Potential Use of In Situ Material Composites such as Regolith/Polyethylene for Shielding Space Radiation

NASA has an extensive program for studying materials and methods for the shielding of astronauts to reduce the effects of space radiation when on the surfaces of the Moon and Mars, especially in the use of in situ materials native to the destination reducing the expense of materials transport. The most studied material from the Moon is Lunar regolith and has been shown to be as efficient as aluminum for shielding purposes (1). The addition of hydrogenous materials such as polyethylene should increase shielding effectiveness and provide mechanical properties necessary of structural materials (2). The neutron radiation shielding effectiveness of polyethylene/regolith stimulant (JSC-1A) composites were studied using confluent human fibroblast cell cultures exposed to a beam of high-energy spallation neutrons at the 30deg-left beam line (ICE house) at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. At this angle, the radiation spectrum mimics the energy spectrum of secondary neutrons generated in the upper atmosphere and encountered when aboard spacecraft and high-altitude aircraft. Cell samples were exposed in series either directly to the neutron beam, within a habitat created using regolith composite blocks, or behind 25 g/sq cm of loose regolith bulk material. In another experiment, cells were also exposed in series directly to the neutron beam in T-25 flasks completely filled with either media or water up to a depth of 20 cm to test shielding effectiveness versus depth and investigate the possible influence of secondary particle generation. All samples were sent directly back to JSC for sub-culturing and micronucleus analysis. This presentation is of work performed in collaboration with the NASA sponsored Center for Radiation Engineering and Science for Space Exploration (CRESSE) at Prairie View A&M

Effective synthesis of circRNA via a thermostable T7 RNA polymerase variant as the catalyst

Introduction:Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) with transcriptional lengths ranging from hundreds to thousands. circRNAs have attracted attention owing to their stable structure and ability to treat complicated diseases. Our objective was to create a one-step reaction for circRNA synthesis using wild-type T7 RNA polymerase as the catalyst. However, T7 RNA polymerase is thermally unstable, and we streamlined circRNA synthesis via consensus and folding free energy calculations for hotspot selection. Because of the thermal instability, the permuted intron and exon (PIE) method for circRNA synthesis is conducted via tandem catalysis with a transcription reaction at a low temperature and linear RNA precursor cyclization at a high temperature.Methods:To streamline the process, a multisite mutant T7 RNA polymerase (S430P, N433T, S633P, F849I, F880Y, and G788A) with significantly improved thermostability was constructed, and G788A was used.Results:The resulting mutant exhibited stable activity at 45°C for over an hour, enabling the implementation of a one-pot transcription and cyclization reaction. The simplified circRNA production process demonstrated an efficiency comparable to that of the conventional two-step reaction, with a cyclization rate exceeding 95% and reduced production of immunostimulatory dsRNA byproducts

Molecular structure of the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) Myf5 gene and its effect on skeletal muscle growth

Myogenic Regulatory Factors (MRFs), a family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, play important roles in regulating skeletal muscle development and growth. Myf5, the primary factor of MRFs, initiates myogenesis. Its expression pattern during somitomyogenesis in some fish has been revealed. To further study its effect on fish muscle during postembryonic growth, characterization and function analysis of myf5 cDNA were carried out in largemouth bass. The 1,093 bp cDNA sequence was identified by RT-PCR and 3′RACE, then the ORF of Myf5 cDNA was cloned into the expression vector pcDNA3.1(−)/mycHisB. The recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1(−)/mycHisB-Myf5 was injected into the dorsal muscle of tilapias. RT-PCR and histochemical results showed that the exogenous gene was transcribed and translated in vivo. Its effect on muscle growth focused on myofiber hypertrophy in white muscle 60 days post injection. This indicated that overexpression of Myf5 can promote myogenesis during the fish muscle postembryonic growth period

