Control Agents Research Articles

Do agroecological practices control Ralstonia solanacearum wilt on solanaceous crops? A meta‐analysis

AbstractThe effectiveness of agroecological management strategies (AEMS) in controlling bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC) remains a critical question. A quantitative review was conducted based on publications reporting agroecological bacterial wilt management practices under on‐station or on‐farm field conditions in electronic libraries, without geographical restrictions, on tomato, pepper, eggplant and potato. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 papers were retained, resulting in 644 and 146 observations of bacterial wilt incidence (BWI) and yield, respectively. The effectiveness of AEMS for each crop was evaluated based on BWI and crop yield. The effect size was calculated as the natural logarithm of the response ratio, and confidence intervals were determined by bootstrapping. Varietal control, biological control (used of biological control agents) and combinations of many AEMS were the most reported practices, both under on‐station and on‐farm conditions. The use of plant extracts (Thymus spp., Crotalaria spp.), grafting, solarization, soil amendments (manure, compost) and crop rotations (with maize, beans) were also reported. All AEMS significantly reduced bacterial wilt incidence and increased yields compared to the untreated plots. Grafting, combinations of control methods, varietal control and biological control were the most effective agroecological practices in reducing BWI and increasing yield in tomato and eggplant. Varietal control was the most effective compared to biological control on pepper. The effectiveness of AEMS also varied with crop susceptibility and origin, climatic zone and soil acidity. This study highlights the potential of AEMS in reducing BWI and increasing crop yield in infested soils.

Dynamic Clock Switching Scheme for Enhanced Power Efficiency in System-on-Chip Architectures

High power consumption and thermal management are critical challenges in traditional System- on-Chip (SoC) architectures due to multiple active clock sources feeding individual IP blocks, even during idle states. This paper introduces a dynamic clock switching power-saving scheme that consolidates clock sources by dynamically switching to a single lower-frequency clock during low-power modes. A Clock Control Agent (CCA) monitors real-time operational status, power consumption, and performance needs, leveraging AI for predictive adjustments. Experimental results demonstrate a significant reduction in idle power consumption and improved thermal management, without compromising performance or data integrity. This scheme addresses inefficiencies in existing methods such as Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) and clock gating, offering a robust and efficient solution for next-generation SoC designs.

Synergizing Quality-Diversity with Descriptor-Conditioned Reinforcement Learning

A hallmark of intelligence is the ability to exhibit a wide range of effective behaviors. Inspired by this principle, Quality-Diversity algorithms, such as, are evolutionary methods designed to generate a set of diverse and high-fitness solutions. However, as a genetic algorithm, relies on random mutations, which can become inefficient in high-dimensional search spaces, thus limiting its scalability to more complex domains, such as learning to control agents directly from high-dimensional inputs. To address this limitation, advanced methods like and have been developed, which combine actor-critic techniques from Reinforcement Learning with, significantly enhancing the performance and efficiency of Quality-Diversity algorithms in complex, high-dimensional tasks. While these methods have successfully leveraged the trained critic to guide more effective mutations, the potential of the trained actor remains underutilized in improving both the quality and diversity of the evolved population. In this work, we introduce, an extension of that utilizes the descriptor-conditioned actor as a generative model to produce diverse solutions, which are then injected into the offspring batch at each generation. Additionally, we present an empirical analysis of the fitness and descriptor reproducibility of the solutions discovered by each algorithm. Finally, we present a second empirical analysis shedding light on the synergies between the different variations operators and explaining the performance improvement from to.

