Stage S1 Research Articles

Measuring the shock stage of Itokawa and asteroid regolith grains by electron backscattered diffraction, optical petrography, and synchrotron X‐ray diffraction

AbstractOur goal was to devise a bridge between shock determinations of asteroid regolith grains by standard light optical petrography, synchrotron X‐ray diffraction (SXRD), and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). We determined the optimal conditions under which to measure the shock stage of olivine crystals in astromaterial grains by EBSD. We applied this EBSD procedure to the shock stage determination of four regolith grains from asteroid Itokawa, returned to earth by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Interpretation of these data required a parallel examination of three ordinary chondrite standards that exhibited shock histories ranging from stage 2 to stage 4, using all three techniques. Standard light optical petrography indicated shock stage of S2/3 for the 24 Itokawa grains analyzed. SXRD results for seven Itokawa grains indicate a shock stage of S2. EBSD maps of four Itokawa grains indicate shock stage S3. Thus, the different techniques indicate slightly different shock stages, probably due to small sampling populations for EBSD and SXRD. We therefore recommend that significantly more than seven regolith grains should be separately analyzed by any shock determination technique, probably between 10 and 20. In any case, Itokawa regolith grains have been shocked to stage S2/3, or approximately 5–10 GPa. Finally, we investigated the crystallinity of one Itokawa olivine by SXRD, determining that the 5–10 GPa shock it had experienced did not appreciably alter the size of the unit cell, contrary to some previous suggestions.

Transcriptome analysis of pod mutant reveals plant hormones are important regulators in controlling pod size in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

Pod size is an important yield-influencing trait in peanuts. It is affected by plant hormones and identifying the genes related to these hormones may contribute to pod-related trait improvements in peanut breeding programs. However, there is limited information on the molecular mechanisms of plant hormones that regulate pod size in peanuts. We identified a mutant with an extremely small pod (spm) from Yuanza 9102 (WT) by 60Co γ-radiation mutagenesis. The length and width of the natural mature pod in spm were only 71.34% and 73.36% of those in WT, respectively. We performed comparative analyses for morphological characteristics, anatomy, physiology, and global transcriptome between spm and WT pods. Samples were collected at 10, 20, and 30 days after peg elongation into the soil, representing stages S1, S2, and S3, respectively. The differences in pod size between WT and spm were seen at stage S1 and became even more striking at stages S2 and S3. The cell sizes of the pods were significantly smaller in spm than in WT at stages S1, S2, and S3. These results suggested that reduced cell size may be one of the important contributors for the small pod in spm. The contents of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin (GA), and brassinosteroid (BR) were also significantly lower in spm pods than those in WT pods at all three stages. RNA-Seq analyses showed that 1,373, 8,053, and 3,358 differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at stages S1, S2, and S3, respectively. Functional analyses revealed that a set of DEGs was related to plant hormone biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction pathway, and cell wall biosynthesis and metabolism. Furthermore, several hub genes associated with plant hormone biosynthesis and signal transduction pathways were identified through weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Our results revealed that IAA, GA, and BR may be important regulators in controlling pod size by regulating cell size in peanuts. This study provides helpful information for the understanding of the complex mechanisms of plant hormones in controlling pod size by regulating the cell size in peanuts and will facilitate the improvement of peanut breeding.

