Knock-out of GhPDCT with the CRISPR/Cas9 system increases the oleic acid content in cottonseed oil

Cotton is a pivotal economic crop for natural textile fibers that also serves as an important source of edible oil(Long et al.2023).Cottonseed oil contains approximately14%oleic acid and 59%linoleic acid.An increase in monounsaturated fatty acids,particularly oleic acid,enhances the oxidative stability and nutritional value of edible oil(Chen et al.2021).

Development of an enhanced online tritium monitoring system using plastic scintillation fiber array

Tritium,a radioactive nuclide discharged by nuclear power plants,poses challenges for removal.Continuous online monitoring of tritium in water is crucial for real-time radiation data,given its predominant existence in the environment as water.This paper presents the design,simulation,and development of a tritium monitoring device utilizing a plastic scintillation fiber(PSF)array.Experimental validation confirmed the device’s detection efficiency and minimum detectable activity.The recorded detection efficiency of the device is 1.6×10^(-3),which exceeds the theoretically simulated value of 4×10^(-4)by four times.Without shielding,the device can achieve a minimum detectable activity of 3165 Bq L^(-1)over a 1600-second measurement duration.According to simulation and experimental results,enhancing detection efficiency is possible by increasing the number and length of PSFs and implementing rigorous shielding measures.Additionally,reducing the diameter of PSFs can also improve detection efficiency.The minimum detectable activity of the device can be further reduced using the aforementioned methods.

Increasing dietary fiber intake for type 2 diabetes mellitus management: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is a chronic,non-communicable disease with a substantial global impact,affecting a significant number of individuals.Its etiology is closely tied to imbalanced dietary practices and sedentary lifestyles.Conversely,increasing die-tary fiber(DF)intake has consistently demonstrated health benefits in numerous studies,including improvements in glycemic control and weight management.AIM To investigate the efficacy of DF interventions in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM).METHODS A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the association between DF intake and the management of T2DM.Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria,a total of 26 studies were included in this review.RESULTS The main strategies implied to increased DF intake were:High DF diet plus acarbose(2 studies);DF supplements(14 studies);and high DF diets(10 studies).Overall,most studies indicated that increased DF intake resulted in im-provements in glycemic control and weight management in T2DM patients.CONCLUSION DF represents a valuable strategy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes,improving health outcomes.DF intake offers the potential to improve quality of life and reduce complications and mortality associated with diabetes.Likewise,through supplements or enriched foods,DF contributes significantly to the control of several markers such as HbA1c,blood glucose,triglycerides,low-density lipoprotein,and body weight.

Bio-PCM Panels Composed of Renewable Materials Interact with Solar Heating Systems for Building Thermal Insulation

This article aims to present the feasibility of storing thermal energy in buildings for solar water heating while maintaining the comfort environment for residential buildings.Our contribution is the creation of insulating composite panels made of bio-based phase change materials(bio-PCM is all from coconut oil),cement and renewable materials(treated wood fiber and organic clay).The inclusion of wood fibers improved the thermal properties;a simple 2%increase of wood fiber decreased the heat conductivity by approximately 23.42%.The issues of bio-PCM leakage in the cement mortar and a roughly 56.5%reduction in thermal conductivity with bio-PCM stability in composite panels can be resolved by treating wood fibers with an adjuvant by impregnating them in bio-PCM in the presence of the treated clay generated.Clay and wood fiber were treated with adjuvants that are both biological and environmentally acceptable,as confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy.The heat transfer bench(DIDATEK)showed a decrease in thermal conductivity.By using differential scanning calorimetric(DSC)analysis,the investigation of thermal stability and enthalpy during two heating cycles of pure bio-PCM and composite bio-PCM was validated.The novel renewable material was used to create composite panels for the trial prototype,which took the shape of a component attached to the solar heating system,33.57%less heat was lost,according to the heat transfer research.The outcomes demonstrated the possibility of replacing traditional electric water heating in residential buildings with solar water heating systems.