Biological control of Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) using entomopathogenic fungi in Morocco

ABSTRACT In Morocco and many other Mediterranean countries, cultivation of Opuntia spp. has been severely impacted by infestations of Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae). Several control approaches have been adopted worldwide to address the spread of this pest, including biological control. Many entomopathogenic fungal isolates (EPFs) have been described as promising agents for this purpose worldwide. The efficacy of three EPFs: Alternaria murispora (PP264308), Alternaria destruens (PP264311), and Macrophomina tecta (PP264310) against D. opuntiae young females and nymphs was assessed in laboratory and field settings. Under laboratory conditions, A. murispora and A. destruens at 108 conidia mL−1, and D-limonene (the positive control) applied at 2.5 cc. L−1, were the most effective, which resulted in significant mortality rates in adult females and nymphs (97%, 86%, and 93% respectively (adult females) and 100%, 98%, and 99% respectively (nymphs)) after 6 days of exposure, leading to LT50 values of 3.0, 6.0 and 3.0 days, respectively (young female) and 3.0 (nymph). Under field conditions, A. murispora at 108 (88.9% mortality (nymphs) and 71.6% mortality (females)) and 107 conidia mL−1 (84.2% mortality (nymphs) and 64.2% mortality (females)), and D-limonene at 2.5 cc/L (88.8% mortality (nymphs) and 65.9% mortality (females)) showed the highest effectiveness in controlling D. opuntiae. We also observed that infected scale pests showed signs of mycosis, spore formation and discharge, which will contribute to the spread of the EPFs tested as biological control agents. Hence, alongside D-limonene, A. murispora, and A. destruens could be incorporated into an IPM strategy to control D. opuntiae.

Strong and stable ultrafine-grained Al-Mg alloys via polymer-derived in situ nanoparticles

Ultrafine-grained Al-Mg alloys provide immense promise as lightweight metallic materials for load-bearing applications, contributing significantly to energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction. However, for prevalent bulk ultrafine-grained Al-Mg alloys fabricated by a combined mechanical alloying and thermomechanical consolidation, the presence of remaining polymers, which are used as a process control agent during milling, jeopardizes the mechanical performance of the consolidated materials and thus significantly limit their broad applications. An ideal solution to overcome this critical issue is to turn these polymers into useful nanoparticles, enabling simultaneous improvements in strength and grain size stability. In this study, we present an approach to currently achieve strength enhancement and grain size control by incorporating polymer-derived in situ nanoparticles. Through a combined process involving polymer-assisted mechanical alloying, extrusion at the eutectic temperature, and annealing-driven solid-state phase transformation, we achieved a strong and stable ultrafine-grained Al-Mg alloy. After post-heat treatment at 440 °C (i.e. 0.76 Tm; Tm is the absolute melting temperature of pure Al) for 24 h, the compressive yield strength exhibited minimal reduction from ∼1.3 GPa for the as-extruded alloy to ∼1 GPa for the as-annealed alloy. Similarly, the average grain size only experienced a slight increase, from 106 to 145 nm after post-annealing. These findings offer practical insights into the design of mechanically robust and thermodynamically stable ultrafine-grained metallic materials via a new strategy of polymer-derived in situ nanoparticles.

Specific of mechanical alloying of solid-liquid binary system Fe-Ga and effect of different process control agents

Mechanical alloying allows obtaining nonequilibrium structures in various systems, often possessing unique properties, including magnetic ones. Considering the unusual structural features of the magnetostrictive Fe-Ga alloy, this approach may be promising for this system. In this work, extensive experimental studies were carried out aimed at studying the features of mechanical alloying of Fe-Ga. The object of the study was the system Fe-20 wt% Ga in which disordered solid solution α-Fe(Ga) is formed. It was shown that high-intensity milling is an effective tool for mechanical alloying of solid-liquid binary system Fe-Ga, but a serious problem is a low powder recovery, less than 50 %. To solve this problem, various process control agents were tested. Their influence on powder recovery, process kinetics, particle size, carbon contamination, and magnetic properties was studied using a large set of techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDS, VSM, LIBS, and others. It has been shown that, based on a combination of factors, the optimal process control agent for this system is ethanol in an amount of 1 wt%

A Pilot Project to Implement a Pharmacist-Managed Remote Blood Pressure Monitoring Service