Gene regulation network analyses of pistil development in papaya

BackgroundThe pistil is an essential part of flowers that functions in the differentiation of the sexes and reproduction in plants. The stigma on the pistil can accept pollen to allow fertilization and seed development. Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a dioecious plant, where female flowers exhibit normal pistil, while the male flowers exhibit aborted pistil at a late stage of pistil development.ResultsThe developmental stages of papaya pistil were analyzed after first dividing it into slices representing the primordium stage 1 (S1), the pre-meiotic stages S2, post-meiotic stage S3, and the mitotic stage S4. The SS scoring algorithm analysis of genes preferentially expressed at different stages revealed differentially expressed genes between male and female flowers. A transcription factor regulatory network for each stage based on the genes that are differentially expressed between male and female flowers was constructed. Some transcription factors related to pistil development were revealed based on the analysis of regulatory networks such as CpAGL11, CpHEC2, and CpSUPL. Based on the specific expression of genes, constructed a gene regulatory subnetwork with CpAGL11-CpSUPL-CpHEC2 functioning as the core. Analysis of the functionally enriched terms in this network reveals several differentially expressed genes related to auxin/ brassinosteroid signal transduction in the plant hormone signal transduction pathway. At the same time, significant differences in the expression of auxin and brassinosteroid synthesis-related genes between male and female flowers at different developmental stages were detected.ConclusionsThe pistil abortion of papaya might be caused by the lack of expression or decreased expression of some transcription factors and hormone-related genes, affecting hormone signal transduction or hormone biosynthesis. Analysis of aborted and normally developing pistil in papaya provided new insights into the molecular mechanism of pistil development and sex differentiation in dioecious papaya.

Age-Related Alterations in DNA Methylation and APETALA2 (AP2) Levels in Herbaceous Peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.)

The ornamental and commercial values of herbaceous peony (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) are directly related to its flower pattern. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the type formation of P. lactiflora flowers have not been studied in great detail. Previous studies identified, using integrated multipleomics analysis, revealed that APETALA2 (AP2) is an important candidate gene that modulates type formation of P. lactiflora flowers. To further reveal the expression mechanism of AP2 in P. lactiflora petals, we examined the profile of AP2 expression in the inner and outer petals of ‘ZiFengyu’ at various developmental stages using qRT-PCR and BSP+Miseq methylation analysis. Based on our data, the AP2 levels in the outer petals were obviously increased, relative to the inner petals. In addition, the S3 levels at the bloom stage were significantly higher than at the flower-bud stage S1, thereby promoting bloom stage S2, while declining stage S4. Using chromosome walking, the 2000 bp of the 5′-end upstream promoter region was achieved. This region harbored a CpG island (−665∼−872 bp), with multiple essential transcription factor binding sites (TFBS) such as NF-kappa B, GATA-1, Sp1, and C/EBP. Methylation sequencing revealed 7 methylated CpG sites in the CpG island region of the AP2 promoter, thereinto, the methylation ratio of the CpG-3 site in the inner petals was significantly higher than in the outer petals. Correlation analysis revealed a negative association between the level of methylation (CpG-3, CpG-6), and AP2 mRNA expression. CpG-3 was located on the Sp1 transcription factor binding site. Thus, we speculated that the CpG-3 methylation may inhibit transcription factor Sp1 binding to the gene promoter, thereby regulating AP2 expression. Herein, we examined the role of AP2 in the determination of flower patterns in P. lactiflora. Our conclusion will provide theoretical guidance for the molecular breeding of the flower pattern in P. lactiflora.

Investigating the effect of coal particle size on spontaneous combustion and oxidation characteristics of coal.

As a key parameter, the particle size of residual coal contributes greatly to its oxidation characteristics, so it is a significant and far-reaching topic to explore the role of different particle sizes in coal spontaneous combustion disaster. In this work, temperature-programmed system (TPS) was applied to analyze the oxygen consumption rate and CO and C2H4 production rules of six groups of coal samples with different particle sizes in the process of oxidation heating. The critical temperature (CT) and xerochasy temperature (XT) of different coal samples were obtained, and the coal oxidation process was divided into three stages (S1, slow oxidation stage; S2, fast oxidation stage; and S3, combustion stage). Then, the apparent activation energy (E) and pre-exponential factor (A) in three stages were regressed combined with Arrhenius formula. The results show that the smaller the coal particle size is, the larger the specific surface area is, the stronger the adsorption capacity of coal molecules and oxygen molecules is, resulting in the larger oxygen consumption rate. The values of CT and XT with particle size of 0.125-0.18mm and 2-4mm are the smallest and largest. For coal samples with the same particle size, the maximum values of E and A occur in stage S3 and the minimum values appear in stage S1. This is mainly due to the higher temperature of stage S3, which allows the activation of functional groups with higher apparent activation energy, stronger collisions between activated molecules, and more intense oxidation reactions.

