Tail Length Research Articles

Improving Circulation Half-Life of Therapeutic Candidate N-TIMP2 by Unfolded Peptide Extension.

Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are drivers of many diseases including cancer and are established targets for drug development. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are human proteins that inhibit MMPs and are being pursued for the development of anti-MMP therapeutics. TIMPs possess many attractive properties of a drug candidate, such as complete MMP inhibition, low toxicity and immunogenicity, high tissue permeability and others. A major challenge with TIMPs, however, is their formulation and delivery, as these proteins are quickly cleared from the bloodstream due to their small size. In this study, we explore a new method for plasma half-life extension for the N-terminal domain of TIMP2 (N-TIMP2) through appending it with a long intrinsically unfolded tail containing a random combination of Pro, Ala, and Thr (PATylation). We design, produce and explore two PATylated N-TIMP2 constructs with a tail length of 100- and 200-amino acids (N-TIMP2-PAT100 and N-TIMP2-PAT200, respectively). We demonstrate that both PATylated N-TIMP2 constructs possess apparent higher molecular weights compared to the wild-type protein and retain high inhibitory activity against MMP-9. Furthermore, when injected into mice, N-TIMP2-PAT200 exhibited a significant increase in plasma half-life compared to the non-PATylated variant, enhancing the therapeutic potential of the protein. Thus, we establish that PATylation could be successfully applied to TIMP-based therapeutics and offers distinct advantages as an approach for half-life extension, such as fully genetic encoding of the gene construct, mono-dispersion, and biodegradability. Furthermore, PATylation could be easily applied to N-TIMP2 variants engineered to possess high affinity and selectivity toward individual MMP family members, thus creating attractive candidates for drug development against MMP-related diseases.

Integrative Approach of Treating Early Undernutrition with an Enriched Black Corn Chip, Study on a Murine Model.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect on growth, metabolism, physical activity (PA), memory, inflammation, and toxicity of an enriched black corn chip (BC) made with endemic ingredients on post-weaned UN mice. A chip was made with a mixture of black corn, fava beans, amaranth, and nopal cactus. To probe the effects of UN, UN was induced in 3wo post-weaned male C57Bl/6j mice through a low-protein diet (LPD-50% of the regular requirement of protein) for 3w. Then, the BC was introduced to the animals' diet (17%) for 5w; murinometric parameters were measured, as were postprandial glucose response, PA, and short-term memory. Histological analysis was conducted on the liver and kidneys to measure toxicity. Gene expression related to energy balance, thermogenesis, and inflammation was measured in adipose and hypothalamic tissues. Treatment with the BC significantly improved mouse growth, even with a low protein intake, as evidenced by a significant increase in body weight, tail length, cerebral growth, memory improvement, physical activation, normalized energy expenditure (thermogenesis), and orexigenic peptides (AGRP and NPY). It decreased anorexigenic peptides (POMC), and there was no tissue toxicity. BC treatment, even with persistent low protein intake, is a promising strategy against UN, as it showed efficacy in correcting growth deficiency, cognitive impairment, and metabolic problems linked to treatment by adjusting energy expenditure, which led to the promotion of energy intake and regulation of thermogenesis, all by using low-cost, accessible, and endemic ingredients.

Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Growth and WSSV Resistance Traits in Litopenaeus vannamei.