An Edge-Fog-Cloud Computing-Based Digital Twin Model for Prognostics Health Management of Process Manufacturing Systems

The prognostics health management(PHM)fromthe systematic viewis critical to the healthy continuous operation of processmanufacturing systems(PMS),with different kinds of dynamic interference events.This paper proposes a three leveled digital twinmodel for the systematic PHMof PMSs.The unit-leveled digital twinmodel of each basic device unit of PMSs is constructed based on edge computing,which can provide real-time monitoring and analysis of the device status.The station-leveled digital twin models in the PMSs are designed to optimize and control the process parameters,which are deployed for the manufacturing execution on the fog server.The shop-leveled digital twin maintenancemodel is designed for production planning,which gives production instructions fromthe private industrial cloud server.To cope with the dynamic disturbances of a PMS,a big data-driven framework is proposed to control the three-level digital twin models,which contains indicator prediction,influence evaluation,and decisionmaking.Finally,a case study with a real chemical fiber system is introduced to illustrate the effectiveness of the digital twin model with edge-fog-cloud computing for the systematic PHM of PMSs.The result demonstrates that the three-leveled digital twin model for the systematic PHM in PMSs works well in the system’s respects.

An All-Fiberized Chirped Pulse Amplification System Based on Chirped Fiber Bragg Grating Stretcher and Compressor

We report an all-fiberized chirped pulse amplification system without any bulk devices.The stretcher and compressor are chirped fiber Bragg gratings inscribed in a 6/125μm single-mode fiber and a 30/250μm largemode-area fiber.The fabrication system of chirped fiber Bragg gratings was designed and built by ourselves.The width of the linear exposure spot was controlled according to the different fiber sizes to improve the fabrication quality,and the parameters of chirped fiber Bragg gratings were fine-tuned during the fabrication to achieve the overall system’s spectral matching.Two fiber circulators with the same fiber sizes as the chirped fiber Bragg gratings were employed to auxiliarily achieve the pulse stretching and compression.The dispersion accumulations provided by the stretcher and compressor are 129.8 ps and 90.8 ps.The power amplifiers were composed of the two-stage 10/130μm fiber pre-amplifier and the 30/250μm fiber main amplifier.The proposed chirped pulse amplification system with no spatial light is the true sense of an all-fiberized chirped pulse amplification structure and shows the main trend in development of ultrashort pulse fiber lasers.

Preparation of Bi_(2)Te_(3) Based on Saturable Absorption System and Its Application in Fiber Lasers

Fiber laser is a fundamental component of laser systems and is of great significance for development of laser technology.Its pulse output can be divided into Q-switched and mode-locked.Achieving ultrashort pulse with narrower pulse duration and higher power is the focus of current research on mode-locked lasers.As an important component of fiber laser systems,saturable absorber(SA) can modulate losses in the optical cavity and generate pulses,enabling the laser system to achieve pulse output under long-term normal operating conditions better.Therefore,expanding the selection range of materials with better saturable absorption properties to improve the quality of pulse output is an important topic in current research.Here,the second generation topological insulator Bi_(2)Te_(3) single crystal is prepared,and a ring fiber laser system is built with the Bi_(2)Te_(3) SA.The mode-locked pulse with a pulse duration of 288 fs and a signal-to-noise ratio of 80.202 dB is realized.This result verifies that Bi_(2)Te_(3),as a member of topological insulator,has good saturable absorption characteristics,and has broad prospects for the application research in lasers.

Development of an upgraded motional Stark effect diagnostic system on EAST tokamak

A new multi-channel motional Stark effect(MSE)diagnostic system has been developed on the upgraded EAST tokamak,which was installed on the port C to observe a tangential neutral beam.A telecentric imaging lens was deployed to ensure uniform illumination from the core to the boundary.A square fiber head which contained 23 fiber bundles was mounted to this imaging lens;each fiber bundle contained 19 fibers and two of them were assigned to CXRS and BES spectrometer,respectively.The angle tuning method was used for matching the Doppler shift of theσcomponent’s wavelength which was caused by the beam voltage.At the present stage,the MSE system only contains ten channels that would be extended to 23 channels in the future,covering a measurement range from R=1.8 to R=2.27 m with a temporal resolution of 10 ms and a spatial resolution of3 cm.The polarization angle-constrained q profiles and current density profiles were reconstructed with EFIT equilibrium reconstructions.In the sawtooth discharges,the q=1 surface position was validated by the ECE signals,which further verified the rationality of the MSE measurement.

High-sensitivity phase imaging eddy current magneto-optical system for carbon fiber reinforced polymers detection

This paper proposed a high-sensitivity phase imaging eddy current magneto-optical (PI-ECMO) system for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) defect detection. In contrast to other eddy current-based detection systems, the proposed system employs a fixed position excitation coil while enabling the detection point to move within the detection region. This configuration effectively mitigates the interference caused by the lift-off effect, which is commonly observed in systems with moving excitation coils. Correspondingly, the relationship between the defect characteristics (orientation and position) and the surface vertical magnetic field distribution (amplitude and phase) is studied in detail by theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. Experiments conducted on woven CFRP plates demonstrate that the designed PI-ECMO system is capable of effectively detecting both surface and internal cracks, as well as impact defects. The excitation current is significantly reduced compared with traditional eddy current magneto-optical (ECMO) systems.

