The anticancer mechanisms of Toxoplasma gondii rhoptry protein 16 on lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent subtype of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Toxoplasma gondii (T.gondii) Rhoptry protein 16 (ROP16) has been shown to quickly enter the nucleus, and through activate host cell signaling pathways by phosphorylation STAT3 and may affect the survival of tumor cells. This study constructed recombinant lentiviral expression vector of T. gondii ROP16 I/II/III and stably transfected them into A549 cells, and the effects of ROP16 on cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, invasion, and migration of A549 cells were explored by utilizing CCK-8, flow cytometry, qPCR, Western blotting, TUNEL, Transwell assay, and cell scratch assay, and these effects were confirmed in the primary human lung adenocarcinoma cells from postoperative cancer tissues of patients. The type I and III ROP16 activate STAT3 and inhibited A549 cell proliferation, regulated the expression of p21, CDK6, CyclinD1, and induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase. ROP16 also regulated the Bax, Bcl-2, p53, cleaved-Caspase3, and Caspase9, inducing cell apoptosis, and reduced the invasion and migration of A549 cells, while type II ROP16 protein had no such effect. Furthermore, in the regulation of ROP16 on primary lung adenocarcinoma cells, type I and III ROP16 showed the same anticancer potential. These findings confirmed the anti-lung adenocarcinoma effect of type I and III ROP16, offering fresh perspectives on the possible application of ROP16 as a target with adjuvant therapy for lung adenocarcinoma and propelling the field of precision therapy research toward parasite treatment of tumors.

Lactating striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) do not decrease the thermogenic capacity to cope with extreme cold temperature.

For small non-hibernating mammals, a high thermogenic capacity is important to increase activity levels in the cold. It has been previously reported that lactating females decrease their thermogenic activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT), whereas their capacity to cope with extreme cold remains uncertain. In this study we examined food intake, body temperature and locomotor behavior, resting metabolic rate, non-shivering thermogenesis, and cytochrome c oxidase activity, and the rate of state 4 respiration of liver, skeletal muscle, and BAT in striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) at peak lactation and non- breeding hamsters (controls). The lactating hamsters and non- breeding controls were acutely exposed to -15°C, and several markers indicative of thermogenic capacity were examined. In comparison to non-breeding females, lactating hamsters significantly increased food intake and body temperature, but decreased locomotor behavior, and the BAT mass, indicative of decreased BAT thermogenesis at peak lactation. Unexpectedly, lactating hamsters showed similar body temperature, resting metabolic rate, non-shivering thermogenesis with non-breeding females after acute exposure to -15°C. Furthermore, cytochrome c oxidase activity of liver, skeletal muscle and BAT, and serum thyroid hormone concentration, and BAT uncoupling protein 1 expression, in lactating hamsters were similar with that in non-breeding hamsters after acute extreme cold exposure. This suggests that lactating females have the same thermogenic capacity to survive cold temperatures compared to non-breeding animals. This is particularly important for females in the field to cope with cold environments during the period of reproduction. Our findings indicate that the females during lactation, one of the highest energy requirement periods, do not impair their thermogenic capacity in response to acute cold exposure.

Nonlinear dynamic transfer partial least squares for domain adaptive regression.

Aiming to address soft sensing model degradation under changing working conditions, and to accommodate dynamic, nonlinear, and multimodal data characteristics, this paper proposes a nonlinear dynamic transfer soft sensor algorithm. The approach leverages time-delay data augmentation to capture dynamics and projects the augmented data into a latent space for constructing a nonlinear regression model. Two regular terms, distribution alignment regularity and first-order difference regularity, are introduced during data projection to address data distribution disparities. Laplace regularity is incorporated into the nonlinear regression model to ensure geometric structure preservation. The final optimization objective is formulated within the framework of partial least squares, and hyperparameters are determined using Bayesian optimization. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through experiments on three public datasets.

Antioxidation Activity Enhancement by Intramolecular Hydrogen Bond and Non-Browning Mechanism of Active Ingredients in Rosemary: Carnosic Acid and Carnosol.

