Heilongjiang University

The aim of this study was to extract watermelon rind (WR) pectin (WRP) and watermelon rind polyphenols (WRE) and evaluate the effect of pectin/sodium alginate composite films (WRPSA) with or without WRE on strawberry preservation. WRP was extracted using citric acid, whereas WRE was obtained through ethyl acetate extraction. The extracted WRP was characterized for composition and structural properties, multi‐angle laser light scattering (MALLS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x‐ray diffraction (XRD), ζ‐potential analysis, and rheological measurements. The pectin/SA film (WRPSA) and pectin/SA composite film containing WRE (WRPESA) were prepared. Both films were analyzed for physical properties and structurally characterized. Strawberries were wrapped with either WRPSA, WRPESA, or no treatment (exposed) and stored under lightproof conditions at 4°C for 12 days. The results showed that WRP was a low‐ester pectin (degree of methylation [DM] = 38.7%) with a molecular weight of 683 kDa. WRP had typical polysaccharide characteristic peaks and good thermal stability that could be used as a film‐forming substrate. WRPESA showed better mechanical strength and antioxidant capacity than that of WRPSA, indicating that WRE showed synergistic effects on the improvement of composite films. Additionally, WRPESA effectively reduced strawberry softening, color deterioration, and weight loss, in addition to the delay in the dynamic changes in sugar content and pH and accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA). WRPESA also helped maintain the total phenolic content of the strawberries. These findings suggest that watermelon byproducts could be valorized for sustainable food packaging, reducing both agricultural waste and reliance on synthetic materials. Practical Application: This article confirmed the feasibility of a sequential extraction process for watermelon rind pectin and polyphenols, which can later be applied to industrial production lines to increase the utilization rate of watermelon rind. The practical application value of this research lies in the development of biodegradable packaging materials. By extracting pectin and polyphenols from watermelon rind, the resulting films can effectively extend the shelf life of strawberries and reduce food waste. Furthermore, this study promotes the utilization of agricultural waste, enhances the nutritional value of food, and provides new opportunities for local economic development. Additionally, it offers a scientific basis for advancing sustainable packaging technology and food preservation innovations, which is significant for environmental protection and healthy consumption.

Rice blast, a disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, significantly threatens global rice production. To improve the anti-M. oryzae activity of Streptomyces bikiniensis HD-087 metabolites, the effects of inducer, Magnaporthe oryzae acellular filtrate, on secondary metabolism of S. bikiniensis HD-087 were studied. The results showed that M. oryzae cell-free filtrate cultured for 96 h served as the most effective inducer, significantly enhancing the anti-M. oryzae activity of metabolites of S. bikiniensis HD-087 and increasing the diameter of the inhibitory zone by 2.96 mm. The inhibition rates of M. oryzae colony diameter and spore germination in the induced group were 12.39% and 39.6% higher than those in the non-induced group, respectively. Metabolomic profiling of strain HD-087 highlighted substantial differences between the induced and non-induced groups. At 48 h of fermentation, a total of 705 distinct metabolites were identified, while at 96 h this number decreased to 321. Moreover, induction markedly altered primary pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, amino acid biosynthesis, and fatty acid metabolism in S. bikiniensis HD-087. qPCR analysis showed that nrps genes and pks genes in the induced group were significantly up-regulated by 9.92 ± 0.51 and 2.71 ± 0.17 times, respectively, and biotin carboxylase activity was also increased 26.63%. These results provide a theoretical basis for using inducers to enhance the antimicrobial ability of Streptomyces. Graphical Abstract