The current study aimed to provide a precise assessment of the genetic parameters associated with growth and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) resistance traits in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). This was achieved through a controlled WSSV challenge assay and the analysis of phenotypic values of five traits: body weight (BW), overall length (OL), body length (BL), tail length (TL), and survival hour post-infection (HPI). The analysis included test data from a total of 1017 individuals belonging to 20 families, of which 293 individuals underwent whole-genome resequencing, resulting in 18,137,179 high-quality SNP loci being obtained. Three methods, including pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction (pBLUP), genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP), and single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) were utilized. Compared to the pBLUP model, the heritability of growth-related traits obtained from GBLUP and ssGBLUP was lower, whereas the heritability of WSSV resistance was higher. Both the GBLUP and ssGBLUP models significantly enhanced prediction accuracy. Specifically, the GBLUP model improved the prediction accuracy of BW, OL, BL, TL, and HPI by 4.77%, 21.93%, 19.73%, 19.34%, and 63.44%, respectively. Similarly, the ssGBLUP model improved prediction accuracy by 10.07%, 25.44%, 25.72%, 19.34%, and 122.58%, respectively. The WSSV resistance trait demonstrated the most substantial enhancement using both genomic prediction models, followed by body size traits (e.g., OL, BL, and TL), with BW showing the least improvement. Furthermore, the choice of models minimally impacted the assessment of genetic and phenotypic correlations. Genetic correlations among growth traits ranged from 0.767 to 0.999 across models, indicating high levels of positive correlations. Genetic correlations between growth and WSSV resistance traits ranged from (-0.198) to (-0.019), indicating low levels of negative correlations. This study assured significant advantages of the GBLUP and ssGBLUP models over the pBLUP model in the genetic parameter estimation of growth and WSSV resistance in L. vannamei, providing a foundation for further breeding programs.

Yak meat content in feed and its impact on the growth of rats.

To evaluate the effects of varying proportions of yak meat in feed on the growth of rats and provide a theoretical basis for selecting the optimal feed proportion suitable for rats. This study was designed as a one-variable experiment. Fifty male rats were divided into five groups. The ratios of yak meat to basal feed of rats in four dietary treatment groups were 2:8, 4:6, 6:4, and 8:2, respectively, while those in the control group were only provided a basal diet. In the feeding experiment, the body weights of the rats were recorded on Day 0 and subsequently in the first, second, third, and fourth weeks, along with quantities of feed intake. The body and tail lengths, as well as the waist circumference of the rats, were measured, and blood samples were collected in the fourth week for routine blood and biochemistry investigations. The rats in the 4:6 feed group had the best body condition. They had normal body and tail lengths, smaller waist circumferences, good posture, and were in better overall health than rats in the other groups. The results indicate that the 4:6 diet was optimal for enhancing rats' growth performance compared to the other diets.

Principal Component Analysis of Morphological Traits in Udaipuri Goats in Uttarakhand, India

Aims: To study the principal component analysis (PCA) of morphological traits in Udaipuri goats. Place and Duration of Study: Pauri, Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India. Methodology: Eight traits were measured in 407 adult (doe) and (buck) goats over a period of 2021-2022. The traits considered in the study were Horn Length (HL), Face length (FL), Ear Length (EL), Height at Withers (HW), Body Length (BL), Chest Girth (CG), Tail Length (TL) and Body Weight (BW). The data were analyzed for the estimation of mean, coefficient of variation (CV %), phenotypic correlation and PCA by using the software SPSS version 24. Results: The descriptive statistics including the mean and CV % were estimated which revealed the lowest average and the highest average for horn length and chest girth, respectively. The horn length and ear length showed the highest and lowest CV %, respectively, and the phenotypic correlations were significant (P<0.01) for all the characters included in the study. Principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation method was applied and extracted a total variation of 66.01%. In all adult males and females, HL, HW, BL and CG were loaded as first component while FH, EL, TL and BW were loaded as second component. Conclusion: Therefore, these findings indicated that PCA could serve as a valuable tool in breeding programmes, allowing for a significant reduction in the number of traits while still effectively capturing morphometric trends in Udaipuri goats.

