A Secretory Protein of Necrotrophic Fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum That Suppresses Host Resistance

SSITL (SS1G_14133) of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum encodes a protein with 302 amino acid residues including a signal peptide, its secretion property was confirmed with immunolocalization and immunofluorescence techniques. SSITL was classified in the integrin alpha N-terminal domain superfamily, and its 3D structure is similar to those of human integrin α4-subunit and a fungal integrin-like protein. When S. sclerotiorum was inoculated to its host, high expression of SSITL was detected during the initial stages of infection (1.5-3.0 hpi). Targeted silencing of SSITL resulted in a significant reduction in virulence; on the other hand, inoculation of SSITL silenced transformant A10 initiated strong and rapid defense response in Arabidopsis, the highest expressions of defense genes PDF1.2 and PR-1 appeared at 3 hpi which was 9 hr earlier than that time when plants were inoculated with the wild-type strain of S. sclerotiorum. Systemic resistance induced by A10 was detected by analysis of the expression of PDF1.2 and PR-1, and confirmed following inoculation with Botrytis cinerea. A10 induced much larger lesions on Arabidopsis mutant ein2 and jar1, and slightly larger lesions on mutant pad4 and NahG in comparison with the wild-type plants. Furthermore, both transient and constitutive expression of SSITL in Arabidopsis suppressed the expression of PDF1.2 and led to be more susceptible to A10 and the wild-type strain of S. sclerotiorum and B. cinerea. Our results suggested that SSITL is an effector possibly and plays significant role in the suppression of jasmonic/ethylene (JA/ET) signal pathway mediated resistance at the early stage of infection

Shearing Characteristics of Corn Stalk Pith for Separation

The rind of corn stalk (Zea mays L.) contains a high content of lignin, which is difficult for ruminants to digest. So, the separation of the pith and rind is the basis for the effective use of corn stalk. The shearing characteristics of pith are important parameters in the process of the separation of rind and pith for corn stalk. In this study, both the shearing strength and shearing energy were determined for the pith of cornstalk. The shearing force was measured at three moisture content levels (10 w.b.%, 40 w.b.%, and 70 w.b.%), different sample heights (lower, middle, and upper), and three different shearing speed levels (2 mm·min-1, 20 mm·min-1, and 50 mm·min-1). The shearing strength and the shearing energy were calculated from this data. The shearing energy was calculated by using the area under the shearing force versus the displacement curve. The results showed that the maximum shearing strength and the shearing energy increased as the moisture content increased. The maximum shearing strength and shearing energy were found to be 0.8452 MPa and 0.6446 J, respectively. Both the shearing strength and the shearing energy were found to be higher in the lower region of the stalk due to structural heterogeneity

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON THE EFFECTS OF SEABED SHALLOW SOILS ON A TYPICAL DEEPWATER SUBSEA WELLHEAD SYSTEM

Deepwater subsea wellheads may be significantly threatened under extreme sea conditions and operations, especially when the seabed is composed of very soft clay properties. A numerical model of a deepwater wellhead system is established using the classic ocean pipe element and nonlinear spring element of ANSYS to examine the behaviors of subsea wellheads in diverse seabed soil. Nonlinear spring elements coded in the APDL language are used to model three types of seabed soils: very soft soil, soft soil, and firm soil. The dynamic and quasi-static behaviors of the wellhead system in the typical coupled and decoupled models of the drilling riser system are particularly investigated in depth. The effects of the nonlinear seabed soil properties on the detailed wellhead are realistically simulated using time domain and extremum analysis. The results show that the softer the seabed soil, the greater the displacement, rotation angle, curvature, and bending moment of deepwater subsea wellheads. When the seabed soil reaches a particular depth, the mechanical characteristics of the wellheads under the three types of seabed soil conditions are almost simultaneously close to zero. Overall, several conclusions reached in this study may provide some useful references for design and stability analysis

Serum metabolism alteration behind different etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of disorders of consciousness

Abstract Background Patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) exhibit varied revival outcomes based on different etiologies and diagnoses, the mechanisms of which remain largely unknown. The fluctuating clinical presentations in DoC pose challenges in accurately assessing consciousness levels and prognoses, often leading to misdiagnoses. There is an urgent need for a deeper understanding of the physiological changes in DoC and the development of objective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to improve treatment guidance. Methods To explore biomarkers and understand the biological processes, we conducted a comprehensive untargeted metabolomic analysis on serum samples from 48 patients with DoC. Patients were categorized based on etiology (TBI vs. non-TBI), CRS-R scores, and prognosis. Advanced analytical techniques, including PCA and OPLS-DA models, were employed to identify differential metabolites. Results Our analysis revealed a distinct separation in metabolomic profiles among the different groups. The primary differential metabolites distinguishing patients with varying etiologies were predominantly phospholipids, with a notable decrease in glycerophospholipids observed in the TBI group. Patients with higher CRS-R scores exhibited a pattern of impaired carbohydrate metabolism coupled with enhanced lipid metabolism. Notably, serum concentrations of both LysoPE and PE were reduced in patients with improved outcomes, suggesting their potential as prognostic biomarkers. Conclusions Our study underscores the critical role of phospholipid metabolism in the brain’s metabolic alterations in patients with DoC. It identifies key biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, offering insights that could lead to novel therapeutic targets. These findings highlight the value of metabolomic profiling in understanding and potentially treating DoC

Additional file 1 of Serum metabolism alteration behind different etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of disorders of consciousness

Additional file 1: Figure 1