Background: Clinicians often hesitate to adjust antihypertensive medications based solely on clinic blood pressure (BP) readings. Limitations to obtaining home readings include access to sphygmomanometers and ability to provide accurate, reliable readings upon follow-up. Objective: This study examined whether an online platform linked to remote BP monitoring improved BP management and facilitated effective clinical interventions by pharmacists. Methods: Thirty patients with uncontrolled hypertension were enrolled and provided a remote BP monitor for home use. BP data downloaded to an online platform were monitored by two clinic pharmacists. Daily BP checks were requested (up to twice daily), and pharmacists called patients approximately weekly for 6 months. Through approved protocols, pharmacists individualized interventions to improve patient care. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic and clinical data. Results: The average systolic BP reduction was 39 mmHg (IQR = 17-52.5) for the 21 patients included in analysis. A target BP <140/<90 was achieved by 67%, and 76% had improved BP control. Patients utilized the cuff 2-4 times (n = 10) or >5 times weekly (n = 11). Through 261 patient contact attempts, the pharmacists requested more BP checks (n = 62), changed medications (n = 57), or provided non-pharmacologic counseling (n = 24) most often. Medication changes commonly included dose increases (n = 35) and additional agents (n = 17) for BP control. Spironolactone (n = 5) and thiazide diuretics (n = 5) were the most added medications. Conclusions: Most patients were willing to check their BP when provided with devices. The majority achieved a clinically significant decrease in home BP readings, demonstrating that pharmacist-driven home-monitoring programs can improve the optimization of hypertension regimens.

Stage‐by‐stage exploration of normal embryonic development in the Arabian killifish, Aphanius dispar

AbstractBackgroundArabian killifish, Aphanius dispar, lives in marine coastal areas of the Middle East, as well as in streams that experience a wide range of salinities and temperatures. It has been used as a mosquito control agent and for studying the toxicities of environmental pollutants. A. dispar's eggshell (chorion) and embryos are highly transparent and are suitable for high resolution microscopic observations, offering excellent visibility of live tissues.ResultsIn this study, the staging of normal embryonic development of A. dispar was described and investigated at different temperatures. Embryonic development was then examined under different thermal environments from 26 to 34°C. Our data suggest that temperature has a significant effect on embryonic development, with accelerated development at higher temperatures.ConclusionA. dispar exhibits broad thermal tolerance and extended independent feeding capabilities, making it a promising model organism for toxicology and pathogenesis studies conducted over an extended period of time (12 days post‐fertilization).

Montmorillonite nanoclay triggers immunity responses in wheat against Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, and suppresses uredospore germination

Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici causes the important disease, yellow rust of wheat (Triticum aestivum). Montmorillonite nanoclay (MNC) is naturally occurring and biodegradable. This study assessed in vitro anti-germination effects of MNC on P. striiformis uredospores. Application of MNC at 150 mg L-1 completely inhibited uredospore germination, and MNC at 100 mg L-1 reduced yellow rust severity in wheat plants by 89%. Expression of defense-related genes was increased after MNC treatment at 100 mg L-1, by 5.23-fold for jasmonate and ethylene-responsive factor 3 (JERF3), 4.89-fold for chitinase class II (CHI II), and 2.37-fold for pathogenesis-related protein 1 (PR1). Applying MNC at 100 mg L-1 also activated the antioxidant enzymes POD to 62.1 unit min-1 g-1 fresh wt, PPO to 21.6 units min-1 g-1 fresh wt, and CAT to 36.6 units min-1 g-1 fresh wt. MNC also enhanced phenolic content in wheat leaves (to 1489.53 mg 100 g-1 f. wt), and reduced lipid oxidation levels (to 5.6 μmol MDA g-1 fresh wt). MNC at 100 mg L-1 also mitigated damaging effects of P. striiformis infections on host leaf cell ultrastructure, increased leaf photosynthetic pigments, and increased wheat plant growth. These results show that MNC has potential as a natural control agent for yellow rust of wheat, although field testing of MNC is necessary before this material can be recommended for wheat production.

