TGF-ß/SMAD Pathway Mediates Cadmium Poisoning-Induced Chicken Liver Fibrosis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

Cadmium(Cd) is a toxic heavy metal widely present in the environment, capable of accumulating in the liver and causing liver damage. In this study, the mechanism of cadmium-induced liver fibrosis in chickens was investigated from the perspective of hepatocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) based on the establishment of a model of chicken cadmium toxicity and a model of cadmium-stained cells in a chicken hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (LMH). The 7-day-old chickens were randomly divided into the regular group (C group) and cadmium poisoning group (Cd group), and the entire test cycle was 60 days. Three sampling time points of 20 days, 40 days, and 60 days were established. By testing the liver coefficient, histopathological and ultrastructural changes in chicken livers were observed. The enzyme activities of liver function and the expression changes of fibrosis markers (COL1A1, Fibronectin), epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers (E-cadherin, Vimentin, and α-SMA), and the critical factors of the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway (TGF-ß1, SMAD 2, and SMAD 3) were detected in the liver expression changes. The results showed that at the same sampling time point, the chicken liver coefficient in group Cd was significantly higher than that in control group (P < 0.01); the activities of the liver function enzymes ALT and AST in chickens in the Cd group were significantly higher than those in the C group (P < 0.01); liver hepatocytes degenerated and necrotic, the number of erythrocytes in the blood vessels was increased, and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the sinusoidal gap; the perisinusoidal gap of the liver was enlarged, and there was an apparent aggregation of collagen fibers in the intervening period as seen by transmission electron microscopy. The results of Masson staining showed that the percentage of fiber area was significantly higher in the chickens' livers of the Cd group. The fiber area percentage was significantly higher. The results of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western Blot showed that the expression of E-cadherin in the livers of chickens in the Cd group was significantly lower than that in the C group (P < 0.01). The expression of α-SMA, Vimentin, COL1A1, Fibronectin, TGF-ß1, SMAD 2, and SMAD 3 was significantly higher than that in the C group (P < 0.01). The results of in vitro assays showed that in the LMH cell model established by adding trimethylamine N-oxide, an activator of the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway, and oxidized picric acid, an inhibitor of the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway, the expression of E-cadherin was significantly reduced in cadmium-stained LMH cells (P < 0.01). The expression of α-SMA, Vimentin, COL1A1, Fibronectin, TGF-ß, SMAD 2, and SMAD 3 was significantly elevated (P < 0.01). Cadmium and Trimethylamine N-oxide, an activator of the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway, promoted the expression of these factors. In contrast, the inhibitor of the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway, Oxymatrine, a TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway inhibitor, significantly slowed down these changes. These results suggest that cadmium induces hepatic epithelial-mesenchymal transition by activating the TGF-ß/SMAD signaling pathway in chicken hepatocytes, promoting hepatic fibrosis.

The correlation between selenium intake and lung function in asthmatic people: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the correlation between selenium intake and lung function in asthmatic people. Methods: A total of 4,541 individuals in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in this study. Multivariate linear regression, variance inflation factor, restricted cubic splines and quantile regression were used to analyze the relationship between Se intake and lung function. We divided selenium intake into four levels based on quartiles: Q1: Se ≤ 76.75 mcg/d; Q2: 76.75-105.1 mcg/d; Q3: 105.1-137.65 mcg/d; and Q4: Se ≥137.65 mcg/d. Results: Asthma was negatively associated with the Ratio of Forced Expiratory Volume 1st Second to Forced Vital Capacity (FEV1/FVC) (ß = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.06 to -0.02) and FEV1 (ß = -215, 95% CI: -340 to -90). Se intake was positively associated with Forced Expiratory Volume 1st Second (FEV1) (ß =3.30 95% CI: 2.60 to 4.00) and Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) (ß =4.30, 95% CI: 3.50 to 5.10). In asthmatic individuals, the positive effects of Se intake on FVC were enhanced with increasing Se intake, while the positive effects of Se intake on FEV1 varied less dramatically. High Se intake (Q4 level, above 137.65 mcg/d) improved FVC (ß = 353, 95% CI: 80 to 626) and FEV1 (ß = 543, 95% CI: 118 to 969) in asthmatic patients compared to low Se intake (Q1 level, below 76.75 mcg/d). At the Q2 level (76.75-105.1 mcg/d) and Q4 level (Se ≥137.65 mcg/d) of Se intake, the correlation between FEV1 and asthma disappeared. Conclusion: Our research has revealed a positive correlation between selenium intake and lung function in asthma patients and the strength of this positive correlation is related to the amount of selenium intake. We recommend that asthma patients consume 137.65 mcg to 200 mcg of selenium daily to improve pulmonary function while avoiding the adverse effects of selenium on the human body.

