Exploiting genomic tools for genetic dissection and improving the resistance to Fusarium stalk rot in tropical maize.

KEY MESSAGE: A stable genomic region conferring FSR resistance at ~250 Mb on chromosome 1 was identified by GWAS. Genomic prediction has the potential to improve FSR resistance. Fusarium stalk rot (FSR) is a global destructive disease in maize; the efficiency of phenotypic selection for improving FSR resistance was low. Novel genomic tools of genome-wide association study (GWAS) and genomic prediction (GP) provide an opportunity for genetic dissection and improving FSR resistance. In this study, GWAS and GP analyses were performed on 562 tropical maize inbred lines consisting of two populations. In total, 15 SNPs significantly associated with FSR resistance were identified across two populations and the combinedPOP consisting of all 562 inbred lines, with the P-values ranging from 1.99 × 10-7 to 8.27 × 10-13, and the phenotypic variance explained (PVE) values ranging from 0.94 to 8.30%. The genetic effects of the 15 favorable alleles ranged from -4.29 to -14.21% of the FSR severity. One stable genomic region at ~ 250 Mb on chromosome 1 was detected across all populations, and the PVE values of the SNPs detected in this region ranged from 2.16 to 5.18%. Prediction accuracies of FSR severity estimated with the genome-wide SNPs were moderate and ranged from 0.29 to 0.51. By incorporating genotype-by-environment interaction, prediction accuracies were improved between 0.36 and 0.55 in different breeding scenarios. Considering both the genome coverage and the threshold of the P-value of SNPs to select a subset of molecular markers further improved the prediction accuracies. These findings extend the knowledge of exploiting genomic tools for genetic dissection and improving FSR resistance in tropical maize.

Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Performance Study of Sulfur Quantum Dots Modified MoS2.

The electrolysis of water for hydrogen production is currently receiving significant attention due to its advantageous features such as non-toxicity, safety, and environmental friendliness. This is especially crucial considering the urgent need for clean energy. However, the current method of electrolyzing water to produce hydrogen largely relies on expensive metal catalysts, significantly increasing the costs associated with its development. Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is considered the most promising alternative to platinum for electrocatalyzing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its outstanding catalytic efficiency and robust stability. However, the practical application of this material is hindered by its low conductivity and limited exposure of active sites. MoS2/SQDs composite materials were synthesized using a hydrothermal technique to deposit SQDs onto MoS2. These composite materials were subsequently employed as catalysts for the HER. Research findings indicate that incorporating SQDs can enhance electron transfer rates and increase the active surface area of MoS2, which is crucial for achieving outstanding catalytic performance in the HER. The MoS2/SQDs electrocatalyst exhibits outstanding performance in the HER when tested in a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. It achieves a remarkably low overpotential of 204 mV and a Tafel slope of 65.82 mV dec-1 at a current density of 10 mA cm-2. Moreover, during continuous operation for 24 h, the initial current density experiences only a 17% reduction, indicating high stability. This study aims to develop an efficient and cost-effective electrocatalyst for water electrolysis. Additionally, it proposes a novel design strategy that uses SQDs as co-catalysts to enhance charge transfer in nanocomposites.

LKB1 loss promotes colorectal cancer cell metastasis through regulating TNIK expression and actin cytoskeleton remodeling.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Approximately 5%-6% of CRC cases are associated with hereditary CRC syndromes, including the Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS). Liver kinase B1 (LKB1), also known as STK11, is the major gene responsible for PJS. LKB1 heterozygotic deficiency is involved in intestinal polyps in mice, while the mechanism of LKB1 in CRC remains elusive. In this study, we generated LKB1 knockout (KO) CRC cell lines by using CRISPR-Cas9. LKB1 KO promoted CRC cell motility in vitro and tumor metastases in vivo. LKB1 attenuated expression of TRAF2 and NCK-interacting protein kinase (TNIK) as accessed by RNA-seq and western blots, and similar suppression was also detected in the tumor tissues of azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate-induced intestinal-specific LKB1-KO mice. LKB1 repressed TNIK expression through its kinase activity. Moreover, attenuating TNIK by shRNA inhibited cell migration and invasion of CRC cells. LKB1 loss-induced high metastatic potential of CRC cells was depended on TNIK upregulation. Furthermore, TNIK interacted with ARHGAP29 and further affected actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Taken together, LKB1 deficiency promoted CRC cell metastasis via TNIK upregulation and subsequently mediated cytoskeleton remodeling. These results suggest that LKB1-TNIK axis may play a crucial role in CRC progression.