DNA damage and repair in patients undergoing myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography

As patient exposure to ionizing radiation from medical imaging and its risks are continuing issues, this study aimed to evaluate DNA damage and repair markers after myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (MPS). Thirty-two patients undergoing Tc-99m sestamibi MPS were studied. Peripheral blood was collected before radiotracer injection at rest and 60–90 min after injection. The comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis) was performed with peripheral blood cells to detect DNA strand breaks. Three descriptors were evaluated: the percentage of DNA in the comet tail, tail length, and tail moment (the product of DNA tail percentage and tail length). Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed to evaluate the expression of five genes related to signaling pathways in response to DNA damage and repair (ATM, ATR, BRCA1, CDKN1A, and XPC). Mann–Whitney’s test was employed for statistical analysis; p < 0.05 was considered significant. Mean Tc-99m sestamibi dose was 15.1 mCi. After radiotracer injection, comparing post-exposure to pre-exposure samples of each of the 32 patients, no statistically significant differences of the DNA percentage in the tail, tail length or tail moment were found. qPCR revealed increased expression of BRCA1 and XPC, without any significant difference regarding the other genes. No significant increase in DNA strand breaks was detected after a single radiotracer injection for MPS. There was activation of only two repair genes, which may indicate that, in the current patient sample, the effects of ionizing radiation on the DNA were not large enough to trigger intense repair responses, suggesting the absence of significant DNA damage.

Morphometric identification of Bursa Oynarı pigeon varieties

Aim: This study was carried out to make morphometric identification of male and female individuals of Karabaş, Yaşmaklı, Muskalı, Kalaça and Beyaz genotypes in Bursa Oynarı pigeons. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, a total of 100 pigeons, 10 females and 10 males, 12-14 months from each genotype, were examined. Results: : The Oynar breed's average live weight was determined to be 306.27±1.32 g. Average body weights for males and females, genotypes, and gender x genotypes were discovered to be similar (p&gt;0.05). Males were found to have longer heads (p&lt;0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference between males and females in terms of other body traits (p&gt;0.05). Different averages were determined in the genotypes in terms of beak length, beak depth, trunk length, body length, wing length, chest circumference, chest depth, and tail length (p&lt;0.05). In general, the averages were lower in the Yaşmaklı genotype than in other genotypes, and higher in the Beyaz and Muskalı genotypes (p&lt;0.05). The interaction between gender and genotypes was significant in beak depth (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: As a result, it was anticipated that the characteristics detected for the first time in the Oynar breed varieties would contribute to the definition of this breed. It was also estimated that differences in the body structures of the varieties may impact their flight characteristics, and the findings on this subject will attract the attention of pigeon breeders. Considering their body structures, it was determined that the Kalaça, Muskalı, and Beyaz genotypes may have superior characteristics in terms of flight time, and the Yaşmaklı genotype may have superior characteristics in terms of flight speed.

Is genotoxicity a suitable biomarker for monitoring anabolic-androgenic steroids exposure in vivo? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Steroids stand for a class of hormones (natural and synthetic) known to be helpful for a number of disorders. Despite the aforementioned beneficial effects of using these hormones, anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are also widely abused in a non-therapeutic manner for muscle-building and strength-increasing properties that may lead to genotoxicity in different tissues. The present study aims to understand whether genotoxicity may be a suitable biomarker for AAS exposure in vivo in both experimental animal and human studies. All studies published in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science electronic databases that presented data on DNA damage caused by AAS were analyzed. A total of 15 articles were included in this study, and after thoroughly reviewing the studies, a total of 8 articles were classified as Strong, 6 were classified as Moderate, and only 1 was classified as Weak, totaling 14 studies being considered either Strong or Moderate. This classification makes it possible to consider the present findings as reliable. The meta-analysis data revealed a statistically significant difference in Wistar rat testis cells with AAS compared to control for tail length and % tail DNA (p < 0.001), so that the selected articles were considered homogeneous and the I2 of 0% indicated low heterogeneity. In summary, genotoxicity can be considered a suitable biomarker for monitoring AAS exposure as a result of DNA breakage and oxidative DNA damage.