miR-130b-3p involved in the pathogenesis of age-related hearing loss via targeting PPARγ and autophagy.

The study focuses on the underlying regulatory mechanism of age-related hearing loss (ARHL), which results from autophagy dysregulation mediated by miR-130b-3p targeting PPARγ. We constructed miR-130b-3p knockout (antagomir) and PPARγ over-expression (OE-PPARγ) mice model by injecting mmu-miR-130b-3p antagomir and HBAAV2/Anc80-m-Pparg-T2A-mCHerry into the right ear' round window of each mouse, respectively. In vitro, we introduced oxidative stress within HEI-OC1 cells by H2O2 and exogenously changed the miR-130b-3p and PPARγ levels. MiRNA level was detected by RT-qPCR, proteins by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Morphology of autophagosomes was observed by electron microscopy. In vivo, the cochlea of aged mice showed higher miR-130b-3p expression and lower PPARγ expression, while exogenous inhibition of miR-130b-3p up-regulated PPARγ expression. Autophagy-related biomarkers expression (ATG5, Beclin-1 and LC3B II/I) decreased in aged mice, which reversely increased after the inhibition of miR-130b-3p. The elevation of PPARγ demonstrated similar effects. Contrarily, exogenous overexpression of miR-130b-3p resulted in the decrease of ATG5, Beclin-1 and LC3B II/I. We created oxidative stress within HEI-OC1 by H2O2, subsequently observed the formation of autophagosomes under electron microscope, so as the elevated cell apoptosis rate and weakened cell viability. MiR-130b-3p/PPARγ contributed to the premature senescence of these H2O2-induced HEI-OC1 cells. MiR-130b-3p regulated HEI-OC1 cell growth by targeting PPARγ, thus leading to ARHL.

Preparation of Ag@3D-TiO2 Scaffolds and Determination of its Antimicrobial Properties and Osteogenesis-promoting Ability.

OBJECTIVES: The micro-nano structure of 3D-printed porous titanium (Ti) alloy with excellent performance in avoiding stress shielding and promoting bone tissue differentiation provides a new opportunity for the development of bone implants, but it necessitates higher requirements for bone tissue differentiation and the antibacterial properties of bone implants in clinical practice. METHODS: This study investigated the preparation, antimicrobial properties, and osteogenesis-promoting ability of the 3D printed porous Ti alloy anodic oxidized Ag-carrying (Ag@3D-TiO2) scaffolds. The 3D printed porous Ti alloy (3D-Ti), anodized 3D printed porous Ti alloy (3D-TiO2), and Ag@3D-TiO2 scaffolds were synthesized using electron beam melting. The antimicrobial properties of the scaffolds were examined using antibacterial tests and their cytocompatibility was assessed using a cell proliferation assay and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining. In vitro cellular assays were used to investigate the effects of the scaffold microstructural features on cell activity, proliferation, and osteogenesis-related genes and proteins. In vivo animal experiments were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and osteogenesis-promoting abilities of the scaffolds. RESULTS: The Ag@3D-TiO2 scaffolds exhibited sustained anti-microbial activity over time, enhanced cell proliferation, facilitated osteogenic differentiation, and increased extracellular matrix mineralization. In addition, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagen type I (COL-I), and osteocalcin (OCN)-related genes and proteins were upregulated. In vivo animal implantation experiments, the anti-inflammatory effect of the Ag@3D-TiO2 scaffolds were observed using histology, and a large amount of fibrous connective tissue was present around it; the Ag@3D-TiO2 scaffolds were more bio-compatible with the surrounding tissues compared with 3D-Ti and 3D-TiO2; a large amount of uniformly distributed neoplastic bone tissue existed in their pores, and the chronic systemic toxicity test showed that the 3D-Ti, 3D-TiO2, and Ag@3D-TiO2 scaffolds are biologically safe. CONCLUSION: The goal of this study was to create a scaffold that exhibits antimicrobial properties and can aid bone growth, making it highly suitable for use in bone tissue engineering.

