Decrease In Height Research Articles

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of retracting pathological migration of the right upper central incisor with a clear aligner

We aimed to explore the best orthodontic step distance of the right upper central incisor with mild, moderate, and severe pathological displacement achieved via a clear aligner. Three-dimensional models of maxilla-tooth-periodontal ligament clear aligner of the right upper central incisors with five different steps of 0.1, 0.125, 0.15, 0.165, 0.25 mm and three different alveolar bone heights were established via finite element analysis. We analysed the changing trends in initial displacement, the periodontal ligament, the alveolar bone, and apical stress of right upper central incisor. In the process of retraction, the right upper central incisor a movement trend of the crown deviating from the distal root to the mesial, and with the decrease of the height of the alveolar bone and the increase of the displacement, the crown would appear distal labial torsion with a deepening trend of vertical overlay.The maximum stress distribution of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone showed a positive correlation. The overall stress distribution of the periodontal ligament and apical stress increased with decrease of alveolar bone height and the increase of alveolar bone displacement. In patients with mild, moderate, and severe pathological displacement of the right upper central incisor, the best step distance of anterior tooth retraction is 0.165, 0.15, and 0.125 mm, respectively.

Vortex-induced energy loss and pressure fluctuations in a closed sump under various conditions: An experimental investigation

The roof-attached vortices (RAVs), floor-attached vortices (FAVs), and complex combined submerged vortices (CSVs) excited in a closed pump sump will induce irregular pressure fluctuations that can decrease the energy efficiency of the pump and the stability of its input flow. This article presents an experimental investigation of the energy loss and pressure fluctuations induced by these vortices under various conditions. A transparent closed-loop test rig was used for high-speed visualization and pressure-fluctuation tests. The findings demonstrate that as the flow rate is increased, the head and efficiency of the pump device significantly decrease. A CSV, which is composed of an RAV and an FAV, has the highest head-loss value, reaching 0.21 m, with an efficiency decrease in up to 2.8%. The typical evolution stages of RAV are divided into newborn, developing, fully developed, and dissipative collapsing. The typical evolution stages of FAV are divided into germinating, growing, maintaining, decaying, and disappearance. The maximum diameter of the FAV core is approximately 0.05 times the maximum vortex-core scale of the RAV. Based on the proposed vortex-identification method, as the bellmouth height decreases, the strength of the FAV increases during the CSV period, and the degree of pressure fluctuation becomes more severe. In addition, regardless of the flow rate, the strength of the FAV structure is always much greater than that of the RAV.

Growth Responses to two Commercial Plant Growth Retardants with Different Concentration in Potted Geranium

Background and objective: The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of varying treatment concentrations of two different plant growth retardants, acting at different inhibition positions during the biosynthetic process, on the growth characteristics of geranium (<i>Pelargonium</i> × <i>hortorum</i>) and then to provide essential data to improve the quality of pot plant production.Methods: Aqueous solutions of diniconazole (Binnari) and daminozide (B-9) at concentrations of 0 (distilled water), 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> were prepared for the geranium 'Ringo 2000TM Deep Red'. These solutions were applied by foliar spraying twice at 10-day intervals. Growth characteristics such as plant height, leaf size and relative chlorophyll content (SPAD) were then assessed.Results: When Binnari was applied at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> , the corresponding plant heights were 29.5, 23.8, 24.1, 23.0, and 18.4 cm, respectively. There was a statistically significant decrease in plant height with increasing concentration. Conversely, for B-9, plant height was significantly reduced to 26.7 cm only at the 400 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> concentration, indicating a less pronounced inhibitory effect compared to Binnari. Leaf width showed a significant decreasing trend with increasing Binnari application concentrations and was 4.6, 4.7, 4.1, 4.2, and 3.9 cm respectively. However, there was no significant difference due to the B-9 treatment. Chlorophyll content increased with increasing concentrations of both retardants.Conclusion: In conclusion, Binnari showed a greater inhibitory effect on geranium growth compared to B-9. The application of Binnari at 400 mg⋅L<sup>-1</sup> resulted in the greatest increase in the ornamental value of the geranium. Furthermore, diniconazole acts during the early stage before the splitting of the GA<sub>1</sub> and GA<sub>4</sub> pathways, thus inhibiting the biosynthesis of both active gibberellins. In contrast, daminozide inhibits the step just before GA<sub>1</sub> biosynthesis. It is concluded that GA<sub>4</sub> serves as the dominant active gibberellin in geranium plants.

