Intense Accumulation Research Articles

Training for Elite Team-Pursuit Track Cyclists-Part I: A Profile of General Training Characteristics.

To profile the training characteristics of an elite team pursuit cycling squad and assess variations in training intensity and load accumulation across the 36-week period prior to a world-record performance at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Training data of 5 male track endurance cyclists (mean [SD]; age 21.9 [3.52]y; 4.4 [0.16]W·kg-1 at anaerobic threshold; 6.2 [0.28]W·kg-1 maximal oxygen uptake 68.7 [2.99]mL kg·min-1) were analyzed with weekly total training volume and heart rate, power output, and torque intensity distributions calculated with reference to their 3:49.804min:s.ms performance requirements for a 4-km team pursuit. Athletes completed 543 (37)h-1 of training across 436 (16) sessions. On-bike activities accounted for 69.9% of all training sessions, with participants cycling 11,246 (1139)km-1 in the training period of interest, whereas 12.7% of sessions involved gym/strength training. A pyramidal intensity distribution was evident with over 65% and 70% of training, respectively, performed at low-intensity zone heart rate and power output, whereas 5.3% and 7.7% of training was performed above anaerobic threshold. The athletes accumulated 4.4% of total training volume at, or above, their world-record team pursuit lead position torque (55N·m). These data provide updated and novel insight to the power and torque demands and load accumulation contributing to world-record team pursuit performance. Although the observed pyramidal intensity distribution is common in endurance sports, the lack of shift toward a polarized intensity distribution during taper and competition peaking differs from previous research.

Changes in the biological and nutritional value of pea and bean grains as a result of their bioactivation

The relevance of the study is due to the need to improve the technology for processing peas and beans of domestic selection into plant-based drinks and their use in technologies for alternative products of complex raw materials for healthy, functional and specialized nutrition of various population groups. The purpose of the work is to study the influence of the developed technological modes of bioactivation on the nutritional and biological value, functional and technological properties of the protein-carbohydrate complex of pea and bean grains. The work examines the results of studies of changes occurring in pea grains bred at the Bashkir Research Institute of Agriculture and beans bred at the Omsk State Agrarian University during their bioactivation using the Smart Sprouter "Rosinka" installation, in particular the biochemical composition and inhibitory activity of grain of the studied varieties, a protein complex and amino acid composition, protein digestibility in vitro, functional and technological properties of the protein-carbohydrate complex of grain. The research has been carried out using generally accepted, modern instrumental methods for analyzing the properties of raw materials and finished products. It has been established that the use of the developed technological parameters of bioactivation leads to modification of the functional and technological properties of the structure-forming nutrients of grain, intensive accumulation of all amino acids, with the exception of threonine, make it possible to increase the protein content in pea grain by 15.32 % and beans by 14.96 %, relative to the initial values increase the degree of compliance of pea and bean grain protein with the FAO/WHO reference protein by 4.48 and 17.53 %, reduce the activity of grain protease inhibitors by 19.76 and 26.12 %, increase the digestibility of grain protein by 7.77 and 5.85 %. The research results prove the feasibility of using bioactivated pea and bean grains for the production of alternative products with a complex raw material composition, including plant-based drinks and products in the "dairy alternatives" segment.

Kinetics of methane hydrate formation in a 1200 ml unstirred reactor for natural gas storage

Solidified natural gas (SNG) technology via clathrate hydrates, enhanced by promoters such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), promises large-scale natural gas storage due to its high volumetric capacity and mild storage conditions. Despite its potential for industrial scale-up, limited research exists on methane hydrate formation behaviors in large reactors (>1000 cm3), which is crucial for evaluating practical storage performance. In this study, methane hydrate formation kinetics were investigated in a scaled-up unstirred reactor (1200 cm3) at 288.15 K and 283.15 K, and 5.0 MPa. Methane uptake, system pressure, gas and liquid phase temperatures, and hydrate morphologies were analyzed to describe the dynamic hydrate formation process. Results reveal three effects of increased reactor size in contrast to smaller reactors: (i) heterogeneous distribution of THF-rich and methane-rich hydrates; (ii) hydrate bulk show a hollow inner structure with a cavity due to the wall-climbing behavior of hydrate growth; (iii) optimal THF concentration no longer always agrees with stoichiometric 5.56 mol%, which is case-dependent. These effects are attributed to higher diffusion resistances for methane molecules and more intensive heat accumulation. These findings provide some insight into the kinetics of methane hydrate formation in industrial reactors, which is critical for the commercialization of SNG technology.

Sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) damage in different hybrids of Helianthus annuus

Aim. To study the racial composition of broomrape in sunflower crops in the conditions of the Forest-Steppe and Polissya of Ukraine. Methods. Sunflower hybrids were evaluated for resistance to broomrape in soil culture using a modified method and the roll method of seed germination. Results. The results of the study revealed a different reaction of sunflower hybrids to the parasite. Sunflower hybrids Arizona, Transol, Bosphorus, resistant to race F, were moderately affected by broomrape. On average, there were 5 to 6 nodules of the parasite per sunflower plant. Sunflower hybrids Estrada, Kupava, Kadiks, Laskala, resistant to race G, were affected to a weak extent by broomrape. On average, there were 2-3 nodules of the parasite per sunflower plant. No sunflower hybrids with complete immunity to broomrape were found. Based on the research, the reasons for the widespread spread of broomrape in the fields in the central, northern and western regions of the country were identified. Conclusions. The emergence of new very aggressive races of broomrape (E, F and G) indicates an important need to solve the problem of creating breeding material resistant to new races of this parasitic plant. The intensive accumulation of the parasite races E, F and G in sunflower crops is associated with the violation of crop rotations and saturation of fields with hybrids of this crop, which are mainly resistant to races 5 (E) and 6 (F) of the parasite.

Laered composite hydrogenated films of zirconium and niobium: method of production and control of properties by thermopower method

In this work, to obtain layered materials with the inclusion of hydrogen, Nb/Zr films with different numbers of layers from 50 to 100 were used. The films were sputtered onto a silicon substrate using the vacuum-magnetron method in a specialized installation. The film thickness was varied from 10 to 50 nm. The resulting material was hydrogenated with protons on a TPU electrostatic generator with an energy of up to 1,2 MeV. The optimal modes for deposition of nano-sized metal multilayer Zr/Nb systems have been determined: for a Zr target, the specific power of the sputtering system is 37,9 W/cm2, for a Nb target — 26,4 W/cm2. A coating with clear boundaries between the individual layers of zirconium and niobium was obtained. It is shown that the optimal modes for studying nano-sized Zr/Nb layers are pressure 700 Pa, power 40 W, frequency 2 kHz, plasma fill factor 12,5 % for coatings with a thickness of individual layers of 100 nm. For coatings with individual layer thicknesses from 10 to 50 nm, the optimal pressure is 650 Pa, power 40 W, frequency 1 kHz. To control properties, the thermopower method is used. It was revealed that after proton irradiation there is an intensive accumulation of hydrogen atoms near the interfaces, which entails a change in the thermopower up to an inversion of its sign. The hydrogen distribution is predominantly bimodal, with local maxima in hydrogen concentration observed at the Nb/Zr interface, and the accumulation at the Zr/Nb interface is significantly lower. Hydrogen localization near the interfaces occurs predominantly in the vicinity of zirconium.

Transcription factors BZR1 and PAP1 cooperate to promote anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis shoots.

