237 patients with cerebral hemorrhage from 3 medical centers, of which a training cohort of 186 patients (medical center 1) was selected and 51 patients from medical center 2 and medical center 3 were used as an external testing cohort. A total of 1762 radiomics features were extracted from nonenhanced computed tomography using Pyradiomics, and the relevant macroscopic imaging features and clinical factors were evaluated by 2 experienced radiologists. A radiomics model was established based on radiomics features using the random forest algorithm, and a radiomics-clinical model was further trained by combining radiomics features, clinical factors, and macroscopic imaging features. The performance of the models was evaluated using area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, and calibration curves. Additionally, a novel SHAP (SHAPley Additive exPlanations) method was used to provide quantitative interpretability analysis for the optimal model. RESULTS: The radiomics-clinical model demonstrated superior predictive performance overall, with an AUC of 0.88 (95% confidence interval, 0.76-0.95; P < 0.01). Compared with the radiomics model (AUC, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.94; P < 0.01), there was a 0.03 improvement in AUC. Furthermore, SHAP analysis revealed that the fusion features, rad score and clinical rad score, made significant contributions to the model's decision-making process. CONCLUSION: Both proposed prognostic models for cerebral hemorrhage demonstrated high predictive levels, and the addition of macroscopic imaging features effectively improved the prognostic ability of the radiomics-clinical model. The radiomics-clinical model provides a higher level of predictive performance and model decision-making basis for the risk prognosis of cerebral hemorrhage.

The Recombinant Lactobacillus Strains with the Surface-Displayed Expression of Amuc_1100 Ameliorate Obesity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Adult Mice.

Excessive dietary fat intake is closely associated with an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal diseases, and certain types of cancer. The administration of multi-strain probiotics has shown a significantly beneficial effect on the mitigation of obesity induced by high-fat diets (HFDs). In this study, Amuc_1100, an outer membrane protein of Akkermansia muciniphila, was fused with green fluorescent protein and LPXTG motif anchor protein and displayed on the surface of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (pLR-GAA) and Lactobacillus plantarum (pLP-GAA), respectively. The localization of the fusion protein on the bacterial cell surface was confirmed via fluorescence microscopy and Western blotting. Both recombinant strains demonstrated the capacity to ameliorate hyperglycemia and decrease body weight gain in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, daily oral supplementation of pLR-GAA or pLP-GAA suppressed the HFD-induced intestinal permeability by regulating the mRNA expressions of tight junction proteins and inflammatory cytokines, thereby reducing gut microbiota-derived lipopolysaccharide concentration in serum and mitigating damage to the gut, liver, and adipose tissue. Compared with Lactobacillus rhamnosus treatment, high-dose pLR-GAA restored the expression level of anti-inflammatory factor interleukin-10 in the intestine. In conclusion, our approach enables the maintenance of intestinal health through the use of recombinant probiotics with surface-displayed functional protein, providing a potential therapeutic strategy for HFD-induced obesity and associated metabolic comorbidities.

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Flavonoid Biosynthesis Pathway Involved in Rhizome Development in Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua.

Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua (P. cyrtonema) rhizomes are rich in flavonoids and other secondary metabolites, exhibiting remarkable antioxidant, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory effects. Polygonatum flavonoid-biosynthesis-related genes have been characterized already. However, a comprehensive overview of Polygonatum flavonoid biosynthesis pathways is still absent. To articulate the accumulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways, we examined transcriptome changes using Illumina HiSeq from five different tissues and the RNA-seq of 15 samples had over 105 Gb of a clean base, generating a total of 277,955 unigenes. The cDNA libraries of the fruits (F), leaves (L), roots (R), stems (S), and rhizomes (T) of three-year-old P. cyrtonema plants generated 57,591, 53,578, 60,321, 51,530, and 54,935 unigenes. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 379 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were in the group of F _vs_ T, L _vs_ T, R _vs_ T, and S _vs_ T, and the transcripts of flavonoid-biosynthesis-related DEGs were principally enriched in rhizomes. In addition, combined with WGCNA and the FPKM of five tissues' transcription, nine differentially expressed transcription factor families (MYB, WRKY, AP2/ERF, etc.) were characterized in the red module, the red module positively correlated with rhizome flavonoid accumulation. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) further indicated that BZIP1, C3H31, ERF114, and DREB21 are differentially expressed in rhizomes, accompanied in rhizome development in P. cyrtonema. Therefore, this study provides a foundation for further research into uncovering the accumulation of flavonoid biosynthesis in the rhizomes of P. cyrtonema.

