Gel-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Flexible Sensing: Principles, Properties, and Applications.

The rapid development of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technologies has increased the need for wearable, portable, and self-powered flexible sensing devices. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) based on gel materials (with excellent conductivity, mechanical tunability, environmental adaptability, and biocompatibility) are considered an advanced approach for developing a new generation of flexible sensors. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent advances in gel-based TENGs for flexible sensors, covering their principles, properties, and applications. Based on the development requirements for flexible sensors, the working mechanism of gel-based TENGs and the characteristic advantages of gels are introduced. Design strategies for the performance optimization of hydrogel-, organogel-, and aerogel-based TENGs are systematically summarized. In addition, the applications of gel-based TENGs in human motion sensing, tactile sensing, health monitoring, environmental monitoring, human-machine interaction, and other related fields are summarized. Finally, the challenges of gel-based TENGs for flexible sensing are discussed, and feasible strategies are proposed to guide future research.

A simple and rapid method for isolating high-quality RNA from kenaf with high polysaccharide and polyphenol contents.

The extraction of high-quality RNA from kenaf is essential for genetic and molecular biology research. However, the presence of high levels of polysaccharide and polyphenol compounds in kenaf poses challenges for RNA isolation. We proposed a simplified, time-saving and cost-effective method for isolating high quantities of RNA from various kenaf tissues. This method exhibited superior efficiency in RNA isolation compared with the conventional cetyltrimethylammonium bromide method and demonstrated greater adaptability to different samples than commercial kits. Furthermore, the high-quality RNA obtained from this method was successfully utilized for RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR and northern blot analysis. Moreover, this proposed protocol also enables the acquisition of both high-quality and -quantity gDNA through RNase A treatment. In addition, the effectiveness of this approach in isolating high-quality RNA from other plant species has been experimentally confirmed.

Antibody responses to an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in individuals aged from 50 to 102 years.

Objectives: To assess antibody responses to an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in individuals aged 50 and older. Methods: We conducted a post-market cross-sectional seroepidemiology study. We recruited 4,632 vaccinated individuals aged 50 and older, measured their total serum SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody (TA), and collected correlates. The primary outcome was the geometric mean titer (GMT) of TA, and the secondary outcome was the decline of TA with age. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were used to examine the associations of the TA GMT with age, and trend analyses were used to test whether their associations were significant. Results: All participants had a detectable TA, which was generally at a low level across all age groups. The TA GMT (95% CI) in AU/mL was 3.05 (2.93, 3.18); the corresponding arithmetic mean (95% CI) was 17.77 (16.13, 19.42) in all participants and 4.33 (3.88, 4.84), 3.86 (3.49, 4.28), 3.24 (2.92, 3.59), 2.77 (2.60, 2.96), and 2.65 (2.48, 2.83) in the age groups of 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-74, and 75 years or older, respectively. The TA GMT decreased with age with a P trend < 0.001. The TA GMT was significantly lower in those with hypertension or diabetes compared to those with neither. Conclusion: The inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is effective in individuals aged 50 and older. This is the first study that has found an inverse dose-response relationship between ages and the low-level TAs. Older people, especially those with chronic diseases, should get the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and their vaccination frequency, dose, and method may need to be different from those of younger people.

Multi-mycotoxin detection and human exposure risk assessment in medicinal foods.