Estimating potassium in potato plants based on multispectral images acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles.

Plant potassium content (PKC) is a crucial indicator of crop potassium nutrient status and is vital in making informed fertilization decisions in the field. This study aims to enhance the accuracy of PKC estimation during key potato growth stages by using vegetation indices (VIs) and spatial structure features derived from UAV-based multispectral sensors. Specifically, the fraction of vegetation coverage (FVC), gray-level co-occurrence matrix texture, and multispectral VIs were extracted from multispectral images acquired at the potato tuber formation, tuber growth, and starch accumulation stages. Linear regression and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate how VIs, both individually and in combination with spatial structure features, affect potato PKC estimation. The findings lead to the following conclusions: (1) Estimating potato PKC using multispectral VIs is feasible but necessitates further enhancements in accuracy. (2) Augmenting VIs with either the FVC or texture features makes potato PKC estimation more accurate than when using single VIs. (3) Finally, integrating VIs with both the FVC and texture features improves the accuracy of potato PKC estimation, resulting in notable R 2 values of 0.63, 0.84, and 0.80 for the three fertility periods, respectively, with corresponding root mean square errors of 0.44%, 0.29%, and 0.25%. Overall, these results highlight the potential of integrating canopy spectral information and spatial-structure information obtained from multispectral sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring crop growth and assessing potassium nutrient status. These findings thus have significant implications for agricultural management.

Oolong tea cultivars categorization and germination period classification based on multispectral information.

Recognizing and identifying tea plant (Camellia sinensis) cultivar plays a significant role in tea planting and germplasm resource management, particularly for oolong tea. There is a wide range of high-quality oolong tea with diverse varieties of tea plants that are suitable for oolong tea production. The conventional method for identifying and confirming tea cultivars involves visual assessment. Machine learning and computer vision-based automatic classification methods offer efficient and non-invasive alternatives for rapid categorization. Despite advancements in technology, the identification and classification of tea cultivars still pose a complex challenge. This paper utilized machine learning approaches for classifying 18 oolong tea cultivars based on 27 multispectral characteristics. Then the SVM classification model was executed using three optimization algorithms, namely genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and grey wolf optimizer (GWO). The results revealed that the SVM model optimized by GWO achieved the best performance, with an average discrimination rate of 99.91%, 93.30% and 92.63% for the training set, test set and validation set, respectively. In addition, based on the multispectral information (h, s, r, b, L, Asm, Var, Hom, Dis, σ, S, G, RVI, DVI, VOG), the germination period of oolong tea cultivars can be completely evaluated by Fisher discriminant analysis. The study indicated that the practical protection of tea plants through automated and precise classification of oolong tea cultivars and germination periods is feasible by utilizing multispectral imaging system.

Antibacterial Structure Design of Porous Ti6Al4V by 3D Printing and Anodic Oxidation.

Titanium alloy Ti6Al4V is a commonly used bone implant material, primarily prepared as a porous material to better match the elastic modulus of human bone. However, titanium alloy is biologically inert and does not have antibacterial properties. At the same time, the porous structure with a large specific surface area also increases the risk of infection, leading to surgical failure. In this paper, we prepared three porous samples with different porosities of 60%, 75%, and 85%, respectively (for short, 3D-60, 3D-75, and 3D-85) using 3D printing technology and clarified the mechanical properties. Through tensile experiments, when the porosity was 60%, the compressive modulus was within the elastic modulus of human bone. Anodic oxidation technology carried out the surface modification of a 3D-printed porous titanium alloy with 60% porosity. Through change, the different voltages and times on the TiO2 oxide layer on the 3D-printed porous titanium alloy are different, and it reveals the growth mechanism of the TiO2 oxide layer on a 3D-printed unique titanium alloy. The surface hydrophilic and antibacterial properties of 3D-printed porous titanium alloy were significantly improved after modification by anodic oxidation.

