Pathogenic fungi such as Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) present a major challenge to sustainable agriculture. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of a novel thiol-functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica-based nano-fungicide (Ag@DMSNs-SH), featuring ultrasmall silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) uniformly generated and immobilized in situ within the thiolated silica framework. This innovative synthesis strategy ensures homogeneous AgNPs dispersion, enhanced stability, and a sustained silver release profile. Ag@DMSNs-SH demonstrated superior, dose-dependent antifungal activity against B. cinerea compared to free AgNPs. At 1.5 mg/mL, it achieved 78.63

This study explores the fluorescence properties of the hydrothermal reaction of citric acid and urea under different conditions, as they have attracted considerable attention in recent years. However, so far, the detailed formation process and the precise chemical structure of the resulting fluorescent products remain inadequately understood. The results reveal that under mild conditions, fluorescence is mainly due to organic molecules, identified as citrazinic acid through acid treatment with spectroscopic techniques. Moreover, the fluorescence shifts towards carbonized quantum dots (CDs) is both temperature and reaction duration-dependent. Comparative analysis versus graphene quantum dots and citrazinic acid elucidated differences in solution properties, including excitation-dependency, photobleaching and fluorescence lifetime. With reference to previous findings in literature, this study provides for an innovative, detailed understanding on the evolution of fluorescent species, by tuning the reaction conditions. Hence, they propose for excellent future strategic application in the nanotechnology and theranostic fields.

This study presents an easy and rapid two-step electrodeposition method for the synthesis of a novel hierarchical dendritic AuPt bimetallic nanocomposite electrode. Ascorbic acid served as both a reducing and directing agent, while a roughened carbon substrate facilitated the formation of the unique dendritic nanostructure. The structural and compositional properties of the synthesized material were comprehensively characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The resulting nanocomposite exhibited a significantly enhanced specific surface area of 6.97 m2 g−1, compared to commercial Pt/C. Electrochemical investigations demonstrated superior electrocatalytic activity and durability for methanol oxidation in the prepared AuPt nanocomposite electrode, suggesting its promising potential for fuel cell applications.

This study develops a thyme essential oil (TEO)-based bio-fungicide, encapsulated in amino-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (AMSNs), and evaluates its antifungal efficacy. In vitro, the TEO@AMSNs formulation demonstrated 93.23 % mycelial growth inhibition at 3.84 mg/mL, outperformed free TEO (67.77 % inhibition), with a 13.44 % loading rate. Mechanistic studies indicated that this efficacy results from continuous and strong membrane disruption and high reactive oxygen species (ROS) overaccumulation in fungal cells. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the stable release profiles was driven by hydrogen bonding interactions between the AMSNs carrier and the essential oil. In vivo trials on Anoectochilus roxburghii (A. roxburghii), a medicinal crop susceptible to F. oxysporum, showed that TEO@AMSNs significantly reduced disease symptoms and promoted root development. Inoculated plants treated with TEO@AMSNs at 2 MIC exhibited nearly normal lateral root counts (∼42) compared to 23 in untreated controls. Microscopic analyses revealed intact chloroplasts and preserved polysaccharide levels in treated plants, suggesting reduced oxidative stress and metabolic disruption. Flavonoid accumulation was also enhanced, further supporting the formulation's role in mitigating pathogen-induced stress. These findings highlight TEO@AMSNs as a promising, sustainable bio-fungicide for managing Fusarium infections and enhancing crop resilience.

Background/Objectives: In this study, AuDNs/EPLE composite electrodes with hierarchical dendritic nanogold structures were fabricated using the in situ electrodeposition of gold nanoparticles through the i-t method. Methods: A conductive polymer composite membrane, PEDOT, was synthesized via the electropolymerization of EDOT and the negatively charged PSS−. The negatively charged SO3− groups on the surface of the PEDOT membrane were electrostatically adsorbed with the glucose oxidase (GOD) enzyme and a positively charged chitosan co-solution (GOD/chit+). Using a layer-by-layer self-assembly approach, GOD was incorporated into the multilayers of the composite electrode to create the composite GOD/chit+/PEDOT/AuDNs/EPLE. Results: Electrochemical analysis revealed a GOD surface coverage of 8.5 × 10−10 mol cm−2 and an electron transfer rate of 1.394 ± 0.02 s−1. The composite electrode exhibited a linear response to glucose in the concentration range of 6.923 × 10−2 mM to 1.54 mM, with an apparent Michaelis constant of 0.352 ± 0.02 mM. Furthermore, the GOD/chit+/PEDOT/AuDNs/EPLE also showed good accuracy of glucose determination in human serum samples. Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential of the GOD/chit+/PEDOT/AuDNs/EPLE composite electrode in the development of efficient enzymatic biofuel cells for glucose sensing and energy harvesting applications.