Chloride Ions-Responsive Intelligent Coatings for the Active Protection of Degradable Biomedical Mg Alloys.

In this work, the hydroxyapatite (HA) microspheres are utilized as carriers for 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) inhibitors with a sodium alginate-silver nitrate layer (Ag-SA) added to confer chloride-responsive properties. These 8-HQ@Ag-SA-HA microspheres are subsequently integrated into poly(lactic acid) (PLA) coatings to produce biocompatible coatings. The resulting 8-HQ@Ag-SA-HA microsphere exhibits a spherical structure with a diameter of 3.16 µm. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates that the encapsulated 8-HQ inhibitors are approximately 11.83 wt %. Furthermore, the incorporation of these microspheres fills the micropores within the PLA coating, leading to a denser coating surface, enhanced wettability (contact angle value = 88°), and improved adhesion strength, thereby reinforcing the physical barrier effect. Corrosion tests reveal that the coatings exhibit increased resistance to corrosion in simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions. The released 8-HQ inhibitors in response to chloride ions form a protective layer of Mg(HQ)2, providing the coatings with self-healing properties and ensuring their durability in the SBF environment. Additionally, the cell test demonstrates a significant presence of MG-63 cells, accompanied by a low hemolysis rate of 3.81%, confirming the exceptional biocompatibility of the coatings. These findings offer valuable insights into the development of stimuli-responsive biocompatible coatings for effectively protecting Mg alloys.

Estrogen promotes gonadotropin-releasing hormone expression by regulating tachykinin 3 and prodynorphin systems in chicken.

The "KNDy neurons" located in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) of mammals are known to co-express kisspeptin, neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin (DYN), and have been identified as key mediators of the feedback regulation of steroid hormones on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). However, in birds, the genes encoding kisspeptin and its receptor GPR54 are genomic lost, leaving unclear mechanisms for feedback regulation of GnRH by steroid hormones. Here, the genes tachykinin 3 (TAC3) and prodynorphin (PDYN) encoding chicken NKB and DYN neuropeptides were successfully cloned. Temporal expression profiling indicated that TAC3, PDYN and their receptor genes (TACR3, OPRK1) were mainly expressed in the hypothalamus, with significantly higher expression at 30W than at 15W. Furthermore, overexpression or interference of TAC3 and PDYN can regulate the GnRH mRNA expression. In addition, in vivo and in vitro assays showed that estrogen (E2) could promote the mRNA expression of TAC3, PDYN, and GnRH, as well as the secretion of GnRH/LH. Mechanistically, E2 could dimerize the nuclear estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) to regulate the expression of TAC3 and PDYN, which promoted the mRNA and protein expression of GnRH gene as well as the secretion of GnRH. In conclusion, these results revealed that E2 could regulate the GnRH expression through TAC3 and PDYN systems, providing novel insights for reproductive regulation in chickens.

Engineering Glucosamine-6-Phosphate Synthase to Achieve Efficient One-Step Biosynthesis of Glucosamine.

As an important functional monosaccharide, glucosamine (GlcN) is widely used in fields such as medicine, food nutrition, and health care. Here, we report a distinct GlcN biosynthesis method that utilizes engineered Bacillus subtilis glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (BsGlmS) to convert D-fructose to directly generate GlcN. The best variant obtained by using a combinatorial active-site saturation test/iterative saturation mutagenesis (CAST/ISM) strategy was a quadruple mutant S596D/V597G/S347H/G299Q (BsGlmS-BK19), which has a catalytic activity 1736-fold that of the wild type toward D-fructose. Upon using mutant BK19 as a whole-cell catalyst, D-fructose was converted into GlcN with 65.32% conversion in 6 h, whereas the wild type only attained a conversion rate of 0.31% under the same conditions. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations were implemented to provide insights into the mechanism underlying the enhanced activity of BK19. Importantly, the BsGlmS-BK19 variant specifically catalyzes D-fructose without the need for phosphorylated substrates, representing a significant advancement in GlcN biosynthesis.