Celastrol acts as a new histone deacetylase inhibitor to inhibit colorectal cancer cell growth via regulating macrophage polarity.

The tumorigenesis and progression of colorectal cancer are closely related to the tumor microenvironment, especially inflammatory response. Inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDAC) have been reported as epigenetic regulators of the immune system to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases and our results demonstrated that Celastrol could act as a new HDAC inhibitor. Considering macrophages as important members of the tumor microenvironment, we further found that Celastrol could influence the polarization of macrophages to inhibit colorectal cancer cell growth. Specially, we used the supernatant of HCT116 and SW480 cells to induce Ana-1 cells in vitro and chose the spontaneous colorectal cancer model APCmin/+ mice as an animal model to validate in vivo. The results indicated that Celastrol could reverse the polarization of macrophages from M2 to M1 through impacting the colorectal tumor microenvironment both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, using bioinformatics analysis, we found that Celastrol might mechanistically polarize the macrophages through MAPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, our findings identified that Celastrol as a new HDAC inhibitor and suggested that Celastrol could modulate macrophage polarization, thus inhibiting colorectal cancer growth, which may provide some novel therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer.

Synthesis of Cellulose-Poly(Acrylic Acid) Using Sugarcane Bagasse Extracted Cellulose Fibres for the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions.

In this study, sugarcane bagasse (SCB) was treated with sodium hydroxide and bleached to separate the non-cellulose components to obtain cellulose (CE) fibres. Cross-linked cellulose-poly(sodium acrylic acid) hydrogel (CE-PAANa) was successfully synthesised via simple free-radical graft-polymerisation to remove heavy metal ions. The structure and morphology of the hydrogel display an open interconnected porous structure on the surface of the hydrogel. Various factors influencing batch adsorption capacity, including pH, contact time, and solution concentration, were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics were in good agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and that the adsorption isotherms followed the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacities calculated by the Langmuir model are 106.3, 333.3, and 163.9 mg/g for Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II), respectively. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) results demonstrated that cationic exchange and electrostatic interaction were the main heavy metal ions adsorption mechanisms. These results demonstrate that CE-PAANa graft copolymer sorbents from cellulose-rich SCB can potentially be used for the removal of heavy metal ions.

A Novel Non-Metallic Photocatalyst: Phosphorus-Doped Sulfur Quantum Dots.

In this paper, a novel phosphorus-doped sulfur quantum dots (P-SQDs) material was prepared using a simple hydrothermal method. P-SQDs have a narrow particle size distribution as well as an excellent electron transfer rate and optical properties. Compositing P-SQDs with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) can be used for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes under visible light. More active sites, a narrower band gap, and stronger photocurrent are obtained after introducing P-SQDs into g-C3N4, thus promoting its photocatalytic efficiency by as much as 3.9 times. The excellent photocatalytic activity and reusability of P-SQDs/g-C3N4 are prospective signs of its photocatalytic application under visible light.

Effective Removal of Dyes from Wastewater by Osmanthus Fragrans Biomass Charcoal.

