Research progress on vaccine efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to circulate worldwide and a variety of variants have emerged. Variants of concern (VOC) designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) have triggered epidemic waves due to their strong infectivity or pathogenicity and potential immune escape, among other reasons. Although large-scale vaccination campaigns undertaken globally have contributed to the improved control of SARS-CoV-2, the efficacies of current vaccines against VOCs have declined to various degrees. In particular, the highly infectious Delta and Omicron variants have caused recent epidemics and prompted concerns about control measures. This review summarizes current VOCs, the protective efficacy of vaccines against VOCs, and the shortcomings in methods for evaluating vaccine efficacy. In addition, strategies for responding to variants are proposed for future epidemic prevention and control as well as for vaccine research and development

Comparisons of Ramie and Corn Stover Silages: Effects on Chewing Activity, Rumen Fermentation, Microbiota and Methane Emissions in Goats

The study aimed to investigate the nutritional value of ramie (Boehmeria nivea) silage, and its consequences for chewing activity, rumen fermentation, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions in goats, by comparing it with corn stover (CS) silage. An in vitro ruminal experiment was firstly performed to investigate the substrate degradation and fermentation of CS and ramie silage. The ramie silage diet was formulated by replacing 60% of CS silage with ramie silage (dry matter (DM) basis). Eight female Xiangdong Black goats (a local breed in Southern China, 1 to 1.2 years of age) with BW of 21.0 ± 1.05 kg were used for this experiment and were randomly assigned to either one of the two dietary treatments in a cross-over design. The ramie silage had higher crude protein (CP) and ash content and lower hemicellulose content, together with decreased (p p p > 0.05), decreased (p p p p 4 concentration and enteric CH4 emissions (p p > 0.05) the population of bacteria, protozoa, and fungi; it increased the 16S rRNA gene copies of Ruminococcus flavefaciens (p p Lawsonibacter, Sedimentibacter, Saccharofermentans, Sediminibacterium, and Bifidobacterium (p 4 emissions in ruminants

Comparisons of Ramie and Corn Stover Silages: Effects on Chewing Activity, Rumen Fermentation, Microbiota and Methane Emissions in Goats

The study aimed to investigate the nutritional value of ramie (Boehmeria nivea) silage, and its consequences for chewing activity, rumen fermentation, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions in goats, by comparing it with corn stover (CS) silage. An in vitro ruminal experiment was firstly performed to investigate the substrate degradation and fermentation of CS and ramie silage. The ramie silage diet was formulated by replacing 60% of CS silage with ramie silage (dry matter (DM) basis). Eight female Xiangdong Black goats (a local breed in Southern China, 1 to 1.2 years of age) with BW of 21.0 ± 1.05 kg were used for this experiment and were randomly assigned to either one of the two dietary treatments in a cross-over design. The ramie silage had higher crude protein (CP) and ash content and lower hemicellulose content, together with decreased (p < 0.05) nutrient degradation and methane production and increased (p < 0.05) acetate molar percentage and acetate to propionate ratio through in vitro ruminal fermentation. Feeding the ramie silage diet did not alter feed intake (p > 0.05), decreased (p < 0.05) nutrient digestibility, and increased (p < 0.05) chewing activity and rumination activity, with reductions (p < 0.05) in eating activity and idle activity. Although feeding the ramie silage diet caused a greater (p < 0.05) molar percentage of acetate and lower molar percentage of propionate, it decreased the rumen-dissolved CH4 concentration and enteric CH4 emissions (p < 0.05). Feeding the ramie silage diet did not alter (p > 0.05) the population of bacteria, protozoa, and fungi; it increased the 16S rRNA gene copies of Ruminococcus flavefaciens (p < 0.05). Further 16SrRNA gene amplicon analysis indicated a distinct bacterial composition between the two treatments (p < 0.05). Feeding the ramie silage diet led to a lower abundance of genera Lawsonibacter, Sedimentibacter, Saccharofermentans, Sediminibacterium, and Bifidobacterium (p < 0.05). Ramie can be an alternative forage resource to stimulate chewing activity and reduce CH4 emissions in ruminants

Modeling of Cotton Yield Estimation Based on Canopy Sun-Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence

Cotton yield estimation is of great practical significance to producers, allowing them to make rational management decisions. At present, crop yield estimation methods mainly comprise traditional agricultural yield estimation methods, which have many shortcomings. As an ideal “probe” for detecting crop photosynthesis, sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) can directly reflect the dynamics of actual crop photosynthesis and has the potential to predict crop yield, in order to realize cotton yield estimation based on canopy SIF. In this study, we set up field trials with different nitrogen fertilizer gradients. The changes of canopy SIF and the physiological parameters of cotton in different growth periods were analyzed. To investigate the effects of LAI and AGB on canopy SIF estimation of cotton yield, four algorithms, Ada Boost (Adaptive Boosting), Bagging (Bootstrap Aggregating), RF (Random Forest), and BPNN (Backpropagation Neural Network), were used to construct cotton yield estimation models based on the SIF and SIFy (the normalization of SIF by incident photosynthetically active radiation) for different time and growth periods. The results include the following: (1) The effects of the leaf area index (LAI) and aboveground biomass (AGB) on cotton canopy SIF and cotton yield were similar. The correlation coefficients of LAI and AGB with cotton yield and SIF were significantly positively correlated with each other starting from the budding period, reaching the maximum at the flowering and boll period, and decreasing at the boll period; (2) In different monitoring time periods, the R2 of the cotton yield estimation model established based on SIF and SIFy showed a gradual increase from 10:00 to 14:00 and a gradual decrease from 15:00 to 19:00, while the optimal observation time was from 14:00 to 15:00. The R2 increased with the progression of growth from the budding period to the flowering and boll period and decreased at the boll period, while the optimum growth period was the flowering and boll period; (3) Compared to SIF, SIFy has a superior estimation of yield. The best yield estimation model based on the RF algorithm (R2 = 0.9612, RMSE = 66.27 kg·ha−1, RPD = 4.264) was found in the canopy SIFy of the flowering and boll period at 14:00–15:00, followed by the model utilizing the Bagging algorithm (R2 = 0.8898) and Ada Boost algorithm (R2 = 0.8796). In summary, SIFy eliminates the effect of PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) on SIF and can further improve the estimation of SIF production. This study provides empirical support for SIF estimation of cotton yield and methodological and modeling support for the accurate estimation of cotton yield

Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) oncolysis using coxsackievirus B5 and synergistic DNA-damage response inhibitors

Abstract With the continuous in-depth study of the interaction mechanism between viruses and hosts, the virus has become a promising tool in cancer treatment. In fact, many oncolytic viruses with selectivity and effectiveness have been used in cancer therapy. Human enterovirus is one of the most convenient sources to generate oncolytic viruses, however, the high seroprevalence of some enteroviruses limits its application which urges to exploit more oncolytic enteroviruses. In this study, coxsackievirus B5/Faulkner (CV-B5/F) was screened for its potential oncolytic effect against non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) through inducing apoptosis and autophagy. For refractory NSCLCs, DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) or ataxia telangiectasia mutated protein (ATM) inhibitors can synergize with CV-B5/F to promote refractory cell death. Here, we showed that viral infection triggered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related pro-apoptosis and autophagy signals, whereas repair for double-stranded DNA breaks (DSBs) contributed to cell survival which can be antagonized by inhibitor-induced cell death, manifesting exacerbated DSBs, apoptosis, and autophagy. Mechanistically, PERK pathway was activated by the combination of CV-B5/F and inhibitor, and the irreversible ER stress-induced exacerbated cell death. Furthermore, the degradation of activated STING by ERphagy promoted viral replication. Meanwhile, no treatment-related deaths due to CV-B5/F and/or inhibitors occurred. Conclusively, our study identifies an oncolytic CV-B5/F and the synergistic effects of inhibitors of DNA-PK or ATM, which is a potential therapy for NSCLCs

Monolithically-grained perovskite solar cell with Mortise-Tenon structure for charge extraction balance

Abstract Although the power conversion efficiency values of perovskite solar cells continue to be refreshed, it is still far from the theoretical Shockley-Queisser limit. Two major issues need to be addressed, including disorder crystallization of perovskite and unbalanced interface charge extraction, which limit further improvements in device efficiency. Herein, we develop a thermally polymerized additive as the polymer template in the perovskite film, which can form monolithic perovskite grain and a unique “Mortise-Tenon” structure after spin-coating hole-transport layer. Importantly, the suppressed non-radiative recombination and balanced interface charge extraction benefit from high-quality perovskite crystals and Mortise-Tenon structure, resulting in enhanced open-circuit voltage and fill-factor of the device. The PSCs achieve certified efficiency of 24.55% and maintain >95% initial efficiency over 1100 h in accordance with the ISOS-L-2 protocol, as well as excellent endurance according to the ISOS-D-3 accelerated aging test