Screening of newly isolated indigenous entomopathogenic nematodes against Spodoptera litura Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Aim: Insecticides have traditionally been used to control S. litura, although bio-pesticides as alternative control measures are also in demand due to soil residual issues and other environmental dangers. Another safe technique for controlling this important pest is entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs). Methodology: This study evaluated the infectivity of ten native recently isolated entomopathogenic nematodes against S. litura by assessing their penetration and multiplication in S. litura. The efficiency of the promising EPNs against second, third and fourth instars S. litura larvae was further examined. Results: Among the tested EPNs, Steinernema sp. (IARI-EPN RP 03), Heterorhabditis sp. (IARI-EPN RP 06), and Oscheius sp. (IARI-EPN RP 07) were intensely harmful to S. litura, producing 100 percent mortality in 72 hrs, followed by Steinernema sp. (IARI-EPN RP 09), which caused 92 percent mortality, and Oscheius sp. (IARI-EPN RP 10) was the least pathogenic recording 58 percent mortality. Heterorhabditis sp. (IARI-EPN RP 06) showed the maximum penetration, followed by Oscheius sp. (IARI-EPN RP 07) and Oscheius sp. (IARI-EPN RP 08), with Oscheius sp. (IARI-EPN RP 04) showed the least penetration. The second instar larvae of S. litura were highly vulnerable to EPNs, followed by third and fourth instar larvae. According to the findings, Steinernema sp. (IARI-EPN RP 03) and Heterorhabditis sp. (IARI-EPN RP 06) were most virulent against S. litura. Interpretation: As a result, both EPNs have the potential to act as biological control agents for S. litura. Furthermore, the fifth instar S. litura larva were more suited for multiplication, indicating that this insect is suitable for EPN production. Field testing of these promising EPNs will reveal their efficacy in managing S. litura in a sustainable manner. Key words: Bio-pesticides, Entomopathogenic nematodes, Heterorhabditis, Insects, Oscheius, Steinernema

HUMAN PATHOGENS AMONG BATS

Bats are known to inhabit both caves and open space areas. Bulgaria is among the Еuropean countries with the highest number of bat species. The species found in the country are distributed over a wide area. They range from the Pyrenees and the British Isles to the Pacific region and the Far East. Many bat species are carriers of potential human pathogens. Bats play an important role in agriculture and act as a biological pest crop control agent. Bulgarian bat ecosystem comprises temperate climate and a wide range of abiotic factors, including humidity, darkness, sunlight, and temperature variations. The metabolism of bats and their body temperature vary significantly between the period of activity and the hibernation. Fluctuations in body temperature can potentially impact host microbiome biodiversity. Temperature variations may induce a high level of microbial mutagenesis. Additionally,the existence in large, mixed-species colonies, togeteher with a relatively long individual lifespan (4 – 16 years) and extensive travel distances, enhances the likelihood of encountering multiple pathogens in a single host organism. This, in turn, facilitates genetic variations and re-combinations among those microbial pathogens, thereby raising their potential to breach species barriers. In this review, we summarized and analyzed the available scientific information concerning the potential microbial human pathogens associated with bats, alongside with our preliminary data on the biodiversity of bats blood microbiome. Future research should focus on bats as both pathogens carriers and dynamic models for predicting emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases.

Anastatus japonicus Ashmead, a potential biological control agent of Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius)

Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is a significant pest of soybean production in China. While biological control would be a desirable means to manage this pest, little research on the use of parasitoids against R. pedestris has been done. In this study, for the parasitoid Anastatus japonicus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), we measured the parasitism rate in R. pedestris, the emergence rate of parasitoid progeny, and mortality of eggs from host-feeding. Parasitoids of different ages were assessed against R. pedestris eggs of various ages under laboratory conditions. In addition, the development and longevity of A. japonicus reared on R. pedestris egg were also measured. We found the maximum parasitism rate of A. japonicus was 54.6% on R. pedestris egg. And the maximum emergence rate of A. japonicus was 50.0% from all offered R. pedestris eggs. Mortality from parasitoid host-feeding was 43.8% when 1-day-old R. pedestris eggs were offered to 6-day-old A. japonicus parasitoids. For older eggs, parasitism rates were lower, making 1-day old eggs the optimal host age for use in mass rearing. Longevity of the offspring (F1) generation of A. japonicus were 10 (males) and 23 (females) days. The developmental times of the F1 offspring were 21.9 (males) and 21.7 (females) days. The parasitism rate and the rate of mortality due to host feeding caused by parasitoid progeny (F1) generation were 56.3, and 43.8%, respectively. Among all the eggs parasitized not subjected to host feeding, 98.5% yielded adult parasitoids. Among all emerging A. japonicus, the sex ratio (as % female) in the F2 generation was 45%, which was significantly higher than that in the first generation (F1) (18%). These results suggest that A. japonicus could be a potential biological control agent for use against R. pedestris.

