Modified Composite Biodegradable Mulch for Crop Growth and Sustainable Agriculture.

Using biodegradable films as a substitute for conventional polyolefin films has emerged as a crucial technology to combat agricultural white pollution. To address the shortcomings in the tensile strength, water vapor barrier properties, and degradation period of PBAT-based biodegradable films, this investigation aimed to create a composite film that could improve the diverse properties of PBAT films. To achieve this, a PBAT/PLA-PPC-PTLA ternary blend system was introduced in the study. The system effectively fused PBAT with PLA and PPC, as evidenced by electron microscopy tests showing no apparent defects on the surface and cross-section of the blended film. The developed ternary blend system resulted in a 58.62% improvement in tensile strength, a 70.33% enhancement in water vapor barrier properties, and a 30-day extension of the functional period compared to pure PBAT biodegradable films. Field experiments on corn crops demonstrated that the modified biodegradable film is more suitable for agricultural production, as it improved thermal insulation and moisture retention, leading to a 5.45% increase in corn yield, approaching the yield of traditional polyolefin films.

An Efficient Human Activity Recognition In-Memory Computing Architecture Development for Healthcare Monitoring.

Human activity recognition has played a crucial role in healthcare information systems due to the fast adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of thing (IoT). Most of the existing methods are still limited by computational energy, transmission latency, and computing speed. To address these challenges, we develop an efficient human activity recognition in-memory computing architecture for healthcare monitoring. Specifically, a mechanism-oriented model of Ag/a-Carbon/Ag memristor is designed, serving as the core circuit component of the proposed in-memory computing system. Then, one-transistor-two-memristor (1T2M) crossbar array is proposed to perform high-efficiency multiply-accumulate (MAC) operation and high-density memory in the proposed scheme. To facilitate understanding of the proposed efficient human activity recognition in-memory computing design, self-attention ConvLSTM module, multi-head convolutional attention module, and recognition module are proposed. Furthermore, the proposed system is applied to perform human activity recognition, which contains eleven different human activities, including five different postural falls, and six basic daily activities. The experimental results show that the proposed system has advantages in recognition performance (≥ 0.20% accuracy, ≥ 1.10% F1-score) and time consumption (approximately 8∼10 times speed up) compared to existing methods, indicating an advancement in smart healthcare applications.

Zinc Finger-Homeodomain Transcriptional Factors (ZHDs) in Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.): Identification, Evolution, Expression Profiles, and Function under Abiotic Stresses.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a globally prevalent and extensively cultivated vegetable whose yield is significantly influenced by various abiotic stresses, including drought, heat, and salinity. Transcription factors, such as zinc finger-homeodomain proteins (ZHDs), a plant-specific subgroup of Homeobox, play a crucial regulatory role in stress resistance. In this study, we identified 13 CsZHDs distributed across all six cucumber chromosomes except chromosome 7. Phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into five clades (ZHDI-IV and MIF) with different gene structures but similar conserved motifs. Collinearity analysis revealed that members of clades ZHD III, IV, and MIF experienced amplification through segmental duplication events. Additionally, a closer evolutionary relationship was observed between the ZHDs in Cucumis sativus (C. sativus) and Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) compared to Oryza sativa (O. sativa). Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis demonstrated the general expression of CsZHD genes across all tissues, with notable expression in leaf and flower buds. Moreover, most of the CsZHDs, particularly CsZHD9-11, exhibited varying responses to drought, heat, and salt stresses. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) experiments highlighted the potential functions of CsZHD9 and CsZHD10, suggesting their positive regulation of stomatal movement and responsiveness to drought stress. In summary, these findings provide a valuable resource for future analysis of potential mechanisms underlying CsZHD genes in response to stresses.

Ubiquitin ligase MDM2 mediates endothelial inflammation in Kawasaki disease vasculitis development.