The exploration of low-cost, high-performance adsorbents is a popular research issue. In this work, a straightforward method that combined hydrothermal with tube firing was used to produce Osmanthus fragrans biomass charcoal (OBC) from low-cost osmanthus for dye adsorption in water. The study examined the parameters of starting concentration, pH, and duration, which impacted the process of adsorption of different dyes by OBC. The analysis showed that the adsorption capacities of OBC for six dyes: malachite green (MG, C0 = 800 mg/L, pH = 7), Congo red (CR, C0 = 1000 mg/L, pH = 8), rhodamine B (RhB, C0 = 500 mg/L, pH = 6), methyl orange (MO, C0 = 1000 mg/L, pH = 7), methylene blue (MB, C0 = 700 mg/L, pH = 8), and crystalline violet (CV, C0 = 500 mg/L, pH = 7) were 6501.09, 2870.30, 554.93, 6277.72, 626.50, and 3539.34 mg/g, respectively. The pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model were compatible with the experimental findings, which suggested the dominance of ion exchange and chemisorption. The materials were characterized by using XRD, SEM, FTIR, BET, and XPS, and the results showed that OBC had an outstanding specific surface area (2063 m2·g-1), with potential adsorption mechanisms that included electrostatic mechanisms, hydrogen bonding, and π-π adsorption. The fact that the adsorption capacity did not drastically decrease after five cycles of adsorption and desorption suggests that OBC has the potential to be a dye adsorbent.

One-Step Synthesis of Ag2O/Fe3O4 Magnetic Photocatalyst for Efficient Organic Pollutant Removal via Wide-Spectral-Response Photocatalysis-Fenton Coupling.

Photocatalysis holds great promise for addressing water pollution caused by organic dyes, and the development of Ag2O/Fe3O4 aims to overcome the challenges of slow degradation efficiency and difficult recovery of photocatalysts. In this study, we present a novel, environmentally friendly Ag2O/Fe3O4 magnetic nanocomposite synthesized via a simple coprecipitation method, which not only constructs a type II heterojunction but also successfully couples photocatalysis and Fenton reaction, enhancing the broad-spectrum response and efficiency. The Ag2O/Fe3O4 (10%) nanocomposite demonstrates exceptional degradation performance toward organic dyes, achieving 99.5% degradation of 10 mg/L methyl orange (MO) within 15 min under visible light irradiation and proving its wide applicability by efficiently degrading various dyes while maintaining high stability over multiple testing cycles. Magnetic testing further highlighted the ease of Ag2O/Fe3O4 (10%) recovery using magnetic force. This innovative approach offers a promising strategy for constructing high-performance photocatalytic systems for addressing water pollution caused by organic dyes.

Hypoxia-induced lncHILAR promotes renal cancer metastasis via ceRNA for the miR-613/206/ 1-1-3p/Jagged-1/Notch/CXCR4 signaling pathway.

Hypoxia has been identified as a common contributor to tumor progression, including invasion and metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms of enhanced invasion and metastasis under hypoxia remain unclear. A hypoxic microenvironment promotes invasion and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) by upregulating expression of LOC100506178, which we named hypoxia-induced long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) associated with RCC (lncHILAR). Knockdown of lncHILAR inhibited cell invasion and migration, whereas overexpression of lncHILAR, conversely, facilitated cell invasion and migration of RCC cells. Notably, hypoxic RCC cells secreted exosomes packaged with lncHILAR, which were taken up by normoxic RCC cells and then drove normoxic cell invasion. Mechanistically, lncHILAR elevated RCC invasion and metastasis by acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-613/206/1-1-3p, which led to the upregulation of Jagged-1 and the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). Activation of the Jagged-1/Notch/CXCR4 axis induced RCC metastasis. lncHILAR promotes RCC cell invasion and metastasis via ceRNA for the miR-613/206/1-1-3p/Jagged-1/Notch/CXCR4 axis. The novel lncHILAR may thus serve as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in RCC.