Regionally Compatible Individual Tree Growth Model under the Combined Influence of Environment and Competition.

To explore the effects of competition, site, and climate on the growth of Chinese fir individual tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height (H), a regionally compatible individual tree growth model under the combined influence of environment and competition was constructed. Using continuous forest inventory (CFI) sample plot data from Fujian Province between 1993 and 2018, we constructed an individual tree DBH model and an H model based on re-parameterization (RP), BP neural network (BP), and random forest (RF), which compared the accuracy of the different modeling methods. The results showed that the inclusion of competition and environmental factors could improve the prediction accuracy of the model. Among the site factors, slope position (PW) had the most significant effect, followed by elevation (HB) and slope aspect (PX). Among the climate factors, the highest contribution was made by degree-days above 18 °C (DD18), followed by mean annual precipitation (MAP) and Hargreaves reference evaporation (Eref). The comparison results of the three modeling methods show that the RF model has the best fitting effect. The R2 of the individual DBH model based on RF is 0.849, RMSE is 1.691 cm, and MAE is 1.267 cm. The R2 of the individual H model based on RF is 0.845, RMSE is 1.267 m, and MAE is 1.153 m. The model constructed in this study has the advantages of environmental sensitivity, statistical reliability, and prediction efficiency. The results can provide theoretical support for management decision-making and harvest prediction of mixed uneven-aged forest.

Differentially expressed miRNA profiles of serum-derived exosomes in patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the expressed microRNA (miRNA) profiles of serum-derived exosomes of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) and normal hearing controls to identify exosomal miRNAs that may be associated with SSNHL or serve as biomarkers for SSNHL. Methods: Peripheral venous blood of patients with SSNHL and healthy controls was collected to isolate exosomes. Nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blotting were used to identify the isolated exosomes, after which total RNA was extracted and used for miRNA transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) were identified based on the thresholds of P < 0.05 and |log2fold change| > 1 and subjected to functional analyses. Finally, four exosomal DE-miRNAs, including PC-5p-38556_39, PC-5p-29163_54, PC-5p-31742_49, and hsa-miR-93-3p_R+1, were chosen for validation using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Results: Exosomes were isolated from serum and identified based on particle size, morphological examination, and expression of exosome-marker proteins. A total of 18 exosomal DE-miRNAs, including three upregulated and 15 downregulated miRNAs, were found in SSNHL cases. Gene ontology (GO) functional annotation analysis revealed that target genes in the top 20 terms were mainly related to "protein binding," "metal ion binding," "ATP binding," and "intracellular signal transduction." Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these target genes were functionally enriched in the "Ras," "Hippo," "cGMP-PKG," and "AMPK signaling pathways." The expression levels of PC-5p-38556_39 and PC-5p-29163_54 were significantly downregulated and that of miR-93-3p_R+1 was highly upregulated in SSNHL. Consequently, the consistency rate between sequencing and RT-qPCR was 75% and sequencing results were highly reliable. Conclusion: This study identified 18 exosomal DE-miRNAs, including PC-5p-38556_39, PC-5p-29163_54, and miR-93-3p, which may be closely related to SSNHL pathogenesis or serve as biomarkers for SSNHL.

Di (2-ethyl) hexyl phthalate induces liver injury in chickens by regulating PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway via reactive oxygen species.