Assessing the sensitivity of maize genotypes to gamma radiation for germination and physiological characteristics

To meet the rising demand for cereal-based food products, it is essential to create parent lines for hybrid development. Evaluating the sensitivity of maize genotypes to gamma rays is critical for successful mass irradiation to induce mutations. This study aimed to assess how maize genotypes respond to gamma radiation and determine an effective dosage for mutation breeding. Six maize genotypes were subjected to gamma radiation doses ranging from 0 to 750 Gy (s) 60Co. The irradiated seeds were evaluated in controlled conditions and then planted in the field for the assessment of physio-agronomic traits. The lethal dose (LD50) was established based on the germination rate of the M1 generation. Results demonstrated a decrease in germination percentage, plant height, survival rate, root length, and plant photosynthetic rate with escalating gamma radiation doses. The mean LD50, determined from the germination data, was 254.3 Gy. The radiation dosage range of 206.71–301.95 Gy proved effective in influencing both quantitative and qualitative characteristics. These findings provide valuable insights into the efficient utilization of gamma radiation in expediting the development of promising parent lines, which can be instrumental in hybridization efforts to produce superior maize varieties.

The Stability of Dams with Different Stoping Elevations in the Tongling Valley-Type Tailings Impoundment: A Case Study in Yunnan China

Significant interest has been focused on recovery rates, recovery options, and recovery utilization when tailings impoundments are re-mined. However, the stability of the tailings dams during the recovery process is also a severe issue. Based on engineering geological surveys and laboratory tests, the evolution of the Tongling tailings impoundment’s instability characteristics under different recovery heights and diverse working conditions was analyzed by numerical simulation. Firstly, with the help of 2D software, the position of the tailings dam infiltration line and the alteration of the dam safety factor during the stoping process were calculated. Secondly, 3Dmine (2017) software was used to create the 3D surface structure of the tailings impoundment, and then a 3D numerical analysis model was established by means of Midas GTS NX software. The numerical simulation of seepage and stress analyses were conducted based on the model. Consequently, the evolution of the stability characteristics of tailings dam under different operating conditions was calculated. The research demonstrates that the dry beach length of the tailings pond gradually reduces with a decrease in the extraction height, resulting in a lower infiltration line. Under flood conditions, the saturation line has partial overflow due to the poor seepage discharge capacity of the dam. The total displacement of the dam body is inversely proportional to the retrieval height. The more extreme the analyzed working conditions, the more the safety factor will be reduced. Additionally, the plastic variation area of the dam body will be more comprehensive, which will increase the risk of a dam collapse.

Groupiness effect on irregular wave train propagation and impact on cylinder

A wave flume based on solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation is modelled to simulate the irregular wave group interacting with a cylinder. The irregular wave groups are generated based on the wave envelope spectrum and the improved JONSWAP spectrum. The wave-making boundary and the momentum source term for wave-making and wave dissipation are developed based on the irregular wave theory. To suppress excessive growth of turbulent viscosity, a modified formula for turbulent viscosity is implemented in the shear stress transport turbulence model. Several sets of irregular waves with different groupiness factors are simulated. The effects of groupiness on the wave parameters, wave run-up height and wave force on the cylinder are investigated. The results show that the wave parameters increase as the groupiness increase. The group height factor has a larger influence on the significant wave height than the group length factor. The group length factor mainly influences the average wave period and average wavelength. When the average wavelength is larger than the diameter of the cylinder, the increase in wave group length results in a decrease in wave run-up height and wave force on the cylinder.