Rosemary is one of the most promising, versatile, and studied natural preservatives. Carnosic acid (CA) and carnosol (CARN), as the primary active ingredients of rosemary extracts, have little difference in structure, but their antioxidant activities vary significantly, depending on the system studied. The underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. By means of optical spectroscopies, stopped-flow, laser photolysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have compared CA and CARN between their reaction dynamics of radical scavenging, metal ion chelation, and oxidation inhibition in lipid emulsion and beef, as well as between their interactions with ß-carotene (ß-Car). For reference, 3-isopropyl catechol (IC), which is structurally similar to the active groups of CA and CARN, was studied in parallel. It is found for CA that the intramolecular hydrogen bond can boost the acidity of its phenol hydroxyl and that the synergistic effect with ß-Car can substantially enhance its antioxidation activity in the model systems of lipid and meat via the CA-to-ß-Car electron transfer reaction. The substitution of A and B rings on the catechol group in both CA and CARN limits browning caused by their formation of oxidative products as antioxidants.

Relationship between age at menarche and breast cancer in individuals, as well as in first-degree kin and estrogen receptor status: a Mendelian randomization study.

Target: We executed a Mendelian randomization (MR) investigation employing two distinct cohorts of genetic instrumental variables to elucidate the causal nexus between age at menarche (AAM) and the incidence of disparate breast cancer (BC) subtypes, in addition to the incidence of BC among first-degree kin. Methods: We aggregated statistical data pertaining to AAM and BC from various consortia representing a homogenous population cohort. MR analysis was conducted employing inverse variance weighted (IVW) methodology as the principal approach, complemented by weighted median and MR-Egger regression techniques for an exhaustive evaluation. To evaluate the presence of pleiotropy, we applied the MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO, and leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. Results: Upon exclusion of confounding SNP, an increment of one standard deviation in AAM was inversely correlated with the incidence of BC. (odds ratio [OR] 0.896, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.831-0.968)/(OR 0.998, 95% CI 0.996-0.999) and estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) BC incidence (OR 0.895, 95% CI 0.814-0.983). It was also associated with reducing the risk of maternal BC incidence (OR 0.995, 95% CI 0.990-0.999) and sibling BC incidence (OR 0.997, 95% CI 0.994-0.999). No significant association was found between AAM and estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) BC incidence (OR 0.936, 95% CI 0.845-1.037). Conclusion: Our study substantiated the causal relationship between a delayed AAM and a diminished risk of BC in probands, as well as in their maternal progenitors and siblings. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that AAM exerts a considerable potential causal influence on the risk of developing Luminal-a/b subtype of BC.

Real-imaginary spectrum decomposition of the transparency spectra in microwave dressed Rydberg systems.

To distinguish the contributions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler-Townes splitting (ATS) in their applications in precision laser spectroscopy, we propose a real-imaginary spectrum decomposition method to investigate the transparency spectra in a four-level microwave (MW) dressed Rydberg system. We show that the opening transparency windows in the absorption spectra of probe field is a prominent character by EIT, EIT-ATS crossover, and ATS when the MW field is turned off and the intensity of the control field is adjusted. When the MW field is turned on and gradually increased, the EIT is destroyed and disappears. In addition, the most prominent characters that open a transparency window are the EIT-ATS crossover and the ATS. Then, if we further increase the intensity of the MW field, we find that the transparency windows open mainly due to the ATS. Compared to the previous considerations of this issue, which were limited to three-level systems, our four-level scheme reported here is useful for understanding the features of quantum interference in multilevel atomic systems, and has potential applications to study enhanced sensitivity, measurement spectroscopic, quantum processing, quantum communication, and transmission.

Rice's trajectory from wild to domesticated in East Asia.

Rice (Oryza sativa) serves as a staple food for more than one-third of the global population. However, its journey from a wild gathered food to domestication remains enigmatic, sparking ongoing debates in the biological and anthropological fields. Here, we present evidence of rice phytoliths sampled from two archaeological sites in China, Shangshan and Hehuashan, near the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. We demonstrate the growth of wild rice at least 100,000 years before present, its initial exploitation as a gathered resource at about 24,000 years before present, its predomestication cultivation at about 13,000 years before present, and eventually its domestication at about 11,000 years before present. These developmental stages illuminate a protracted process of rice domestication in East Asia and extend the continuous records of cereal evolution beyond the Fertile Crescent.