Mycotoxin contamination in medicinal foods has attracted increasing global attention. In this study, a simple and sensitive ultrasonication assisted one-step extraction based ultra-fast liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UFLC-MS/MS) method was developed for simultaneous detection of multi-mycotoxins in five kinds of medicinal foods rich in starch. Under optimal conditions, the developed technique displayed excellent analytical performances. Limits of detection and quantitation for the six mycotoxins were 0.04-0.25 ng/mL and 0.10-0.67 ng/mL, respectively. Average recoveries at three fortified levels ranged from 75.33 % to 118.0 %. Real-world application in 103 batches of medicinal foods displayed that 58 samples were positive with one or more mycotoxins at an occurrence rate of 56.31 % (58/103). Coix seed gave the highest positive rate of 96.15 %, followed by Lily (90 %), Chinese yam (50 %), Lotus seed (34.04 %) and Malt (30 %). Zearalenone had the highest positive rate of 28.16 % with contents in 5 Coix seeds exceeding the maximum residue limit (MRL), followed by aflatoxin B1 of 27.18 % (28/103) with contents in 7 Coix seed and 10 Lotus seeds over its MRL, and ochratoxin A (OTA) of 11.65 % with contents in 1 Lotus seed and 5 Lily samples greater than its MRL. Exposure risk assessment indicated that Coix seed and Lotus seeds that were susceptible to aflatoxins posed great threats to human health. Long-term consumption of Lily that was easily contaminated with OTA were also harmful. This work provides a robust platform for multi-mycotoxin monitoring in medicinal foods to protect the consumers from potential health risks.

Single-Molecule Real-Time Sequencing to Explore the Mycobiome Diversity in Malt.

This study determined the composition of fungal communities and characterized the enriched fungal species in raw and roasted malts via the third-generation PacBio-based full-length single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing of the full-length amplicon of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. In total, one kingdom, six phyla, 23 classes, 56 orders, 120 families, 188 genera, 333 species, and 780 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected with satisfactory sequencing depth and sample size. Wickerhamomyces (56%), Cyberlindnera (15%), Dipodascus (12%), and Candida (6.1%) were characterized as the dominant genera in the raw malts, and Aspergillus (35%), Dipodascus (21%), Wickerhamomyces (11%), and Candida (3.5%) in the roasted malts. Aspergillus proliferans, Aspergillus penicillioides, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus represented the crucial biomarkers causing intergroup differences. Correlation analysis regarding environmental factors indicated that the water activity (aw) of the samples affected the composition of the fungal communities in the malts. In practice, special attention should be paid to the mycotoxin-producing fungi, as well as other fungal genera that are inversely correlated with their growth, to ensure the safe use of malt and its end products. IMPORTANCE Fungal contamination and secondary metabolite accumulation in agricultural products represent a global food safety challenge. Although high-throughput sequencing (HTS) is beneficial for explaining fungal communities, it presents disadvantages, such as short reads, species-level resolution, and uncertain identification. This work represents the first attempt to characterize the fungal community diversity, with a particular focus on mycotoxin-producing fungi, in malt via the third-generation PacBio-based full-length SMRT sequencing of the ITS region, aiming to explore and compare the differences between the fungal communities of raw and roasted malts. The research is beneficial for developing effective biological control and conservation measures, including improving the roasting conditions, monitoring the environmental humidity and aw, and effectively eliminating and degrading fungi in the industry chain according to the diverse fungal communities determined, for the safe use of malts and their end products, such as beers. In addition, the third-generation SMRT sequencing technology allows highly efficient analysis of fungal community diversity in complex matrices, yielding fast, high-resolution long reads at the species level. It can be extended to different research fields, updating modern molecular methodology and bioinformatics databases.

Impact of Gender on STEAM Education in Elementary School: From Individuals to Group Compositions.

Gender differences are essential factors influencing collaborative learning at both individual and group levels. However, few studies have systematically investigated their impact on student performance in the innovative context of STEAM education, particularly in the elementary school setting. To address this research need, this study examined the learning behaviors of 91 sixth graders in a STEAM program, who were classified into three gender groupings, namely, boy-only, girl-only, and mixed-gender groups, and further compared their performance in terms of cognition, interaction, and emotion by both gender and gender group type. The results show that, compared to individual gender differences, the gender group type had a greater impact on students' behavioral performance during STEAM education. While all gender groupings had specific advantages, mixed-gender groups proved to be the most preferable, with benefits such as enhanced higher-order thinking, interaction, and emotional expression. Moreover, the study revealed that both boys and girls acted differently when working with the opposite gender in mixed-gender groups. These research findings have several implications for facilitating STEAM learning in co-ed elementary schools.