Hsa_circ_0074371 Regulates Proliferation, Apoptosis, Migration, and Invasion via the miR-582-3p/LRP6 Axis in Trophoblast Cells.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) ranks second among causes of perinatal death. Circular RNA hsa_circ_0074371 (hsa_circ_0074371) is reported to be downregulated in FGR placentae. However, the role and regulatory mechanism of hsa_circ_0074371 in FGR pathogenesis are indistinct. Expression of hsa_circ_0074371, microRNA (miR)-582-3p, and low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) mRNA in FGR placentae and trophoblast cells (HTR-8/SVneo) was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationship between hsa_circ_0074371 or LRP6 and miR-582-3p was verified by dual-luciferase reporter and/or RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull-down assays. The proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry, wound healing, or transwell assays. Caspase3 activity was analyzed with a commercial kit. The protein levels of c-myc, cyclinD1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 2, MMP9, and LRP6 were examined by western blotting. We observed that hsa_circ_0074371 and LRP6 were downregulated while miR-582-3p was upregulated in FGR placentae and HTR-8/SVneo cells. Hsa_circ_0074371 modulated LRP6 expression via sponging miR-582-3p. Hsa_circ_0074371 knockdown induced cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in HTR-8/SVneo cells. MiR-582-3p inhibitor reversed hsa_circ_0074371 silencing me on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells. LRP6 overexpression overturned the inhibitory effect of miR-582-3p mimic on proliferation, migration, and invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells. In conclusion, hsa_circ_0074371 downregulation inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells via sponging miR-582-3p and decreasing LRP6 expression, providing a new mechanism related to FGR pathogenesis.

Leaf transcriptomic response mediated by cold stress in two maize inbred lines with contrasting tolerance levels.

Maize (Zea mays L.) is a thermophilic plant and a minor drop in temperature can prolong the maturity period. Plants respond to cold stress through structural and functional modification in cell membranes as well as changes in the photosynthesis and energy metabolism. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying cold tolerance and adaptation, we employed leaf transcriptome sequencing together with leaf microstructure and relative electrical conductivity measurements in two maize inbred lines, having different cold stress tolerance potentials. The leaf physiological and transcriptomic responses of maize seedlings were studied after growing both inbred lines at 5 °C for 0, 12 and 24 h. Differentially expressed genes were enriched in photosynthesis antenna proteins, MAPK signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, circadian rhythm, secondary metabolites related pathways, ribosome, and proteasome. The seedlings of both genotypes employed common stress responsive pathways to respond to cold stress. However, the cold tolerant line B144 protected its photosystem II from photooxidation by upregulating D1 proteins. The sensitive line Q319 was unable to close its stomata. Collectively, B144 exhibited a cold tolerance owing to its ability to mediate changes in stomata opening as well as protecting photosystem. These results increase our understanding on the cold stress tolerance in maize seedlings and propose multiple key regulators of stress responses such as modifications in photosystem II, stomata guard cell opening and closing, changes in secondary metabolite biosynthesis, and circadian rhythm. This study also presents the signal transduction related changes in MAPK and phytohormone signaling pathways in response to cold stress during seedling stage of maize.

Novel insights into cytochrome P450 enzyme and solute carrier families in cadmium-induced liver injury of pigs.

Cadmium (Cd) is a typical pollutant and carcinogen in environment. Exposure assessment of contaminants is an important component of occupational and environmental epidemiological studies. Early studies of Cd have focused on aquatic animals, chickens and rats. However, toxicological evaluation of Cd in pigs has not been reported. Therefore, twelve pigs were randomly divided into two groups (n = 6): the control group and the Cd group (Cd content: 15 ± 0.242 mg/kg feed) in this study, the experimental period was 30 d, and the toxic effects of Cd on the liver of weanling piglets were examined by antioxidant function, liver function, Cd content, histological examination and transcriptomics. The results showed that the changes of antioxidant function, liver function and Cd content were significant in the liver. Transcriptional profiling results showed that 399 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly up-regulated while 369 DEGs were remarkably down-regulated in Cd group, and which were concentrated in three ontologies: molecular function, cellular component and biological processes. Interestingly, significant changes in some genes of the cytochrome P450 enzyme (CYP450) and solute carrier (SLC) families have been observed and were consistent with qRT-PCR results. In conclusion, Cd could cause liver injury in weanling piglets and change the transcriptomic characteristics of liver. CYP450 and SLC families play an indispensable role in Cd-mediated hepatotoxicity. Importantly, changes in mRNA levels of CYP2B22, CYP7A1, CYP8B1, SLC26A8, SLC11A1, SLC27A2 and SLC22A7 induced by Cd have been reported for the first time. Our findings will provide a new insight for better assessing the mechanism of Cd toxicity to the liver.