Role of Human-Mediated Dispersal in the Spread of the Pinewood Nematode in China

Background: Intensification of world trade is responsible for an increase in the number of alien species introductions. Human-mediated dispersal promotes not only introductions but also expansion of the species distribution via long-distance dispersal. Thus, understanding the role of anthropogenic pathways in the spread of invading species has become one of the most important challenges nowadays. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analysed the invasion pattern of the pinewood nematode in China based on invasion data from 1982 to 2005 and monitoring data on 7 locations over 15 years. Short distance spread mediated by long-horned beetles was estimated at 7.5 km per year. Infested sites located further away represented more than 90% of observations and the mean long distance spread was estimated at 111–339 km. Railways, river ports, and lakes had significant effects on the spread pattern. Human population density levels explained 87% of the variation in the invasion probability (P,0.05).Since 2001, the number of new records of the nematode was multiplied by a factor of 5 and the spread distance by a factor of 2. We combined a diffusion model to describe the short distance spread with a stochastic,individual based model to describe the long distance jumps. This combined model generated an error of only 13% when used to predict the presence of the nematode. Under two climate scenarios (stable climate or moderate warming), projections of the invasion probability suggest that this pest could expand its distribution 40–55% by 2025. Conclusions/Significance: This study provides evidence that human-induced dispersal plays a fundamental role in the spread of the pinewood nematode, and appropriate control measures should be taken to stop or slow its expansion. This model can be applied to Europe, where the nematode had been introduced later, and is currently expanding its distribution. Similar models could also be derived for other species that could be accidentally transported by humans

Efficient Synthesis of Biobased Furoic Acid from Corncob via Chemoenzymatic Approach

Valorization of lignocellulosic materials into value-added biobased chemicals is attracting increasing attention in the sustainable chemical industry. As an important building block, furoic acid has been commonly utilized to manufacture polymers, flavors, perfumes, bactericides, fungicides, etc. It is generally produced through the selective oxidation of furfural. In this study, we provide the results of the conversion of biomass-based xylose to furoic acid in a chemoenzymatic cascade reaction with the use of a heterogeneous chemocatalyst and a dehydrogenase biocatalyst. For this purpose, NaOH-treated waste shrimp shell was used as a biobased carrier to prepare high activity and thermostability of biobased solid acid catalysts (Sn-DAT-SS) for the dehydration of corncob-valorized xylose into furfural at 170 °C in 30 min. Subsequently, xylose-derived furfural and its derivative furfuryl alcohol were wholly oxidized into furoic acid with whole cells of E. coli HMFOMUT at 30 °C and pH 7.0. The productivity of furoic acid was 0.35 g furoic acid/(g xylan in corncob). This established chemoenzymatic process could be utilized to efficiently valorize biomass into value-added furoic acid

Effects of Two <i>Bacillus Velezensis</i> Microbial Inoculants on the Growth and Rhizosphere Soil Environment of <i>Prunus davidiana</i>

Microbial inoculants, as harmless, efficient, and environmentally friendly plant growth promoters and soil conditioners, are attracting increasing attention. In this study, the effects of Bacillus velezensis YH-18 and B. velezensis YH-20 on Prunus davidiana growth and rhizosphere soil bacterial community in continuously cropped soil were investigated by inoculation tests. The results showed that in a pot seedling experiment, inoculation with YH-18 and YH-20 resulted in a certain degree of increase in diameter growth, plant height, and leaf area at different time periods of 180 days compared with the control. Moreover, after 30 and 90 days of inoculation, the available nutrients in the soil were effectively improved, which protected the continuously cropped soil from acidification. In addition, high-throughput sequencing showed that inoculation with microbial inoculants effectively slowed the decrease in soil microbial richness and diversity over a one-month period. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were significantly enriched on the 30th day. At the genus level, Sphingomonas and Pseudomonas were significantly enriched at 15 and 30 days, respectively. These bacterial phyla and genera can effectively improve the soil nutrient utilization rate, antagonize plant pathogenic bacteria, and benefit the growth of plants. Furthermore, inoculation with YH-18 and inoculation with YH-20 resulted in similar changes in the rhizosphere microbiome. This study provides a basis for the short-term effect of microbial inoculants on the P. davidiana rhizosphere microbiome and has application value for promoting the cultivation and production of high-quality fruit trees

Selection of Reliable Reference Genes for RT-qPCR Analysis of Bursaphelenchus mucronatus Gene Expression From Different Habitats and Developmental Stages

Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), a sensitive technique for gene expression analysis, depends on the stability of the reference genes used for data normalization under different experimental conditions. Bursaphelenchus mucronatus, a pine-parasitic nematode varying in virulence, is widely distributed in natural pine forests throughout the northern hemisphere, but has not been investigated with respect to the identification of reference genes suitable for the normalization of RT-qPCR data. In the present study, eight candidate reference genes were analyzed in B. mucronatus under different habitat conditions and at different developmental stages. The expression stability of these genes was assessed by geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, delta Cq, and RefFinder algorithms. In general, our results identified encoding beta-tubulin as the most stable gene. Moreover, pairwise analysis showed that three reference genes were sufficient to normalize the gene expression data under each set of conditions, with genes encoding beta-tubulin, 18S ribosomal RNA and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme being the most suitable reference genes for different habitat conditions, whereas genes encoding beta-tubulin, histone, and 18S ribosomal RNA exhibited the most stable expression at different developmental stages. Validation of the selected reference genes was performed by profiling the expression of the fatty acid- and retinol-binding protein gene in different habitats, and by profiling the expression of the arginine kinase gene at different developmental stages. This first systematic analysis for the selection of suitable reference genes for RT-qPCR in B. mucronatus will facilitate future functional analyses and deep mining of genetic resources in this nematode

Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Negative Flexural Behavior of Steel-UHPC Composite Beams

The cracking of concrete in the negative moment region for a composite beam subjected to a negative bending moment reduces the beam’s strength and stiffness. To improve the cracking performance of composite beams, this paper presents an experimental investigation on applying ultrahigh-performance concrete (UHPC) instead of conventional concrete. Three steel-UHPC composite beams with different forms of joints were designed and tested through a unique rotation angle loading method using a spring displacement control testing setup. The crack distribution, rotation versus crack width, load versus spring displacement, and strains in the UHPC slab and steel girders were measured and studied. Nonlinear finite element analysis using ABAQUS based on the damaged plasticity model of concrete was carried out for comparison with the test results. The experimental and numerical results showed that the use of a UHPC slab can enhance the cracking performance of composite beams. Considering the convenience of construction, a reasonable joint form was suggested, and the appropriate UHPC longitudinal laying length in the negative moment region was proposed to be 0.1 L. Furthermore, a simplified formula for calculating the UHPC crack width was developed based on bond-slip theory

Resistant and Susceptible <i>Pinus thunbergii</i> ParL. Show Highly Divergent Patterns of Differentially Expressed Genes during the Process of Infection by <i>Bursaphelenchus xylophilus</i>

Pine wilt disease (PWD) is a devastating disease that threatens pine forests worldwide, and breeding resistant pines is an important management strategy used to reduce its impact. A batch of resistant seeds of P. thunbergii was introduced from Japan. Based on the resistant materials, we obtained somatic plants through somatic embryogenesis. In this study, we performed transcriptome analysis to further understand the defense response of resistant somatic plants of P. thunbergii to PWD. The results showed that, after pine wood nematode (PWN) infection, resistant P. thunbergii stimulated more differential expression genes (DEGs) and involved more regulatory pathways than did susceptible P. thunbergii. For the first time, the alpha-linolenic acid metabolism and linoleic acid metabolism were intensively observed in pines resisting PWN infection. The related genes disease resistance protein RPS2 (SUMM2) and pathogenesis-related genes (PR1), as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related genes were significantly up-expressed in order to contribute to protection against PWN inoculation in P. thunbergii. In addition, the diterpenoid biosynthesis pathway was significantly enriched only in resistant P. thunbergii. These findings provided valuable genetic information for future breeding of resistant conifers, and could contribute to the development of new diagnostic tools for early screening of resistant pine seedlings based on specific PWN-tolerance-related markers

Effect of Microbial Inoculants Endowed with Multifarious Plant Growth-Promoting Traits on Grape Growth and Fruit Quality under Organic Fertilization Scenarios

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have growth-promoting and disease-resisting effects and can be used as new types of plant growth promoters. This study was conducted to determine the plant growth-promoting traits of five strains and follow a 2-year field trial to evaluate their effects on grape growth and fruit quality. The five PGPB were combined with two organic fertilizers (cow dung fertilizer and distillers’ grain fertilizer) for application on grape fields; the control group only received the corresponding organic fertilizer. The five strains showed different growth promoting abilities, as indicated by their differing production of indole acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores and ability to dissolve phosphorus and potassium, fix nitrogen, and resist saline and alkali. During the field trial, vine growth and fruit quality were significantly better in the distillers’ grain fertilizer (high nutrient content) alone treatment than in the cow dung fertilizer (low nutrient content) alone treatment. However, after the two fertilizers were inoculated with the five different PGPB, only the five treatments with cow dung fertilizer inoculated with PGPB showed significant improvement. The five treatments of cow dung fertilizer inoculated with PGPB exhibited varied impacts on plant growth and fruit quality. And the promotion effects persisted significantly after two consecutive years. Among the PGPB, Bacillus velezensis 18, B. velezensis 20, and Rahnella aquatilis 5 emerged as consistently effective performers over the two-year period, demonstrating stable and commendable outcomes. These strains are recommended for prolonged application in grape cultivation to optimize growth and yield. This study provides a theoretical reference and an experimental basis for organic fertilizer inoculated with PGPB to improve grape production