A Latitudinal Variation in Growth Rate Caused by the Differences in the Length of the Period Suitable for Larval Growth in the Japanese Black Salamander, .

In ectotherms, body size differences between latitudes resulting from shorter activity periods at higher latitudes may disappear due to higher growth rates. Although such latitudinal variations have been examined for various taxa, only a few studies have examined such variations in Japanese vertebrates. is widely distributed in the northern part of Honshu, Japan, and although their larval period in the wild is shorter at high latitudes, there is no latitudinal variation in the body size of juveniles in the wild.

Marker-assisted pseudo-backcrossing for developing climate-resilient rice.

The increased prevalence of abiotic stresses, such as salt, submergence, and drought, severely affects rice productivity. Developing a rice variety, with inbuilt resistance to these main abiotic stresses, will contribute to a long-term rise in rice yield in adverse environments. In the present study, the rice variety Improved White Ponni (IWP) a high-yielding but highly susceptible to drought, salinity, and submergence variety was introgressed with Sub1 + SalT + DTY2.

Reduction of urinary felinine in domestic cats with renal diseases leads to decreased catty odor.

Cats with progressive renal diseases often exhibit a weakened urinary odor, in contrast to normal cat urine which emits odorants with catty odor, such as 3-mercapto-3-methyl-1-butanol, 3-mercapto-3-methylbutyl formate, 3-methyl-3-methylthio-1-butanol, and 3-methyl-3-(2-methyldisulfanyl)-1-butanol. Felinine, an amino acid, is a precursor of these odorants and metabolized from its precursor, 3-methylbutanol glutathione (MBG), via 3-methylbutanol-cysteinylglycine (MBCG). While previous studies have reported felinine excretion in normal cats, its levels in cats with renal diseases remain unclear.

Impact of a Culturally Targeted Lifestyle Course on Dietary and Weight Outcomes of Chinese Americans in Texas.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of a culturally targeted lifestyle course on the dietary and weight outcomes of Asian Americans.

Design: This was an observational study of participants for a culturally targeted lifestyle course taught online by a Nutrition Scientist and Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner.

Setting: From 2021 to 2022, 284 participants were recruited through 4 community organizations in Texas and completed the informed consent.

Screening of Lactic Acid Bacteria Strains from Chinese Fermented Food (Suanshui) and its Protective Effect on Acute Liver Injury in Mice.

Suanshui is a traditional fermented vegetable food in the southwest of China that is a rich source of probiotics. This study aimed to screen probiotics from Suanshui that have a protective effect against liver injury using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Eleven strains were isolated according to acid-producing capacity and probiotic properties, including antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria, tolerance to artificial gastrointestinal fluid and bile salts, heat resistance, antioxidant capacity, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation capacity, and adhesion capacity.

Engineering the secretome of Aspergillus niger for cellooligosaccharides production from plant biomass.

Background: Fermentation of sugars derived from plant biomass feedstock is crucial for sustainability. Hence, utilizing customized enzymatic cocktails to obtain oligosaccharides instead of monomers is an alternative fermentation strategy to produce prebiotics, cosmetics, and biofuels. This study developed an engineered strain of Aspergillus niger producing a tailored cellulolytic cocktail capable of partially degrading sugarcane straw to yield cellooligosaccharides.

Toxicity of additives present in conventional and biodegradable plastics on soil fauna: a case study of the root lesion nematode Pratylenchus neglectus.

Plastic pollution in terrestrial environments is a growing concern, with an increasing focus on the impact of plastic additives on soil ecosystems. We evaluated the impact of additives from conventional plastics (ACP) and biodegradable plastics (ABP) on the soil nematode, Pratylenchus neglectus. The additives represented five functional classes (antioxidants, colourants, flame retardants, nucleating agents, and plasticisers).

Mechanism of a novel JNF2 in suppressing f. sp. and enhancing cucumber growth.

Cucumber wilt caused by f. sp. (), is a prevalent soil-borne disease.

Chemical extension and glycodendrimer formation of the matriglycan decasaccharide, -(3Xylα1-3GlcAβ1)- and its affinity for laminin.

