Objective:To confirm the presence of Culex(Cx.)(Lophoceraomyia)cinctellus in Sri Lanka using morphological and molecular evidence.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020,mosquito surveillance was conducted fort-nightl...Objective:To confirm the presence of Culex(Cx.)(Lophoceraomyia)cinctellus in Sri Lanka using morphological and molecular evidence.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020,mosquito surveillance was conducted fort-nightly in the Banduragoda Public Health Inspector area.Larvae were collected using standard siphoning methods,while adults were sampled using Cattle Baited Trap,Gravid Traps,Light Traps,Bird-Baited Traps,Dog Baited Traps,and diurnal human landing collections.Specimens were transported to the Entomology Laboratory at the Medical Research Institute for identification.Morphological identification was performed using standard taxonomic keys.Molecular confirmation was achieved through DNA sequencing of mosquito head and thoracic regions,followed by sequence analysis using NCBI BLAST and Geneious software(version 7.1.3).Results:Adults of Cx.cinctellus were identified in Bird-Baited Traps and human bait collections.Unique morphological characteristics,including well-developed pulvilli,wing vein 1A ending before the apex of cross vein mcu,basal transverse pale bands on abdominal terga,and two labial basal setae on the proboscis,confirmed species identity.Morphometric measurements included mean thoracic length(0.58±0.02)mm,thoracic width(0.63±0.02)mm,abdominal length(2.15±0.03)mm,abdominal width(0.61±0.01)mm,and wing length(2.91±0.02)mm.Molecular analysis corroborated the morphological identification,affirming the species as Cx.cinctellus.COI sequences of the collected specimen(452 bp)were confirmed as Cx.cinctellus for sequence identity by BLAST and BOLD analysis.These sequences were subsequently deposited in GenBank under the accession number OR225623.1.Conclusions:This study documents the first occurrence of Cx.cinctellus in Sri Lanka,highlighting the need to enhance entomological surveillance to monitor its dispersal and population dynamics.展开更多
Extensive evidence demonstrates that a healthy and well-balanced gut microbiota profoundly influences host nutrient absorption,immunity,and metabolism.Unlike mammals,early microbiota colonization in commercial poultry...Extensive evidence demonstrates that a healthy and well-balanced gut microbiota profoundly influences host nutrient absorption,immunity,and metabolism.Unlike mammals,early microbiota colonization in commercial poultry largely depends on the environment as chicks hatch in incubators under a relatively sterile environment(egg and incubator sterilization)without maternal-offspring interaction.The early gut microbiota remains unsaturated,providing a critical window for modulation and influencing the subsequent microbiota succession,which may have long-term health outcomes.Microbiota transplantation(MT)involves transferring the microbiota from a donor to a recipient to modulate the recipient’s microbiota toward a desired state.Successfully applied in human medicine,MT is also gaining attention in poultry production to modulate intestinal health.This review comprehensively explores factors affecting MT,its mechanisms,and its potential applications in chickens,providing insights for further research and commercial use.展开更多
The “Huang gua” melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmn...The “Huang gua” melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmness), mass, and geometry. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate firmness of fruits and vegetables based on their vibrational characteristics. Analysis of the vibration responses of a fruit is suggested for measuring elastic properties (Firmness) non-destructively. The impulse response method is often used to measure firmness of fruits. The fruit was excited using three types of balls (wooden, steel and rubber) and the vibration is detected by an accelerometer. The Instron device was used to measure the static elastic modulus of the inner, middle and outer portions of melon flesh. Finite element (FE) technique was used to determine the optimum excitation location of the chosen measurement sensor and to analyze the mode shape fruits. Four types of mode shapes (torsional or flexural mode shape, first-type, second-type spherical mode and breathing mode shape) were found. Finite element simulation results agreed well with experimental results. Correlation between the firmness and resonant frequency (r2=0.91) and between the resonant frequency and stiffness factor (r2=0.74) existed. The optimum location and suitable direction for excitation and response measurement on the fruit were suggested.展开更多
Intercropping of maize(Zea mays L.) and peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) often results in greater yields than the respective sole crops. However, there is limited knowledge of aboveground and belowground interspecific inte...Intercropping of maize(Zea mays L.) and peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) often results in greater yields than the respective sole crops. However, there is limited knowledge of aboveground and belowground interspecific interactions between maize and peanut in field. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of interspecific interactions on plant growth and grain yield for a peanut/maize intercropping system under different nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) levels. The method of root separation was employed to differentiate belowground from aboveground interspecific interactions. We observed that the global interspecific interaction effect on the shoot biomass of the intercropping system decreased with the coexistence period, and belowground interaction contributed more than aboveground interaction to advantages of the intercropping in terms of shoot biomass and grain yield. There was a positive effect from aboveground and belowground interspecific interactions on crop plant growth in the intercropping system, except that aboveground interaction had a negative effect on peanut during the late coexistence period. The advantage of intercropping on grain came mainly from increased maize yield(means 95%) due to aboveground interspecific competition for light and belowground interaction(61%–72% vs. 28%–39% in fertilizer treatments). There was a negative effect on grain yield from aboveground interaction for peanut, but belowground interspecific interaction positively affected peanut grain yield.The supply of N, P, or N + P increased grain yield of intercropped maize and the contribution from aboveground interspecific interaction. Our study suggests that the advantages of peanut/maize intercropping for yield mainly comes from aboveground interspecific competition for maize and belowground interspecific facilitation for peanut, and their respective yield can be enhanced by N and P. These findings are important for managing the intercropping system and optimizing the benefits from using this system.展开更多
Interactions of lignocellulosic components during fiber analysis were investigated using the highly adopted compositional analysis procedure from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory（NREL）,USA.Synthetic feedstoc...Interactions of lignocellulosic components during fiber analysis were investigated using the highly adopted compositional analysis procedure from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory（NREL）,USA.Synthetic feedstock samples were used to study the effects of lignin/protein,cellulose/protein,and xylan/protein interaction on carbohydrate analysis.Disregarding structural influence in the synthetic samples,lignin and protein components were the most significant（P〈0.05）factors on cellulose analysis.Measured xylan was consistent and unaffected by content variation throughout the synthetic analysis.Validation of the observed relationships from synthetic feedstocks was fulfilled using real lignocellulosic feedstocks：corn stover,poplar,and alfalfa,in which similar results have been obtained,excluding cellulose analysis of poplar under higher protein content and xylan analysis of alfalfa under higher protein content.The results elucidated that according to their protein and lignin contents of different lignocellulosic materials,accuracy of the NREL method on cellulose and xylan analyses could be improved by applying a stronger extraction step to replace water/ethanol extraction.展开更多
Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major ...Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major grain production area in China. In this paper, we investigated the variations in drought characteristics （drought event frequency, duration, severity, and intensity） for the past 50 years （1961-2010） and under future scenarios （2010-2099）, based on the observed meteorological data and the Representative Concentration Pathway （RCP） 8.5 scenario, respectively. First, we compared the applicability of three climatic drought indices： the standardized precipitation index （SPI）, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index based on the Penman-Monteith equation （SPEI-PM） and the same index based on the Thornthwaite equation （SPEI-TH） to correlate the recorded agricultural drought areas. Then, we analyzed the drought characteristics using ＇run theory＇ for both historical and the future RCP 8.5 scenario based on the best performing index. Correlation analyses between drought indices and agricultural drought areas showed that SPEI-PM performed better than SPI and SPEI-TH in the 3H Plain. Based on the results of SPEI-PM, drought risks including duration, severity and intensity during 1961-2010 showed an decreasing trend. However, under the RCP 8.5 scenario, drought is expected to rise in frequency, duration, severity, and intensity from 2010-2099, although drought components during the 2010-2039 are predicted to be milder compared with historical conditions. This study highlights that the estimations for atmospheric evaporative demand would create differences in the prediction of long-term drought trends by different drought indices. The results of this study can help inform researchers and local policy makers to establish drought management strategies.展开更多
To determine the replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils in the diet of juvenile Jade perch Scortum barcoo, four feeds with each a different oil （fish, sunflower, linseed and a mixture of 75% canola and 25% linse...To determine the replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils in the diet of juvenile Jade perch Scortum barcoo, four feeds with each a different oil （fish, sunflower, linseed and a mixture of 75% canola and 25% linseed oil）, were fed to Jade perch reared in recirculating aquaculture systems （RAS）. The trial lasted for 10 weeks and the fatty acid （FA） profile of both feed and fish muscle tissue were examined. There was no difference in growth, feed conversion rate （FCR） and mortality. The fish grew from 10 g to 110 g with a FCR of 1.25 and 0 mortality. The FA profile of the fish muscle tissue reflected the FA profile of the feed. The flesh of the fish that were fed the linseed oil diet, were extremely high in omega-3 （n-3） polyunsaturated FA （n-3 PUFA） with 3.75% of wet weight. This is one of the highest concentrations of n-3 PUFA ever recorded in fish flesh. In a finishing feeding test, the remaining vegetable oil fed fish were fed the fish oil diet for another two weeks immediately after the 10 weeks trial, to check for a possible recovery of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids （HUFA）. The wash out rate of FA towards n-3 HUFA in the muscle tissue was about 25% over this two weeks period.展开更多
The weight of shelled shrimp is an important parameter for grading process.The weight prediction of shelled shrimp by contour area is not accurate enough because of the ignorance of the shrimp thickness.In this paper,...The weight of shelled shrimp is an important parameter for grading process.The weight prediction of shelled shrimp by contour area is not accurate enough because of the ignorance of the shrimp thickness.In this paper,a multivariate prediction model containing area,perimeter,length,and width was established.A new calibration algorithm for extracting length of shelled shrimp was proposed,which contains binary image thinning,branch recognition and elimination,and length reconstruction,while its width was calculated during the process of length extracting.The model was further validated with another set of images from 30 shelled shrimps.For a comparison purpose,artificial neural network(ANN) was used for the shrimp weight predication.The ANN model resulted in a better prediction accuracy(with the average relative error at 2.67%),but took a tenfold increase in calculation time compared with the weight-area-perimeter(WAP) model(with the average relative error at 3.02%).We thus conclude that the WAP model is a better method for the prediction of the weight of shelled red shrimp.展开更多
This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressur...This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressure vessel is subject to axisymmetric mechanical and thermal loadings within a uniform magnetic field. The material properties of the FGM are considered as the power-law distribution along the thickness. Navier’s equation, which is a second-order ordinary differential equation, is derived from the mechanical equilibrium equation with the consideration of the thermal stresses and the Lorentz force resulting from the magnetic field. The distributions of the displacement, strains, and stresses are determined by the exact solution to Navier’s equation. Numerical results clarify the influence of the thermal loading, magnetic field, non-homogeneity constant, internal pressure, and angular velocity on the magneto-thermo-elastic response of the functionally graded spherical vessel. It is observed that these parameters have remarkable effects on the distributions of radial displacement, radial and circumferential strains, and radial and circumferential stresses.展开更多
The impact force response of a peach impacting on a metal flat-surface was considered as nondestructive determination of firmness. The objectives were to analyze the effect of firmness, drop height, fruit mass, and im...The impact force response of a peach impacting on a metal flat-surface was considered as nondestructive determination of firmness. The objectives were to analyze the effect of firmness, drop height, fruit mass, and impact orientation on the impact force parameters, and to establish a relationship between the impact force parameter and firmness. The effect of fruit firmness, drop height and fruit mass on the impact force parameters (coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and coefficient of force-time) was evaluated. The study found that the coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and force-time impact coefficient were significantly affected by fruit ripeness, but not affected by drop height, impact position (fruit cheek), and mass. The percentage of absorbed energy increased with ripeness, while the force-time impact coefficient and coefficient of restitution decreased with ripeness. Relationships were obtained between the three impact characteristic parameters (force-time impact coefficient, coefficient of restitution, and percentage of energy absorbed) and peach firmness using a polynomial model (R2=0.932), S model (R2=0.910), and exponential model (R2=0.941), respectively.展开更多
Background Increasing resilience is a priority in modern pig breeding.Recent research shows that general resilience can be quantified via variability in longitudinal data.The collection of such longitudinal data on we...Background Increasing resilience is a priority in modern pig breeding.Recent research shows that general resilience can be quantified via variability in longitudinal data.The collection of such longitudinal data on weight,feed intake and feeding behaviour in pigs has been facilitated by the development of technologies such as automated feeding stations.The goal of this study was to investigate resilience traits,which were estimated as deviations from longitudinal weight,feed intake and feeding behaviour data during the finishing phase.A dataset with 324,207 records between the age of 95 and 155 days on 5,939 Pietrain pigs with known pedigree and genomic information was used.We provided guidelines for a rigid quality control of longitudinal body weight data,as we found that outliers can significantly affect results.Gompertz growth curve analysis,linear modelling and trajectory analyses were used for quantifying resilience traits.Results To our knowledge,this is the first study comparing resilience traits from longitudinal body weight,feed intake and feeding behaviour data in pigs.We demonstrated that the resilience traits are lowly to moderately heritable for deviations in body weight(h2=2.9%–20.2%),in feed intake(9.4%–23.3%)and in feeding behaviour(16.2%–28.3%).Additionally,these traits have good predictive abilities in cross-validation analyses.Deviations in individual body weight and feed intake trajectories are highly correlated(rg=0.78)with low to moderate favourable genetic correlations with feed conversion ratio(rg=0.39–0.49).Lastly,we showed that some resilience traits,such as the natural logarithm of variances of observed versus predicted body weights(lnvarweight),are more robust to lower observation frequencies and are repeatable over three different time periods of the finishing phase.Conclusions Our results will help future studies investigating resilience traits and resilience-related traits.Moreover,our study provides first results on standardization of quality control and efficient data sampling from automated feeding station data.Our findings will be valuable for breeding organizations as they offer evidence that pigs’general resilience can be selected on with good accuracy.Moreover,this methodology might be extended to other species to quantify resilience based on longitudinal data.展开更多