Cypermethrin exposure: Implications for growth, phenotypic attributes, and biochemical responses in monosex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of exposure to sublethal concentrations of cypermethrin on growth, phenotypic traits, and metabolic and antioxidant enzymes activities of monosex tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The median lethal concentration (LC50) of cypermethrin was initially ascertained to be 0.04 ppm after 12 h of exposure to three concentrations (0.04, 0.20, and 1.0 ppm) via the Probit analysis method. The sublethal exposures were obtained for 3 months at 0.0016, 0.008, and 0.04 ppm of cypermethrin. The growth performance, phenotypic traits, and enzymatic activity were analyzed. The research findings revealed a notable impact of cypermethrin on the growth performance of monosex tilapia, with a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in weight observed as the concentration increased. The experiment documented a significant change (p < 0.05) in the phenotypic traits of standard length, total length, tail length, trunk length, eye diameter, body area, and color patterns, but not dressing percentage. Furthermore, it was observed that the activities of amylase and protease in both the intestine and muscle decreased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing concentrations of cypermethrin, except for amylase in the muscle, where no significant change was noted (p > 0.05). The results also demonstrated significant reductions (p < 0.05) in the activity of metabolic enzymes, specifically superoxide dismutase and catalase, following exposure to sublethal levels of cypermethrin. The study suggested that sublethal exposure of pyrethroid alters the growth, phenotypic traits, metabolic enzymes activities, and immunity of monosex tilapia.

Decoupled degradation and translation enables noise modulation by poly(A) tails

Poly(A) tails are crucial for mRNA translation and degradation, but the exact relationship between tail length and mRNA kinetics remains unclear. Here, we employ a small library of identical mRNAs that differ only in their poly(A)-tail length to examine their behavior in human embryonic kidney cells. We find that tail length strongly correlates with mRNA degradation rates but is decoupled from translation. Interestingly, an optimal tail length of ∼100 nt displays the highest translation rate, which is identical to the average endogenous tail length measured by nanopore sequencing. Furthermore, poly(A)-tail length variability-a feature of endogenous mRNAs-impacts translation efficiency but not mRNA degradation rates. Stochastic modeling combined with single-cell tracking reveals that poly(A) tails provide cells with an independent handle to tune gene expression fluctuations by decoupling mRNA degradation and translation. Together, this work contributes to the basic understanding of gene expression regulation and has potential applications in nucleic acid therapeutics.

Effects of Saikosaponin D on Apoptosis, Autophagy, and Morphological Structure of Intestinal Cells of Cajal with Functional Dyspepsia.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases, with a global prevalence of 10%-30%. However, the specific pathogenesis of FD has not yet been determined. As such, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of saikosaponin D (SSD) administration on the apoptosis, autophagy, and morphological structure of the intestinal cells of Cajal (ICCs) in FD. A rat model of FD was constructed by stimulating the rat tail with a sponge clamp at one-third of the distal tail length. An autophagy model was constructed for ICCs using glutamate. The apoptosis rate in each group of cells was determined using flow cytometry. The expressions of ghrelin and substance P (SP) were detected using ELISA. The body weight and food intake of male and female rats in the SSD group were consistently higher than those in the model group. The SSD group showed substantial improvement compared with the model group, with no inflammatory cell infiltration and normal gastric mucosal structures. After intervention with SSD, the ultrastructure of the ICCs considerably improved and was clear. Compared with the model group, the expressions of LC3 I/II, ghrelin, and SP proteins in the SSD group were significantly upregulated, and the apoptosis rate was significantly reduced. The administration of SSD improved ICC morphology and structure, inhibited excessive autophagy, and improved FD, a gastrointestinal motility disorder, by regulating ghrelin and SP levels.

The Detection of a Functional 168 bp Deletion of the HOXB13 Gene Determining Short Tail and Its Association with Senior Growth Traits in Sheep Breeds Worldwide.

