NIR Hyperspectral Imaging for Mapping of Moisture Content Distribution in Tea Buds during Dehydration

This work employed hyperspectral imaging technique to map the spatial distribution of moisture content (MC) in tea buds during dehydration. Hyperspectral images (874–1734 nm) of tea buds were acquired in six dehydrated periods (0, 3, 6, 9, 14 and 21 min) at 80°C. The spectral reflectance of tea buds were extracted from region of interests (ROIs) in the hyperspectral images. Competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) was used to select effective wavelengths (EWs) and ten representing the wavelengths were selected. The quantitative relationship between spectral reflectance and the measured MC values of tea buds was built using partial least square regression (PLSR) based on full spectra and EWs. The quantitative model established using EWs, which had a result of coefficient of correlation (RP) of 0.941 and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 5.31%, was considered as the optimal model for mapping MC distribution. The optimal model was finally applied to predict the MC of each pixel within of the tea bud sample and built the MC distribution maps by utilization of a developed image processing procedure. Results demonstrated that the hyperspectral imaging technique has the potential of mapping the MC spatial distribution in tea buds in dehydrated process

Characterization of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens BA-4 and its biocontrol potential against Fusarium-related apple replant disease

Apple replant disease (ARD), caused by Fusarium pathogens, is a formidable threat to the renewal of apple varieties in China, necessitating the development of effective and sustainable control strategies. In this study, the bacterial strain BA-4 was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of healthy apple trees in a replanted orchard, demonstrating a broad-spectrum antifungal activity against five crucial apple fungal pathogens. Based on its morphology, physiological and biochemical traits, utilization of carbon sources, and Gram stain, strain BA-4 was tentatively identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rDNA and gyrB genes conclusively identified BA-4 as B. amyloliquefaciens. In-depth investigations into B. amyloliquefaciens BA-4 revealed that the strain possesses the capacity to could secrete cell wall degrading enzymes (protease and cellulase), produce molecules analogous to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophores, and solubilize phosphorus and potassium. The diverse attributes observed in B. amyloliquefaciens BA-4 underscore its potential as a versatile microorganism with multifaceted benefits for both plant well-being and soil fertility. The extracellular metabolites produced by BA-4 displayed a robust inhibitory effect on Fusarium hyphal growth and spore germination, inducing irregular swelling, atrophy, and abnormal branching of fungal hyphae. In greenhouse experiments, BA-4 markedly reduced the disease index of Fusarium-related ARD, exhibiting protective and therapeutic efficiencies exceeding 80% and 50%, respectively. Moreover, BA-4 demonstrated plant-promoting abilities on both bean and Malus robusta Rehd. (MR) seedlings, leading to increased plant height and primary root length. Field experiments further validated the biocontrol effectiveness of BA-4, demonstrating its ability to mitigate ARD symptoms in MR seedlings with a notable 33.34% reduction in mortality rate and improved biomass. Additionally, BA-4 demonstrates robust and stable colonization capabilities in apple rhizosphere soil, particularly within the 10-20 cm soil layer, which indicates that it has long-term effectiveness potential in field conditions. Overall, B. amyloliquefaciens BA-4 emerges as a promising biocontrol agent with broad-spectrum antagonistic capabilities, positive effects on plant growth, and strong colonization abilities for the sustainable management of ARD in apple cultivation

Inhibition of PHLPP1/2 phosphatases rescues pancreatic β-cells in diabetes

Pancreatic β-cell failure is the key pathogenic element of the complex metabolic deterioration in type 2 diabetes (T2D); its underlying pathomechanism is still elusive. Here, we identify pleckstrin homology domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatases 1 and 2 (PHLPP1/2) as phosphatases whose upregulation leads to β-cell failure in diabetes. PHLPP levels are highly elevated in metabolically stressed human and rodent diabetic β-cells. Sustained hyper-activation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is the primary mechanism of the PHLPP upregulation linking chronic metabolic stress to ultimate β-cell death. PHLPPs directly dephosphorylate and regulate activities of β-cell survival-dependent kinases AKT and MST1, constituting a regulatory triangle loop to control β-cell apoptosis. Genetic inhibition of PHLPPs markedly improves β-cell survival and function in experimental models of diabetes in vitro, in vivo, and in primary human T2D islets. Our study presents PHLPPs as targets for functional regenerative therapy of pancreatic β cells in diabetes

