Tea is globally prized for its flavor, with aroma being a key quality indicator. To fully understand tea aroma, which arises from complex perceptual interactions, systematic molecular sensory omics that integrate both perceptual complexity and matrix effects are required. This critical integration continues to be unmet as a key challenge in the field. Baked green tea produced from 'Zhongcha 302' (Camellia sinensis cv. Zhongcha 302, ZC302) is prized for its superior flavor, yet its key odorants and their formation mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to identify these key odorants and elucidate the perceptual interactions and predicted mechanism in binary mixtures. Key odorants were identified through an integrated sensomics approach. Perceptual interactions between binary odorant pairs were evaluated using 3‑AFC tests, S‑curves, and odor activity value calculations, with further validation conducted in tea blank matrix. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were performed to characterize odorant binding to olfactory receptors and predict binding modes. Seven key odorants yielded 21 binary pairs, classified as 13 synergistic, six masking, one additive, and one non-interactive. The additive (geraniol & methyl salicylate) and masking (geraniol &trans-β-ionone) pairs consistently modulated the "floral" attribute in both aqueous and tea matrix. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the additive odor pair forms a highly compatible and stable complex with OR1G1 via strengthened hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and favorable electrostatic complementarity. In this binary odorant system, methyl salicylate stably anchors the receptor extracellular domain, whereas geraniol dynamically modulates receptor structural flexibility. The key odorants in ZC302 baked green tea primarily interact through additive or masking effects, with their perceptual outcomes governed by distinct binding modes to olfactory receptors. The tea matrix critically modulates odor interaction patterns and substantially affects the authenticity of aroma perception.
Tigers are often targeted for their body parts, particularly bones, which are highly prized in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) market for their medicinal properties. Due to their high demand and dwindling tiger population, the illegal wildlife market has seen a rise in substitutes for tiger bone. Therefore, to support legal action and enforce regulations, verifying the authenticity of suspected tiger bone products is crucial. In the present study, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics were utilized to differentiate the Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) bone samples. The ATR-FTIR bone spectra of both species were visually compared and subsequently subjected to chemometric analysis. Three chemometric tools, including PCA, SVM, and PLS-DA, were employed, which successfully differentiated the bone spectra of the two species with accuracies of 91.66%, 97.92%, and 100%, respectively. Cross-validation indicated that the PLS-DA model outperformed the SVM model, leading to further validation studies only carried out for the PLS-DA model. The external validation and blind testing of the PLS-DA model yielded 100% accuracy. Furthermore, the PLS-DA model successfully distinguished water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bone samples from those of the Royal Bengal Tiger and Indian Leopard, categorizing all three species into distinct classes with 100% accuracy. This study demonstrated a quick, reliable, and cost-effective method for differentiating the Royal Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard, and water buffalo bones using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics, even in powder form without having any morphological characteristics.
Panax species are prized globally for tonic effects and widely used in health foods and herbal products, yet genus-wide comprehensive chemical profiling remains limited. Here, we present the first comparative chemical analysis encompassing nearly all Panax species distributed in China, totaling ten species. To achieve this, an offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach applicable across ten species was established, yielding orthogonality A0 values of 0.65-0.78. Using UNIFI-based automated annotation and manual validation, 4080 compounds (397-1016 compounds per species) were identified─representing the largest saponin data set to date. Comparative analysis across ten species revealed distinct chemotypic patterns: five species were dominated by PPD-type, two by PPT-type, and three by OA-type saponins. Saponins bearing two or three glycosyl groups predominated, with ∼20% showing acylation. P. vietnamensis exhibited the most diverse glycosylation and acylation patterns. This study provides a valuable chemical resource for advancing Panax research and authentication.