Size Effect of Graphene Quantum Dots on Photoluminescence.

High-photoluminescence (PL) graphene quantum dots (GQDs) were synthesized by a simple one-pot hydrothermal process, then separated by dialysis bags of different molecular weights. Four separated GQDs of varying sizes were obtained and displayed different PL intensities. With the decreasing size of separated GQDs, the intensity of the emission peak becomes much stronger. Finally, the GQDs of the smallest size revealed the most energetic PL intensity in four separated GQDs. The PL energy of all the separated GQDs shifted slightly, supported by density functional theory calculations.

Ammonia-triggered apoptosis via immune function and metabolic process in the thymuses of chickens by proteomics analysis.

Ammonia (NH3), an environmental pollutant with a pungent odor, is not only an important volatile in fertilizer production and ranching, but also main basic component of haze. In present study, we found that ultrastructural changes and 3167 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) using proteomics analysis in the thymuses of chickens exposed to NH3 on day 42. Obtained DEPs were enriched using GO and KEGG; and 66 DEPs took part in immune function, metabolic process, and apoptosis in the thymuses of chickens treated with NH3. 9 genes of DEPs were validated using qRT-PCR, and mRNA expression of 2 immune-related genes (CTSG and NFATC2), 3 metabolic process-related genes (APOA1, GOT1, and GOLGA3), and 4 apoptosis-related genes (PIK3CD, CTSS, CAMP, and NSD2) were consistent with DEPs in chicken thymuses. Our results indicated that excess NH3 led to immunosuppression, metabolic disorder, and apoptosis in chicken thymuses. Present study gives a novel insight into the mechanism of NH3 toxicity and demonstrated that immune response, metabolism process, and apoptosis were important in the mechanism of NH3 toxicity of chicken exposure to high concentration of NH3.

First Report of Didymella americana causing corn stalk rot in China.

Corn (Zea mays L.) is an important food crop and feedstuff worldwide. However, Corn stalk rot, caused by multiple pathogens, is globally an economic soil-borne disease worldwide. In September 2019, a survey was carried out to characterize pathogenic fungi in corn stalks in Nehe city (48.48°N 124.88°E), Heilongjiang Province, China. Stalk rot incidence was approximately 5% in three of the fields sampled (5 ha/per field). Symptoms included wilting of whole plants, drooping ears or rapid death of the upper leaves or whole plant from blister stage to physiological maturity (growth stages R2- R6) stage with drooping ears or rapid death of the upper leaves or whole plant. A brown to black dry rot or necrosis was observed throughout the central pith and internal tissues of the stalk and crown were observed, which resulted in hollow and soft stalks. Fifteen tissue samples (0.25 cm2) from 15 individual diseased plants were surface disinfested with 75% ethanol for 2 s, followed by 0.5% NaOCl for 5 min, rinsed three times in sterile distilled water and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) with 50 µg/mL streptomycin at 26°C in darkness. After 3 days, a total of eight fungal isolates with consistent characteristics were obtained from three sampling points and subcultured by transferring hyphal tips onto a new PDA plate. Single-conidium isolates were generated with methods reported previously (Leslie and Summerell 2006). Cultures on PDA were honey to olivaceous buff in the center with dense aerial mycelia and wide buff colored margins. The dimensions of conidia from 30-day-old PDA cultures were 4.5 to 15.3 µm × 1.5 to 4.3 µm (n = 50). Often, one to two oil bodies were present within the conidia. Based on these morphological features, the isolates were identified as Didymella americana (Aveskamp et al. 2010; Gorny et al. 2016). Genomic DNA was extracted from a representative isolate YJDA8 and the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (TEF-1ɑ) were amplified and sequenced using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (Yin et al. 2012) and EF1-728F/EF1-986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), respectively. The sequences of YJDA8 (accession nos. MT995077 for ITS and MW003707 for TEF-1a ) showed 99.6% (529/531 bp) and 97.6% (283/290 bp), identity to the sequences of D. americana isolate YSGYE6 (accession no. MK945663.1) and isolate K_INSO2_6_10 (MN554764.1) respectively. Pathogenicity tests were conducted by root injection of corn plants at the blister stage in the field. Conidia were obtained from 30-day-old PDA cultures grown at 20°C with a 12 h photoperiod. A conidial suspension (1.5 ml of 1×105 conidia/mL) was injected into the base of the maize stems using a 5 ml syringe. For each treatment, 5 plants were inoculated. Plants injected with 1.5 ml distilled sterile water served as the control. After inoculation, the plants were managed using conventional methods. All inoculated plants showed symptoms 25 days after inoculation that were similar to those observed in the field, while no symptoms were observed on the control plants. The fungus was re-isolated and confirmed to be D. americana. D. americana has previously been reported on corn roots and soybean pods in the USA (Aveskamp et al. 2009 as Peyronellaea americana), on lima bean in Delaware and Maryland (Everts et al. 2020). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. americana causing stalk rot on corn in China. Therefore, its distribution needs to be investigated, monitored and managed with effective disease management strategies to protect corn.