First report of root rot caused by Fusarium solani on roselle in Nanning, Guangxi, China.

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) is an annual herbaceous plant in the Malvaceae family with high anthocyanin and is widely cultivated in Nanning, Guangxi of China due to its economic and nutritional importance. In August 2021, a severe root rot disease with incidence of 42.4% (860 plants in the field) was observed in roselle plants in an open-field crop in Nanning (108°33"E, 22°84"N), Guangxi, China. The roots of the diseased plants were discolored and rotten, and the xylem became black, extending along the main root to the junction of the rhizomes. The above-ground symptoms were leaf yellowing, vascular tissue browning, wilting and death. Three diseased samples were rinsed thoroughly with sterile distilled water, cut with a sterile scalpel into approximately 0.5-cm pieces, surface disinfested with 75% ethanol for one minute, rinsed 3-4 times with sterile water, and finally incubated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28 °C in the dark for 3 days. Emerging colonies were transferred to new PDA two-three times until a single colony was obtained. The aerial mycelium was initially white, turning pale yellow after 5 days of growth on PDA. Microscopic observations revealed that microconidia were hyaline and ovoid with sizes of 5.13 to 15.12 and 2.50 to 4.20 µm (average 9.02, 3.32 µm, n=30). Macroconidia were falciform with 3- to 4-septate, with sizes of 19.08 to 24.35 and 4.5 to 8.00 µm (average 24.35 and 5.23 µm, n=30). The morphological characteristics of the microscopic images were identical to those described for Fusarium solani (Leslie and Summerell 2006). A representative isolate (GXRST29) was selected for DNA extraction for further characterization. The internal transcribed spacer rRNA regions (ITSs), beta tubulin gene sequence and a fragment of the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF 1-α) gene sequence were amplified using the primer pairs ITS1/ITS4 (Chehri 2014), Bt-1/Bt-2 (Wang et al. 2014) and EF1-F/EF2-R (O'Donnell et al. 2010), respectively. PCR products were sequenced and deposited in GenBank (accession Nos. OL314654, ON157430 and ON157431, respectively). BLASTn analysis showed that the ITS sequence had 96.99% homology with sequence of F. solani (NR 163531), and 99.26% for Fusarium cf. solani (MG775565) obtained from Homo sapiens. The beta tubulin sequence had 97.96% similarity with BLAST sequence of F. solani (MN295052.1) and EF 1-α gene had 100% identity to published F. solani (MN977912.1). The fungus was identified as F. solani. Five roselle plants at the 5-leaf stage were artificially inoculated by root dipping into a 106-107-mL-1 spore suspension of the isolated GXRST29 for pathogenicity testing. The experiment was conducted three times, and the negative controls were replaced with sterile water. Compared to the control, the growth of plants was significantly inhibited, leaves turned yellow, plants dwarfed and wilted, and roots decayed three days post-inoculation. One week post-inoculation, all plants exhibited symptoms similar to those observed in the field, and F. solani was steadily reisolated from those diseased plants, while no positive isolations were obtained in the controls. F. solani has been reported to cause root rot on roselle in Upper Egypt (Hassan et al. 2014) and lisianthus in China (Xiao et al. 2018). To our knowledge, however, this is the first report of Fusarium wilt caused by F. solani in roselle plants in Nanning, Guangxi, China, and could result in severe crop losses.

Transfer behavior of pesticides from honeysuckle into tea infusions: Establishment of an empirical model for transfer rate prediction.