Transcriptome sequencing and differential expression analysis of seed starch accumulation in Chinese chestnut Metaxenia

BackgroundChestnut seeds are important kinds of edible nuts rich in starch and protein. The characteristics and nutrient contents of chestnut have been found to show obvious metaxenia effects in previous studies. To improve the understanding of the effect of metaxenia on chestnut starch and sucrose metabolism, this study used three varieties of chestnut, ‘Yongfeng 1’, ‘YongRen Zao’ and ‘Yimen 1’, as male parents to pollinate the female parent, ‘Yongfeng 1’, and investigated the mechanisms of starch and sucrose metabolism in three starch accumulation stages (70 (S1), 82 (S2), and 94 (S3) days after pollination, DAP) in chestnut seed kernels.ResultMost carbohydrate metabolism genes were highly expressed in YFF (self-pollinated ‘Yongfeng 1’) in stage S2 and in YFR (‘Yongfeng 1’ × ‘Yongren Zao’) and YFM (‘Yongfeng 1’ × ‘Yimen 1’) in stage S3. In stage S3, hub genes encoding HSF_DNA-binding, ACT, Pkinase, and LIM proteins and four transcription factors were highly expressed, with YFF showing the highest expression, followed by YFR and YFM. In addition, transcriptome analysis of the kernels at 70, 82 and 94 DAP showed that the starch granule-bound starch synthase (EC 2.4.1.242) and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (EC 2.7 .7.27) genes were actively expressed at 94 DAF. Chestnut seeds regulate the accumulation of soluble sugars, reducing sugars and starch by controlling glycosyl transferase and hydrolysis activity during development.ConclusionThese results and resources have important guiding significance for further research on starch and sucrose metabolism and other types of metabolism related to chestnut metaxenia.

Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) Phenology Estimation by Averaged Stokes-Related Parameters

Accurate and timely knowledge of crop phenology assists in planning and/or triggering appropriate farming activities. The multiple Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PolSAR) technique shows great potential in crop phenology retrieval for its characterizations, such as short revisit time, all-weather monitoring and sensitivity to vegetation structure. This study aims to explore the potential of averaged Stokes-related parameters derived from multiple PolSAR data in oilseed rape phenology identification. In this study, the averaged Stokes-related parameters were first computed by two different wave polarimetric states. Then, the two groups of averaged Stokes-related parameters were generated and applied for analyzing averaged Stokes-related parameter sensitivity to oilseed rape phenology changes. At last, decision tree (DT) algorithms trained using 60% of the data were used for oilseed rape phenological stage classification. Four Stokes parameters (g0, g1, g2 and g3) and eight sub parameters (degree of polarization m, entropy H, ellipticity angle χ, orientation angle φ, degree of linear polarization Dolp, degree of circular polarization Docp, linear polarization ratio Lpr and circular polarization ratio Cpr) were extracted from a multi-temporal RADARSAT-2 dataset acquired during the whole oilseed rape growth cycle in 2013. Their sensitivities to oilseed rape phenology were analyzed versus five main rape phenology stages. In two groups (two different wave polarimetric states) of this study, g0, g1, g2, g3, m, H, Dolp and Lpr showed high sensitivity to oilseed rape growth stages while χ, φ, Docp and Cpr showed good performance for phenology classification in previous studies, which were quite noisy during the whole oilseed rape growth circle and showed unobvious sensitivity to the crop’s phenology change. The DT algorithms performed well in oilseed rape phenological stage identification. The results were verified at the parcel level with left 40% of the point dataset. Five phenology intervals of oilseed rape were identified with no more than three parameters by simple but robust decision tree algorithm groups. The identified phenology stages agree well with the ground measurements; the overall identification accuracies were 71.18% and 79.71%, respectively. For each growth stage, the best performance occurred at stage S1 with the accuracy of 95.65% for Group 1 and 94.23% for Group 2, and the worst performance occurred at stage S3 and S5 with the values around 60%. Most of the classification errors may resulted from the indistinguishability of S3 and S5 using Stokes-related parameters.