Chromium Stress Mitigation by Polyamine-Brassinosteroid Application Involves Phytohormonal and Physiological Strategies in Raphanus sativus L.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) and polyamines (PAs) are well-established growth regulators playing key roles in stress management among plants. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of epibrassinolide (EBL, an active BR) and spermidine (Spd, an active PA) on the tolerance of radish to oxidative stress induced by Cr (VI) metal. Our investigation aimed to study the impacts of EBL (10−9 M) and/or Spd (1 mM) on the biochemical and physiological responses of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) under Cr-stress. Applications of EBL and/or Spd were found to improve growth of Cr-stressed seedlings in terms of root length, shoot length and fresh weight. Our data also indicated that applications of EBL and Spd have significant impacts, particularly when applied together, on the endogenous titers of PAs, free and bound forms of IAA and ABA in seedlings treated with Cr-stress. Additionally, co-applications of EBL and Spd modulated more remarkably the titers of antioxidants (glutathione, ascorbic acid, proline, glycine betaine and total phenol) and activities of antioxidant enzymes (guaicol peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase) in Cr-stressed plants than their individual applications. Attenuation of Cr-stress by EBL and/or Spd (more efficient with EBL and Spd combination) was also supported by enhanced values of stress indices, such as phytochelatins, photosynthetic pigments and total soluble sugars, and reduction in malondialdehyde and H2O2 levels in Cr-treated seedlings. Diminution of ROS production and enhanced ROS scavenging capacities were also noted for EBL and/or Spd under Cr-stress. However, no significant reduction in Cr uptake was observed for co-application of EBL and Spd when compared to their individual treatments in Cr-stressed seedlings. Taken together, our results demonstrate that co-applications of EBL and Spd are more effective than their independent treatments in lowering the Cr-induced oxidative stress in radish, leading to improved growth of radish seedlings under Cr-stress

Effects of sliding liquefaction on homogeneous loess landslides in western China

Abstract Sliding liquefaction is considered to be the cause of high-speed and long-distance sliding of some homogeneous loess landslides in western China. However, there is still a lack of necessary experimental research and analysis on the effects of sliding liquefaction on these landslides. In this work, the effects of sliding liquefaction on irrigation-induced, high-speed and long-distance loess landslides on the South Jingyang Tableland area in China are studied by performing large-scale ring shear tests and using the sled mode. The results are as follows. (1) There are two kinds of long-runout sliding modes of loess landslides on the South Jingyang Tableland: sliding along the terrace surface and sliding within the saturated terrace alluvium, which is associated with sliding liquefaction. Both sliding modes can lead to long-runout sliding. (2) There are some differences in the inclination of the sliding surface between the two sliding modes. Based on the inclination of the sliding surface, the corresponding sliding mode can be distinguished. (3) Under the two sliding modes, the large shear mechanical properties of the two-layer soil composed of loess and alluvial sandy silt show significant differences. The friction between the loess and dry terrace alluvium increases with increasing normal stress and shear rate, while the friction between the loess and saturated terrace alluvium presents the opposite trend. The results show that the sliding distances under different sliding modes present opposite trends with the change in sliding speed. (4) Based on the test results from the ring shear tests and the morphological characteristics of the sliding surface, the sliding mode and sliding distance of a loess landslide can be identified and predicted

Latency Metric: An Experimental Method for Measuring and Evaluating Parallel Program and Architecture Scalability

this paper, we present an experimental metric using network latency for measuring and evaluating parallel program and architecture sealability. We first give the definitions of latency and sealability. Furthermore we show the analytical relationships among the latency metric, the isoefficiency function, and the isospeed metric. Finally we give a measurement method for using the latency metric. We include experimental measurements on the KSR-I to show the effectiveness of the latency metric in predicting and evaluating the sealabilit

Magnetic biochar particles prepared by ion cross-linking to remove phosphate from water