Affected by some external conditions and internal factors, pesticides can be transferred from tea into its infusion, causing subsequent damage to humans as tea infusion is generally consumed. This study aimed to explore the inherent regularity in transfer behavior of 23 pesticides belonging to different classes from honeysuckle to its tea infusion, and to understand the effects of external brewing conditions and internal physicochemical parameters of the pesticides on their transfer rates. Results indicated that the transfer rates (Rt) of pesticides from honeysuckle into tea solutions increased with prolonged brewing time, or adding a cover on a container, but decreased with increasing the times of infusion. In addition, the transfer potential of these pesticides greatly depended on their physicochemical properties but not their type. The pesticides with high water solubility and low water partition coefficient (LogKow, e.g., omethoate) were more easily transferred into tea infusions than those with low water solubility and high LogKow (e.g., chlorpyrifos). Compared the tea brewing in a covered container, the empirical models obtained in an uncovered cup predicted the transfer behavior and drinking risk of pesticides potentially introduced into honeysuckle and its tea infusion. The linear equation was as follow: Rt = 10.756 LogWS + 7.517, R = 0.8771. In practice, honeysuckle should be brewed in an uncovered cup within a short brewing time, and the first tea infusion should be abandoned to reduce the transfer percentage of pesticides. This study provided beneficial references for pesticide application in honeysuckle plantation to establish realistic maximum residue limits of multi-pesticides in honeysuckle tea and related products.

Mitochondrial gene expression analysis reveals aberrant transcription of cox3 in Gossypium barbadense CMS line H276A.

Cotton cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) has been extensively studied; however, information regarding its molecular mechanisms has not yet been disclosed. Therefore, to explore the molecular mechanism of pollen abortion of cotton CMS line H276A, transcript profiles of 30 mitochondrial protein-encoding genes at tetrad stage were conducted with northern blot and a differential expression gene cox3 was identified. Quantitative reverse-transcribed PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that the expression level of cox3 in the CMS line H276A was 0.39-fold compared to its maintainer line H276B. In addition, the immunoblot analysis revealed that the amount of COX3 protein was decreased to 59.38% in CMS line H276A. The 5` and 3` terminals of the transcript of cox3 in two materials were determined simultaneously with circularized RNA reverse-transcribed PCR (CR-RT-PCR). The data indicated that seven 5` end of transcript of cox3 in H276A (-451/-464/-465/-467/-471/-472/-508 respect to ATG) were identified which were different from that of H276B (-411/-412). A total of 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was detected by clone sequencing analysis of upstream of cox3. To our knowledge, we are the first to comprehensively analyze the transcripts of the mitochondrial genome in the cotton CMS line and to identify the 5` and 3` terminals of the transcript of cox3 in cotton. Our data will provide a framework for a better understanding of molecular mechanisms of CMS and mitochondrial gene expression in cotton.

Recent advances in synthesis and modification of carbon dots for optical sensing of pesticides.

Serious threat from pesticide residues to the ecosystem and human health has become a global concern. Developing reliable methods for monitoring pesticides is a world-wide research hotspot. Carbon dots (CDs) with excellent photostability, low toxicity, and good biocompatibility have been regarded as the potential substitutes in fabricating various optical sensors for pesticide detection. Based on the relevant high-quality publications, this paper first summarizes the current state-of-the-art of the synthetic and modification approaches of CDs. Then, a comprehensive overview is given on the recent advances of CDs-based optical sensors for pesticides over the past five years, with a particular focus on photoluminescent, electrochemiluminescent and colorimetric sensors regarding the sensing mechanisms and design principles by integrating with various recognition elements including antibodies, aptamers, enzymes, molecularly imprinted polymers, and some nanoparticles. Novel functions and extended applications of CDs as signal indicators, catalyst, co-reactants, and electrode surface modifiers, in constructing optical sensors are specially highlighted. Beyond an assessment of the performances of the real-world application of these proposed optical sensors, the existing inadequacies and current challenges, as well as future perspectives for pesticide monitoring are discussed in detail. It is hoped to provide powerful insights for the development of novel CDs-based sensing strategies with their wide application in different fields for pesticide supervision.

A CdSe@CdS quantum dots based electrochemiluminescence aptasensor for sensitive detection of ochratoxin A.