Low-Surface-Area Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Submicrospheres as High-Coulombic-Efficiency and High-Capacity Anodes for Practical Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Nitrogen-doped carbon submicrospheres (NCSMs) are synthesized via an efficient and environmentally friendly one-pot polymerization reaction at room temperature, in which dopamine hydrochloride serves as the source for both carbon and nitrogen. Through leverage of its distinctive structure characterized by minimal surface area, fewer oxygen-containing functional groups, and a heightened presence of active nitrogen-doping sites, the synthesized NCSM showcases a noteworthy initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 84.8%, a remarkable sodium storage capacity of 384 mAh g-1, an impressive rate capability of 215 mAh g-1 at 10 A g-1, and a superior cyclic performance, maintaining 83.0% of its capacity after 2000 cycles. The submicron spherical structure, with its limited surface area and scarce oxygen-containing moieties, effectively curtails the irreversible sodium-ion loss in solid-electrolyte interphase film formation, resulting in heightened ICE. The abundant nitrogen doping can expand carbon-layer spacing as well as improve the electron/ion-transport dynamics, guaranteeing a high sodium storage capacity and a strong rate capability. Crucially, the synthesis method presented here is straightforward, effective, and amenable to scaling, offering a novel avenue for the commercialization of sodium-ion batteries.

MALAT1 and NEAT1 Are Neuroprotective During Hypoxic Preconditioning in the Mouse Hippocampus Possibly by Regulation of NR2B.

Wang L, Fu G, Han R, Fan P, Yang J, Gong K, Zhao Z, Zhang C, Sun K, Shao GMALAT1 and NEAT1 Are Neuroprotective during Hypoxic Preconditioning in the Mouse Hippocampus Possibly by Regulation of NR2B High Alt Med Biol. 00:000-000, 2024. Background: The regulation of noncoding ribonucleic acid (ncRNA) has been shown to be involved in cellular and molecular responses to hypoxic preconditioning (HPC), a situation created by the induction of sublethal hypoxia in the brain. The ncRNAs metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) and nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1) are abundantly expressed in the brain, where they regulate the expression of various genes in nerve cells. However, the exact roles of MALAT1 and NEAT1 in HPC are not fully understood. Methods: A mouse model of acute repeated hypoxia was used as a model of HPC, and MALAT1 and NEAT1 levels in the hippocampus were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mRNA and protein levels of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunit 2 B (NR2B) in the mouse hippocampus were measured using real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. HT22 cells knocked-down for MALAT1 and NEAT1 were used for in vitro testing. Expression of NR2B, which is involved in nerve cell injury under ischemic and hypoxic conditions, was also evaluated. The levels of spectrin and cleaved caspase-3 in MALAT1 and NEAT1 knockdown HT22 cells under oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) were determined by western blotting. Results: HPC increased the expression of MALAT1 and NEAT1 and decreased the expression of NR2B mRNA in the mouse hippocampus (p < 0.05). Knockdown of MALAT1 and NEAT1 increased both NR2B mRNA and protein levels nearly twofold and caused damage under OGD/R conditions in HT22 cells (p < 0.05). Conclusion: MALAT1 and NEAT1 exert neuroprotective effects by influencing the expression of NR2B.

Hypoxia preconditioning increases Notch1 activity by regulating DNA methylation in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Our previous research has demonstrated that hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) can improve spatial learning and memory abilities in adult mice. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis has been associated with learning and memory. The Neurogenic locus notch homolog protein (Notch) was involved in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, as well as in learning and memory. It is currently unclear whether the Notch pathway regulates hippocampal neuroregeneration by modifying the DNA methylation status of the Notch gene following HPC. METHOD: The HPC animal model and cell model were established through repeated hypoxia exposure using mice and the mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line HT22. Step-down test was conducted on HPC mice. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were used to assess the mRNA and protein expression levels of Notch1 and hairy and enhancer of split1 (HES1). The presence of BrdU-positive cells and Notch1 expression in the hippocampal dental gyrus (DG) were examined with confocal microscopy. The methylation status of the Notch1 was analyzed using methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR). HT22 cells were employed to elucidate the impact of HPC on Notch1 in vitro. RESULTS: HPC significantly improved the step-down test performance of mice with elevated levels of mRNA and protein expression of Notch1 and HES1 (P < 0.05). The intensities of the Notch1 signal in the control group, the H group and the HPC group were 2.62 ± 0.57 × 107, 2.87 ± 0.84 × 107, and 3.32 ± 0.14 × 107, respectively, and the number of BrdU (+) cells in the hippocampal DG were 1.83 ± 0.54, 3.71 ± 0.64, and 7.29 ± 0.68 respectively. Compared with that in C and H group, the intensity of the Notch1 signal and the number of BrdU (+) cells increased significantly in HPC group (P < 0.05). The methylation levels of the Notch1 promoter 0.82 ± 0.03, 0.65 ± 0.03, and 0.60 ± 0.02 in the C, H, and HPC groups, respectively. The methylation levels of Notch1 decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The effect of HPC on HT22 cells exhibited similarities to that observed in the hippocampus. CONCLUSION: HPC may confer neuroprotection by activating the Notch1 signaling pathway and regulating its methylation level, resulting in the regeneration of hippocampal neurons.