Zero-cost decision-making of mowing height selection for promoting cleaner and safer production in the feed industry

Selection of a reasonable herbage mowing height is a crucial but easy-to-overlook problem for promoting cleaner production for a feed company. To evaluate the effects of mowing height at harvest on the fermentation products, microbial community, co-occurrence networks, functionality and pathogenic contamination risk of hybrid Pennisetum (HP) silage, HP harvested at two mowing heights (45 cm, F45; 15 cm, F15) were spontaneously ensiled (S45 and S15) for 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 days. The decrease of the mowing height significantly (P < 0.05) increased the water soluble carbohydrate content (145–162 g/kg dry matter), and numerically increased Enterobacter cloacae (0.02%–0.47%), Klebsiella oxytoca (0.00%–0.12%) and Serratia marcescens (0.00%–0.05%) levels. After ensilage, S45 and S15 presented lactic fermentation with high lactic acid concentration and Lactiplantibacillus proportion, low pH value and absent butyric acid. Both mowing height and storage length affected the complexity of bacterial co-occurrence networks. The decrease of mowing height significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the bacterial KEGG carbohydrate metabolism before ensilage, but there were no significant (P > 0.05) differences in this crucial functionality between mowing heights after ensilage. Ensilage promoted the key Glycolysis pathway and related enzymes (glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, 1-phosphofructokinase, pyruvate kinase, L-lactate dehydrogenase) associated with lactic acid synthesis, but suppressed undesirable lysine, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation pathways. In bacterial phenotype analysis, regardless of storage length, low mowing height (F15 or S15) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher proportions of ‘Contains Mobile Elements’ and ‘Potentially Pathogenic’ than high mowing height (F45 or S45). These results concluded that although both mowing heights appeared to present the parameters of desirable fermentation, the risk of microbial contamination and pathogens from low mowing heights was not eliminated by 64-day ensilage. Therefore, a relatively high mowing height, e.g. 45 cm, is recommended to ensure the cleanliness, hygiene and safety of HP silage.

Geographic Variation in Testicular Morphometrics, Androgen Receptor Expression and Anti-Müllerian Hormone Levels in the Intermediate Roundleaf Bats across Distinct Regions in Thailand.

The hipposideros larvatus (intermediate roundleaf bat) is one of the insectivorous bats which has an agro-ecological role as a controller of the insect population. The reproductive patterns of H. larvatus are intricately linked to its ecological role and survival. An understanding of the testicular morphology can contribute to conservation for this species particularly in areas where its populations might be declining or under threat. However, these bats may also be associated with zoonotic diseases which can have significant public health implications. The aims of the study were to examine the morphological data as well as the expression of the androgen receptor (AR) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in the male reproductive organs of H. larvatus from different areas of Thailand and at different sampling periods. Their testes were processed for histological investigation and immunohistochemistry for AR and AMH. The results showed differences among the various sampling areas and different sampling periods, which suggested seasonal breeding characteristics. The higher testicular morphometric data were observed in H. larvatus from the Dong Phayayen (DY) and Chiang Dao (CD) areas during June, while the size of seminiferous tubules decreased thereafter. High AR immunostaining was noticed when the testicular morphometric data were higher in DY bats during June. On the other hand, low AR was observed in bats during August and September, which was concomitant with the decreases in seminiferous tubule size and germinal epithelial height. The results suggest a potential correlation between AR immunostaining and the active phase of testicular functions in H. larvatus during June which may imply the involvement of AR with the enhancement of testicular activity. Conversely, the low expression of AR may contribute to the upregulation of AMH in the testes and may indicate lower testicular activity in H. larvatus in Thailand.