Development of an inoculation technique for rapidly evaluating maize inbred lines for resistance to stalk rot caused by Fusarium spp. in the field.

Maize (Zea mays L.) stalk rot, caused primarily by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Fusarium spp., reduces maize quality and yield worldwide. This study was undertaken to develop and utilize a rapid continuous injection inoculation technique to evaluate maize inbred lines for resistance to Fusarium spp. under field conditions, which could facilitate the identification and development of new sources of host resistance to manage the disease. Continuous injection inoculation is a rapid, stable, and simple method that can evaluate the resistance of maize inbred lines to Fusarium stalk rot (FSR) within 20 days. To verify the feasibility and reliability of inoculation method, Fusarium graminearum, F. proliferatum, and F. subglutinans were isolated, identified, and inoculated into maize at the six-leaf stage (V6) by a veterinary adjustable bottle continuous vaccination syringe. Our results showed that out of a total of 97 inbred maize lines, six (6.2%) showed high resistance to maize stalk rot, 20 showed resistance (20.6%), 32 were susceptible (33.0%), and 39 were very susceptible (40.2%). Based on simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, an analysis of molecular variance indicated a significant correlation between population of the inbred maize line and resistance to FSR (P = 0.001). Overall, this study provided a systematic, rapid, stable, and simple identification method for maize inbred lines resistant to FSR in the field. At the same time, this method was also suitable for genetic diversity analysis of maize inbred lines resistant to FSR.

Improving the Heading Accuracy in Indoor Pedestrian Navigation Based on a Decision Tree and Kalman Filter.

In pedestrian inertial navigation, multi-sensor fusion is often used to obtain accurate heading estimates. As a widely distributed signal source, the geomagnetic field is convenient to provide sufficiently accurate heading angles. Unfortunately, there is a broad presence of artificial magnetic perturbations in indoor environments, leading to difficulties in geomagnetic correction. In this paper, by analyzing the spatial distribution model of the magnetic interference field on the geomagnetic field, two quantitative features have been found to be crucial in distinguishing normal magnetic data from anomalies. By leveraging these two features and the classification and regression tree (CART) algorithm, we trained a decision tree that is capable of extracting magnetic data from distorted measurements. Furthermore, this well-trained decision tree can be used as a reject gate in a Kalman filter. By combining the decision tree and Kalman filter, a high-precision indoor pedestrian navigation system based on a magnetically assisted inertial system is proposed. This system is then validated in a real indoor environment, and the results show that our system delivers state-of-the-art positioning performance. Compared to other baseline algorithms, an improvement of over 70% in the positioning accuracy is achieved.

Selective microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent composed with an iron oxide-based nanoferrofluid.