Nomogram for predicting advanced liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with chronic liver disease

BackgroundWe aimed to formulate a novel predictive nomogram to discriminate liver fibrosis stage in patients with chronic liver disease.MethodsNomograms were established based on the results of multivariate analysis. The predictive accuracy of the nomograms was assessed by ROC analysis and calibration. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to determine the clinical benefit of the nomograms.ResultsINR, platelets, and N-terminal propeptide type III collagen (PIIINP) were independent predictors for advanced liver fibrosis (≥ S3) and cirrhosis (S4) in patients with chronic liver disease in the training cohort. In the training set, the areas under the ROCs (AUROCs) of nomogram S3S4, APRI, FIB-4, and GPR for stage ≥ S3 were 0.83, 0.71, 0.68, and 0.74, respectively; the AUROCs of nomogram S4, APRI, FIB-4, and GPR for stage S4 were 0.88, 0.74, 0.78, and 0.79, respectively. The calibrations showed optimal agreement between the prediction by the established nomograms and actual observation. In the validation set, the AUROCs of nomogram S3S4, APRI, FIB-4, and GPR for stage ≥ S3 were 0.86, 0.79, 0.78, and 0.81, respectively; the AUROCs of nomogram S4, APRI, FIB-4, and GPR for stage S4 were 0.88, 0.77, 0.81, and 0.83, respectively. Furthermore, the decision curve analysis suggested that the nomograms represent better clinical benefits in both independent cohorts than APRI, FIB-4, and GPR.ConclusionThe constructed nomograms could be a superior tool for discriminating advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic liver disease.

Soil moisture and nitrogen content influence wheat yield through their effects on the root system and soil bacterial diversity under drip irrigation

AbstractSoil properties and plants influence soil microbial community diversity, and their role in nutrient cycling could influence plant productivity; however, it is not clear the relationships between soil bacterial communities, soil moisture, and nitrogen (N) content, and whether these associations influence plant productivity. In this study, we investigated how the soil microbial community affects root zone productivity in winter wheat. We also verified whether productivity can be improved by water adjustment and N management in drip irrigation field experiments (I0, natural condition; I1, jointing to heading stage S1 55%–80%θf, field capacity, anthesis to mature stage S2 70%–80%θf; I2, S1 55%–90%θf, S2 70%–90%θf; and I3, S1 55%–100%θf, S2 70%–100%θf) and under different N application rates (N0, N1, N2, and N3 represent 0, 150, 200, and 250 kg N ha−1). Soil moisture and N application rate significantly influenced water use efficiency (WUE), N use efficiency (NUE), yield, and soil bacterial abundance and diversity in the wheat root zone. N application decreased the richness indices in un‐irrigated soils (I0), whereas it initially increased, and then decreased the indices in irrigated soils (I1, I2, and I3). The primary factor influencing the dominant bacterial taxa was soil moisture content (SMC), followed by root length density (RLD). The root system and soil bacterial diversity strong influenced wheat yield. The I1N1 treatment resulted in the highest root weight density (RWD), WUE, and NUE, and thus increased wheat yield; furthermore, it had the least influence on the diversity of soil bacteria. Our work suggests that the response of bacterial communities to soil moisture and nitrogen content largely regulates crop production in agro‐ecosystems, and that regulating soil moisture and nitrogen fertilizer use may provide a sustainable solution for maintaining farmland productivity.

