Resistance to Aspergillus flavus in maize and peanut:Molecular biology, breeding, environmental stress,and future perspectives

The colonization of maize(Zea mays L.) and peanut(Arachis hypogaea L.) by the fungal pathogen Aspergillus flavus results in the contamination of kernels with carcinogenic mycotoxins known as aflatoxins leading to economic losses and potential health threats to humans. The regulation of aflatoxin biosynthesis in various Aspergillus spp. has been extensively studied, and has been shown to be related to oxidative stress responses. Given that environmental stresses such as drought and heat stress result in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species(ROS) within host plant tissues, host-derived ROS may play an important role in cross-kingdom communication between host plants and A. flavus. Recent technological advances in plant breeding have provided the tools necessary to study and apply knowledge derived from metabolomic, proteomic, and transcriptomic studies in the context of productive breeding populations. Here, we review the current understanding of the potential roles of environmental stress, ROS, and aflatoxin in the interaction between A.flavus and its host plants, and the current status in molecular breeding and marker discovery for resistance to A. flavus colonization and aflatoxin contamination in maize and peanut. We will also propose future directions and a working model for continuing research efforts linking environmental stress tolerance and aflatoxin contamination resistance in maize and peanut.

Pilot study on efficacy of reduced cathartic bowel preparation with polyethylene glycol and bisacodyl

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy of reduced cathartic bowel preparation with 2 L polyethylene glycol(PEG)-4000 electrolyte solution and 10 mg bisacodyl enteric-coated tablets for computed tomographic colonography(CTC).METHODS:Sixty subjects who gave informed consent were randomly assigned to study group A,study group B or the control group.On the day prior to CTC,subjects in study group A were given 20 mL 40% wt/vol barium sulfate suspension before 3 mealtimes,60 mL 60% diatrizoate meglumine diluted in 250 mL water after supper,and 10 mg bisacodyl enteric-coated tablets 1 h before oral administration of 2 L PEG-4000 electrolyte solution.Subjects in study group B were treated identically to those in study group A,with the exception of bisacodyl which was given 1 h after oral PEG-4000.Subjects in the control group were managed using the same strategy as the subjects in study group A,but without administration of bisacodyl.Residual stool and fluid scores,the attenuation value of residual fluid,and discomfort during bowel preparation in the three groups were analyzed statistically.RESULTS:The mean scores for residual stool and fluid in study group A were lower than those in study group B,but the differences were not statistically significant.Subjects in study group A showed greater stool and fluid cleansing ability than the subjects in study group B.The mean scores for residual stool and fluid in study groups A and B were lower than those in the control group,and were significantly different.There was no significant difference in the mean attenuation value of residual fluid between study group A,study group B and the control group.The total discomfort index during bowel preparation was 46,45 and 45 in the three groups,respectively,with no significant difference.CONCLUSION:Administration of 10 mg bisacodyl enteric-coated tablets prior to or after oral administration of 2 L PEG-4000 electrolyte solution enhances stool and fluid cleansing ability,and has no impact on the attenuation value of residual fluid or the discomfort index.The former is an excellent alternative for CTC colorectum

Topography,structure,and formation kinetic mechanism of carbon deposited onto nickel in the temperature range from 400 to 850°C

The carbon deposition behavior on nickel particles was observed within the temperature range from 400 to 800°C in a pure methane atmosphere. The topography, properties, and molecular structure of the deposited carbon were investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), temperature-programmed oxidation (TPO) technology, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The deposited carbon is present in the form of a film at 400-450°C, as fibers at 500-600°C, and as particles at 650-800°C. In addition, the structure of the deposited carbon becomes more ordered at higher temperatures because both the TPO peak temperature of deposited carbon and the Raman shift of the G band increase with the increase in experimental temperature, whereas the intensity ratio between the D bands and the G band decreases. An interesting observation is that the carbon deposition rate is suppressed in the medium-temperature range (M-T range) and the corresponding kinetic mechanism changes. Correspondingly, the FWHM of the G and D1 bands in the Raman spectrum reaches a maximum and the intensities of the D2, D3, and D4 bands decrease to low limits in the M-T range. These results indicate that carbon structure parameters exhibit two different tendencies with respect to varying temperature. Both of the two group parameters change dramatically as a peak function with increasing reaction temperature within the M-T range.