A simple and fast method is described for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from complex samples. It is based on the use of a nanoferrofluid modified with a ternary hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent. A predictive model was used for the selection of the optimal eutectic mixture. The entire microextraction only takes a few minutes for completion. Under the optimal extraction conditions (by using menthol, borneol and camphor in a molar ratio of 5:1:4; 80 mg of nanoferrofluid), it offers marked improvements in terms of selectivity and sensitivity. The limits of detection range between 0.31 and 5.9 ng·L-1, and recoveries from spiked samples between 91.3 and 121%. In addition, the strong interactions between PAHs and the extractant were supported by quantum mechanical calculations. This results in a better insight into the microextraction mechanism, providing a fast, environmentally friendly and effective route for the optimization of pretreatment parameters. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the PAHs naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, benzo[g,h,i]perylene and indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene in 12 kinds of coffee samples after different roasting conditions. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of nanoferrofluid modified with ternary hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent and their application for selective microextraction of ultra-trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coffee prior to HPLC analysis.

Assessment of nutrient removal and microbial population dynamics in a non-aerated vertical baffled flow constructed wetland for contaminated water treatment with composite biochar addition.

A novel composite biochar (NCB) was produced from the pyrolysis of co-fermentation products of sewage sludge, food wastes and rice straw, and exhibited higher nitrogen and phosphorus adsorption capacity due to the larger surface area (14.7 m2 g-1) and higher Ca content (51753.7 mg kg-1) than single rice straw biochar. The addition of NCB was then investigated in a non-aerated vertical baffled flow constructed wetland (VBFCW) for contaminated water treatment. The VBFCW with NCB addition significantly improved CODMn, NH4+-N, TN and TP removal efficiencies of 83.3 ±â€¯5.3%, 95.9 ±â€¯3.4%, 28.0 ±â€¯4.0% and 59.5 ±â€¯11.8%, respectively, at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3 d. In addition, the TN and TP removal rates at a decreased HRT of 2 d were much higher than those at an HRT of 3 d without NCB addition. The presence of NCB in the VBFCW system enhanced nutrient adsorption and improved the enrichment of bacteria for organic and nitrogen removal mainly including the genera Bacillus and Lactococcus.

Screening of live yeast and yeast derivatives for their impact of strain and dose on in vitro ruminal fermentation and microbial profiles with varying media pH levels in high-forage beef cattle diet.

BACKGROUND: Yeast products showed beneficial effects with respect to stabilizing ruminal pH, stimulating ruminal fermentation and improving production efficiency. Batch cultures were conducted to evaluate the effects of yeast products on gas production (GP), dry matter disappearance (DMD) and fermentation characteristics of high-forage substrate. The study was a two media pH (5.8 and 6.5) × five yeasts (three live yeasts, LY: LY1, LY2, LY3; two yeast derivatives, YD: YD4, YD5) × four dosages factorial arrangement, with monensin (Mon) assigned as a positive control. RESULTS: Greater (P < 0.01) GP, DMD, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration, ratio of acetate to propionate (A:P) and copy numbers of Fibrobacter succinogenes and Ruminococcus flavefaciens were observed at pH 6.5 than at pH 5.8. The GP kinetics, DMD, VFA concentration, A:P and NH3 -N concentration differed (P < 0.05) among yeasts but varied with media pH or yeast dosages. Increasing doses of LY3 linearly increased DMD (P < 0.04) and VFA concentration (P < 0.001) at media pH 5.8. The DMD linearly (P < 0.02) increased with increased addition of YD4 (pH 6.5) and YD5 (pH 5.8) and the ratio of A:P linearly decreased (P < 0.01) with the addition of YD4 or YD5 at pH 5.8. Overall greater (P < 0.05) GP, A:P (pH 5.8) and DMD (pH 6.5) were observed with yeast products than with Mon. CONCLUSION: LY3 appeared to be an interesting candidate for improving rumen digestibility and fermentation efficiency, particularly at low media pH. YD4 or YD5 improved fermentation efficiency and can be potentially fed as an alternative to Mon. © 2019 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.