Petrology and mineralogy of the Viñales meteorite, the latest fall in Cuba.

The new Cuban chondrite, Viñales, fell on February first, 2019 at Pinar del Rio, northwest of Cuba (22°37'10″N, 83°44'34″W). A total of about 50-100 kg of the meteorite were collected and the masses of individual samples are in a range 2-1100 g. Two polished thin sections were studied by optical microscope, Raman spectroscopy and electron microprobe analysis in this study. The meteorite mainly consists of olivine (Fa24.6), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs20.5), and troilite and Fe-Ni metal, with minor amounts of feldspar (Ab82.4-84.7). Three poorly metamorphosed porphyritic olivine-pyroxene and barred olivine chondrules are observed. The homogeneous chemical compositions and petrographic textures indicate that Viñales is a L6 chondrite. The Viñales has fresh black fusion crust with layered structure, indicating it experienced a high temperature of ∼1650°C during atmospheric entry. Black shock melt veins with width of 100-600 μm are pervasive in the Viñales and olivine, bronzite, and metal phases are dominate minerals of the shock melt vein. The shock features of major silicate minerals suggest a shock stage S3, partly S4, and the shock pressure could be >10 GPa.

Evaluating the influence of humidity on asphalt mixture performance by the flow number test

Moisture damage greatly influences the performance of asphalt pavements. However, existing studies evaluating the moisture sensitivity of asphalt mixtures either ignore the influence of water vapor or use inappropriate testing methods. This study examined the moisture sensitivity of asphalt mixtures by using the flow number (FN) test. Four levels of the humidity condition (2%, 50%, 80% and 100% RH) were first designed to condition specimens, after which the FN test was employed to assess the moisture susceptibility of mixtures. The results show that it took 50 days for specimens to reach humidity equilibrium at Humidity Level 1, while approximately 4300 h (180 days) were required for specimens to achieve the respective Humidity Levels 2, 3, and 4. The evaluation indicators—in other words, FN, the onset of the secondary stage N4, their corresponding permanent strains (PS2 and PS3), and the slope of secondary stage S2—were then determined by applying a two-step secant method. It was observed that N4 and FN exhibit a gradually decreasing tendency, while PS2 and PS3 tend to increase with the rise in humidity level, but this phenomenon seems indiscernible in some groups. A newly modified exponential function model was proposed to characterize the interaction between humidity levels and S2. It was also demonstrated that the slope of the secondary stage is positively correlated with humidity conditions, which indicates that more deformation will occur with a faster deformation rate during higher humidity levels. The combined use of FN and S2 is a recommended way to assess the trend of permanent deformation of asphalt mixtures under different humidity conditions.

Genome-wide comparative transcriptome analysis of the A4-CMS line ICPA 2043 and its maintainer ICPB 2043 during the floral bud development of pigeonpea.

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) offers a unique system to understand cytoplasmic nuclear crosstalk, and is also employed for exploitation of hybrid vigor in various crops. Pigeonpea A4-CMS, a predominant source of male sterility, is being used for efficient hybrid seed production. The molecular mechanisms of CMS trait remain poorly studied in pigeonpea. We performed genome-wide transcriptome profiling of A4-CMS line ICPA 2043 and its isogenic maintainer ICPB 2043 at two different stages of floral bud development (stage S1 and stage S2). Consistent with the evidences from some other crops, we also observed significant difference in the expression levels of genes in the later stage, i.e., stage S2. Differential expression was observed for 143 and 55 genes within the two stages of ICPA 2043 and ICPB 2043, respectively. We obtained only 10 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the stage S1 of the two genotypes, whereas expression change was significant for 582 genes in the case of stage S2. The qRT-PCR assay of randomly selected six genes supported the differential expression of genes between ICPA 2043 and ICPB 2043. Further, GO and KEGG pathway mapping suggested a possible compromise in key bioprocesses during flower and pollen development. Besides providing novel insights into the functional genomics of CMS trait, our results were in strong agreement with the gene expression atlas of pigeonpea that implicated various candidate genes like sucrose-proton symporter 2 and an uncharacterized protein along with pectate lyase, pectinesterase inhibitors, L-ascorbate oxidase homolog, ATPase, β-galactosidase, polygalacturonase, and aldose 1-epimerase for pollen development of pigeonpea. The dataset presented here provides a rich genomic resource to improve understanding of CMS trait and its deployment in heterosis breeding in pigeonpea.