Non-ionic deep eutectic solvents(DESs)are non-ionic designer solvents with various applications in catalysis,extraction,carbon capture,and pharmaceuticals.However,discovering new DES candidates is challenging due to a...Non-ionic deep eutectic solvents(DESs)are non-ionic designer solvents with various applications in catalysis,extraction,carbon capture,and pharmaceuticals.However,discovering new DES candidates is challenging due to a lack of efficient tools that accurately predict DES formation.The search for DES relies heavily on intuition or trial-and-error processes,leading to low success rates or missed opportunities.Recognizing that hydrogen bonds(HBs)play a central role in DES formation,we aim to identify HB features that distinguish DES from non-DES systems and use them to develop machine learning(ML)models to discover new DES systems.We first analyze the HB properties of 38 known DES and 111 known non-DES systems using their molecular dynamics(MD)simulation trajectories.The analysis reveals that DES systems have two unique features compared to non-DES systems:The DESs have①more imbalance between the numbers of the two intra-component HBs and②more and stronger inter-component HBs.Based on these results,we develop 30 ML models using ten algorithms and three types of HB-based descriptors.The model performance is first benchmarked using the average and minimal receiver operating characteristic(ROC)-area under the curve(AUC)values.We also analyze the importance of individual features in the models,and the results are consistent with the simulation-based statistical analysis.Finally,we validate the models using the experimental data of 34 systems.The extra trees forest model outperforms the other models in the validation,with an ROC-AUC of 0.88.Our work illustrates the importance of HBs in DES formation and shows the potential of ML in discovering new DESs.展开更多
Chikungunya fever is a vector-borne viral disease transmitted to humans by chikungunya virus(CHIKV)-infected mosquitoes.There have been many outbreaks of CHIKV infection worldwide,and the virus poses ongoing risks to ...Chikungunya fever is a vector-borne viral disease transmitted to humans by chikungunya virus(CHIKV)-infected mosquitoes.There have been many outbreaks of CHIKV infection worldwide,and the virus poses ongoing risks to global health.To prevent and control CHIKV infection,it is important to improve the current CHIKV diagnostic approaches to allow for the detection of low CHIKV concentrations and to correctly distinguish CHIKV infections from those due to other mosquito-transmitted viruses,including dengue virus(DENV),Japanese encephalitis virus(JEV),and Zika virus(ZIKV).Here,we produced monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)against the CHIKV envelope 2 protein(CHIKV-E2)and compared their sensitivity and specificity with commercially available mAbs using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA).Two anti-CHIKV-E2 mAbs,19-1 and 21-1,showed higher binding affinities to CHIKV-E2 protein than the commercial mAbs did.In particular,the 19-1 mAb had the strongest binding affinity to inactivated CHIKV.Moreover,the 19-1 mAb had very little cross-reactivity with other mosquito-borne viruses,such as ZIKV,JEV,and DENV.These results suggest that the newly produced anti-CHIKV-E2 mAb,19-1,could he used for CHIKV diagnostic approaches.展开更多
Liquid manure storage may contribute to methane （CH4） emission and this emission can be greatly reduced if appropriate management practices are applied. Biofiltration has been used in other fields for mitigating gre...Liquid manure storage may contribute to methane （CH4） emission and this emission can be greatly reduced if appropriate management practices are applied. Biofiltration has been used in other fields for mitigating greenhouse gas （GHG） emission （e.g., landfill） and shown promise for mitigation OH4 emis- sion from liquid manure storage. It has been reported that biofilter was capable of reducing 80% of CH4 emissions from manure storage. The OH4 removal efficiency is influenced by many factors, including OH4 and 02 concentrations, temperature, moisture, composition of the filter bed, nutrient, and empty bed resi- dency time （EBRT）. Biological conversion of methane of a biofilter is a slow process due to the low water solubility of methane. The residence times （EBRT） between 5 min and 5 h have been used, whereas a typical EBRT of 25 s is used for common biofilter applications. Temperature at which methanotrophic bac- teria are active ranges from 10℃ to 45℃. The maximum activity is found at around 30℃. The optimal filter bed water content depends on both the gas flow rate and the type of filter bed （soil, compost, etc.） and ranges from 30%-70% of the water holding capacity. Compost is the best material for filter bed. The optimal pH for methanotrophic bacteria is neutral to slightly acidic. Copper and nitrogen compounds especially nitrate are important nutrients to methanotrophic bacteria but their optimal concentrations have not been founded. Phosphorus and other elements such as potassium and manganese are reported to affect the performance of methanotrophic bacteria but need further confirmation.展开更多
Components with strong adsorption capacity for cholates from buckwheat proteins were screened, separated and purified by several methods, and the effects of ultra-high-pressure(UHP) on the structure and function of bu...Components with strong adsorption capacity for cholates from buckwheat proteins were screened, separated and purified by several methods, and the effects of ultra-high-pressure(UHP) on the structure and function of buckwheat 13S globulin(BW13SG) were studied. Samples were treated by UHP at different p H(3.0 and 7.0) value(s) and at 100–500 MPa for 10–30 min. The results showed that the tertiary structure of BW13SG was partially denatured and aggregated. The decrease in the unordered structure indicated that UHP resulted in a looser secondary structure of BW13SG. UHP treatment also increased solubility, emulsion activity and stability, foaming capacity and stability. The samples treated at 500 MPa, p H 3.0 for 30 min had the most enhanced functionality. Moreover, under this condition, the sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate adsorption capacities of BW13SG were both higher than 98% and the adsorption capacity of sodium taurocholate, which can be difficult to adsorb, was higher than 60%.展开更多
Carious lesions are bacteria-caused destructions of the mineralised dental tissues,marked by the simultaneous activation of immune responses and regenerative events within the soft dental pulp tissue.While major molec...Carious lesions are bacteria-caused destructions of the mineralised dental tissues,marked by the simultaneous activation of immune responses and regenerative events within the soft dental pulp tissue.While major molecular players in tooth decay have been uncovered during the past years,a detailed map of the molecular and cellular landscape of the diseased pulp is still missing.In this study we used single-cell RNA sequencing analysis,supplemented with immunostaining,to generate a comprehensive single-cell atlas of the pulp of carious human teeth.Our data demonstrated modifications in the various cell clusters within the pulp of carious teeth,such as immune cells,mesenchymal stem cells(MSC)and fibroblasts,when compared to the pulp of healthy human teeth.Active immune response in the carious pulp tissue is accompanied by specific changes in the fibroblast and MSC clusters.These changes include the upregulation of genes encoding extracellular matrix(ECM)components,including COL1A1 and Fibronectin(FN1),and the enrichment of the fibroblast cluster with myofibroblasts.The incremental changes in the ECM composition of carious pulp tissues were further confirmed by immunostaining analyses.Assessment of the Fibronectin fibres under mechanical strain conditions showed a significant tension reduction in carious pulp tissues,compared to the healthy ones.The present data demonstrate molecular,cellular and biomechanical alterations in the pulp of human carious teeth,indicative of extensive ECM remodelling,reminiscent of fibrosis observed in other organs.This comprehensive atlas of carious human teeth can facilitate future studies of dental pathologies and enable comparative analyses across diseased organs.展开更多