Transition of intracranial aneurysmal wall enhancement from high to low wall shear stress mediation with size increase: A hemodynamic study based on 7T magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: Wall shear stress (WSS) has been proved to be related to the formation, development and rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be caused by inflammation and have confirmed its relationship with low WSS. High WSS can also result in inflammation but the research of its correlation with AWE is lack because of the focus on large aneurysms limited by 3T MRI in most previous studies.This study aimed to assess the potential association between high or low WSS and AWE in different aneuryms. Especially the relationship between high WSS and AWE in small aneurysm. Methods: Forty-three unruptured intracranial aneurysms in 42 patients were prospectively included for analysis. 7.0 T MRI was used for imaging. Aneurysm size was measured on three-dimensional time-of-flight (TOF) images. Aneurysm-to-pituitary stalk contrast ratio (CRstalk) was calculated on post-contrast black-blood T1-weighted fast spin echo sequence images. Hemodynamics were assessed by four-dimensional flow MRI. Results: The small aneurysms group had more positive WSS-CRstalk correlation coefficient distribution (dome: 78.6 %, p = 0.009; body: 50.0 %, p = 0.025), and large group had more negative coefficient distribution (dome: 44.8 %, p = 0.001; body: 69.0 %, p = 0.002). Aneurysm size was positively correlated with the significant OSI-CRstalk correlation coefficient at the dome (p = 0.012) and body (p = 0.010) but negatively correlated with the significant WSS-CRstalk correlation coefficient at the dome (p < 0.001) and body (p = 0.017). Conclusion: AWE can be mediated by both high and low WSS, and translate from high WSS- to low WSS-mediated pathways as size increase. Additionally, AWE may serve as an indicator of the stage of aneurysm development via different correlations with hemodynamic factors.

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Bx Involved in Benzoxazinoids Biosynthesis Revealed the Roles of DIMBOA during Early Somatic Embryogenesis in Dimocarpus longan Lour.

Benzoxazinoids (BXs) are tryptophan-derived indole metabolites and play a role in various physiological processes, such as auxin metabolism. Auxin is essential in the process of somatic embryogenesis (SE) in plants. In this study, we used bioinformatics, transcriptome data, exogenous treatment experiments, and qPCR analysis to study the evolutionary pattern of Bx genes in green plants, the regulatory mechanism of DlBx genes during early SE, and the effect of 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-1,4-benzoxazine-3-one (DIMBOA) on the early SE in Dimocarpus longan Lour. The results showed that 27 putative DlBxs were identified in the longan genome; the Bx genes evolved independently in monocots and dicots, and the main way of gene duplication for the DlBx was tandem duplication (TD) and the DlBx were strongly constrained by purification selection during evolution. The transcriptome data indicated varying expression levels of DlBx during longan early SE, and most DlBxs responded to light, temperature, drought stress, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) treatment; qRT-PCR results showed DlBx1, DlBx6g and DlBx6h were responsive to auxin, and treatment with 0.1mg/L DIMBOA for 9 days significantly upregulated the expression levels of DlBx1, DlBx3g, DlBx6c, DlBx6f, DlB6h, DlBx7d, DlBx8, and DlBx9b. The correlation analysis showed a significantly negative correlation between the expression level of DlBx1 and the endogenous IAA contents; DIMBOA significantly promoted the early SE and significantly changed the endogenous IAA content, and the IAA content increased significantly at the 9th day and decreased significantly at the 13th day. Therefore, the results suggested that DIMBOA indirectly promote the early SE by changing the endogenous IAA content via affecting the expression level of DlBx1 and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in longan.

Graphene-Tuned, Tightly Coupled Hybrid Plasmonic Meta-Atoms.