In this work, a CdSe@CdS quantum dots (QDs) based label-free electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor was developed for the specific and sensitive detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). Chitosan (CHI) could immobilize abundant QDs on the surface of an Au electrode as the luminescent nanomaterials. Glutaraldehyde was used as the crosslinking agent for coupling a large number of OTA aptamers. Thanks to the excellent stability, good biocompatibility, and strong ECL intensity of CdSe@CdS QDs, as well as the quick reactions of the generated SO4•- in the electrolyte, strong ECL signals were measured. Because of the specific recognition of aptamer toward OTA, the reduced ECL signals caused by OTA in the samples were recorded for quantify the content of OTA. After optimizing a series of crucial conditions, the ECL aptasensor displayed superior sensitivity for OTA with a detection limit of 0.89 ng/mL and a wide linear concentration range of 1-100 ng/mL. The practicability and viability were verified through the rapid and facile analysis of OTA in real Lily and Rhubarb samples with recovery rates (n = 3) of 98.1-105.6% and 97.3-101.5%, respectively. The newly-developed QDs-based ECL aptasensor provided a new universal analytical tool for more mycotoxins in safety assessment of foods and feeds, environmental monitoring, and clinical diagnostics.

Aptasensors for mycotoxins in foods: Recent advances and future trends.

Mycotoxin contamination in foods has posed serious threat to public health and raised worldwide concern. The development of simple, rapid, facile, and cost-effective methods for mycotoxin detection is of urgent need. Aptamer-based sensors, abbreviated as aptasensors, with excellent recognition capacity to a wide variety of mycotoxins have attracted ever-increasing interest of researchers because of their simple fabrication, rapid response, high sensitivity, low cost, and easy adaptability for in situ measurement. The past few decades have witnessed the rapid advances of aptasensors for mycotoxin detection in foods. Therefore, this review first summarizes the reported aptamer sequences specific for mycotoxins. Then, the recent 5-year advancements in various newly developed aptasensors, which, according to the signal output mode, are divided into electrochemical, optical and photoelectrochemical categories, for mycotoxin detection are comprehensively discussed. A special attention is taken on their strengths and limitations in real-world application. Finally, the current challenges and future perspectives for developing novel highly reliable aptasensors for mycotoxin detection are highlighted, which is expected to provide powerful references for their thorough research and extended applications. Owing to their unique advantages, aptasensors display a fascinating prospect in food field for safety inspection and risk assessment.

Nucleo-cytoplasmic interactions affect the 5' terminal transcription of mitochondrial genes between the isonuclear CMS line UG93A and its maintainer line UG93B of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus).

Gene expression and translation in plant mitochondria remain poorly understood due to the complicated transcription of its mRNA. In this study, we report the 5' and 3' RNA extremities and promoters of five mitochondrial genes, atp1, atp4, atp6, atp9, and cox3. The results reveal that four genes (atp1, atp4, atp6, and cox3) are transcribed from multiple initiation sites but with a uniform transcript at the 3' end, indicating that heterogeneity of the 5' end is a common feature in the transcription of kenaf mitochondrial genes. Furthermore, we found that the transcription initiation sites of these four genes are significantly different in UG93A, UG93B, and the F1 hybrid. These data indicate that nuclear loci and unknown transcription factors within the mitochondria of different cytoplasmic types may be involved in mitochondrial transcription. Promoter architecture analysis showed that the promoter core sequences are conserved in the kenaf mitochondrial genome but are highly divergent, suggesting that these elements are essential for the promoter activity of mitochondrial genes in kenaf. Our results reveal that the heterogeneity of the 5' end and uniformity at the 3' end are common transcriptional features of mitochondrial genes. These data provide essential information for understanding the transcription of mitochondrial genes in kenaf and can be used as a reference for other plants.

Fungal communities in Nelumbinis semen characterized by high-throughput sequencing.