An analytical approach was developed to design a single uniformly sloping lateral in the micro-irrigation systems.Emission uniformity was used as the water application uniformity criterion.Energy relations based on th...An analytical approach was developed to design a single uniformly sloping lateral in the micro-irrigation systems.Emission uniformity was used as the water application uniformity criterion.Energy relations based on the energy-gradient-line approach were revamped to account for the spatial variance of emitter outflow and the emitter connections local energy losses.Four pressure head grade line profiles were distinguished:uphill,horizontal,gentle downhill and steep downhill.Analytical expressions of emission uniformity by hydraulic variation for each pressure profile were developed based on the design variables:length and diameter of lateral,emitter spacing,emitter flow equation parameters,equivalent length characterizing local losses and ground slope.The design conditions for selecting emitter type,the number of emitters per plant and designing the diameter of the uphill and steep downhill laterals were also developed.The nonlinear equations for determining lateral diameter and lateral length were solved iteratively by using the built-in root-finding function of(Tools>Goal Seek…)in the calculation spreadsheet of Microsoft Excel.The procedures also provide the options to fix the design lateral diameter with the commercial standard size or fix the design lateral length based on the field size.The operating inlet pressure and maximum amplitude of the pressure head throughout the lateral could also be determined easily by the procedure.Two numerical applications with various slope combinations indicate that the proposed analytical approach produces results close to the accurate stepwise numerical solutions.In comparison with Keller method,the proposed approach could produce more appropriate designs.展开更多
BACKGROUND Over the last few decades,3 pathogenic pandemics have impacted the global population;severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARS-CoV),Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)and SARS-Co...BACKGROUND Over the last few decades,3 pathogenic pandemics have impacted the global population;severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARS-CoV),Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)and SARS-CoV-2.The global disease burden has attributed to millions of deaths and morbidities,with the majority being attributed to SARS-CoV-2.As such,the evaluation of the mental health(MH)impact across healthcare professionals(HCPs),patients and the general public would be an important facet to evaluate to better understand short,medium and long-term exposures.AIM To identify and report:(1)MH conditions commonly observed across all 3 pandemics;(2)Impact of MH outcomes across HCPs,patients and the general public associated with all 3 pandemics;and(3)The prevalence of the MH impact and clinical epidemiological significance.METHODS A systematic methodology was developed and published on PROSPERO(CRD42021228697).The databases PubMed,EMBASE,ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were used as part of the data extraction process,and publications from January 1,1990 to August 1,2021 were searched.MeSH terms and keywords used included Mood disorders,PTSD,Anxiety,Depression,Psychological stress,Psychosis,Bipolar,Mental Health,Unipolar,Self-harm,BAME,Psychiatry disorders and Psychological distress.The terms were expanded with a‘snowballing’method.Cox-regression and the Monte-Carlo simulation method was used in addition to I2 and Egger’s tests to determine heterogeneity and publication bias.RESULTS In comparison to MERS and SARS-CoV,it is evident SAR-CoV-2 has an ongoing MH impact,with emphasis on depression,anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.CONCLUSION It was evident MH studies during MERS and SARS-CoV was limited in comparison to SARS-CoV-2,with much emphasis on reporting symptoms of depression,anxiety,stress and sleep disturbances.The lack of comprehensive studies conducted during previous pandemics have introduced limitations to the“know-how”for clinicians and researchers to better support patients and deliver care with limited healthcare resources.展开更多
The physiological control of stomatal opening by which plants adjust for water availability has been extensively researched.However,the impact of water availability on stomatal development has not received as much att...The physiological control of stomatal opening by which plants adjust for water availability has been extensively researched.However,the impact of water availability on stomatal development has not received as much attention,especially for amphistomatic plants.Therefore,the acclimation of stomatal development in basil(Ocimum basilicum L.)leaves was investigated.Our results show that leaves developed under water-deficit conditions possess higher stomatal densities and decreased stomatal length for both the adaxial and abaxial leaf sides.Although the stomatal developmental reaction to water deficit was similar for the two leaf surfaces,it was proven that adaxial stomata are more sensitive to water stress than abaxial stomata,with more closed adaxial stomata under water-deficit conditions.Furthermore,plants with leaves containing smaller stomata at higher densities possessed a higher water use efficiency.Our findings highlight the importance of stomatal development as a tool for long-term acclimation to limit water loss,with minimal reduction in biomass production.This highlights the central role that stomata play in both the short(opening)and long-term(development)reaction of plants to water availability,making them key tools for efficient resource use and anticipation of future environmental changes.展开更多
Periodontitis is a type of chronic inflammation in the gingival tissue caused by infectious bacteria colonizing the surface of the teeth,leading to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and loss of alveolar bone...Periodontitis is a type of chronic inflammation in the gingival tissue caused by infectious bacteria colonizing the surface of the teeth,leading to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and loss of alveolar bone.Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA),a class of histone deacetylase(HDAC)inhibitor,has the potential to stimulate osteoblast differentiation by acetylating histone proteins,and thus suppressing the expression of adipogenic and chondrogenic genes.However,the effect of SAHA on the differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells(hPDLSCs)is yet to be elucidated.Herein,we investigated the effects of SAHA on in vitro proliferation and differentiation of hPDLSCs by MTT assay,Alizarin Red-S,and alkaline phosphatase staining,and real-time PCR.Notably,300 ng/mL SAHA treatment enhanced the proliferation and mineralization of hPDLSCs,indicating their osteogenic potential.Moreover,a significant enhancement of osteogenesis gene markers and proteins was observed.We also demonstrated that ERK is a positive regulator of Runx2 transcription factors during osteoblast differentiation.These results indicate that SAHA may be a useful osteogenic induction agent for periodontal bone regeneration.展开更多
文摘Objective:To confirm the presence of Culex(Cx.)(Lophoceraomyia)cinctellus in Sri Lanka using morphological and molecular evidence.Methods:From October 2019 to April 2020,mosquito surveillance was conducted fort-nightly in the Banduragoda Public Health Inspector area.Larvae were collected using standard siphoning methods,while adults were sampled using Cattle Baited Trap,Gravid Traps,Light Traps,Bird-Baited Traps,Dog Baited Traps,and diurnal human landing collections.Specimens were transported to the Entomology Laboratory at the Medical Research Institute for identification.Morphological identification was performed using standard taxonomic keys.Molecular confirmation was achieved through DNA sequencing of mosquito head and thoracic regions,followed by sequence analysis using NCBI BLAST and Geneious software(version 7.1.3).Results:Adults of Cx.cinctellus were identified in Bird-Baited Traps and human bait collections.Unique morphological characteristics,including well-developed pulvilli,wing vein 1A ending before the apex of cross vein mcu,basal transverse pale bands on abdominal terga,and two labial basal setae on the proboscis,confirmed species identity.Morphometric measurements included mean thoracic length(0.58±0.02)mm,thoracic width(0.63±0.02)mm,abdominal length(2.15±0.03)mm,abdominal width(0.61±0.01)mm,and wing length(2.91±0.02)mm.Molecular analysis corroborated the morphological identification,affirming the species as Cx.cinctellus.COI sequences of the collected specimen(452 bp)were confirmed as Cx.cinctellus for sequence identity by BLAST and BOLD analysis.These sequences were subsequently deposited in GenBank under the accession number OR225623.1.Conclusions:This study documents the first occurrence of Cx.cinctellus in Sri Lanka,highlighting the need to enhance entomological surveillance to monitor its dispersal and population dynamics.