Alphabet cardinality and adaptive evolution

One of the most fundamental characteristics of a fitness landscape is its dimensionality, which is defined by genotype length and alphabet cardinality—the number of alleles per locus. Prior work has shown that increasing landscape dimensionality can promote adaptation by forming new ‘uphill’ mutational paths to the global fitness peak, but can also frustrate adaptation by increasing landscape ruggedness. How these two topographical changes interact to influence adaptation is an open question. Here, we address this question in the context of alphabet cardinality, using theoretical fitness landscapes with tuneable fitness correlations, as well as three empirical fitness landscapes for proteins. We find that the primary effect of increasing alphabet cardinality is the introduction of a new global fitness peak. Controlling for this effect, we find that increasing alphabet cardinality promotes adaptation on uncorrelated fitness landscapes, but frustrates adaptation on correlated fitness landscapes. The primary explanation is that the increased ruggedness that accompanies alphabet expansion is characterized by an increase in mean peak height on uncorrelated fitness landscapes, but a decrease in mean peak height in correlated fitness landscapes. Moreover, in two of the empirical fitness landscapes we observe no effect of increasing alphabet cardinality on adaptation, despite an increase in the number of peaks and a decrease in mean peak height, calling into question the utility of these common measures of landscape ruggedness as indicators of evolutionary outcomes.

Vaping-Induced Proteolysis Causes Airway Surface Dehydration.

Proteases such as neutrophil elastase cleave and activate the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), causing airway dehydration. Our current study explores the impact of increased protease levels in vapers' airways on ENaC activity and airway dehydration. Human bronchial epithelial cultures (HBECs) were exposed to bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from non-smokers, smokers and vapers. Airway surface liquid (ASL) height was measured by confocal microscopy as a marker of hydration. ENaC cleavage was measured by Western blotting. Human peripheral blood neutrophils were treated with a menthol-flavored e-liquid (Juul), and the resulting secretions were added to HBECs. BALF from smokers and vapers significantly and equally increased ENaC activity and decreased ASL height. The ASL height decrease was attenuated by protease inhibitors. Non-smokers' BALF had no effect on ENaC or ASL height. BALF from smokers and vapers, but not non-smokers, induced ENaC cleavage. E-liquid-treated neutrophil secretions cleaved ENaC and decreased ASL height. Our study demonstrated that elevated protease levels in vapers' airways have functional significance since they can activate ENaC, resulting in airway dehydration. Lung dehydration contributes to diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Thus, our data predict that vaping, like smoking, will cause airway surface dehydration that likely leads to lung disease.

On the flame transfer function models for laminar premixed conical and V- flames considering the stretch effect

This paper investigates a predictive model that considers the impact of stretch on the dynamic response of laminar premixed conical and V- flames; the flame stretch consists of two components: the flame curvature and flow strain. The steady and perturbed flame fronts are determined via the linearized G-equation associated with the flame stretch model. Parameter analyses of the effects of Markstein length L, flame radius R and unstretched flame aspect ratio β are also conducted. Results show that the flame stretch reduces the steady flame height, with this effect being more significant for larger Markstein lengths and smaller flame sizes. The effects of flame stretch on perturbed flames are evaluated by comparing the flame transfer function (FTF) considering the flame stretch and not. For flames of different sizes, the impact of flame stretch on FTF gain can be divided into three regions. When both β and R are relatively small, due to the decrease in steady flame height and the impact of flow strain, the FTF gain increases. As β and R gradually increase, the FTF gain of the conical flame oscillates periodically while the FTF gain of the V-flame decreases, primarily due to the flame curvature enhancing the flame front disturbance and the wrinkle counteracting effect. When β and R are large, a disruption in wrinkle counteracting effect ensues, leading to a significant increase in FTF gain. Furthermore, as the actual flame height is reduced, the flame stretch also reduces the FTF phase lag which is related to the disturbance propagation time from the flame root to the tip.