Di (2-ethyl) hexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a common environmental endocrine disruptor that induces oxidative stress, posing a significant threat to human and animal health. Oxidative stress can activate the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway, which is closely related to cell apoptosis. However, it is unclear whether DEHP induces apoptosis of chicken liver cells by regulating the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway through oxidative stress. In this experiment, male laying hens were continuously exposed to 400 mg/kg, 800 mg/kg, and 1600 mg/kg DEHP for 14 d, 28 d, and 42 d. The results showed that liver injury was aggravated with the dose of DEHP gavage, and the ROS/MDA levels in L, M, and H DEHP exposure groups were significantly increased, while the T-AOC/T-SOD/GSH-PX levels were decreased. Meanwhile, DEHP exposure up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of PTEN/Bax/Caspase-9/Caspase-3 and down-regulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K/AKT/BCL-2, indicating that DEHP may lead to hepatocyte apoptosis through ROS regulation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT axis. In order to further clarify the relationship between oxidative stress and liver injury, we treated chicken hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (LMH) with 2.5 mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC). NAC attenuated these phenomena. In summary, our study suggests that DEHP can induce apoptosis of chicken liver through ROS activation of the PTEN/PI3K/AKT axis.

Effect of different mixing modes on the abundance of Microcystis in Lake Taihu under green light.

Light and hydrodynamic force are important physical factors affecting growth of Microcystis. The most recent study found that green light has good effect in inhibiting growth of Microcystis. To understand the effect of mixing modes on Microcystis under the green light, we investigated the effects of continuous mixing and intermittent mixing on the abundance of Microcystis in Taihu Lake under field conditions. The study results found that abundance of Microcystis in control, intermittent mixing group, and continuous mixing group decreased 76.62%, 40.36%, and 95.18% on day 7 compared with that on day 1 in this experiment. At the end of the experiment, abundance percentages of diatoms and green algae to total phytoplankton abundance were 1.57% and 0.48% in control, 2.32% and 0.67% in intermittent mixing group, and 22.47% and 20.27% in continuous mixing group. The results indicated that continuous mixing favored the removal of Microcystis under green light conditions and was helpful for the growth of green algae and diatoms. The results provide a new approach for the control of Microcystis blooms.

Effects of wind-wave disturbance and nutrient addition on aquatic bacterial diversity, community composition, and co-occurrence patterns: A mesocosm study.

Wind-wave disturbance and nutrient input are the major environmental factors that shape bacterial diversity and community composition in lakes. However, knowledge of bacteria as bio-indicators' synergistic response to disturbance patterns and nutrient addition is still poor. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a mesocosm experiment over 21 days, and collected 90 water samples from tanks under six different patterns of disturbance and nutrient addition; we explored the bacterial communities using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found significantly increased bacterial diversity in continuously disturbed conditions and in intermittently disturbed conditions, and significantly decreased bacterial diversity under the synergistic effect of disturbances and nutrients. Bacterial community composition (BCC) under conditions of disturbance and nutrient addition exhibited different variations. However, there were no significant differences in BCC between continuously and intermittently disturbed mesocosms. Co-occurrence networks analysis showed that the proportion of positive correlations among edges in nutrient addition conditions were significantly higher than that in disturbed condition, indicating that nutrient input may increase the proportion of niche overlap, and enhance positive interactions among bacteria. Meanwhile, the co-occurrence patterns between algal and bacterial communities suggested shared environmental preferences or potential interactions among these two groups. Our study provides a new insight into the restoration of shallow eutrophic lake ecosystems. Moreover, the different distribution patterns of bacterial community act as ecological indicators of response to disturbances and nutrient input.

Estimation of the nitrogen content of potato plants based on morphological parameters and visible light vegetation indices.