Agarwood, a valuable aromatic resin from Aquilaria species, is prized for its distinctive fragrance and medicinal properties. However, natural agarwood formation is slow, and the quality of artificially induced agarwood remains unstable. While endophytic fungi can stimulate resin accumulation by activating metabolic pathways, the temporal dynamics of metabolite synthesis, the mechanisms of pathway convergence, and the quantitative relationships between precursor consumption and aromatic compound production remain poorly understood, limiting the development of standardized bioinduction systems. We employed a sterile A. sinensis sawdust medium and inoculated the high-efficiency agarwood-inducing endophytic fungus NSZJ-CX-22 to construct a controllable model system. We systematically evaluated the dynamic variation patterns of metabolite profiles at four culture time points (7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th days post-inoculation) using widely targeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We applied multivariate statistical approaches, including principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), to decipher the metabolic dynamics. Additionally, we performed KEGG enrichment analysis to identify key metabolic pathways. We identified 14,784 metabolites, including 118 agarwood-characteristic sesquiterpene skeletons and 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones (PECs). Three core biosynthetic pathways-flavonoid, phenylpropanoid, and terpenoid-converge through shared precursors (acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA) and branch-point enzymes (CHS, TPS, PKS), orchestrated by jasmonic acid (JA)-like signals. The metabolic trajectory exhibited a triphasic pattern: nutrient mobilization (0-7d), biosynthetic burst with peak sesquiterpene/chromone accumulation at day 14, and defensive restructuring (21-28d) with P450-mediated modifications. Quantitative correlation analysis revealed significant negative relationships (|r| ≈ 0.63-0.74, FDR<0.05) between precursor depletion and agarwood compound synthesis. Volatile profiling identified 116 compounds, with aromatic compounds (42) and sesquiterpenes (5) as key odorants, accumulating in stage-specific patterns aligned with precursor flux redirection. This study establishes a "precursor pool-pathway convergence-temporal programming" framework for fungal agarwood biogenesis. The integrated multi-omics approach quantitatively links substrate consumption to product synthesis. It provides actionable guidance for optimized bioproduction: segmented harvesting (sesquiterpenes at 7-14d, chromones avoiding the day-21 energy trough), JA-signal priming in the early phase, and P450-enhancement strategies in the late phase for structural diversification. These findings advance mechanistic understanding and enable scalable, quality-controlled agarwood biomanufacturing.
Sea slugs are known as the jewels of the sea, prized by most divers and treasured by underwater photographers. Some species are very rare or difficult to spot, but others are quite common and are often featured in field guides and web pages. However, it is surprising that some of those most common and incredibly beautiful creatures are sometimes undescribed species or, in some cases, misidentified as other species. In this paper, we formally name and describe three of these well-photographed species: Thecacera melkyisp. nov., Thecacerapikachusp. nov. and Nembrotha lorosaesp. nov. all belonging to the family Polyceridae Alder and Hancock, 1845, and collected in East Timor. We perform species delimitation analyses and present their phylogenetic scenario based on two mitochondrial (COI, 16S rRNA) and one nuclear marker (H3). We also reveal a new color morphotype of Nembrotha purpureolineata O'Donoghue, 1924 and highlight two possible undescribed species-one Thecacera J. Fleming, 1828 and one Nembrotha Bergh, 1877. It is essential to continue searching for and fully describing new species, especially in less-studied regions, to understand the true biodiversity of our seas.