Material and microbial perspectives on understanding the role of biochar in mitigating ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion.

With the increasing adoption of carbon-based strategies to enhance methanogenic processes, there is a growing concern regarding the correlation between biochar properties and its stimulating effects on anaerobic digestion (AD) under ammonia inhibition. This study delves into the relevant characteristics and potential mechanisms of biochar in the context of AD system under ammonia inhibition. The introduction of optimized biochar, distinguished by rich CO bond, abundant defect density, and high electronic capacity, resulted in a significant reduction in the lag period of anaerobic digestion system under 5.0 g/L ammonia stress, approximately by around 63 % compared to the control one. Biochar helps regulate the community structure, promotes the accumulation of acetate-consuming bacteria, in the AD system under ammonia inhibition. More examinations show that biochar promotes direct interspecies electron transfer in AD system under ammonia inhibition, as evidenced by diminished levels of bound electroactive extracellular polymeric substances, increased abundance of electroactive bacteria, and notably, the up-regulation of direct interspecies electron transfer associated genes, including the conductive pili and Cytochrome C genes, as revealed by meta-transcriptomic analysis. Additionally, gene expression related to proteins associated with ammonium detoxification were found to be up-regulated in systems supplemented with biochar. These findings provide essential evidence and insights for the selection and potential engineering of effective biochar to enhance AD performance under ammonia inhibition.

Quantitative assessment of the erosion and deposition effects of landslide-dam outburst flood, Eastern Himalaya.

Both regular flow and infrequent outburst floods shape the mountain landscape, but their relative contributions have been widely debated, in part due to the paucity of quantitative data on historical outburst floods. In June 2000, an outburst flood was triggered by a landslide-dam failure in a rapidly exhumed region of the Eastern Himalaya. To investigate the role of this kind outburst flood on landscape evolution, we employ topographic differencing, satellite imagery, and 2D hydraulic simulations to quantify the equivalent erosion and deposition within ~ 80 km flood route downstream of the breach. The flood lasted for ~ 10 h, with a peak discharge of 105 m3/s, leading to average erosion of 10 m, and contributed ~ 1-2 × 103 times more sediment than over long-term mean fluvial processes. The flood produced extensive lateral erosion, which triggered a threefold widening of the valley floor and abundant subsequent landslides. The ubiquitous boulder bars deposited in the channel inhibited incision, and facilitated lateral erosion after the flood. The resulting channel configuration and extensive bank erosion continue to affect fluvial dynamics until the next catastrophic flood that remobilizes the boulders. Our quantitative findings highlight the profound importance of recurrent outburst floods for gorge development and landscape evolution in Eastern Himalaya.

A retrospective study of the detection of sepsis pathogens comparing blood culture and culture-independent digital PCR.

Fast and precise identification of microorganisms in the early diagnosis of sepsis is crucial for enhancing patient outcomes. Digital PCR (dPCR) is a highly sensitive approach for absolute quantification that can be utilized as a culture-independent molecular technique for diagnosing sepsis pathogens. We performed a retrospective investigation on 69 ICU patients suspected of sepsis. Our findings showed that a multiplex dPCR diagnostic kit outperformed blood culture in detecting the 15 most frequent bacteria that cause sepsis. Ninety-two bacterial strains were identified using dPCR at concentrations varying from 34 copies/mL to 105,800 copies/mL. The detection rate of dPCR was much greater than that of BC, with 27.53% (19/69) versus 73.91% (51/69). The sensitivity of dPCR was 63.2%. Our research indicated that dPCR outperforms blood culture in the early detection of sepsis-causing microorganisms. The diagnostic kit can detect a greater variety of pathogens with quantitative data, including polymicrobial infections, and has a quicker processing time. DPCR is a valuable technique that could aid in the proper management of sepsis.