基金Haoran Zhao would like to acknowledge the support provided by China Scholarship Council(CSC)of the Ministry of Education,P.R.China(CSC No.202206850006)supported by funding from VLAIO with project number(HBC.2023.0172),HEPPY Markers-Establishment of biomarkers of Health and Eubiosis in Pigs and Poultry.
文摘Extensive evidence demonstrates that a healthy and well-balanced gut microbiota profoundly influences host nutrient absorption,immunity,and metabolism.Unlike mammals,early microbiota colonization in commercial poultry largely depends on the environment as chicks hatch in incubators under a relatively sterile environment(egg and incubator sterilization)without maternal-offspring interaction.The early gut microbiota remains unsaturated,providing a critical window for modulation and influencing the subsequent microbiota succession,which may have long-term health outcomes.Microbiota transplantation(MT)involves transferring the microbiota from a donor to a recipient to modulate the recipient’s microbiota toward a desired state.Successfully applied in human medicine,MT is also gaining attention in poultry production to modulate intestinal health.This review comprehensively explores factors affecting MT,its mechanisms,and its potential applications in chickens,providing insights for further research and commercial use.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30370371) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zheji-ang Province (No. 301267), China
文摘The “Huang gua” melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmness), mass, and geometry. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate firmness of fruits and vegetables based on their vibrational characteristics. Analysis of the vibration responses of a fruit is suggested for measuring elastic properties (Firmness) non-destructively. The impulse response method is often used to measure firmness of fruits. The fruit was excited using three types of balls (wooden, steel and rubber) and the vibration is detected by an accelerometer. The Instron device was used to measure the static elastic modulus of the inner, middle and outer portions of melon flesh. Finite element (FE) technique was used to determine the optimum excitation location of the chosen measurement sensor and to analyze the mode shape fruits. Four types of mode shapes (torsional or flexural mode shape, first-type, second-type spherical mode and breathing mode shape) were found. Finite element simulation results agreed well with experimental results. Correlation between the firmness and resonant frequency (r2=0.91) and between the resonant frequency and stiffness factor (r2=0.74) existed. The optimum location and suitable direction for excitation and response measurement on the fruit were suggested.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2017YFD0200202)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1404315)+1 种基金the China Scholarship Council(201608410278)the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province(182300410014)。
文摘Intercropping of maize(Zea mays L.) and peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) often results in greater yields than the respective sole crops. However, there is limited knowledge of aboveground and belowground interspecific interactions between maize and peanut in field. A two-year field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of interspecific interactions on plant growth and grain yield for a peanut/maize intercropping system under different nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) levels. The method of root separation was employed to differentiate belowground from aboveground interspecific interactions. We observed that the global interspecific interaction effect on the shoot biomass of the intercropping system decreased with the coexistence period, and belowground interaction contributed more than aboveground interaction to advantages of the intercropping in terms of shoot biomass and grain yield. There was a positive effect from aboveground and belowground interspecific interactions on crop plant growth in the intercropping system, except that aboveground interaction had a negative effect on peanut during the late coexistence period. The advantage of intercropping on grain came mainly from increased maize yield(means 95%) due to aboveground interspecific competition for light and belowground interaction(61%–72% vs. 28%–39% in fertilizer treatments). There was a negative effect on grain yield from aboveground interaction for peanut, but belowground interspecific interaction positively affected peanut grain yield.The supply of N, P, or N + P increased grain yield of intercropped maize and the contribution from aboveground interspecific interaction. Our study suggests that the advantages of peanut/maize intercropping for yield mainly comes from aboveground interspecific competition for maize and belowground interspecific facilitation for peanut, and their respective yield can be enhanced by N and P. These findings are important for managing the intercropping system and optimizing the benefits from using this system.