Plant nitrogen content (PNC) is an important indicator to characterize the nitrogen nutrition status of crops, and quickly and efficiently obtaining the PNC information aids in fertilization management and decision-making in modern precision agriculture. This study aimed to explore the potential to improve the accuracy of estimating PNC during critical growth periods of potato by combining the visible light vegetation indices (VIs) and morphological parameters (MPs) obtained from an inexpensive UAV digital camera. First, the visible light VIs and three types of MPs, including the plant height (H), canopy coverage (CC) and canopy volume (CV), were extracted from digital images of the potato tuber formation stage (S1), tuber growth stage (S2), and starch accumulation stage (S3). Then, the correlations of VIs and MPs with the PNC were analyzed for each growth stage, and the performance of VIs and MPs in estimating PNC was explored. Finally, three methods, multiple linear regression (MLR), k-nearest neighbors, and random forest, were used to explore the effect of MPs on the estimation of potato PNC using VIs. The results showed that (i) the values of potato H and CC extracted based on UAV digital images were accurate, and the accuracy of the pre-growth stages was higher than that of the late growth stage. (ii) The estimation of potato PNC by visible light VIs was feasible, but the accuracy required further improvement. (iii) As the growing season progressed, the correlation between MPs and PNC gradually decreased, and it became more difficult to estimate the PNC. (iv) Compared with individual MP, multi-MPs can more accurately reflect the morphological structure of the crop and can further improve the accuracy of estimating PNC. (v) Visible light VIs combined with MPs improved the accuracy of estimating PNC, with the highest accuracy of the models constructed using the MLR method (S1: R 2 = 0.79, RMSE=0.27, NRMSE=8.19%; S2:R 2 = 0.80, RMSE=0.27, NRMSE=8.11%; S3: R 2 = 0.76, RMSE=0.26, NRMSE=8.63%). The results showed that the combination of visible light VIs and morphological information obtained by a UAV digital camera could provide a feasible method for monitoring crop growth and plant nitrogen status.

Estimation of potato above-ground biomass based on unmanned aerial vehicle red-green-blue images with different texture features and crop height.

Obtaining crop above-ground biomass (AGB) information quickly and accurately is beneficial to farmland production management and the optimization of planting patterns. Many studies have confirmed that, due to canopy spectral saturation, AGB is underestimated in the multi-growth period of crops when using only optical vegetation indices. To solve this problem, this study obtains textures and crop height directly from ultrahigh-ground-resolution (GDS) red-green-blue (RGB) images to estimate the potato AGB in three key growth periods. Textures include a grayscale co-occurrence matrix texture (GLCM) and a Gabor wavelet texture. GLCM-based textures were extracted from seven-GDS (1, 5, 10, 30, 40, 50, and 60 cm) RGB images. Gabor-based textures were obtained from magnitude images on five scales (scales 1-5, labeled S1-S5, respectively). Potato crop height was extracted based on the generated crop height model. Finally, to estimate potato AGB, we used (i) GLCM-based textures from different GDS and their combinations, (ii) Gabor-based textures from different scales and their combinations, (iii) all GLCM-based textures combined with crop height, (iv) all Gabor-based textures combined with crop height, and (v) two types of textures combined with crop height by least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM), extreme learning machine, and partial least squares regression techniques. The results show that (i) potato crop height and AGB first increase and then decrease over the growth period; (ii) GDS and scales mainly affect the correlation between GLCM- and Gabor-based textures and AGB; (iii) to estimate AGB, GLCM-based textures of GDS1 and GDS30 work best when the GDS is between 1 and 5 cm and 10 and 60 cm, respectively (however, estimating potato AGB based on Gabor-based textures gradually deteriorates as the Gabor convolution kernel scale increases); (iv) the AGB estimation based on a single-type texture is not as good as estimates based on multi-resolution GLCM-based and multiscale Gabor-based textures (with the latter being the best); (v) different forms of textures combined with crop height using the LSSVM technique improved by 22.97, 14.63, 9.74, and 8.18% (normalized root mean square error) compared with using only all GLCM-based textures, all Gabor-based textures, the former combined with crop height, and the latter combined with crop height, respectively. Therefore, different forms of texture features obtained from RGB images acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles and combined with crop height improve the accuracy of potato AGB estimates under high coverage.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus epidemic and classical strains in IPEC-J2 cells.