Improving Beneficial Traits in Bacillus cabrialesii subsp. cabrialesii TE3T through UV-Induced Genomic Changes.

It is essential to hunt for new technologies that promote sustainable practices for agroecosystems; thus, the bioprospecting of beneficial microorganisms complementing with mutation induction techniques to improve their genomic, metabolic, and functional traits is a promising strategy for the development of sustainable microbial inoculants. Bacillus cabrialesii subsp. cabrialesii strain TE3T, a previously recognized plant growth-promoting and biological control agent, was subjected to UV mutation induction to improve these agro-biotechnological traits. Dilutions were made which were spread on Petri dishes and placed under a 20 W UV lamp at 10-min intervals for 60 min. After the UV-induced mutation of this strain, 27 bacterial colonies showed morphological differences compared to the wild-type strain; however, only a strain named TE3T-UV25 showed an improvement in 53.6% of the biocontrol against Bipolaris sorokiniana vs. the wild-type strain, by competition of nutrient and space (only detected in the mutant strain), as well as diffusible metabolites. Furthermore, the ability to promote wheat growth was evaluated by carrying out experiments under specific greenhouse conditions, considering un-inoculated, strain TE3T, and strain TE3T-UV25 treatments. Thus, after 120 days, biometric traits in seedlings were quantified and statistical analyses were performed, which showed that strain TE3T-UV25 maintained its ability to promote wheat growth in comparison with the wild-type strain. On the other hand, using bioinformatics tools such as ANI, GGDC, and TYGS, the Overall Genome Relatedness Index (OGRI) and phylogenomic relationship of mutant strain TE3T-UV25 were performed, confirming that it changed its taxonomic affiliation from B. cabrialesii subsp. cabrialesii to Bacillus subtilis. In addition, genome analysis showed that the mutant, wild-type, and B. subtilis strains shared 3654 orthologous genes; however, a higher number of shared genes (3954) was found between the TE3T-UV25 mutant strain and B. subtilis 168, while the mutant strain shared 3703 genes with the wild-type strain. Genome mining was carried out using the AntiSMASH v7.0 web server and showed that mutant and wild-type strains shared six biosynthetic gene clusters associated with biocontrol but additionally, pulcherriminic acid cluster only was detected in the genome of the mutant strain and Rhizocticin A was exclusively detected in the genome of the wild-type strain. Finally, using the PlaBase tool, differences in the number of genes (17) associated with beneficial functions in agroecosystems were detected in the genome of the mutant vs. wild-type strain, such as biofertilization, bioremediation, colonizing plant system, competitive exclusion, phytohormone, plant immune response stimulation, putative functions, stress control, and biocontrol. Thus, the UV-induced mutation was a successful strategy to improve the bioactivity of B. cabrialesii subsp. cabrialesii TE3T related to the agro-biotecnology applications. The obtained mutant strain, B. subtilis TE3T-UV25, is a promising strain to be further studied as an active ingredient for the bioformulation of bacterial inoculants to migrate sustainable agriculture.

Synergistic Effect of Two Peptaibols from Biocontrol Fungus Trichoderma longibrachiatum Strain 40418 on CO-Induced Plant Resistance.