In recent years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered that the HOXB13 gene is a key regulatory factor for the tail length trait of sheep. Further research has found that there is a functional 168 bp SINE element insertion upstream of the HOXB13 gene, which leads to the occurrence of long tails in sheep. However, the frequency of mutations in the 168 bp SINE element of the HOXB13 gene among different sheep breeds around the world and its relationship with growth traits are still unclear. This study used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, including 588 samples from 33 different sheep breeds around the world, to evaluate the frequency of HOXB13 gene mutations in different sheep breeds globally. At the same time, this study also selected 3392 sheep samples from six breeds. The genetic variation in the 168 bp InDel locus in the HOXB13 gene was determined through genotyping, and its association with the growth traits of Luxi black-headed sheep was analyzed. The research results indicate that the polymorphism of the 168 bp InDel locus is significantly correlated with the hip width of adult ewes in the Luxi black-headed sheep breed (p < 0.05) and that the hip width of adult ewes with the DD genotype is significantly larger than that of adult ewes with the ID genotype (p < 0.05). This study indicates that there is consistency between the research results on the sheep tail length trait and growth traits, which may contribute to the promotion of sheep breed improvement.

Sequencing accuracy and systematic errors of nanopore direct RNA sequencing

BackgroundDirect RNA sequencing (dRNA-seq) on the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) platforms can produce reads covering up to full-length gene transcripts, while containing decipherable information about RNA base modifications and poly-A tail lengths. Although many published studies have been expanding the potential of dRNA-seq, its sequencing accuracy and error patterns remain understudied.ResultsWe present the first comprehensive evaluation of sequencing accuracy and characterisation of systematic errors in dRNA-seq data from diverse organisms and synthetic in vitro transcribed RNAs. We found that for sequencing kits SQK-RNA001 and SQK-RNA002, the median read accuracy ranged from 87% to 92% across species, and deletions significantly outnumbered mismatches and insertions. Due to their high abundance in the transcriptome, heteropolymers and short homopolymers were the major contributors to the overall sequencing errors. We also observed systematic biases across all species at the levels of single nucleotides and motifs. In general, cytosine/uracil-rich regions were more likely to be erroneous than guanines and adenines. By examining raw signal data, we identified the underlying signal-level features potentially associated with the error patterns and their dependency on sequence contexts. While read quality scores can be used to approximate error rates at base and read levels, failure to detect DNA adapters may be a source of errors and data loss. By comparing distinct basecallers, we reason that some sequencing errors are attributable to signal insufficiency rather than algorithmic (basecalling) artefacts. Lastly, we generated dRNA-seq data using the latest SQK-RNA004 sequencing kit released at the end of 2023 and found that although the overall read accuracy increased, the systematic errors remain largely identical compared to the previous kits.ConclusionsAs the first systematic investigation of dRNA-seq errors, this study offers a comprehensive overview of reproducible error patterns across diverse datasets, identifies potential signal-level insufficiency, and lays the foundation for error correction methods.

Urbanization reduces diversity, simplifies community and filter bird species based on their functional traits in a tropical city

Understanding how organisms are coping with major changes imposed by urban intensification is a complex task. In fact, our understanding of the impacts of urbanization on biodiversity is scarce in the global south compared to the north. In this study, we evaluated how bird communities are affected by impact of urban intensification in a tropical city. Thus, we assessed whether increased urban intensification 1) jeopardizes bird diversity (taking into account taxonomic-TD, phylogenetic-PD, and functional-FD dimensions), 2) drives changes in bird community composition and enables the detection of indicator species of such impact, and 3) leads to changes in bird functional traits linked to reproduction, resource acquisition, and survival. We found that urban intensification has a direct impact on the bird community, reducing all three types of diversity. Communities in areas of greater urban intensity are represented by fewer species, and these species are PD and FD less distinct. In addition, we detected at least ten species of areas of lower urban intensity that proved to be more sensitive to urban intensification. With regard to bird traits, we found no significant responses from reproductive, habitat use and feeding variables. Body weight and tail length were the only variables with significant results, with higher urbanization intensity areas selecting for species with lower weights and longer tails. Given the global biodiversity loss we are observing, this information can guide urban managers and planners in designing urban landscapes to maintain biodiversity in cities.