Influences of Sudden Stratospheric Warming Events on Tropopause Based on GNSS Radio Occultation Data

Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) events have a strong impact on the tropospheric weather and climate. Past researchers have carried out extensive studies investigating the theories of interactions between the stratosphere and the troposphere. However, detailed studies on the influences of the global tropopause are rarely shown. This study uses Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Radio Occultation (RO) data from the years 2007 to 2013 to investigate the influences of different types of SSW events on the tropopause over latitude bands from 30° S to 90° N. It was found that SSW events have strong influences on the tropopause over 60° N–90° N and over 20° N–30° N regions. In 60° N–90° N, SSW events cause a tropopause temperature increase and, therefore, a tropopause height decrease. The increment in the tropopause temperature are more than 10 K and the decrement in the tropopause height is about to 2 km during strong events. Such influences last for about 1.5 months for strong split events and about 10 days for weaker and/or displacement type events. The influences of SSW events on 20° N–30° N are weaker. Only the January 2009 SSW event shows a visible influence on the tropopause layer with a tropopause temperature decrease of about 4 K and a tropopause height increase of about 1 km. Other SSW events share no common characteristics on the tropical tropopause. This is mainly because SSW events are not strong enough to dominate the tropopause variations and other factors, especially the planetary waves in the troposphere, have stronger impacts on the tropopause layer.

Evaluation of the effects of partition design on circadian daylighting in open-plan offices

Due to the changes in the modern human lifestyle, the average time people spend in interior spaces has increased, which calls attention to providing appropriate indoor lighting. Many studies have shown the considerable influence of luminous conditions on human circadian rhythm, productivity, and well-being. While the influence of a building’s architectural characteristics on the visual aspects of daylight has been extensively examined in the literature, there has been comparatively less emphasis on assessing these affects within the context of circadian daylighting considerations. The current study has employed a simulation-based approach to investigate the influence of interior space configurations; in particular, office space’s partition layout, height, and optical properties on the circadian potential of the space. Specifically, the study aimed to examine the impact of two partition layouts – arranged perpendicular and parallel to the window – alongside nine different materials featuring various color hues and reflection levels, and three distinct partition heights. Results indicate that, generally, the circadian potential of the office space rises with the increase of the melanopic reflectance of the partition material and the decrease of partition height. With partitions higher than the eye level, arranging them in a parallel position to the window would result in a better non-visual environment, whereas with lower partition heights, the perpendicular arrangement of partitions to the window would be a more suitable choice in most of the investigated cases. This study suggests a decision-making model to assist designers in creating efficient office spaces, particularly in terms of circadian lighting conditions.

HbA1c and height loss among Japanese workers: A retrospective study.

Evaluating the risk of height loss could be an efficient way to evaluate endothelial health, which might be associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Diabetes is an established risk factor both for intervertebral disk degeneration and osteoporosis-related fractures, which are major risk factors for height loss among adults. Therefore, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), as an indicator of the presence of diabetes, could be positively associated with height loss. A retrospective study of 10,333 workers aged 40 to 74 years was conducted. Height loss was defined as being in the highest quintile of height decrease per year. HbA1c in the normal range was positively associated with height loss. The known cardiovascular risk factors-adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for height loss with a 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in HbA1c (0.38% for both men and women) was 1.06 (1.02, 1.10) for men and 1.15 (1.07, 1.23) for women, respectively. When limit those analysis among those without diabetes, the magnitude was slightly higher; the fully adjusted OR and 95% CI for height loss with a 1-SD increase in HbA1c was 1.19 (1.11, 1.28) for men and 1.32 (1.20, 1.44) for women, respectively. Even when HbA1c is within the normal range, higher HbA1c is a significant risk factor for height loss among workers.