Muscle tissue is stabilized by the strong interaction between laminin and matriglycan. Matriglycan is a polysaccharide composed of the repeating disaccharide, -3Xylα1-3GlcAβ1-, and is a pivotal part of the core M3 O-mannosyl glycan. Patients with muscular dystrophy cannot synthesize matriglycan or the core M3 O-mannosyl glycan due to a defect in or the lack of glycosyltransferases owing to glycan synthesis.

Physio-Metabolic Mechanisms Behind Postharvest Quality Deterioration in Broccoli ( var. Italica) and Swiss Chard ( L. var. Cicla): A Review.

Leafy vegetables are among the potential foods that can combat food insecurity in developing countries. Their major drawback is a short shelf life, which limits their supply chain and is commonly associated with their high metabolic activities. Leafy vegetables have a high water content, which determines their freshness.

Assembly Characteristics and Influencing Factors of the Soil Microbial Community in the Typical Forest of Funiu Mountain.

Assessing the relationship between litter characteristics and soil microbial community traits across different forest types can enhance our understanding of the synergistic interactions among litter, soil, and microorganisms. This study focused on three representative forest types in the Funiu Mountains- (LG), var. (QA), and var.

Fruits, Spices and Honey Phenolic Compounds: A Comprehensive Review on Their Origin, Methods of Extraction and Beneficial Health Properties.

Numerous health benefits have been attributed in the last decades to the regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, along with honey, in a balanced diet. In this context, the aim of the present review was to provide the literature with the most relevant studies focusing on the determination protocols of these polyphenols and other reducing agents in selected fruits (orange, lemon, grapefruit, prunus, apricot, peach, plum, sweet cherry), spices (oregano, cinnamon, clove, saffron, turmeric) and honey of different botanical origin (nectar or honeydew). In addition, the content and the extraction methods of these compounds, along with their metabolic pathway, have been critically evaluated and discussed.

Industrial Production of Functional Foods for Human Health and Sustainability.

Functional foods significantly affect social stability, human health, and food security. Plants and microorganisms are high-quality chassis for the bioactive ingredients in functional foods. Characterised by precise nutrition and the provision of both nutritive and medicinal value, functional foods serve a as key extension of functional agriculture and offer assurance of food availability for future space exploration efforts.

Contribution of data acquired from spectroscopic, genomic and microbiological analyses to enhance mussels' quality assessment.

In this study, a large amount of heterogeneous data (i.e., microbiological, spectral and Next Generation Sequencing data) were obtained analyzing mussels of different species and origin, to acquire a comprehensive view about the quality and safety of these products.

Age and mating status have complex but modest effects on the critical thermal limits of adult Mediterranean fruit flies from geographically divergent populations.

The highly invasive Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is currently expanding its geographic distribution into cooler temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. In marginal conditions, the invasion potential of medfly depends in part on innate tolerance to the novel environmental conditions. Physiological tolerances are potentially influenced by interactions among multiple factors, such as organism age or reproductive maturity, sex, and mating status.

Functional and molecular characterization of millet associated probiotic bacteria.

The lactic acid bacteria are one of the sustainable ways of food production. As the native lactic acid bacteria (LAB) easily manipulate the substrate, helps in production of health essential probiotics with enhancing the bioavailability of the substrate. Here also, in present study, the native LAB isolates isolated from the millets and characterize them for the functional analysis for the human health association.

Simplified meal announcement study (SMASH) using hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery in youth and young adults with type 1 diabetes: a randomised controlled two-centre crossover trial.

Aims/hypothesis: The majority of hybrid closed-loop systems still require carbohydrate counting (CC) but the evidence for its justification remains limited. Here, we evaluated glucose control with simplified meal announcement (SMA) vs CC in youth and young adults with type 1 diabetes using the mylife CamAPS FX system.

Methods: We conducted a two-centre, randomised crossover, non-inferiority trial in two University Hospitals in Switzerland in 46 participants (aged 12-20 years) with type 1 diabetes using multiple daily injections (n=35), sensor-augmented pump (n=4) or hybrid closed-loop (n=7) therapy before enrolment.