Spatiotemporal distribution, species diversity, and burden of ixodid ticks on cattle in Northwest Ethiopia.

Ixodid ticks are important arthropods in medicine and veterinary science, posing a considerable threat to livestock in East Africa. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2022 to June 2023 to explore the spatial distribution, prevalence, species diversity and burden of cattle ticks, and to investigate risk factors associated with tick infestation prevalence and burden in northwest Ethiopia. A total of 2528 cattle were randomly selected through multistage cluster sampling for tick inspection across 18 districts during both dry and wet seasons.

[Improvement of catalytic activity and thermostability of glucose oxidase from ].

Glucose oxidase (GOD) is an oxygen-consuming dehydrogenase that can catalyze the production of gluconic acid hydrogen peroxide from glucose, and its specific mechanism of action makes it promising for applications, while the low catalytic activity and poor thermostability have become the main factors limiting the industrial application of this enzyme. In this study, we used the glucose oxidase GOD reported with the best thermostability as the source sequence for phylogenetic analysis to obtain the GOD with excellent performance. Six genes were screened and successfully synthesized for functional validation.

[Regulatory roles of and genes in plant oil synthesis].

There is a large gap between production and demand of plant oil in China, which leads to the heavy reliance on imports. Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) and phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT) are two key enzymes responsible for the synthesis of triacylglycerol, thereby affecting the yield and quality of plant oil. This paper comprehensively reviews the research progress in and in terms of their biological functions in plant oil synthesis, the molecular mechanisms of regulating plant lipid metabolism, growth, and development under stress, and their roles in driving oil synthesis under the background of synthetic biology.

Evaluating point source pesticide contamination via sprayer washing water dispersal: A northern Italian vineyard area case study.

Wastewater contaminated by plant protection products (PPP) from sprayer cleaning operations must be properly managed and disposed of, as it could represent a point source of environmental PPP pollution and pose risks to non-target organisms. Three conventionally and two organically managed farms in hilly vineyards of North-West Italy engaged in a participatory activity for sampling sprayer washing and resultant water. In total 52 samples of wash water (internal and external) were collected during two agricultural seasons and analyzed for six organic pesticides and metallic Cu.

A new approach for assessing the radioecological risk associated with the legacy discharge of oil derived natural radioactivity in the UK North Sea.

Although oil and gas (O&G) derived produced waters and drill cuttings are known to contain enhanced levels of naturally occurring radium-228 (Ra) and radium-226 (Ra), most relevant ecological impact assessments have excluded radiological hazards and focus on other important contaminants, such as hydrocarbons and metals. Also, due to restricted access to the delimiting safety zone around operational O&G platforms, the few previous radioecological risk assessment studies have been conducted using seawater samples collected far from the main discharge point and applying default dilution and transfer factors to estimate concentrations of contaminants in biota. In this case study, sediment cores were collected close to a former O&G platform, Northwest Hutton (NWH), that used to be in the UK North Sea (61.

Cereal-legume intercropping stimulates straw decomposition and promotes soil organic carbon stability.

Increasing carbon (C) sequestration and stability in agricultural soils is a key strategy to mitigate climate change towards C neutrality. Crop diversification is an initiative to increase C sequestration in fields, but it is unclear how legume-based crop diversification impacts the functional components of soil organic carbon (SOC) in dryland, including the formation and transformation of particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC). We investigated the decomposition of straw residues, the fate of photosynthesized C, as well as the formation of MAOC and POC fractions using an in situC labeling technique in the soybean-wheat intercropping, soybean-maize intercropping and their respective monocropping systems, with and without cover crops.

Corrected Myopia and Its Association with Mental Health Problems Among Rural Primary School Students in Northwest China.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the myopia correction and its association with mental health problems among rural primary school students in China.

Methods: Using survey data from 17,950 students in 251 rural primary schools, this study examines the association between corrected myopia and mental health problems, as well as academic performance among rural students in China. Vision exams were offered to sample students, and student mental health status was measured using the Mental Health Test (MHT).

Thymoquinone as a potent antimicrobial agent against Yersinia enterocolitica: Mechanisms of action and potential food safety applications.

Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. enterocolitica) is a Gram-negative foodborne pathogen associated with potentially fatal diseases. Herein, the antibacterial activity and possible mechanism of thymoquinone (TQ) against Y.

Legumes reduce the effects of salt stress on co-existing grass.

Nitrogen (N) fixing legumes typically enhance the ability of coexisting non-N-fixing species to resist disease and drought, but whether legumes enhance their ability to resist salt stress remains unknown, restricting our ability to explore the potential of legumes to rehabilitate salt-affected ecosystems. We conducted a simulation experiment to examine whether and how legumes influence the response of coexisting grass to salt stress. We compared the effects of salt stress on the plant biomass, root cell viability, antioxidant enzyme activities, soil extracellular enzyme activities and microbial functional gene abundances associated with N and phosphorus (P) cycling between pure grass communities and legume-grass mixtures.

LACCASE35 Enhances Lignification and Resistance Against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Infection in Kiwifruit.

Kiwifruit bacterial canker, a highly destructive disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), seriously affects kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) production.

The impact of climate change on Korea's agricultural sector under the national self-sufficiency policy.

Evolving environmental conditions due to climate change have brought about changes in agriculture, which is required for human life as both a source of food and income. International trade can act as a buffer against potential negative impacts of climate change on crop yields, but recent years have seen breakdowns in global trade, including export bans to improve domestic food security. For countries that rely heavily on imported food, governments may institute policies to protect their agricultural industry from changes in climate-induced crop yield changes and other countries' potential trade restrictions.

Natural hydrogen in the volcanic-bearing sedimentary basin: Origin, conversion, and production rates.

The origins of natural hydrogen in natural gas systems of sedimentary basins and the capacity of these systems to store hydrogen remain inadequately understood, posing crucial questions for the large-scale exploration of natural hydrogen. This study reports on the natural gas composition, stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic values, and helium isotopic values of gas samples collected from the Qingshen gas deposit within volcanic rocks of the Songliao Basin. Natural hydrogen primarily originates from water radiolysis, water-rock interactions (WRI), and mantle.

The global convergence of some self-scaling conjugate gradient methods for monotone nonlinear equations with application to 3DOF arm robot model.

Conjugate Gradient (CG) methods are widely used for solving large-scale nonlinear systems of equations arising in various real-life applications due to their efficiency in employing vector operations. However, the global convergence analysis of CG methods remains a significant challenge. In response, this study proposes scaled versions of CG parameters based on the renowned Barzilai-Borwein approach for solving convex-constrained monotone nonlinear equations.

Remote Food Security Research Project: Applying an Indigenist Research Lens.

This paper aimed to reflect on how Rigney's model of Indigenist research informed the research design of a project which explored community-led solutions to improve food security in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The project was conducted in partnership with two Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs); Apunipima Cape York Health Council (Apunipima) and Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress), communities in Central Australia and Cape York, Queensland and researchers from the University of Queensland, Monash University, Dalhousie University and Menzies School of Health Research. On reflection the principles of Indigenist research were evident providing a means of resistance to oppression through Indigenous stakeholders being in control of research to address social determinants, in this case food security.

Deep-Learning-Assisted Digital Fluorescence Immunoassay on Magnetic Beads for Ultrasensitive Determination of Protein Biomarkers.

Digital fluorescence immunoassay (DFI) based on random dispersion magnetic beads (MBs) is one of the powerful methods for ultrasensitive determination of protein biomarkers. However, in the DFI, improving the limit of detection (LOD) is challenging since the ratio of signal-to-background and the speed of manual counting beads are low. Herein, we developed a deep-learning network (ATTBeadNet) by utilizing a new hybrid attention mechanism within a UNet3+ framework for accurately and fast counting the MBs and proposed a DFI using CdS quantum dots (QDs) with narrow peak and optical stability as reported at first time.

Shifts in fungal communities drive soil profile nutrient cycling during grassland restoration.

Soil microbial diversity and community life strategies are crucial for nutrient cycling during vegetation restoration. Although the changes in topsoil microbial communities during restoration have been extensively studied, the structure, life strategies, and function of microbial communities in the subsoil remain poorly understood, especially regarding their role in nutrient cycling during vegetation restoration. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of the changes in the soil microbial community, assembly process, life strategies, and nutrient cycling functional genes in soil profiles (0-100 cm) across a 36 year chronosequence (5, 15, 28, and 36 years) of fenced grassland and one grazing grassland on the Loess Plateau of China.