Fat accumulation in striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) reflects the temperature of prior cold acclimation.

BACKGROUND: Proper adjustments of metabolic thermogenesis play an important role in thermoregulation in endotherm to cope with cold and/or warm ambient temperatures, however its roles in energy balance and fat accumulation remain uncertain. Our study aimed to investigate the effect of previous cold exposure (10 and 0 °C) on the energy budgets and fat accumulation in the striped hamsters (Cricetulus barabensis) in response to warm acclimation. The body mass, energy intake, resting metabolic rate (RMR) and nonshivering thermogenesis (NST), serum thyroid hormone levels (THs: T3 and T4), and the activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT), indicated by cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity and uncoupling protein 1 (ucp1) expression, were measured following exposure to the cold (10 °C and 0 °C) and transition to the warm temperature (30 °C). RESULTS: The hamsters at 10 °C and 0 °C showed significant increases in energy intake, RMR and NST, and a considerable reduction in body fat than their counterparts kept at 21 °C. After being transferred from cold to warm temperature, the hamsters consumed less food, and decreased RMR and NST, but they significantly increased body fat content. Interestingly, the hamsters that were previously exposed to the colder temperature showed significantly more fat accumulation after transition to the warm. Serum T3 levels, BAT COX activity and ucp1 mRNA expression were significantly increased following cold exposure, and were considerably decreased after transition to the warm. Furthermore, body fat content was negatively correlated with serum T3 levels, BAT COX activity and UCP1 expression. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the positive energy balance resulting from the decreased RMR and NST in BAT under the transition from the cold to the warm plays important roles in inducing fat accumulation. The extent of fat accumulation in the warm appears to reflect the temperature of the previous cold acclimation.

High-precision multi-spectral radiation thermometry method based on the improved grey wolf optimization algorithm inversion.

In this paper, in order to rapidly measure the temperature of a high-temperature target in real time without emissivity data, a high-precision multispectral radiation temperature measurement method based on the improved grey wolf optimization (IGWO) algorithm is proposed. The method can automatically identify the emissivity models of different trends and realize the simultaneous estimation of temperature and emissivity without the emissivity hypothesis model. The IGWO algorithm is applied to the temperature test of a silicon carbide and tungsten material. The temperature test results show that the absolute and relative errors of the silicon carbide (the tungsten) are less than 3 K (4.5 K) and 0.25% (0.18%), respectively. The average time of the algorithm is 0.28 s. The IGWO algorithm can be expected to be applied to some high-precision temperature measurement scenarios.

[Prediction of Autumn Ozone Concentration in the Pearl River Delta Based on Machine Learning].

Based on the observation data of the daily maximum 8-hour ozone (O3) average concentration[MDA8-O3, ρ(O3-8h)] and meteorological reanalysis data in the Pearl River Delta Region from 2015 to 2022, four machine learning methods, i.e., support vector machine regression (SVR), random forest (RF), multi-layer perceptron (MLP), and lightweight gradient boosting machine (LG) were used to establish MDA8-O3 prediction models. The results showed that the SVR model had the best prediction performance on MDA8-O3 during the whole year, the coefficient of determination (R2) reached 0.86, and the root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were 16.3 µg·m-3 and 12.3 µg·m-3, respectively. The prediction performance of the SVR model in autumn was still slightly better than that of LG and MLP, with R2,RMSE,and MAE values of 0.88, 19.8 µg·m-3,and 16.1 µg·m-3, respectively. The RF model performed the worst in the autumn prediction. In addition, the models trained by data from the whole year had better prediction ability on autumn MDA8-O3 than that of those only trained by autumn data, and the R2 differed 0.08-0.14.

Multiplying Oxygen Permeability of a Ruddlesden-Popper Oxide by Orientation Control via Magnets.

Ruddlesden-Popper-type oxides exhibit remarkable chemical stability in comparison to perovskite oxides. However, they display lower oxygen permeability. We present an approach to overcome this trade-off by leveraging the anisotropic properties of Nd2 NiO4+δ . Its (a,b)-plane, having oxygen diffusion coefficient and surface exchange coefficient several orders of magnitude higher than its c-axis, can be aligned perpendicular to the gradient of oxygen partial pressure by a magnetic field (0.81 T). A stable and high oxygen flux of 1.40 mL min-1 cm-2 was achieved for at least 120 h at 1223 K by a textured asymmetric disk membrane with 1.0 mm thickness under the pure CO2 sweeping. Its excellent operational stability was also verified even at 1023 K in pure CO2 . These findings highlight the significant enhancement in oxygen permeation membrane performance achievable by adjusting the grain orientation. Consequently, Nd2 NiO4+δ emerges as a promising candidate for industrial applications in air separation, syngas production, and CO2 capture under harsh conditions.

