Genomic insights into deleterious mutations and their impact on agronomic traits during pear domestication.

The pear ( spp.), a perennial fruit tree, is subjected to genetic alterations over decades or even centuries to adapt to complex climatic and cultivation conditions. Genome-wide studies of deleterious mutations remain limited in perennial fruit trees, particularly regarding the effects of domestication on deleterious mutations.

Climate warming fuels the global antibiotic resistome by altering soil bacterial traits.

Understanding the implications of global warming on the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs) within soil ecosystems is crucial for safeguarding human well-being and sustaining ecosystem health. However, there is currently a lack of large-scale, systematic underpinning data needed to examine this issue. Here, using an integrative approach that combines field experiments, extensive global metagenomic data and microbial culturing, we show that warming enriches bacteria with ARGs and VFGs, increases metabolic complexity and adaptability in bacteria, and accelerates genetic alterations related to ARG and VFGs development.

Pivotal role of earthworm gut protists in mediating antibiotic resistance genes under microplastic and sulfamethoxazole stress in soil-earthworm systems.

Microplastics (MPs) are currently receiving widespread attention worldwide, and their co-occurrence with antibiotics is unavoidable. However, our understanding of how protists respond to co-pollution and mediate antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) profiles remains exceedingly limited, particularly within non-target animals' guts. To bridge these gaps, we investigated the individual and combined effects of polyethylene and sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) on microbial communities and ARGs in soil and earthworm guts.

Effects of cellulase or Lactobacillus plantarum on ensiling performance and bacterial community of sorghum straw.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cellulase or Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) on the fermentation characteristics and microbial community structure of the sorghum straw silage. Sorghum straw was treated with the following four experimental conditions: distilled water (control, CK), cellulase (CEL), Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), and a combined treatment of Lactobacillus plantarum with cellulase (LPCEL).

Glycine N-acyltransferase deficiency in sensory neurons suppresses osteoarthritis pain.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by chronic pain, which profoundly impacts patients' quality of life. The analgesic treatment for OA is an urgent clinical problem to be addressed. Glycine N-acyltransferase (GLYAT) is an enzyme that plays a vital role in facilitating biochemical reactions through the catalysis of glycine conjugation.

Phellinus linteus (Agaricomycetes) Polysaccharides Ameliorate Inflammatory Injury in H2O2-Induced Caco-2 Cells and DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis Mice.

Phellinus linteus (Agaricomycetes) is a valuable medicinal mushroom traditionally used as a food supplement and medicinal ingredient. Polysaccharides of Ph. linteus (PLP) possess strong anti-inflammatory effects and gut microbiota modulating properties.

Highly Efficient and Stable Mn-CoNiO Electrocatalysts for Alkaline Water Electrolysis: Atomic Doping Strategy for Enhanced OER and HER Performance.

Water electrolysis for hydrogen production has garnered significant attention due to its advantages of high efficiency, environmental friendliness, and abundant resources. Developing cost-effective, efficient, and stable materials for water electrolysis is therefore crucial. In this work, we synthesized a series of highly efficient multifunctional Mn-CoNiO electrocatalysts through an atomic doping strategy for alkaline electrocatalysts.

Effects of Moisture Content Gradient on Alfalfa Silage Quality, Odor, and Bacterial Community Revealed by Electronic Nose and GC-MS.

Better quality and odor of silage and normal microbial fermentation metabolism are mostly dependent on an appropriate moisture content. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different moisture content gradients (50, 60, 70, and 80%) on the bacterial community, odor, and quality of alfalfa silage at 60 days by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and electronic nose, with six replicates per group. The results showed that there were significant differences in odor response intensity among all groups, among which the 80% group had the strongest reaction to terpenoids, sulfides, and nitrogen oxides.

Effects of Two Bacterial Exopolysaccharides on Microbial Community, Fermentation Characteristics and Aerobic Stability in Oat Silage.

This study investigated whether two exopolysaccharides could serve as exogenous carbon sources to enhance fermentation quality in oat silage, providing a theoretical foundation for their future application in silage. The oats were harvested at the heading stage and, following a period of wilting, were chopped into 2-3 cm lengths for the ensiling experiment. The treatments applied were as follows: (1) a control group (CK), which received only sterile water; (2) a group with added dextran (D); and (3) a group with added levan (L).

Efficient preparation and properties of PBAT/starch covalent a daptable network composites.

Poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)/starch composites have captured great attentions due to their favorable biodegradability and cost-effectiveness. However, it is still a challenge to prepare PBAT/starch composites with superior mechanical performance, solvent and creep resistance, and gas barrier. This study used a chain breaking-crosslinking strategy to prepare covalent adaptable network (CAN) composites from PBAT and unmodified starch via reactive extrusion.

Deep learning-enabled exploration of global spectral features for photosynthetic capacity estimation.