Self-supported CuO nanorods converted from Cu-MOFs achieved accurate detection of glucose in serum with sensing mechanism elucidation.

Background Talaromyces species play an important role in the nutrient cycle in natural ecosystems, degradation of vegetal biomass in industries and the implications in medicine. However, the species diversity of this genus is still far from fully understood. Methods The polyphasic taxonomic approach integrating morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analyses based on BenA, CaM, Rpb2 and ITS sequences was used to propose three new Talaromyces species. Results Three new species of sect. Talaromyces isolated from soil are proposed, namely, T. disparis (ex-type AS3.26221), T. funiformis (ex-type AS3.26220) and T. jianfengicus (ex-type AS3.26253). T. disparis is unique in low growth rate, velvety texture, limited to moderate sporulation, biverticillate, monoverticillate and irregular penicilli bearing a portion of abnormally large globose conidia, it has no close relatives in phylogeny. Being a member of T. pinophilus complex, T. funiformis produces mycelial funicles on Czapek yeast autolysate agar (CYA), 5% malt extract agar (MEA) and yeast extract (YES), sparse sporulation on Czapek agar (Cz), CYA, MEA and YES while abundant on oatmeal agar (OA), bearing appressed biverticillate penicilli and globose to pyriform conida with smooth to finely rough walls. T. jianfengicus belongs to T. verruculosus complex, is characterized by velvety colony texture with moderate to abundant elm-green conidia en masse, producing biverticillate penicilli, globose conidia with verrucose walls. Conclusion It is now a common practice in establishing new species of Aspergillus, Penicillium and Talaromyces based on morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses of BenA, CaM, Rpb2 and ITS sequences. The proposal of the three novelties of Talaromyces in this article is not only supported by their morphological distinctiveness, but also confirmed by the phylogenetic analyses of the concatenated BenA-CaM-Rpb2 and BenA-CaM-ITS, as well as the individual BenA, CaM, Rpb2 and ITS sequence matrices.

Dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) have emerged as promising nanocarriers due to their unique three-dimensional structure and tunable pore characteristics. This study investigates the potential of DMSNs to deliver thyme essential oil (TEO) for enhanced antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum (F. oxysporum), a major plant pathogen. DMSNs were successfully synthesized and characterized, followed by the encapsulation of TEO within their porous structure. The resulting TEO@DMSNs composites exhibited significant antifungal activity against F. oxysporum, with inhibition rates reaching 70%, indicating an effective crop protection with a dose-dependent effect. The enhanced antifungal efficacy of TEO@DMSNs compared to free TEO is attributed to the sustained release of TEO and the synergistic effect of the nanocarrier itself. In-depth mechanism investigations revealed that TEO@DMSNs likely disrupted the fungal cell membrane, leading to leakage of cellular contents and ultimately cell death. Moreover, DMSNs and TEO@DMSNs were found to be safe for plant growth, demonstrating their potential as environmentally friendly antifungal agents. This study provides valuable insights into the design and development of advanced nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery and disease management in agriculture.

The ability of Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) to utilize a wide range of host plants is closely related to the symbiotic bacteria within its body. This study investigated the diversity of symbiotic microorganisms associated with the sap-sucking hemipteran insect. Using deep sequencing of the 16S rDNA gene and subsequent analysis with the Qiime software package, we constructed a comprehensive library of bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs). We compared the microbial communities of female and male adult mealybugs. Our results showed significant differences in bacterial composition between the sexes, with Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes being the dominant phyla in both female and male mealybugs. These results suggest that the diverse assemblage of symbiotic bacteria in P. solenopsis may be critical in enabling this insect to utilize a wide range of host plants by facilitating carbohydrate digestion and energy uptake.

During a survey of culturable fungi in the coastal areas of China, three new species of Penicillium sect. Lanata-Divaricata were discovered and studied with a polyphasic taxonomic approach, and then named as P. donggangicum sp. nov. (ex-type AS3.15900T = LN5H1-4), P. hepuense sp. nov. (ex-type AS3.16039T = TT2-4X3, AS3.16040 = TT2-6X3) and P. jiaozhouwanicum sp. nov. (ex-type AS3.16038T = 0801H2-2, AS3.16207 = ZZ2-9-3). In morphology, P. donggangicum is unique in showing light yellow sclerotia and mycelium, sparse sporulation, restricted growth at 37 °C, irregular conidiophores, intercalary phialides and metulae, and pyriform to subspherical conidia. P. hepuense is distinguished by the fast growth on CYA and YES and slow growth on MEA at 25 °C, weak or absence of growth at 37 °C, biverticillate and monoverticillate penicilli, and ellipsoidal conidia. P. jiaozhouwanicum is characterized by abundant grayish-green conidia en masse and moderate growth at 37 °C, the appressed biverticillate penicilli and fusiform, smooth-walled conidia. These three novelties were further confirmed by the phylogenetic analyses based on either the combined BenA-CaM-Rpb2 or the individual BenA, CaM, Rpb2 and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences.