减蛋综合征病毒抗体胶体金免疫层析试纸条的研制及初步应用

为建立快速检测减蛋综合征病毒(EDSV)抗体的方法,基于EDSV的Fiber蛋白,制备快速检测EDSV抗体的免疫层析试纸条,为养禽业提供针对病原微生物的感染预警及免疫评估。利用胶体金标记EDSV Fiber蛋白抗原为探针,将羊抗鸡IgG和抗Fiber蛋白的抗体包被到硝酸纤维膜上,分别作为质控线和检测线,对家禽EDSV抗体水平进行监测。结果表明,制备的EDSV免疫层析试纸条具有高度特异性,与其他家禽病毒抗体无交叉反应,仅与EDSV抗体反应,在试纸条上产生可见的检测线;并且制备的试纸条具有高度稳定性,在室温条件下可至少保存6个月。应用制备的检测EDSV抗体的免疫层析试纸条对从河南、安徽、山东等地养鸡场采集的576份鸡血清样本检测,与血凝抑制试验(HI)结果进行平行比较,二者的Kappa值为0.878,具有良好一致性。综上,制备的检测ESDV抗体的免疫层析试纸条具有高度的特异性、敏感性、稳定性和易操作性,对EDSV抗体的临床检测具有实际应用价值。

Thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical responses of a reservoir-induced landslide tracked by high-resolution fiber optic sensing nerves

Thermo-poro-mechanical responses along sliding zone/surface have been extensively studied.However,it has not been recognized that the potential contribution of other crucial engineering geological interfaces beyond the slip surface to progressive failure.Here,we aim to investigate the subsurface multiphysics of reservoir landslides under two extreme hydrologic conditions(i.e.wet and dry),particularly within sliding masses.Based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating(UWFBG)technology,we employ specialpurpose fiber optic sensing cables that can be implanted into boreholes as“nerves of the Earth”to collect data on soil temperature,water content,pore water pressure,and strain.The Xinpu landslide in the middle reach of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in China was selected as a case study to establish a paradigm for in situ thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical monitoring.These UWFBG-based sensing cables were vertically buried in a 31 m-deep borehole at the foot of the landslide,with a resolution of 1 m except for the pressure sensor.We reported field measurements covering the period 2021 and 2022 and produced the spatiotemporal profiles throughout the borehole.Results show that wet years are more likely to motivate landslide motions than dry years.The annual thermally active layer of the landslide has a critical depth of roughly 9 m and might move downward in warmer years.The dynamic groundwater table is located at depths of 9e15 m,where the peaked strain undergoes a periodical response of leap and withdrawal to annual hydrometeorological cycles.These interface behaviors may support the interpretation of the contribution of reservoir regulation to slope stability,allowing us to correlate them to local damage events and potential global destabilization.This paper also offers a natural framework for interpreting thermo-hydro-poro-mechanical signatures from creeping reservoir bank slopes,which may form the basis for a landslide monitoring and early warning system.

Strigolactones modulate cotton fiber elongation and secondary cell wall thickening

Cotton is one of the most important economic crops in the world,and it is a major source of fiber in the textile industry.Strigolactones(SLs)are a class of carotenoid-derived plant hormones involved in many processes of plant growth and development,although the functions of SL in fiber development remain largely unknown.Here,we found that the endogenous SLs were significantly higher in fibers at 20 days post-anthesis(DPA).Exogenous SLs significantly increased fiber length and cell wall thickness.Furthermore,we cloned three key SL biosynthetic genes,namely GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4,which were highly expressed in fibers,and subcellular localization analyses revealed that GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4 were localized in the chloroplast.The exogenous expression of GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4 complemented the physiological phenotypes of d27,max3,and max4 mutations in Arabidopsis,respectively.Knockdown of GhD27,GhMAX3,and GhMAX4 in cotton resulted in increased numbers of axillary buds and leaves,reduced fiber length,and significantly reduced fiber thickness.These findings revealed that SLs participate in plant growth,fiber elongation,and secondary cell wall formation in cotton.These results provide new and effective genetic resources for improving cotton fiber yield and plant architecture.