基金supported by the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC-09-19),USAthe Michigan Animal Agriculture Initiative, the Michigan State Agricultural Station, Michigan State University (MSU) Ag Bio Researchthe MSU Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies,USA
文摘Interactions of lignocellulosic components during fiber analysis were investigated using the highly adopted compositional analysis procedure from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory（NREL）,USA.Synthetic feedstock samples were used to study the effects of lignin/protein,cellulose/protein,and xylan/protein interaction on carbohydrate analysis.Disregarding structural influence in the synthetic samples,lignin and protein components were the most significant（P〈0.05）factors on cellulose analysis.Measured xylan was consistent and unaffected by content variation throughout the synthetic analysis.Validation of the observed relationships from synthetic feedstocks was fulfilled using real lignocellulosic feedstocks：corn stover,poplar,and alfalfa,in which similar results have been obtained,excluding cellulose analysis of poplar under higher protein content and xylan analysis of alfalfa under higher protein content.The results elucidated that according to their protein and lignin contents of different lignocellulosic materials,accuracy of the NREL method on cellulose and xylan analyses could be improved by applying a stronger extraction step to replace water/ethanol extraction.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program,2012CB955904)the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China during the 12th Five-year Plan period (2012BAD09B01)the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (41401510)
文摘Understanding the potential drought characteristics under climate change is essential to reduce vulnerability and establish adaptation strategies, especially in the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain （3H Plain）, which is a major grain production area in China. In this paper, we investigated the variations in drought characteristics （drought event frequency, duration, severity, and intensity） for the past 50 years （1961-2010） and under future scenarios （2010-2099）, based on the observed meteorological data and the Representative Concentration Pathway （RCP） 8.5 scenario, respectively. First, we compared the applicability of three climatic drought indices： the standardized precipitation index （SPI）, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index based on the Penman-Monteith equation （SPEI-PM） and the same index based on the Thornthwaite equation （SPEI-TH） to correlate the recorded agricultural drought areas. Then, we analyzed the drought characteristics using ＇run theory＇ for both historical and the future RCP 8.5 scenario based on the best performing index. Correlation analyses between drought indices and agricultural drought areas showed that SPEI-PM performed better than SPI and SPEI-TH in the 3H Plain. Based on the results of SPEI-PM, drought risks including duration, severity and intensity during 1961-2010 showed an decreasing trend. However, under the RCP 8.5 scenario, drought is expected to rise in frequency, duration, severity, and intensity from 2010-2099, although drought components during the 2010-2039 are predicted to be milder compared with historical conditions. This study highlights that the estimations for atmospheric evaporative demand would create differences in the prediction of long-term drought trends by different drought indices. The results of this study can help inform researchers and local policy makers to establish drought management strategies.
文摘To determine the replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils in the diet of juvenile Jade perch Scortum barcoo, four feeds with each a different oil （fish, sunflower, linseed and a mixture of 75% canola and 25% linseed oil）, were fed to Jade perch reared in recirculating aquaculture systems （RAS）. The trial lasted for 10 weeks and the fatty acid （FA） profile of both feed and fish muscle tissue were examined. There was no difference in growth, feed conversion rate （FCR） and mortality. The fish grew from 10 g to 110 g with a FCR of 1.25 and 0 mortality. The FA profile of the fish muscle tissue reflected the FA profile of the feed. The flesh of the fish that were fed the linseed oil diet, were extremely high in omega-3 （n-3） polyunsaturated FA （n-3 PUFA） with 3.75% of wet weight. This is one of the highest concentrations of n-3 PUFA ever recorded in fish flesh. In a finishing feeding test, the remaining vegetable oil fed fish were fed the fish oil diet for another two weeks immediately after the 10 weeks trial, to check for a possible recovery of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids （HUFA）. The wash out rate of FA towards n-3 HUFA in the muscle tissue was about 25% over this two weeks period.
文摘The weight of shelled shrimp is an important parameter for grading process.The weight prediction of shelled shrimp by contour area is not accurate enough because of the ignorance of the shrimp thickness.In this paper,a multivariate prediction model containing area,perimeter,length,and width was established.A new calibration algorithm for extracting length of shelled shrimp was proposed,which contains binary image thinning,branch recognition and elimination,and length reconstruction,while its width was calculated during the process of length extracting.The model was further validated with another set of images from 30 shelled shrimps.For a comparison purpose,artificial neural network(ANN) was used for the shrimp weight predication.The ANN model resulted in a better prediction accuracy(with the average relative error at 2.67%),but took a tenfold increase in calculation time compared with the weight-area-perimeter(WAP) model(with the average relative error at 3.02%).We thus conclude that the WAP model is a better method for the prediction of the weight of shelled red shrimp.
文摘This study presents an analytical solution of thermal and mechanical displacements, strains, and stresses for a thick-walled rotating spherical pressure vessel made of functionally graded materials (FGMs). The pressure vessel is subject to axisymmetric mechanical and thermal loadings within a uniform magnetic field. The material properties of the FGM are considered as the power-law distribution along the thickness. Navier’s equation, which is a second-order ordinary differential equation, is derived from the mechanical equilibrium equation with the consideration of the thermal stresses and the Lorentz force resulting from the magnetic field. The distributions of the displacement, strains, and stresses are determined by the exact solution to Navier’s equation. Numerical results clarify the influence of the thermal loading, magnetic field, non-homogeneity constant, internal pressure, and angular velocity on the magneto-thermo-elastic response of the functionally graded spherical vessel. It is observed that these parameters have remarkable effects on the distributions of radial displacement, radial and circumferential strains, and radial and circumferential stresses.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30570449)the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Chinese University (No. NCET-04-0544)
文摘The impact force response of a peach impacting on a metal flat-surface was considered as nondestructive determination of firmness. The objectives were to analyze the effect of firmness, drop height, fruit mass, and impact orientation on the impact force parameters, and to establish a relationship between the impact force parameter and firmness. The effect of fruit firmness, drop height and fruit mass on the impact force parameters (coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and coefficient of force-time) was evaluated. The study found that the coefficient of restitution, percentage of energy absorbed, and force-time impact coefficient were significantly affected by fruit ripeness, but not affected by drop height, impact position (fruit cheek), and mass. The percentage of absorbed energy increased with ripeness, while the force-time impact coefficient and coefficient of restitution decreased with ripeness. Relationships were obtained between the three impact characteristic parameters (force-time impact coefficient, coefficient of restitution, and percentage of energy absorbed) and peach firmness using a polynomial model (R2=0.932), S model (R2=0.910), and exponential model (R2=0.941), respectively.
基金This study was partially funded by an FR PhD fellowship(1104320N,WG)two SB PhD fellowships(1S05818N(CW)and 1S37119N(RM))of the Research Foundation Flanders(FWO)+1 种基金Moreover,RM and LC were also partly funded by a KU Leuven C2 project(C24/18/036)KH was funded by the UNIPIG project of VLAIO(HBC.2019.2866).