Tightly coupled meta-atoms (TCMAs) are densely packed metamaterials with unnatural refractive indexes. Actively modulated TCMAs with tunable optical properties have found many applications in beam shaping, holography, and enhanced light-matter interactions. Typically, TCMAs are studied in the classic Bloch theory. Here, tightly coupled H-shaped meta-atoms are proposed with an ultra-high permittivity of ~6000, and their active modulation with graphene is designed by using the tightly coupled dipole array (TCDA) theory. The H-shaped meta-atoms are used as dipole arms, and the graphene strips function as the dipole loads. By tuning the chemical potential of graphene, the resonant amplitude, frequency, and permittivity are dynamically modulated. The simulations indicate that the real and imaginary parts of permittivity change from 6854 to 1522 and from 7356 to 2870, respectively. The experimental validation demonstrates a modulation depth of 11.6% in the resonant frequency, i.e., from 219.4 to 195 GHz, and a substantial 52.5% modulation depth in transmittance under a bias voltage of less than 1.5 V.

Damage Monitoring of Steel Bars Based on Torsional Guided Waves.

Ultrasonic guided waves represent a new development in the field of non-destructive testing. Longitudinal guided waves are mostly used to monitor the damage of steel bars, but the received signal is usually degraded and noisy owing to its dispersive propagation and multimodal behavior, making its implementation and location challenging. The torsional mode of T (0, 1) is not dispersive in the propagation of a steel bar and only produces circumferential displacement. It was chosen, in this study, to conduct guided wave-based damage monitoring on steel bars to reduce the signal processing complexity. The defects of steel bars, including circular surface defects, internal defects, and uniform damage defects, were thoroughly investigated, respectively, using numerical simulation. The waves were excited and received using the pitch-and-catch technique and the collected monitoring signals were processed using Hilbert transformation to highlight the amplitude and time-of-flight values of the wave signals, which were used for defect identification. In this paper, the reflectivity of guided waves is compared between torsional waves and longitudinal waves, in each case. The impact of defect size changes on damage monitoring is studied and the sensitivity of both the wave frequency and the wave mode (L and T) is also discussed. The results show that the monitoring method based on the torsional wave T (0, 1) is more sensitive to surface defects than the conventional method based on longitudinal waves. The reflectivity of the torsional wave T (0, 1) can be twice that of the longitudinal wave L (0, 1) when the depth of the defect in the circumferential grooves is less than 50% of the diameter of the steel bar. It is more sensitive to shallow surface defects within half of the bar's radius, and it can also effectively identify defects under the conditions of the uniform damage defects of steel bars, even when the measurements are heavily noise-polluted. This proves the superiority of the torsional guided wave T (0, 1) in defect monitoring and provides a theoretical basis for the application of the torsional guided wave T (0, 1) in actual monitoring.

Potential probiotic characteristics and genomic analysis of a new folate-producing lactic acid bacteria Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM55.

BACKGROUND: Folate is crucial for maintaining health, but humans are unable to synthesize folate and need to obtain it from food. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum can produce the necessary vitamin B for the human body, including folate. Whole genome sequencing technology can clarify the physiological characteristics of folate production in Lactiplantibacillus plantarum. In order to explore new Lactiplantibacillus plantarum that produce folate, the folate production and probiotic characteristics of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM55 isolated from infant feces were investigated, and whole genome sequencing was performed. RESULTS: The folate synthesis ability of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM55 were measured, and its total folate production was 299.72 ± 28.81 ng mL-1. Subsequently, its probiotic properties were explored. The antibacterial test showed that its inhibition zone diameter against Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhimurium was 15.5 ± 0.82 mm and 13.88 ± 0.98 mm, respectively. The tolerance test results indicated that it maintained good activity in simulated gastrointestinal tract and bile salt environments. In vitro intestinal simulation experiments had confirmed that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM55 can increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacteria in the intestine and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia_Shigella. Genomic sequencing indicated that the genetic material of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZFM55 contains one chromosome and three plasmids, and it has 20 genes related to folate synthesis, which explains its ability to produce folate. CONCLUSION: This study reports a new potential probiotic that produces folate, and provides ideas for exploring probiotics with specific probiotic characteristics. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Functional and Transcriptome Analysis Reveal Specific Roles of Dimocarpus longan DlRan3A and DlRan3B in Root Hair Development, Reproductive Growth, and Stress Tolerance.