Background: Kawasaki disease (KD) often complicates coronary artery lesions (CALs). Despite the established significance of STAT3 signaling during the acute phase of KD and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling being closely related to CALs, it remains unknown whether and how STAT3 was regulated by ubiquitination during KD pathogenesis. Methods: Bioinformatics and immunoprecipitation assays were conducted, and an E3 ligase, murine double minute 2 (MDM2) was identified as the ubiquitin ligase of STAT3. The blood samples from KD patients before and after intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment were utilized to analyze the expression level of MDM2. Human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) and a mouse model were used to study the mechanisms of MDM2-STAT3 signaling during KD pathogenesis. Results: The MDM2 expression level decreased while the STAT3 level and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) level increased in KD patients with CALs and the KD mouse model. Mechanistically, MDM2 colocalized with STAT3 in HCAECs and the coronary vessels of the KD mouse model. Knocking down MDM2 caused an increased level of STAT3 protein in HCAECs, whereas MDM2 overexpression upregulated the ubiquitination level of STAT3 protein, hence leading to significantly decreased turnover of STAT3 and VEGFA. Conclusions: MDM2 functions as a negative regulator of STAT3 signaling by promoting its ubiquitination during KD pathogenesis, thus providing a potential intervention target for KD therapy.

The effect of the whole-process care model of the medical union on the improvement of kinesiophobia and bone mineral density in patients with osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of the whole-process care model of the medical union on the improvement of kinesiophobia and bone mineral density in patients with osteoporosis. METHODS: In this descriptive study, a convenient sampling method was used to select 148 patients with osteoporosis who visited the hospital from January 2020 to December 2021. Patients aged ≥ 18 years and diagnosed with osteoporosis through quantitative computed tomography (QCT) were included in the study. They were able to cooperate during follow-up and had normal cognitive function. Patients with combined spinal curvature, thoracic deformity, and pulmonary dysfunction, accompanied by severe cardiovascular or limb dysfunction, and those who withdrew midway or participated in other clinical studies were excluded. According to whether to use the whole-process care model of the medical union, they were divided into intervention group and control group, with 74 cases each. The control group used conventional care, and the intervention group used the whole-process care model of the medical association. The occurrence of kinesiophobia between the two groups were compared. The dual-energy X-ray absorption detector is used to measure differences in bone density changes. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the TSK scale score and the incidence of kinesiophobia before intervention (P > 0.05). The TSK scale scores of patients in the intervention group were higher than those in the control group at 3 months and 6 months after operation (P < 0.05). The incidence of kinesiophobia in the intervention group for 3 months and 6 months was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in bone mineral density between the two groups before and 3 months after intervention (P > 0.05). The bone mineral density of lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group after 6 months of intervention (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The whole-process care model of the medical association is used for osteoporosis patients, which might reduce the risk of kinesiophobia and improve the bone density of the lumbar spine and total hip in patients. But further promotion and improvement of relevant support systems are needed to achieve comprehensive promotion and maximize clinical benefits in this field.

Structure-Performance Correlation Inspired Platinum-Assisted Anode with a Homogeneous Ionomer Layer for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis.

PEMWE is becoming one of the most promising technologies for efficient and green hydrogen production, while the anode OER process is deeply restricted by the now commercially used iridium oxide with sluggish reaction kinetics and super high cost. Deeply exploring the essential relationship between the underlying substrate materials and the performance of PEMWE cells while simultaneously excavating new practical and convenient methods to reduce costs and increase efficiency is full of challenges. Herein, two representative kinds of iridium oxide were studied, and their performance difference in PEMWE was precisely analyzed with electrochemical techniques and physical characterization and further linked to the ionomer/catalyst compound features. A novel anode with a uniform thin ionomer coating was successfully constructed, which simultaneously optimized the ionomer/catalyst aggregates as well as electrical conductivity, resulting in significantly enhanced PEMWE performance. This rigorous qualitative analysis of the structure-performance relationship as well as effective ionomer-affinitive optimization strategies are of great significance to the development of next-generation high-performance PEM water electrolyzers.

Broadband Achromatic Quarter-Waveplate Using 2D Hybrid Copper Halide Single Crystals.

Achromatic quarter waveplates (A-QWPs), traditionally constructed from multiple birefringent crystals, can modulate light polarization and retardation across a broad range of wavelengths. This mechanism is inherently related to phase retardation controlled by the fast and slow axis of stacked multi-birefringent crystals. However, the conventional design of A-QWPs requires the incorporation of multiple birefringent crystals, which complicates the manufacturing process and raises costs. Here, we report the discovery of a broadband (540-1060 nm) A-QWP based on a two-dimensional (2D) layered hybrid copper halide (HCH) perovskite single crystal. The 2D copper chloride (CuCl6) layers of the HCH crystal undergo Jahn-Teller distortion and subsequently trigger the in-plane optical birefringence. Its broad range of the wavelength response as an A-QWP is a consequence of the out-of-plane mosaicity formed among the stacked inorganic layers during the single-crystal self-assembly process in the solution phase. Given the versatility of 2D hybridhalide perovskites, the 2D HCH crystal offers a promising approach for designing cost-effective A-QWPs and the ability to integrate other optical devices.

