The N-terminal subunit of vitellogenin in planthopper eggs and saliva acts as a reliable elicitor that induces defenses in rice.

Vitellogenins (Vgs) are critical for the development and fecundity of insects. As such, these essential proteins can be used by plants to reliably sense the presence of insects. We addressed this with a combination of molecular and chemical analyses, genetic transformation, bioactivity tests, and insect performance assays. The small N-terminal subunit of Vgs of the planthopper Nilaparvata lugens (NlVgN) was found to trigger strong defense responses in rice when it enters the plants during feeding or oviposition by the insect. The defenses induced by NlVgN not only decreased the hatching rate of N. lugens eggs, but also induced volatile emissions in plants, which rendered them attractive to a common egg parasitoid. VgN of other planthoppers triggered the same defenses in rice. We further show that VgN deposited during planthopper feeding compared with during oviposition induces a somewhat different response, probably to target the appropriate developmental stage of the insect. We also confirm that NlVgN is essential for planthopper growth, development, and fecundity. This study demonstrates that VgN in planthopper eggs and saliva acts as a reliable and unavoidable elicitor of plant defenses. Its importance for insect performance precludes evolutionary adaptions to prevent detection by rice plants.

Short-Range Order in GeSn Alloy.

Group IV alloys have been long viewed as homogeneous random solid solutions since perceiving them as Si-compatible, direct-band gap semiconductors 30 years ago. Such a perception underlies the understanding, interpretation, and prediction of alloys' properties. However, as the race to create scalable and tunable device materials enters a composition domain far beyond the alloys' equilibrium solubility, a fundamental question emerges as to how random these alloys truly are. Here, we show, by combining statistical sampling and large-scale ab initio calculations, that GeSn alloy, a promising group IV alloy for mid-infrared technology, exhibits a clear short-range order for solute atoms within its entire composition range. Such a short-range order is further found to substantially affect the electronic properties of GeSn. We demonstrate that the proper inclusion of this short-range order through canonical sampling can lead to a significant improvement over previous predictions on alloy's band gaps by showing an excellent agreement with experiments within the entire studied composition range. Our finding thus not only calls for an important revision of the current structural model for group IV alloy but also suggests that short-range order may generically exist in different types of alloys.

Development of predictive models for silicone rubber-water partition coefficients of hydrophobic organic contaminants.

The silicone rubber passive sampling technique is extensively applied to monitor the aqueous freely dissolved concentration of hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs). The silicone rubber-water partition coefficient (Ksrw) is an important parameter to accurately measure the concentrations of chemicals using passive sampling devices. In this study, two theoretical linear solvation energy relationship (TLSER) models and a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model were developed for predicting the Ksrw of HOCs. The 119 model compounds studied here included 31 personal care products, such as musks, UV-filters, and organophosphate flame retardants, as well as "conventional" pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls. The statistical parameters indicated that the final QSPR model with seven descriptors for all 119 chemicals had a satisfactory goodness-of-fit (Radj2 = 0.898), robustness (QLOO2 = 0.881) and predictive ability (Qext-F1,2,32 = 0.897-0.926). In comparison, the results of one TLSER model with four descriptors for 113 chemicals (Radj2 = 0.826, QLOO2 = 0.790, Qext-F1,2,32 = 0.805-0.837) and another TLSER model with one descriptor for 5 chemicals (Radj2 = 0.747, QLOO2 = 0.647) were also acceptable. The applicability domains of the obtained models covered chemicals containing hydroxyl, imino groups, carbonyl groups, ether bonds, halogen atoms, sulfur atoms, phosphorus atoms, nitro groups, and cyano groups. In addition, the structural features governing the partition behavior of chemicals between silicone rubber and water were explored through interpretation of appropriate mechanisms.

Sequential pretreatment for cell disintegration of municipal sludge in a neutral Bio-electro-Fenton system.