Anthocyanins play critical roles in protecting plant tissues against diverse stresses. The complicated regulatory networks induced by various environmental factors modulate the homeostatic level of anthocyanins. Here, we show that anthocyanin accumulation is induced by brassinosteroids (BRs) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) shoots and shed light on the underlying regulatory mechanism. We observed that anthocyanin levels are altered considerably in BR-related mutants, and BRs induce anthocyanin accumulation by upregulating the expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes. Our genetic analysis indicated that BRASSINAZOLE RESISTANT 1 (BZR1) and PRODUCTION OF ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENT 1 (PAP1) are essential for BR-induced anthocyanin accumulation. The BR-responsive transcription factor BZR1 directly binds to the PAP1 promoter, regulating its expression. In addition, we found that intense anthocyanin accumulation caused by the pap1-D-dominant mutation is significantly reduced in BR mutants, implying that BR activity is required for PAP1 function after PAP1 transcription. Moreover, we demonstrated that BZR1 physically interacts with PAP1 to cooperatively regulate the expression of PAP1-target genes, such as TRANSPARENT TESTA 8, DIHYDROFLAVONOL 4-REDUCTASE, and LEUKOANTHOCYANIDIN DIOXYGENASE. Our findings indicate that BZR1 functions as an integral component of the PAP1-containing transcription factor complex, contributing to increased anthocyanin biosynthesis. Notably, we also show that functional interaction of BZR1 with PAP1 is required for anthocyanin accumulation induced by low nitrogen stress. Taken together, our results demonstrate that BR-regulated BZR1 promotes anthocyanin biosynthesis through cooperative interaction with PAP1 of the MBW complex.

Use of Laxative-Augmented Contrast Medium Increases the Accuracy in the Detection of Colorectal Neoplasms.

Colonic adenomas are considered a precursor of colorectal cancer. A 75-year-old woman had a history of post-operation left breast cancer. She received an excision when the left chest wall recurred. A later FDG PET/CT scan revealed a focal intense FDG accumulation in the sigmoid, a focal mild FDG uptake in the pericolic lymph node, and a focal increased FDG accumulation in the transverse colon. A delayed FDG PET/CT scan after the per-rectal administration of the laxative-augmented contrast medium revealed a filling defect with persistent FDG uptake in the sigmoid and transverse colon and mild FDG uptake in the pericolic lymph node. In addition, more lesions were observed in the rectum and descending colon. The pathology reports showed sigmoid adenocarcinoma with lymph node metastasis, and adenomas in the transverse colon, descending colon, and rectum.

Phase I Clinical Evaluation of Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 for Visualization of EpCAM-Expressing Lung Cancer.

A high level of EpCAM overexpression in lung cancer makes this protein a promising target for targeted therapy. Radionuclide visualization of EpCAM expression would facilitate the selection of patients potentially benefiting from such treatment. Single-photon computed tomography (SPECT) using 99mTc-labeled engineered scaffold protein DARPin Ec1 has shown its effectiveness in imaging tumors with overexpression of EpCAM in preclinical studies, providing high contrast just a few hours after injection. This first-in-human study aimed to evaluate the safety and distribution of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 in patients with primary lung cancer. Twelve lung cancer patients were injected with 300.7 ± 103.2 MBq of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1. Whole-body planar imaging (at 2, 4, 6 and 24 h after injection) and SPECT/CT of the lung (at 2, 4, and 6 h) were performed. The patients' vital signs and possible side effects were monitored up to 7 days after injection. The patients tolerated the injection of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 well, and their somatic condition remained normal during the entire follow-up period. There were no abnormalities in blood and urine tests after injection of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1. The highest absorbed doses were in the kidneys, liver, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder wall, and adrenals. There was also a relatively high accumulation of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 in the small and large intestines, pancreas and thyroid. According to the SPECT/CT, accumulation of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 in the lung tumor was found in all patients included in the study. Intensive accumulation of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 was also noted in regional metastases. [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-(HE)3-Ec1 can potentially be considered a diagnostic tracer for imaging EpCAM expression in lung cancer patients and other tumors with overexpression of EpCAM.