Fusion with CTP increases the stability of recombinant neuritin.

Neuritin is a vital neurotrophin that plays an essential role in recovery from nerve injury and neurodegenerative diseases and may become a new target for treating these conditions. However, improving neuritin protein stability is an urgent problem. In this study, to obtain active and stable neuritin proteins, we added a carboxyl-terminal peptide (CTP) sequence containing four O-linked glycosylation sites to the C-terminus of neuritin and cloned it into the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) expression system. The neuritin-CTP protein was purified using a His-Tag purification strategy after G418 screening of stable high-expression cell lines. Ultimately, we obtained neuritin-CTP protein with a purity >90%. Functional analyses showed that the purified neuritin-CTP protein promoted the neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, and stability experiments showed that neuritin stability was increased by adding CTP. These results indicate that neuritin protein-CTP fusion effectively increases stability without affecting secretion and activity. This study offers a sound strategy for improving the stability of neuritin protein and provides material conditions for further study of the function of neuritin.

Choroidal metastasis from gastric cancer: A case report and review of the literature.

Choroidal metastatic tumours from gastric cancer (GC) are rare compared with breast and lung cancer. Here, we report a patient with GC who presented to our ophthalmology clinic with a one-week history of left eye visual disorder and pain. Fundoscopic and B-scan examinations suggested a choroidal metastatic tumour. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans confirmed our initial diagnosis. Histopathology and immunohistochemical findings showed the tumour most likely originated from the gastrointestinal tract. Although the patient was well after eye removal, he died two months after surgery. Metastasis of GC should be a consideration when a patient with a history of GC presents with eye pain, decreased vision, and/or high intraocular pressure.

Spatio-temporal variation of bacterial community structure in two intertidal sediment types of Jiaozhou Bay.

The intertidal sediment environment is dynamic and the biofilm bacterial community within it must constantly adapt, but an understanding of the differences in the biofilm bacterial community within sediments of different types is still relatively limited. The semi-enclosed Jiaozhou Bay has a temperate monsoon climate, with strong currents at the mouth of the bay. In this study, the structure of the bacterial community in Jiaozhou Bay sediment biofilms are described using high-throughput 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and the effects of temporal change and different sediment environment types are discussed. Alpha diversity was significantly higher in sandy samples than in muddy samples. Sandy sediments with increased heterogeneity promote bacterial aggregation. Beta diversity analysis showed significant differences between sediment types and between stations. Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were significantly more abundant at ZQ, while Campilobacterota was significantly more abundant at LC. The relative abundances of Bacteroidetes, Campilobacterota, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi were significantly higher in the muddy samples, while Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were higher in the sandy samples. There were different phylum-level biomarkers between sediment types at different stations. There were also different patterns of functional enrichment in biogeochemical cycles between sediment types and stations with the former having more gene families that differed significantly, highlighting their greater role in determining bacterial function. Bacterial amplicon sequence variant variation between months was less than KEGG ortholog variation between months, presumably the temporal change had an impact on shaping the intertidal sediment bacterial community, although this was less clear at the gene family level. Random forest prediction yielded a combination of 43 family-level features that responded well to temporal change, reflecting the influence of temporal change on sediment biofilm bacteria.

Novel players in organogenesis and flavonoid biosynthesis in cucumber glandular trichomes.

Glandular trichomes (GTs) are outgrowths of plant epidermal cells that secrete and store specialized secondary metabolites that protect plants against biotic and abiotic stresses and have economic importance for human use. While extensive work has been done to understand the molecular mechanisms of trichome organogenesis in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), which forms unicellular, nonglandular trichomes (NGTs), little is known about the mechanisms of GT development or regulation of secondary metabolites in plants with multicellular GTs. Here, we identified and functionally characterized genes associated with GT organogenesis and secondary metabolism in GTs of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). We developed a method for effective separation and isolation of cucumber GTs and NGTs. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses showed that flavonoid accumulation in cucumber GTs is positively associated with increased expression of related biosynthesis genes. We identified 67 GT development-related genes, the functions of 7 of which were validated by virus-induced gene silencing. We further validated the role of cucumber ECERIFERUM1 (CsCER1) in GT organogenesis by overexpression and RNA interference transgenic approaches. We further show that the transcription factor TINY BRANCHED HAIR (CsTBH) serves as a central regulator of flavonoid biosynthesis in cucumber GTs. Work from this study provides insight into the development of secondary metabolite biosynthesis in multicellular GTs.