In this study, the ionic cross-linking method was used to synchronize the granulation and magnetization of biochar powder. A precursor of Ca/Mg modified, tobacco stalk biochar combined with sodium alginate as the functional monomer, CaCl _2 solution as the cross-linking agent, and a Fe _3 O _4 magnetic fluid dopant were used to prepare magnetic biochar particles (EMCSB3), which were easy to separate and recover. The adsorption performance of phosphate by these EMCSB3 was explored. The Langmuir model fitted adsorption capacity of phosphate on the EMCSB3 was 8.93 mgP g ^−1 , which was comparable to other materials at the same concentration. The process of phosphate adsorption by magnetic particles followed a pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption mechanism was chemisorption. EMCSB3 was suitable for use in environments with pH ≤ 8, the best dosage was 6.67 g l ^−1 , and its removal rate was maintained at about 85%. Phosphate adsorption was greatly affected by coexisting CO _3 ^2− . This study provides a technical approach for the granulation and magnetization of powdered biochar and improves its feasibility of use

Development of Noninvasive Classification Methods for Different Roasting Degrees of Coffee Beans Using Hyperspectral Imaging

This study aimed to develop an approach for quickly and noninvasively differentiating the roasting degrees of coffee beans using hyperspectral imaging (HSI). The qualitative properties of seven roasting degrees of coffee beans (unroasted, light, moderately light, light medium, medium, moderately dark, and dark) were assayed, including moisture, crude fat, trigonelline, chlorogenic acid, and caffeine contents. These properties were influenced greatly by the respective roasting degree. Their hyperspectral images (874–1734 nm) were collected using a hyperspectral reflectance imaging system. The spectra of the regions of interest were manually extracted from the HSI images. Then, principal components analysis was employed to compress the spectral data and select the optimal wavelengths based on loading weight analysis. Meanwhile, the random frog (RF) methodology and the successive projections algorithm were also adopted to pick effective wavelengths from the spectral data. Finally, least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) was utilized to establish discriminative models using spectral reflectance and corresponding labeled classes for each degree of roast sample. The results showed that the LS-SVM model, established by the RF selecting method, with eight wavelengths performed very well, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 90.30%. In conclusion, HSI was illustrated as a potential technique for noninvasively classifying the roasting degrees of coffee beans and might have an important application for the development of nondestructive, real-time, and portable sensors to monitor the roasting process of coffee beans

Effects of different anesthetic regimens on postoperative cognitive function of elderly patients undergoing thoracic surgery: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a serious surgical complication. We assessed the different POCD incidences between anesthesia using sevoflurane and sevoflurane combined with dexmedetomidine, with propofol-based sedation in elderly patients who underwent a thoracic surgical procedure. Methods A total of 90 patients aged 65 to 80 years old who underwent a thoracic surgical procedure at our hospital and 15 nonsurgical participants as controls, were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided in a randomized 1:1:1 ratio into 3 groups. All participants were randomized into a trial with three anesthesia groups (P, PS, PSD) or a control group (C) of healthy matches. All trial groups received distinct anesthetic combinations during surgery, while controls mirrored patient criteria.Group P (propofol and remifentanil were maintained during the surgery), Group PS (propofol, remifentanil, and sevoflurane were maintained during the surgery), and Group PSD (propofol, remifentanil, sevoflurane, and dexmedetomidine were maintained during the surgery).All participants were rated using a series of cognitive assessment scales before and three days after surgery. All participants were interviewed over the telephone, 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days postoperatively. Results POCD incidences in the PSD (combined anesthetization with propofol, sevoflurane, and dexmedetomidine) group was significantly lower than that in the PS (combined anesthetization with propofol and sevoflurane) group, 1 day post-surgery (10.0% vs. 40.0%, P = 0.008), and the results were consistent at 3 days post-surgery. When the patients were assessed 7 days, 30 days, and 90 days postoperatively, there was no significant difference in POCD incidence among the three groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of POCD one day after surgery showed that education level was negatively correlated with incidence of POCD (P = 0.018) and single lung ventilation time was positively correlated with incidence of POCD (P = 0.001). Conclusion For elderly patients who underwent a thoracic surgical procedure, dexmedetomidine sedation shows an obvious advantage on improving short-term POCD incidence, which is caused by sevoflurane