Cotton pads-derived carbon materials/reduced graphene oxide modified with polypyrrole for electrode of supercapacitors

This study investigates the influence of electropolymerization conditions on the deposition of polypyrrole(PPy)onto cotton-derived carbon fiber(CF)modified with reduced graphene oxide(rGO)for supercapacitors applications using an experimental/theorical approach.The surface modification of CF by rGO and/or by PPy electrodeposited at 10,25 and 50 mV s^(-1) was thoroughly examined physicochemical and electrochemically.Composite electrodes comprising CF-rGo-PPy,synthesized via electropolymerization at 25 mV s^(-1),demonstrated a remarkable increase in capacitance,showcasing~742 F g^(-1) compared to 153 F g^(-1) for CF.SEM,N_(2)-surface area,XPS,and TD-DFT approach revealed that the higher capacitance observed in CF-rGo-PPy electrodes underscores the influence of morphology and charged nitrogen species on the electrochemical performance of these modified electrodes.Notably,this electrode material achieves a specific capacitance retention of~96%of their initial capacitance after 10000 cycles at 0.5 A g^(-1) measured in a two-electrodes cell configuration.This work also discusses the influence of the scan rate used for pyrrole electropolymerization on the pseudocapacitance contribution of PPy and its possible effect on the porosity of the material.These results highlight the importance of appropriate electropolymerization conditions that allow obtaining the synergistic effect between CF,rGO and PPy.

70 Gbps PAM-4850-nm oxide-confined VCSEL without equalization and pre-emphasis

Directly modulated 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers(VCSELs)with the advantages of low cost,high modulation speed,good reliability,and low power consumption,are the key sources in the optical interconnects with multimode fibers for the supercomputers,data centers,and machine learning applications[1−3].Typically,non-return-tozero(NRZ)modulation format is used.

Pathophysiological changes of muscle after ischemic stroke:a secondary consequence of stroke injury

Sufficient clinical evidence suggests that the damage caused by ischemic stroke to the body occurs not only in the acute phase but also during the recovery period,and that the latter has a greater impact on the long-term prognosis of the patient.However,current stroke studies have typically focused only on lesions in the central nervous system,ignoring secondary damage caused by this disease.Such a phenomenon arises from the slow progress of pathophysiological studies examining the central nervous system.Further,the appropriate therapeutic time window and benefits of thrombolytic therapy are still controversial,leading scholars to explore more pragmatic intervention strategies.As treatment measures targeting limb symptoms can greatly improve a patient’s quality of life,they have become a critical intervention strategy.As the most vital component of the limbs,skeletal muscles have become potential points of concern.Despite this,to the best of our knowledge,there are no comprehensive reviews of pathophysiological changes and potential treatments for post-stroke skeletal muscle.The current review seeks to fill a gap in the current understanding of the pathological processes and mechanisms of muscle wasting atrophy,inflammation,neuroregeneration,mitochondrial changes,and nutritional dysregulation in stroke survivors.In addition,the challenges,as well as the optional solutions for individualized rehabilitation programs for stroke patients based on motor function are discussed.

Genetic dissection and origin of pleiotropic loci underlying multilevel fiber quality traits in upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton fiber quality is a persistent concern that determines planting benefits and the quality of finished textile products.However,the limitations of measurement instruments have hindered the accurate evaluation of some important fiber characteristics such as fiber maturity,fineness,and neps,which in turn has impeded the genetic improvement and industrial utilization of cotton fiber.Here,12 single fiber quality traits were measured using Advanced Fiber Information System(AFIS)equipment among 383 accessions of upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.).In addition,eight conventional fiber quality traits were assessed by the High Volume Instrument(HVI)System.Genome-wide association study(GWAS),linkage disequilibrium(LD)block genotyping and functional identification were conducted sequentially to uncover the associated elite loci and candidate genes of fiber quality traits.As a result,the previously reported pleiotropic locus FL_D11 regulating fiber length-related traits was identified in this study.More importantly,three novel pleiotropic loci(FM_A03,FF_A05,and FN_A07)regulating fiber maturity,fineness and neps,respectively,were detected based on AFIS traits.Numerous highly promising candidate genes were screened out by integrating RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses,including the reported GhKRP6 for fiber length,the newly identified GhMAP8 for maturity and GhDFR for fineness.The origin and evolutionary analysis of pleiotropic loci indicated that the selection pressure on FL_D11,FM_A03 and FF_A05 increased as the breeding period approached the present and the origins of FM_A03 and FF_A05 were traced back to cotton landraces.These findings reveal the genetic basis underlying fiber quality and provide insight into the genetic improvement and textile utilization of fiber in G.hirsutum.