The association between perchlorate in drinking water and height and weight of children and adolescents in Southwest China: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

To investigate the association between the concentration of perchlorate in drinking water and the height and weight of children and adolescents in Sichuan Province. Perchlorate in the drinking water of 24 counties in Sichuan Province from 2021 to 2022 was detected and analyzed, 66 drinking water samples were collected, and the content of perchlorate in drinking water during the wet season and dry season was detected by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography in series. The linear mixed effect model was used to estimate the relationship between perchlorate in drinking water and the height and weight of 144,644 children and adolescents, and 33 pieces of local average wage data were used as confounding factors for quality control. After controlling the age, gender, and local economic situation, we found that the concentration of perchlorate in drinking water increased by 10 μg/L is associated with a 1.0 cm decrease in height and a 1.6 kg decrease in weight in children and adolescents (p < 0.05). The concentration of perchlorate in drinking water may be negatively correlated with the height and weight of children.

Automatic type Identification of Sub - Axial Vertebral Column Fractures using Deep learning Technique

Traumas like falls, sports injuries, or vehicle accidents are the main causes of Vertebral Column Fracture(VCFs) or spine fracture. The symptoms of VCF include back pain, swelling, numbness, and height decrease. VCF causes extreme pain, paralysis, difficulty in movement, etc. CT scans are inexpensive and effective in providing precise and quick VCF type detection. The determination of type VCF, however subject to inter-observer variability. To address this limitation this work introduces an automatic system for the detection of VCF type based on an ensemble of deep fine tuned models. This can assist the orthopaedicians in type identification of VCF which decreases the image interpretation time and increases the patient care time. For type identification, a total of two fine-tuned CNN architectures are used. Then, to further enhance the type identification performance, we developed an ensemble model of fine tuned VGG16 and ResNet50 deep learning models, which average the outputs of the models during final prediction. We used a dataset of 2820 CT images from eight different VCF types that were collected from Kasturba Medical college, Manipal Academy of Higher education, Manipal. The results shows that the ensemble model performs well compare to individual fine-tuned models with accuracy of 82%, precision of 0.84, recall of 0.82 and F1-score of 0.81 for VCF type identification from CT scans. This study shows that type identification of VCF in CT scans may be successfully accomplished using an ensemble deep transfer learning system with various fine tuned CNN architectures.

Effect of combustion chamber diameter size on scramjet rotating detonation under high Mach number flow conditions

This study conducted 3D numerical simulations to investigate the impact of combustion chamber diameter on the combustion characteristics of liquid kerosene scramjet rotating detonation under high Mach number flow conditions (Ma6/28 km). After ignition, a local hotspot near the contact surface between the combustion product and fresh reactant facilitates the generation of new detonation wave heads, resulting in a co-directional multi-wave mode in the detonation combustion flow field. The higher total temperature of the incoming flow restricts the accumulation of a substantial fuel gas layer in the axial direction of the combustion chamber, resulting in a smaller fuel distribution area and a lower wave head. Increasing the inner diameter of the combustion chamber leads to an increase in the number of wave heads but a decrease in overall height. Specifically, when using diameters of 125 and 150 mm, we observed significant periodic low-frequency oscillations in the peak pressure of the detonation wave during stable propagation. The specific impulse of the fuel does not vary significantly across different combustion chamber diameters. However, when the inner diameter is 75 mm, periodic oscillations occur, which reduce thrust stability. These findings provide valuable insights into optimizing combustion chamber design and improving the efficiency and stability of liquid kerosene scramjet rotating detonation propulsion systems under high Mach number flow conditions.