The Kumtag meteorite strewn field

The Kumtag meteorite strewn field was found in the Kumtag desert, 132 km south of Hami city in the Xinjiang province, China. It is an ellipse of 2.5 × 7.9 km, with a long axis extending along the northeast-southwest direction. The largest individual meteorite of the strewn field weighs about 10 kg; the smallest individual has a mass of only 27 g. In total, more than 100 individuals with a total mass of more than 180 kg were collected. The location and the distribution of the fragments suggest that the Kumtag meteoroid entered the atmosphere in the direction Northeast-Southwest. All meteorites collected in this strewn field are samples from the same unique meteorite shower. The Kumtag meteorite is an H5 ordinary chondrite with a shock stage S2, and a weathering grade W2. The cosmic ray exposure age of Kumtag is 6.7 ± 0.8 Ma, which is rather typical for H chondrites and which indicates that Kumtag was derived from the massive impact event on its parent body ~7 Ma ago. A significant amount of He has been lost during certain unknown processe(s) before the Kumtag meteorite was ejected from its parent body.

Imaging-Based Staging of Hepatic Fibrosis in Patients with Hepatitis B: A Dynamic Radiomics Model Based on Gd-EOB-DTPA-Enhanced MRI.

Accurate grading of liver fibrosis can effectively assess the severity of liver disease and help doctors make an appropriate diagnosis. This study aimed to perform the automatic staging of hepatic fibrosis on patients with hepatitis B, who underwent gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with dynamic radiomics analysis. The proposed dynamic radiomics model combined imaging features from multi-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) images and time-domain information. Imaging features were extracted from the deep learning-based segmented liver volume, and time-domain features were further explored to analyze the variation in features during contrast enhancement. Model construction and evaluation were based on a 132-case data set. The proposed model achieved remarkable performance in significant fibrosis (fibrosis stage S1 vs. S2–S4; accuracy (ACC) = 0.875, area under the curve (AUC) = 0.867), advanced fibrosis (S1–S2 vs. S3–S4; ACC = 0.825, AUC = 0.874), and cirrhosis (S1–S3 vs. S4; ACC = 0.850, AUC = 0.900) classifications in the test set. It was more dominant compared with the conventional single-phase or multi-phase DCE-based radiomics models, normalized liver enhancement, and some serological indicators. Time-domain features were found to play an important role in the classification models. The dynamic radiomics model can be applied for highly accurate automatic hepatic fibrosis staging.

SERS diagnosis of liver fibrosis in the early stage based on gold nanostar liver targeting tags.

In order to realize the accurate and early diagnosis of liver fibrosis, a long slow pathological process which may lead to cirrhosis or even liver cancer, liver targeting tags made up of gold nanostars and glycyrrhetinic acid are reported in this paper. Gold nanostars (GNSs) and GNS liver targeting tags (GLTTs) were injected into model mice with stage S1 liver fibrosis and normal mice via the tail vein respectively, then the SERS spectra were collected. GLTTs had a better detection effect on liver tissue than unmodified GNSs (12.85 times), and better detection reproducibility as well. Moreover, according to the MTT and survival analysis experiments, GLTTs also had better biocompatibility. Hence, the changes of 10 SERS signals and other substances in the early stage of liver fibrosis were analyzed at the molecular level, and the SERS characteristic peaks that could be used for the diagnosis of early liver fibrosis were screened out. Revealed by the experimental results, the GLTTs designed and prepared were applicable to the efficient SERS detection of early liver fibrosis in mice, and the strategy we have proposed might be a potential approach for the early diagnosis of this disease in clinics.