Megalurothrips usitatus is a serious pest on Vigna unguiculata. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of M. usitatus was characterized and its phylogenetic relationship within the Order Thysanoptera was determined. The mitochondrial genome of M. usitatus was a circular molecule of 15426 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and the control region. It showed the typical insect mitochondrial genome arrangement. The AT content of the whole genome was 77.69% and the length of the control region was 567 bp with 78.66% AT content. The Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial protein-coding genes of 17 insect speciesshowed that M. usitatus is closest to Frankliniella occidentalis.

Copper nanoparticles embedded in porous carbon composite (Cu-PC) were prepared for the electrochemical detection of glucose and H2O2 via one-step carbonization of copper 1, 3, 5-benzenetricarboxylate (HKUST-1). The structure and chemical constitution of the composite were studied carefully by various characterization techniques. The results showed that the fine porosity and the uniformly distributed copper nanoparticles of octahedral Cu-PC obtained at 800 & DEG;C (Cu-PC-800) facilitate the electron and mass transfer and make it an excel-lent sensor for both glucose and H2O2. As for glucose, the detection linear range is 0.5 -3850 & mu;M, and the detection limit is 0.23 & mu;M. Meanwhile, Cu-PC-800 can efficiently detect H2O2 in an alkaline solution with a wide linear range (5 -4600 & mu;M), and a low detection limit of 1.9 & mu;M. Furthermore, the fabricated Cu-PC -800 sensor achieved the determination of glucose and H2O2 in human serum and hydrogen peroxide bacterio-static lotion, respectively.

Plastic easily accumulates in the environment and is resistant to natural degradation. Biodegradation of plastics is the main way to manage plastic pollution. Polyethylene (PE) is the most common plastic in everyday life. Insects are of recent interest for plastic degradation. Galleria mellonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae can degrade polyethylene into ethylene glycol. However, the underlying mechanism has not been fully explained. The present research isolated and identified microorganisms related to polyethylene degradation from the intestinal tract of larvae of the greater wax moth. The findings indicated that two strains of bacteria, LYF-1 and LYF-2, that degrade polyethylene belong to the genus Enterobacter. The physicochemical and surface chemical characteristics of polyethylene degradation by the two bacteria were explored. A preliminary study of the synergistic effects of LYF-1 and LYF-2 was carried out. Obvious changes were observed on the surfaces of PE films treated with LYF-1 and/or LYF-2. FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) results also indicated the occurrence of the biodegradation of PE. This work provides fundamental knowledge of polyethylene-biodegrading bacteria that come from greater wax moths.

Radioactive iodine, one type of nuclear waste, is harmful to the environment and human health due to its long half-life and volatility. Therefore, designing and synthesizing low-cost and easily-made materials for the effective adsorption of radioiodine is widely concerned. Herein, a biscuit-shaped new material was synthesized by a grinding-mixing coupled with sonication protocol through self-assembly interactions between citrazinic acid (CA) and cytosine (CY) aiming to achieve the iodine capture from both vapor and solution. Electronic structure calculations were used to reveal the adsorption mechanism. The results showed that the high uptake of iodine by CACY originates from the charge transfer via CACY to the antibonding molecular orbital (σ∗) of I2. Meanwhile, trouble-free entry pore sizes of CACY also contribute to the physisorption of molecular iodine. Besides, the iodine molecule is preferentially perpendicularly adsorbed on the carbon atom of the CA ring. Moreover, CACY exhibits a high capture for iodine in hexane following pseudo-second-order kinetics and fitting the Langmuir isotherm model. This work presents a facile and inexpensive synthesis approach for radioiodine adsorption materials and provides new insights into the interaction mechanism between the self-assembled materials and the adsorbates.