Mussel foot proteins (Mfps) hold immense potential for medicine and bioengineering, owing to their exceptional adhesion and biocompatibility. However, traditional extraction from mussels is low-yield and ecologically unsustainable. While microbial synthesis offers a green alternative, the intrinsic hydrophobicity and adhesiveness of Mfps often induce severe host cytotoxicity, resulting in low yields. Initially, attempts to express Mcofp-3 in Escherichia coli were limited to 60 mg L-1 due to such cytotoxic effects. To overcome this bottleneck, we developed a hyaluronic acid (HA)-driven "condensate-based sequestration" strategy. This approach leverages electrostatic interactions to sequester Mcofp-3 into condensates, thereby shielding the host cells and alleviating metabolic stress. This strategy significantly restored cell viability, increasing the titer to 460 mg L-1 in shake flasks. Moreover, the process was successfully scaled up to a 50 L fed-batch fermentation, achieving a final titer of 1.6 g L-1. Following production, in vitro 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) modification was performed using immobilized TyrVs-CipA, yielding functional Mcofp-3 that exhibited anti-inflammatory activity and enhanced cell migration capabilities. This work establishes a versatile, green paradigm for the high-yield production of proteins with low yields and increased toxicity in bacterial expression systems. Mussel foot proteins (Mfps) are prized bio-adhesives for medical applications, yet their supply remains limited. Harvesting mussels is environmentally unsustainable, while microbial synthesis is challenging due to the severe toxicity of these proteins to host cells. In this study, we developed a "condensate-based sequestration" strategy to overcome this bottleneck. By employing hyaluronic acid to isolate the toxic proteins within the bacteria, we shielded the host cells and achieved high-yield production. This approach enabled the gram-scale synthesis of modified Mfps with desirable bioactivity. Beyond synthesizing Mfps, this strategy establishes a versatile, green platform for manufacturing a wide range of other "difficult-to-express" toxic proteins that are currently commercially unviable.
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. lycopersicum), one of the most important crops worldwide, has a complex domestication history that began in Latin America, region hosting also fourteen wild relative species and subspecies. Domestication and subsequent breeding efforts have led to the development of the modern cultivated tomato, prized for its agronomic performance and economic value. However, this process also resulted in a substantial erosion of genetic and metabolic diversity, potentially limiting the plant's adaptive capacity and resilience to environmental stresses. Previous comparative studies between domesticated tomato cultivars and wild relative species have underscored the evolutionary shifts in various plant traits associated with biotic stress. Yet, most of these studies relied on a limited number of wild accessions, reflecting a general tendency to underestimate their genetic and metabolic diversity. In this study, we sought to characterize both intra- and inter-specific metabolic diversity in tomato and its wild relatives. Using Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis, we profiled the chemical composition of hydro-methanolic leaf extracts from twenty-four accessions representing five Solanum species and subspecies, each with distinct natural histories and domestication levels. This dataset provides a comprehensive overview of leaf metabolic diversity across cultivated and wild tomato species, offering insights into the evolutionary and ecological forces shaping specialized metabolism within the tomato clade. It is available at https://doi.org/10.57745/QM0BOR.
Tan sheep is a Chinese indigenous breed prized for dual-purpose production of premium pelts and flavorful mutton, featuring a distinctive fat-tailed phenotype. The genetic basis of its body conformation remains largely unexplored. We conducted the first whole-genome sequencing-based genome-wide association study in 249 seven-month-old Tan sheep. Comprehensive population genetics analyses confirmed five distinct genetic clusters corresponding to the five sampling sources, supporting the cohort's suitability for the study. Using a mixed linear model, we identified 690 significant SNPs associated with eight traits: 10 for body weight, 2 for body length, 353 for body height, 105 for chest girth, 203 for tail length, 11 for tail circumference, and 6 for cannon circumference. Functional annotation revealed compelling candidate genes, including FBLN1 (weight/height), FGFBP1 (cannon circumference), and MAP3K20/FMNL3 (tail circumference). These findings illuminate the genetic architecture of growth and tail development in Tan sheep, providing a valuable genomic resource for molecular breeding strategies aimed at enhancing meat production while preserving superior pelt traits.
