Comparative Mitogenomics and Phylogenetic Implications for Nine Species of the Subfamily Meconematinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae).

Currently, the subfamily Meconematinae encompasses 1029 species, but whole-mitochondrial-genome assemblies have only been made available for 13. In this study, the whole mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of nine additional species in the subfamily Meconematinae were sequenced. The size ranged from 15,627 bp to 17,461 bp, indicating double-stranded circular structures. The length of the control region was the main cause of the difference in mitochondrial genome length among the nine species. All the mitogenomes including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and a control region (CR). The majority strand encoded 23 genes, and the minority strand encoded 14 genes. A phylogenetic analysis reaffirmed the monophyletic status of each subfamily, but the monophysitism of Xizicus, Xiphidiopsis and Phlugiolopsis was not supported.

Preparation of blast furnace dust particle electrodes and their application in synergistic electrochemical degradation of saline polyvinyl alcohol wastewater.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has been widely used as a water-soluble plastic in laundry and dish detergent pods, yet wastewater contaminated with PVA is too difficult to be treated due to its high salinity and foaming. Here, we fabricated blast furnace dust (BFD) particle electrodes, and developed a three-dimensional electrocatalytic system (3DEC) to treat saline PVA wastewater. The optimum preparation condition for BFD particle electrode was iron carbon ratio of 2:1 doping with TiO2. The optimal parameters of 3DECs for PVA wastewater degradation were thoroughly investigated, with current density of 30 mA/cm2, electrode distance of 30 mm, pH value of 7.0, and particle electrode filling rate of 50%. PVA wastewater degradation rate could reach 89.33% within 120 min. The underlying mechanism of iron-carbon micro electrolysis and electrocatalytic system was further studied. PVA wastewater was degraded by direct catalytic oxidation from electrodes. A scavenger experiment showed that free radicals consisting of •OH and HClO mainly contributed to the PVA wastewater degradation. HClO was generated by Cl- at the electrocatalysis and micro electrolysis of particles. In addition, the lifetime of the prepared BFD particle electrode was 120 h, which exhibited electrochemical stability. These findings highlight that the 3DECs coupled with BFD particle electrode is a promising electrocatalysis process for the removal of PVA wastewater.

Effects of ageing time on the properties of polysaccharide in tangerine peel and its bacterial community.

To evaluate the effect of aging time on the quality of tangerine peel (TP) from the perspective of TP polysaccharide (TPP), five polysaccharide samples with different aging times named TPP-0/1/5/10/15 were prepared. Under the conditions of pH 0.5, solid-liquid ratio 1:25 and 80 °C, the TPPs extraction yield ranged from 20.35% to 27.68%. Compared with TPP-0, TPP-1/5/10/15 possesses low molecular weight (Mw) and high methoxy group content. In addition, TPP-15 had the most potent antioxidant activity. And the content of acidic polysaccharides in TPPs was negatively correlated with neutral polysaccharides during aging. Based on the analysis of 16srDNA, the dominant bacteria (Brevundimonas and Pseudomonas) in TP-10 might be critical flora to affect TP quality. This study provided basic information on the relationship between the TPPs and aging time, which could promote a new view to develop TP, and shorten the aging time during TP production.

Probiotic of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NWAFU-BIO-BS29 Isolated from Chinese Traditional Fermented Milk and Its Potential Therapeutic Applications Based on Gut Microbiota Regulation.

Lactic acid bacteria are one of the bioresources that can promote the host's health and have potential therapeutic applications. This study aimed to evaluate the probiotic properties of novel Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NWAFU-BISO-BS29 isolated in vitro from traditional Chinese fermented milk, assess its safety, and study its interaction with the gut microbiota using a BALB/c mouse model. The findings reveal that this strain had a high tolerance to gastric acidity (64.4%) and bile salts (19.83-87.92%) with remarkable auto-aggregation and co-aggregation abilities (33.01-83.96%), respectively. Furthermore, it lowered the cholesterol levels in dead cells (44.02%) and live cells (34.95%) and produced short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Likewise, it showed good antioxidant properties and strong antipathogen activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with inhibition zones at 21 and 25 mm, respectively. The safety assessment results indicate that all of the virulence factor genes were not detected in the whole DNA; additionally, no hemolysis or resistance to antibiotics commonly used in food and feed was observed. Interestingly, the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the mouse gut microbiota showed a marked alteration in the microbial composition of the administrated group, with a noticeable increase in Firmicutes, Patescibacteria, Campylobacterota, Deferribacterota, Proteobacteria, and Cyanobacteria at the phylum level. The modulation of gut microbial diversity significantly improved the production of SCFCs due to the abundance of lactobacillus genera, which was consistent with the functional gene predictive analysis and is believed to have health-promoting properties. Based on these results, our novel strain is considered a safe and good probiotic and could hold high potential to be used as a starter culture or to safely supplement functional foods as a probiotic and may provide new insights into therapeutic interventions.

Multiple reflection and scattering effects of the lotus seedpod-based activated carbon decorated with Co3O4 microwave absorbent.

The lotus seedpod-based activated carbon (LSAC) is derived from pyrolysis of lotus seedpod as biomass carbon precursor, and Co3O4 is then deposited to LSAC by oxidation-precipitation and crystallization process of Co ions from Co(NO3)2 solution. The Co3O4 particles uniformly decorate on the surface and/or the inner channels of LSAC. The optimal reflection loss (RL) value of LSAC/Co3O4-paraffin wax (PW) composite reaches -39.8 dB, and the bandwidth for RL below -10 dB and -20 dB are 10.3 and 3.0 GHz, respectively, much better than that of LSAC-PW composite for the higher magnetic loss. The addition of Co3O4 particles in LSAC-PW composite significantly enhance the RL values in various thicknesses. The channels of the LSAC and decorated Co3O4 can improve the abilities of multiple scattering, dipole polarization, interface polarization and magnetic loss. This composite provides a promising method to construct high performance absorbers by using biomass carbon to tune the dielectric properties of the ferromagnetic materials.

Study on Streptococcus thermophilus isolated from Qula and associated characteristic of acetaldehyde and diacetyl in their fermented milk.

In this study, the lactic acid bacterial population of Qula cheese from the Gansu and Sichuan provinces of China were isolated and identified. Eight strains of Streptococcus thermophilus were isolated, of which five strains were selected for further characterization based on their fermentation properties. The changes in a number of parameters, including titration acidity, pH, viable counts, PrtS protease activity and the production of acetaldehyde, diacetyl and organic acid, were monitored during fermentation and the storage of fermented milks produced by the respective strain. All of the strains displaying acidifying capacity and all five fermented milks maintained high viable counts of S. thermophilus from fermentation to storage. Our study found that the changes in the monitored parameters were strain-specific and varied considerably among the five tested strains. Fermented milks produced by strain IMAU80809 had the highest concentration of acetaldehyde and were most favorable in the sensory evaluation. This study confirms that Qula cheese is a good source for isolating novel lactic acid bacterial strains with different fermentation properties, which will be very useful for further development and industrialization of traditionally fermented dairy products.