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The hoist cage is used to lift miners in a coal mine's auxiliary shaft. Monitoring miners' unsafe behaviors and their status in the hoist cage is crucial to production safety in coal mines. In this study, a visual detection model is proposed to estimate the number and categories of miners, and to identify whether the miners are wearing helmets and whether they have fallen in the hoist cage. A dataset with eight categories of miners' statuses in hoist cages was developed for training and validating the model. Using the dataset, the classical models were trained for comparison, from which the YOLOv5s model was selected to be the basic model. Due to small-sized targets, poor lighting conditions, and coal dust and shelter, the detection accuracy of the Yolov5s model was only 89.2%. To obtain better detection accuracy, k-means++ clustering algorithm, a BiFPN-based feature fusion network, the convolutional block attention module (CBAM), and a CIoU loss function were proposed to improve the YOLOv5s model, and an attentional multi-scale cascaded feature fusion-based YOLOv5s model (AMCFF-YOLOv5s) was subsequently developed. The training results on the self-built dataset indicate that its detection accuracy increased to 97.6%. Moreover, the AMCFF-YOLOv5s model was proven to be robust to noise and light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) comprehensive dynamic model of bearing-pedestal having waviness on its inner race and different sized surface damages has been presented to investigate the vibration response under time-varying speed conditions. It can provide a good solution to further analyze rotor systems with unfixed or elastic-supported pedestals, where vibrations in both horizontal and vertical directions are crucial. A signal processing method for fault feature extraction and enhancement of rolling element bearing in varying speed conditions is proposed. Vibration patterns with different raceway waviness and different sized surface damages are specifically studied. Characteristic frequencies are observed, which can be used for diagnosis of different sized waviness and faults under time-varying speed process. The present study will provide new insights into dynamic behavior of bearing system, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signals with multiple components and fast-varying instantaneous frequencies reduce the readability of the time-frequency representations obtained by traditional synchrosqueezing transforms due to time-frequency blurring. We discussed a vertical synchrosqueezing transform, which is a second-order synchrosqueezing transform based on the short-time Fourier transform and compared it to the traditional short-time Fourier transform, synchrosqueezing transform, and another form of the second-order synchrosqueezing transform, the oblique synchrosqueezing transform. The quality of the time-frequency representation and the accuracy of mode reconstruction were compared through simulations and experiments. Results reveal that the second-order frequency estimator of the vertical synchrosqueezing transform could obtain accurate estimates of the instantaneous frequency and achieve highly energy-concentrated time-frequency representations for multicomponent and fast-varying signals. We also explored the application of statistical feature parameters of time-frequency image textures for the early fault diagnosis of roller bearings under fast-varying working conditions, both with and without noise. Experiments showed that there was no direct positive correlation between the resolution of the time-frequency images and the accuracy of fault diagnosis. However, the early fault diagnosis of roller bearings based on statistical texture features of high-resolution images obtained by the vertical synchrosqueezing transform was shown to have high accuracy and strong robustness to noise, thus meeting the demand for intelligent fault diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault diagnosis plays a very important role in ensuring the safe and reliable operations of machines. Currently, the deep learning-based fault diagnosis is attracting increasing attention. However, fault diagnosis under variable working conditions has been a significant challenge due to the domain discrepancy problem. This problem is also unavoidable in deep learning-based fault diagnosis methods. This paper contributes to the ongoing investigation by proposing a new approach for the fault diagnosis under variable working conditions based on STFT and transfer deep residual network (TDRN). The STFT was employed to convert vibration signal to time-frequency image as the input of the TDRN. To address the domain discrepancy problem, the TDRN was developed in this paper. Unlike traditional deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) methods, by combining with transfer learning, the TDRN can make a bridge between two different working conditions, thereby using the knowledge learned from a working condition to achieve a high classification accuracy in another working condition. Moreover, since the residual learning is introducing, the TDRN can overcome the problems of training difficulty and performance degradation existing in traditional DCNN methods, thus further improving the classification accuracy. Experiments are conducted on the popular CWRU bearing dataset to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach. The results show that the developed TDRN outperforms those methods without transfer learning and/or residual learning in terms of the accuracy and feature learning ability for the fault diagnosis under variable working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault diagnosis plays a very important role in ensuring the safe and reliable operations of machines. Currently, the deep learning-based fault diagnosis is attracting increasing attention. However, fault diagnosis under variable working conditions has been a significant challenge due to the domain discrepancy problem. This problem is also unavoidable in deep learning-based fault diagnosis methods. This paper contributes to the ongoing investigation by proposing a new approach for the fault diagnosis under variable working conditions based on STFT and transfer deep residual network (TDRN). The STFT was employed to convert vibration signal to time-frequency image as the input of the TDRN. To address the domain discrepancy problem, the TDRN was developed in this paper. Unlike traditional deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) methods, by combining with transfer learning, the TDRN can make a bridge between two different working conditions, thereby using the knowledge learned from a working condition to achieve a high classification accuracy in another working condition. Moreover, since the residual learning is introducing, the TDRN can overcome the problems of training difficulty and performance degradation existing in traditional DCNN methods, thus further improving the classification accuracy. Experiments are conducted on the popular CWRU bearing dataset to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach. The results show that the developed TDRN outperforms those methods without transfer learning and/or residual learning in terms of the accuracy and feature learning ability for the fault diagnosis under variable working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault diagnosis plays a very important role in ensuring the safe and reliable operations of machines. Currently, the deep learning-based fault diagnosis is attracting increasing attention. However, fault diagnosis under variable working conditions has been a significant challenge due to the domain discrepancy problem. This problem is also unavoidable in deep learning-based fault diagnosis methods. This paper contributes to the ongoing investigation by proposing a new approach for the fault diagnosis under variable working conditions based on STFT and transfer deep residual network (TDRN). The STFT was employed to convert vibration signal to time-frequency image as the input of the TDRN. To address the domain discrepancy problem, the TDRN was developed in this paper. Unlike traditional deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) methods, by combining with transfer learning, the TDRN can make a bridge between two different working conditions, thereby using the knowledge learned from a working condition to achieve a high classification accuracy in another working condition. Moreover, since the residual learning is introducing, the TDRN can overcome the problems of training difficulty and performance degradation existing in traditional DCNN methods, thus further improving the classification accuracy. Experiments are conducted on the popular CWRU bearing dataset to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach. The results show that the developed TDRN outperforms those methods without transfer learning and/or residual learning in terms of the accuracy and feature learning ability for the fault diagnosis under variable working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA silencing is a fundamental, evolutionarily conserved mechanism that regulates gene expression in eukaryotes. It also functions as a primary immune defense in microbes, such as viruses in plants. In addition to RNA silencing, RNA decay and RNA quality-control pathways are also two ancestral forms of intrinsic antiviral immunity, and the three RNA-targeted pathways may operate cooperatively for their antiviral function. Plant viruses encode viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) to suppress RNA silencing and facilitate virus infection. In response, plants may activate a counter-counter-defense mechanism to cope with VSR-mediated RNA silencing suppression. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of RNA silencing, RNA decay, and RNA quality control in antiviral defense, and highlight the mechanisms by which viruses compromise RNA-targeted immunity for their infection and survival in plants. RNA silencing, RNA decay, and RNA quality control are three major RNA degradation pathways that target redundant/damaged/detrimental cellular and exogenous RNAs in plants. Virus infection may activate RNA degradation pathways. RNA silencing is the most important line of defense that restricts virus infection. Viruses have evolved diverse mechanisms to suppress RNA silencing. The best effective mechanism is to express VSRs. In response, plants may activate a countersuppression mechanism. RNA decay may function as an antiviral defense, possibly through concerted actions of RNA silencing. Viruses can repress RNA decay to promote viral proliferation. RNA quality control may recognize specific features of certain plant RNA viruses to restrict virus infection. Many viruses have also evolved strategies to escape or avoid this degradation pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an algorithm for the simultaneous identification of residual unbalance and bearing dynamic coefficients of a single-disc and single-span rotor based on the unbalance response. The rotor is modelled as a homogeneous and continuous Rayleigh beam. A fourth-order non-homogeneous partial differential equation set with a homogeneous boundary condition is solved to obtain the analytical solution, which expresses the unbalance response as a function of position, rotor unbalance, and bearing stiffness and damping coefficients. Accordingly, the inverse problem is studied. A novel algorithm that can be applied to both a rolling-bearing rotor and an oil journal bearing rotor is proposed to identify the rotor unbalance during operation. Another novel algorithm is developed to identify the bearing stiffness and damping coefficients for a rolling-bearing rotor. Only four measured unbalance responses are required in the two above-mentioned algorithms. Thus, a simultaneous identification of the rotor unbalance and the roll-bearing dynamic coefficients can be achieved. Furthermore, only a measured response registered for the disc, the two bearings and any other selected cross-section of the rotor shaft under steady-state operating conditions is required. Numerical simulation shows that the proposed identification algorithms have excellent detection capabilities. In summary, the proposed algorithms provide an efficient means for rotor parameter identification without test runs or external excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses are small parasites that can cause significant damage to their host organisms. Most viruses belong to the class of positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses, which includes well-known viruses like SARS-CoV-2 and dengue. Recently, hidden protein-coding open reading frames (ORFs) have been discovered in the genomes of various viruses, including +ssRNA and ssDNA viruses. These hidden proteins have important biological functions and challenge previous assumptions about viral protein expression. The discovery of these hidden proteins expands our understanding of viral proteomes and could lead to new strategies for preventing and controlling viral infections. [Extracted from the article]

Exonuclease-mediated RNA decay in plants is known to be involved primarily in endogenous RNA degradation, and several RNA decay components have been suggested to attenuate RNA silencing possibly through competing for RNA substrates. In this paper, we report that overexpression of key cytoplasmic 5’–3’ RNA decay pathway gene-encoded proteins (5’RDGs) such as decapping protein 2 (DCP2) and exoribonuclease 4 (XRN4) in Nicotiana benthamiana fails to suppress sense transgene-induced post-transcriptional gene silencing (S-PTGS). On the contrary, knock-down of these 5’RDGs attenuates S-PTGS and supresses the generation of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). We show that 5’RDGs degrade transgene transcripts via the RNA decay pathway when the S-PTGS pathway is disabled. Thus, RNA silencing and RNA decay degrade exogenous gene transcripts in a hierarchical and coordinated manner. Moreover, we present evidence that infection by turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) activates RNA decay and 5’RDGs also negatively regulate TuMV RNA accumulation. We reveal that RNA silencing and RNA decay can mediate degradation of TuMV RNA in the same way that they target transgene transcripts. Furthermore, we demonstrate that VPg and HC-Pro, the two known viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) of potyviruses, bind to DCP2 and XRN4, respectively, and the interactions compromise their antiviral function. Taken together, our data highlight the overlapping function of the RNA silencing and RNA decay pathways in plants, as evidenced by their hierarchical and concerted actions against exogenous and viral RNA, and VSRs not only counteract RNA silencing but also subvert RNA decay to promote viral infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A visual measurement of the center of forgings with asymmetric flash is studied. • Two novel methods are proposed for the quick judgement of malpositioned forgings. • Experiments are conducted for the validation of the proposed method. • Influence of distance between the camera and forging on the measurement is studied. Hammer die forging is a widely used mechanical manufacturing technology. Although it is easy to realize the automation of cutting and heating raw material, trimming the forging flash, and shaping the forgings in the processing of hammer die forging, it is difficult to achieve the automation of the forging process of hammer die forging, which is critical to the automated hammer die forging. It is because of the malposition phenomenon in which the forgings are often extracted out of the lower die cavity. Manual judgement of the phenomenon and manual clamping of the malpositioned forging are required to reset the forging. To achieve the automated forging process, it is necessary to identify the three-dimensional coordinates of the forging centre. However, the asymmetric flash of the forging reduces the localization accuracy. Therefore, a bidirectional correction and binocular vision localization (BCBVL) algorithm is proposed in this paper. However, identifying whether the malposition phenomenon occurs by the BCBLV method is time-consuming and can affect the execution of the subsequent processes such as the trimming and shaping processes. Hence, two methods based on the forging angle and the forging nonoverlapping area are proposed to obtain the fast judgement of the malpositioned forging. Experiments are conducted using a test bench composed of a binocular camera, an industrial manipulator, a 3D-printed die cavity, and a scraper forging of the coal mine scraper conveyor. The results indicate that the average localization error of BCBVL method is 7.31 mm in the left camera coordinate system and is 8.89 mm in the manipulator coordinate system. The two proposed fast judgement methods of the malpositioned forging take 0.32 s and 0.88 s, respectively. The study provides coordinates for the manipulator to grasp malpositioned forgings to achieve the automated forging process of hammer die forging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of rotor unbalance is critical for normal operation of rotating machinery. The single-disc and single-span rotor, as the most fundamental rotor-bearing system, has attracted research attention over a long time. In this paper, the continuous single-disc and single-span rotor is modeled as a homogeneous and elastic Euler-Bernoulli beam, and the forces applied by bearings and disc on the shaft are considered as point forces. A fourth-order non-homogeneous partial differential equation set with homogeneous boundary condition is solved for analytical solution, which expresses the unbalance response as a function of position, rotor unbalance and the stiffness and damping coefficients of bearings. Based on this analytical method, a novel Measurement Point Vector Method (MPVM) is proposed to identify rotor unbalance while operating. Only a measured unbalance response registered for four selected cross-sections of the rotor-shaft under steady-state operating conditions is needed when using the method. Numerical simulation shows that the detection error of the proposed method is very small when measurement error is negligible. The proposed method provides an efficient way for rotor balancing without test runs and external excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA silencing is a powerful technology for molecular characterization of gene functions in plants. A commonly used approach to the induction of RNA silencing is through genetic transformation. A potent alternative is to use a modified viral vector for virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) to degrade RNA molecules sharing similar nucleotide sequence. Unfortunately, genomic studies in many allogamous woody perennials such as peach are severely hindered because they have a long juvenile period and are recalcitrant to genetic transformation. Here, we report the development of a viral vector derived from Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV), a widespread fruit tree virus that is endemic in all Prunus fruit production countries and regions in the world. We show that the modified PNRSV vector, harbouring the sense-orientated target gene sequence of 100-200 bp in length in genomic RNA3, could efficiently trigger the silencing of a transgene or an endogenous gene in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. We further demonstrate that the PNRSV-based vector could be manipulated to silence endogenous genes in peach such as eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E isoform ( eIF(iso)4E), a host factor of many potyviruses including Plum pox virus (PPV). Moreover, the eIF(iso)4E-knocked down peach plants were resistant to PPV. This work opens a potential avenue for the control of virus diseases in perennial trees via viral vector-mediated silencing of host factors, and the PNRSV vector may serve as a powerful molecular tool for functional genomic studies of Prunus fruit trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Metformin is the most prescribed anti-diabetic medication worldwide because of its proven efficacy and limited side effects. In this study, the significant anticancer effect of metformin was investigated in both endometrial carcinoma and progesterone-resistant endometrial carcinoma cells.Methods: We tested the growth inhibition assay using MTT cell proliferation, cell cycle assay, apoptosis assessment with flow cytometry using propidium iodide and Annexin V, and autophagy protein expression with western blot analysis.Results: Metformin inhibited the growth of cancer cells with different concentrations in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, the inhibition properties observed as a function of increased concentrations of metformin were markedly augmented when the medication was administered in the progesterone-resistant Ishikawa cells, even with a dose as low as 10 mM. The early and late phases of apoptosis were enhanced in the metformin-treated tumour cells that were analyzed. For the Ishikawa cells, the expression of p-AMPK, LC-3, and beclin1 was upregulated after treatment, whereas the AMPK levels were not modulated. Furthermore, for the Ishikawa-PR cells, the protein levels were similarly upregulated. Finally, we observed that the three proteins showed much more variability in Ishikawa-PR cells than in Ishikawa cells.Conclusion: The application of metformin to target autophagy in endometrial cancer cells provides a new potential treatment for progesterone-resistant endometrial carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the significance of the related indexes of three-dimensional color power angiography (3D-CPA) combined with SonoVue angiography in the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of intrauterine adhesion (IUA).Methods: The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were evaluated between 3D-TVS and hysteroscopy. Endometrial thickness, volume (V), mean gray value (MG), vascularization index (VI), flow index (FI), vascularization flow index (VFI), and other related indexes before and after the angiography were compared. According to the hysteroscopy findings, the patients were divided into three groups: mild, medium, and severe. The endometrial thickness at 3 months postoperatively and the pregnancy rates at 1 year postoperatively were compared.Results: Compared with the hysteroscopy, sensitivity: 0.970 (0.021), specificity: 0.667 (0.086), (the values inside the bracket were the standard error), positive likelihood ratio: 2.909, negative likelihood ratio: 0.045. There was a significant difference in endometrial thickness and V between the three groups (P<0.05), and there was a significant difference in MG, VI, FI, and VFI between the mild and severe group (P>0.05). During intravenous injection of SonoVue, the blood flow of each group increased (P<0.001), and the VI, FI, and VFI of each group were significantly different (P<0.05). Compared with the preoperative values, the endometrial thickness, V, MG, VI, FI, and VFI significantly changed at 3 months postoperatively (P<0.05). The mild group and high VI group had a higher pregnancy success rate at one year postoperatively.Conclusion: 3D-CPA can indirectly diagnose IUA, and may play an important role in prognosis assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A successful infection by a plant virus results from the complex molecular interplay between the host plant and the invading virus. Thus, dissecting the molecular network of virus-host interactions advances the understanding of the viral infection process and may assist in the development of novel antiviral strategies. In the past decade, molecular identification and functional characterization of host factors in the virus life cycle, particularly single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses, have been a research focus in plant virology. As a result, a number of host factors have been identified. These host factors are implicated in all the major steps of the infection process. Some host factors are diverted for the viral genome translation, some are recruited to improvise the viral replicase complexes for genome multiplication, and others are components of transport complexes for cell-to-cell spread via plasmodesmata and systemic movement through the phloem. This review summarizes current knowledge about host factors and discusses future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe 2 O 3 supported on activated carbon fiber (Fe 2 O 3 /ACF) was prepared via an impregnation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and BET analysis. The results indicated that Fe 2 O 3 with small particle size was highly dispersed on the surface of the ACF and the introduction of Fe 2 O 3 did not change the ACF pore structure. Fe 2 O 3 /ACF exhibited a higher Fenton efficiency for the degradation of acid red B (ARB), especially under simulated solar irradiation. Complete decoloration of the ARB solution and 43% removal of TOC could be achieved within 200 min under optimal conditions. It was verified that more OH radicals were generated in the photo-assisted Fenton process and involved as active species in ARB degradation. FTIR analysis indicated that the degradation of ARB was initiated through the cleavage of N N , followed by hydroxylation and opening of phenyl rings to form aliphatic acids, and further oxidation of aliphatic acids would produce CO 2 and H 2 O. Moreover, Fe 2 O 3 /ACF maintained its activity after being reused 4 times and the release of iron from the catalyst was found to be insignificant during the Fenton and photo-Fenton processes, indicating that Fe 2 O 3 /ACF had good long-term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the evaluation of fibrinolytic and coagulative marker levels in women during pregnancy trimester with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its effect on haemostatic marker levels. It mentions a study involving healthy, PCOS, healthy pregnant and PCOS pregnant women at 12 weeks of pregnancy. It was concluded that PCOS and pregnancy interaction affect coagulation factors VIII and X activity and that of PCOS, and obesity affects the level of von willebrand factor.

Abstract: The present study investigated the expression of the apoptosis-related genes fas-associated via death domain (FADD) and Bcl-2 in the endometrium during the window of implantation in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. The aim was to explore the role of cell apoptosis in endometrial receptivity during this period. The subjects were divided into experimental and control group. The experimental group comprised 12 infertile women with PCOS, and the control group comprised 12 women who were infertile because of tubal pathological factors but had normal menstrual cycles. Endometria were collected by biopsy 7d after ovulation. Six samples from each group were randomly selected and subjected to gene chip analyses. The expression of endometrial FADD and Bcl-2 was determined by immunohistochemistry, and cell apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method. Compared with the control group, 194 differentially expressed genes were found in the PCOS group, 102 of which were upregulated and 92 were downregulated. The differentially expressed genes were divided into 15 types according to function. Among the nine genes related to cell apoptosis, five (including Bcl-2) were upregulated and four were downregulated (including FADD). Bcl-2 expression during the window of implantation in the PCOS group increased compared with the control group, showing a significant difference (P <0.05). FADD expression in the PCOS group notably decreased compared with that in the control group, which also showed a significant difference (P <0.05). Cell apoptosis analysis showed a significant difference between the average apoptotic indices in the PCOS and control groups (P <0.05). Significant differences were observed between the endometrial gene expression in the PCOS and control groups. The decrease in cell apoptosis during the window of implantation in PCOS patients may be one of the causes of the reduced endometrial receptivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