Spectral analysis is a widely used method for monitoring photosynthetic capacity. However, vegetation indices-based linear regression exhibits insufficient utilization of spectral information, while full spectra-based traditional machine learning has limited representational capacity (partial least squares regression) or uninterpretable (convolution). In this study, we proposed a deep learning model with enhanced interpretability based on attention and vegetation indices calculation for global spectral feature mining to accurately estimate photosynthetic capacity.

Novel strategy to understand the bacteria-enzyme synergy action regulates the ensiling performance of wheat straw silage by multi-omics analysis.

Background: Ensiling technology shows promise for preserving and providing high-quality forage. However, the high polymeric content and compact properties of fiber result in low biodigestibility. This study aimed to evaluate the use of ensiling technology for storing wheat straw.

Volatile metabolomics and metagenomics reveal the effects of lactic acid bacteria on alfalfa silage quality, microbial communities, and volatile organic compounds.

Lactic acid bacteria metabolism affects the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in alfalfa silage, which results in differences of odor and quality. The aim of this study was to reveal the effects of commercial Lactobacillus plantarum (CL), screened Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), and screened Pediococcus pentosaceus (PP) on quality, microbial community, and VOCs of alfalfa silage based on volatile metabolomics and metagenomics. The results showed that the LP and PP groups had higher sensory and quality grades, and the dominant bacteria were Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus.

Soil Plastisphere Reinforces the Adverse Effect of Combined Pollutant Exposure on the Microfood Web.

Microbial interactions form microfood webs, crucial for ecological functions. The steady state of these webs, shaped by cooperation and competition among trophic levels, prevents pathogen proliferation and invasion, maintaining soil health. Combined pollutants pose a widespread environmental issue, exerting significant pressure on microfood webs.

Effects of Different Additives and Ratios on Broom Sorghum Straw Silage Characteristics and Bacterial Communities.

As a large agricultural country, China produces a large number of agricultural and sideline products while harvesting agricultural products every year. Crop straw is one of them. Broom sorghum is a traditional crop in China, which produces a large amount of straw resources every year.

Closed-loop recyclable polymers: from monomer and polymer design to the polymerization-depolymerization cycle.

The extensive utilization of plastic, as a symbol of modern technological society, has consumed enormous amounts of finite and non-renewable fossil resources and produced huge amounts of plastic wastes in the land or ocean, and thus recycling and reuse of the plastic wastes have great ecological and economic benefits. Closed-loop recyclable polymers with inherent recyclability can be readily depolymerized into monomers with high selectivity and purity and repolymerized into polymers with the same performance. They are deemed to be the next generation of recyclable polymers and have captured great and increasing attention from academia and industry.

AC breakdown and decomposition products detection characteristics of eco-friendly insulating medium in gas insulated switchgear.

Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) was a crucial electrical equipment that provides the safety and security of power systems, and finding the eco-friendly alternatives of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) as insulating medium in GIS has been an urgent demand in past decades. However, few studies reported the specific dielectric strength under various electrodes and partial discharge (PD) decomposition products detection of applying the eco-friendly gas in GIS. In this paper, the insulation properties among CFN/CO mixtures, dry air and CO were explored under the reduced-scale gas-insulated experimental device.

Viral Communities Suppress the Earthworm Gut Antibiotic Resistome by Lysing Bacteria on a National Scale.

Earthworms are critical in regulating soil processes and act as filters for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Yet, the geographic patterns and main drivers of earthworm gut ARGs remain largely unknown. We collected 52 earthworm and soil samples from arable and forest ecosystems along a 3000 km transect across China, analyzing the diversity and abundance of ARGs using shotgun metagenomics.

Effect of meddling ARBs on ARGs dynamics in fungal infested soil and their selective dispersal along spatially distant mycelial networks.

During the recent times, environmental antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their potential transfer to other bacterial hosts of pathogenic importance are of serious concern. However, the dissemination strategies of such ARGs are largely unknown. We tested that saprotrophic soil fungi differentially enriched antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARBs) and subsequently contributed in spatial distribution of selective ARGs.

Effects of selenium enrichment on fermentation characteristics, selenium content and microbial community of alfalfa silage.

Background: Selenium is essential for livestock and human health. The traditional way of adding selenium to livestock diets has limitations, and there is a growing trend to provide livestock with a safe and efficient source of selenium through selenium-enriched pasture. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of selenium enrichment on fermentation characteristics, selenium content, selenium morphology, microbial community and in vitro digestion of silage alfalfa by using unenriched (CK) and selenium-enriched (Se) alfalfa as raw material for silage.

Acetal-thiol Click-like Reaction: Facile and Efficient Synthesis of Dynamic Dithioacetals and Recyclable Polydithioacetals.

Dithioacetals are heavily used in organic, material and medical chemistries, and exhibit huge potential to synthesize degradable or recyclable polymers. However, the current synthetic approaches of dithioacetals and polydithioacetals are overwhelmingly dependent on external catalysts and organic solvents. Herein, we disclose a catalyst- and solvent-free acetal-thiol click-like reaction for synthesizing dithioacetals and polydithioacetals.