Achieving rapid and scar-free wound repair is a key goal in the field of regenerative medicine. Herein, a dynamically Schiff base-crosslinked hydrogel (F/R gel) with phase-adaptive regulating functions is constructed to integratedly promote rapid re-epithelization with suppressed scars on chronic infected wounds. Specifically, the gel effectively eliminates multidrug-resistant bacterial biofilm at infection stage via antimicrobial activity of ε-polylysine firstly dissociated from hydrogel matrix in infectious microenvironment, and interrupts the severe oxidative stress-inflammation cycle at wound site by the released ceria nanozyme, thus stimulating a pro-regenerative environment to ensure tissue repair. Subsequently, fibroblast growth factor/c-Jun siRNA co-loaded microcapsules gradually disintegrate to release drugs, facilitating neoangiogenesis and cell proliferation but simultaneously blocking c-Jun overexpression for fibrotic scar suppression. Notably, the F/R gel facilitates normal-like skin regeneration with no perceptible scars formed on infected male mouse wound and female rabbit ear wound models. Our work offers a promising regenerative strategy emphasizing immunomodulatory and fibroblast subtype modulation for scarless wound repair.

Grain size and leaf angle are key agronomic traits that determine the final yield. OsBSKs (BRASSINOSTEROID-SIGNALING KINASES) and OsMAPKs (MITOGEN ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE) are known to play essential roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, the potential crosstalk between these pathways and their specific roles in regulating grain size and leaf angle remain largely unexplored in rice. Here, we characterized that OsBSKs regulate grain size and leaf angle in rice, and among these, OsBSK2 and OsBSK3 may play more critical roles. The grain size and leaf angle in osbsk3 and osbsk2 mutants are significantly smaller, whereas the OsBSK3-overexpressing lines (OsBSK3-OEs) exhibit considerably larger grain size and leaf angle compared to the others. Furthermore, both OsBSK3 and OsBSK2 interact with OsMKKK10, indirectly activating OsMAPK6 in plant cells. Notably, mutations in MAPK cascade components, such as smg2-1 (an osmkkk10 mutant), smg1-1 (an osmkk4 mutant), and dsg1 (an osmapk6 mutant), resulted in significantly reduced leaf angles. Moreover, these mutations were able to rescue the increased grain size and leaf angle observed in OsBSK3 overexpression lines. Additionally, we also identified OsWRKY53 as a potential downstream target of the OsBSKs–OsMKKK10–OsMKK4–OsMAPK6 cascade in the regulation of grain size and leaf angle. Taken together, the above results not only highlight the essential and specific roles of OsBSK3 and OsBSK2 in regulating rice grain size and leaf angle, but also reveal the mechanism which OsBSK3/OsBSK2 mediate MAPK cascade to regulate rice grain size and leaf angle.

Tone, as a key linguistic feature of corporate narrative disclosures, plays a crucial role in shaping information users' evaluation of firm performance. However, whether and how the tone in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reports influences rating agencies' assessments of firms' ESG performance remains underexplored. Using data from Chinese listed firms between 2018 and 2022, we explore the impact of ESG report tone on ESG rating divergence. Our findings indicate that positive expressions in ESG reports worsen the divergence in ESG ratings, particularly in the environmental ratings. Conversely, negative expressions in ESG reports enhance consistency in rating outcomes. Heterogeneity tests reveal that greater positive expressions in ESG reports exacerbate rating divergence only when firms' ESG reports exhibit low credibility, as indicated by mandatory disclosure, low readability, and high media pressure. In contrast, the impact of negative statements in ESG reports on consistency in rating outcomes is unaffected by the credibility of ESG reports. Our study contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between ESG report textual quality and ESG rating divergence in emerging markets.

Complex laser architectures employing disordered microcavities demonstrate unique advantages characterized by micro/nano‐scale cavity dimensions, facile integration capabilities, exceptional sensitivity to external field perturbations, and extensive parametric tunability. These distinctive features have catalyzed the emergence of innovative paradigms for intelligent multidimensional external field manipulation, particularly through strategic employment of advanced functional materials. This article presents a fiber‐based microcavity complex laser system featuring programmable deformation control through a multiaxis liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuator under photothermal excitation. The resultant deformed LCE film serves both as a controllable localized scattering medium in the formation of fiber‐based microcavity complex lasers and as an intelligent actuator actively involved in photon resonance, coupling, and transmission within fiber‐arrayed microcavities. This dual functionality facilitates the generation, regulation, and transmission of broadband spectrum lasers through coordinated multiphysics interactions. Spatially patterned optical excitation facilitates programmable two‐dimensional contraction/expansion control of the LCE matrix, inducing switchable resonance regimes (either independent resonance or mutually scattering) within the coupled cavity system. The resulting wavelength‐agile platform exhibits broad spectral adaptability across multiple photonic operation regimes. This innovative approach significantly expands the functional scope of LCE materials, establishing a sophisticated technological framework for multidimensional photonic control in next‐generation optoelectronic systems.