In recent years, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) has become widespread and caused huge economic losses for the global pig industry. There is growing evidence that frequent outbreaks of diarrhea are caused by the variants of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) with high pathogenicity. Herein, an epidemic strain of PEDV HLJ strain was isolated and characterized from Heilongjiang Province of China, and the whole genomic expression profile of intestinal porcine epithelial cells (IPEC-J2) infected with HLJ strain was investigated in comparison with classical CV777 strain. A total of 26,851 genes were identified, of these, 25,880 were known genes and 971 were novel genes. There were 258 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified between PEDV HLJ-infected and uninfected cells at 24 h post infection (hpi), and 201 DEGs between PEDV HLJ and CV777 infection. A comparative analysis revealed that 258 DEGs were enriched in 468 gene ontology (GO) terms and mapped to 179 KEGG pathways, and 201 DEGs in 1120 GO terms and mapped to 115 KEGG pathways for HLJ-infected cells in contrast to the uninfected and CV777-infected cells, respectively. Specifically, PEDV HLJ strain could activate anti-viral innate immune response and inflammation more intensively than CV777, in which mRNA levels of interferon (IFN-ß), chemokines (CCL5 and CXCL10) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-8 and TNF-α) were induced earlier and more strongly. Subsequently, 20 DEGs and 5 proteins were selected and validated by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blot, and the results were consistent with the transcriptomic analysis. Overall, this study may be helpful for understanding the pathogenesis mechanism of PEDV variants, and contribute to the effective prevention and control of PEDV infection.

Winter Wheat Nitrogen Estimation Based on Ground-Level and UAV-Mounted Sensors.

A better understanding of wheat nitrogen status is important for improving N fertilizer management in precision farming. In this study, four different sensors were evaluated for their ability to estimate winter wheat nitrogen. A Gaussian process regression (GPR) method with the sequential backward feature removal (SBBR) routine was used to identify the best combinations of vegetation indices (VIs) sensitive to wheat N indicators for different sensors. Wheat leaf N concentration (LNC), plant N concentration (PNC), and the nutrition index (NNI) were estimated by the VIs through parametric regression (PR), multivariable linear regression (MLR), and Gaussian process regression (GPR). The study results reveal that the optical fluorescence sensor provides more accurate estimates of winter wheat N status at a low-canopy coverage condition. The Dualex Nitrogen Balance Index (NBI) is the best leaf-level indicator for wheat LNC, PNC and NNI at the early wheat growth stage. At the early growth stage, Multiplex indices are the best canopy-level indicators for LNC, PNC, and NNI. At the late growth stage, ASD VIs provide accurate estimates for wheat N indicators. This study also reveals that the GPR with SBBR analysis method provides more accurate estimates of winter wheat LNC, PNC, and NNI, with the best VI combinations for these sensors across the different winter wheat growth stages, compared with the MLR and PR methods.

Effects of zinc and iron on the abundance of Microcystis in Lake Taihu under green light and turbulence conditions.

Trace element is one of the important factors affecting the growth of Microcystis. The effects of zinc (0.4 mg/L) and iron (2 mg/L) on the abundance of Microcystis in Lake Taihu were investigated under continuous turbulence and green light conditions in a microcosm experiment. The study results showed that the abundance of Microcystis in the zinc treatment and the iron treatment group was 8.30% and 214% of that in the control group at the end of the experiment, respectively. The proportion of Cyanobacteria in the total phytoplankton biomass in the control, iron treatment, and zinc treatment group decreased from 99.99% at the beginning of the experiment to 13%, 18%, and 1% at the end of the experiment, respectively. At the end of the microcosm experiment, the phytoplankton community was dominated by Bacillariophyta in the control group, accounting for 63%, but it was dominated by Chlorophyta in the zinc treatment and the iron treatment group, accounting for 89% and 42%, respectively. The study results showed that under green light and turbulence, 0.4 mg/L zinc remarkably decreased the abundance of Microcystis, but 2 mg/L iron effectively increased the number of Microcystis and other algae. This research results provided a new idea for controlling Microcystis blooms.

Psychrobacter halodurans sp. nov. and Psychrobacter coccoides sp. nov., two new slightly halophilic bacteria isolated from marine sediment.