Carbon deposition in porous nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia anode under methane atmosphere

A commercial solid oxide fuel cell with a Ni/YSZ anode was characterized under a pure methane atmosphere. The amount of deposited carbon increased with an increase in temperature but decreased when the temperature exceeded 700°C. The reactivity of carbon decreased with increasing deposition temperature. Filamentous carbon was deposited from 400 to 600°C, whereas flake carbon was deposited at 700 and 800°C. With increasing temperature, the intensity ratio of the D band over the sum of the G and D bands was constant at the beginning and then decreased with the transformation of the carbon morphology. The crystallite size increased from 2.9 to 13 nm with increasing temperature. The results also indicated that the structure of the deposited carbon was better ordered with increasing deposition temperature. In comparison with pure Ni powders, the interaction between the YSZ substrate and Ni particles could not only modify the carbon deposition kinetics but also reduce the temperature effect on the structure and reactivity variation of carbon.

Effective chemotherapy for submandibular gland carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma with lung metastasis after radiotherapy: A case report

BACKGROUND Only a few cases of carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma arising in the submandibular gland have ever been reported,all with a poor prognosis. The standard treatment for salivary gland carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is surgical resection combined with postoperative radiotherapy,but the necessity of chemotherapy as well as the most appropriate treatment regimen for patients with distant metastasis after radiotherapy remains controversial.CASE SUMMARY This report presents the case of a 73-year-old woman who suffered submandibular gland carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma. She accepted surgery to remove the mass; she was found to have lung metastasis after radiotherapy.Her condition was controlled by chemotherapy with liposomal doxorubicin plus cisplatin.CONCLUSION The positive clinical outcome in the patient reveals that this chemotherapy regimen may be an alternative treatment for such a condition.

BARN:Behavior-Aware Relation Network for multi-label behavior detection in socially housed macaques

Quantification of behaviors in macaques provides crucial support for various scientific disciplines,including pharmacology,neuroscience,and ethology.Despite recent advancements in the analysis of macaque behavior,research on multi-label behavior detection in socially housed macaques,including consideration of interactions among them,remains scarce.Given the lack of relevant approaches and datasets,we developed the Behavior-Aware Relation Network(BARN)for multi-label behavior detection of socially housed macaques.Our approach models the relationship of behavioral similarity between macaques,guided by a behavior-aware module and novel behavior classifier,which is suitable for multi-label classification.We also constructed a behavior dataset of rhesus macaques using ordinary RGB cameras mounted outside their cages.The dataset included 65?913 labels for19 behaviors and 60?367 proposals,including identities and locations of the macaques.Experimental results showed that BARN significantly improved the baseline SlowFast network and outperformed existing relation networks.In conclusion,we successfully achieved multilabel behavior detection of socially housed macaques with both economic efficiency and high accuracy.

Effects of specific surface area of metallic nickel particles on carbon deposition kinetics

Carbon deposition on nickel powders in methane involves three stages in different reaction temperature ranges. Temperature programing oxidation test and Raman spectrum results indicated the formation of complex and ordered carbon structures at high deposition temperatures. The values of I（D）/I（G） of the deposited carbon reached 1.86, 1.30, and 1.22 in the first, second, and third stages, respectively. The structure of carbon in the second stage was similar to that in the third stage. Carbon deposited in the first stage rarely contained homogeneous pyrolytic deposit layers. A kinetic model was developed to analyze the carbon deposition behavior in the first stage. The rate-determining step of the first stage is supposed to be interfacial reaction. Based on the investigation of carbon deposition kinetics on nickel powders from different resources, carbon deposition rate is suggested to have a linear relation with the square of specific surface area of nickel particles.