Trichoderma longibrachiatum is a filamentous fungus used as a biological control agent against different plant diseases. The multifunctional secondary metabolites synthesized by Trichoderma, called peptaibols, have emerged as key elicitors in plant innate immunity. This study obtained a high-quality genome sequence for the T. longibrachiatum strain 40418 and identified two peptaibol biosynthetic gene clusters using knockout techniques. The two gene cluster products were confirmed as trilongin AIV a (11-residue) and trilongin BI (20-residue) using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Further investigations revealed that these peptaibols induce plant resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) DC3000 infection while triggering plant immunity and cell death. Notably, the two peptaibols exhibit synergistic effects in plant-microbe signaling interactions, with trilongin BI having a predominant role. Moreover, the induction of tomato resistance against Meloidogyne incognita showed similarly promising results.

An adaptive distributed architecture for multi-agent state estimation and control of complex process systems

A multi-agent integrated distributed moving horizon estimation (DMHE) and model predictive control (DMPC) framework is developed for complex process networks. This framework utilizes an adaptive spectral community detection-based decomposition approach for a weighted graph representation of the state space model of the system to identify the optimal communities for distributed estimation and control. As the operating conditions of the process network change, the system decomposition adjusts, and the estimation and control agents are reassigned accordingly. These adjustments enable optimizing the integrated DMHE and DMPC architecture, enhancing robustness and closed-loop system performance. The effectiveness of the proposed adaptive distributed multi-agent estimation and control framework is demonstrated through a benchmark benzene alkylation process under various operating conditions. Simulation results show that the proposed multi-agent approach enhances closed-loop performance and computational efficiency compared to traditional system decomposition methods using unweighted hierarchical community detection.

Effect of remimazolam on intra-operative hypotension: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Hypotension is common during anaesthesia. Increasing number of studies have reported that remimazolam may be associated with lower incidence of intra-operative hypotension compared with other anaesthetics. However, the results remain controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of remimazolam on intra-operative hypotension and its related outcomes (hypoxaemia, bradycardia and time to awake). A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with meta-analyses. PubMed, Cocharane and Embase databases were searched to identify eligible RCTs published up to June 2024. RCTs published in English were eligible for inclusion. The study patients were 18 years or older who were administered with remimazolam and other positive control agents in either the pre-operative or intra-operative period. The incidence of intra-operative hypotension was identified in these studies. This study evaluated 34 trials including 4847 individuals. Basing on moderate-certainty evidence, we found that remimazolam administration reduced the incidence of intra-operative hypotension [risk ratio (RR) = 0.48, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.41 to 0.57] and bradycardia (16 studies, n = 2869, RR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.54). No difference was observed in the incidence of hypoxaemia (RR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.48 to 1.01) and time to awake (MD = -0.91, 95% CI: -2.42 to 0.60). The remarkable association between remimazolam and hypotension remained robust and significant, regardless of general anaesthesia or procedural sedation (P < 0.01, I2 = 82%). No significant difference was found between different control drugs (P = 0.97, I2 = 82%). Moderate-quality evidence shows that remimazolam administration to patients undergoing general anaesthesia or procedural sedation decreases the incidence of intra-operative hypotension and bradycardia.

Development and application of a bacteriophage cocktail for Shigella flexneri biofilm inhibition on the stainless steel surface

Food contamination and biofilm formation by Shigella in food processing facilities are major causes of acute gastrointestinal infection and mortality in humans. Bacteriophages (phages) are promising alternatives to antibiotics in controlling plankton and biofilms in food matrices. This study isolated two novel phages, S2_01 and S2_02, with lytic activity against various Shigella spp. From sewage samples. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that phages S2_01 and S2_02 belonged to the Caudovirales order. On characterizing their lytic ability, phage S2_01 initially exhibited relatively weak antibacterial activity, while phage S2_02 initially displayed rapid antibacterial activity after phage application. A combination of these phages in a 1:9 ratio was selected, as it has been suggested to elicit the most rapid and sustained lysis ability for up to 24 h. It demonstrated lytic activity against various foodborne pathogens, including six Shigella spp. The phage cocktail exhibited biofilm inhibition and disruption abilities of approximately 79.29% and 42.55%, respectively, after 24 h in a 96-well microplate. In addition, inhibition (up to 23.42%) and disruption (up to 19.89%) abilities were also observed on stainless steel surfaces, and plankton growth was also significantly suppressed. Therefore, the phage cocktail formulated in this study displays great potential as a biological control agent in improving food safety against biofilms and plankton.