In this study, two bacterial strains designated F2608T and F1192T, isolated from marine sediment sampled in Weihai, PR China, were characterized using a polyphasic approach. Strains were aerobic, Gram-stain-negative and motile. According to the results of phylogenetic analyses based on their 16S rRNA genes, these two strains should be classified under the genus Psychrobacter and they both show <98.5% sequence similarity to their closest relative, Psychrobacter celer JCM 12601T. Moreover, strain F2608T showed 97.5% sequence similarity to strain F1192T. Strain F2608T grew at 4-37 °C (optimum, 30-33 °C) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (optimum, pH 6.5-7.0) in the presence of 0-12% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 4.0-5.0%). Strain F1192T grew at 4-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and at pH 5.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.0-7.5) in the presence of 0.5-12% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 3.0-4.0%). The genomic DNA G+C contents of strain F2608T and strain F1192T were 47.4 and 44.9 %, respectively. Genomic characteristics including average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values clearly separated strain F2608T from strain F1192T. The sole isoprenoid quinone in these two strains was ubiquinone 8 and the major cellular fatty acids (>10.0%) were C18:1 ω9c and C17:1 ω8c. The major polar lipids of these two strains were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and diphosphatidylglycerol. Based on the results of polyphasic analysis, the two strains represent two novel species of the genus Psychrobacter, for which the names Psychrobacter halodurans sp. nov. and Psychrobacter coccoides sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains are F2608T (=MCCC 1K05774T=KCTC 82766T) and F1192T (=MCCC 1K05775T=KCTC 82765T), respectively.

Continuous hydrodynamic mixing weakens the dominance of Microcystis: evidences from microcosm and lab experiments.

Hydrodynamic mixing is one of the important environment factors in determining phytoplankton community compositions. Here the influences of continuous hydrodynamic mixing on abundance, morphology, and dominance of Microcystis were investigated in microcosm and lab experiments. Our research results showed that Cyanophyta contributed 57.16% to the total biomass in control, but Chlorophyta was the dominant group in continuous hydrodynamic mixing (CHM) group, contributing 76.54% to the total biomass in the microcosm experiment. The average number of Microcystis in control was 1.95 folds in CHM group. However, the mean abundance of Scenedesmus quadricauda and Pseudanabaena limnetica in CHM was 2.47 and 2.97 folds in control. In the lab experiment, the average number of Microcystis flos-aquae in control was 2.97 folds in CHM group. The mean size of M. flos-aquae colony in control (34.65 µm) group were significantly bigger than that in the CHM (26.78 µm) group. This research results demonstrated that continuous hydrodynamic mixing weakened the dominance of Microcystis, but was beneficial for the others algae (S. quadricauda and P. limnetica) and is helpful in understanding the effect of hydrodynamic mixing on Microcystis blooms in freshwater ecosystem.

Identifying barriers to sustainable apple production: A stakeholder perspective.

Apple is one of the most important cash crops in China. However, negative economic, environmental and social impacts are associated with its production. This study aims to apply a holistic systems perspective to understand existing problems associated with apple production in China and use this information to improve its sustainability. A structured survey was administered to farmers (n = 245) in Shandong and Shanxi provinces, combined with semi-structured interviews with apple supply chain stakeholders (n = 25). Themes, dimensions and relationships were identified based on an inductive thematic analysis of interview data, and then triangulated against the survey data. Interpretive Structural Modelling and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification methods were applied to investigate interrelationships and effects of the elicited elements within the system. The results indicated that various environmental, economic and social problems are associated with apple production in China, including environmental and health risks associated with synthetic input applications, yield instability, deterioration of apple quality, farmers' uncertainty about accessing routes to market, and the ageing farming workforce. The interaction of socio-economic and supply chain issues has contributed to the system "lock-in" to unsustainable practices within the apple production system. Existing agricultural policies were ineffective as they did not include policy leverage to mitigate the multiple factors driving lock-in to unsustainable practices within the system. The research has provided evidence to enable policymakers to develop effective and targeted strategies to facilitate sustainable production within the apple production system. In particular, the future policy mix should consider the entirety of the food system including perspectives and requirements of different stakeholders. The three-stage approach applied has demonstrated its feasibility of investigating sustainability issues facing a particular industry within a specific cultural and policy context.