Somatometric Characteristics of the Grey Wolf&amp;nbsp;(Canis lupus) in Bulgaria

Grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus 1758) is the largest representative of the Canidae family in Bulgaria. It inhabits almost the whole territory, most frequently the mountainous and hilly areas. The grey wolf is a hunting species in the country. Despite this, there is little information in the literature on its size. The aim of this work was to provide the first systematized data of the somatometric characteristics (weight &amp;ndash; P; total body length &amp;ndash; L; length of the body to the base of the tail &amp;ndash; Lb; tail length &amp;ndash; Lo and height at the withers &amp;ndash; Hb) of the grey wolf in Bulgaria and to establish what is the degree of their sexual dimorphism. We found that the adult males are 24.3% heavier than the females (t=4.46; p&lt;0.001). They also have a longer body by 8.8% (t = 3.66; p&lt;0.001) and a greater height by 6.5% (U=546; p=0.005). The smallest difference (6.2%) between the two sexes was observed in tail length (U=629.5; p=0.03). The results of our study support the clear sexual dimorphism established in other wolf populations. Further studies are needed to link the wolf &amp;rsquo;s body size data with prey type data in the respective areas for more clarity. This will be beneficial both for better wolf population management and for the accumulation of a database. &amp;nbsp;

Prolonged exposure to mercuric chloride induces oxidative stress-mediated nephrotoxicity in freshwater food fish Channa punctatus.

Mercury (Hg) is regarded as a serious hazard to aquatic life and is particularly prevalent in aquatic ecosystems. However, there is little evidence available regarding the toxicity of mercury chloride (HgCl2) in vital organs of fish. This study was conducted to assess the effects of HgCl2 (0.039mg/L and 0.078mg/L) on oxidative stress-mediated genotoxicity, poikilocytosis, apoptosis, and renal fibrosis after 15, 30, and 45days of the exposure period. According to the findings, HgCl2 intoxication in fish resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) elevated lipid peroxidation (LPO), protein carbonyls (PC), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity levels in kidney tissues and significantly (P < 0.05) increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), poikilocytosis, DNA tail length, and the frequency of apoptotic cells (AC%) in blood cells. Kidney's ultra-structure and histopathology revealed its fibrosis, which was evident by mRNA expression of targeted genes KIM1, NOX4, TGFβ, and NFϏβ. Different indicators of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and genotoxicity were altered in a dose and time-dependent manner, according to a two-way ANOVA analysis. There was a considerable positive link between oxidative stress and kidney fibrosis in the fish Channa punctatus, and it is evident from regression correlation and PCA data analysis. The kidney's ultra-structure evaluation and histopathology both revealed a noticeable fibrosis state. Additionally, a significant (P < 0.05) downregulation in PPARδ reveals that fish body was unable to combat diseases such as kidney fibrosis induced by HgCl2. This study shed fresh light on the mechanisms underlying nephrotoxicity caused by HgCl2 exposure.

Isolation and Biological Characteristics of a Novel Phage and Its Application to Control Vibrio Parahaemolyticus in Shellfish Meat.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a common foodborne pathogenic bacterium. With the overuse of antibiotics, an increasing proportion of drug-resistant strains are emerging, which puts enormous pressure on public health. In this study, a V. parahaemolyticus-specific phage, VP41s3, was isolated. The head length, width, and tail length of the phage were 77.7 nm, 72.2 nm, and 17.5 nm, respectively. It remained active in the temperature range of 30-50°C and pH range of 4-11. The lytic curve of phage VP41s3 showed that the host bacteria did not grow until 11 h under phage treatment at MOI of 1000, indicating that the phage had good bacteriostatic ability. When it was added to shellfish contaminated with V. parahaemolyticus (15°C, 48 h), the number of bacteria in the experimental group was 2.11 log10 CFU/mL lower than that in the control group at 24 h. Furthermore, genomic characterization and phylogenetic analysis indicated that phage VP41s3 was a new member of the Podoviridae family. The genome contained 50 open reading frames (ORFs), in which the ORF19 (thymidine kinase) was an enzyme involved in the pyrimidine salvage pathway, which might lead to the accelerated DNA synthesis efficiency after phage entered into host cells. This study not only contributed to the improvement of phage database and the development of beneficial phage resources but also revealed the potential application of phage VP41s3 in food hygiene and safety.