Study of metalloproteinases in the blood of goats experimentally infected with caprine encephalitis arthritis virus

Caprine arthritis encephalitis is a lentiviral disease that leads to considerable losses in goat farming. In the acute phase of viral infection, though antiviral antibodies are produced by the host’s immune system, they are not sufficient to be detected by serological tests. Acute infections begin with an incubation period, during which the viral genome replicates and host innate responses are initiated. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes that play an important role in the physiological and pathological processes of tissue remodeling. The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of MMPs and their activity in the blood serum of goats experimentally infected with caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). Five dairy goats, aged 3-4 years, were intravenously inoculated with CAEV Cork strain (titer: 105-6 TCID50/mL) after being tested negative for CAEV thrice at consecutive intervals of 30 days using western blot analysis and nested-PCR. The study included three stages: S1 or pre-infection stage; S2 or seroconversion stage, corresponding to the occurrence of first seroconversion; and S3 or post-seroconversion stage, corresponding to 23 weeks after seroconversion. Zymography was performed for the samples using gelatin zymography gels (12.5%), which were subjected to electrophoresis at 170V, 1A, and 300W for 50-70 min. The density of MMP-2 was found to be lower at S1 (1456.20 pixels) than that at S2 and S3 (1943.80 and 2104.40 pixels, respectively) (P < 0.05); and the density of MMP-9 was found to be lower at S3 (133.60 pixels) than that at S1 and S2 (359.60 and 370.60 pixels, respectively). The density of proMMP-2 was low at S1 and S3 (130.45 and 145.20 pixels, respectively). On the other hand, the density of proMMP-9 was statistically different between S1 and S3 (89.22 vs. 415.60 pixels). Both proMMP-2 and proMMP-9 were absent at S2. Thus, MMP-2 and MMP-9 exhibited opposite behaviors depending on the stage of infection. As the greatest activity of MMP-2 was detected at stage S3, we suggest that MMP-2 can be used as a biomarker for complementary diagnosis of acute CAEV infection. In addition, the presence of proMMP-13 can be used to indicate active viral infection.

Non-drug treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: evaluation of effectiveness with ultrasound steatometry

Objective. Evaluation of the effectiveness of non-drug treatment in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease using the method of quantitative ultrasound steatometry.Material and methods. We examined 118 patients aged 18–75 years, including 52 (44 %) men and 66 (56 %) women using a single diagnostic algorithm of four stages: questioning and collecting complaints, assessing the quality of life, clinical examination, non-invasive bioimpedansometry, followed by assessment of fat mass index, ultrasound examination of the liver in the B-mode, quantitative ultrasound steatometry by evaluating the attenuation coefficient of the ultrasonic wave. Individual non-drug therapy is prescribed to patients in the form of an individual program of therapeutic nutrition and physical activity. A dynamic assessment of the decrease in the proportion of adipose tissue and the severity of fatty liver infiltration was carried out at points of 6, 12, 18, 24 months. A liver biopsy followed by histological analysis on an SAF scale was performed in 32 patients.Results. To assess the effectiveness of non-drug treatment in patients, a tendency of reducing the proportion of fat content and the severity of fatty infiltration in the liver was observed. All patients were divided into two groups according to their level of compliance with the prescribed treatment. Decrease in the proportion of adipose tissue in patients with a high level of compliance – up to 76.2 %, in patients with a low level of compliance – up to 89.1 % of the initial values. Decrease in fatty liver infiltration in patients with a high level of compliance – up to 80.2 %, in patients with a low level of compliance – up to 92.1 % of the initial one.Conclusion. Ultrasound steatometry is an informative method for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease screening. The correlation of quantitative ultrasound diagnostics data for steatosis with a biopsy at stage S0 corresponds to r = 0.85; at stage S1 r = 0.72, at S2 r = 0.73, at stage S3 corresponds to r = 0.84, which indicates the high informativity of this method.