文摘Background Increasing resilience is a priority in modern pig breeding.Recent research shows that general resilience can be quantified via variability in longitudinal data.The collection of such longitudinal data on weight,feed intake and feeding behaviour in pigs has been facilitated by the development of technologies such as automated feeding stations.The goal of this study was to investigate resilience traits,which were estimated as deviations from longitudinal weight,feed intake and feeding behaviour data during the finishing phase.A dataset with 324,207 records between the age of 95 and 155 days on 5,939 Pietrain pigs with known pedigree and genomic information was used.We provided guidelines for a rigid quality control of longitudinal body weight data,as we found that outliers can significantly affect results.Gompertz growth curve analysis,linear modelling and trajectory analyses were used for quantifying resilience traits.Results To our knowledge,this is the first study comparing resilience traits from longitudinal body weight,feed intake and feeding behaviour data in pigs.We demonstrated that the resilience traits are lowly to moderately heritable for deviations in body weight(h2=2.9%–20.2%),in feed intake(9.4%–23.3%)and in feeding behaviour(16.2%–28.3%).Additionally,these traits have good predictive abilities in cross-validation analyses.Deviations in individual body weight and feed intake trajectories are highly correlated(rg=0.78)with low to moderate favourable genetic correlations with feed conversion ratio(rg=0.39–0.49).Lastly,we showed that some resilience traits,such as the natural logarithm of variances of observed versus predicted body weights(lnvarweight),are more robust to lower observation frequencies and are repeatable over three different time periods of the finishing phase.Conclusions Our results will help future studies investigating resilience traits and resilience-related traits.Moreover,our study provides first results on standardization of quality control and efficient data sampling from automated feeding station data.Our findings will be valuable for breeding organizations as they offer evidence that pigs’general resilience can be selected on with good accuracy.Moreover,this methodology might be extended to other species to quantify resilience based on longitudinal data.
基金supported by Ignite Research Collaborations(IRC),Startup funds,and the UK Artificial Intelligence(AI)in Medicine Research Alliance Pilot(NCATS UL1TR001998 and NCI P30 CA177558)。
文摘Non-ionic deep eutectic solvents(DESs)are non-ionic designer solvents with various applications in catalysis,extraction,carbon capture,and pharmaceuticals.However,discovering new DES candidates is challenging due to a lack of efficient tools that accurately predict DES formation.The search for DES relies heavily on intuition or trial-and-error processes,leading to low success rates or missed opportunities.Recognizing that hydrogen bonds(HBs)play a central role in DES formation,we aim to identify HB features that distinguish DES from non-DES systems and use them to develop machine learning(ML)models to discover new DES systems.We first analyze the HB properties of 38 known DES and 111 known non-DES systems using their molecular dynamics(MD)simulation trajectories.The analysis reveals that DES systems have two unique features compared to non-DES systems:The DESs have①more imbalance between the numbers of the two intra-component HBs and②more and stronger inter-component HBs.Based on these results,we develop 30 ML models using ten algorithms and three types of HB-based descriptors.The model performance is first benchmarked using the average and minimal receiver operating characteristic(ROC)-area under the curve(AUC)values.We also analyze the importance of individual features in the models,and the results are consistent with the simulation-based statistical analysis.Finally,we validate the models using the experimental data of 34 systems.The extra trees forest model outperforms the other models in the validation,with an ROC-AUC of 0.88.Our work illustrates the importance of HBs in DES formation and shows the potential of ML in discovering new DESs.
基金supported by Grants from the R&D Convergence Program of National Research Council of Science & Technology (No. CAP-16-02-KIST)the National Research Foundation of Korea (No. NRF-2016M3A9B6918584)
文摘Chikungunya fever is a vector-borne viral disease transmitted to humans by chikungunya virus(CHIKV)-infected mosquitoes.There have been many outbreaks of CHIKV infection worldwide,and the virus poses ongoing risks to global health.To prevent and control CHIKV infection,it is important to improve the current CHIKV diagnostic approaches to allow for the detection of low CHIKV concentrations and to correctly distinguish CHIKV infections from those due to other mosquito-transmitted viruses,including dengue virus(DENV),Japanese encephalitis virus(JEV),and Zika virus(ZIKV).Here,we produced monoclonal antibodies(mAbs)against the CHIKV envelope 2 protein(CHIKV-E2)and compared their sensitivity and specificity with commercially available mAbs using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA).Two anti-CHIKV-E2 mAbs,19-1 and 21-1,showed higher binding affinities to CHIKV-E2 protein than the commercial mAbs did.In particular,the 19-1 mAb had the strongest binding affinity to inactivated CHIKV.Moreover,the 19-1 mAb had very little cross-reactivity with other mosquito-borne viruses,such as ZIKV,JEV,and DENV.These results suggest that the newly produced anti-CHIKV-E2 mAb,19-1,could he used for CHIKV diagnostic approaches.
文摘Liquid manure storage may contribute to methane （CH4） emission and this emission can be greatly reduced if appropriate management practices are applied. Biofiltration has been used in other fields for mitigating greenhouse gas （GHG） emission （e.g., landfill） and shown promise for mitigation OH4 emis- sion from liquid manure storage. It has been reported that biofilter was capable of reducing 80% of CH4 emissions from manure storage. The OH4 removal efficiency is influenced by many factors, including OH4 and 02 concentrations, temperature, moisture, composition of the filter bed, nutrient, and empty bed resi- dency time （EBRT）. Biological conversion of methane of a biofilter is a slow process due to the low water solubility of methane. The residence times （EBRT） between 5 min and 5 h have been used, whereas a typical EBRT of 25 s is used for common biofilter applications. Temperature at which methanotrophic bac- teria are active ranges from 10℃ to 45℃. The maximum activity is found at around 30℃. The optimal filter bed water content depends on both the gas flow rate and the type of filter bed （soil, compost, etc.） and ranges from 30%-70% of the water holding capacity. Compost is the best material for filter bed. The optimal pH for methanotrophic bacteria is neutral to slightly acidic. Copper and nitrogen compounds especially nitrate are important nutrients to methanotrophic bacteria but their optimal concentrations have not been founded. Phosphorus and other elements such as potassium and manganese are reported to affect the performance of methanotrophic bacteria but need further confirmation.
基金the financial support by the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Dairy Biotechnology (No. SKLDB2018-002)National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31871805 & No. 31501437)+1 种基金Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (Plateau Discipline Construction Program)China Agriculture Research System (CARS-08-D2)。
文摘Components with strong adsorption capacity for cholates from buckwheat proteins were screened, separated and purified by several methods, and the effects of ultra-high-pressure(UHP) on the structure and function of buckwheat 13S globulin(BW13SG) were studied. Samples were treated by UHP at different p H(3.0 and 7.0) value(s) and at 100–500 MPa for 10–30 min. The results showed that the tertiary structure of BW13SG was partially denatured and aggregated. The decrease in the unordered structure indicated that UHP resulted in a looser secondary structure of BW13SG. UHP treatment also increased solubility, emulsion activity and stability, foaming capacity and stability. The samples treated at 500 MPa, p H 3.0 for 30 min had the most enhanced functionality. Moreover, under this condition, the sodium cholate and sodium deoxycholate adsorption capacities of BW13SG were both higher than 98% and the adsorption capacity of sodium taurocholate, which can be difficult to adsorb, was higher than 60%.