Identification and Functional Characterization of CsMYCs in Cucumber Glandular Trichome Development.

Glandular trichomes (GTs), specialized structures formed by the differentiation of plant epidermal cells, are known to play important roles in the resistance of plants to external biotic and abiotic stresses. These structures are capable of storing and secreting secondary metabolites, which often have important agricultural and medicinal values. In order to better understand the molecular developmental mechanisms of GTs, studies have been conducted in a variety of crops, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), sweetworm (Artemisia annua), and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The MYC transcription factor of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor family has been found to play an important role in GT development. In this study, a total of 13 cucumber MYC transcription factors were identified in the cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) genome. After performing phylogenetic analyses and conserved motifs on the 13 CsMYCs in comparison to previously reported MYC transcription factors that regulate trichome development, seven candidate MYC transcription factors were selected. Through virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), CsMYC2 is found to negatively regulate GT formation while CsMYC4, CsMYC5, CsMYC6, CsMYC7, and CsMYC8 are found to positively regulate GT formation. Furthermore, the two master effector genes, CsMYC2 and CsMYC7, are observed to have similar expression patterns indicating that they co-regulate the balance of GT development in an antagonistic way.

Construction of catalyst layer network structure for proton exchange membrane fuel cell derived from polymeric dispersion.

A rational design of the structure of catalyst layer (CL) is required for proton exchange membrane fuel cells to attain outstanding performance and excellent stability. It is crucial to have a profound comprehension of the correlations existing between the properties (catalyst ink), network structures of CL and proton exchange membrane fuel cells' performance for the rational design of the structure of CL. This study deeply investigates the effects of a series of alcohol solvents on the properties and network structure of CL. The results demonstrate that the CL aggregates in higher ε solution show smaller particle sizes, and the sulfonic acid groups (∼SO3H) tend to extend more outward due to the strong dissociation. A more continuous and homogeneous ionomer distribution around Pt/C aggregates is observed in the CL, which improves the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) and performance of the electrode. But, the electrode has a poor performance at high current density regions due to the mass transfer resistance. Based on this, a two-step solvent control strategy is proposed to maintain uniform ionomer and aggerates distribution and optimize the mass transfer for CL. The performance of the cell improves from 0.555 V to 0.615 V at 2000 mA·cm-2.

The forkhead box protein P3 gene rs3761548 promoter polymorphism confers a genetic contribution to the risk of preeclampsia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Various studies have investigated the risk of preeclampsia with the forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3) gene rs2232365 and rs3761548 polymorphisms. However, the results remained contradictory. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science (up to Oct 11, 2021). Meta-analysis was carried out in the R language environment for statistical computing and graphics. A fixed-effect or random-effects model was used according to the statistical significance of heterogeneity among included studies. The pooled odds ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated to estimate the strength of the effect. For the rs2232365 polymorphism, statistical significance was detected neither in the overall population nor among the East Asian and West Asian subgroups. However, for rs3761548, the summarized statistics revealed a significant association between the C allele carriage and preeclampsia risk in the homozygote, heterozygote, and dominant models. The further stratified analysis found this effect might be specific to West-South Asian ethnic subgroups. To sum up, this meta-analysis showed that the FOXP3 rs3761548 polymorphism was significantly associated with preeclampsia susceptibility, and it had a deleterious effect especially in the West-South Asian population. In contrast, rs2232365 may serve as neither a protective nor a risk factor for preeclampsia onset.

The edification of Japanese nutrition health educators degree system on the promotion of nutrition and health education in schools in China / 中国学校卫生

Abstract@#Through in-depth investigation into Japanese nutrition health educators post content, configuration, training mode, advanced education practice and the difficulties, the paper explores the effective ways of integrating nutrition health education into the school health education teacher and curriculum system as well as health promotion, so as to guide teachers and students to establish a correct concept of health, enhance health literacy and develop a healthy lifestyle. Additionally, the paper aims at providing suggestions for the construction of nutrition and health school as well as the future development of nutrition health education in China.