A Study on Dust Storm Pollution and Source Identification in Northwestern China.

In April 2023, a major dust storm event in Lanzhou attracted widespread attention. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the causes, progression, and dust sources of this event using multiple data sources and methods. Backward trajectory analysis using the HYSPLIT model was employed to trace the origins of the dust, while FY-2H satellite data provided high-resolution dust distribution patterns.

Detection of Insertion/Deletions (InDel) Within Five Clock Genes and Their Associations with Growth Traits in Four Chinese Sheep Breeds.

Organisms have the capacity to detect day-night fluctuations through oscillators regulated by circadian clock genes, which are crucial for regulating various biological processes. Numerous studies have demonstrated a marked association between these genes and various growth traits of sheep. This study identified polymorphisms at 23 potential loci within five clock genes in four Chinese sheep breeds.

Molecular Mechanism of VSV-Vectored ASFV Vaccine Activating Immune Response in DCs.

The vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-vectored African swine fever virus (ASFV) vaccine can induce efficient immune response, but the potential mechanism remains unsolved. In order to investigate the efficacy of recombinant viruses (VSV-p35, VSV-p72)-mediated dendritic cells (DCs) maturation and the mechanism of inducing T-cell immune response, the functional effects of recombinant viruses on DC activation and target antigens presentation were explored in this study. The results showed that surface-marked molecules (CD80, CD86, CD40, and MHC-II) and secreted cytokines (IL-4, TNF-α, IFN-γ) were highly expressed in the recombinant virus-infected DCs.

Biosensor Technology: Advances and Applications in Livestock Infectious Disease Diagnosis.

Biosensors have revolutionized the diagnosis of infectious diseases in livestock by offering sensitive and rapid detection methods for important pathogens. These devices, particularly luciferase-based biosensors, convert biological responses into quantifiable signals, enabling the real-time, non-invasive monitoring of critical biomarkers. This review explores the development and advantages of biosensors, focusing on their applications in detecting important livestock pathogens, including bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

Effect of Sodium Sulfate Solution Coupled with Wetting-Drying Cycles on the Properties of Nano-Alumina-Modified Concrete.

The degradation of concrete caused by sulfate attack poses a significant challenge to its durability. Using nanomaterials to enhance the mechanical and durability properties of concrete is a promising solution. A study of the durability of nano-alumina (NA)-modified concrete by sulfate erosion was carried out.

Sensitivity to the Demethylation Inhibitor Difenoconazole Among Baseline Populations of Various spp. Causing Blue Mold of Apples and Pears.

Difenoconazole (DIF), a demethylation inhibitor fungicide, was registered in 2016 for the control of postharvest diseases of pome fruits. In this study, 162 isolates from ( = 31) and 13 other "non-" spp., i.

Metabolomics and Transcriptomics Reveal the Effects of Different Fermentation Times on Antioxidant Activities of .

is a fungus that is cultured through fermentation from wild Chinese cordyceps. While studies have examined its metabolites, the evaluation of its antioxidant capacity remains to be conducted. The antioxidant results of indicate that the ferric ion-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), antioxidant capacity (2.

A Protein with Unknown Function, Ps495620, Is Critical for the Sporulation and Oospore Production of .

While the rapid rise in bioinformatics has facilitated the identification of the domains and functions of many proteins, some still have no domain annotation or largely uncharacterized functions. However, the biological roles of unknown proteins were not clear in oomycetes. An analysis of the genome database identified the protein Ps495620, which has no domain annotations and functional predictions in .

Electro-Conductive Modification of Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane for Electrified Wastewater Treatment: Optimization and Antifouling Performance.

Electro-conductive membranes coupled with a low-voltage electric field can enhance pollutant removal and mitigate membrane fouling, demonstrating significant potential for electrified wastewater treatment. However, efficient fabrication of conductive membranes poses challenges. An in situ oxidative polymerization approach was applied to prepare PVDF-based conductive membranes (PVDF-CMs) and response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted to optimize modification conditions enhancing membrane performance.