SUMMARY The use of genetic resistance is considered to be the most effective and sustainable approach to the control of plant pathogens. Although most of the known natural resistance genes are monogenic dominant R genes that are predominant against fungi and bacteria, more and more recessive resistance genes against viruses have been cloned in the last decade. Interestingly, of the 14 natural recessive resistance genes against plant viruses that have been cloned from diverse plant species thus far, 12 encode the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) or its isoform eIF(iso)4E. This review is intended to summarize the current state of knowledge about eIF4E and the possible mechanisms underlying its essential role in virus infection, and to discuss recent progress and the potential of eIF4E as a target gene in the development of genetic resistance to viruses for crop improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit a lower pregnancy rate, which may be related to decreased estrogen receptor (ER) expression or endometrial receptivity. We measured expression of ERαα, ERββ and the novel G protein-coupled ER (GPR30) in endometrium during window of implantation (WOI) in PCOS patients. Fifteen Chinese women with PCOS were compared to 15 normal subjects. Serial trans-vaginal ultrasonic scanner (TVUS) examinations detected follicular development, and endometrial thickness and pattern were assessed via TVUS on the day of ovulation. GPR30 expression was detected in the cytoplasm of endometrial epithelial cells, and was significantly lower in the PCOS group ( p < 0.05). ERαα and ERββ expression was lower in the PCOS group, and was detected mainly in the nucleus of endometrial epithelial cells. There was no significant difference in endometrium thickness ( p > 0.05), but there was a significant difference in the ultrasonic pattern ( p < 0.05). Endometrial expression of GPR30, ERαα and ERββ was decreased during WOI in PCOS patients, and was accompanied by poor endometrial receptivity, low pregnancy rate and higher spontaneous abortions. We propose that restored receptor expression might improve endometrial receptivity and help lower infertility associated with PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Bread wheat (hexaploid AABBDD genome; 16 billion basepairs) is a genetically complex, self-pollinating plant with bisexual flowers that produce short-lived pollen. Very little is known about the molecular biology of its gametophyte development despite a longstanding interest in hybrid seeds. We present here a comprehensive characterization of three apparently homeologous genes (TAA1a , TAA1b and TAA1c ) and demonstrate their anther-specific biochemical function. These eight-exon genes, found at only one copy per haploid complement in this large genome, express specifically within the sporophytic tapetum cells. The presence of TAA1 mRNA and protein was evident only at specific stages of pollen development as the microspore wall thickened during the progression of free microspores into vacuolated-microspores. This temporal regulation matched the assembly of wall-impregnated sporopollenin, a phenylpropanoid-lipid polymer containing very long chain fatty alcohols (VLCFAlc), described in the literature. Our results establish that sporophytic genes contribute to the production of fatty alcohols: Transgenic expression of TAA1 afforded production of long/VLCFAlc in tobacco seeds (18 : 1; 20 : 1; 22 : 1; 24 : 0; 26 : 0) and in Escherichia coli (14 : 0; 16 : 0; 18 : 1), suggesting biochemical versatility of TAA1 with respect to cellular milieu and substrate spectrum. Pollen walls additionally contain fatty alcohols in the form of wax esters and other lipids, and some of these lipids are known to play a role in the highly specific sexual interactions at the pollen–pistil interface. This study provides a handle to study these and to manipulate pollen traits, and, furthermore, to understand the molecular biology of fatty alcohol metabolism in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic endometritis is associated with the imbalance of female reproductive tract microbiota and pathogenic microbial infection. This study aimed to identify the specific changes in the endometrial microbiome in patients with endometritis and to explore how Clostridium tyrobutyricum (C.t) influences the progression of endometritis in mice for further elucidating endometritis pathogenesis. For this purpose, endometrial tissues from 100 participants were collected and divided into positive, weakly positive, and negative groups based on CD138 levels, while endometrial microbiome differences were detected and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-induced endometritis mouse model was established, followed by treatment with C.t, and inflammatory response, epithelial barrier, and TLR4/NF-κB pathway were evaluated. Results showed that α- and β-diversity was significantly lower in the positive group compared with the weakly positive or negative groups, where the negative group had more unique operational taxonomic units. The abundance of Proteobacteria was found to be increased, while that of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes was found to be reduced in the positive group, while the area under the curve value was found to be 0.664. Furthermore, C.t treatment resulted in the alleviation of S. aureus-induced inflammatory response, epithelial barrier damage, and activation of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in mice. Clinical samples analysis revealed that the diversity and abundance of microbiota were altered in patients with endometritis having positive CD138 levels, while mechanistic investigations revealed C.t alleviated S. aureus-induced endometritis by inactivating TLR4/NF-κB pathway. The findings of this study are envisaged to provide a diagnostic and therapeutic potential of microbiota in endometritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous progress of modern industry, rotating machinery is gradually developing toward complexity and intelligence. The fault diagnosis technology of rotating machinery is one of the key means to ensure the normal operation of equipment and safe production, which has very important significance. Deep learning is a useful tool for analyzing and processing big data, which has been widely used in various fields. After a brief review of early fault diagnosis methods, this paper focuses on the method models that are widely used in deep learning: deep belief networks (DBN), autoencoders (AE), convolutional neural networks (CNN), recurrent neural networks (RNN), generative adversarial networks (GAN), and transfer learning methods are summarized from the two aspects of principle and application in the field of fault diagnosis of rotating machinery. Then, the commonly used evaluation indicators used to evaluate the performance of rotating machinery fault diagnosis methods are summarized. Finally, according to the current research status in the field of rotating machinery fault diagnosis, the current problems and possible future development and research trends are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potyviruses (viruses in the genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae) constitute the largest group of known plant-infecting RNA viruses and include many agriculturally important viruses that cause devastating epidemics and significant yield losses in many crops worldwide. Several potyviruses are recognized as the most economically important viral pathogens. Therefore, potyviruses are more studied than other groups of plant viruses. In the past decade, a large amount of knowledge has been generated to better understand potyviruses and their infection process. In this review, we list the top 10 economically important potyviruses and present a brief profile of each. We highlight recent exciting findings on the novel genome expression strategy and the biological functions of potyviral proteins and discuss recent advances in molecular plant–potyvirus interactions, particularly regarding the coevolutionary arms race. Finally, we summarize current disease control strategies, with a focus on biotechnology-based genetic resistance, and point out future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovarian morphologic features, and PCOS is associated with infertility. PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1) has been shown to regulate AKT. The aim of present study is to investigate the role of PHLPP1 in PCOS. Methods: The expression levels of PHLPP1 in dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated human ovarian granular KGN cells were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. PHLPP1 was silenced or overexpressed using lentivirus. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8. Apoptosis and ROS generation were analyzed by flow cytometry. Glycolysis was analyzed by measuring extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Results: DHT treatment suppressed proliferation, promoted apoptosis, enhanced ROS, and inhibited glycolysis in KGN cells. PHLPP1 silencing alleviated the DHT-induced suppression of proliferation and glycolysis, and promotion of apoptosis and ROS in KGN cells. PHLPP1 regulated cell proliferation and glycolysis in human KGN cells via the AKT signaling pathway. Conclusions: Our results showed that PHLPP1 mediates the proliferation and aerobic glycolysis activity of human ovarian granular cells through regulating AKT signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we demonstrate a novel pro-viral role for the Nicotiana benthamiana ARGONAUTE 1 (AGO1) in potyvirus infection. AGO1 strongly enhanced potato virus A (PVA) particle production and benefited the infection when supplied in excess. We subsequently identified the potyviral silencing suppressor, helper-component protease (HCPro), as the recruiter of host AGO1. After the identification of a conserved AGO1-binding GW/WG motif in potyviral HCPros, we used site-directed mutagenesis to introduce a tryptophan-to-alanine change into the HCPro (HCProAG) of PVA (PVAAG) and turnip mosaic virus (TuMVAG). AGO1 co-localization and co-immunoprecipitation with PVA HCPro was significantly reduced by the mutation suggesting the interaction was compromised. Although the mutation did not interfere with HCPro's complementation or silencing suppression capacity, it nevertheless impaired virus particle accumulation and the systemic spread of both PVA and TuMV. Furthermore, we found that the HCPro-AGO1 interaction was important for AGO1's association with the PVA coat protein. The coat protein was also more stable in wild type PVA infection than in PVAAG infection. Based on these findings we suggest that potyviral HCPro recruits host AGO1 through its WG motif and engages AGO1 in the production of stable virus particles, which are required for an efficient systemic infection. Author summary: In the course of an infection viral proteins come regularly into contact with host factors. Knowledge of these virus-host interactions in plants is essential for understanding the progress of infections and for addressing challenges in the production of healthy plants, which is important for global food security. In this study we report that the potyviral Helper component proteinase (HCPro) recruits host ARGONAUTE1 protein and engages it in pro-viral functions. We found that the interaction of potato virus A HCPro with ARGONAUTE1 benefited the infection by promoting the stability and accumulation of virus particles. When HCPro was engineered to disrupt the interaction, we detected very few virus particles and observed that the mutated virus did not spread efficiently. Thus, we propose that the interaction between HCPro and ARGONAUTE1 has biological relevance as it is important for formation of stable particles and achieving optimal systemic infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses, the most abundant viruses of eukaryotes in nature, require the synthesis of negative-sense RNA (−RNA) using their genomic (positive-sense) RNA (+RNA) as a template for replication. Based on current evidence, viral proteins are translated via viral +RNAs, whereas −RNA is considered to be a viral replication intermediate without coding capacity. Here, we report that plant and animal +ssRNA viruses contain small open reading frames (ORFs) in their −RNA (reverse ORFs [rORFs]). Using turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) as a model for plant +ssRNA viruses, we demonstrate that small proteins encoded by rORFs display specific subcellular localizations, and confirm the presence of rORF2 in infected cells through mass spectrometry analysis. The protein encoded by TuMV rORF2 forms punctuate granules that are localized in the perinuclear region and co-localized with viral replication complexes. The rORF2 protein can directly interact with the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and mutation of rORF2 completely abolishes virus infection, whereas ectopic expression of rORF2 rescues the mutant virus. Furthermore, we show that several rORFs in the −RNA of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have the ability to suppress type I interferon production and facilitate the infection of vesicular stomatitis virus. In addition, we provide evidence that TuMV might utilize internal ribosome entry sites to translate these small rORFs. Taken together, these findings indicate that the −RNA of +ssRNA viruses can also have the coding capacity and that small proteins encoded therein play critical roles in viral infection, revealing a viral proteome larger than previously thought. It is generally accepted that the negative-sense RNA (−RNA) of positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses lacks coding capacity. This study shows that plant and animal +ssRNA viruses contain small open reading frames (ORFs) in their −RNA (rORFs) that display specific subcellular localizations and are important for viral infection. These small rORFs might be translated using internal ribosome entry sites as a translational strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have evolved sophisticated surveillance and defense mechanisms against constant attacks by different types of microbial pathogens including viruses. Nucleotide-based RNA silencing and receptor-based innate immunity constitute the primary plant defense to viral infection. To establish their infections, plant viruses have also evolved virulence strategies to suppress host defenses. This ever-lasting co-evolutionary arms race between the plant hosts and viruses has shaped today's multifaceted defense and counter-defense layout. A better understanding of this process will certainly assist in the development of new plant varieties with enhanced durable resistance and novel approaches to control viral pathogens for sustainable agriculture. In this addendum, we briefly review the current knowledge of the plant immune response to viral infection and discuss defense and counter-defense strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Rolling bearings are crucial parts of primary mine fans. In order to guarantee the safety of coal mine production, primary mine fans commonly work during regular operation and are immediately shut down for repair in case of failure. This causes the sample imbalance phenomenon in fault diagnosis (FD), i.e., there are many more normal state samples than faulty ones, seriously affecting the precision of FD. Therefore, the current study presents an FD approach for the rolling bearings of primary mine fans under sample imbalance conditions via symmetrized dot pattern (SDP) images, denoising diffusion probabilistic models (DDPMs), the image generation method, and a convolutional neural network (CNN). First, the 1D bearing vibration signal was transformed into an SDP image with significant characteristics, and the DDPM was employed to create a generated image with similar feature distributions to the real fault image of the minority class. Then, the generated images were supplemented into the imbalanced dataset for data augmentation to balance the minority class samples with the majority ones. Finally, a CNN was utilized as a fault diagnosis model to identify and detect the rolling bearings' operating conditions. In order to assess the efficiency of the presented method, experiments were performed using the regular rolling bearing dataset and primary mine fan rolling bearing data under actual operating situations. The experimental results indicate that the presented method can more efficiently fit the real image samples' feature distribution and generate image samples with higher similarity than other commonly used methods. Moreover, the diagnostic precision of the FD model can be effectively enhanced by gradually expanding and enhancing the unbalanced dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy agroecosystems are dependent on a complex web of factors and inter-species interactions. Flowers are hubs for pathogen transmission, including the horizontal or vertical transmission of plant-viruses and the horizontal transmission of bee-viruses. Pollination by the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) is critical for industrial fruit production, but bees can also vector viruses and other pathogens between individuals. Here, we utilized commercial honey bee pollination services in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) farms for a metagenomics-based bee and plant virus monitoring system. Following RNA sequencing, viruses were identified by mapping reads to a reference sequence database through the bioinformatics portal Virtool. In total, 29 unique plant viral species were found at two blueberry farms in British Columbia (BC). Nine viruses were identified at one site in Ontario (ON), five of which were not identified in BC. Ilarviruses blueberry shock virus (BlShV) and prune dwarf virus (PDV) were the most frequently detected viruses in BC but absent in ON, while nepoviruses tomato ringspot virus and tobacco ringspot virus were common in ON but absent in BC. BlShV coat protein (CP) nucleotide sequences were nearly identical in all samples, while PDV CP sequences were more diverse, suggesting multiple strains of PDV circulating at this site. Ten bee-infecting viruses were identified, with black queen cell virus frequently detected in ON and BC. Area-wide bee-mediated pathogen monitoring can provide new insights into the diversity of viruses present in, and the health of, bee-pollination ecosystems. This approach can be limited by a short