Staged Condensation of Coal Tar from the Pyrolysis of Coal in a Screw Pyrolyzer

AbstractStaged condensation of coal tar was studied with a three‐staged condensation system (first stage S1, 100–300 °C; second stage S2, 30–70 °C; third stage S3, 0 °C) to perform on‐line preliminary removal of dust and fundamental fractionation of tar components. The dust and heavy components are predominantly distributed in S1. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are abundant in S1. Aliphatics and monocyclic phenols are abundant in S2, and the tar in S3 is rich in aliphatics and monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. With increasing S2 temperature from 30 to 70 °C, the total organics in the water phase in S2 and S3 are least at an S2 temperature of 50 °C, which is advantageous for post‐treatment of wastewater.

Ultrasound quantitative liver steatometry in overweight patients: the possibilities of improved technique

Objective : to assess the state of the liver parenchyma in patients with fat overweight using the quantitative ultrasound steatometry method. Material and methods : 118 patients aged 19–75 years were examined, 52 of them men (44%) and 66 women (56%) due to a single 7 (8) stages diagnostic algorithm: questioning and complaints collecting, quality of life, clinical inspection, non-invasive bioimpedancemetry with subsequent assessment of fat mass index, ultrasound liver examination in B-mode, quantitative ultrasound steatometry with ultrasound wave attenuation coefficient evaluation, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the «Whole body» mode, liver biopsy with histological microscopic specimens on SAF and NAS scales assessment. The control group consisted of 46 patients with a normal ration of fat mass and without ultrasound signs of fatty liver infiltration. Results : there were no signs of liver steatosis in 4 patients (3,4%) with a clinical picture of metabolic syndrome were detected using instrumental diagnostic methods. The sensitivity and specificity of B-mode were 60,4% and 72,8%, respectively, quantitative ultrasound steatometry — 90,7% and 92,4%, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the «Whole body» mode — 88,7% and 90,1%. Conclusion : Ultrasound steatometry is an informative method for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease screening. The correlation of quantitative ultrasound diagnostics data for steatosis with a biopsy at stage S0 corresponds to r=0,87; at stage S1 r=0,69, S2 r=0,75, at stage S3 corresponds to r=0,86, which indicates the high informativeness of this method; Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in the «Whole body» mode can be used as an alternative to multislice computed tomography to identify components of the metabolic syndrome due to low radiation exposure.

Impact of Growth Stage and Biomass Fractions on Cannabinoid Content and Yield of Different Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Genotypes

The medicinal use of cannabinoids renewed the interest in industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of growth stage and biomass fractions of seven industrial hemp genotypes. The study focused on biomass yield, content of cannabidiolic acid/cannabidiol (CBDA/CBD), cannabigerolic acid/cannabigerol (CBGA/CBG), and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA). The experiment was conducted in 2017 and 2018. The biomass samples were taken at the vegetative (S1), bud (S2), full-flowering (S3) and seed maturity stage (S4). Plants were fractionated into inflorescence, upper and lower leaves. The average inflorescence dry yield of genotypes Futura75, Fédora17, Félina32 and Ferimon ranged between 257.28 g m−2 to 442.00 g m−2, resulting in a maximum yield of CBDA at S4, with 4568.26 mg m−2, 6011.20 mg m−2, 4975.60 mg m−2 and 1929.60 mg m−2, respectively. CBGA was exclusively found in genotype Santhica27, with a maximum CBGA yield of 5721.77 mg m−2 in inflorescence at growth stage S4 and a dry weight yield of 408.99 g m−2. Although these industrial hemp genotypes are mainly cultivated for fibre and seed production, however, cannabinoids offer an additional value. For an optimized harvest result, yield of extractable material and overall yield of cannabinoids must be considered.