Exploring Tornadic Debris Signature Hypotheses Using Radar Simulations and Large-Eddy Simulations

Abstract When a tornado lofts debris to the height of the radar beam, a signature known as the tornadic debris signature (TDS) can sometimes be observed on radar. The TDS is a useful signature for operational forecasters because it can confirm the presence of a tornado and provide information about the amount of damage occurring. Since real-time estimates of tornadic intensity do not have a high degree of accuracy, past studies have hypothesized that the TDS could also be an indicator of the strength of a tornado. However, few studies have related the tornadic wind field to TDS characteristics because of the difficulty of obtaining accurate, three-dimensional wind data in tornadoes from radar data. With this in mind, the goals of this study are twofold: 1) to investigate the relationships between polarimetric characteristics of TDSs and the three-dimensional tornadic winds, and 2) to define relationships between polarimetric radar variables and debris characteristics. Simulations are performed using a dual-polarization radar simulator called SimRadar; large-eddy simulations (LESs) of tornadoes; and a single-volume, -matrix-based emulator. Results show that for all simulated debris types increases in horizontal and vertical wind speeds are related to decreases in correlation coefficient and increases in TDS area and height and that, conversely, decreases in horizontal and vertical wind speeds are related to increases in correlation coefficient and decreases in TDS area and height. However, the range of correlation coefficient values varies with debris type, indicating that TDSs that are composed of similar debris types can appear remarkably different on radar in comparison with a TDS with diverse scatterers. Such findings confirm past observational hypotheses and can aid operational forecasters in tornado detection and potentially the categorization of damage severity using radar data.

Histological study of the effect of curcumin on indomethacin-induced ileitis in adult male albino rats

Background Ileitis induced by indomethacin represents a well-standardized model in the study of acute and chronic inflammation of the intestine. Curcumin is an orange-yellow component of the herb turmeric. It has potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer effects. Aim This work was performed to show the effect of curcumin on indomethacin-induced ileitis in rats using H&amp;E stain. Materials and methods Thirty-six mature male albino rats (160–200 g) were used in this study. They were separated into four formain groups; control group: 8 rats, group I: 8 rats that received oral aqueous suspension of curcumin 100 mg/kg daily; group II: 10 rats included subgroups (IIA &amp; IIB): ileitis was induced by subcutaneous injection of two doses of indomethacin; each dose was 7.5 mg/kg separated by 24 hours, the rats were then killed on the 3rd and the 18th day, respectively, and group III: 10 rats included subgroups (IIIA&amp; IIIB): the ileitis group was treated with an oral aqueous suspension of curcumin 100 mg/kg daily and then the rats were killed on the 3rd and 18th day respectively. Results Subgroups IIA and IIB revealed sloughing of surface epithelium in the lumen of the intestine, ulceration, a significant decrease of villus height at H&amp;E sections, and inflammatory cellular infiltration. Subgroups IIIA and IIIB showed marked improvement in the pathological changes of induced ileitis. Conclusion Curcumin could decrease ileitis induced by indomethacin in rats. So, it could be useful for the treatment of intestinal injury.

Knockout of transcription factor OsERF65 enhances ROS scavenging ability and confers resistance to rice sheath blight.

Rice sheath blight (ShB) is a devastating disease that severely threatens rice production worldwide. Induction of cell death represents a key step during infection by the ShB pathogen Rhizoctonia solani. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. In the present study, we identified a rice transcription factor, OsERF65, that negatively regulates resistance to ShB by suppressing cell death. OsERF65 was significantly upregulated by R. solani infection in susceptible cultivar Lemont and was highly expressed in the leaf sheath. Overexpression of OsERF65 (OsERF65OE) decreased rice resistance, while the knockout mutant (oserf65) exhibited significantly increased resistance against ShB. The transcriptome assay revealed that OsERF65 repressed the expression of peroxidase genes after R. solani infection. The antioxidative enzyme activity was significantly increased in oserf65 plants but reduced in OsERF65OE plants. Consistently, hydrogen peroxide content was apparently reduced in oserf65 plants but accumulated in OsERF65OE plants. OsERF65 directly bound to the GCC box in the promoter regions of four peroxidase genes and suppressed their transcription, reducing the ability to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). The oserf65 mutant exhibited a slight decrease in plant height but increased grain yield. Overall, our results revealed an undocumented role of OsERF65 that acts as a crucial regulator of rice resistance to R. solani and a potential target for improving both ShB resistance and rice yield.