The chapter addresses the problems of global exponential stability analysis and global exponential stabilization of discrete-time NNs with multiple time-varying transmission delays. The involved NNs include discrete-time HOCGNNs and discrete-time BAMNNs. A direct method based on system solutions is presented to obtain global exponential stability and stabilization criteria for the zero equilibrium point of discrete-time NNs under consideration.

It is worth noting that the neuronal states in large-scale NNs are usually not fully measurable. Thus, in many practice applications, estimating the states of neurons through available measurements is important. The chapter addresses the problem of state estimation for discrete-time NNs with multiple time-varying transmission delays. The involved NNs include discrete-time HONNs and BAMNNs. A direct method based on system solutions is proposed to establish the desired state observers for discrete-time HONNs and BAMNNs with multiple time-varying transmission delays, respectively.

The chapter addresses the problems of global exponential stability analysis and global exponential stabilization of continuous-time delayed NNs. The involved NNs include continuous-time neutral-type CGNNs with multiple time-varying delays, continuous-time quaternion-valued NNs with leakage, transmission, and distributed delays, continuous-time MNNs with multiple time-varying unbounded transmission delays, and continuous-time INNs with multiple time-varying transmission delays. A direct method based on system solutions is proposed to establish global exponential stability and stabilization criteria for continuous-time delayed NNs under consideration.

For a class of discrete-time HOSNNs with time-varying delays, the global exponential synchronization problem and its application in audio encryption are addressed. A state feedback controller is designed to ensure the global exponential synchronization of response and drive discrete-time HOSNNs, and the controller gains are directly represented by the network parameters. Then, two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the applicability of the synchronization results. Moreover, a scheme to audio encryption/decryption is designed, and its applicability and safety analysis are tested by an interesting experimental simulation.

The chapter addresses the problems of Lagrangian global exponential stability and stabilization of continuous-time delayed MNNs. The involved MNNs includes continuous-time quaternion-valued MNNs with time-varying leakage delays, unbounded distributed delays and time-varying transmission delays, and continuous-time MNNs with unbounded time-varying delays. A direct method based on system solutions is proposed to establish Lagrangian global exponential stability and stabilization criteria for delayed MNNs under consideration.

Multiple links are ubiquitous in our real life. For example, in communication networks, people often communicate via emails, phone calls, letters, etc. Owing to the existence of time delays, different methods receive news at different times. So, the communication network containing Internets, telephones, and mails may be divided into different subnetworks based on different time delays. The corresponding topological structures are shown in Fig. 10.1 (lent from Zhao et al. (2016)).

This chapter aims at developing a BRL and designing a $H_{\infty }$ state feedback controller for a class of continuous-time MNNs with unbounded time-varying delays. A BRL of continuous-time MNNs is first obtained by proposing a direct approach based on system solutions. The approach is directly based on the definition of BRL, which avoids both LKF construction and model transformation, so derivation process is reduced. Moreover, the derived BRL contains only several simple inequalities, which can be easily solved by using MATLAB, and reduces the computational complexity. Furthermore, the existence condition and design method for $H_{\infty }$ state feedback controller are given on the basis of the derived BRL. The effectivity of the theoretical results is presented by two simulation examples.

This chapter discussed the problem of global robust exponential stability of continuous-time interval BAMNNs with multiple time-varying delays. A direct method based on system solutions is presented to establish global robust exponential stability criteria of the class of BAMNNs under consideration. Theoretical comparisons and numerical examples explain the availability and critical advantages of the obtained stability conditions. It is potential that the method proposed in this chapter can be applied to some problems related to analysis and design of delayed NNs after a small modification, including synchronization control, dissipativity analysis, state estimation, and so on. Moreover, compared with the LKF method, the proposed method is more convenient to deal with the case of multiple time-varying delays.