Drought Stress and Preharvest Aflatoxin Contamination in Agricultural Commodity: Genetics, Genomics and Proteomics

Throughout the world, aflatoxin contamination is considered one of the most serious food safety issues concerning health. Chronic problems with preharvest afiatoxin contamination occur in the southern US, and are particularly troublesome in corn, peanut, cottonseed, and tree nuts. Drought stress is a major factor to contribute to preharvest afiatoxin contamination. Recent studies have demonstrated higher concentration of defense or stress-related proteins in corn kerners of resistant genotypes compared with susceptible genotypes, suggesting that preharvest field condition （drought or not drought） influences gene expression differently in different genotypes resulting in different levels of ＂end products＂： PR（pathogenesis-related） proteins in the mature kernels. Because of the complexity of Aspergillus-plant interactions, better understanding of the mechanisms of genetic resistance will be needed using genomics and proteomics for crop improvement. Genetic improvement of crop resistance to drought stress is one component and will provide a good perspective on the efficacy of control strategy. Proteomic comparisons of corn kernel proteins between resistant or susceptible genotypes to Aspergillus flavus infection have identified stress-related proteins along with antifungal proteins as associated with kernel resistance. Gene expression studies in developing corn kernels are in agreement with the proteomic studies that defense-related genes could be upregulated or downregulated by abiotic stresses.

One-pot synthesis of highly conductive nickel-rich phosphide/CNTs hybrid as a polar sulfur host for high-rate and long-cycle Li-S battery

Lithium sulfur battery has been identified as a promising candidate for next storage devices attributing to ultrahigh energy density.However,non-conductive nature of sulfur and shuttling effect of soluble lithium polysulfides are intractable remaining problems.Herein,we develop a highly conductive nickel-rich Ni12P5/CNTs hybrid with high specific surface area as sulfur host to address these issues.The polar nature of Ni12Ps/CNTs can significantly relieve the shuttle effect by means of a strong affinity towards lithium polysulfides and enhance kinetics of polysulfides redox reactions.In addition,the Ni12P5/CNTs with a superior conductivity (500 S·m^-1) and high surface area of 395 m^2·g^-1 enables the effective electron transfer and expedited interfacial reaction.As a result,Ni12P5/CNTs hosted sulfur cathode exhibits high rate capability (784 mAh·g^-1 at 4 C) and stable cycling performance with a negligible capacity fading of 0.057 % per cycle over 1,000 cycles at 0.5 C.This work paves an alternative way for designing high performance sulfur cathodes involved metal-rich phosphides.

Oxidation resistance,thermal expansion and area specific resistance of Fe-Cr alloy interconnector for solid oxide fuel cell

It is promising for metal especially ferritic stainless steel（FSS）to be used as interconnector when the solid oxide fuel cell（SOFC）is operated at temperature lower than 800℃.However,there are many challenges for FSS such as anti-oxidant,poisoning to cathode and high area specific resistance（ASR）when using as SOFC interconnector.The effect of Cr content（12-30 mass%）in Fe-Cr alloys on thermal expansion coefficient（TEC）,oxidation resistance,microstructure of oxidation scale and ASR was investigated by thermo-gravimetry,scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive spectroscopy and four-probe DC technique.The TEC of Fe-Cr alloys is（11-13）×10^（-6） K^（-1）,which excellently matches with other SOFC components.Alloys have excellent oxidation resistance when Cr content exceeds 22mass% because of the formation of chromium on the surface of alloy.The oxidation rate constants kdand ksdecrease rapidly with increasing the Cr content and then increase slowly when the Cr content is higher than 22mass%.The kinetic results indicate that Cr evaporation must be considered at high temperature for Fe-Cr alloys.After the alloys were oxidized in air at 800℃ for500 h,log（ASR/T）（Tis the absolute temperature）presents linear relationship with 1/T and the conduct activation energy is 0.6-0.8eV（Cr16-30）.Optimal Cr content is 22-26mass%considering the oxidation resistance and ASR.