Dog-Assisted Interventions (DAI) or Dog-Assisted Services (DAS) are commonly regarded as compassionate practices, promoting human wellbeing through interspecies interactions. Recognition and popularity of adjunctive interventions and clinical applications have grown in recent decades. The increasing professionalization, whilst positive with respect to amplified knowledge in terms of the theoretical understanding and focus upon welfare, also poses risks, however, for the canine participants. Increasing classification to identify suitable animals by applying standardized tests and placing dogs into predetermined categories devalues their individuality, their idiosyncrasies, and their unique, authentic worth - the very qualities prized in dog-assisted interventions. This paper offers a critical analysis of the Personality Assessment for Dogs in Animal Assisted Interventions (PADA) - a test commonly utilized to evaluate dogs' suitability for DAIs. The central objective is to evaluate the ethical and welfare implications of the PADA test design. While PADA describes itself as a safeguard for welfare, we come to the result that it produces the opposite effect: by emphasizing predictability, obedience and subservience, it risks undermining dogs' agency, their emotional autonomy, and their genuine wellbeing, consistent with current positive welfare standards. Furthermore, every DAI/DAS relies on pro-active handler management. Competence, knowledge, mindfulness and attention to the individual dog's strengths and limits and the commitment to protecting its welfare are the most essential factors determining the quality of any intervention. Only if the handler is empathetic, ensures suitable interaction conditions, and supports the dog through secure attachment - a quality that emerges within the relationship, shaped by the handler's caregiving behavior and interaction style - can a DAI/DAS be considered truly effective and ethically responsible. Therefore, the core pre-requisite is the competent handler and any assessment must evaluate handler aptitude first. This critical component is entirely absent in PADA. A structured welfare audit of the PADA test was applied, using IAHAIO (International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations) White Paper (2018/2023) ethical guidelines, Mellor's Five Domains Model (2020) and the Agency-Based Welfare Science paradigm (Špinka, 2019) to examine how each exercise supports or restricts canine agency, autonomy, and affective engagement.
Ceramics are prized for exceptional strength, but their inherent brittleness has long been a fundamental bottleneck. Here, we report tensile plastic Al2O3 meta-fibers that achieve a combination of high tensile strength (1.94 GPa) and large plastic strain (10.01%), with micro-strain reaching 194%. This is enabled via a phase-regulation strategy that constructs high-purity unsaturated [AlO5] coordination with disordered oxygen lattices in Al2O3 fibers. The metastable [AlO5] fundamentally alters the deformation mechanics by reducing the energy barrier for bond breaking and reformation, while the disordered oxygen lattice facilitates extensive atomic displacement, collectively enabling intrinsic plastic behavior. This local plasticity accumulates in high-purity networks, ultimately achieving macroscopic tensile plasticity of fibers, challenging conventional understanding of ceramic deformation. These plastic fibers can be twisted and woven into high-strength, stretchable refractory ceramic fabrics. Our work establishes metastable phase customization as a universal paradigm, opening a promising pathway for designing superplastic ceramics.
Bowl-steamed Tan lamb (BSTL) is prized for its flavor, but high fat content limits its appeal. This study developed a defatting strategy for BSTL and investigated flavor evolution. Through evaluation of fat content, lipid oxidation, fatty acid profiles, and sensory attributes, blanching combined with 100% lemon juice marinating (BP + 100%LJ) was identified as optimal. This treatment reduced fat content in oil by 13.83 g compared to the control group while preserving a high oleic acid level (42.81 g/100 g in oil) and achieving the best sensory acceptability. Multi-platform flavor analysis (electronic tongue, electronic nose, gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry, lipidomics) revealed that the BP + 100%LJ suppressed bitterness and promoted the formation of 11 key VOCs (e.g., n-octanal). Lipidomics confirmed that phospholipids (e.g., PE(O-22:1)) are major contributors to this flavor profile. These findings provide a strategy for healthier traditional meat products with well-preserved sensory qualities.