Sowing properties of sunflower seeds of Talento hybrid under the influence of a modified plant growth regulator

The improvement of agricultural crop cultivation technologies enables the production of high sunflower yields with high-quality indicators. One such element is pre-sowing seed treatment. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a plant growth regulator supplemented with calcium on the sowing properties of sunflower seeds. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions. For pre-sowing seed treatment, a semi-synthetic film-forming agent with an anti-stress effect was used, which was modified with Ca2+ ions in the form of calcium chloride. It was established that the encrustation of sunflower seed with a growth regulator stimulates germination processes and activates the initial stages of sunflower organogenesis. This increases the indicators of germinative vigour and germination capacity. Adding calcium to the plant growth regulator contributes to a further increase in the indicators of germinative vigour and seed germination capacity of sunflowers by 5.4% and 7.7%, respectively, compared to the control. At the same time, the hypocotyl length increased by 1.51 times compared to the control, while the root length increased by 1.37 times. The accumulation of organic substances in sunflower seedlings is characterised by an increase in dry matter. When calcium was added to the plant growth regulator, a more intensive accumulation of dry matter in the hypocotyl and root was observed compared to the control and the variant using only the growth regulator. The establishment of a ranking range indicated that, based on the parameters studied, the optimal treatment option for the pre-sowing treatment of sunflower seeds is the application of a plant growth regulator containing calcium ions at a concentration of 1.0 g/L. The use of this preparation is relevant and promising for studying the formation of sunflower plant productivity with increased quality indicators under field conditions

Revealing subependymal giant cell astrocytoma with multimodal positron emission tomography: illustrative cases.

There is limited literature on the use of positron emission tomography (PET) for benign tumors originating in the brain ventricles, and the use of multiple tracers for subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) has not been reported. The authors compared the PET findings in two SEGA cases with past reports and literature, exploring the distinctive characteristics of SEGA on PET. In a 21-year-old female with SEGA, the authors utilized 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), 11C-methionine (11C-MET), 18F-fluorothymidine (18F-FLT), 18F-fluoromisonidazole, and 18F-THK5351 tracers. Additionally, in a 6-year-old girl, the authors performed 11C-MET PET. The results indicated the accumulation of all tracers except 18F-FDG, with particularly intense accumulation noted with 18F-FLT. In particular, 18F-FLT demonstrated accumulation comparable to that observed in malignant tumors. This study suggests that multiple PET tracers can provide valuable insights into the characterization of SEGA, with 18F-FLT showing particular promise as a distinctive marker of blood-brain barrier disruption. Further research in larger cohorts may enhance our understanding of metabolic patterns in SEGA and aid in its diagnosis and treatment. https://thejns.org/doi/10.3171/CASE24111.

Chemokine Receptor-4 Targeted PET/CT Imaging with 68Ga-Pentixafor in Head and Neck Cancer-A Comparison with 18F-FDG and CXCR4 Immunohistochemistry.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is common, and its incidence is increasing, particularly in HIV-infected individuals who present with more aggressive disease. Despite aggressive treatment, the prognosis remains poor because of resistance to chemoradiation therapy. So far, studies report very low [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor avidity in HNSCC. This study investigated the diagnostic performance of CXCR4-directed imaging of carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and nasopharynx with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) using the radiolabelled chemokine ligand [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor and explored its ability to quantify CXCR4 expression in vivo. In this prospective cross-sectional study, twenty-three (23) patients aged 52.9 ± 10.4 (19.6), 17 males and 6 females with primarily diagnosed (n = 17) or pre-treated (n = 6) SCC of the oral cavity (OCSCC, n = 11), oropharynx (OPSCC, n = 9), nasopharynx (NPSCC, n = 2) and unknown primary (n = 1) underwent imaging with [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT. In 16/23 patients 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]F-FDG) served as a standard reference. All lesions were visually rated using a 5-point Likert scale. For both tracers, maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) and the total lesion uptake (TLU) were recorded and compared using the Wilcox-signed rank test. In addition, the tumor-to-background ratios were derived using the liver (TLR), spleen (TSR), and posterior cervical muscles (TMR) as background. The relationships between the SUVs of the two tracers were assessed using the Spearman correlation. CXCR4 immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was correlated with 68Ga-Pentixafor-PET/CT in 21/23 patients. Ninety-one percent (21/23) of tumors were visually detected on [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor; however, [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor was less intense compared with [18F]F-FDG-PET. Quantitative analysis showed higher [18F]F-FDG SUVmax in comparison with [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor (16 ± 6.7 vs. 5.8 ± 2.6 g/mL, p = 0.011) and SUVmean (9.3 ± 4.1 vs. 3± 1.6 g/mL, p < 0.001) and TBR 4.9 ± 2.3 vs. 2.36 ± 1.4 p = 0.014. Nasopharyngeal cancer demonstrated more intense tracer accumulation than oropharyngeal and oral cavity malignancies. CXCR4 IHC staining was positive in 15/21 patients, and there was a statistically significant correlation between IHC staining and [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor SUVmean r = 0.5 p = 0.027, and performance status r = 0.83 p = 0.0104. In conclusion, although [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor cannot replace [18F]F-FDG as a diagnostic tool because of its lower avidity, the correlation between CXCR4 targeted 68Ga-Pentixafor PET imaging and CXCR4 IHC staining indicates the potential of 68Ga-Pentixafor as an effective tool for selecting patients who may benefit from therapies targeting CXCR4. In addition, [68Ga]Ga-Pentixafor has no physiological brown fat uptake, which often obscures cervical lesions on [18F]F-FDG PET/CT imaging.