ZmGns,a maize class I β-1,3-glucanase,is induced by biotic stresses and possesses strong antimicrobial activity

Plant b-1,3-glucanases are members of the pathogenesis-related protein 2（PR-2） family,which is one of the 17 PR protein families and plays important roles in biotic and abiotic stress responses.One of the differentially expressed proteins（spot 842） identified in a recent proteomic comparison between five pairs of closely related maize（Zea mays L.） lines differing in aflatoxin resistance was further investigated in the present study.Here,the corresponding cDNA was cloned from maize and designated as ZmGns.ZmGns encodes a protein of338 amino acids containing a potential signal peptide.The expression of Zm Gns was detectible in all tissues studied with the highest level in silks.ZmGns was significantly induced by biotic stresses including three bacteria and the fungus Aspergillus flavus.ZmGns was also induced by most abiotic stresses tested and growth hormones including salicylic acid.In vivo,ZmGns showed a significant inhibitory activity against thebacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv.tomato DC3000 and fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea when it overexpressed in Arabidopsis.Its high level of expression in the silk tissue and its induced expression by phytohormone treatment,as well as by bacterial and fungal infections,suggest it plays a complex role in maize growth,development,and defense.

Multilevel structured carbon film as cathode host for Li-S batteries with superhigh-areal-capacity

The commercialization of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery could be accelerated by designing advanced sulfur cathode with high sulfur utilization and stable cycle life at a high sulfur loading. To allow the energy density of Li-S batteries comparable to that of commercial Li-ion batteries, the areal capacity of sulfur cathode should be above 4 mA·h·cm−2. In general, a high sulfur loading often causes rapid capacity fading by slowing electron/ion transport kinetics, catastrophic shuttle effect and even cracking the electrodes. To address this issue, herein, a multilevel structured carbon film is built by covering highly conductive CNTs and hollow carbon nanofiber together with carbon layer via chemical vapor deposition. The self-standing carbon film exhibits well-interweaved conductive network, hollow fibrous structure and abundant N, O co-doped active sites, which combine the merits of high electronic conductivity (1200·S·m−1), high porosity and polar characteristic in one host. Benefiting from this attractive multilevel structure, the obtained sulfur cathode based on the carbon film host shows an ultra-high areal capacity of 8.9 mA·h·cm−2 at 0.2 C with outstanding cyclability over 60 cycles. This work shed light on designing advanced sulfur host for Li-S batteries with high areal capacity and high cycle stability, and might make a contribution to the commercialization of Li-S batteries.

Prediction of density and volume variation of hematite ore particles during in-flight melting and reduction

HIsarna is a promising ironmaking technology to reduce CO2 emission.Information of phase transformation is essential for reaction analysis of the cyclone reactor of the HIsarna process.In addition,data of density and volume of the ore particles are necessary for estimation of the residence time of the particles in the cyclone reactor.Phase transformation of iron ore particles was experimentally studied in a drop-tube furnace under simulated cyclone conditions and compared with thermodynamic calculation.During the pre-reduction process inside the reactor,the mineralogy of iron ore particles transforms sequentially from hematite to sub-oxides.The density changes of the particles during the melting and reduction can be predicted based on the phase composition and temperature.Therefore,density models in the studies were evaluated with reported experimental data of slag.As a result,a more reliable density model was developed to calculate the density of the formed slag containing mainly FeO–Fe2O3.The density and volume of the partially reduced ore particles or melt droplets were estimated based on this model.The results show that the density of the ore particles decreases by 15.1%at most along the progressive reduction process.Furthermore,the model results also indicate that heating,melting and reduction of the ore could lead to 6.63%–9.37%swelling of the particles,which is mostly contributed by thermal expansion.It would result in corresponding variation in velocity of the ore particles or melt droplets during the flight inside the reactor.