Aerodynamic breakup of gel suspension droplets loaded with aluminum particles

The persistent and frequent space explorations are affected by the performance of propellants, among which the closely related gel propellants have been widely used due to their unique characteristics. Currently, research efforts primarily concentrate on the metallization and atomized combustion of gel propellants, emphasizing the combustion performance of metallized gel propellants. However, little attention has been given to the secondary breakup process that occurs just before combustion. By utilizing high-speed flow visualization technology, this study examines the key aerodynamic breakup process of gel suspension droplets loaded with micro aluminum particles, experimentally and theoretically investigating the droplet dynamics induced by particle volume fraction. The experimental confirmation of the three breakup behaviors exhibited by gel suspension droplets, namely oscillation mode, bag-stamen breakup, and hemline breakup, is presented along with the construction of a phase diagram. The impact of heterogeneous effects resulting from an increase in particle volume fraction on the critical breakup Weber number is revealed, with a concentration of 9 % as the turning point. Within the range of moderate Weber numbers, the tail flick deformation of suspension droplets in airflow is observed and reported for the first time. At different particle concentrations, there keeps a linear correlation between the dimensionless tail length and Weber number. Spherical suspension droplets will deform into thin disks in the airflow, with a nearly constant deformation rate regardless of changes in particle concentration. Additionally, the relationships between characteristic times and droplet parameters are discussed through statistical analysis of the results. As Ohnesorge number and particle volume fraction increase, the characteristic times both show a monotonically increasing trend. Moreover, a model of unstable growth rate associated with the particle volume fraction is established through linear instability analysis, accurately predicting the variation in critical Weber number for gel suspension droplet breakup. The congruence between our theoretical framework and experimental findings not only enhances comprehension of the impact of micro aluminum particles on the secondary breakup of gel suspension droplets but also provides valuable guidance for the aerospace applications of metallized gel propellants.

Evaluation of the Biological Effects of Exposures to Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Single-Strand DNA: An In-vivo Study

Introduction: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful diagnostic technique used to acquire detailed information on the structure and function of the body’s organs. Data on the extent of genetic damage following exposure to electromagnetic fields in MRI is variable, necessitating further evidence. This study aims to examine the biological effect of exposure to MRI at various magnetic strengths on the DNA single-strand. Methods: The study was an in-vivo non-randomized controlled experiment involving New Zealand rabbits (n=39, males) scanned using three different MRI strengths (0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 T) and at different time intervals (10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes). The alkaline comet assay was used to study DNA damage by quantifying single-strand breaks. In addition, tail length (TL), tail moment (TM), and the fraction of total DNA in the tail were evaluated. Results: The DNA single-strand breaks were significant for all tested parameters in both MRI 1.5 T (p&lt;0.01) and 3.0 T (p&lt;0.001). In addition, 3.0 T for 40 minutes had the most comet tails and tail moment (13.87), resulting in greater %DNA damage (mean=22.37). Exposure to 0.5 T was found to be only significant at 30 and 40 minutes (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Higher MRI strength for a longer duration resulted in a significant increase in DNA single-strand breaks. Understanding the interaction between the magnetic fields generated by MRI and DNA will optimize safe and effective MRI scanning in both patients and healthy individuals.

First Report of the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne incognita on Bletilla striata Rchb.f. (Orchidaceae) in China.