篮状菌Talaromyces是一类广泛分布于自然界及人类活动场所的腐生真菌,它们与植物、动物和人类有着相当密切的关系.篮状菌最初被当作青霉Penicillium来研究,但后来的分子种系学研究表明篮状菌与青霉差异较大,分属于不同的科.篮状菌属目前可分8个组,全球已报道该属共162种,我国已报道57种.对篮状菌属的重要性、分类系统的变更及分类学的最新研究进展进行了综述,以期为篮状菌属新物种发现及其功能开发应用提供参考.

筛选稳定性好的纳米乳液配方,研究精油纳米乳液对大蜡螟的触杀活性和作用机制.结果表明,精油与吐温80配比为1:3时,纳米粒子粒径分布更均匀,平均粒径为40.8 nm;纳米乳液对大蜡螟的触杀活性强于粗乳液,半数致死剂量(LD50)分别为28.991、514.056μg·larva-1;纳米乳液可显著抑制AchE、CarE活性,在最大处理剂量206.16μg·larva-1下,对AchE、CarE活力的抑制率分别为48.81％和41.92％,而GST活力变化不显著.

在系统调查我国篮状菌属Talaromyces物种资源的工作中,分离得到了10株篮状菌.基于形态学和BenA、CaM及rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2序列的分子种系学分析确定它们分属于6个种,即艾米斯托克篮状菌T.amestolkiae、暗玫瑰篮状菌T.atroroseus、暗绿篮状菌T.fuscoviridis、肯德里克篮状菌T.kendrickii、斯托尔篮状菌T.stollii和多样篮状菌T.versatilis,其中后4种为篮状菌组section Talaromyces的我国新记录种.T.fuscoviridis生长适中,在MEA培养基背面呈特征性的暗绿色,形成绒兼短絮状菌落,产生稀疏的灰色分生孢子,其帚状枝双轮生兼单轮生,瓶梗为安瓿形;T.kendrickii生长适中,产生典型绒状菌落和大量深绿色分生孢子,其帚状枝双轮生兼不规则生,排列紧密,瓶梗为安瓿形;T.stollii生长迅速,形成绒状兼絮状菌落并产生大量灰绿色分生孢子,其帚状枝双轮生兼三轮生,排列紧密,瓶梗为典型披针形;T.versatilis生长迅速,形成短絮状兼绳状菌落,产生脏粉色菌丝体和稀疏的灰色分生孢子,其帚状枝双轮生兼单轮生,排列不紧密,瓶梗为安瓿形.这4个新记录种的发现进一步丰富了我国篮状菌属的物种资源.

篮状菌(Talaromyces)是土壤、空气、植物根际和叶际以及人类活动场所的常见霉菌,它们在增加土壤腐殖质、促进植物生长、矿物质吸收和抗病虫害等方面具有重要作用.系统调查我国蓝状菌物种资源是一项非常重要的基础性工作,在该项工作中我们分别从河南卫辉和内蒙古额济纳旗的土壤中分离鉴定了2株蓝状菌,即WH6-2=AS3.16006和EJ2-12=AS3.16005.通过形态学和基于β-tubulin基因和rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2序列的分子种系学研究,确定它们为篮状菌属紫篮状菌组(Talaromyces section Purpurei)的我国两个新记录种,即虫瘿篮状菌(T.cecidicola)和伪子座篮状菌(T.pseudostromaticus),特在本文中报道.

An integrated nanogold/expanded graphite based sensor was fabricated by a former electrochemical etching of the pencil lead electrode (PLE) and a later in-situ deposition of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The electrochemical pretreatment of PLE (EPLE) created a 3D graphene-like surface, enhanced the electrode surface area and facilitated the electron transfer ability within 5 min without any hazardous chemicals added. The obtained AuNPs/ EPLE sensor had an excellent electrochemical response to glucose with a wide linear concentration range, from 0.05 to 38 mM and 38 to 60 mM, and a low detection limit of 5 mu M (S/N = 3). Furthermore, the AuNPs/EPLE sensor was successfully employed to detect the glucose in human serum samples, and the results agreed well with those measured in hospital. Finally, the sensor exhibited efficient and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering activities for the probe molecules.

A simple and straightforward synthetic approach for carbon nanodots (C-dots) is proposed. The strategy is based on a one-step hydrothermal chemical reduction with thiourea and urea, leading to high quantum yield C-dots. The obtained C-dots are well-dispersed with a uniform size and a graphite-like structure. A synergistic reduction mechanism was investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The findings show that using both thiourea and urea during the one-pot synthesis enhances the luminescence of the generated C-dots. Moreover, the prepared C-dots have a high distribution of functional groups on their surface. In this work, C-dots proved to be a suitable nanomaterial for imaging of bacteria and exhibit potential for application in bioimaging thanks to their low cytotoxicity.