Antibodies are proteins prized for their ability to bind to extracellular antigens with exceptionally high affinities and specificities. These features have motivated researchers to utilize antibody-antigen binding to inhibit intracellular disease targets in the proteome, yet delivery of antibodies into the cytosol of cells has long been a considerable challenge. Here, we outline the development of a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platform for delivering antibodies into cells to selectively inhibit disease-relevant cytosolic targets. This approach efficiently delivers various therapeutic antibodies into multiple cancer cell lines, inhibiting key transcription factors in inflammatory and cancer signaling pathways. We further demonstrate systemic delivery of therapeutic antibodies in disease models, including α-synuclein-specific antibodies for Parkinson's disease and RelA-specific Immunoglobulins for acute lung injury using targeted LNP formulations. This work establishes a promising method for using LNPs for the delivery of antibody and antibody-derived therapeutics intracellularly to treat numerous proteome targets.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) is a valuable medicinal and aromatic herb cultivated globally for its essential oil, prized for its therapeutic and flavouring properties. The productivity and essential oil quality of peppermint is strongly influenced by the intervention of biotic and abiotic elicitors, which eventually induces plant growth dynamics, redox homeostasis, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. This study evaluates the effect of five plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs): Bacillus tequilensis (T1), Bacillus subtilis (T2), Bacterium strain (T3), Bacillus thuringiensis (T4), and Bacillus cereus (T5), to access the modulation efficiency of these plant probionts over morphological, physiological, and biochemical parameters of peppermint variety CIM-Suras. The surface sterilized, uniform sized suckers of a menthol-rich peppermint variety CIM-Suras were inoculated with five aforementioned Bacillus spp., endowed with phosphate solubilization, ammonia production, siderophore production, and Indole Acetic Acid production efficiencies, in triplicate. The results of the study revealed that T2 (Bacillus subtilis) has significantly enhanced the photosynthetic process, contents of chlorophyll (64.71%), accumulation of proline (43.17%), SOD (24.89%), and catalase (56.33%), over the control, followed by T1 (Bacillus tequilensis), and T4 (Bacillus thuringiensis). Treatment with Bacillus subtilis (T2) showing maximum improvement in studied morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters in peppermint suggests the potential of the isolate to abate the oxidative damage of the cells during altering environmental conditions. These findings underscore the efficiency of peppermint-native Bacillus-based PGPRs, especially B. subtilis, for improving crop growth, stress resilience, and essential oil yield in a menthol-rich cultivar. This approach offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic fertilizers to improve peppermint productivity.
Anhua Qianliang tea, a traditionally crafted dark tea, is highly prized for its unique sensory properties that develop and improve during long-term aging. To elucidate the material basis driving the quality transformation of Anhua Qianliang tea during prolonged storage, samples aged for 2 to 25 years were investigated using physicochemical analysis, untargeted metabolomics, and sensory evaluation. Prolonged storage reduced total polyphenols, free amino acids, and most catechins, whereas alkaloids remained relatively stable. Phenylpropanoids and polyketides, organic acids and derivatives, and lipids and lipid-like molecules were the main metabolite classes contributing to storage-stage discrimination, accompanied by extensive remodeling of flavonoid, phenylpropanoid, amino acid-related, and central carbon metabolism. Sensory evolution was closely associated with coordinated changes in catechins, polyphenols, phenolic acids, amino acid-related compounds, and storage-responsive metabolites. These insights significantly deepen the understanding of dark tea maturation and offer new perspectives for scientific evaluation and industrial standardization.