64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX, a N-oxalyl modified cyclic peptide for FAP PET imaging with a flexible imaging time window.

The aim of the present study was to develop a novel 64Cu-labeled cyclic peptide ([64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX) that targets fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and may offer advantages in terms of image contrast, imaging time window, and low uptake in normal tissues. The novel cyclic peptide featuring with a N-oxalyl modified tail was constructed and conjugated to NOTA for 64Cu labeling. Biochemical and cellular assays were performed with A549.hFAP cells. The performance of [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX was compared to that of two established tracers ([64Cu]Cu-FAPI-04 and [68Ga]Ga-FAP-2286) and three different NOTA-conjugates in HEK-293T.hFAP xenograft mice using micro-PET imaging. Ex vivo biodistribution studies were performed to confirm the FAP specificity and to validate the PET data. Furthermore, a first-in-human study of this novel tracer was conducted on one patient with lung cancer. Compared to [64Cu]Cu-FAPI-04, [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX demonstrated faster and higher rates of cellular uptake and internalization in A549.hFAP cells, but lower rates of cellular efflux. All six radiotracers were rapidly taken up by the tumor within the first 4h post-injection. However, [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX had more intense tumor accumulation and slower washout from the target. The ratios of the tumor to normal tissue (including kidneys and muscles) increased significantly over time, with [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX reaching the highest ratio among all tracers. In the patient, [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX PET showed a comparable result to FDG PET in the primary malignant lesion while exhibiting higher uptake in pleural metastases, consistent with elevated FAP expression as confirmed by immunohistochemistry. [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX is a promising FAP-targeted tracer with a highly flexible imaging time window, as evidenced by preclinical evaluation encompassing biodistribution and micro-PET studies, along with a successful patient application. Furthermore, [64Cu]Cu-FAP-NOX showed enhanced image contrast and favorable pharmacokinetic properties for FAP PET imaging, warranting translation into large cohort studies.

Differential effects of antidepressant sertraline in glochidia-fish interactions involving drug transfer from parasite to host