Seroprevalence and Molecular Characterization of Brucella abortus from the Himalayan Marmot in Qinghai, China.

Objective: Brucellosis is a serious public health issue in Qinghai (QH), China. Surveying the seroprevalence and isolation of B. abortus strains from marmots is key to understanding the role of wildlife in the maintenance and spread of brucellosis. Methods: In this study, a set of methods, including a serology survey, bacteriology, antibiotic susceptibility, molecular genotyping (MLST and MLVA), and genome sequencing, were employed to characterize the two B. abortus strains. Results: The seroprevalence of brucellosis in marmots was 7.0% (80/1146) by serum tube agglutination test (SAT); one Brucella strain was recovered from these positive samples, and another Brucella strain from a human. Two strains were identified as B. abortus bv. 1 and were susceptible to all eight drugs examined. The distribution patterns of the accessory genes, virulence associated genes, and resistance genes of the two strains were consistent, and there was excellent collinearity between the two strains on chromosome I, but they had significant SVs in chromosome II, including inversions and translocations. MLST genotyping identified two B. abortus strains as ST2, and MLVA-16 analysis showed that the two strains clustered with strains from northern China. WGS-SNP phylogenetic analysis showed that the strains were genetically homogeneous with strains from the northern region, implying that strains from a common lineage were spread continuously in different regions and hosts. Conclusion: Seroprevalence and molecular clues demonstrated frequent direct or indirect contact between sheep/goats, cattle, and marmots, implying that wildlife plays a vital role in the maintenance and spread of B. abortus in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

A Pre-Grasping Motion Planning Method Based on Improved Artificial Potential Field for Continuum Robots.

Secure and reliable active debris removal methods are crucial for maintaining the stability of the space environment. Continuum robots, with their hyper-redundant degrees of freedom, offer the ability to capture targets of varying sizes and shapes through whole-arm grasping, making them well-suited for active debris removal missions. This paper proposes a pre-grasping motion planning method for continuum robots based on an improved artificial potential field to restrict the movement area of the grasping target and prevent its escape during the pre-grasping phase. The analysis of the grasping workspace ensures that the target is within the workspace when starting the pre-grasping motion planning by dividing the continuum robot into delivery and grasping segments. An improved artificial potential field is proposed to guide the continuum robot in surrounding the target and creating a grasping area. Specifically, the improved artificial potential field consists of a spatial rotating potential field, an attractive potential field incorporating position and posture potential fields, and a repulsive potential field. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. A comparison of motion planning results between methods that disregard and consider the posture potential field shows that the inclusion of the posture potential field improves the performance of pre-grasping motion planning for spatial targets, achieving a success rate of up to 97.8%.

Effect of Thermophilic Microbial Agents on Crude Fiber Content, Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme Genes, and Microbial Communities during Chinese Medicine Residue Composting.

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of thermophilic bacteria on crude fiber content, carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes, and associated microbial communities during Chinese medicine residues composting. The study examines changes over 15 days of composting with (T) and without (CK) thermophilic microbial agents. Results show that the group T compost temperature reached a maximum of 71.0 °C and remained above 70 °C for 2 days, while the group CK maximum temperature was only 60.9 °C. On Day 15, the seed germination index (GI) of group T reached 98.7%, while the group CK GI was only 56.7%. After composting, the degradation rates of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in group T increased by 5.1, 22.5, and 18.5%, respectively, compared to those in group CK. Thermophilic microbial agents changed the microbial communities related to CAZymes, increasing unclassified_o_Myxococcales and Sphaerobacter abundance and reducing Acinetobacter and Sphingobacterium abundance. Thermophilic microbial agents also increased the abundance of the GT4, GT2_Glycos_transf_2, and AA3 gene families. These results show that thermophilic microbial agents can increase composting temperature, accelerate compost maturation, and promote crude fiber degradation. Therefore, they have broad application potential.