In this chapter, a system solution-based direct method combined with auxiliary model is proposed to investigate global exponential stability criteria of the zero equilibrium point for a kind of discrete-time HOCGNNs with time-varying connection weights, delays, and impulses. First, an impulse-free discrete-time HOCGNN with time-varying connection weights and delays is constructed, and the relationship between the solutions of original and new discrete-time HOCGNNs is presented. Then, a system solution-based direct method is proposed to investigate global exponential stability criteria for the zero equilibrium point of impulse-free discrete-time HOCGNNs. From which, global exponential stability criteria for the zero equilibrium point of original discrete-time HOCGNNs are derived. Finally, the effectivity of the obtained global exponential stability criteria is explained via numerical examples.

The notion of $L_{p}$ stability describes the impact of external disturbances on the system output. This chapter addresses the problem of $L_p$ stability analysis of continuous-time NNs with multiple time-varying transmission delays. There is no boundedness restriction on the delays. A direct method based on system solutions is proposed to obtain $L_p$ stability criteria of the considered continuous-time NNs. This method is in terms of the definition of $L_{p}$ stability rather than constructing any LKF, which can greatly reduce the derivation process. On the one hand, the method is effective to deal with the cases of multiple delays. On the other hand, the method can give simpler $L_p$ stability conditions, which is helpful to reduce the computational complexity. The effectivity of the derived $L_p$ stability conditions is illustrated by representative numerical examples.

Post-harvest anthracnose significantly affects the yield and quality of mangoes. In this study, an antagonist bacterium, GX0002980, with strong inhibitory effect against Colletotrichum gloesporioides , the pathogen of mango anthracnose, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of plants. Based on morphological characteristics, physiological and biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene and gyrB gene sequencing analysis, the strain was identified as Bacillus velezensis . Strain GX0002980 exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial capabilities, and its volatile substances and sterile fermentation filtrate also demonstrate antagonistic effects against C. gloesporioides . This strain can produce antimicrobial substances that inhibit pathogen growth, such as amylase, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and siderophores, and has plant-growth-promoting characteristics, such as nitrogen fixation, NH 3 production, and phosphate solubilization. Whole-genome sequencing results show that the genome size of GX0002980 is 3,907,381 bp with a guanine and cytosine content of 47.44%. The antiSMASH analysis predicts 14 antimicrobial biosynthesis gene clusters within the GX0002980 genome, including surfactin, fengycin, bacilysin, macrolactin H, bacillaene, difficidin, and bacillibactin. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the antimicrobial active substances secreted by GX0002980 include surfactin, bacilysin, butirosin A, and more. Strain GX0002980 has an in vitro control efficiency of 52% against mango anthracnose, and it can effectively suppress the occurrence of post-harvest diseases in mangoes, extending their storage time. In conclusion, B. velezensis GX0002980 possesses multiple biocontrol mechanisms and has potential for application in the biological control of mango anthracnose. IMPORTANCE Bacillus velezensis GX0002980 showed biocontrol potential against Colletotrichum gloesporioides , a causative agent of mango anthracnose. B. velezensis GX0002980 produces a variety of secondary metabolites with antibacterial properties. Whole-genome sequencing revealed potential active metabolite synthesis gene clusters of B. velezensis GX0002980. B. velezensis GX0002980 has a significant effect on the control of post-harvest disease in mango fruits.

In this paper, we develop a novel fiber-optic sensor based on a hollow-core Bragg fiber (HCBF) for high-precision detection of liquid level. The intensity responses of anti-resonance reflecting optical waveguide are theoretically analyzed in terms of level and refractive index (RI) of liquid. Simultaneous measurements are conducted and the obvious intensity variations as the changed liquid level are exhibited, with near-zero RI crosstalk. The average liquid level sensitivity reaches −11.24 dB/cm in the range of 0 ~ 4 cm, with high linearity. Additionally, high repeatability and low temperature intensity drift guarantee the measurement error can be constrained within 0.03 mm.