Sludge cell disruption was generally considered as the rate-limiting step for the anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS). Advanced oxidation processes and bio-electro-chemical systems were recently reported to enhance the hydrolysis of WAS and sludge cell disruption, while the cell-breaking processes of these systems remain unclear yet. In this study, an innovative Bio-electro-Fenton system was developed to pretreat the WAS sequentially with cathode Fenton process and anode anaerobic digestion. Significant cell disruption and dissolution intracellular organics were founded after the treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra indicated that Gram-negative bacteria were more sensitive to free radicals yielded in cathode to induce a chain reaction that destroyed the lipid-contained outer membrane, while Gram-positive bacteria with thick peptidoglycan layer were liable to be biologically decomposed in the anode. Compared with the oxidation of organic matters in the cathode Fenton, the secretion of enzyme increased in the anode which was beneficial to break down the complex matters (peptidoglycans) into simples that were available for anode oxidation by exoelectrogens. The results also showed a possible prospect for the application of this sequential pretreatment in bio-electro-Fenton systems to disrupt sludge cells and enhance the anaerobic digestion.

Antiarthritic Activity of Diallyl Disulfide against Freund's Adjuvant-Induced Arthritic Rat Model.

Diallyl disulfide (DADS) is an organosulfur compound derived mainly from garlic and genus Allium plants, which possess diverse biological properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antiarthritic activity of DADS in rats with arthritis induced using complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). DADS (20 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg) was administered and tested against CFA-induced arthritic rats by assessing various parameters: body weight, paw volume, arthritic score, organ indices (spleen and thymus), hematological and biochemical parameters, and proinflammatory cytokines. Histopathological analyses were also performed. The treatment of rats with DADS provoked significant reductions in paw volume, edema formation, arthritic score, and organ indices, together with significant improvement in body weight. DADS treatment also improved joint destruction and reduced inflammation, which was supported by histopathological studies. DADS significantly reduced the white blood cell count and improved red blood cell count in CFA-induced rats. The anti-arthritic activity in the CFA-induced rats was further confirmed by biochemical analysis. These findings suggest that DADS prevented cartilage destruction, improved health status, and reduced inflammation by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in arthritis-induced rats. Hence, DADS may be a potential therapeutic candidate for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Development of polyparameter linear free energy relationship models for octanol-air partition coefficients of diverse chemicals.

The octanol-air partition coefficient (KOA) is a key parameter describing the partition behavior of organic chemicals between air and environmental organic phases. As the experimental determination of KOA is costly, time-consuming and sometimes limited by the availability of authentic chemical standards for the compounds to be determined, it becomes necessary to develop credible predictive models for KOA. In this study, a polyparameter linear free energy relationship (pp-LFER) model for predicting KOA at 298.15 K and a novel model incorporating pp-LFERs with temperature (pp-LFER-T model) were developed from 795 log KOA values for 367 chemicals at different temperatures (263.15-323.15 K), and were evaluated with the OECD guidelines on QSAR model validation and applicability domain description. Statistical results show that both models are well-fitted, robust and have good predictive capabilities. Particularly, the pp-LFER model shows a strong predictive ability for polyfluoroalkyl substances and organosilicon compounds, and the pp-LFER-T model maintains a high predictive accuracy within a wide temperature range (263.15-323.15 K).

[Ultrastructural study of sclerotic dentin surface following the application of the Er, Cr: YSGG laser].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the ultrastructure character of sclerotic dentin surface conditioned by the Er, Cr: YSGG laser and acid etching. METHODS: Sixteen human teeth with sclerotic dentin were randomly assigned to 4 groups, and conditioned with acid etching (Group A), laser irradiation (Group B), laser irradiation after acid etching (Group C), or acid etching after laser irradiation (Group D) respectively. The characters of surface ultrastructure were observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). RESULTS: In Group A, the majority of dentin tubules were blocked by sclerotic rods. In Group B, the honeycomb-like change was found on the sclerotic dentin surface. The surface structure of Group C was similar to that of Group B. In group D etching wiped off the honeycomb-like structure. CONCLUSIONS: The sclerotic dentin surface treated with laser irradiation turns into uniform honeycomb-like structure. The rough surface may be beneficial to bonding strength on sclerotic dentin after laser irradiation.