sampling season, biased towards pollen-transmitted viruses, and the plant material collected by bees can be very diverse. This can obscure the origin of some viruses, but bee-mediated virus monitoring can be an effective preliminary monitoring approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA quality control nonsense-mediated decay is involved in viral restriction in both plants and animals. However, it is not known whether two other RNA quality control pathways, nonstop decay and no-go decay, are capable of restricting viruses in plants. Here, we show that the evolutionarily conserved Pelota–Hbs1 complex negatively regulates infection of plant viruses in the family Potyviridae (termed potyvirids), the largest group of plant RNA viruses that accounts for more than half of the viral crop damage worldwide. Pelota enables the recognition of the functional G 1-2 A 6-7 motif in the P3 cistron, which is conserved in almost all potyvirids. This allows Pelota to target the virus and act as a viral restriction factor. Furthermore, Pelota interacts with the SUMO E2-conjugating enzyme SCE1 and is SUMOylated in planta. Blocking Pelota SUMOylation disrupts the ability to recruit Hbs1 and inhibits viral RNA degradation. These findings reveal the functional importance of Pelota SUMOylation during the infection of potyvirids in plants. This study reveals that the Pelota–Hbs1 RNA surveillance complex restricts the infection of potyvirids. Pelota recognizes the conserved G 1-2 A 6-7 motif in potyvirids for viral RNA decay. SUMOylation of Pelota is required for mediation of Pelota–Hbs1 complex functions in antiviral restriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses infect all cellular life forms and cause various diseases and significant economic losses worldwide. The majority of viruses are positive-sense RNA viruses. A common feature of infection by diverse RNA viruses is to induce the formation of altered membrane structures in infected host cells. Indeed, upon entry into host cells, plant-infecting RNA viruses target preferred organelles of the cellular endomembrane system and remodel organellar membranes to form organelle-like structures for virus genome replication, termed as the viral replication organelle (VRO) or the viral replication complex (VRC). Different viruses may recruit different host factors for membrane modifications. These membrane-enclosed virus-induced replication factories provide an optimum, protective microenvironment to concentrate viral and host components for robust viral replication. Although different viruses prefer specific organelles to build VROs, at least some of them have the ability to exploit alternative organellar membranes for replication. Besides being responsible for viral replication, VROs of some viruses can be mobile to reach plasmodesmata (PD) via the endomembrane system, as well as the cytoskeleton machinery. Viral movement protein (MP) and/or MP-associated viral movement complexes also exploit the endomembrane-cytoskeleton network for trafficking to PD where progeny viruses pass through the cell-wall barrier to enter neighboring cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Areca palm (Areca catechu) is a woody perennial plant of both economical and medicinal importance grown in tropical and subtropical climates. Yet, the molecular biology study of areca palm is extremely impeded by its unavailability of a transformation method. An efficient protoplast isolation and transformation system could be highly desirable to overcome this barrier. Results: Here, we described a simple and efficient method for protoplast isolation and transformation from the perennial plant areca palm. A high yield of protoplasts (2.5 × 107 protoplasts per gram of fresh leaf tissues) was obtained from the fresh light green leaflet from the newly-emerged leaf digested overnight in the enzyme solution [2% (w/v) cellulase R10, 0.5% (w/v) macerozyme R10, 0.7 M mannitol, 10 mM CaCl2, 20 mM KCl, 20 mM MES and 0.1% (w/v) BSA, pH 5.7] by the direct leaf-peeling method. The isolated areca protoplasts maintain viability of 86.6% and have been successfully transformed with a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged plasmid (pGreen0029-GFP, 6.0 kb) via the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated transformation. Moreover, the mannitol concentration (optimal: 0.7 M) was determined as a key factor affecting areca protoplast isolation. We also demonstrated that the optimal density of areca protoplast for efficient transformation was at 1.0–1.5 × 106 cells/ml. With the optimization of transformation parameters, we have achieved a relatively high transformation efficiency of nearly 50%. Conclusion: We have established the first efficient protocol for the high-yield isolation and transformation of areca palm protoplasts. This method shall be applied in various biological studies of areca palm, such as gene function analysis, genome editing, protein trafficking and localization and protein–protein interaction. In addition, the protoplast system offers a great genetic transformation approach for the woody perennial plant-areca palm. Moreover, the established platform may be applied in protoplast isolation and transformation for other important species in the palm family, including oil palm and coconut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rolling bearings are a vital component of mechanical equipment. It is crucial to implement rolling bearing fault diagnosis research to guarantee the stability of the long-term action of mechanical equipment. Conversion of rolling bearing vibration signals into images for fault diagnosis research has been a practical diagnostic approach. The current paper presents a rolling bearing fault diagnosis method using symmetrized dot pattern (SDP) images and a deep residual network with convolutional block attention module (CBAM-DRN). The rolling bearing vibration signal is first visualized and transformed into an SDP image with distinct fault characteristics. Then, CBAM-DRN is utilized to derive characteristics directly and detect faults from the input SDP images. In order to prevent conventional time-frequency images from being limited by their inherent flaws and avoid missing the fault features, the SDP technique is employed to convert vibration signals into images for visualization. DRN enables adequate extraction of rolling bearing fault characteristics and prevents training difficulties and gradient vanishing in deep level networks. CBAM assists the diagnostic model in concentrating on the image's more distinctive parts and preventing the interference of non-featured parts. Finally, the method's validity was tested with a composite fault dataset of motor bearings containing multiple loads and fault diameters. The experimental results reflect that the presented approach can attain a diagnostic precision of over 99% and good stability and generalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of graded replacing fishmeal with fermented silkworm pupae meal (FSPM) on the growth, feed utilization and body index of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The control diet (FSPM0) was produced using fishmeal as the main protein source and the other five diets were formulated by replacement of 10% (FSPM10), 20% (FSPM20), 30% (FSPM30), 40% (FSPM40) and 50% (FSPM50) fishmeal with FSPM. Six groups containing 540 largemouth bass (36.17 ± 0.71 g) were fed to apparent satiation for 10 weeks. The results indicated the weight gain rate, specific growth rate, feed efficiency rate, protein efficiency rate of fish in FSPM30 group were significantly higher than those in other groups. However, the feed intake of fish in FSPM30 group was significantly lower than those in other groups. No significantly changes for hepatosomatic index of fish were observed in all groups. Polynomial regression analysis indicated that the optimal ratio of replacement fishmeal by FSPM was 27%. In conclusion, FSPM can be included into the diet of largemouth bass replacing 27%–30% of fishmeal without negative effect on growth, feed utilization and body index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jurassic petroleum system in the piedmont zone between Qaidam Basin and Altun Mountain is rich in oil and gas resources. Based on the sedimentary environment, geochemical analysis, and distribution prediction of the Middle–Lower Jurassic source rocks in the piedmont zone between the south‐western Qaidam Basin and Altun tage region, the Jurassic oil and gas exploration potential in the area was systematically evaluated. The Jurassic source rocks in the study area are mainly coal, dark mudstone, and carbonaceous mudstone developed in the Lower Jurassic fan delta facies, as well as, oil shale, and mudstone in the Middle Jurassic of lacustrine facies, and coal measure strata of braided river delta facies. The thickness of Middle Jurassic source rocks is relatively thicker. Through restoration and weathered source rock samples analysis, the average TOC of the Middle Jurassic source rocks in the area can reach 4.19%, and the average chloroform bitumen "A" is 0.5915%, meeting the criteria for a good source stone. Every index is close to the Yuka Jurassic source rock, the highest quality found in the basin so far. At the same time, the distribution range of Jurassic source rocks in the study area is meticulously described through seismic