Bletilla striata Rchb.f., is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant known as the Chinese ground or hyacinth orchid classified in the Orchidaceae. It is native to southeast Asia and mainly distributed in China, Japan and northern Myanmar (He et al. 2017). It has the functions of astringent hemostasis and analgesia, and can also be used to treat traumatic bleeding, ulcers, swelling and chapped skin. Therefore, it occupies an important position in traditional Chinese medicine (Xu et al. 2019). In June 2023, three farmers in Mengzi (103.39°N, 23.21°E), Yunnan Province, China, observed that some Bletilla striata Rchb.f. plants grew poorly with small and chlorotic leaves (Figure 1 A). We suspected that these symptoms were caused by root-knot nematode infection, but the galls on the roots were small and inconspicuous (Figure 1 A). The presence of nematode females in both the galled regions and the normal roots (Figure 1 B), revealed by fuchsin staining (Byrd et al. 1983), indicated that the symptoms were probably caused by root-knot nematode infection. To estimate the incidence rates, we randomly selected 100 B. striata Rchb.f. plants from each of five fields representing a total area of 3000 m2. In these fields, the occurrence of stained root-knot nematodes were 19.3%, 17%, 18.3%, 15%, and 13%, respectively. The gall rating of the infected plants in the B striata Rchb.f. samples collected from the five fields was 2 (rating scale of 0 to 5). Females (n=20), second-stage juveniles (J2s, n=20) and egg masses (n=20) were extracted and collected from roots and soil for morphological and molecular identification. The females had a white, pyriform body and their perineal patterns exhibited a high and square dorsal arch, lacking distinct lateral line (Figure 1. C & D). Measurements of females (n = 20) were: body length (BL) = 708.64±89.6 µm (554.36 to 844.51 µm); maximum body width (BW) = 461.73±47.44 µm (365.25 to 561.49 µm); stylet length (ST) = 15.49±3.15 µm (10.55 to 19.78 µm); and distance from dorsal esophageal gland opening to the stylet knobs (DGO) = 3.33±0.27 µm (2.77 to 3.93 µm). Measurements of J2s (n=20) were BL = 417.7±47.67 µm (342.16 to 499.68 µm); BW = 15.74±2.66 µm (11.05 to 25.63 µm); ST = 12.49±1.12 µm (10.19 to 15.02 µm); DGO = 2.64±0.59 µm (40.17 to 68.74 µm); tail length = 51.93±8.55 µm (10.43 to 27.22 µm); hyaline tail terminus = 18.23±3.99 µm (1.48 to 3.98 µm). These morphological features match the description of Meloidogyne incognita (Eisenback et al. 1981). To further confirm the species, we selected three infected plants from each field for molecular identification, the ITS region amplified using the primers 18S/26S (5'-TTGATTACGTCCCTGCCCTTT-3',5'-TTTCACTCGCCGTTACTAAGG-3') (Vrain et al. 1992) . A 729 bp PCR product of ITS region (accession nos. OR463907) was obtained from all infected plants. The amplicons from 18S/26S primer pair were sequenced and the sequences showed 95.29% homology with sequences of M. incognita (accession nos. MT209948.1). Moreover, a 835 bp DNA fragment (accession nos. OR469000) was obtained using the specific primers Mi-F/Mi-R (5'-GTGAGGATTCAGCTCCCCAG-3',5'-ACGAGGAACATACTTCTCCGTCC-3') for M. incognita (Meng et al. 2004), the sequence showed 99.28% homology with sequences of M. incognita (accession nos. ON416569). The morphological features and molecular data confirmed the identification of the root-knot nematode on B. striata Rchb.f. as M. incognita. To confirm the pathogenicity, ten healthy B. striata Rchb.f. seedlings were each inoculated with 500 freshly hatched J2s isolated from field Bletilla striata Rchb.f.. Five healthy seedlings without J2 inoculation were used as controls. At 60 days after inoculation, most of the inoculated plants exhibited similar symptoms to those initially observed by farmers in the field. On average, 1532 J2s were recovered from each inoculated plant, yielding a reproductive factor of 2.1. The gall rating for these inoculated plants was 2. Fuchsin staining revealed the presence of root-knot nematode females within the roots, with an average of 17 females detected per inoculated plant. No symptoms were observed in the control plants. This is the first report of M. incognita infecting B. striata Rchb.f. in China. M. incognita can cause severe infection and damage to some crops, resulting in serious economic losses (Eisenback, 2022). The growers need to take measures to prevent the spread of this nematode.