This study examined the impact of sertraline, an antidepressant common in treated wastewater, on the host-parasite dynamics between parasitic freshwater mussel (Unio tumidus, Unionidae) larvae (glochidia) and their host fish (Squalius cephalus, Cyprinidae). Employing a full-factorial design, both fish and glochidia were subjected to sertraline at the combinations of 0 µg L−1 (control), 0.2 µg L−1 (environmentally relevant concentration), and 4 µg L−1 (elevated concentration, short-term exposure of the parasite). The results showed that long-term host exposure (involving intensive sertraline accumulation in the fish brain) marginally increased subsequent glochidia attachment success by 2 %, while parasite exposure at the same environmentally relevant concentrations had no detectable effect. There was also no effect of exposure of glochidia to 0.2 µg L−1 of sertraline on their viability and encapsulation success during the initial parasitic stage. However, a significant alteration in attachment behavior, marked by a 3.3 % increase in attachment success and changes in the glochidia spatial distribution on the host body, was noted after 24 h of glochidia exposure to 4 µg L−1 of sertraline. Importantly, this study provides the first evidence of sertraline transfer from exposed glochidia to nonexposed host fish, as indicated by elevated levels of sertraline (12.8 ng g−1) in the brain tissue of nonexposed hosts. These findings highlight the subtle yet significant effects of pharmaceutical pollutants on freshwater ecosystems but also underscore the importance of understanding the unexpected dynamics of such contamination to predict and address future ecological changes.

Влияние антропогенного фактора на последствия применения огнестрельного оружия ограниченного поражения

Due to the development of the arms industry in Russia and the filling of various types of non-lethal kinetic weapons (NLW), also referred to as traumatic or kinetic weapons, the beginning of the XXI century is characterized by an intensive accumulation on the hands of the population in the Russian Federation (RF) of a significant number of its weapons. Thus, if in 2008 about 4.4 thousand crimes were committed with the use of traumatic weapons, then by 2012 the population of the Russian Federation had from 1.5 to 3.5 million samples of NLW in their hands. In 2015 alone, more than 1 million permits for possession of NLW were issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. The Nenets Autonomous District, which is part of the Arkhangelsk region, being along with other territories of the region, part of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, is among the leaders in the Russian Federation by the rate of increase in the number of registered crimes related to the illegal circulation of these weapons (+90.9 %). The combination of such factors as the presence of a significant number of firearms in the hands of the population, a high proportion of their illegal circulation and, as a consequence, the unjustified use of firearms in public places prompted us to study this problem from the side of the influence of anthropogenic (human) factor on human health.Purpose of the study. To study the influence of anthropogenic factor on the effects of NLW. Out of 248 victims, 235 (94.8 %) males and 13 (5.2 %) females were identified. The mean age was (31.8 years) and ranged from 16 to 64 years. The largest age category of 30–39 years was 100 (40.3 %) people, and the highest number of victims in the Arctic territory of the Arkhangelsk region was in 2011–2015. The subsequent decrease in the number of injuries is probably due to the adoption of a number of regulations tightening the turnover (FZ- № 398 of 28.12.2010 "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts", the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia from 07.06.2022 № 403). A significant part of the victims — 80 (32.3 %) were admitted to hospital emergency rooms in a state of alcoholic or drug intoxication. As a result of the use of firearms, 3 victims (1.2 %) suffered disability and permanent disability. On the territory of the Arctic zone of the Arkhangelsk Region NLW were mostly used not for self-defense, but for hooligan motives 134 (98.5 %) cases out of 136 accurately determined.

Effects of Lactone- and Ketone-Brassinosteroids of the 28-Homobrassinolide Series on Barley Plants under Water Deficit.

The aim of this work was to study the ability of 28-homobrassinolide (HBL) and 28-homocastasterone (HCS) to increase the resistance of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants to drought and to alter their endogenous brassinosteroid status. Germinated barley seeds were treated with 0.1 nM HBL or HCS solutions for two hours. A water deficit was created by stopping the watering of 7-day-old plants for the next two weeks. Plants responded to drought through growth inhibition, impaired water status, increased lipid peroxidation, differential effects on antioxidant enzymes, intense proline accumulation, altered expression of genes involved in metabolism, and decreased endogenous contents of hormones (28-homobrassinolide, B-ketones, and B-lactones). Pretreatment of plants with HBL reduced the inhibitory effect of drought on fresh and dry biomass accumulation and relative water content, whereas HCS partially reversed the negative effect of drought on fresh biomass accumulation, reduced the intensity of lipid peroxidation, and increased the osmotic potential. Compared with drought stress alone, pretreatment of plants with HCS or HBL followed by drought increased superoxide dismutase activity sevenfold or threefold and catalase activity (by 36%). The short-term action of HBL and HCS in subsequent drought conditions partially restored the endogenous B-ketone and B-lactone contents. Thus, the steroidal phytohormones HBL and HCS increased barley plant resistance to subsequent drought, showing some specificity of action.