文摘Carious lesions are bacteria-caused destructions of the mineralised dental tissues,marked by the simultaneous activation of immune responses and regenerative events within the soft dental pulp tissue.While major molecular players in tooth decay have been uncovered during the past years,a detailed map of the molecular and cellular landscape of the diseased pulp is still missing.In this study we used single-cell RNA sequencing analysis,supplemented with immunostaining,to generate a comprehensive single-cell atlas of the pulp of carious human teeth.Our data demonstrated modifications in the various cell clusters within the pulp of carious teeth,such as immune cells,mesenchymal stem cells(MSC)and fibroblasts,when compared to the pulp of healthy human teeth.Active immune response in the carious pulp tissue is accompanied by specific changes in the fibroblast and MSC clusters.These changes include the upregulation of genes encoding extracellular matrix(ECM)components,including COL1A1 and Fibronectin(FN1),and the enrichment of the fibroblast cluster with myofibroblasts.The incremental changes in the ECM composition of carious pulp tissues were further confirmed by immunostaining analyses.Assessment of the Fibronectin fibres under mechanical strain conditions showed a significant tension reduction in carious pulp tissues,compared to the healthy ones.The present data demonstrate molecular,cellular and biomechanical alterations in the pulp of human carious teeth,indicative of extensive ECM remodelling,reminiscent of fibrosis observed in other organs.This comprehensive atlas of carious human teeth can facilitate future studies of dental pathologies and enable comparative analyses across diseased organs.
基金supported by the Special Foundation of National Science & Technology Supporting Plan( 2011BAD29B02)the "111" Project (B12007)
文摘An analytical approach was developed to design a single uniformly sloping lateral in the micro-irrigation systems.Emission uniformity was used as the water application uniformity criterion.Energy relations based on the energy-gradient-line approach were revamped to account for the spatial variance of emitter outflow and the emitter connections local energy losses.Four pressure head grade line profiles were distinguished:uphill,horizontal,gentle downhill and steep downhill.Analytical expressions of emission uniformity by hydraulic variation for each pressure profile were developed based on the design variables:length and diameter of lateral,emitter spacing,emitter flow equation parameters,equivalent length characterizing local losses and ground slope.The design conditions for selecting emitter type,the number of emitters per plant and designing the diameter of the uphill and steep downhill laterals were also developed.The nonlinear equations for determining lateral diameter and lateral length were solved iteratively by using the built-in root-finding function of(Tools>Goal Seek…)in the calculation spreadsheet of Microsoft Excel.The procedures also provide the options to fix the design lateral diameter with the commercial standard size or fix the design lateral length based on the field size.The operating inlet pressure and maximum amplitude of the pressure head throughout the lateral could also be determined easily by the procedure.Two numerical applications with various slope combinations indicate that the proposed analytical approach produces results close to the accurate stepwise numerical solutions.In comparison with Keller method,the proposed approach could produce more appropriate designs.
基金Supported by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
文摘BACKGROUND Over the last few decades,3 pathogenic pandemics have impacted the global population;severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARS-CoV),Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)and SARS-CoV-2.The global disease burden has attributed to millions of deaths and morbidities,with the majority being attributed to SARS-CoV-2.As such,the evaluation of the mental health(MH)impact across healthcare professionals(HCPs),patients and the general public would be an important facet to evaluate to better understand short,medium and long-term exposures.AIM To identify and report:(1)MH conditions commonly observed across all 3 pandemics;(2)Impact of MH outcomes across HCPs,patients and the general public associated with all 3 pandemics;and(3)The prevalence of the MH impact and clinical epidemiological significance.METHODS A systematic methodology was developed and published on PROSPERO(CRD42021228697).The databases PubMed,EMBASE,ScienceDirect and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were used as part of the data extraction process,and publications from January 1,1990 to August 1,2021 were searched.MeSH terms and keywords used included Mood disorders,PTSD,Anxiety,Depression,Psychological stress,Psychosis,Bipolar,Mental Health,Unipolar,Self-harm,BAME,Psychiatry disorders and Psychological distress.The terms were expanded with a‘snowballing’method.Cox-regression and the Monte-Carlo simulation method was used in addition to I2 and Egger’s tests to determine heterogeneity and publication bias.RESULTS In comparison to MERS and SARS-CoV,it is evident SAR-CoV-2 has an ongoing MH impact,with emphasis on depression,anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.CONCLUSION It was evident MH studies during MERS and SARS-CoV was limited in comparison to SARS-CoV-2,with much emphasis on reporting symptoms of depression,anxiety,stress and sleep disturbances.The lack of comprehensive studies conducted during previous pandemics have introduced limitations to the“know-how”for clinicians and researchers to better support patients and deliver care with limited healthcare resources.
基金This research was funded by Flanders Innovation&Entrepreneurship(Belgium)through project number HBC.2018.2070.
文摘The physiological control of stomatal opening by which plants adjust for water availability has been extensively researched.However,the impact of water availability on stomatal development has not received as much attention,especially for amphistomatic plants.Therefore,the acclimation of stomatal development in basil(Ocimum basilicum L.)leaves was investigated.Our results show that leaves developed under water-deficit conditions possess higher stomatal densities and decreased stomatal length for both the adaxial and abaxial leaf sides.Although the stomatal developmental reaction to water deficit was similar for the two leaf surfaces,it was proven that adaxial stomata are more sensitive to water stress than abaxial stomata,with more closed adaxial stomata under water-deficit conditions.Furthermore,plants with leaves containing smaller stomata at higher densities possessed a higher water use efficiency.Our findings highlight the importance of stomatal development as a tool for long-term acclimation to limit water loss,with minimal reduction in biomass production.This highlights the central role that stomata play in both the short(opening)and long-term(development)reaction of plants to water availability,making them key tools for efficient resource use and anticipation of future environmental changes.
基金the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)and funded by the Ministry of Education(No.2018R1A6A1A03025582)the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF-2019R1D1A3A03103828).
文摘Periodontitis is a type of chronic inflammation in the gingival tissue caused by infectious bacteria colonizing the surface of the teeth,leading to the destruction of tooth-supporting tissues and loss of alveolar bone.Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid(SAHA),a class of histone deacetylase(HDAC)inhibitor,has the potential to stimulate osteoblast differentiation by acetylating histone proteins,and thus suppressing the expression of adipogenic and chondrogenic genes.However,the effect of SAHA on the differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells(hPDLSCs)is yet to be elucidated.Herein,we investigated the effects of SAHA on in vitro proliferation and differentiation of hPDLSCs by MTT assay,Alizarin Red-S,and alkaline phosphatase staining,and real-time PCR.Notably,300 ng/mL SAHA treatment enhanced the proliferation and mineralization of hPDLSCs,indicating their osteogenic potential.Moreover,a significant enhancement of osteogenesis gene markers and proteins was observed.We also demonstrated that ERK is a positive regulator of Runx2 transcription factors during osteoblast differentiation.These results indicate that SAHA may be a useful osteogenic induction agent for periodontal bone regeneration.