facies identification and prediction analysis. Several Jurassic hydrocarbon generating centers in the area, such as Honggouzi ‐ Yueyashan, Nanyishan ‐ Xiaoliangshan, Pingxi, and Dafengshan, with thicknesses ranging from 200 to 400 m, indicating that the Jurassic source rocks have the material basis for large oil and gas fields formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) is an emerging and rapidly spreading RNA virus that infects tomato and pepper, with tomato as the primary host. The virus causes severe crop losses and threatens tomato production worldwide. ToBRFV was discovered in greenhouse tomato plants grown in Jordan in spring 2015 and its first outbreak was traced back to 2014 in Israel. To date, the virus has been reported in at least 35 countries across four continents in the world. ToBRFV is transmitted mainly via contaminated seeds and mechanical contact (such as through standard horticultural practices). Given the global nature of the seed production and distribution chain, and ToBRFV's seed transmissibility, the extent of its spread is probably more severe than has been disclosed. ToBRFV can break down genetic resistance to tobamoviruses conferred by R genes Tm‐1, Tm‐2, and Tm‐22 in tomato and L1 and L2 alleles in pepper. Currently, no commercial ToBRFV‐resistant tomato cultivars are available. Integrated pest management‐based measures such as rotation, eradication of infected plants, disinfection of seeds, and chemical treatment of contaminated greenhouses have achieved very limited success. The generation and application of attenuated variants may be a fast and effective approach to protect greenhouse tomato against ToBRFV. Long‐term sustainable control will rely on the development of novel genetic resistance and resistant cultivars, which represents the most effective and environment‐friendly strategy for pathogen control. Taxonomy: Tomato brown rugose fruit virus belongs to the genus Tobamovirus, in the family Virgaviridae. The genus also includes several economically important viruses such as Tobacco mosaic virus and Tomato mosaic virus. Genome and virion: The ToBRFV genome is a single‐stranded, positive‐sense RNA of approximately 6.4 kb, encoding four open reading frames. The viral genomic RNA is encapsidated into virions that are rod‐shaped and about 300 nm long and 18 nm in diameter. Tobamovirus virions are considered extremely stable and can survive in plant debris or on seed surfaces for long periods of time. Disease symptoms: Leaves, particularly young leaves, of tomato plants infected by ToBRFV exhibit mild to severe mosaic symptoms with dark green bulges, narrowness, and deformation. The peduncles and calyces often become necrotic and fail to produce fruit. Yellow blotches, brown or black spots, and rugose wrinkles appear on tomato fruits. In pepper plants, ToBRFV infection results in puckering and yellow mottling on leaves with stunted growth of young seedlings and small yellow to brown rugose dots and necrotic blotches on fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously we reported that the multifunctional cylindrical inclusion (CI) protein of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) is targeted to endosomes through the interaction with the medium subunit of adaptor protein complex 2 (AP2β), which is essential for viral infection. Although several functionally important regions in the CI have been identified, little is known about the determinant(s) for endosomal trafficking. The CI protein contains seven conserved acidic dileucine motifs [(D/E)XXXL(L/I)] typical of endocytic sorting signals recognized by AP2β. Here, we selected five motifs for further study and identified that they all were located in the regions of CI interacting with AP2β. Coimmunoprecipitation assays revealed that alanine substitutions in the each of these acidic dileucine motifs decreased binding with AP2β. Moreover, these CI mutants also showed decreased accumulation of punctate bodies, which enter endocytic‐tracking styryl‐stained endosomes. The mutations were then introduced into a full‐length infectious clone of TuMV, and each mutant had reduced viral replication and systemic infection. The data suggest that the acidic dileucine motifs in CI are indispensable for interacting with AP2β for efficient viral replication. This study provides new insights into the role of endocytic sorting motifs in the intracellular movement of viral proteins for replication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review summarizes the history and current state of the known genetic basis for soybean resistance to Soybean mosaic virus (SMV), and examines how the integration of molecular markers has been utilized in breeding for crop improvement. SVM causes yield loss and seed quality reduction in soybean based on the SMV strain and the host genotype. Understanding the molecular underpinnings of SMV–soybean interactions and the genes conferring resistance to SMV has been a focus of intense research interest for decades. Soybean reactions are classified into three main responses: resistant, necrotic, or susceptible. Significant progress has been achieved that has greatly increased the understanding of soybean germplasm diversity, differential reactions to SMV strains, genotype–strain interactions, genes/alleles conferring specific reactions, and interactions among resistance genes and alleles. Many studies that aimed to uncover the physical position of resistance genes have been published in recent decades, collectively proposing different candidate genes. The studies on SMV resistance loci revealed that the resistance genes are mainly distributed on three chromosomes. Resistance has been pyramided in various combinations for durable resistance to SMV strains. The causative genes are still elusive despite early successes in identifying resistance alleles in soybean; however, a gene at the Rsv4 locus has been well validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses can hijack autophagosomes as the nonlytic release vehicles in cultured host cells. However, how autophagosome-mediated viral spread occurs in infected host tissues or organs in vivo remains poorly understood. Here, we report that an important rice reovirus, rice gall dwarf virus (RGDV) hijacks autophagosomes to traverse multiple insect membrane barriers in the midgut and salivary gland of leafhopper vector to enhance viral spread. Such virus-containing double-membraned autophagosomes are prevented from degradation, resulting in increased viral propagation. Mechanistically, viral nonstructural protein Pns11 induces autophagy and embeds itself in the autophagosome membranes. The autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5)-ATG12 conjugation is essential for initial autophagosome membrane biogenesis. RGDV Pns11 specifically interacts with ATG5, both in vitro and in vivo. Silencing of ATG5 or Pns11 expression suppresses ATG8 lipidation, autophagosome formation, and efficient viral propagation. Thus, Pns11 could directly recruit ATG5-ATG12 conjugation to induce the formation of autophagosomes, facilitating viral spread within the insect bodies. Furthermore, Pns11 potentially blocks autophagosome degradation by directly targeting and mediating the reduced expression of N-glycosylated Lamp1 on lysosomal membranes. Taken together, these results highlight how RGDV remodels autophagosomes to benefit viral propagation in its insect vector. Author summary: Numerous plant viruses replicate inside the cells of their insect vectors. Here, we demonstrate that the progeny virions of rice gall dwarf virus in leafhopper vector are engulfed within virus-induced double-membraned autophagosomes. Such autophagosomes are modified to evade degradation, thus can be persistently exploited by viruses to safely transport virions across multiple insect membrane barriers. Viral nonstructural protein Pns11 induces the formation of autophagosomes via interaction with ATG5, and potentially blocks autophagosome degradation via mediating the reduced expression of N-glycosylated Lamp1 on lysosomal membranes. For the first time, we reveal that a nonstructural protein encoded by a persistent plant virus can induce an incomplete autophagy to benefit viral propagation in its insect vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro embryogenesis is an asexual reproduction process by which embryos are produced from either gametophytic (androecium/gynoecium) or sporophytic (somatic) tissues. Regardless of the type of explant used, the hallmark of this process is that the explant cells undergo dedifferentiation and acquire meristematic identity. The developmental program of such meristematic cells can then be redirected to form somatic embryos, depending on the imposed culture environment. Analysis of proteomes and transcriptomes has led to the molecular identification and functional characterization of many genes involved in the initiation and development of somatic embryos. These genes can be classified into three categories: embryonic induction, embryonic, and maturation. So far, few genes involved in early somatic embryogenesis have been characterized because isolation of early pure embryonic tissue is very difficult. This review focuses on genes regulating the induction process. Furthermore, we employed bioinformatic tools and pathway databases to identify genes that may play roles in regulating early somatic