Methods for Constructing a Refined Early-Warning Model for Rainstorm-Induced Waterlogging in Historic and Cultural Districts

Against the backdrop of increasingly severe global climate change, the risk of rainstorm-induced waterlogging has become the primary threat to the safety of historic and cultural districts worldwide. This paper focuses on the historic and cultural districts of Beijing, China, and explores techniques and methods for identifying extreme rainstorm warnings in cultural heritage areas. Refined warning and forecasting have become important non-engineering measures to enhance these districts’ waterlogging prevention control and emergency management capabilities. This paper constructs a rainstorm-induced waterlogging risk warning model tailored for Beijing’s historical and cultural districts. This model system encompasses three sets of models: a building waterlogging early-warning model, a road waterlogging early-warning model, and a public evacuation early-warning model. During the construction of the model, the core concepts and determination methods of “1 h rainfall intensity water logging index” and “the waterlogging risk index in historical and cultural districts” were proposed. The construction and application of the three models take into full account the correlation between rainfall intensity and rainwater accumulation, while incorporating the characteristics of flood resilience in buildings, roads, and the society in districts. This allows for a precise grading of warning levels, leading to the formulation of corresponding warning response measures. Empirical tests have shown that the construction method proposed in this paper is reliable. The innovative results not only provide a new perspective and method for the early-warning of rainstorm-induced waterlogging, but also offer scientific support for emergency planning and response in historical and cultural districts.

Prospects for the use of probiotic microorganisms in the production of fermented buckwheat-based products

Relevance. The market segment for products based on plant-based ingredients continues to gain momentum. Protecting health and reducing the environmental burden are the most important driving forces for consumers to buy plant-based products. About 1% of the world’s population suffers from diagnosed celiac disease. Around 13% of the population exhibits symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Thus, the production of gluten-free food products, including fermented ones, is becoming increasingly important.Methods. The technological parameters for producing buckwheat dispersion and its quality indicators were assessed. The analysis of the process of acid accumulation during fermentation by microorganisms Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Propionibacterium, and Streptococcus was carried out. Data on the dynamics of microbial biomass accumulation during fermentation were obtained, and the influence of selected starter cultures on the antioxidant properties of fermented dispersions during storage was studied. The impact of chosen strains on organoleptic characteristics was determined, and the dependence of the viscosity of fermented samples on the shear rate was studied.Results. Buckwheat dispersion is a suitable medium for the production of fermented drinks. The duration of fermentation ranged from 5 to 9 hours. The most intense acid accumulation process is observed when S. thermophilus is used for 5 hours. The maximum increase in biomass is achieved with L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus AT-41, and B. bifidum. Probiotic microorganisms provide stable levels of antioxidant activity during storage. The samples fermented with S. thermophilus, B. bifidum, P. shermanii KM-186, and L. bulgaricus were the most viscous. The most outstanding organoleptic preference was given to samples with L. acidophilus 57S, S. thermophilus, and L. bulgaricus.

Finding Visual Saliency in Continuous Spike Stream

As a bio-inspired vision sensor, the spike camera emulates the operational principles of the fovea, a compact retinal region, by employing spike discharges to encode the accumulation of per-pixel luminance intensity. Leveraging its high temporal resolution and bio-inspired neuromorphic design, the spike camera holds significant promise for advancing computer vision applications. Saliency detection mimic the behavior of human beings and capture the most salient region from the scenes. In this paper, we investigate the visual saliency in the continuous spike stream for the first time. To effectively process the binary spike stream, we propose a Recurrent Spiking Transformer (RST) framework, which is based on a full spiking neural network. Our framework enables the extraction of spatio-temporal features from the continuous spatio-temporal spike stream while maintaining low power consumption. To facilitate the training and validation of our proposed model, we build a comprehensive real-world spike-based visual saliency dataset, enriched with numerous light conditions. Extensive experiments demonstrate the superior performance of our Recurrent Spiking Transformer framework in comparison to other spike neural network-based methods. Our framework exhibits a substantial margin of improvement in capturing and highlighting visual saliency in the spike stream, which not only provides a new perspective for spike-based saliency segmentation but also shows a new paradigm for full SNN-based transformer models. The code and dataset are available at https://github.com/BIT-Vision/SVS.