Ran GTPases play essential roles in plant growth and development. Our previous studies revealed the nuclear localization of DlRan3A and DlRan3B proteins and proposed their functional redundancy and distinction in Dimocarpus longan somatic embryogenesis, hormone, and abiotic stress responses. To further explore the possible roles of DlRan3A and DlRan3B, gene expression analysis by qPCR showed that their transcripts were both more abundant in the early embryo and pulp in longan. Heterologous expression of DlRan3A driven by its own previously cloned promoter led to stunted growth, increased root hair density, abnormal fruits, bigger seeds, and enhanced abiotic stress tolerance. Conversely, constitutive promoter CaMV 35S (35S)-driven expression of DlRan3A, 35S, or DlRan3B promoter-controlled expression of DlRan3B did not induce the alterations in growth phenotype, while they rendered different hypersensitivities to abiotic stresses. Based on the transcriptome profiling of longan Ran overexpression in tobacco plants, we propose new mechanisms of the Ran-mediated regulation of genes associated with cell wall biosynthesis and expansion. Also, the transgenic plants expressing DlRan3A or DlRan3B genes controlled by 35S or by their own promoter all exhibited altered mRNA levels of stress-related and transcription factor genes. Moreover, DlRan3A overexpressors were more tolerant to salinity, osmotic, and heat stresses, accompanied by upregulation of oxidation-related genes, possibly involving the Ran-RBOH-CIPK network. Analysis of a subset of selected genes from the Ran transcriptome identified possible cold stress-related roles of brassinosteroid (BR)-responsive genes. The marked presence of genes related to cell wall biosynthesis and expansion, hormone, and defense responses highlighted their close regulatory association with Ran.

Three new red neutral and ionic iridium(III) complexes based on the same main ligand and auxiliary ligand but with different counterions for solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes.

Three new neutral and ionic phosphorescent iridium(III) complexes were successfully prepared using 1-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl)isoquinoline as the main ligand, while the auxiliary ligand was 2-(2-1H-imidazolyl)pyridine. Three complexes (Ir1, Ir2, Ir3) showed red emission, peaking at 610, 609, and 615 nm, respectively, and they exhibited good solubility and excellent photophysical properties in different solvents, which is suitable to prepare organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) by solution method. Among the three OLEDs prepared by iridium(III) complexes using the solution method, the device based on Ir2 possessed better electroluminescent properties, and its maximum brightness, current efficiency (CE), power efficiency (PE), and the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) were 507.2 cd m-2 , 0.14 cd A-1 , 0.06 lm W-1 , and 0.14%. respectively, proving that the three complexes have a certain of potential for OLEDs applications and are expected to expand the applications of iridium(III) complexes for OLEDs.

Efficient Spiking Neural Networks with Biologically Similar Lithium-Ion Memristor Neurons.

Benefiting from the brain-inspired event-driven feature and asynchronous sparse coding approach, spiking neural networks (SNNs) are becoming a potentially energy-efficient replacement for conventional artificial neural networks. However, neuromorphic devices used to construct SNNs persistently result in considerable energy consumption owing to the absence of sufficient biological parallels. Drawing inspiration from the transport nature of Na+ and K+ in synapses, here, a Li-based memristor (LixAlOy) was proposed to emulate the biological synapse, leveraging the similarity of Li as a homologous main group element to Na and K. The Li-based memristor exhibits ∼8 ns ultrafast operating speed, 1.91 and 0.72 linearity conductance modulation, and reproducible switching behavior, enabled by lithium vacancies forming a conductive filament mechanism. Moreover, these memristors are capable of simulating fundamental behaviors of a biological synapse, including long-term potentiation and long-term depression behaviors. Most importantly, a threshold-tunable leaky integrate-and-fire (TT-LIF) neuron is built using LixAlOy memristors, successfully integrating synaptic signals from both temporal and spatial levels and achieving an optimal threshold of SNNs. A computationally efficient TT-LIF-based SNN algorithm is also implemented for image recognition schemes, featuring a high recognition rate of 90.1% and an ultralow firing rate of 0.335%, which is 4 times lower than those of other memristor-based SNNs. Our studies reveal the ion dynamics mechanism of the LixAlOy memristor and confirm its potential in rapid switching and the construction of SNNs.