For a long period, Nelumbinis semen has been widely used as a medicinal and edible product. However, it is susceptible to contamination with toxigenic fungi and aflatoxins during the growth, collection, transportation, and storage processes, causing serious health threats to humans and huge economic losses. Effectively monitoring the fungal communities is of great importance to avoid aflatoxins contamination in Nelumbinis semen. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) is a new technology to evaluate fungal communities so as to overcome the limitations of the traditional cultural ways. In this study, the ITS2 based Illumina-MiSeq platform was developed to evaluate the fungal communities in normal and moldy Nelumbinis semen by using the HTS technology. Two different primer pairs were introduced to compare their performance in amplifying the target gene. The primer pair that produced more reads was selected to analyze the results. In all the nine tested Nelumbinis semen samples, 2 phyla, 5 classes, 6 orders, 8 families, 9 genera and 4 species were detected. A total of 9 genera were spotted, of which, Aspergillus (0.04%-72.93%) and Rhizopus (0.002%-48.12%) were the most dominant. ANOISM analysis showed no significant differences in the normal and moldy groups. The use of HTS technology can detect the fungal communities in complex Nelumbinis semen samples, providing an early warning for toxigenic fungi and aflatoxins contamination to warrant their quality and safety.

Development of a quantum dot nanobead-based fluorescent strip immunosensor for on-site detection of aflatoxin B1 in lotus seeds.

Owing to the serious threat of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) to public health, development of a reliable method for accurate determination of it is extremely necessary and urgent. In this study, a simple, rapid and highly-sensitive quantum dot nanobeads (QBs) based lateral flow fluorescent strip immunosensor was developed for on-site detection of AFB1 in edible and medicinal lotus seeds. Carboxylated QBs were used as the fluorescent markers to prepare the fluorescent probe through coupling QBs with anti-AFB1 antibodies. Bovine serum albumin (BSA)-AFB1 antigens and goat anti-mouse IgG antibodies were coated on the nitrocellulose (NC) membrane to prepare the test (T) and control (C) lines, respectively. Qualitative analysis of AFB1 was realized by naked eye, and the quantitative determination was achieved with a portable strip reader. Results showed that the newly-developed test strip sensor could achieve rapid detection of AFB1 within 15 min, allowing a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 ng/mL (2 µg/kg) and a linear range of 1-19 ng/mL (2-38 µg/kg). Recovery rates from the fortified lotus seeds with low, medium and high spiking concentrations (2.5, 5 and 10 µg/kg) ranged from 94.0% to 116.0% with relative standard deviations less than 10%. All the results were confirmed by a standard LC-MS/MS method. The QBs-based fluorescent strip immunosensor with high sensitivity, easy operation, and low cost provided a preferred solution for rapid, on-site screening and highly-sensitive quantitation of AFB1 in a large number of lotus seed samples.

Development of a multi-channel magnetic bead micro-probe assay for high-throughput detection of zearalenone in edible and medicinal Coix seed.

A multi-channel magnetic bead micro-probes assay (MBPA) based on indirect competitive principle was developed for high-throughput detection of zearalenone (ZEA) in edible and medicinal Coix seed. This strategy introduced magnetic beads as the carriers, the specific primary antibodies as the capture probes for targets and the secondary antibodies functionalized goat anti-mouse immunoglobulin G labeled fluorescein isothiocyanate as the fluorescence signal probes. Through the competitive reaction of ZEA in Coix seed samples and that covalently coupled on the surface of MBs with their specific antibodies, as well as fast magnetic separation and sensitive fluorescence detection, the developed MBPA strategy allowed low limit of detection (2.03 ng/mL) with broad dynamic range (2.03-440.67 ng/mL), as well as excellent accuracy with the average recovery rate of 96.39% and relative standard deviation (RSD) of 5.48% for ZEA. 36 samples could realize simultaneous analysis in one operation within less than 20 min only needing 50 µL of solution and 30 s of sampling, avoiding large consumption of time and organic solvents. Multiple centrifugation and cleanup steps were omitted because of magnetic separation, avoiding the loss of targets. Diverse capture and fluorescent probes can be randomly bound onto the surface of MBs, making the MBPA strategy a promising tool for on-site high-throughput monitoring of various trace hazard factors in food safety, and environmental monitoring.