Research on the Characteristics of Raindrop Spectrum and Its Water Vapour Transport Sources in the Southwest Vortex: A Case Study of 15–16 July 2021

This study investigated the convective weather features, precipitation microphysical characteristics, and water vapour transport characteristics associated with a southwest vortex precipitation event that occurred on the eastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, coinciding with a southwest vortex event, from 15 to 16 July 2021, using conventional observations of raindrop spectra, ERA5 reanalysis data, CMORPH precipitation data, and the HYSPLIT_v4 backward trajectory model. The findings aim to provide theoretical insights for improving the forecasting and numerical simulations of southwest vortex precipitation events. The findings revealed that the precipitation event induced by the southwestern vortex at Emeishan Station on 15–16 July 2021 was characterised by high rainfall intensity and significant precipitation accumulation. The raindrop spectrum exhibited a broad distribution with a notable bimodal structure. Both the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau were dominated by the South Asian high pressure at higher altitudes, while a pronounced low-pressure system developed at mid and low altitudes within the basin, establishing a meteorological context marked by upper-level divergence and lower-level convergence. Throughout the event, notable vertical uplift velocities were recorded across the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau, along with distinct positive vorticity zones in the lower and middle strata of the Sichuan Basin, indicating that the atmosphere was in a state of thermal instability. The majority of moisture was in the mid and lower troposphere with evident convergence movements, which played a crucial role in the southwest vortex’s development. WRF numerical simulations of the Emeishan precipitation event more accurately modelled the weather conditions for this precipitation but tended to overestimate the level of precipitation. It was observed that the region around Emei Mountain primarily received moisture influx from the southern Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea, with moisture transport chiefly originating from the Sichuan Basin and in a south-westward trajectory.

Salinity Mitigates the Negative Effect of Elevated Temperatures on Photosynthesis in the C3-C4 Intermediate Species Sedobassia sedoides.

The adaptation of plants to combined stresses requires unique responses capable of overcoming both the negative effects of each individual stress and their combination. Here, we studied the C3-C4 (C2) halophyte Sedobassia sedoides in response to elevated temperature (35 °C) and salinity (300 mM NaCl) as well as their combined effect. The responses we studied included changes in water-salt balance, light and dark photosynthetic reactions, the expression of photosynthetic genes, the activity of malate dehydrogenase complex enzymes, and the antioxidant system. Salt treatment led to altered water-salt balance, improved water use efficiency, and an increase in the abundance of key enzymes involved in intermediate C3-C4 photosynthesis (i.e., Rubisco and glycine decarboxylase). We also observed a possible increase in the activity of the C2 carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM), which allowed plants to maintain high photosynthesis intensity and biomass accumulation. Elevated temperatures caused an imbalance in the dark and light reactions of photosynthesis, leading to stromal overreduction and the excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In response, S. sedoides significantly activated a metabolic pathway for removing excess NADPH, the malate valve, which is catalyzed by NADP-MDH, without observable activation of the antioxidant system. The combined action of these two factors caused the activation of antioxidant defenses (i.e., increased activity of SOD and POX and upregulation of FDI), which led to a decrease in oxidative stress and helped restore the photosynthetic energy balance. Overall, improved PSII functioning and increased activity of PSI cyclic electron transport (CET) and C2 CCM led to an increase in the photosynthesis intensity of S. sedoides under the combined effect of salinity and elevated temperature relative to high temperature alone.