Communicating effectively in everyday life is a key outcome for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. However, we lack a clear way to describe children's everyday communication functioning-their communicative participation. Communicative participation is defined for adults, as 'taking part in life situations where knowledge, information, ideas, or feelings are exchanged', and included how communicative participation is achieved, with whom and for what purposes. This study aimed to consider communicative participation for children and young people, by using an existing definition regarding adults' communicative participation to elicit meaning from children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, and that of their parents and clinicians. Three focus groups with young people with speech, language, and communication needs (n = 6, ages 14-16 year old), parent carers (n = 5), and speech and language therapists (n = 19) and two semi-structured interviews, one with a parent of a young child with complex communication needs and one with a parent and their daughter with developmental language disorder, were conducted online, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants were shown an existing definition of communicative participation (originally intended to be applied to adults) and discussed the appropriateness of each section of the definition for children and young people. Transcripts were analysed following the Framework Analysis Approach. Participants broadly agreed with the existing definition but highlighted the changing nature of communicative participation throughout childhood. They thought that a definition of communicative participation should include interaction for joy, where closeness rather than meaning is shared, and reference to play and education as key communicative participation situations. Participants highlighted the importance of skilled partners in meaning making for children with developmental communication difficulties, and the fundamental role of technology in communicative participation. They also discussed the impacts of successful communicative participation on children's social and emotional development, seeing communicative participation as a driver to protect mental health and wellbeing, build independence, develop trusting relationships and stay safe. Communicative participation develops across childhood and differs to that in adulthood in some important respects. The broad boundaries of the construct provided in this study can inform further development of the construct with potential impact for developing assessments and interventions related to communicative participation for children. What is already known on this subject Communicative participation has been defined as 'taking part in life situations where knowledge, information, ideas, or feelings are exchanged' (Eadie et al. 2006, 311) and 'understanding and being understood in a social context, by applying verbal and nonverbal communication skills' (Singer et al. 2020, 1801) What this paper adds to the existing knowledge Communicative participation changes across childhood. It includes interaction for closeness, without a message being conveyed; play; education; and social and emotional development. Skilled interaction partners are vital for the development of communicative participation for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). The extended boundaries for communicative participation developed in this study can inform the development of new measurement tools. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Communicative participation is a prized outcome for children and young people with SLCN and their parents. Speech and language therapists should investigate children's communicative participation and intervention should be directed toward participation goals.
1. Indigenous poultry breeds, like Kadaknath and Aseel, represent invaluable genetic resources, combining unique nutritional and cultural traits. The Kadaknath breed is famed for its black, lean, iron-rich meat with high protein and antioxidant content, while Aseel is a muscular breed prized for endurance, stress tolerance and fighting abilities. Despite their economic and nutritional value, the genetic and metabolic underpinnings of their distinct traits remain underexplored.2. This study conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of liver tissue from Kadaknath and Aseel chickens using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to uncover the molecular mechanisms driving their phenotypic diversity. The results identified 435 differentially expressed genes (DEG) linked to key processes such as lipid metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and stress response.3. In Kadaknath chickens, up-regulated genes, including CPT1A, PCK1, TXNRD3 and PPARGC1A, were associated with efficient triglyceride breakdown, strong antioxidant defence and optimised energy metabolism. This likely contributes to the characteristic lean, nutrient-rich meat with high protein and low fat content.4. In contrast, Aseel birds showed elevated expression of stress response genes (MRPL18 and RPL11) and mitochondrial genes (NDUFA1, NDUFA8, NDUFB9 and PTPMT1), supporting its high energy requirements and resilience to stress, crucial for its endurance as a fighter breed. Gene co-expression network analysis highlighted critical hub genes driving these breed-specific adaptations.
J-aggregates are prized for their unique optical properties in bioimaging, yet the development of activatable sensors based on J-aggregation has been hindered by the scarcity of dyes capable of in situ assembly after a specific biological trigger. To address this, we report an activatable NIR-II fluorescent sensor that enables high-contrast imaging of oxidative stress by leveraging reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered J-aggregate formation. We designed and synthesized a heptamethine cyanine dye with a strong propensity for J-aggregation. Its reduced, nonfluorescent hydrocyanine form serves as the probe, which, upon reaction with hydroxyl radicals, regenerates the parent dye. This dye rapidly self-assembles into J-aggregates, emitting a strong NIR-II fluorescence at 1050 nm. The sensor exhibits a nanomolar detection limit for ROS, high specificity, excellent aqueous stability, rapid response, and superb biocompatibility. We successfully demonstrated its utility through in vivo imaging in mouse models of pneumonia and hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury, where localized fluorescence activation precisely mapped ROS production, enabling deep-tissue imaging. This work underscores the significant potential of J-aggregation-based probes for advanced disease diagnostics and redox biology studies.
While Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim. (Z. bungeanum) pericarps are a globally prized spice, their leaves are frequently discarded as agricultural waste. This study systematically characterizes the aromatic potential of leaf by-products compared with traditional pericarps under diverse extraction strategies, utilizing an integrated flavoromics and sensomics approach. Qualitative GC-MS-O analysis revealed that leaf-derived fractions possess superior aromatic diversity: leaf essential oil and volatile solvent extract yielded 71 and 68 odorants, respectively, significantly surpassing pericarp counterparts (65 and 43 compounds). Concurrently, HS-GC-IMS profiling confirmed that targeted extraction allows leaf-derived flavors to replicate and exceed traditional spice complexity. Specifically, the leaf solvent extract achieved aromatic parity with pericarps by effectively mirroring the core spicy-citrus profile through cuminaldehyde and limonene retention. Conversely, distilled leaf essential oil unlocked a distinctive herbal-woody sensory innovation, driven by eucalyptol and a broader variety of aldehydes and ketones. Sensomics validation, incorporating aroma recombination, omission experiments, and partial least-squares regression modeling, conclusively identified β-myrcene, limonene, caryophyllene, and humulene as core molecular markers dictating these perceptual shifts. Ultimately, this research provides a robust theoretical foundation for upcycling Z. bungeanum leaves into valuable flavoring resources, facilitating circular bio-economy practices by delivering functional equivalence and entirely novel sensory experiences for the global food industry.
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) imaging is a vital security screening technology, prized for its non-ionizing and penetrative capabilities. However, its efficacy is fundamentally limited by the physical principle of diffraction, which acts as a low-pass filter, irreversibly attenuating the high-frequency spatial details essential for identifying concealed objects. Prevailing deep learning-based computational super-resolution methods, operating predominantly in the spatial domain, struggle to counteract this frequency-specific information loss and thus often fail to restore fine textures and sharp edges. Inspired by this physical insight, we propose the frequency-aware cross-attention transformer network (FACTNet), an architecture designed to directly confront this challenge in the frequency domain. Its core innovation, the frequency-domain transformation module (FDTM), empowers the network to learn an adaptive filter in the Fourier domain, explicitly amplifying the high-frequency spectral components suppressed during image acquisition. Evaluations on our custom mmWave security dataset demonstrate that FACTNet achieves state-of-the-art performance, yielding reconstructions with superior visual fidelity, enhanced detail, and fewer artifacts. Our work establishes that aligning a network's computational domain with the physical nature of image degradation provides a more effective and principled pathway to solving computational super-resolution reconstruction problems.
BACKGROUND: The Jinhua piglets, a traditional breed prized for high-quality ham production, faces a critical challenge from post-weaning diarrhea. However, studies on diarrhea in Jinhua piglets are limited. OBJECTIVE: Given the close link between diarrhea and the jejunal microbiota, this study analyzed the jejunal microbiota in diarrheic and healthy Jinhua piglets, and using a pseudo-germ-free (PGF) mouse model and in vivo/vitro approaches to investigate the causes of and potential interventions for diarrhea. RESULTS: Diarrheic Jinhua piglets exhibited altered microbiota diversity and composition of jejunal chyme, with significant enrichment of Campylobacter coli (C. coli), alongside impaired jejunal morphology, barrier function, and elevated IL-1β levels in jejunal mucosa. Transcriptomic analysis showed that immune system and immune disease pathways were enriched in jejunal mucosa of diarrheic Jinhua piglets, and transcription factors associated with inflammation showed a positive correlation with Campylobacter abundance. In PGF mouse model, oral gavage with either jejunal filtrate from diarrheic piglets or C. coli successfully recapitulated the damage of jejunal morphology and inflammation in jejunal mucosa. Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) was identified in vitro for its ability to inhibit C. coli growth. Supplementing the diet with E. faecium notably lowered the occurrence of diarrhea, decreased the abundance of jejunal Campylobacter, and improved growth performance of piglets. CONCLUSION: This study identifies C. coli as a key pathogen contributing to diarrhea in Jinhua piglets, associated with diarrhea and jejunal inflammation, and highlights the potential of E. faecium as a probiotic strategy to control Campylobacter-associated diarrhea in this breed.