embryogenesis. A total of 51 proteins were identified that may function in early somatic embryogenesis. These proteins are predicted to be involved in hormone signal transduction, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle regulation, cellulose biosynthetic and metabolic activity, GTPase signal transduction, transcription regulation, meristem formation and maintenance, and/or apoptosis and microtubule organization. This review will help advance knowledge and promote research on molecular regulation of early somatic embryogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulated experimental evidence has shown that viruses recruit the host intracellular machinery to establish infection. It has recently been shown that the potyvirus Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) transits through the late endosome (LE) for viral genome replication, but it is still largely unknown how the viral replication vesicles labelled by the TuMV membrane protein 6K2 target LE. To further understand the underlying mechanism, we studied the involvement of the vacuolar sorting receptor (VSR) family proteins from Arabidopsis in this process. We now report the identification of VSR4 as a new host factor required for TuMV infection. VSR4 interacted specifically with TuMV 6K2 and was required for targeting of 6K2 to enlarged LE. Following overexpression of VSR4 or its recycling-defective mutant that accumulates in the early endosome (EE), 6K2 did not employ the conventional VSR-mediated EE to LE pathway, but targeted enlarged LE directly from cis-Golgi and viral replication was enhanced. In addition, VSR4 can be N-glycosylated and this is required for its stability and for monitoring 6K2 trafficking to enlarged LE. A non-glycosylated VSR4 mutant enhanced the dissociation of 6K2 from cis-Golgi, leading to the formation of punctate bodies that targeted enlarged LE and to more robust viral replication than with glycosylated VSR4. Finally, TuMV hijacks N-glycosylated VSR4 and protects VSR4 from degradation via the autophagy pathway to assist infection. Taken together, our results have identified a host factor VSR4 required for viral replication vesicles to target endosomes for optimal viral infection and shed new light on the role of N-glycosylation of a host factor in regulating viral infection. Author summary: A key feature of the replication of positive-strand RNA viruses is the rearrangement of the host endomembrane system to produce a membranous replication organelle. Recent reports suggest that the late endosome (LE) serves as a replication site for the potyvirus Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), but the mechanism(s) by which TuMV replication vesicles target LE are far from being fully elucidated. Identification of the host factors involved in this transport process could lead to new strategies to combat TuMV infection. In this report, we provide evidence that TuMV replication depends on functional vesicle transport from cis-Golgi to the enlarged LE pathway that is mediated by a specific VSR family member, VSR4, from Arabidopsis. Knock out of VSR4 impaired the targeting of TuMV replication vesicles to enlarged LE and suppressed viral infection, and this process depends on the specific interaction between VSR4 and the viral replication vesicle-forming protein 6K2. We also showed that N-glycosylation of VSR4 modulates the targeting of TuMV replication vesicles to enlarged LE and enhances viral infection, thus contributing to our understanding of how TuMV manipulates host factors in order to establish optimal infection. These results may have implications for the role of VSR in other positive-strand RNA viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the organic-rich mud shale in the Upper Palaeozoic transitional facies in the southeastern margin of the Ordos Basin. It systematically analyzes the shale gas accumulation conditions of the organic-rich mud shale in the Lower Permian Shanxi-Taiyuan Formation, including the thickness, distribution, organic matter type and content, thermal maturity, reservoir space, gas-bearing property, and rock brittleness. The results show that the thick dark mud shale contains a high organic matter content, is a suitable kerogen type for gas generation, and exhibits moderate thermal evolution, providing excellent conditions for hydrocarbon accumulation. Residual primary pores formed by shale compaction, secondary pores formed by organic matter hydrocarbon generation, clay mineral transformation and dissolution, and fractures provide suitable reservoir spaces for shale gas. The shale in the study area has a higher gas content than the shale strata in the marine basins of the United States. In addition, the content of brittle minerals such as quartz is higher, and Poisson's ratio is lower, facilitating the subsequent transformation. The accumulation conditions indicate the high potential of the study area for shale gas exploration and development. The geological analogy method is used to compare the study area with five major shale gas basins in the United States. The results indicate that the shale gas resources of the Shanxi-Taiyuan Formation in the study area are in the range of 2800– 3200 × 10 8 m3. The primary controlling factors affecting shale gas reservoirs in this area are the abundance of organic matter, thermal maturity, shale thickness, and quartz content. Favorable areas are predicted based on these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Exportin 1/XPO1 is an important nuclear export receptor that binds directly to cargo proteins and translocates the cargo proteins to the cytoplasm. To understand XPO1 protein functions during potyvirus infections, we investigated the nuclear export of the NIb protein encoding the RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of turnip mosaic virus (TuMV).Previously, we found that NIb is transported to the nucleus after translation and sumoylated by the sumoylation (small ubiquitin‐like modifier) pathway to support viral infection. Here, we report that XPO1 interacts with NIb to facilitate translocation from the nucleus to the viral replication complexes (VRCs) that accumulate in the perinuclear regions of TuMV‐infected cells. XPO1 contains two NIb‐binding domains that recognize and interact with NIb in the nucleus and in the perinuclear regions, respectively, which facilitates TuMV replication.Moreover, XPO1 is involved in nuclear export of the sumoylated NIb and host factors tagged with SUMO3 that is essential for suppression of plant immunity in the nucleus. Deficiencies of XPO1 in Arabidopsis and Nicotiana benthamiana plants inhibit TuMV replication and infection.These data demonstrate that XPO1 functions as a host factor in TuMV infection by regulating NIb nucleocytoplasmic transport and plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Replication of Tomato ringspot virus (ToRSV) occurs in association with endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-derived membranes. We have previously shown that the putative nucleotide triphosphate-binding protein (NTB) of ToRSV is an ER-targeted protein and that an intermediate polyprotein containing the domains for NTB and for the genome-linked viral protein (VPg) is associated with the replication complex. We now report the detection of a 95-kDa polyprotein that contains the domains for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (Pol), the proteinase (Pro) and the VPg. This polyprotein appears to be a truncated version of the full-length 111-kDa VPg-Pro-Pol polyprotein and was termed VPg-Pro-Pol′. A subpopulation of VPg-Pro-Pol′ was peripherally associated with ER-derived membranes active in viral replication. However, the VPg, Pro and Pol domains did not target to membranes in the absence of viral infection. We propose a model in which VPg-Pro-Pol′ is brought to the site of replication through interaction with a viral membrane protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved pathway in eukaryotes that delivers unwanted cytoplasmic materials to the lysosome/vacuole for degradation/recycling. Stimulated autophagy emerges as an integral part of plant immunity against intracellular pathogens.In this study, we used turnip mosaic virus (TuMV) as a model to investigate the involvement of autophagy in plant RNA virus infection.The small integral membrane protein 6K2 of TuMV, known as a marker of the virus replication site and an elicitor of the unfolded protein response (UPR), upregulates the selective autophagy receptor gene NBR1 in a UPR‐dependent manner. NBR1 interacts with TuMV NIb, the RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase of the virus replication complex (VRC), and the autophagy cargo receptor/adaptor protein ATG8f. The NIb/NBR1/ATG8f interaction complexes colocalise with the 6K2‐stained VRC. Overexpression of NBR1 or ATG8f enhances TuMV replication, and deficiency of NBR1 or ATG8f inhibits virus infection. In addition, ATG8f interacts with the tonoplast‐specific protein TIP1 and the NBR1/ATG8f‐containing VRC is enclosed by the TIP1‐labelled tonoplast. In TuMV‐infected cells, numerous membrane‐bound viral particles are evident in the vacuole.Altogether these results suggest that TuMV activates and manipulates UPR‐dependent NBR1‐ATG8f autophagy to target the VRC to the tonoplast to promote viral replication and virion accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]