Genome-wide identification of the pectate lyase(PEL)gene family members in Malvaceae,and their contribution to cotton fiber quality

Pectin is a major constituent of the plant cell wall.Pectate lyase(PEL,EC 4.2.2.2)uses anti-β-elimination chemistry to cleave theα-1,4 glycosidic linkage in the homogalacturonan region of pectin.However,limited information is available on the comprehensive and evolutionary analysis of PELs in the Malvaceae.In this study,we identified 597PEL genes from 10 Malvaceae species.Phylogenetic and motif analyses revealed that these PELs are classified into six subfamilies:Clades I,II,III,IV,Va,and Vb.The two largest subfamilies,Clades I and II,contained 237 and222 PEL members,respectively.The members of Clades Va and Vb only contained four or five motifs,far fewer than the other subfamilies.Gene duplication analysis showed that segmental duplication played a crucial role in the expansion of the PEL gene family in Gossypium species.The PELs from Clades I,IV,Va,and Vb were expressed during the fiber elongation stage,but nearly all PEL genes from Clades II and III showed no expression in any of the investigated fiber developmental stages.We further performed single-gene haplotype association analysis in 2,001G.hirsutum accessions and 229 G.barbadense accessions.Interestingly,14 PELs were significantly associated with fiber length and strength traits in G.barbadense with superior fiber quality,while only eight GhPEL genes were found to be significantly associated with fiber quality traits in G.hirsutum.Our findings provide important information for further evolutionary and functional research on the PEL gene family members and their potential use for fiber quality improvement in cotton.

Coherent optical frequency transfer via 972-km fiber link

We demonstrate coherent optical frequency dissemination over a distance of 972 km by cascading two spans where the phase noise is passively compensated for.Instead of employing a phase discriminator and a phase locking loop in the conventional active phase control scheme,the passive phase noise cancellation is realized by feeding double-trip beat-note frequency to the driver of the acoustic optical modulator at the local site.This passive scheme exhibits fine robustness and reliability,making it suitable for long-distance and noisy fiber links.An optical regeneration station is used in the link for signal amplification and cascaded transmission.The phase noise cancellation and transfer instability of the 972-km link is investigated,and transfer instability of 1.1×10^(-19)at 10^(4)s is achieved.This work provides a promising method for realizing optical frequency distribution over thousands of kilometers by using fiber links.

Yields,growth and water use under chemical topping in relations to row configuration and plant density in drip-irrigated cotton

Background Water deficit is an important problem in agricultural production in arid regions.With the advent of wholly mechanized technology for cotton planting in Xinjiang,it is important to determine which planting mode could achieve high yield,fiber quality and water use efficiency(WUE).This study aimed to explore if chemical topping affected cotton yield,quality and water use in relation to row configuration and plant densities.Results Experiments were carried out in Xinjiang China,in 2020 and 2021 with two topping method,manual topping and chemical topping,two plant densities,low and high,and two row configurations,i.e.,76 cm equal rows and 10+66 cm narrow-wide rows,which were commonly applied in matching harvest machine.Chemical topping increased seed cotton yield,but did not affect cotton fiber quality comparing to traditional manual topping.Under equal row spacing,the WUE in higher density was 62.4%higher than in the lower one.However,under narrow-wide row spacing,the WUE in lower density was 53.3%higher than in higher one(farmers’practice).For machine-harvest cotton in Xinjiang,the optimal row configuration and plant density for chemical topping was narrow-wide rows with 15 plants m-2 or equal rows with 18 plants m-2.Conclusion The plant density recommended in narrow-wide rows was less than farmers’practice and the density in equal rows was moderate with local practice.Our results provide new knowledge on optimizing agronomic managements of machine-harvested cotton for both high yield and water efficient.

Analysis of piezoelectric semiconductor fibers under gradient temperature changes

Piezoelectric semiconductors(PSs)possess both semiconducting properties and piezoelectric coupling effects,making them optimal building blocks for semiconductor devices.PS fiber-like structures have wide applications in multi-functional semiconductor devices.In this paper,a one-dimensional(1D)theoretical model is established to describe the piezotronic responses of a PS fiber under gradient temperature changes.The theoretical model aims to explain the mechanism behind the resistance change caused by such gradient temperature changes.Numerical results demonstrate that a gradient temperature change significantly affects the physical fields within the PS fiber,and can induce changes in its surface resistance.It provides important theoretical guidance on the development of piezotronic devices that are sensitive to temperature effects.