Emerging evidence of microbial infection in causing systematic immune vasculitis in Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systematic vasculitis that is often complicated by coronary artery lesions and is a leading cause of acquired heart disease in developed countries. Previous studies have suggested that genetic susceptibility, together with an inducing infectious agent, could be involved in KD pathogenesis; however, the precise causative agent of this disease remains unknown. Moreover, there are still debates concerning whether KD is an infectious disease or an autoimmune disease, although many studies have begun to show that various pathogens functioning as critical inducers could activate different kinds of immune cells, consequently leading to the dysfunction of endothelial cells and systematic vasculitis. Here in this review, we attempt to summarize all the available evidence concerning pathogen infections associated with KD pathogenesis. We also discuss the related mechanisms, present a future perspective, and identify the open questions that remain to be investigated, thereby providing a comprehensive description of pathogen infections and their correlations with the host immune system in leading to KD.

Orbital Modulation with P Doping Improves Acid and Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction of MoS2.

There has been great interest in developing and designing economical, stable and highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) via water splitting in an aqueous solution at different pH values. Transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), e.g., MoS2, are identified to be promising catalysts for the HER due to the limited active sites at their edges, while the large basal plane of MoS2 is inert and shows poor performance in electrocatalytic hydrogen production. We theoretically propose orbital modulation to improve the HER performance of the basal plane of MoS2 through non-metal P doping. The substitutional doping of P provides empty 3pz orbitals, perpendicular to the basal plane, can enhance the hydrogen adsorption for acid HER and can promote water dissociation for alkaline HER, which creates significant active sites and enhances the electronic conductivity as well. In addition, 3P-doped MoS2 exhibits excellent HER catalytic activity with ideal free energy at acid media and low reaction-barrier energy in alkaline media. Thus, the doping of P could significantly boost the HER activity of MoS2 in such conditions. Our study suggests an effective strategy to tune HER catalytic activity of MoS2 through orbital engineering, which should also be feasible for other TMDC-based electrocatalysts.

Associations between NK Cells in Different Immune Organs and Cellular SIV DNA and RNA in Regional HLADR- CD4+ T Cells in Chronically SIVmac239-Infected, Treatment-Naïve Rhesus Macaques.

With the development of NK cell-directed therapeutic strategies, the actual effect of NK cells on the cellular SIV DNA levels of the virus in SIV-infected macaques in vivo remains unclear. In this study, five chronically SIVmac239-infected, treatment-naïve rhesus macaques were euthanized, and the blood, spleen, pararectal/paracolonic lymph nodes (PaLNs), and axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) were collected. The distributional, phenotypic, and functional profiles of NK cells were detected by flow cytometry. The highest frequency of NK cells was found in PBMC, followed by the spleen, while only 0~0.5% were found in LNs. Peripheral NK cells also exhibited higher cytotoxic potential (CD56- CD16+ NK subsets) and IFN-γ-producing capacity but low PD-1 and Tim-3 levels than those in the spleen and LNs. Our results demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the frequency of NK cells and the ratios of cellular SIV DNA/RNA in HLADR- CD4+ T cells (r = 0.6806, p < 0.001) in SIV-infected macaques, despite no discrepancies in the cellular SIV DNA or RNA levels that were found among the blood, spleen, and LNs. These findings showed a profile of NK cell frequencies and NK cytotoxicity levels in different immune organs from chronically SIVmac239-infected, treatment-naïve rhesus macaques. It was suggested that NK cell frequencies could be closely related to SIV DNA/RNA levels, which could affect the transcriptional activity of SIV proviruses. However, the cytotoxicity effect of NK cells on the latent SIV viral load in LNs could be limited due to the sparse abundance of NK cells in LNs. The development of NK cell-directed treatment approaches aiming for HIV clearance remains challenging.

Progress in 'taxonomic sufficiency' in aquatic biological investigations.

The 'taxonomic sufficiency' (TS) approach has been applied to algae, protists, invertebrates, and vertebrates, generally by aggregating species-level abundance data to a higher taxonomic level, where genus-level data are often highly correlated with species-level data and are a valid proxy level. The TS approach offers the possibility of a comparison of data from different geographical areas and highlights the effects of contaminants. The TS approach is stable in the face of different researchers and in the comparison of long-term biological survey data. The effectiveness of the TS approach may increase with increasing environmental gradients or spatial area. The TS approach should be avoided when the spatial area is small and small differences in species-level data are considered important, so as not to cancel out the distribution patterns specific to the local environment of the biological taxa.