Management of Nematode Disease Complex in Turmeric with Bio Control Agents

Management of Nematode Disease Complex in Turmeric with Bio Control Agents

Charge injection mediated by inverse micelles in nonpolar solvents: A microscopic model

HypothesisNonpolar solvents with added charge control agents are widely used in various applications, such as E-paper displays. In spite of previous work, the mechanisms governing charge generation in nonpolar liquids, particularly those induced by electrochemical reactions at the liquid-solid interface, are not completely understood. We hypothesize that a physics-based model, according to the modified Butler–Volmer equation, can be used to quantitatively predict the injection of charges and the corresponding currents, in nonpolar solvents with surfactants. Simulation and ExperimentsWe propose a model to describe the migration and charge generation of inverse micelles. In addition to the mechanisms of electromigration, diffusion and charge generation via disproportionation that were introduced in earlier models, we include charge generation via electron injection at the electrodes using a microscopically justified expression as opposed to the previously used semi-empirical approaches. To validate our model, we compare its results to experimental current measurements in a simplified, effectively 1D, geometry. FindingsWe find that the incorporation of both bulk and electrochemical reaction mechanisms in the model can effectively explain the experimental steady-state currents in a wide range of concentrations, voltages (0.5 V-5 V), and cell thicknesses. These numerical results of currents at longer time scales show a steady-state current only when both bulk and electrochemical reactions are taken into account. Moreover, we have observed in our simulation that at low applied voltages, the electric field in the bulk is fully shielded, and the steady-state current in this low-voltage regime is governed by the charge injection at the electrodes. Conversely, when the voltage is high enough and the electric field remains partially unscreened, the bulk disproportionation mechanism dominates the current generation. This also explains why we observe a non-Ohmic behavior where the steady-state currents at high voltages are independent of applied voltage. Hence, by elucidating the physical processes underlying the experimental observations, our model offers a more profound comprehension of charge transport in these systems, which could facilitate advancements in the design of enhanced E-ink displays and smart windows.

An expanded odorant-binding protein mediates host cue detection in the parasitic wasp Baryscapus dioryctriae basis of the chromosome-level genome assembly analysis

BackgroundBaryscapus dioryctriae (Chalcidodea: Eulophidae) is a parasitic wasp that parasitizes the pupae of many Pyralidae members and has been used as a biological control agent against Dioryctria pests of pinecones.ResultsThis B. dioryctriae assembly has a genome size of 485.5 Mb with a contig N50 of 2.17 Mb, and scaffolds were assembled onto six chromosomes using Hi-C analysis, significantly increasing the scaffold N50 to 91.17 Mb, with more than 96.13% of the assembled bases located on chromosomes, and an analysis revealed that 94.73% of the BUSCO gene set. A total of 54.82% (279.27 Mb) of the assembly was composed of repetitive sequences and 24,778 protein-coding genes were identified. Comparative genomic analysis demonstrated that the chemosensory perception, genetic material synthesis, and immune response pathways were primarily enriched in the expanded genes. Moreover, the functional characteristics of an odorant-binding protein (BdioOBP45) with ovipositor-biased expression identified from the expanded olfactory gene families were investigated by the fluorescence competitive binding and RNAi assays, revealing that BdioOBP45 primarily binds to the D. abietella-induced volatile compounds, suggesting that this expanded OBP is likely involved in locating female wasp hosts and highlighting a direction for future research.ConclusionsTaken together, this work not only provides new genomic sequences for the Hymenoptera systematics, but also the high-quality chromosome-level genome of B. dioryctriae offers a valuable foundation for studying the molecular, evolutionary, and parasitic processes of parasitic wasps.