Identification of differentially expressed genes and pathways in isonuclear kenaf genotypes under salt stress.

Salinity is a potential abiotic stress and globally threatens crop productivity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying salt stress tolerance with respect to cytoplasmic effect, gene expression, and metabolism pathway under salt stress have not yet been reported in isonuclear kenaf genotypes. To fill this knowledge gap, growth, physiological, biochemical, transcriptome, and cytoplasm changes in kenaf cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) line (P3A) and its iso-nuclear maintainer line (P3B) under 200 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) stress and control conditions were analyzed. Salt stress significantly reduced leaf soluble protein, soluble sugars, proline, chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzymatic activity, and induced oxidative damage in terms of higher MDA contents in both genotypes. The reduction of these parameters resulted in a reduced plant growth compared with control. However, P3A was relatively more tolerant to salt stress than P3B. This tolerance of P3A was further confirmed by improved physio-biochemical traits under salt stress conditions. Transcriptome analysis showed that 4256 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two genotypes under salt stress were identified. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that photosynthesis, photosynthesis antenna-protein, and plant hormone signal transduction pathways might be associated with the improved NaCl stress tolerance in P3A. Conclusively, P3A cytoplasmic male sterile could be a potential salt-tolerant material for future breeding program of kenaf and can be used for phytoremediation of salt-affected soils. These data provide a valuable resource on the cytoplasmic effect of salt-responsive genes in kenaf and salt stress tolerance in kenaf.

Recent progress in immunosensors for pesticides.

Immunosensors for rapid detection of pesticide residues has attracted considerable interest in the past few years for healthcare and environmental monitoring. And the publications have grown exponentially over the past decades, making it a trending hot-spot. Therefore, this review first examines the current situation regarding pesticide residue in various foods, feeds, traditional Chinese medicines and environmental samples. Then, the primary focus is on the recent development of the proposed immunosensors for pesticide detection in the past five years, with particular emphasis on the fluorescence, colorimetric, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, electrochemical and piezoelectric sensors. Beyond a highlight of the real-world application and advantages of these emerging immunosensors for pesticide inspection, this paper also discusses their potential limits and current challenges, as well as future perspectives. This review will provide powerful insights to researchers for the future development of immunosensors, as well as their broader application in different fields, such as analytical chemistry, food safety control, clinical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring.

Exploration of the safe water content and activity control points for medicinal and edible lotus seeds from mildew.

Affected by the inner properties and the external environmental conditions, medicinal and edible lotus seeds are susceptible to mildew with fungal infection under suitable temperature and humidity conditions, leading to the production and contamination of various mycotoxins, along with threats to its quality and safety. In this study, the changes of water content (Cw) and water activity (Aw) of lotus seeds stored at 25 °C and different relative humidity conditions, as well as the correlation between them and mildew of this edible and medicinal material were studied, aiming to explore the safe Cw and Aw control points for screening out the suitable storage conditions from mildew. Blank (without fungal conidia) and experimental (artificially added with Aspergillus flavus conidia) groups of lotus seeds were stored at 25 °C and relative humidity of 40%, 50%, 60% and 70% for about 30 days, respectively. The mildew was observed and the changes of Cw, Aw, together with the production of aflatoxins were measured. Results showed that no mildew was found and aflatoxins were not detected in lotus seeds when they were stored for 30 days at 25 °C and relative humidity of 40%, 50% and 60% with Cw < 12% and Aw < 0.6. While, when the relative humidity was up to 70%, the Cw and Aw values rose quickly, and the Cw exceeded the officially-permitted level (14%). Although no mildew was observed, AFB1 was still detected, increasing the potential risk of lotus seeds regarding aflatoxins. For warranting the quality with economic and safe storage, lotus seeds are suggested to be stored at 25 °C and relative humidity lower than 60% with 12% and 0.6 as the safe Cw and Aw control points, respectively, to prevent medicinal and edible products from mildew and the contamination of aflatoxins.